Marketing Principles

Project description
Purpose of this assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to test the understanding and skills relating to concepts and principles of the marketing process.
Scenario
You are a newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer in the London unit that oversees the European market. The CEO has asked you to review the marketing strategy developed at the company(Google) for the UK market and as given you the deadline of 22.10.2014 to hand-in to the Board of Directors a business report that outlines the marketing strategy of the company.
Task 1 (LO1, LO2, M1, M2, M3, D1, D3)
Prepare a business report to be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval where you will need to analyse the marketing strategy of the company. First, you will need to explain the concept and process of marketing in order for the Board of Directors to understand the purpose of the report (LO1, maximum of 500 words).
Criteria Reference To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the student is able to:
LO1 Understand the concept and process of marketing
1.1 Explain the various elements of the marketing process
1.2 Evaluate the benefits and costs of a marketing orientation for a selected organisation
In addition to the above PASS criteria, this assignment gives you the opportunity to submit evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades
Merit descriptors Indicative characteristics Contextualised Indicative characteristics
M1 Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions • Effective judgments have been made.
• Complex problems with more than one variable have been explored.
• An effective approach to study and research has been applied.
The student was able to analyse in depth and accurately the macro and micro environmental factors with relevant and factual implications for the industry and the company.

The student was able to analyse in depth the difference of domestic marketing and international marketing and the difference between marketing to consumers and marketing to businesses with relevant implications for the selected company and the different product and service.

M2 Select/design and apply appropriate methods/ techniques Relevant theories and techniques have been applied
? A range of methods and techniques have been applied
? A range of source information has been used
? The selection of methods and techniques/sources has been justified
? The design of methods/techniques has been justified
? Complex information/data has been synthesised and processed
? Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied

The student used all the relevant models given in class correctly.

The student was able to address all the elements of the extended marketing mix and apply them correctly to the product and the service.

The student has used a variety of sources of reference for the creation of his/her business report and presentation.

M3 Present and communicate appropriate findings The appropriate structure and approach has been used
? Coherent, logical development of principles/concepts for the
intended audience
? A range of methods of presentation have been used and technical
language has been accurately used
? Communication has taken place in familiar and unfamiliar contexts
? The communication is appropriate for familiar and unfamiliar
audiences and appropriate media have been used. The structure of the business report is professional and written in grammatically correct English.

The presentation given is lively and at an appropriate pitch for the audience.

Writing a report

(Adapted from The Study Skills Handbook by Cottrell,
2013)

What is a report?
A  report  is  the  formal  method  of  communicating  the  results  of  a  project  or  research
assignment. Reports are structured in broadly similar ways so that the readers can find
information quickly.

Reports …
1.   Originate  from  outside  an  educational  context:  they  are  typical  of  writing
required f or the world of work.
2.   Present research data and findings that you have collected yourself
3.   Have a specific structure
4.   Are divided into separate sections, each with a specific heading and each point
is numbered
5.   Contain tables, charts and appendices
6.   The writi ng style is formal, focused, concise and subject -specific
7.   Include conclusions and recommendations

Planning your business report
As  in  all  writing,  planning  is  vitally  important.  The  key  questions  to  ask when
planning a business report are:
•   What is the purpose of this report?
Keep in mind that the purpose of a business report is generally to assist in  decision-making . Be sure you are clear on what decision is to be made and the role the report
plays in this decision.
•   Who are the readers of this report?
Tr y to understand what the readers already know, what they need to know, and how
they will use this report. You will need to give enough information to satisfy all these
potential readers. You will need to use headings carefully so that different readers can
use the report in different ways.
•   What is the report’s main message?
Think  carefully  about  the  main  message/s  you  need  to  convey,  and  therefore  what
information  is  required.  Ask  yourself:  What  are  the  required  pieces  of  information  I
need to include?

Structure and content of the report

Title
Must  be  in  the  centre  of  the  first  page.  I t  should  include  the  date  of
completion/submission of the report, the author/s, and the  organisation.
Executive Summary
The  executive  summary  helps  the  reader  quickly   grasp  the  report’s  purpose,
conclusions, and key recommendations. You may think of this as something the busy
executive  might  read  to  get  a  feel  for  your  report  and  its  final  conclusions.  The
executive summary should be no longer than one page.
Table of  Contents

List  the  main headings  and  sub -headings  and  the  page  on  which  each  begins
(including the appendices)

Tables and illustrations

List any illustrations, charts, maps and so on, giving the page number for each.

Analysis and  Findings
The  discussion  is  the  main  part  of  your  report  and  should  present  and  discuss  your
findings.  It  should  give  enough  information,  analysis,  and  evidence  to  support  your
conclusions,  and  it  should  provide  justification  for  your  recommendations.  Its
organisation  will  d epend  on  your  purpose,  scope,  and  requirements,  but  it  should
follow  a  logical  and  systematic  organisation.  The  discussion  should  be  subdivided
into logical sections, each with informative, descriptive headings and a number.
Where  your  report’s  purpose  is  to  recommend  the  best  solution  to  a  problem,  you
should  show  clear  analysis  of  all  options.  You  should  explain  any  analytical
framework you used, such as SWOT or cost benefit analysis. This analysis of options
can often be presented effectively in tables.
Conclusions/recommendations
A  business  report  usually  needs  both  conclusions  and  recommendations.  The
difference  between  conclusions  and  recommendations  in  a  report  lies  in  the
orientation to time. Conclusions typically relate to the present or past sit uation.

When writing conclusions:
•   Interpret  and summarise the findings; say what they mean
•   Relate the conclusions to the report issue/problem
•   Limit the conclusions to the data presented; do not introduce new
material
•   Number the conclusions and present  them in parallel form
•   Be objective: avoid exaggerating or manipulating the data.
(Guffey, Rhodes & Rogin, 2001, p. 391)
Recommendations are oriented to the future: what changes are recommended, or what
actions  are  recommended  for  the  future?  They  are  s pecific,  action-oriented
suggestions to solve the report problem.
When writing recommendations:
•   Make specific suggestions for actions to solve the report problem
•   Avoid conditional words such as maybe and  perhaps
•   Present each suggestion separately and begin with a verb
•   Number the recommendations
•   Describe how the recommendations may be implemented (if you were
requested to do this)
•   Arrange the recommendations in an announced order, such as most
important to least important.
(Guffey, et al. 2001, p.  392)

References

List, in alphabetical order, the sources you  cited (using Harvard referencing)

Bibliography

List relevant further reading again in alphabetical order.

Appendices
If material is important to your discussion and is directly referre d to, then it should be
in cluded  in  your  discussion .  However,  you  might  want  to  use  appendices  to  include
supplementary  material  that  enhances  understanding   for  the  reader.  You  might  use
appendices to provide details on the process or analysis you underwent (or which was
required by your supervisor or lecturer).
When you choose to include information in appendices, you should refer to it clearly
in  your  text  ( refer  Appendix  A ).  A  single  appendix  should  be  titled  APPENDIX.

Multiple appendices are titled APPENDIX A, APPENDIX B, etc. Appendices appear
in the order that they are mentioned in the text of the report.

Appendices should:
•   Provide detailed explanation serving the needs of specific readers
•   Be clearly and neatly set out
•   Be numbered/lettered
•   Be gi ven a descriptive title
•   Be arranged in the order they are mentioned in the text
•   Be related to the report’s purpose—not just ‘tacked on’.
(Adapted from Emerson, 1995, p. 41)

Use effective headings and subheadings
Headings  and  subheadings  are  useful tools  in  business  writing.  Ensure  they  are
descriptive  of  the  content  to  follow.  In  other  words,  rather  than  labelling  a  section
Section  2.5 ,  it  would  be  better  to  describe  it  as  2.5  Justification  for  the  high  risk
scenario.
It  is  also  essential  that  the  hierarchy  of  headings  and  subheadings  is  clear.  Use
formatting  (font  size,  bold,  etc.)  to  show  headings  versus  subheadings.
Headings/subheadings  at  the  same  level  should  use  parallel  form  (the  same
grammatical c onstruction).
Ineffective headings with non –
parallel construction
Effective headings with parallel
construction
Establishing formal sales
organisation
Establish formal sales organisation
Production department
responsibilities
Define responsibilities within the
production department
Improve cost -accounting    Improve cost accounting
(Adapted from Munter, 1997, p. 53)
Every time you write a new section of your report, check that it fulfils the purpose of
the report.
Structure your paragraphs well
Your headings will help create logical flow   for your reader, but under each heading,
you should create a series of paragraphs that are also logically ordered and structured.

Paragraphs should be ordered in a logical sequence beginning with the most important
material first. Within your paragraphs you should also use a structure that helps your
reader. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence that states the main idea or
topic  of  the  paragraph.  Typically  a  paragraph  will  have  between  100  and  200  words
and wil l have the following structure:
•   Topic sentence (states main idea of paragraph)
•   Explanation sentence (explains or expands on the topic sentence)
•   Support sentences (give evidence for the idea in the topic sentence and include
statistics, examples, and citations)
•   Concluding  sentence  (optional  final  sentence  that  answers  the  question  ‘so
what?’; this is your opportunity to show your critical thinking ability)
Academic  and  business  writing  should  be  clear.  You  want  to  clearly  communicate
your understanding of the topic and the strength of  your argument. In order to do this,
keep  your  sentences  short  and  use  plain  language  where  you  can  (Write  Limited,
2013). Sentences that are too long and complicated are difficult to understand. A good
average length is 15–20 words (roughly 1.5 lines). Try not to go over 2 lines.
Ensure you use an appropriate tone for your readers.  You  might want a more formal
tone where personal pronouns are not appropriate. In these cases, you can use words
like  research  or report  as  your  sentence  subject:  This  report  discusses…,  This
research has found that… .
Other  important  characteristics  of  professional  writing  are  editing  and  proofreading.
You should leave 24 hours between writing your draft and editing it. You should also
leave another 24 hours between editing   and proofreading. Leaving time between these
stages of the writing process allows you to detach yourself from your writing and put
yourself in your reader’s shoes. When editing, check for:
•   Illogical structure
•   Missing headings
•   Irrelevant  or missing content
•   Unnecessary content
•   Redundant phrases or words.
When proofreading, check for:
•  Grammar
•  Punctuation
•  Spelling
•  Formatting
•  Consistency.
Use white space and well-chosen fonts

White  space  refers  to  the  empty  space  on  the  page.  Business reports,  which have  a
more  balanced  use  of  white  space  and  text,  are  easier  to  read  and  more  effectively
communicate main points and subordinate ideas. Create white space by:
•   Using lots of headings and subheadings
•   Creating large margins along all edges (usually 2.5 –3cm )
•   Breaking up your page with tables, charts, and graphs where possible
•   Using bulleted lists.

Number your pages
Your title page has no number. Use Roman numerals for the executive summary and
table  of  contents  (i,  ii,  iii),  and  Arabic  numbers  for  the  r emainder  of  the  report
(1, 2, 3 …).
Use footnotes, tables, figures, and appendices appropriately
Footnotes  should  be  used  sparingly.  Points  that  are  important  can  usually  be
integrated into the text. Footnotes or endnotes should not be used for referen cing .
In business reports, tables and figures are often used to represent data, processes, etc.
Tables  and  figures  should  be  inserted  in  the  text  of  the  document,  close  to  the
discussion of the table/figure. If the information is  something, which  the reader could
refer  to  rather  than  should refer  to,  then  it  may  go  in  the  appendices.  Tables  and
figures have different purposes.
If a table, figure, or appendix is included in a document, then there must be text that
refers  to  it!  The  text  should  refer  to  it  by  name  (As  Table  1
shows…. ).  The  text  should  explain  the  highlights  of  the  table  or  figure,  not  every
detail. Do not leave it to the reader to try to figure out why you included the table or
figure in your document. At the same time, ensure that your tables/figures supplement
and  clarify  the  text  but  do  not  completely  duplicate  it.  Also  ensure  that  there  is
sufficient  information  in  the  table  or  figure  so  that  the  reader  can  understand  it
without having to consult the text.
Footnotes  immediately  underne ath  the  table  or  figure  should  be  used  to  explain  all
abbreviations and symbols used. Do not forget to add the source of your material.