The purpose of this miniproject is to develop an understanding of the importance of marketing to different organizations.

1. Working as a team with two or three other students, select an organization in your community that practices marketing. It may be a manufacturer, a service provider, a retailer, a not-for-profit organization-almost any organization will do. Then schedule a visit with someone within the organization who is involved in the marketing activities. Arrange for a short visit during which the person can give your group a tour of the facilities and explain the organization's marketing activities.

2. Divide the following list of topics among your team and ask each person to be responsible for developing a set of questions to ask during the interview to learn about the company's program:

• What customer segments the company targets

• How it determines needs and wants

• What products it offers, including features, benefits, and goals for customer satisfaction

• What its pricing strategies are, including any discounting policies it has

• What promotional strategies it uses and what these emphasize to position the product(s)

• How it distributes products and whether it has encountered any problems

• How marketing planning is done and who does it

• Whether social responsibility is part of the marketing program and, if so, in what ways

3. Develop a team report of your findings. In each section of the report, share what you learned that is new or surprising to you compared to what you expected.

4. Develop a team presentation for your class that summarizes your findings. Conclude your presentation with comments on what your team believes the company was doing that was particularly good and what was not quite so good.