Demonstrating knowledge and understanding of a few well-chosen concepts
TMA 05
Word limit: 2500 words
Task
Critically discuss the difference between customer behaviour in B2B and B2C contexts, using real-life examples from one or more organisations, as well as individual consumers, and concepts from across the module as appropriate.
You should draw on a selection of concepts from Block 5, as well as relevant concepts from any or all of Blocks 1–4. These concepts include the buying process, factors influencing the buying process, and considerations or challenges faced by organisational and individual customers.
Guidance notes
This question asks you to make a selection of concepts from what you have learned in Block 5, as well as Blocks 1–4, and apply it to real-life examples of organisational and individual buying decisions.
The activities in Block 5 have introduced you to a wide range of concepts related to organisational buying behaviours and marketing activities that can influence these behaviours. You should now have a clear idea of organisational buying behaviours, the factors influencing these behaviours, and considerations or challenges faced by the organisation during buying processes. The focus of this assignment is to evaluate your knowledge and critical understanding of the extent to which organisational buying behaviour differs from individual consumer buying behaviour. You need to demonstrate your knowledge of these topics by differentiating between customer behaviour in B2B and B2C contexts and providing real-life examples supporting your answers. You need to show your critical understanding by using appropriate theory from the module to explain the differences you highlight.
Potential areas to explore might include mapping out the buying processes (i.e. purchasing decision-making stages) in B2B and B2C contexts, identifying the factors (e.g. environmental, ethical, etc.) that can potentially influence any components of the decision-making processes in each context, identifying considerations (e.g. business relationship, perceived value, etc.) or challenges (e.g. uncertainty, risks, etc.) faced by organisational or individual customers when making purchase decisions. Where relevant and helpful, draw on concepts (i.e. theories, models and frameworks) that you have studied during the module, in order to frame and analyse the situations. It is important to apply, rather than simply re-describe, concepts in your essay. You are welcome to point out and discuss instances where real-life examples you have found appear to contradict a particular concept or theory introduced in this module.
You can draw on personal experience, readings or wider research from news or business publications to help you formulate relevant examples to support your answer.
You should demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a few well-chosen concepts and provide concrete and relevant real-life examples to support your answers, rather than a superficial essay listing lots of concepts with little discussions and poorly described examples.
Marking criteria
Your tutor will mark your assignment using the following criteria:
- your knowledge and critical understanding of organisational buying behaviour (concepts covered in Block 5) and individual consumer buying behaviour (concepts covered in Block 1–4)
- your application of relevant concepts to practical situations represented by the real-life examples you select
- your ability to draw evidence from real-life examples to support your discussions
- your ability to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively in an essay
- your good academic practice in citing and referencing ideas taken from sources other than your own thinking.