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Forests Products Market

Course developers

Course abstract

Theoretical and practical knowledge of the market for the sale of wood products, starting with the products of the primary processing process to further processing products, the market analysis methods and its research process and the most important factors at the micro and macro level.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge - to classify and explain modern marketing elements in the context of the global forest products market. Practical work and test.
Skills - to develop and evaluate various forms of marketing communication effectively, economically and correctly, to collect, use market information, to compile market reports in the field of forest industry products. Practical work and test.
Competence - to assess and analyze continuous changes in the global forest products market and to develop marketing plans in accordance with the forest company's business strategy. Test work (developed independent work)

Course Content(Calendar)

Basics of wood materials marketing and marketing. (3h).
2. The importance of wood materials and marketing function. (2h).
3. Wood materials and market research. (4h) Practical work.
4. Marketing management and planning in timber markets. (2h).
5. Use of marketing in the forest industry. (2h).
6. Individual sales and sales management. (1h).
7. Functions of wood products and the importance of their supply. (4h).
8. Research and market information systems in market acquisition. (2h) Practical work.
9. Strategy and strategic planning in the forest industry. (2h) Practical work.
10. Latvian forest sector market and their characteristics. (4h).
11. Wood and its products market acquisition plan and their development. (4h) Practical work.
12. Latvian timber and timber market: situation, problems and possibilities of their solutions. (2h).
13. Seminar - forms of marketing communications and their specifics in the forest sector. Practical work.
14. Seminar - Latvian forest industry export. Practical work.
15. Seminar - Latvian forest industry import. Practical work.
16. Seminar - SWOT analysis of the internal and external market of the Latvian forest sector. Practical work.

Requirements for awarding credit points

All practical work must be completed. A report must be submitted and presented. Must have a written test and exam. Final evaluation formed in a 10-point system.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

In students practical work must learn the following topics:
• analysis and processing of available global forest market data;
• analysis and processing of available market data of the Latvian forest industry, Central Statistical Bureau and industry associations, Eurostat, Faostat;
• market environment analysis - SWOT / SWOT method, TOWS method, M. Porter model (industry, sector and market competitiveness assessment), PESTEL / PESTLE method, competitor profile matrix, resource analysis;
• product promotion in the market and analysis of sales channels, incl. organization of material flow in the local and international market;
• evaluation of sales prices of resources and finished products;
• evaluation of the target market and the target buyer (customer) segment, as well as identification of market influencing factors and evaluation of their impact.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

As a result of evaluation, it is important that the student's attendance is over 70% of all lectures.
In the study course, students' knowledge assessment takes in 3 parts, i.e. during the semester there are:
• complete a theoretical test on the topics taught in the course, where oral or written answers are successful, if at least 40% of the questions are answered correctly;
• prepare a report in accordance with the MF methodological regulations in the development of the final thesis and defend it in the form of a presentation;
• a work (exam) must be written where the written answers are successful if at least 40% of all tasks have been solved correctly.
The final grade consists of a weighted average grade (on a 10-point scale) – from a visit (10%), a tests (20%), a report (45%) and an exam (25%).

Compulsory reading

• Praude V. Mārketings 1.daļa, Rīga:Burtene 2011, 521.lpp., ISBN10: 9984833038
• Praude V. Mārketings 2.daļa, Rīga: Burtene, 521.lpp., ISBN10: 9984833046
• Kotlers F., Mārketinga pamati, Rīga: Jumava, 2006., 647.lpp., ISBN10: 84380734
• Tirgzinības pamati, Rīga: Jumava, 312.lpp., ISBN10: 9984381919
• Peck T., The International Timber Trade, Woodhead Publishing, 2001, 344 p., ISBN: 9781855731905
• Ballarin J., Wood: Timber Up Your Home Paperback – Import, Loft, 288 p., ISBN-10 ‏ : 849693697X
• Kara Y.B., Sabuncuoglu I., Bidanda B., Global Logistics Management, Taylor & Francis Group, 2015, 300 p., ISBN9780429067969
• Hyde F.W., The Global Economics of Forestry, FRR Press, 2012, 476 p., ISBN 9781138590977
• Badia-Miro M., Pinilla V., Willebald H., Natural Resources and Economic Growth, Routledge, 2015, 374 p., ISBN 9781138339620

Further reading

• Juslin H., Hansen E. Strategic Marketing in the Global Forest Products Industries. Corvallis, OR, USA: Academic Press. 2003., ISBN-10: 097033334X
• Forest Products (Annual Market Review), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ISNN 1020-2269, eISSN 2518-6450

Periodicals and other sources

• Laikraksts „Dienas Bizness” ISSN 1407-2041
• Žurnāls „Baltijas koks” ISSN 1407-6667

Notes

The study course is included in the part of full-time studies of the specialization direction "Forest Economics and Politics" of the higher education master's study program "Forest Science".