Posted: June 14th, 2020

Goodwill marketing | Marketing Assignment: I need help writing a research paper.

+++

Goodwill Industries – Marketing to a variety of customer types 
Assignment Objectives 
1. Learn  to  recognize  the  various  types  of  customers  a  company  may  have.    
2. Understand  what  creates  value  for  different  customers.  
3. Appreciate  how  consumer  buying  behavior  may  vary  by  type  of  customer.    
4. Recognize  how  changes  in  the  marketing  environment  affect  a  company’s   marketing  efforts.    
5. Recognize  how  a  company  using  marketing  tools  to  appeal  to  its  various   customers.  
6. Demonstrate  effective  writing  skills.  
Course Concepts 
1. Creating  and  Capturing  Customer  Value  (Chapter  1)  
2. Analyzing  the  Marketing  Environment  (Chapter  3)  
3. Characteristics  affecting  Consumer  Behavior  (Chapter  5)  
 
Overview 
Since 1902, Goodwill Industries has funded job training and placement programs through its chain of thrift stores. While selling used clothing, furniture, and other items may not seem like big business, for Goodwill, it amounts to over $3 billion in annual sales. You might think of thrift stores as musty, low-class operations. But Goodwill is putting an end to such perceptions by focusing on concepts of consumer behavior. Like any good marketing company, Goodwill recognizes that not all customers are the same. This video demonstrates how Goodwill caters to different types of customers by recognizing the cultural, social, personal, and psychological factors that affect how customers make buying decisions. In this manner, Goodwill is able to maximize customer value by offering the right mix of goods at unbeatable bargains. 
  
Your Task 
You  will  be  demonstrating  that  you  understand  the  above-­‐noted  course  concepts  by   applying  them  to  the  Goodwill  Video  Case  Study    (found  in  MyMarketingLab).    
Directions 
• View  the  Goodwill  Industries  video,  which  can  be  found  in  Mymarketinglab   under  Chapter  5.      
• Think  about  your  own  experiences  with  shopping  at  Goodwill.    Have  you   bought  items  at  Goodwill?    Why  did  you  shop  there?    What  did  you  buy?   What  influenced  you  in  your  decision  to  buy  that  item?  
 
• Ask  about  other  people’s  experience  with  shopping  at  Goodwill.    Ask  your   family  and  friends  about  their  experiences  purchasing  items  at  Goodwill.     What  did  they  buy?    Why?    What  motivates  them  to  shop  at  Goodwill?    Is  it   the  same  reason  every  time  or  does  it  vary—and  if  so,  how  does  it  vary?     What  is  their  image  of  the  Goodwill?  
 
• Review  the  requirements  for  written  assignments  and  the  grading  rubric  in   your  course  syllabus  under  project  descriptions.      
 
• Prepare  your  three-­‐  to  four-­‐page  written  assignment  by  addressing  each  of   the  following  questions  in  order.    
 

Questions 
1. Goodwill  customer  types.  Write a page paper – Describe  the  three  customer  types  mentioned  in   the  video.    What  is  each  customer  type  looking  for  when  they  shop  at   Goodwill?    What  is  most  important  to  each  customer  type?       2. Value  offered.      What  is  Goodwill’s  value  proposition  and  is  it  the  same  for   all  customer  groups.     3. Factors  affecting  Goodwill  consumer  behavior.    How  do  the  four  sets  of   factors  affecting  consumer  behavior  affect  the  buying  behavior  of  Goodwill’s   customers?    Which  of  the  four  sets  of  factors  affecting  consumer  behavior  do   you  believe  most  strongly  affects  consumers’  purchase  decisions  from   Goodwill?         4. Changes  in  the  marketing  environment.      What  environmental  trend(s)   does  the  video  discuss  that  significantly  impacts  Goodwill’s  performance?    
What  two  “metrics”  (key  factors  Goodwill  tracks  determine  how  well   business  is  doing)  are  affected  and  why  does  this  affect  how  Goodwill   markets  its  retail  goods?    
  5. Impact  on  Goodwill’s  Marketing  strategies  and  tactics.    How  does   Goodwill’s  recognition  of  consumer  behavior  principles  affect  its  marketing   mix

Be  sure  to  edit  your  work  and  submit  your  best  effort  into  your  assignment  folder   by  the  due  date  noted  in  the  course  schedule.    Refer  to  the  grading  rubric  and  note   that  points  will  be  deducted  for  grammar  and  composition  errors.  Be  sure  to  use  an   appropriate  style  guide  for  writing  and  referencing.    

Your  written assignment, including proper citations and references, must conform to standards of formatting and documentation found in an acceptable college-level writing guide, such as the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, the Chicago Manual of Style, or UMUC’s Online Guide to Writing and Research.

Your written assignment must

• be at least 3–4 pages long
• be typed in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, double-spaced, with margins no wider than one inch
• have footnotes or end notes with correct citations
• have a bibliography of sources formatted as specified in one of the style guides noted above
• be prepared using word-processing software and saved with a .doc, .docx, or .rtf extension
• be uploaded to your Assignments Folder by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the due date

Written Assignment Grading Criteria

Level	Start Range	Description
6	90 % or more	Student demonstrates superior understanding and application of the marketing principles outlined in the assignment description.  Student demonstrates superior college-level writing skills and use of external resources to support critical thinking.
5	80 % or more	Student demonstrates a good understanding of the marketing principles outlined in the assignment description.  Student should strive to add more depth to question responses, using examples to illustrate a higher level of understanding and application of the marketing principles. Student demonstrates good college-level writing skills, but may want to spend more time editing work before submission to correct minor issues with grammar and composition.
4	70 % or more	Student demonstrates an average understanding of the marketing principles outlined in the assignment description, but could be improved with additional insight into the concept, less reliance on paraphrasing textbook definitions, and use of examples to illustrate student can apply the marketing principles to the subject of the assignment.  Student demonstrates average college-level writing skills, but may want to spend more time editing work before submission to correct issues of grammar and composition.  Student demonstrates elementary critical thinking skills but doesn’t fully defend or support conclusions.
3	60 % or more	Student demonstrates a poor understanding of the marketing principles outlined in the assignment description.  Needs significant improvement in application of the marketing principles to the assignment subject.   Student relies on textbook paraphrasing for content, does not demonstrate significant original thinking, and may be off-track on some of the questions addressed in the assignment description.  Student may want to seek the assistance of the UMUC writing center to improve composition of writing as well as development of critical thinking skills.
2	50 % or more	Student does not demonstrate and acceptable level of understanding of the marketing principles outlined in the assignment description.  Student should seek help with writing skills through UMUC’s Writing Center.
1	0 % or more	Student did not submit the assignment or submitted work nonresponsive to the assignment description

–