Research and development, marketing, and customer service is the correct order of those functions in the value chain. The primary activities in the value chain, in order of their completion, are: research & development, production, marketing & sales, and customer services. Research provides a company with needed knowledge for creating new or improving existing products, services or processes. Development uses those research findings to develop and improve the company’s products, processes, or services. The next step is design, which is the detailed planning and engineering for these efforts. Design is followed by production, which is the acquisition, coordination and assembly required to produce a product or deliver a service. Once the product is available for sale, marketing and sales, including advertising, promotion and sales activities, create the sales. Distribution involves delivery of products or services to customers after the sales are made. Customer service includes customer support and warranty services after a sale takes place. Distribution involves delivery of products or services to customers after the sales are made. Marketing efforts are required to make the sales. So marketing would logically have to come before distribution. Production design would logically have to come before production. Distribution involves delivery of products or services to customers after the sales are made, and customer service cannot be provided until the goods or services are in the hands of the purchasers.
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