Kellogg Conflict Management: Marketing vs. Production
This paper examines conflict management challenges at Kellogg Company, focusing on the tension between its marketing and production departments. It identifies horizontal conflict arising from misleading health claims on children's cereal packaging, vertical conflict linked to supplier communication failures that led to a major product recall, and the broader strategic challenge of aligning product development with shifting American dietary preferences. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations, including scientifically substantiated marketing claims, product diversification to meet changing consumer tastes, and stronger quality control and legal compliance processes across departments.
- Introduction: Marketing and Production Misalignment: Kellogg's strategic gap between marketing and product development
- Horizontal Conflict: Misleading Health Claims in Children's Marketing: FTC violations over unsubstantiated children's cereal health claims
- Vertical Conflict: Supplier Communication Failures: 2010 product recall caused by supplier packaging chemical
- Recommendations for Resolving Departmental Conflicts: Four targeted strategies for alignment and compliance
✍️ How to write this paper — guide, tools & examples ▾
What makes this paper effective
- The paper applies structured conflict-management typology (horizontal vs. vertical conflict) to a real corporate case, grounding abstract concepts in concrete, documented events.
- It uses specific cited evidence — FTC violations, a product recall, and a peer-reviewed nutritional study — to support each identified conflict rather than relying on generalizations.
- The recommendations section directly mirrors the problems identified, creating a coherent problem-solution structure that is easy to follow.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied case analysis: it maps a theoretical framework (types of organizational conflict) onto a named company and uses journalistic and academic sources to validate each claim. This technique is effective for business and management papers because it shows both conceptual understanding and the ability to connect theory to real-world practice.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a strategic overview of Kellogg's market position and the core tension between marketing and production. It then addresses two specific conflict types — horizontal (internal advertising compliance) and vertical (supplier quality control) — before closing with four targeted recommendations covering truthful marketing, product diversification, consumer positioning of indulgent foods, and quality control. The structure moves logically from diagnosis to prescription.
Introduction: Marketing and Production Misalignment
Kellogg has insufficient communication between its product development and marketing departments. Increasingly, Americans are trying to eat more healthfully, which includes consuming fresher, sustainable, and minimally processed foods. Kellogg is a noted purveyor of cereals, including sugary cereals. A desire for less carbohydrate- and sugar-dense breakfast options, along with the greater diversification of American tastes in general, could mean that the company faces long-term demand-related problems. As Carey (2010) notes, "Kellogg, which had revenue of nearly $13 billion last year, is the world's largest cereal maker by sales as well as a leading producer of cookies, crackers, frozen waffles and toaster pastries." It must strive to retain this market base and cannot rest on its current laurels of success.
Kellogg is insufficiently diversified in the healthy cereal market. There is a clear conflict between the missions of the marketing and production departments: the marketing department wishes to sell products to consumers based on popular health claims, while the production department continues to create foods that remain sugary, indulgent, and taste-driven rather than nutritionally sound.
Horizontal Conflict: Misleading Health Claims in Children's Marketing
Kellogg has advertised many of its children's cereals as part of a healthy breakfast, including its Rice Krispies line. However, Carey (2010) reports that "on packages, Kellogg claimed Rice Krispies 'now helps support your child's immunity' with '25% daily value of antioxidants and nutrients — vitamins A, B, C and E.' The back of boxes stated that Rice Krispies 'has been improved to include antioxidants and nutrients that your family needs to help them stay healthy.'" In 2009, Kellogg was cited for a violation of truthful advertising laws by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its Frosted Mini-Wheats and was forced to change the claims on the packaging.
Kellogg must strive to more realistically promote these core products, or it risks generating further negative publicity. There is, however, documented resistance to doing so among marketing staff, representing a clear horizontal conflict between internal departments that must be addressed through stronger interdepartmental communication and compliance protocols.
References
Albertson, A. M., Thompson, D., Franko, D. L., Kleinman, R. E., Barton, B. A., & Crockett, S. J. (2008). Consumption of breakfast cereal is associated with positive health outcomes: Evidence from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. Nutrition Research, 28(11), 744–752. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083483
Carey, S. (2010, June 4). Snap, crackle, slap: FTC objects to Kellogg's Rice Krispies health claim. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703340904575284701223216466.html
Pepitone, J. (2010). Kellogg recalls 28 million boxes of cereal. CNN Money. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/25/news/companies/kellogg_recall/index.htm
Already a member? Log in
Unlock the rest of this paper
135,000+ research papers · AI writing tools · Plagiarism & AI detection
7-Day Pass
Does not renew
Get 7-Day PassMonthly
Renews at $12.99/month until canceled
Start MonthlyAnnual
Renews at $99/year until canceled
Start Annual- Unlimited AI writing tools
- Plagiarism and AI text detection tool
Plan details
Unlimited AI writing tools are for individual, non-automated use and are subject to our Terms of Service and abuse-prevention measures.
TextChecker scans: 3 during the 7-Day Pass, or 5 per month with Monthly and Annual.
Prices exclude applicable tax.
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.