You are required to write one ESSAY (1500 words maximum – excluding references).
Essay topic
Your first assignment is to conduct a marketing audit on a firm of your choice. This firm can be found on the internet, local to you or one you have read about in the media. You must conduct a marketing audit which includes:
An environmental scan, PEST analysis, customer analysis, and competitor analysis and stakeholder analysis
You must clearly analysis the internal and external factors of the firm and offer a SWOT to support this.
Once completed you must develop a set of marketing objectives, a strategy statement and set of recommendations for the future.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE A FULL MARKETING PLAN AND ACTION PLAN.
Guidelines on writing essays reports are provided in chapter 5 of the 3rd edition of the Communication skills handbook which is a set text for this course.
Your essay should comprise:
1. An executive summary and introduction outlining your firm and business description
2. A body that includes the analysis of customer, environments, competitors and so on
3. A Conclusion. This includes the strategic direction for the future and a set of recommendations
The introduction should provide an overview of what is the firm is and very clearly identify the business and market the firm operates in. The report should comprise of a logical, sequential and persuasive arguments, justified or supported by secondary sources and journal articles. The purpose of your audit is not to simply reword or describe the firm or comments from the literature but to offer a thorough understanding of the marketing issues and capabilities facing the firm.
The audit will require you to utilise the library resources, search computer databases, retrieve journal articles (full text from computer or from journals on the shelf), read them and apply the information to answer the question.
You will be assessed on you’re:
1. Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the current marketing planning process and environmental scanning requirements
2. Ability to identify relevant theoretical and management issues in the environmental scan and audit.
3. Presentation of a logical argument and set of marketing recommendations. NB. A marketing audit DOES NOT include a full marketing plan only to the point of the strategy statements and objectives with a set of recommendations.
The most important part of the audit is the environmental scan (PEST, SWOT, Stakeholder analysis) and overall analysis including customer analysis, competitor analysis and current activities.
4. Ability to justify your position with use of supporting references
5. Communication style, including correct spelling, grammar and referencing.
You must use a minimum of 10 academic, peer-reviewed, refereed journal references and practical references and websites that support you firm.
Marking criteria for assignment 1
Criteria Mark Comment
Referencing and structure 6
● Use of a minimum of 10 peer reviewed journals websites and relevant materials (1 mark)
● Use of current materials and facts related to your business (1 mark)
● Harvard Reference format used correctly (1 mark)
● Correct business report/marketing plan style (1 mark)
Audit has shown understanding of the firm and 8 it internal operations and external factors
● Student has used own words – not just simple rewording of the literature (1 mark)
● Marketing practices, relevant issues and hemes have been identified (1 mark)
Information contained is analysed and themes 13 have been identified.
● Understanding of marketing issues both internal to the firm and external have been identified
How well is the marketing case argued? 13
● a marketing view and recommendations are clearly chosen
● Justification is offered for the recommendations
● Contingency and alternate options are identified and the reasons whay they are selected and not selected are offered
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