| Course | MRKT 4504 Global Marketing |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 8 |
| Paper type | Channel comparison |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MRKT 4504 Week 8
Three Routes From the Dock to a Buyer Abroad: A Channel Comparison for a Barbecue Sauce Exporter, Drawing Each Route as a Chain of Intermediaries and Choosing One to Go First
Student Name
Walden University
MRKT 4504: Global Marketing
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Three Routes From the Dock to a Buyer Abroad: A Channel Comparison for a Barbecue Sauce Exporter, Drawing Each Route as a Chain of Intermediaries and Choosing One to Go First
The Three Routes
A bottle of Ember County Smokehouse sauce leaving the dock in Oakland passes through several hands before a shopper in Market A buys it. Three routes are possible. In the first, the importer of record clears the shipment, holds stock and sells directly to supermarket chains, which place the sauce on their shelves. In the second, the importer sells to distributors who supply small grocers and traditional shops, often through further layers of sub-distributors. In the third, the importer holds stock and sells through an online marketplace popular in Market A, which handles payment and delivery.
Route one: port, importer of record (clears customs, holds stock, collects from retailers), supermarket chain (sets shelf price, displays), shopper.
Route two: port, importer of record (clears customs, holds stock), regional distributor (holds some stock, sells on credit), sub-distributor (delivers to shops), small grocer (sets price), shopper.
Route three: port, importer of record (clears customs, holds stock), online marketplace (lists product, collects payment, arranges delivery), shopper.
Comparison
Table 1
Three Routes Compared
| Factor | Supermarket chains through importer | Small grocers through distributors | Online marketplace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin taken by intermediaries | Importer about 25 percent; chain about 30 percent | Importer, distributor and sub-distributor about 45 percent together; grocer about 20 percent | Importer about 25 percent; marketplace commission about 15 percent | |
| Control over shelf price | Moderate; chain sets price but follows suggested range | Low; price varies by shop | High; importer sets the listing price | |
| Control over presentation | Moderate; in-store tastings possible | Low | High; product page and photos controlled | |
| Reach | Shoppers at about 120 supermarket outlets, mostly in the capital | Wide, including outside the capital | Nationwide online buyers | |
| Payment risk | Low; chains pay in 60 to 90 days | High; distributors often pay late or in part | Low; marketplace pays within two weeks | |
| Fit with the cultural finding | Good; in-store sampling shows the table use directly | Poor; no way to show use | Moderate; photos can show use, no tasting | |
Composite market. Margins and terms are illustrative case figures.
Which Rows Decide
Three rows decide the choice for Ember County's first year. Payment risk matters because a small firm cannot carry unpaid invoices across an ocean. Fit with the cultural finding matters because shoppers in Market A need to see or taste the sauce used as a table condiment before they will buy a barbecue sauce at all. And control over presentation matters for the same reason.
Route two fails on all three: the longest chain, the highest combined margin, the greatest payment risk and no way to show shoppers how to use the sauce. It offers the widest reach, but reach without understanding produces bottles that sit on shelves. Bello and Gilliland (1997) found that exporters' channel performance improved when they monitored distributors' results and kept some flexibility in the relationship, both harder to do through several layers of sub-distributors.
Route three offers control and quick payment, and online grocery is growing in Market A. But it cannot offer tastings, and a shopper browsing online is unlikely to try an unfamiliar barbecue sauce without having tasted it.
Route Chosen to Go First
Palmatier et al. (2016) describe channel choice as a trade between the reach intermediaries supply and the control a manufacturer keeps; at this stage, Ember County needs control more than reach. Route one goes first: the importer sells to supermarket chains, with in-store tastings at the chains' largest outlets. It has the lowest payment risk among physical channels, and it alone lets a shopper sample the sauce in the role it would play on her own table. Its reach is limited to the capital, which matches the first year's goal of learning the market.
Route three should follow in the second year, once tasting has built some awareness. Shoppers who tried the sauce in a supermarket can then reorder online, and the importer can use the product page to show table use. Route two should wait until the brand is known well enough that shoppers ask for it by name.
Risks
The main risk of route one is dependence on a few chains. If one chain stops ordering, a large share of sales disappears. The importer agreement should include monthly reports of sell-through by chain, so that Ember County sees problems early. Cateora et al. (2020) note that exporters often lose sight of what happens to their product after it leaves the importer's warehouse; monthly reporting is the simplest guard against that.
References
Bello, D. C., & Gilliland, D. I. (1997). The effect of output controls, process controls, and flexibility on export channel performance. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 22-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299706100103
Cateora, P. R., Money, R. B., Gilly, M. C., & Graham, J. L. (2020). International marketing (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Palmatier, R. W., Stern, L. W., & El-Ansary, A. I. (2016). Marketing channel strategy (8th ed.). Routledge.
MRKT 4504 Week 8 instructions, in plain terms
Week 8 asks you to compare routes to market abroad and choose one to start with. Draw each route as a chain of intermediaries, naming what each party does: clears customs, holds stock, sets the price, collects payment. Compare the routes on the margins taken, control over price and presentation, reach, payment risk and fit with what customers need to see before buying. Explain which factors decide the choice for your product at this stage. Choose a first route, say when the others might follow and name the main risk of your choice with a way to monitor it, such as regular reporting of sales by account from the partner who sells for you.
How the MRKT 4504 Week 8 example is put together
The comparison opens by drawing three chains from the Oakland dock to the shopper. A table compares them on margins, control, reach, payment risk and fit with the cultural finding. A section explains why payment risk, fit and presentation decide the choice, citing Bello and Gilliland on monitoring distributors. A section rules out the distributor route and explains why online alone cannot provide tastings. Supermarkets with sampling win, with Palmatier and colleagues cited on the reach-control trade, and online is scheduled for year two. A risk section proposes monthly sell-through reporting, citing Cateora and colleagues. The three chains are written out step by step before the table, so a reader sees every hand the bottle passes through.
Where the marks sit in the MRKT 4504 Week 8 rubric
Channel comparisons earn credit for tracing the full chain and choosing on the factors that matter. Drawing each route with the role of every intermediary is weighted heavily. A comparison covering margins, control, reach and payment risk shows thoroughness. Linking the choice to customer behavior, such as the need to taste a new product, shows integration with earlier work. A sequenced plan for other routes demonstrates strategic thinking. Naming the main risk with a monitoring step shows realism. Comparisons that choose the route with the widest reach by default, ignore payment risk or describe channels without intermediaries tend to receive lower marks from instructors. Explaining which route follows the first, and when, shows that the choice is a sequence rather than a single bet.
Common MRKT 4504 Week 8 mistakes, and how to avoid them
For each possible route, start at your dock and list every company that will touch the product before a customer buys it. Write down what each one does and what it takes in margin. Then ask which route lets customers see, try or understand your product the way they need to. Consider who pays you, when and how reliably. Students often compare routes on reach alone and forget payment risk, which can sink a small exporter. Another common gap is ignoring what customers need to experience before they buy. Choose one route to start and say when you would add the others. If you need help mapping intermediaries in your market, our writers can assist.
Get a MRKT 4504 Week 8 example written to your instructions
Give the desk the Week 8 channel prompt and its rubric; a comparison drawing each route from port to shelf in your market comes back in 24 to 48 hours, with no charge for a first request. If your importer or retailer is known, include it. Without that, the routes run through a composite market.
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MRKT 4504 Week 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MRKT 4504 Week 8 sample paper?
The channel comparison is reproduced below and free to read.
Which routes does the MRKT 4504 Week 8 paper compare?
Supermarket chains through an importer, small grocers through distributors and an online marketplace.
Which route goes first?
Supermarket chains, because tastings are possible and payment risk is low.
Why not the distributor route?
It has the longest chain, highest combined margin, greatest payment risk and no way to show use.
How is the main risk monitored?
Through monthly sell-through reports by chain from the importer.