Do you like pet food?
Dr Paul Szuster
MBA and management students benefit from my practical pedagogy and andragogy, drawing from my extensive business and management career, and underpinned by my relevant qualifications as a management educator.
Two out of every three households in Australia own a pet. That is about seven million dogs, and about 23,000,000 pets overall. Globally, the petfood market is estimated at around 100 billion dollars annually.
According to a recent story on Landline, the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s weekly rural affairs program, the petfood industry in Australia is experiencing considerable growth as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2204Q018S00?
This report examined the pet food industry in Australia from the supply chain, manufacturing, and ethical perspective.
Coincidentally, GRUEN the ABC’s marketing program reported extensively on marketing strategies and issues about the same industry. The panel discussion runs for 20 minutes, starting just after the 2-minute mark into the program.
These two professionally complied stories provide marketing educators with an industry case study that students should easily relate to.
Activities:
·???????Have the students examine the floor space and faces in supermarkets that are dedicated to pet food.
·???????Facilitate in-class discussions around scenarios such as market entry, alternative income streams for farmers, use of bi-products, supply chains, innovation, intellectual property, burgeoning demand, distribution and retail channels, packaging, ethics, and sustainability.
·???????Set assignments based on the above scenarios.
·???????Have the students research literature on issues related to pet foods.
·???????Challenge students to find recipes for producing acceptable pet foods in the home and using fresh ingredients.