Page 16 - CIMA OCS August 2018 Day 2 Tasks

CIMA MAY 2018 – OPERATIONAL CASE STUDY

EXERCISE 3 (MARKETING)

TRIGGER

This morning you receive the following email.

To: You
From: Ana Olaf
Subject: Marketing mix information

Hi,

I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Butler Estates has just won a major contract to supply its
loose-leaf tea to our country’s top department store. This is only a month on from them winning
the prestigious tea award.

It’s a sign of the times that customers are increasingly demanding quality unblended loose-leaf
teas. Consumers are becoming more concerned about the provenance and purity of the
products they eat and drink and more aware of the medicinal qualities of tea. Butler Estates has
been heavily promoting the fact that their tea is grown on home soil and that their careful
processing leads to retention of a high level of antioxidants.

I have no doubt that our competitors are also aware of this change in consumer buying
behaviour, in addition to the fact that the market for black tea is anticipated to be static or
declining in the future as both green tea and infusions become more popular. With that in mind,
we must take action in order to keep and grow our market share.

I have been asked by the board to put together a training seminar on the marketing aspects of
Thomas Fine Teas for the senior and middle management of the company. Unfortunately I am
very busy with several other projects at the moment and I am looking for people that can
contribute to the material that will be used on this seminar. Whilst discussing this with Ben Jones
he mentioned that you covered aspects of marketing within your studies and suggested that this
may be a good opportunity for you to put some of your acquired knowledge into practice.

What I am looking for is a set of briefing notes that demonstrate the 4 P’s of the marketing mix,
what makes up each aspect of the marketing mix and how this could be applied to us here at
Thomas Fine Teas.

I would also appreciate your thoughts as to how we can enhance each aspect of the 4 P’s to our
advantage, moving forward. Just one suggestion for improvement within each category will
suffice.

Many thanks,
Ana

TASK
Write the briefing notes requested by Ana Olaf.
(Time allowed: 30 minutes)

38 KAPLAN PUBLISHING