8/22/2019 MKT306 Assignment Guidance 2012-13 Semester 2 (1)

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Marketing Strategy MKT306

Guidance on the Assignment

Task

This assignment is a single report in two parts. (As a guide only; each part should form

approximately half of the final report)

a) Investigation and analys is (50%)

Individually, choose an organization, either producer and/or brand owner, whois involved in the marketing of mobile phones (This Excludes the BlackberryBrand of Phone). Investigate and evaluate the marketing strategy of theproducer/owner using contemporary marketing tools and techniques. Thismay however be illuminated using examples from other companies/organizations.

You can demonstrate the effectiveness of the reported policies for the chosencompany by giving performance data against competitors in the market (e.g.market share, sales, profitability, etc.).

b) Recommendat ions(50%)

Your remit is to put forward your own suggestions covering changes inmarketing strategy that will improve the future performance of the brand forthe benefit of the parent company and its steakholders. Justify your choicesagain using contemporary marketing methods and techniques.These suggestions should be your own ideas but may include marketingtactics and strategies used by other successful organisations but in different

industry sectors. You will put these suggestions, forward in a written report.Please do not just restate the strategies used by your chosen firm but outlineyour own ideas for improved performance.

What should your assignment contain? Title page Table of contents Summary Introduction Situational analysis (SWOT) (PESTLE) Differential advantage/ Competitive edge (USP) Segmentation Targeting & Positioning (STP) Marketing objectives and goals (SMART) Marketing strategies and programmes (7Ps) Conclusion Bibliography (with references) A Turnitin receipt

N.B. You need to provide information on all the information sources (bothprinted and electronic) that you have used during the compilation of yourreport. Information about each individual source is known as a reference.If you are unfamiliar with the Harvard referencing a guidance document isavailable on this site of Sunspace

8/22/2019 MKT306 Assignment Guidance 2012-13 Semester 2 (1)

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Where this does it fit into the report format?

As your aiming for a 2500-3000 word report you only need to use the following

Title Section. In a short report this may simply be the front cover. In a long one

it could also include Terms of Reference, Table of Contents and so on.

Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main

conclusions and main recommendations. Keep it very short, a few % of the totallength. Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else sowrite as if it were a stand-alone document. It isnt but for some people it might as

well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it andget the main points. WRITE IT LAST, but do not copy and paste from the reportitself; that rarely works well.

Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint thebackground to the problem and to show the reader why the report is important

to them. Give your terms of reference (if not in the Title Section) and explain howthe details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.

Current Situation.(Your Swot Analysis and Differential advantage/ Competitive edgesections belong here; remember your giving a view of the organization as it is

now) This is where you report the facts as they are now. It will probably haveseveral sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to yourreport and will describe what you discovered about the problem.

These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some

appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the informationlogically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. Infact, follow that advice in every section of your report.

You may choose to include a Discussion in which you explain the significance ofyour findings.

Recommendations.(Your suggested strategy for future development belongshere: Segmentation Targeting & Positioning (STP) - Marketing objectives and

goals (SMART) -Marketing strategies and programmes the marketing mix).This is the heart of your report. What do you suggest should be done? Dont be shy;

you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain

English. Again it will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with itsown subtitle

Conclusions.(What does the current situation mean for the firm) Present the

logical conclusions of your investigation of the task. Bring it all together andmaybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section. Writeit in plain English. If you have included a discussion then this section may bequite short.

Appendices.(These do not form part of the word count)Put the heavy detailshere, the information that only specialists are likely to want to see. As a guide, if

some detail is essential to your argument then include it in the main body, if itmerely supports the argument then it could go in an appendix.