ESSAY: Planters Nuts

5.2 Examination 1, coursework 50%: Individually written Case Study Report
The lecturer will present the main case for the individual case study report and illuminate further the instructions below on how to go about writing the case study report .
Students are to write a case report using the template consisting of 6 pages, a cover page and five text pages . The cover page contains author information that needs to be filled out as well as the abstract divided into the main five sections . The following five text pages can be used as wished but have to contain the five sections of (1) background, (2) situation analysis, (3) problem definition, (4) solution alternatives and (5) recommendations as well as (6) a list of references used .
The report must be submitted no later than on March 17, 2020 at 23:59 by mail to the (FEI) course manager . All submissions after this deadline will be capped to a maximum of 40% (pass) . All submissions after 14 days past deadline will be given the mark zero (fail) .
Grading will consider the usability of the report from a decision maker’s perspective . This necessitates the author’s ability to communicate, motivate and provide logical justifications of the most pertinent issues .

The following sections need to be included in the written report:
 Background: This section should provide the reader with an understanding of the key issues of the situation, and shall therefore be an extraction of the relevant issues described in the case . All infor- mation about the situation that is later used in the report must be included, while non-relevant information should be excluded .
 Situation analysis: Based on the description given in the background, this section should include the use of appropriate theory, models and calculations for analyzing the situation . Wherever possible, calculations should be used to support verbal analysis . Any use of theory, models and calculations that do not contribute towards a better understanding of the situation, should not be included .
 Problem definition: Based on the outcome of the analysis, this section should focus on defining the problem(s) that need to be handled . Care should be taken to distinguish between short and long-term problems .
 Solution alternatives: This section should contain alternative solutions (activities) for handling the defined problem(s), including the consequences of each solution in terms of any advantages and disadvantages associated with every alternative . Students are also expected to demonstrate a good understanding of trade-offs and their implications, as well as the feasibility of the proposed alternati- ves although no further analysis is expected in this section .
 Recommendations: Based on the alternatives presented in the previous section, this section should include a final recommendation . Any specific information that may not be available yet will somehow influence the recommendation(s), also needs to be described and justified .

ANSWER

The Analysis of Planters Nuts Case

Background

The Planters Company was established in 1906 and started selling only one type of nut. The company envisioned itself as becoming the “national nut” through the provision of high-quality peanuts at minimal prices affordable to everyone. The company’s marketing strategy was the introduction of a fascinating logo “Mr. Peanut” in 1916. The logo went nation-wide after the invention of Mr. Peanut which featured a little peanut person who had a monocle cane, some gloves, and a top-hat along with the slogan “social rise of peanuts”(Dolan and Ngwe 2016) The slogan became a success concerning the company’s advertising campaigns that targeted major segments in the peanut market particularly the young people in the US. For many years Mr. Peanut’s logo had been successful as the company’s marketing strategy. The company’s advertising campaigns mainly showcased Mr. Peanut as being great for garden picnics, a good accompaniment for main dishes, dessert and baseball games (Kraftfoods 2016). Their advertising campaign captured the mind of many…