MT330 Unit 8 Distributor Selection Paper Example

Course	MT330 International Marketing and Business Development
Unit	Unit 8
Paper type	Distributor selection paper
Length	About 1,110 words, 7 pages double-spaced
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Purdue University Global
Program	BS in Business Administration
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for MT330 Unit 8

The Specialist Over the Larger House: An MT330 Unit 8 Distributor Selection Paper With the Exit Written First

[Student Name]

Purdue University Global

MT330: International Marketing and Business Development

Unit 8 Distributor Selection Criteria

[Instructor Name]

[Date]

The firm and the four candidates are composite; the frameworks and sources cited are real.

What this part is doingSaying in the lead that the exit is written first signals that the paper treats distribution as a relationship that may end.

Why Not Sell Directly

The cheapest route would be to sell on Amazon.es with the firm as importer. That route is included as a candidate because it sets a floor: any distributor must offer more than a marketplace listing. Its weakness is that Spanish buyers decide on rackets by trying them, usually at clubs, and a marketplace cannot hold demonstration days. It would also leave the firm to act as its own EU responsible operator, which a two-person export team could not manage well. Cavusgil et al. (2020) note that small exporters usually rely on intermediaries in their first markets for exactly these reasons.

Why the Choice Matters

A distributor in Spain will be the firm's importer of record, its EU responsible operator under the General Product Safety Regulation, its sales force and its customer service. Arnold (2000), studying international distribution, observed that firms often choose distributors quickly and then find themselves dependent on partners who are not committed to growing the brand. The selection is therefore made against criteria set in advance.

Seven Criteria

1. Reach into clubs and specialist shops, weight 25. Evidence: number of active accounts, reference calls with shops.

2. Conflict of interest with competing brands, weight 20. Evidence: brands carried, especially padel and pickleball.

3. Capacity to act as EU responsible operator, weight 15. Evidence: existing compliance role for other brands.

4. Logistics, weight 10. Evidence: warehouse location, delivery times.

5. Financial strength, weight 10. Evidence: credit report, payment history with suppliers.

6. Willingness to hold demonstration stock, weight 10. Evidence: written commitment.

7. Spanish-language service, weight 10. Evidence: staff, returns process.

Four Candidates

Madrid multi-sport distributor. Supplies the national sporting goods chain and about 1,200 retail accounts. Carries two padel brands, including Brand A's padel rackets. Strong warehouse and finances. Would treat the paddle as one line among hundreds.

Valencia racket-sports specialist. About 300 club and shop accounts, concentrated in the east and south. Carries padel and tennis brands but no pickleball. Acts as responsible operator for two European racket makers. Thin warehouse with one small facility. Founder plays pickleball.

Dutch importer. Seeks rights across the whole EU. Strong logistics and finances. Weak Spanish club presence; its Spanish sales go mainly through Amazon.es.

Marketplace route with the firm as importer. The firm sells directly on Amazon.es and acts as importer through an EU fiscal representative. Cheapest to start. No club or shop reach, and the firm would need its own EU responsible operator.

Scores

Scores are from 1 to 5, multiplied by weight.

Valencia specialist: 3.95. Reach 4, conflict 4, responsible operator 5, logistics 2, finance 3, demonstration stock 5, Spanish service 4.

Madrid house: 3.55. Reach 5, conflict 1, responsible operator 4, logistics 5, finance 5, demonstration stock 2, Spanish service 3.

Dutch importer: 3.10. Reach 2, conflict 4, responsible operator 4, logistics 5, finance 4, demonstration stock 1, Spanish service 2.

Marketplace route: 2.30. Reach 1, conflict 5, responsible operator 1, logistics 3, finance 3, demonstration stock 1, Spanish service 2.

The Madrid house's padel brands appear under conflict of interest, not as a vague worry: it already distributes Brand A, the competitor most likely to respond with a cheaper carbon paddle, and its sales staff are paid on volume across all brands.

The larger house could reach more shops, but the specialist would actually try to sell the paddle in them.

What this part is doingExplaining why reach alone did not decide the choice shows the criteria worked as intended.

The Choice and Its Weakness

The Valencia specialist wins on reach into the right accounts, focus and willingness to hold demonstration stock. Its weakness is logistics: one small warehouse and slower delivery to the north. The fix is written into the agreement: the specialist will use a third-party logistics provider in Madrid for northern deliveries within six months, with the firm sharing the setup cost up to 5,000 euros.

Agreement Outline

Territory. Spain only, with first refusal on Portugal after two years. Term. Three years, renewable. Exclusivity. Exclusive in Spain if minimums are met. Minimums. 6,000 paddles in year one, 9,000 in year two, 12,000 in year three. Demonstration stock. At least 150 paddles held for club days at all times. Responsible operator. The distributor acts as EU responsible operator and maintains the required records. Pricing. The firm sets a recommended retail price; the distributor sets its own selling price within agreed bounds. Reporting. Monthly sell-through by account. Exit. Either party may end the agreement on 90 days' notice if minimums are missed for two consecutive quarters. On exit, the distributor transfers responsible-operator records and sells remaining stock back at landed cost.

Planning the Replacement

The replacement is planned before signing because changing distributors is hardest when it is needed most. Three steps are written in now. First, the firm keeps its own list of every account the distributor sells to, through monthly reporting, so it is not dependent on the distributor's customer knowledge. Second, the Madrid house is told it remains the alternative and is kept informed annually. Third, the agreement's exit clause transfers responsible-operator records so that a new distributor can take over compliance without interruption. Johanson and Vahlne (1977) describe how commitment to a market grows with knowledge, and these steps keep the firm's knowledge of Spanish customers in its own hands.

What the Reference Calls Revealed

Shop owners who buy from the Valencia specialist described its sales staff as knowledgeable and quick to replace defective stock. One said the specialist had once pulled a racket brand from its range after two seasons of poor sell-through, which suggests it would not keep a paddle that did not sell. Shop owners who buy from the Madrid house praised its delivery times but said its representatives visited rarely and pushed whatever the national chain was promoting. Both accounts support the scores.

Limits

Reference calls covered only two shops per candidate. Credit reports for the Valencia specialist show a short history. Scores involve judgment, though each rests on evidence. The specialist's founder's enthusiasm for pickleball is an advantage that may not survive a change of ownership.

Conclusion

The Valencia racket-sports specialist best fits the firm's needs: the right accounts, no competing pickleball brand, experience as a responsible operator and willingness to hold demonstration stock. Its logistics weakness is fixed by contract, and the agreement's exit and replacement plan protect the firm if the relationship fails.

What this part is doingEnding with the protections as well as the choice shows the paper treated selection and exit as one decision.

References

Arnold, D. (2000). Seven rules of international distribution. Harvard Business Review, 78(6), 131-137.

Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R. (2020). International business: The new realities (5th ed.). Pearson.

Johanson, J., & Vahlne, J.-E. (1977). The internationalization process of the firm: A model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitments. Journal of International Business Studies, 8(1), 23-32. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490676

What the MT330 Unit 8 assignment asks for

In Unit 8 students select a distributor for their chosen market. The criteria and their weights should be set before any candidate is named, each with the evidence that would score it. Instructors expect several realistic candidates, including at least one alternative to a distributor such as direct marketplace sales. Scores should rest on evidence, such as interviews, credit reports and reference calls with customers. The winning candidate's weakness should be named and addressed. An agreement outline should cover territory, term, exclusivity, minimums, reporting and exit. Many prompts ask students to plan how they would replace the distributor if the relationship failed, before signing. Stating what the firm keeps in its own hands, such as customer lists, shows long-term thinking.

How the MT 330 Unit 8 example is put together

The sample explains why the choice matters, including the distributor's role as importer and responsible operator, citing Arnold. A section explains why selling directly on a marketplace sets only a floor, citing Cavusgil and colleagues. Seven criteria are listed with weights and evidence. Four candidates are described, then scored, with the Madrid house's competing padel brands placed under conflict of interest, under the highlighted line that the specialist would actually try to sell the paddle. The specialist's thin warehouse is fixed by a logistics clause. An agreement outline lists nine terms. Reference calls are summarized. Replacement planning keeps account lists with the firm, citing Johanson and Vahlne, and limits close the paper.

Reading the MT330 Unit 8 grading rubric

Distributor selection papers in MT330 are generally weighed on criteria set in advance, evidence behind scores, honest treatment of the winner's weakness and the quality of the agreement and exit terms. Graders reward criteria with weights and evidence types defined before candidates appear. Candidates should be realistic and varied. Scores should be traceable to interviews or documents. The chosen distributor's weakness should be fixed in the agreement. Agreement terms should include minimums and exit. A replacement plan shows foresight. Research on international distribution appears in APA 7. Papers that choose the largest distributor by default, or that omit exit terms, tend to score lower than those that treat the relationship as one that may need to end.

MT330 Unit 8 help: mistakes that cost points

Distributor papers often choose the biggest candidate because it has the most accounts, without asking whether it would focus on the product. Another common weakness is scoring candidates on impressions rather than evidence. Some students skip conflict of interest, even when a candidate carries competing brands. Agreement outlines frequently omit minimums, reporting or exit. Before drafting, write your criteria and weights on one page and decide what evidence would score each one, then contact candidates. Ask each for two customer references and call them. What those customers say about service and follow-through is often the most revealing evidence in the paper.

Get an MT330 Unit 8 example written to your instructions

Describe the distributors or partners you have found, or the kind you would look for, and name the market. Attach the Unit 8 instructions and rubric, and within 24-48h criteria fixed in advance, a scored shortlist, draft contract terms and an exit plan are written up. A first request carries no charge. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.

More MT330 papers and BS in Business Administration samples

MT330 Unit 8 questions, answered

How many distributor candidates do I need?

Three or four is usual, enough to make comparison meaningful. They can be real firms found through trade directories or composite profiles based on the types that exist in the market, as long as you say which. Include at least one candidate with an obvious strength and an obvious weakness, since handling that trade-off is what the criteria are for.

Do I need to know the target country's contract law?

Not in detail, but the main points that change the agreement belong in the paper: limits on exclusive territories, notice periods and any compensation owed on termination. Trade promotion agencies and official country guides summarize these. Cite a source for each legal point, and recommend local counsel for drafting the actual contract.

What should replacement terms include?

Measures and review dates that show early whether the partnership works, a notice period, what happens to stock and customer lists, and who takes over any regulatory role the distributor held. Budget for termination costs where local law makes them likely. Writing these terms before signing keeps both sides clear on what success means.

Where can I find a free MT330 Unit 8 sample paper?

The complete MT330 Unit 8 distributor selection paper is on this page, choosing a Spanish distributor for an American paddle.

How does the MT330 Unit 8 sample plan for replacing the distributor?

The firm keeps its own account list through monthly reporting, keeps the alternative candidate informed and requires transfer of compliance records on exit.