GBUS 401 MARKETING MANAGEMENT – FALL 2008
SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT FRONT COVER SHEET
Students are required to fill out this front cover sheet before submitting their assignments into the Digital Drop box of Black Board
Assignent Title:
Marketing Plan for “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL”
Assignment No: ONE
Student Name:
THINC Student ID:
Programme:
Semester: Fall 2008
UOW Student ID
Date Issued: 26th October 2008
Date Due in: 13th December 2008, Midnight Dubai Time
Assignment Set by: Victor Soares
Date Actually Handed in:
Grade Awarded:
Learning Outcomes Met:
Previewed By:
Instructors Feedback & Comments:
Criteria for marking
Max Marks
Marks Obtained
Remarks – Details are given in the main body of the report
Written Communication Skills
10
Quality of Research
30
Analytical capability, logic and subject knowledge
40
Report Format
10
Referencing
10
Total
100
0
Source: Template GBUS 406 UOW Summative Assignment: Prof Angelo D’Souza.
Marketing Management – GBUS 401 – Assignment
Tutor:
Semester: Fall 2008
Date Made Available: 26th October 2008
Submission Due Date: 13th December, 2008
Assignment weighting: 30%
Email:
Preamble
This Assignment of the Unit GBUS 401 has an assessment weighting of 30% and is designed to assess the learning gained over the first 8 weeks or thereabouts of the semester.
Assignment Objective/Objectives
This assignment has been designed to allow the student to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the tools and techniques of marketing management, the process of marketing and the marketing concept in relation to an organization. The case also gives an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the environmental factors, consumer decision process, the segmentation criteria, decision support systems, marketing research, product management, product decisions, and distribution and in particular retail operations besides other elements of the marketing mix etc.
Advice and Instructions to Candidates
You are required to prepare a Marketing Plan for the year 2008, for any one country, of not less than 4000 words and not more than 5000 words (not including appendices and annexure) on the various marketing strategy options for the organization “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” in the case study ON PAGE 61 OF YOUR TEXT BOOK. It will be as long as it takes to respond to all the information needed and within this. You must incorporate everything you will have done/doing. All topic areas must be addressed.
The assignment requires you to integrate the knowledge gained through textbooks, end chapter case analysis outside research and discussions. You must design your Marketing Plan according to the activity guidelines specified in this template. Please make a conscious effort to avoid reproducing a huge volume of theory – you need to demonstrate a balance of course concepts and application. You are expected to use direct references to at least 3 Books, 4 Journals/Periodicals and 7 Web Resources.
This is a MARKETING PLAN and NOT an ESSAY and must be professionally presented in report format and style. I am providing a template and additional guidelines that will be of use to you to make the plan professional. You should take care to ensure that the work you submit has a high professional standard of presentation. You must have it spell checked and ensure that your submission is grammatically in order. The overall paper must be submitted as a .doc file only (not .pdf file) and everything must be consistent.
You must acknowledge the sources of information and evidence the same at the end of your report in the form of bibliography. It is essential that you use the Harvard system of referencing, , as this is a UOW adopted standard.
You must use tables / charts and have them incorporated in the annexure and referenced in the body of the main report. Also, your marketing plan must have a basic budget visualized as well as a timeline for completion of your recommended plan.
Rules & guidelines to be followed in submitting the assignment
Referencing: Complete list of references / bibliography / sources of information that have been used, including web sources, except Wikipedia, should be furnished at the end of the assignment. Referencing should be done according to the Harvard System of referencing and available from: . You are encouraged to make a conscious effort to access journals, other authors and extensive literature research and the same should clearly stand out as a criteria and professional requirement for assessment.
Assessment: The grading would reflect good grammar, good punctuation, good sequence and the natural flow of ideas and a good use of Headings, Fonts, and Paragraphs etc.
Approach and communication skills: Innovative and creative ideas, critical analysis of the situation and putting more than one perspective to the question would fetch you higher grades. Also your Assignment MUST evidence extensive element of Literature/Web Research, in addition to the need that it should necessitate communication/interaction with some real world Company. You are expected to use direct references to at least 3 Books, 4 Journals/Periodicals and 7 Web Resources.
Submission due date: The assignment should be written Arial 12 pt font throughout the paper. This Assignment is to be submitted, through the Digital Drop box of Blackboard, prior to midnight of 13th December 2008. Any delay for submission will entail a rejection of the Assignment, and would earn you a grade of Zero beyond the permissible time as mentioned in point 6 below.
Penalty Clause for delayed submission: Each day of delay for submission will entail a deduction of 10% per day for a maximum period of Ten days. Thereafter, the Assignment would earn you a grade of Zero. This Assignment accounts for 30 marks (30% of the total grade).
Due date for Similarity Report of Turnitin: Your Assignment must be posted on Blackboard along with the Similarity Report of Turnitin prior to midnight of 13th December 2008, for it to be evaluated. Late submission of the Turnitin report will make the assignment liable for the late submission penalty clause as stated in point 5 above.
Plagiarism: The assignment should be the original work of the student. Instances of plagiarism found either from other students or from other resources (viz. without due acknowledgement /referencing) will entail a FAIL Grade. THiNC will be using TURNITIN to detect any instances of plagiarism or incomplete referencing.
Plagiarism Penalty Clause: For your information, the rules of the UOW on Plagiarism are as follows: “Where a student has resorted to plagiarism in an assignment or final exam, he will be required to repeat the entire module from the start at the next given opportunity. He will re-register for the module when it is offered again and pay the module fee”.
Overall Assessment Criteria
Clarity of the description of the assignment and the identification of the issues / problems.
Ability to analyse the issues in terms of a number of key areas that impinge on the organisation.
Ability to identify areas for improvement.
Quality of research investigation and presentation of outcomes.
Analysis, Conclusions and Recommendations.
Quality and accuracy of bibliography/referencing.
Marketing Plan for “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” – Sample Outline1
There are a variety of styles and formats used for marketing plans. The following section headings will help you organize your thoughts and plan. The Marketing Plan Assignment should look as structured below, after including the Cover Page and Instructors Comments Pages as above. The approximate weighting for the marketing plan structure is as follows:
Table of Contents / Executive Summary / Introduction 10%
Executive Summary
An Executive summary is a single most important document of the marketing plan and should not exceed a single page and should (in separate paragraphs) consist of:
(i) A very brief background of the organization
(ii) A brief background of the purpose of the study / project / marketing plan
(iii) It must to convey the highlights of the plan and give the distinctive features of:
(a) Your approach
(b) Brief content
(c) Action plan and
(d) Recommendations
In short, it is like the PREFACE of any textbook or novel that is published. It has to induce and impress the reader that the contents are outstanding. It gives the reader an idea of whether they want to read the report or not.
Table of Contents
(1) Section headings-
(2) Annexure – this should include all tables / charts / questionnaire – if any
(3) All topics under the section headings to be page numbered
Introduction
This sets the scene by saying who you are and what you do, what is the organisation. This section must evidence clarity of your role in the organization and the identification of the problems
Business Overview & Overall Marketing Plan 10%
This section is sometime referred to as the Situation Analysis segment. In a typical marketing plan, it should contain a VERY CONCISE and RELEVANT background on the market, the customers, core competencies and competitors.
Here you can introspect on the key issues that you will need to address and can discuss such areas that make up the management and assignment debate. Also reassess consumer behaviour problems that necessitate a market research plan – here you can also discuss all such areas relating to the key issues and challenges, along with any other areas that make up the marketing plan and analysis. Your ability to analyze the causes of the difficulties in terms of a number of key areas that impinge on the organization as well as the ability to identify areas for improvement (AFI) must be clearly evident in this section.
Strategic Marketing Focus: 20%
Situational Analysis of the Organization – A snapshot in terms of:
· Define the organization’s Mission / Vision
· Establish the organizations Goals & Objectives
· Identify & assess the core competencies that will give a sustainable competitive advantage
· Examine & assess the internal /external environment, the industry & competition
The Marketing Plan – an appraisal and analysis. 20%
· Target Market
· Intended Strategies
· Conclude with a plan based on the analysis of all the above
TM: How well do you know your target market? How well do you understand their information needs? Can you articulate what your customers and potential customers need as opposed to what you offer? Are there groups to whom you should be “selling” who are not now “buying” your services? Are there ways to segment your market so that you can offer highly specialized products and services to various groups, reflecting their business priorities? What kind of products should be offered to a broad base of users? Answering these questions will help you define your target market
IS: Here intended strategies (a comprehensive plan stating how the firm will achieve its mission – broad & narrow – vision and objectives) and programs (a statement of the activities or steps needed to accomplish a single-use plan) are outlined which will help reach the goals and objectives outlined above. You can do a BCG portfolio analysis and a Market Opportunity Analysis (MOA – ).
CP&MR: After identifying and defining your target market and strategies that you as a marketing manager will unfold; you can conclude this section by dovetailing all the issues raised in the different tasks as guidelines in the assignment
Needless to mention that in the above sub-sections your investigation should evidence exhaustive research, e.g. this can be done through qualitative and quantitative techniques, surveys, questionnaire and structured interviews (evidence), sampling methods etc.
This is a useful practice for the dissertation stage of the programme. Quality of research investigation and presentation of outcomes must be decisive and unambiguous. Your appraisal and analysis of the results must clearly flow sequentially from the preceding sub-section.
Evaluation / Recommendations & Way Forward 10%
E: What are the success criteria? How will you measure success of the plan? By monitoring progress, you can judge the success of the marketing plan. If some of the strategies are not working out, try to determine why. Is the strategy flawed? Is there a problem with implementation or timing? How can you refocus and move on?
Areas for Improvement / Restructuring the marketing set-up / any other corrective action
R & WF: This should be an action plan and related or linked to the objectives set out. You can put them in point form with time scales
Implementation Plans & Budget 10%
IP: Build up an Implementation Plan post evaluation. Tasks required to implement and monitor each strategy are listed in this section. With each task, the person responsible for the task and a completion target date are indicated. Having a plan of action with specific tasks ensures that the details are clear and that specific persons are accountable.
Tasks required to implement and monitor each strategy could be listed in this section. With each task, the person responsible for the task and a completion target date may be indicated. Having a plan of action with specific tasks ensures that the details are clear and that specific persons are accountable.
B: How much will the activities defined above cost? Provide an estimate. Can you provide revenue forecast? Explain the assumptions on which the forecast is based and consider various (best case, worst case) scenarios. Since many Functional Centres now operate as cost centres, if not profit centres, this component of the plan is extremely important.
Summary / Conclusion 5%
S: Articulate the central issue considered and the selected pertinent areas taken for consideration. You should incorporate a brief critique of what was done and the challenges ahead are required to be included
C: The contents of this section should naturally flow from all the above
Annexure – Tables & Charts 5%
References & Bibliography 10%
This section MUST evidence extensive element of Literature/Web Research / UOW electronic library / other authors / marketing journals /Harvard Business Review etc.
This is an essential section and attracts the most focus on your entire assignment. It is essential that you use “Harvard” system of referencing, as this is a University of Wales adopted standard. Please refer to this document in BB as well as the link given at the beginning of this assignment
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU
Overall: This is a MBA program, and the assignment should reflect the student’s ability to put his/her thoughts clearly in writing. Good communication skills with no spelling errors, no grammatical errors, good punctuation and good use of Headings/subheadings, fonts, graphic explanations etc and keeping the report within the maximum word limit would give you a better grade. (Item 1: Max. 10 Marks)
Quality of Research: Good research and justifications in your critical analysis approach leading to creative ideas that lead to challenging concepts, keeping in mind the company’s competencies, is an essential part of this project. Understanding the company’s needs and opportunities that make for a good corporate strategy should be complete and convincing. (Total of 2 & 3: Max. 30 Marks)
Analytical capability, logic and subject knowledge: The sequence of thoughts in the main body, should evidence a clear understanding of strategic marketing management principles, excellent critical analytical thinking skills and high-quality logical sequence of thoughts and arguments. (Total of 4, 5 & 6: Max 40 Marks)
Report Format: Good format of the report as recommended in the template, giving cover page, Contents / Index, executive summary, main body of report with proper headings / subheadings, conclusions, and bibliography/ references is essential in presenting a professional assignment. (Total of 7 & 8: Max. 10 marks)
Referencing: Proper referencing using the Harvard Referencing system is essential for any report based on research. Please note, not acknowledging referenced works amounts to plagiarism. (Item 9: Max. 10 marks)
Criteria for marking
Max Marks
Marks Obtained
Remarks – Details are given in the main body of the report
Written Communication Skills
10
Quality of Research
30
Analytical capability, logic and subject knowledge
40
Report Format
10
Referencing
10
Total
100
0
Source: Template GBUS 406 UOW Summative Assignment:
To gain a distinction grade, the report must be in the correct template format as advised, contain all requirements such as executive summary, have a proper numbering system, etc. It should explain fully how the concepts could be applied (and evaluated).
To gain a pass grade, the report will have some form of the template format as advised, probably missing a summary etc. It will have a skeleton of some limited ideas of application.
To slip into a fail grade, the report will not have the correct template format as advised, i.e. will be a memo or in fact have an inadequate / no format at all. There will be a very limited idea of the application to the assignment.
Please ensure that the entire assignment is a reflection of good written English language skills, report format etc. grammar, good punctuation, good sequence and the natural flow of ideas and a good use of headings, fonts, and paragraphs etc
Assignment Brief/Scenario
The student is expected to first read the case thoroughly and understand the concepts and issues, which form the basis of the same. The student then needs to go through different texts in the e-library and other sources like the business magazines, web resources/links given in the course documents to collect comprehensive knowledge about the issues talked before attempting the questions.
Task 1:
These are some guidelines and questions that must be addressed to be dovetailed in the marketing plan. The weighting of each of these tasks are detailed in the above template – weighting system.
It is recommended that your analysis should also dovetail the following as part of your overall analysis. Please ensure that you do not respond to these questions separately. These are guiding points for you to build up a marketing plan.
Which type of orientation do you think “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” is following? Please list several ways that they can better follow a market orientation. Based on what you have read in the case, is the firm following the marketing process?
Based on the information in the case, outline a rudimentary SWOT analysis for “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL”. Your plan should include recommendations suggesting ways that the firm might capitalize on its strengths and minimize (or overcome) its weaknesses.
List and describe at least three keys to “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” competitive advantage it has over the others located in the industry. If any of the others seem to have a competitive advantage over the firm, describe it and how will the firm take care and steps to overcome the same?
Do you agree with the strategy “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” has adopted to respond to its competition. Debate this scenario in a critical analysis approach and within the overall perspectives and challenges of Effective Strategic Planning.
Task 2:
Map out the consumer decision-making process for “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” customer. What factors do you think most influence a consumer?
Do they have a narrowly articulated targeting strategy? How will the targeting strategy and the market segmentation affect the marketing mix?
How well do you know the target market in the case article? How well do you understand their information needs? Are there ways to segment the market so that the marketer can offer highly specialized products and / or services to various groups, reflecting their business priorities? What kind of strategies should be pursued to a broad base of users? Responding to these questions will help you define your target market and construct a marketing plan.
Is the firm too small to conduct or benefit from marketing research? Why or why not? Identify some ways that marketing research could help grow the business.
Formulate the problem/opportunity for each area you identify. The firm may be interested in conducting marketing research, but the company cannot withstand the cost of extensive information gathering.
Visit useful journals, websites and research what evidence do you see that the firm has created a brand? If you don’t see any evidence of branding, give recommendations to the firm advocating a stronger branding strategy. Also, review other relevant aspects of the marketing mix and make appropriate recommendations.
Task 3: The Assignment Final Task:
Build a Marketing Plan that will help “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” cope with the challenges to meet the needs and wants of next Generation.
Integrate the answers to all the above questions in Tasks 1 & 2 to your overall analysis and structure them into the template outlined and recommended.
Please ensure that you include some examples of your own from the web resources /links /websites/ text books business magazines etc as part of Literature Research and reference work for your assignment.
“CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: THE FIRE WITHIN”
A brief extract of the case…..Quote:
A 27- foot long bronze clown shoe is the only indication that there is something otherworldly within the concrete walls of the large, rather non-descript building. Located in Montreal, the building is home to what many feel is the most successful entertainment company in the world – “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL”
The company’s massive headquarters houses……..
…….Because of their sound planning, “CIRQUE DU SOLEIL” can claim that it is one of the world’s elite businesses as well as one of the world’s elite companies.
……Unquote
Copyright © 2006 South-Western All Rights Reserved.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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