An important part of any organization’s priorities, as well as an important category of B Corp Certification, is the consideration of added value for customers. In this assignment, you will apply what you have learned about customer expectations and consider how it can be applied to your course project, which is due in Module Seven.
You work in the operations department at NationaliTeas, a large international corporation that manufactures and sells tea worldwide. Based on customer feedback and a push to work toward B Corp Certification, the board of directors is looking for new initiative ideas that would increase value to customers. Examples include offering product guarantees, seeking product quality certifications, monitoring customer satisfaction, and more. You have been asked to outline two customer-focused initiatives that can be evaluated by impacted teams for feasibility.
Added Customer Value: Briefly describe the added value that your initiative idea brings to customers. Use supporting evidence from course materials in your response.
Added Business Value: Briefly describe the added value that your initiative idea brings to the organization. Be certain to note the impact of the added customer value on the business. Use evidence from the course materials to support your response.
Potential Resources: Identify resources that would likely be needed to complete the outlined initiative. In this case, "resources” might refer to the amount of funding, the materials available, the allocation of employees and their time, and so on.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Briefly describe how the success of the initiative would be monitored over time and how you would evaluate the criteria for success.
Added Customer Value
This initiative directly addresses the customer expectation of transparency and ethical sourcing. The added value is the creation of trust and the ability for customers to make informed, values-based choices. Customers gain immediate access to data, such as the specific farm, fair trade premiums paid, and carbon footprint metrics, simply by scanning a QR code on the package. This moves beyond simple labeling to provide verifiable proof, which is critical for today's conscientious consumer. As course materials emphasize, meeting and exceeding customer expectations for social responsibility enhances perceived value and is a prerequisite for building lasting customer loyalty.
Added Business Value
The business value centers on establishing a strong, defensible market differentiator and a premium brand image. Implementing verifiable transparency directly supports the "Environment" and "Customers" impact areas required for B Corp Certification. By building trust through verifiable data, NationaliTeas can expect:
Increased Price Premium: Customers are often willing to pay more for ethically sourced products with proven transparency.
Enhanced Brand Reputation: A strong reputation for ethical sourcing attracts a growing segment of loyal, values-driven consumers, impacting long-term revenue stability.
Improved Operational Efficiency: Mapping the supply chain for blockchain verification requires detailed data collection, which can, in turn, help the operations department identify and mitigate waste or inefficiency, aligning with the "operations" function's goal of continuous improvement.
Potential Resources
Funding: Significant initial capital investment for blockchain platform development/licensing and integration with existing supply chain management (SCM) software.
Personnel & Time: Allocation of time from the IT department (blockchain specialists, security architects), the Supply Chain/Logistics team (data input, verification protocols), and the Legal team (data privacy, international regulations).
Materials: Digital tools (QR code generation, cloud-based data storage).
Sample Answer
NationaliTeas: Customer Value Initiatives
Here are two customer-focused initiatives for NationaliTeas aimed at increasing customer value and supporting the company's B Corp Certification goal.
Initiative 1: Blockchain-Verified "Leaf-to-Cup" Transparency
This initiative involves using blockchain technology to provide customers with verifiable, immutable information about the entire supply chain of their tea, from the farm where the leaves were grown to the final packaging facility.