The marketing mix is an integral part of any business, and although marketing is often most closely associated with promotion, it is dependent on and can greatly affect other areas of a company's operations. The four components of the marketing mix--product, distribution, promotion and price--are both affected by and affect the supply management of a company. This research proposes to examine the relationships between the four components of the marketing mix and supply management.
The marketing mix is composed of four components: product, distribution (place), promotion and price. Product refers to the specific product or service that is being offered for sale, and is the foundation for the remainder of the marketing decisions. Even within a particular product category, decisions must be made about the exact characteristics that a product will have, and whether the company will market variations on its primary product. The type of product that will be sold directly affects supply chain decisions such as the level of quality and types of suppliers that will be sought.
The distribution question refers to where the product or service will be available. Some end users do not buy products directly from the manufacturer; this is the case with most consumer goods in the United States where distributors and retailers buy products before they are offered to the consumer. Depending on who the customer is, and the distribution channel used to reach the customer, companies find that they have to have different marketing strategies. Supply managers may determine that the company use its suppliers to "drop ship" product to customers (that is, to ship directly to the end customer), or a company may choose suppliers based on their ability to meet the end client's schedule.
Promotion is a key part of the marketing mix since it is through promotional activities that consumers learn of the product and the product's brand. Promotion
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