Managing the Value Chain

The objective of value chain management is to convert customer needs into customer value. Unit 1 begins with the concept of customer delight as an indicator of earning customer value. By researching the Kaplan library and reading articles related to customer delight, you will gain an understanding of one of the ultimate goals of value chain management. This Discussion describes some of the process inherent when customer delight is present.

Directions

1. Search the Kaplan Library for articles explaining customer delight and customer service excellence. You will include at least one quote from the Kaplan Library article(s) within your response, using APA in-text citations and listing the applied reference(s) at the end of the response. There should be no more than one application of referenced information per paragraph. You may include one referenced sentence from your textbook. Internet references are not accepted for this Discussion, although you may use internet research for your own learning.
2. Think about when you have experienced customer delight — a purchase experience (product or service) that surpassed your expectations. Customer delight is not simply customer satisfaction, it is exceeding expectations on an ongoing basis. Perhaps you told other people you know about your amazing experience.
3. The response should use first person (“I”, “me”) perspective.
4. Include the following information. Describe this purchase experience; include where, when, why, the product, the brand name, and explain the details of this positive, memorable purchase from the beginning, from when you first considered the purchase, to the eventual purchase transaction and outcome. Be specific.
5. Describe the processes, steps, and phases you believe the company did to make sure your purchase experience was delightful (surpassed expectation and perhaps made you brand loyal). You may make assumptions for this portion of this Discussion. Include the following considerations.
   • Do you think you were a target market customer? Why or why not?
   • How did the company communicate the benefits of their product or service to you?
   • Why did you choose their product?
   • Was the product or service available to you when and where you wanted it? Once you received and used the product or service, did it perform as you expected? Explain.
6. Support your response’s content with at least one applied and cited reference from a Kaplan Library article. Apply and cite no more than one referenced sentence per paragraph. You may also apply and cite one sentence from the textbook if you wish. Internet references are not accepted for this Discussion. Use APA in-text citation within the response and list the applied reference(s) at the end of the response using APA formatting. APA formatting resources are available in Kaplan’s Writing Center in the “Research, Citation, and Plagiarism” area.
7. Proofread your response, run spell check and grammar check, and proofread again. Post your polished response in the Unit 1 Discussion forum

Homework due 11/28:

4-6 pages

Unit 1 Assignment: The Contemporary Value Chain Model in Action

This Assignment is an opportunity for you to relate what you learned about the Contemporary Value Chain 

Model to your own knowledge and experience. The purpose of the Assignment is for you to demonstrate a 

graduate level understanding of the direct correlation between the elements comprising the Contemporary 

Value Chain and the customer’s purchase experience.

Directions

1. Use the already APA formatted template in Doc Sharing titled “Unit 1 Assignment Template Contemporary

Value Chain” as your starting point for this Assignment. Download the template and save it as your own 

document, for example, YourNameUnit1GB570.docx.

2. Think about a horrible purchase experience— one you will never forget and perhaps because of it you will 

never buy anything from that brand ever again. Perhaps you told other people how shockingly bad this 

purchase experience was. In your paper you will describe the experience using the directions included within 

the Unit 1 Assignment template. 

3. Consider your Kaplan Library research from the Unit 1 Discussion and Chapter 1 of your textbook. Internet 

references are not accepted for this Unit 1 Assignment, although you may use internet research for your own 

learning. At least two different sources are required to be used as references for this Assignment, one from the 

textbook and at least one from at least one Kaplan Library article.

4. Think about what the (brand name) company could/should have implemented within their value chain to 

have ensured your experience was not bad, but instead left you with surpassed expectations (a delighted 

customer).

5. Write a 4–6 pages paper, not including title and reference pages, applying at least four of the elements in 

the Contemporary Value Chain Model and suggest how the company can improve the customer experience by 

fixing value chain elements. This is your opportunity not only to see where the brand’s value chain was not 

working properly, but to recommend what needs to be done so future customers have delightful experiences.

6. Write your paper using first person (“I”, “me”) perspective.

7. Include a conclusion summarizing the paper’s content without introducing any new information.

8. Support your response’s content with at least two separate sources, applied and cited references from a 

Kaplan Library article and your textbook. Apply and cite no more than one referenced sentence per paragraph. 

Internet references are not accepted for this Unit 1 Assignment. Use APA in-text citations within the response 

and list the applied reference(s) at the end of the response using APA formatting. APA formatting resources 

are available in Kaplan’s Writing Center in the “Research, Citation, and Plagiarism” area.

9. Proofread your paper, confirm correct APA formatting, run spell check and grammar check, and proofread 

again. Submit your completed paper into the Unit 1 Assignment Dropbox.