Marketing Case Study: Environmental Factors and LBK

This case study analyzes the marketing challenges faced by Lim Boon Kim (LBK), a fruit supplier, in the context of Mandarin oranges. The assignment explores two key environmental factors affecting the business: micro and macro factors, including delayed shipments and drought impacting fruit size and supply. It then examines the benefits of customer research for LBK, emphasizing increased sales and client satisfaction, and the importance of maintaining good client relationships. Finally, the study identifies low supply during peak demand as a significant challenge and proposes strategies such as price adjustments and creative marketing to mitigate its impact. The analysis highlights the interplay of economic and environmental factors affecting the marketplace and the importance of proactive business strategies.

RUNNING HEAD: MARKETING 0
ORANGES: CASE STUDY

MARKETING 1
1. Briefly explain TWO (2) types of environment as illustrated with supporting answer
from the article.
First environmental force
The two types of environment that are presentedare the micro and macro-environmental
factors that affect the working of the business. The Macro environmental factors are political,
social. Technology, legal, and economic factor and micro factor include creditors, suppliers,
and stakeholders (Banfield & Kay, 2012). In the article, the macro-environmental factors
affect the sales of mandarin oranges as there has been a dearth in supply of oranges in China
as the shipment of the oranges got delayed due to the new year and Christmas holidays.
Moreover, the Lunar new year in China was in January thus resulting in less time for the
Mandarina oranges to be shipped in time in January. The lack of supply of the Mandarin
oranges has affected the Market place as the demand of the oranges is high.
Second environmental force
The second environmental reason affecting the supply of oranges is the last year drought in
China that has affected the size of the oranges affecting the quality of oranges. The size of the
oranges will be affecting its demands thus leading to a lack of demand of the oranges for the
target segment. In China, after interrogation with various households. Some of the
homemakers do not find any increase in the prices of oranges and she is ready to purchase the
pack of oranges of small size.
Conclusion
In the above scenario, the economic and environmental crises have affected the Chinese
marketplace for Mandarina oranges (Dries, 2013). The economic crises include lack of
profitability for the Marketers oforanges where they were not able to achieve the targeted
profits. The other environmental crises include the last year drought in China that affected the
size of the oranges from big to small. Although the prices of the oranges were not affected,
they remained the same but due to the supply of the oranges, the things were affected in a
negative manner.
Discuss TWO (2) benefits of conducting customer research in the marketplace for Lim
Boon Kin (LBK) business.

MARKETING 2
Lim Boon Kim is the supplier of fruits to the business operators in Malayasia . It has become
really important for Lim Boon Kin to conduct Customer research in the market place of
Malayasia.
1. Increase in sales and client satisfaction
As Lim Boon Kin is a fruits supplier to the business operators, it would be best for
him to understand his business operators in Malyasia. It is important for the Lim
Boon Kin to analyse its business operators and to identify the areas where they
operate and their customers. As the sales of the Mangoes have got hampered then Lim
Boon Kin should strategically try to analyse the appropriate distribution of the
oranges so that the maximum profits can be derived. The Lim Boon Kin should try to
mark the areas where the business operators have the least problem in achieving the
target goals. As they would result in better and healthy relations with the clients. The
areas where the Consumers prefer the big mangoes over the small ones, the Lim Boon
Kin should not consider dispatching mangoes to those business operators.
2. Good relations with the clients
Conducting effective customer research is helpful in maintaining a good and healthy
relationship with clients (Elsbach, 2018). The customer research helps to analyse the
things in the best manner where the clients are able to understand the situation. In the
situation, if Lim Boon Kin had overpromised his business operators and would have
lied about the supplies then there were greater chances of losing the long-term
relations. Effective customer research will make Lim Boon Kin more practical about
various things and he will maintain good relations with people in the best possible
manner (Tang, 2016). He will make the correct promises with clients thus leading to
effective long-term relations.
Conclusion-
By looking at the benefits of conducting the consumer research, lim boon kim should
try to conduct the effective market research so that the target profit can be achieved. If
lim boon Kim wants to develop long term good relations with client, it is important to
take into account the situation of crises and resopond pro-actively.

MARKETING 3
3. Identify only ONE (1) actor or force that might be the most challenging to the
business owner like Lim Boon Kin (LBK) and provide your opinion on how he
can possibly react to that identified environment without losing his business.
Introduction
The one force that can be more challenging to the business owner is that low supplies
of the orangesduring the peak time where there is Chinese lunar year and the demand
for the oranges are high. This would be one of the challenging periods of life for Lim
Boon Kin as he has to bring the good sales of the oranges in the situation when the
demand is very high. The other reasons for worry for Lim Boon Kin include the
availability of small-sized mangoes thus affecting the sales as customers are more
prone to buying the big sized mangoes as it is the festive season (Mello, 2015).
In my opinion,The steps that Lim Boon Kin can do to decrease the impact of the low
supplies of the oranges is by increasing the prices of the oranges as their demand can
be controlled.The controlled demand will not put any kind of pressures on the
suppliers and the target segment of the people thus there will be the greater
availability of the oranges to the target market segment (Mojibi, 2015).
The other ways in which the Lim Boon Kin can improve is by increasing the
marketing of the oranges in a creative manner thus resulting in higher sales of the
oranges (Hegarty, et al., 2017 b). In marketing, it can also come up with various
taglines that include “small is better” so that the sales remain unaffected in the long
run. It is helpful in getting things in an effective manner (Kaur, 2013).
Conclusion
It can also come with other innovative ideas that is by reducing the size of the boxes
that will be highly useful in positively affecting the psyche of the consumers (Luo &
Milne, 2013 ). The consumers will be highly satisfied and the business will be able to
get good profits out of it.

MARKETING 4
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