Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Keith Murray
Second Faculty Advisor
Maryella Gainor
Keywords
marketing; survey; business; strategy; tactics; manufacturing
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
Manufacturing businesses primarily focus on producing products, but as a result, these firms can fall behind on their marketing efforts when compared to other business sectors. Through a case study approach, an analysis was conducted to reveal how business to business 'B2B' manufacturing firms can attain and use marketing research supplemented by robust data analysis from its customers to improve sales. The study was divided into 7 sections. Sections 1, 2, and 3 show the dynamics of this business sector and motivations for this project. The remaining sections 4, 5, 6, and 7 explore the practical implications through a live case study approach on how this sector can benefit from robust survey research. There were four systematic steps to accomplish this goal. First, internal and market situations of B2B manufacturing firms were assessed to discover reasoning why this fault in the industry occurs. Next, the top six customers of the case firm, "Chewbarka, Inc.," were questioned in in-depth interviews to find critical variables in the marketplace. The knowledge acquired from these interviews was then used to inform a broader and universal online survey to the remaining customer base through their individual emails supplied by the firm. Finally, an external analysis was derived from 547 online survey respondents. The external analysis of the firm's customers led to internal recommendations for the firm. Specifically, the data from this work informed marketing implications, operations objectives, and business growth initiatives for the manufacturing firm to strive for now and in the future through the lens of the marketing mix.
