Marketing Management

Marketing Management (Intensive)
Course overview
We would like to provide you with an opportunity to make comments and suggestions on these course materials. Please email your comments to coursematerials@agsm.edu.au
CM001 MM S112
Course calendar
Session 1, 2012
Marketing Management (Intensive)
Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM)
Week no. 1 (Intro) 2 3 4 Week begins 6 February 13 February 20 February 27 February Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit Assessment due (% weighting) Activities Tele Conference
5 March
Intensive Workshop 1 Friday 9 March (6pm9pm) Saturday 10 March (9am5pm) Sunday 11 March (9am4pm)
12 March Individual Assignment Part A due 12 noon 19 March (25%)
19 March
8 9
26 March 2 April
Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12
Break Week Group Assessment Part A due Wednesday 12 noon 11 April (15%) 10 16 April Intensive Workshop 2 Friday 27 April (6pm9pm) Saturday 28 April (9am5pm) Sunday 29 April (9am4pm)
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23 April
Assignment Part B due Sunday 29 April (25%)
12 13
30 April 7 May Final Exam (35%) (Saturday 12 May)
Course overview
Course outline
Marketing Management is designed to introduce you to the full range of activities performed by a marketing-oriented manager. As an introduction to the area, it is beyond the scope of this subject to cover the wide range of specialist topics that would be needed to turn you into a marketing manager. This subject is intended only as an introduction to the key principles and activities necessary for you to have an appreciation of the importance of the role that marketing plays in the management armoury of every organisational leader and manager. The framework outlined in this course has been used by many large and small organisations to improve their marketplace performance. You will be required to analyse the practises of your own organisation, and of your competitors, in servicing customers by utilising the ideas presented in this course. At the end of this course, you should be able to view any business from a marketing-oriented perspective. When you have completed this course you should be able to: apply marketing principles to your own workplace, and look at a new market or business and apply theory and concepts to that situation.
Marketing Management emphasises the importance of looking at any organisation through your customers eyes. To do this, the course will help you to understand what your customers want and to identify how and why they make certain choices. It is then necessary to quantitatively measure demand and attempt to forecast its future levels, magnitude and timing. Because Marketing Management is an introductory course, it is important to note that this course only provides you with knowledge of the basic ideas involved in creating customer value. You will cover more advanced methods of marketing in the final year of the MBA (Executive).
Marketing Management
Program Learning Goals

This course contributes to the development of the MBA (Executive) Program Learning Goals, which are the qualities, skills and understandings we want you to have by the completion of your degree, as indicated below: An in-depth engagement with the relevant disciplinary knowledge in its interdisciplinary context Team based skills Critical and analytical thinking Decision-making and problem-solving An ability to manage change.
Program Learning Goals are developed throughout the program of study. Each course will not necessarily address all Program Goals or develop them to an equal extent
Course overview
Course structure
The course is structured as follows: Unit 1: Introduction to marketing: A strategic perspective This opening unit introduces the basic notion of marketing management, from modern definitions to modern practices. We also present a framework for marketing management that should help you to understand marketings role in the organisation. In this unit, we also introduce the topic of marketing strategy. Fit within the context of marketing management, we highlight the importance of the strategic planning of marketing activities. We focus on identifying sustainable competitive advantages and creating strategies that align with organisational goals. To facilitate this, we introduce key perspectives or tools to develop a market and customer-driven organisation. For example, current trends in marketing call for the need to develop relationships with customers rather than just engage in exchanges or transactions. As a result, customer relationship management (CRM) programs have emerged as one way to meet this need. Unit 2: Products Goods, Services and Brands In this unit, we will begin by defining products and the various types of products available in the marketplace. Next, we will discuss services, with a special emphasis on the differences between goods and services, as well as some unique factors that marketing managers must consider when working with services. We will also highlight the role of marketing within the public service sector. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of brands, where we emphasise the role that brands can play in marketing strategy. Unit 3: Buyer Behaviour Buyer behaviour is a critical aspect of marketing management. In this unit, we will recognise that there are two main types of markets or customers that organisations try to serve: business-to-business markets (B2B) and businessto-consumer markets (B2C). This unit will explore the buying decision processes for both consumers and business customers, as well as identify what factors influence this process. We will focus on the key similarities between business customers and retail customers, as well as the key differences.
Unit 4: Managing information and market research Once we understand, in general, how consumers make decisions, we will explore how we, as managers, can begin to understand our customers. Critical to understanding customers is obtaining information about the customers themselves, including what they value, why they derive value from some things and not others, when they plan on purchasing next, what products or services they typically purchase, etc. In addition to understanding our customers, we also have to understand the marketplace or industry in which we conduct business. Thus, we will touch on ways in which you can gather market research on the industry as a whole, as well as your competitors. Unit 5: Designing the marketing strategy In this unit, we will discuss segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP). STP is one of the foundations of marketing strategy. Market segmentation occurs when a firm identifies diversity among the potential buyers in the marketplace where needs and wants are different among different groups. For example, consider the market for car repair services. One segment may exist that wishes to have a car repaired for the cheapest amount possible and does not give much weight to the appearance of the car repair shop or the availability of a temporary courtesy replacement car. However, another segment may exist that uses cues from the environment (e.g. the appearance of the employees and the shop) to make a judgment about whether to take their car there. In addition, this segment may only take their car to a shop that offers courtesy cars while the car is being serviced. Here, we have two distinct segments, where the needs and wants of the segments differ. Once different segments are identified, a firm must choose which of those segments are viable for targeting in other words, which segments would make the best customers? It is very possible for a segment to exist that a firm does not want to target for example, the car repair shop noted above may not have the wherewithal to renovate their shop or provide courtesy cars, and thus would only target the first segment mentioned. Likewise, when deciding which segments to target, tobacco and alcohol companies should not target underage girls and boys for their products, even though a segment may exist. Finally, once a target segment has been identified, a firm must decide how best to position its product or service. Positioning is the strategic decision about what the key selling points are, what the competitive advantages are, etc. Importantly, positioning is not simply advertising or promotion. Advertising/promotion only deals with how the positioning is communicated this topic will be discussed further in Unit 9.
Course overview 5
Unit 6: Product management and designing products Once we have covered the basic strategic marketing issues, we turn to the tactical marketing issues. Tactical marketing issues are those actions a firm takes to implement its marketing strategy. Marketing tactics include the marketing mix, or four Ps, for goods and the seven Ps for services. In this unit, we focus on the first P, product. Here, we will address issues surrounding development of new products and services how can we create the product that will fulfil effectively the needs and wants of the target segment we have selected? Unit 7: Marketing tactics Pricing In this unit, we tackle the second P Pricing. We need to understand the prices (money, time & effort) customers are asked to exchange for the products they are offered. We also examine specific pricing tactics and the market conditions in which they are most effective. Another focus of the material is to identify different methods of setting prices. In all cases, it is important that price is set in such a way that it reflects the value received by the customers. Unit 8: Marketing tactics: Distribution (Place) In this unit, we tackle the third P Place (Distribution). Issues surrounding the place where products and services can be purchased are important. Here, the focus is on the distribution tactics where will the goods/services be made available to optimise the balance between coverage (number of customers reached), economics (is it profitable and who makes the profit) and strategic control? Unit 9: Marketing tactics: Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) In this unit, we conclude our discussion about the marketing mix by discussing marketing communications. In the past, this has primarily been considered the fourth P promotion. However, in the past several years, marketers have begun to view marketing communications as much more than just promotion. Therefore, we will examine several forms of communication, as well as highlight the importance of integrating all messages across the organisation, so that customers receive consistent communications about an organisations products. In addition, we will revisit the additional three Ps found in services marketing people, process and physical evidence, which all have an effect on the overall communication strategy of the organisation.
Unit 10: Satisfaction and loyalty: Implications for business profit This unit will discuss the importance of creating satisfied customers by illustrating the impact that satisfaction can have on customer retention or loyalty. We will discuss the benefits of focusing on a customer retention strategy (i.e. financial impact of retaining customers), rather than merely focusing on a new customer acquisition strategy. Unit 11: The marketing plan: Implementation and control In this unit, we focus on the key issues that need to be addressed in order to successfully implement your marketing strategies and tactics. In addition, we highlight key ways in which you can measure and monitor the effectiveness of your marketing strategies and tactics. Unit 12: Applying the marketing framework to business problems: Exam review The purpose of this unit is to help you solidify the knowledge and skill you have gained from the material by applying them to business problems. This unit is designed to help you think about additional problems that you might face as managers with some responsibility for marketing. You will have the opportunity to address a key problem associated with each unit. In addition, you will be able to tackle a few issues that cross over several units. This unit will also help prepare you for the final exam.
References
We have referenced material from several key texts. These include: Bednall, D. 2004, Understanding value through marketing Information, in M. Gabbott (ed.), Introduction to marketing: A value exchange approach, Pearson Prentice Hall. Brassington, F. & Pettitt, S. 2005, Essentials of marketing, Pearson Education Limited. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Adam, S. & Armstrong, G. 2004, Marketing, 6th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L. 2009, Marketing Management, 13th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall. Quester, P. G., McGuiggan, R. L., McCarthy, E. J. & Perrealt Jr., W. D. 2004, Marketing, McGraw-Hill, Australia. Zeithaml, V. A. & Bitner, M. J. 2004, Services marketing: integrating customer focus across the firm, 4th edn, McGraw-Hill.
Course overview 7
These are all well-written and well-designed textbooks with interesting perspectives on the Australian marketplace, as well as the world economy. Several other Australian and American books have been used in the development of the material. In addition, excerpts and vignettes from magazines such as Business Week, Fortune, BRW, etc. have been included. Finally, articles from leading international journals such as Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing and Journal of Marketing Research have been utilised for the material, some of which have also been included as optional readings in selected units. All units will include a reference section that will highlight the key cites used in preparing that unit.
The history of marketing in Australia

It is interesting to trace how various types of Australian organisations have adopted marketing as an integral part of their operations. Marketing, as a business discipline, began in the 1940s (see Figure 1). The consumer packaged goods companies were the first Australian firms to practise marketing in any significant way. Then consumer durable goods (e.g. companies manufacturing cars and white goods) started using marketing practices in the 1960s. By the 1970s, consumer services organisations like banks, insurance companies and the tourism industry were using marketing strategies to help achieve their corporate objectives. Then in the 1980s, we witnessed industrial equipment manufacturers and business-to-business firms, such as management consultants, begin to adopt marketing practises. Recently, statutory authorities (e.g. Sydney Water), non-profit organisations (e.g. hospitals) and government departments (e.g. the Australian Taxation Office), have developed a marketing orientation. Internet and technology-driven companies have started adopting sophisticated marketing practices, particularly related to segmentation, targeting and positioning. Similar to many other modern economies, as the Australian economy has evolved, the service sector has taken over as the primary contributor to GDP. For example, in Australia, more than 80 per cent of GDP is derived from service-related transactions, rather than from physical goods. Thus, providers of services have now increasingly adopted a marketing orientation. Across all industries, there is a broader awareness that we live in an increasingly sophisticated, critically astute and competitive market society. To survive and prosper, it has become necessary for companies and other organisations to engage and interact with this dynamic social environment. Thus, organisations find themselves in the necessary position of having to engage in marketing-related strategic planning and to implement marketing tactics that will address the needs of the marketplace.
Course overview
Figure 1: Diffusion of marketing in Australia
Conclusion
The discussion above provides a framework for the course, Marketing Management, giving an overview of how each unit contributes. Marketing Management introduces, explores and draws together all the factors that determine success in marketing in Australia. The course presents the essential concerns that impact on the decisions faced by management with respect to marketing and provides the tools for constructing an informed and marketing-oriented approach to business.
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Assessment
Summary of requirements
In order to pass this course, you must: Achieve a aggregate (overall) mark of at least 50, and Achieve a minimum pass grade in the final piece of assessment.
Individual Assignment: Organisation and environmental analysis Weight: Maximum length: Due: 25% of total marks 10 pages (spacing, margins and font size detailed below) Monday, 19 March 2012 at 12 noon (Sydney Time)
Group Assignment: Organisation analysis strategic marketing analysis Team Assignment Part A: Preliminary Market Analysis Report Weight: Length: Due: 15% of total marks 6 pages (spacing, margins and font size detailed below) Wednesday, 11 April 2012 at 12 noon (Sydney Time)
Team Assignment Part B: Presentation of the chosen organisations Marketing Strategy Weight: Length: Due: Final examination Date: Weight: Duration: Saturday, 12 May 2012 35% of total marks 3 hours 25% of total marks 20 minute in-class group presentation In Workshop 2 Sunday, 29 April 2012
The approach to assessment in the MBA (Executive) Program is to use it as a component of the learning process. In Marketing Management, the assignments and exam are designed to encourage you to apply what you learn.
Course overview 11
Assessment policy
The assessment process plays two roles: it provides feedback to you on your progress, and is a means of testing and grading your performance. All information on assessment is provided in the Policies and Forms section of the AGSM website. Please refer to these policies for details on how to present your assignments. Log onto the AGSM website: http://www.agsm.edu.au/ 1. Go to the Current Students area and then go to Student Resources 2. Click Forms, policies & procedures button on the left 3. Click forms, policies and guidelines section in the content page 4. Click Assessments & examinations.
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Assignments
Individual Assignment: Organisation and environmental analysis
Weight: Maximum length: 25% of total marks 10 pages. This must be double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a maximum of 20% of this total in tables, charts or diagrams that can be single spaced, 8 point font. More details on spacing, margins, font size etc are available at http://www.asb.unsw.edu.au/currentstudents/agsmmba /academicinformation/assessmentsandexaminations/P ages/default.aspx Monday, 19 March 2012 at 12 noon Sydney Time
Due:
Purpose
This assignment requires you to undertake the process of analysing your own company and its operating environments from a Marketing perspective. The focus of this assignment is Units 15. You will provide an overview of your organisation, as well as detail the type of orientation towards marketing it takes. You are also required to examine and analyse the context and environments in which your organisation operates (its industry and the macro-environmental forces impacting on the industry). Here, you are not just reporting what your organisation is doing now and what orientation it displays in its marketing strategies, but also assessing whether its orientation towards marketing is likely to (or perhaps should) change in the future. You will also need to examine what forces are driving the marketing environment and strategies that your organisation is (and should be) employing. In the assignment you must work towards identifying your organisations marketing situation now, and the operating environment and strategic landscape affecting it. You will go about this by examining and critiquing its orientation, as well as by illustrating and interpreting information about the 5Cs as they pertain to your organisation. This will include a description of your customers and their behaviour, competitors, the company (or organisation), collaborators and the context. Finally, you will comment on how your organisation learns or gathers information about the 5Cs. You must critically analyse your organisations current orientation and its position with respect to the 5Cs. In addition, you should be able to reflect on the type of information your organisation utilises to understand the environment in which it conducts business.
Course overview 13
In preparing your answer to the assignment it may be helpful to consider it from the perspective of an outside consultant that is hired to critically evaluate your organisations current marketing position and operating environments. You may find the Marketing Audit template provided in Appendix 3 to be useful. Though we have not touched on every issue addressed in the Marketing Audit, it may help you think through various aspects of your organisation.
Guidelines
Address the following issues: ** Please note: It is recommended that you follow the outline presented below and answer each question as it is presented. Issue 1 (15% of marks for the assignment) Provide a brief description of your organisation and the industry to which it belongs. You may also want to include in this description any mission statements, value statements or slogans that your organisation utilizes to communicate its purpose. In describing your organisation, please also identify its orientation towards marketing and provide relevant, detailed and factual supporting evidence to substantiate why you have identified this specific orientation. Finally, include a brief description of the product(s) your organisation offers the market. And, comment on what role the brand has in your organisations marketing strategy. Issue 2 (15% of marks for the assignment) Analyse each of the 5Cs for your organisation: a. Company what are your strengths and key resources, what are some of your weaknesses? What are the opportunities and threats? b. Customers who are you serving and what type of behaviour is typical from them? c. Collaborators describe your suppliers, distributors or other partners that help you to deliver your products to the market? If you dont have any explain why it is not necessary. d. Competitors who are the current main competitors, are there any potential new threats or new entrants to the marketplace? e. Context what other factors affect your organisation (e.g., legal, political, technological, etc.)?
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Issue 3 (15% of marks for the assignment) How does your firm go about collecting information (e.g., market research, market intelligence, etc.) about the 5Cs? For example, how does it learn about: a. What customers want? b. Which competitors pose a threat? c. How the context of business is changing, if at all? d. What role collaborators play in the process? Issue 4 (20% of marks for the assignment) Describe the Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning strategy that your organisation adopts with respect to its products. In other words, identify the target segments, as well as how the organisation wants its product(s) to be viewed by the targeted segments. Note: If your organisation produces many goods and/or services, you may want to pick a particular one and provide more depth on that particular one, rather than being very general about the entire organisation. Issue 5 (35% of marks for the assignment) Based on your understanding of marketing, and thinking strategically, how would you rate your organisation in terms of its marketing strategy/focus? Where is it doing a great job and/or in what ways can it improve? Note: You may wish to comment on: Does your organisations orientation to marketing make sense? In other words, can you justify why your organisation should (or should not) change its orientation towards marketing? If you recommend a change to which orientation and why. How effective is the monitoring and analysis of the 5Cs within your organisation? In other words, is your organisation good at collecting such information? How well does the monitoring and analysis inform your organisations marketing strategies? What are the direct impacts (outcomes) of the current marketing analysis approach and how could this be improved? In other words, what information (if any) that is collected is used? In what way(s) can the current marketing analysis approach be improved? Or, if no changes are needed, why is it so effective?
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Course overview
How well does your organisation utilise its Brand? Is too much emphasis placed on the Brand or is too little? Does your organisation target the right customers? Are there any potential customer segments that your organisation is missing? In what ways could the organisations STP strategy improve? Or, in what way is your organisations STP strategy effective?
** In all cases, please remember to justify your argument(s) in this assignment by explaining and providing reasoned arguments for why you have formed your views. Please ensure that you support your arguments by explicitly applying and drawing insights and conclusions from relevant marketing models, concepts and theory covered in the course to date. Do not simply rely on offering personal conjecture or opinions.
Criteria for Marking

The criteria against which this assignment will be evaluated are detailed on the following pages. Each nominated assessment criteria will be evaluated using the following scale: Superior your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence clearly greater than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Above Average your response to this assessment task in places (but not consistently) indicates a level of competence that at times is greater than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Satisfactory your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence consistent with that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Below Average your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence that is in places less than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Poor your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence consistently below that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. In evaluating your assignment, feedback will be given on how well you addresses each of the assignment tasks. The following table provides feedback on your assignment against the nominated assessment criteria.
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Superior Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5
Above average
Satisfactory
Below average
Poor
In addition your report will be evaluated using the following assessment criteria.
Assessment criteria The extent to which the assignment indicates that you have selected and understood relevant theory, frameworks, models and concepts from the course The extent to which you have explicitly APPLIED the relevant models, frameworks, tools and concepts to the assignment task The extent to which you have created reasoned arguments and justified or substantiated any findings or recommendations that you offer through analysis of facts and evidence The effectiveness of your written communication and presentation of ideas Overall grade Feedback
Course overview
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Group Assignment: Organisation analysis strategic marketing analysis

Part A Preliminary Market Analysis Report Group Written Report (Part A) takes the form of a 6 page written report detailing the key findings of a preliminary analysis of the relevant market environment(s) and identifying key marketing issues facing one of the following organisations: a) Amazon (B2C) Amazon.com is Australia's (and the worlds) leading on-line retailer selling a range of books, CDs, movies and other products. Details of Amazon can be found at www.amazon.com b) Westpac (can be undertaken as either a B2C or B2B option) Westpac is Australias oldest bank and one of the 4 leading retail and institutional banks. To find out more, visit www.westpac.com.au c) Musica Viva (Non-profit option) Musica Vivas stated mission is To inspire Australians through the unique intimacy of small musical ensembles. To find out more visit www.musicaviva.com.au This preliminary analysis is to be submitted by the group electronically to your class Facilitator including the AGSM standard Assessment Cover Sheet. This part of the assignment is worth 15% of the overall final mark. It is due Wednesday, 11 April at 12 noon (Sydney time). Once again the assignment should be double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with a maximum of 20% in tables, charts or diagrams that can be single spaced, 8 point font. More details on spacing, margins, font size etc are available at http://www.asb.unsw.edu.au/currentstudents/agsmmba/academicinformation /assessmentsandexaminations/Pages/default.aspx Part B Group Presentation of the chosen organisations Marketing Strategy Group Presentation (Part B) involves an in-class presentation (no longer than 20 minutes) of a recommended marketing plan and strategies for the same organisation as you analysed in Part A. Based on the feedback to the written report (Part A) submitted in Week 9 and additional learning covering Units 511, student groups will present a marketing plan and strategy recommendations. The presentations will be delivered by student
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groups as a key part of the learning activities in Workshop 2 on Sunday, 29 April. This is worth 25% of the final mark.
Please note:
Your team must be formed and agreed with your Facilitator by the end of Workshop 1. Your Facilitator will provide details regarding the number of people per group required. Please do not make contact directly with the managers or staff of the organisation (Amazon, Westpac or Musica Viva) you are evaluating to seek information or assistance with this assignment. We have chosen three organisations that have a wide range of publicly available information. Because there will be many teams across Marketing Management this session analysing the same organizations, we do not wish to inundate the organisations with requests for information. We appreciate your adherence to this request. You may find the Marketing Audit template provided in Appendix 3 to be useful in helping you think through various aspects of the organisation that your group has selected.
Criteria for Marking

The criteria against which the group assignment (Part A) and group presentation (Part B) will be evaluated are detailed on the following pages. Each nominated assessment criteria will be evaluated using the following scale: Superior your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence clearly greater than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Above Average your response to this assessment task in places (but not consistently) indicates a level of competence that at times is greater than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Satisfactory your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence consistent with that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Below Average your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence that is in places less than that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies. Poor your response to this assessment task indicates a level of competence consistently below that expected of MBA students at this point in their studies.
Course overview 19
Confidential Peer Assessment for Group Projects

For the group-based assessments, all students will be asked to complete a confidential peer evaluation of each group members contribution to the final group response. Should an individual student be identified through this process as having contributed at a level significantly greater (or less) than the level of contribution of the other group members, then that individuals mark will be adjusted above (or lower) than the mark awarded for the group assignment. For example, if a group was awarded a final mark for an assignment of 14/20, and a group member is identified as having contributed significantly more than others in the group, their mark can be adjusted upwards by 10% and the individual receive a mark for the assignment of 15.4/20. Or using the same example, if an individual group member were identified as having made a contribution significantly less than the others in the group their mark may be adjusted down by 10% (e.g. group mark 14/20; the individuals mark = 12.6/20). Should an individual student be identified through this process as having failed to make any contribution to the final response by the group, a mark of zero (0) will be awarded. However such adjustments will only occur where all other group members indicate that an individual made a significantly greater (or lesser) contribution, or identify that an individual made no contribution.
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Part A: Preliminary Market Analysis Report Weight: Length: Due: 15% of total marks 6 pages Wednesday, 11 April at 12 noon (Sydney Time)
This first part of the Group Assignment involves a team developing marketing environmental analyses and interpretation of the information found in the marketing environment of one of the following organisations: Amazon (B2C) Westpac (B2C or B2B) Musica Viva (Non-profit)
In order to complete the assignment you will be required to participate in a self-selected team. Your Facilitator will assist if you are unable to form a team. Each team will need to utilise, access and analyse publicly available information via sources such as UNSW library databases, search-engine searches (e.g., Google, Yahoo, etc.), secondary and primary data research and analyses, small scale surveys or informant interviews, observation, field research, and accessing any other sources that you think may be informative. Each team will then need to analyse this data explicitly applying a range of relevant marketing analysis tools and frameworks covered in Units 15 of the course materials. The context for the assignment is that your team has been tasked to make recommendations to the CEO and his/her marketing team (of the chosen organisation) about marketing strategy development that they should adopt in order to contribute to the organisations achievement of its corporate objectives (you will need to identify the stated objectives of the organisation as a part of the assignment). In order to do this, therefore, you must gather information and understand the current market and competition, as well as conduct segmentation and buyer behaviour analyses. To simplify the process, we have a template for you to follow. In your report, please address the following issues:
Course overview
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Issue 1 (25% of assignment marks) Summarise, analyse and critique the existing value proposition that your chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range has developed in the market. Issue 2 (35% of assignment marks) Analyse the 5Cs (customers, competitors, collaborators, context and company) that form the marketing relevant environments to the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range. In order to complete this task you should undertake any forms of analysis that your team feels may help you identify relevant marketing issues facing the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range in the market. Here, because you are doing a detailed SWOT in Issue 3 (details below), your company section of the 5Cs should focus on facts about the chosen organisation and any other relevant information. Issue 3 (40% of assignment marks) Present a detailed SWOT analysis detailing chosen organisation/sub-unit or product ranges strengths & weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that may impact on the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product ranges objectives. This section will, hopefully, lead you into some ideas about how to frame your Part B of this assignment.
Expectations
Your report must explicitly demonstrate that you have interpreted the data and drawn conclusions about what is good about what the marketers of the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range are currently doing in their marketing strategies, and what could be done more effectively. Your team must explicitly justify why you have come to these views. The analyses require your team to select and explicitly apply marketing concepts, tools and techniques covered in the materials. Any insights must be justified and reasoned arguments must be offered to support them. In evaluating your report, feedback will be given on how well your team addresses each of the assignment tasks. The following table provides feedback on your assignment against the nominated assessment criteria.
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Superior Summarise, analyse and critique the existing value proposition that your chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range has developed in the market. Analyse the 5Cs (customers, competitors, collaborators, context and company) that form the marketing relevant environments to the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range. In order to complete this task you should undertake any forms of analysis that your team feels may help you identify relevant marketing issues facing the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range in the market. Present a SWOT analysis detailing chosen organisation/sub-unit or product ranges strengths & weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that may impact on the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product ranges objectives.
Above Average
Satisfactory
Below Average
Poor
Assessment criteria The extent to which the assignment indicates that you have selected and understood relevant theory, frameworks, models and concepts from the course The extent to which you have explicitly APPLIED the relevant models, frameworks, tools and concepts to the assignment task The extent to which you have created reasoned arguments and justified or substantiated any findings or recommendations that you offer through analysis of facts and evidence The effectiveness of your written communication and presentation of ideas Overall grade Feedback
Course overview
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Part B: Group Presentation of the chosen organisations Marketing Strategy

Weight: Length: Due: 25% of total marks 20 minute in-class group presentation In Second Workshop Sunday 29 April
Each team is required to develop and deliver a 20 minute presentation structured to communicate key findings to the senior management team of your selected organisation (Amazon, Westpac or Musica Viva). Your teams presentation must address the following issues: Issue 1 (30% of assignment marks) Based on the marketing analyses that your team submitted in the written report (Part A) and any relevant feedback from your Facilitator to this submission, outline potential market segments that are available to the chosen organisation. Issue 2 (30% of assignment marks) Recommend and justify a particular set of target markets, including indicating the key value proposition (or multiple value propositions for each target market). In other words, select and present which of the potential market segments identified in Issue 1 are most attractive and should be pursued by the organisation. And, identify how you would go about positioning those chosen target markets. Issue 3 (25% of assignment marks) Outline the implementation, coordination and control processes that the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range will require to ensure that the recommended marketing strategy is effective. This will involve detailing the marketing tactics (4-7Ps) chosen to support the overall marketing strategy, as well as the controls you will have in place to monitor the implementation of your strategy and tactics. Presentation Style/Effectiveness (15% of assignment marks) Having good content is only part of an effective presentation. The other critical part is how that content is delivered. Therefore, in this assignment, a portion of your marks will come from how well the team effectively delivered the content. You will be evaluated on criteria such as a good organisation/flow of ideas, effective slides, clear explanations, good eye contact, good speed of delivery, persuasive arguments and answering questions well.
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Expectations
Remember that the teams presentation requires selection and explicit use of marketing concepts, tools, models, frameworks and techniques covered in throughout the course materials, but principally those found in Units 511 of the course. All recommendations must be justified and reasoned arguments must be offered to support them. In evaluating your teams presentation, feedback will be given on how well your team addresses each of the assignment tasks. The following table provides feedback on your assignment against the nominated assessment criteria. ** Please note: Not all members of the team must present. However, we would like to see at least half of the team take part in the presentation delivery. So, anywhere from half to all group members must present. Therefore, in a group of 4, anywhere from 24 members must present.
Superior Based on the marketing analyses that your team submitted in the written report (Part A) and any relevant feedback from your Facilitator to this submission, outline potential market segments that are available to the chosen organisation. Recommend and justify a particular set of target markets, including indicating the key value proposition (or multiple value propositions for each target market). And, identify how you would go about positioning those chosen target markets. Outline the implementation, coordination and control processes that the chosen organisation/sub-unit or product range will require to ensure that the recommended marketing strategy is effective. How effectively your team communicate and the quality of the presentation as a marketing strategy communication mechanism to a target audience (senior management/marketing team of the chosen organisation). Course overview 25 Above Average Satisfactory Below Average Poor
Assessment criteria The extent to which the presentation indicates that you have selected and demonstrated understanding of relevant marketing theory, frameworks, models, tools and concepts from the course The extent to which your team have explicitly APPLIED the relevant concepts, models, etc to the assignment task The extent to which your team have created reasoned arguments and justified or substantiated any findings or recommendations that you offer through analysis of facts and evidence Overall grade Feedback
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Final examination
Date: Weight: Saturday, 12 May 35% of total marks
Duration: 3 hours You will be required to complete an examination that will focus on the material in Units 1 to 12. The examination will test your ability to apply the concepts to managerial problems and therefore does not encourage rote learning. You will have to answer short essay-type questions, some of which will be based on short case studies. You will have up to three hours to complete the exam. Marks will be allocated on the following basis: demonstrated knowledge of the concepts covered in the course materials as they apply to the problems posed to you ability to integrate the concepts learned in different units of the course a well-structured and thought-out answer.
The answers must be concise and relevant to the question before you. Any part of the answer that is irrelevant to the issue at hand may be construed as an inability to focus on the key issues. Therefore, try to think through your answers before you start writing. The questions for class discussion provided in Units 1 to 11 are indicative of exam-style questions, so you should attempt these each week as you work through the units. Please note: It is important that you write as legibly as possible. If an exam marker cannot read your handwriting, and hence cannot understand your argument, your mark will suffer.
Course overview
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Learning technology
Learning resources
You have three major resources to help you learn: 1. The weekly study guides and course materials for Units 1 to 12, which provide additional readings, references, insights and commentary. You will do much of your learning outside the classroom by working through the learning materials, and by completing the exercises and activities as they arise. 2. The class meeting and intensive weekends with your instructor. The instructors job is to facilitate your learning by conducting class discussion, answering questions that might arise after you have done the weeks work, providing insights from his or her own practical experience and understanding of theory, providing you with feedback on your assignments, and direct traffic in the inevitable discussions and debates that will occur between you and your co-participants in the classroom. 3. Your co-participants. Your colleagues in the classroom are an invaluable potential source of learning for you. Their work and life, and industries and their willingness to question and argue with the course materials, the instructor and your own views, represent a great learning opportunity. MBA (Executive) participants bring much valuable insight to the learning experience. You can use this MBA (Executive) course to take a major step in broadening your appreciation of marketing.
Learning materials
The learning materials for this course comprise two binders containing this course overview and 12 units. Each unit has a number of associated readings. The readings relating to a particular unit are placed immediately after the unit itself. Readings are organised in order of referral and are separated from the unit by a blue cover sheet for identification and ease of use.
Optional readings
In some units, individual selected readings have been included. They have been selected to provide further insights into marketing topics. These readings are meant to supplement the course materials as optional. Articles can be used as a basis for discussion in intensive weekend meetings.
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Recommended journals
The following journals and magazines are recommended for those interested in further reading in this subject area. They are optional to the course and are not required for successful completion. Managers seeking updates on current thinking in management schools and by leading consultants might read: Journal of Marketing Journal of Marketing Research Harvard Business Review (publisher Harvard Business School) Marketing (an Australian marketing magazine published by J. M. Pester & Associates Pty Ltd) the marketing section in Business Review Weekly Business Week Fortune the business pages of the daily press.
Web based support

In Marketing Management we are using an online environment called eLearning. By providing you with this online environment we hope to stimulate the sharing of ideas and understandings around the content of this course. The MBA (Executive) current students website also provides administrative information relating to workshop times and venues. The online documents are PDF (Portable Document Format) files, which allow you to access the course units in the same visual format contained in the course material binders. The PDF files can be viewed, printed and navigated using Adobe Acrobat Reader. The online files contain links to facilitate faster navigation through each unit, for example, the contents page has links to each major unit heading. Articles to which the AGSM MBA Programs do not have copyright are not included as online documents. The website is an additional resource and is not core to the course requirements. Participants will not be disadvantaged if they do not have Internet access.
Course overview 29
eLearning
To access eLearning@AGSM MBA, go to http://telt.unsw.edu.au/ and select Login to UNSW Blackboard. Login to the web Single Sign On (wSSO) using these details: Username: zNumber Password: zPass Should you have any difficulties accessing your course online, contact eLearning Coordinator on: Tel: Email: +61 2 9931 9541 elearning@agsm.edu.au
For after hours supports contact IT Service Centre. Hours: Tel: Email: MonFri: 8am9am; 5pm8pm SatSun: 11am2pm +61 2 9385 1333 itservicecentre@unsw.edu.au
AGSM MBA Programs contact details

Student Experience If you have any administrative queries, they should be addressed to Student Experience. Student Experience AGSM MBA Programs Australian School of Business UNSW SYDNEY NSW 2052 Tel: Fax: Email: +61 2 9931 9400 +61 2 9931 9205 studentexperience@agsm.edu.au
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Additional student resources and support

The University and the Australian School of Business provide a wide range of support services for students, including: AGSM manual: Managing Your Learning ASB Education Development Unit (EDU) (www.business.unsw.edu.au/edu) Academic writing, study skills and maths support specifically for ASB, AGSM and MBT students. Services include workshops, online and printed resources, and individual consultations. EDU Office: Room GO7, Ground Floor, ASB Building (opposite Student Centre); Ph: +61 2 9385 5584; Email: edu@unsw.edu.au UNSW Learning Centre (www.lc.unsw.edu.au) Academic skills support services, including workshops and resources, for all UNSW students. See website for details. Library training and search support services http://info.library.unsw.edu.au eLearning information elearning@agsm.edu.au UNSW IT Service Desk Technical support for problems logging in to websites, downloading documents etc. Library, Level 2; Ph: +61 2 9385 1333. Website: www.its.unsw.edu.au/support/support_home.html UNSW Counselling Service (www.counselling.unsw.edu.au) Free, confidential service for problems of a personal or academic nature; and workshops on study issues such as Coping With Stress and Procrastination. Office: Level 2, Quadrangle East Wing; Ph: +61 2 9385 5418 Student Equity & Disabilities Unit (http://www.studentequity.unsw.edu.au) Advice regarding equity and diversity issues, and support for students who have a disability or disadvantage that interferes with their learning. Office: Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building; Ph: +61 2 9385 4734
Course overview
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People who prepared this course

The latest revisions of the material occurred in 2011, including the addition of new articles and vignettes. This rewriting was undertaken by the following members of the AGSM faculty:
Course leader
Dr Rita Di Mascio PhD (University of Sydney), B.Sc(Hon) (UNSW)
Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Australian School of Business Rita Di Mascio a Senior Lecturer of marketing in the Australian School of Business. In addition to her role as Course Leader for Marketing Management, Rita teaches Customer Relationship Management, Non-Profit and Social Marketing, and Distribution Strategy at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Rita's research interests are in frontline employee behaviour and service process design. Rita has also completed a Master of Education (by Research) that focused on the effects of creativity instructions on business problem-solving. Rita has published in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management (forthcoming), International Journal of Service Industry Management, and Journal of Process Control. Prior to joining academia, Rita worked as a chemical process control engineer at ICI Plastics, and as a business analyst in the Sales and Service unit of ICI Chemicals.
Writers
Professor Murali Chandrashekaran: Professor of Marketing (ASB) and Academic Director of AGSM MBA Programs
In addition, Craig Tapper, an adjunct lecturer at AGSM, assisted with the course revisions and review. This course was originally written by five members of the faculty of the AGSM: Professor Grahame Dowling Dr Sharat Mathur (now at Booz Allen Hamilton, USA) Professor David Midgley Professor John Roberts Professor John Rossiter
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Appendices
Appendix 1 Assignment aid: Reasoned argument versus opinion by Craig Tapper. Appendix 2 Assignment writing: by James Carlopio and Rose Trevelyan. Appendix 3 Marketing audit can be useful in developing a marketing plan. Appendix 4 Sample exam. Appendix 5 General guidelines for answering exam questions. Appendix 6 A word about why we do not provide sample answers for Marketing Management. Appendix 7 Assessment cover sheet Course feedback.
Please note that all appendices can be accessed from Blackboard, visit eLearning@AGSM MBA (http://telt.unsw.edu.au) and select Login to UNSW Blackboard. Login to the web Single Sign On (wSSO) using these details. Username: zNumber Password: zPass
Course overview
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Appendix 1
Assignment aid: Reasoned argument versus opinion by Craig Tapper.
MBA (Executive) Program unauthorised copying prohibited
AGSM MBA Programs
What is a reasoned argument?

By Craig Tapper Often in writing answers to assignments and examination questions, participants know what the question is, know what they want to say in answering the question, but dont quite know how to structure it. For this reason here are a few tips on how to structure a reasoned argument. A reasoned argument is not only what examiners and assessors look for, but quite often what business colleagues, seniors and other people with whom you communicate look for in written material in your life outside studying. Importantly, a reasoned argument isnt just an opinion! There is nothing wrong with opinions but they are just that opinions, and everybody has got one. In the situation where you are asked to respond to an exam or assignment question, or propose your views in a business or other setting, an opinion isnt as powerful or persuasive as a well constructed argument. So what are the components of an argument? Firstly you need to define the issues or problems as you see them. What do you understand are the key issues in the matter? What do you see as the problems being faced, or what is the current position? Getting a common understanding of exactly what is being discussed is vital. Often people wont accept your position because their perception of what the real issue is and your perception are different. So you need to start by saying what you think the issue is all about. That will mean that the reader can then understand the remainder of your reasoning, even if they dont agree with it. Secondly you need to set out, and weigh your assumptions. Only in a perfect world will you ever have all the information you would want in order to make a decision, or answer an assignment question. In the real business and academic world there will always be gaps in the information available. So what is needed is a clearly expressed set of assumptions. In developing your argument you will undoubtedly make certain assumptions, like I assume in developing my response that there is no change in the competitors actions over the period. Or this response assumes that customer behaviour is constant over at least the short term and that there are no significant shifts in market share. You have to explain the assumptions you have made in developing your answer.
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And you have to indicate how critical the assumption is to the response you are offering. For example this is critical, as any change greater than 2 per cent in market share would make any such response irrelevant. Because you are likely to make a number of assumptions that underpin the response, you need to rank or weight them in some fashion so that the critical assumptions stand out from those less important to your argument. Then you need to summarise the relevant facts. Briefly and succinctly set out the key facts that specifically impact on the current situation the numbers or issues that highlight a problem or issue, and help you understand what the problem or issue is. The key words here are summarise and relevant. Simply restating or paraphrasing all the information known about the issue does not help. You need to decide what is pertinent to your reading of the situation and then present the information in a way that is both clear and concise. Tables, lists, graphs and charts are often really valuable in making the facts clear and allowing the reader to digest them quickly. Then you need to analyse the facts. Using an appropriate framework (either learned from the course you are studying, or one that you know is used in such situations), delve into facts and look for two key things: Cause and effect: how has this come about, and what is it doing to the players involved in the cause? Implications: what might happen if these things continue as they are currently? The tools you use for analysis will vary depending on the issue. For example, in a financial situation you might use some of the key ratios that are used to analyse financial health (debt: equity, liquidity, debtor days, cash flows, borrowings etc.). If this issue is one of marketing you might examine the 4Ps, do environmental analysis (like SWOT, Porters Five Forces, etc.) or a portfolio analysis (like the GE or BCG matrices). For strategy you might examine it against McDonalds steps to set strategy, Ansoffs matrix or the five tests of a good strategy. For corporate governance your understanding of a boards role and responsibilities. Select one or two key analysis tools and use them to describe what is wrong, or what the significant trends and issues might be. Draw conclusions. There is no point doing any form of analysis without drawing conclusions about what the issue means for the organisation or how it impacts on the problem. This is where you get to express your opinions but you have to make sure that you link your conclusions to the facts and analyses that you have done. Because of this, that and the other fact I have concluded that the organisation is in danger of losing its position as market leader! Finally make recommendations about how the problems can or should be addressed, even if you are not asked to do so specifically. Simply defining the problem isnt as valuable as defining the problem and offering some solutions. But in offering solutions make sure that you do two things:
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If possible, offer a number of alternative solutions rather than suggesting that there is only one way a problem can be resolved or an opportunity exploited. Evaluate and justify your solutions try and provide a balanced view (advantages and disadvantages or risks) with your options. Then commit and argue as to why your preferred solution is best. Using this format you will find that not only do you gather and structure your thoughts much more easily, but that writing flows much better. And the best news of all reasoned arguments are infinitely more persuasive than opinions.
Appendix 2
Assignment writing by James Carlopio and Rose Trevelyan.
AGSM MBA Programs
Assignment writing
by James Carlopio and Rose Trevelyan Because assessment in this course relies on essay-like assignments, here are some guidelines in how to write a good essay. Plan your assignment. This is the essence of the writing process. This is the point at which you craft or create your assignment. You should start your outline by considering the assignment requirements. The way you cut up the assignment question or requirements can suggest a natural structuring for your essay. If you think that essay or report writing is an excessively long and laborious task, it is likely that you are not sufficiently organised beforehand. Your thinking and creating should be done up front in the form of a rough plan leading to an outline. If this is done well, writing the first draft becomes a matter of simply expanding on the outline and getting it all down on paper. We must always begin with the end in mind. Therefore, it is critical that you fully think through your arguments and the flow of the essay before you begin writing the first draft. Your outline should flow from the central theme of your assignment. Remember, your instructor does not want you to describe the content of the units, he/she has already read them! Your assignment should not be a description of what happened so far in the course or in the case. It should be a fully supported argument for a certain point or perspective. It has to be supportable based on the information in the course materials. This is the point to ask yourself Why do we care about what I am saying? What is the relevance, the major point? Ask yourself, So what? after you have written your outline. This point or perspective (i.e. your answers to these questions) is where you add value over and above what you have heard and read in the course. This is where you illustrate what you have learned by providing evidence that you have thought about the issues and have something intelligent to say in relation to them. This is your opportunity to relate it to the real world, to your work experiences, or to some expected future situation. Write a first draft of the assignment, following your outline. Do not worry about anything except getting the content down on paper. At this point in the process it is perfectly OK to use abbreviations, incomplete sentences, grammatical nightmares, whatever. Leave all this other stuff until the next step. For now, concentrate on the specifics, the content, the data etc.
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Assignment writing
Edit the first draft. After you have written your complete first draft, it is time to edit the first draft, concentrating no longer on content but on the writing process. If you have done the previous steps well, you should have most of the content issues taken care of by this point. It is now time to craft your communication attempt. An assignment is an attempt by you to communicate to the reader(s). You must make the write-up well-organised, well-written and well-formatted. Look for ways to best communicate to the audience your ability to appreciate and apply the content. Style. Everyone has their own writing style. There is no need to try and write any other way. However, the more time you take to craft the communication attempt, the more effectively you will make your points. Even the worlds best writers, in the process of getting the first draft together, manage to write some clumsy expressions, some passages that do not hang together, some long-winded or repetitive sentences and grammatical mistakes. Everyone does this, only the best take the time and effort to change them. Structure. Titles, sections and sub-sections can be used to help communicate the structure you have in your mind to the reader. Be sure to use sections and sub-sections to provide structure to the essay. Present the major theme(s) in the introduction of your essay. Then, in the main body of the essay, discuss these themes, interweaving the course content. At the end, come to some kind of conclusion or synthesis and be sure to bring it home with discussions of what you have learned and the implications for you as individuals and as managers. Flow. Writing that flows and weaves together a coherent argument involves and captivates the reader. Involve and captivate us, please! For example, instead of starting two sequential paragraphs or sentences like this: Weick (1979) said X, Y, Z On the other hand, Jones (1990) said, you should try to say something like: One of the main issues illustrated was the inherent contradiction between the more traditional view of the situation, based on the work of Jones (1990), and an analysis taken from a less mechanistic perspective based on the work of Weick (1979). The essay that follows this latter form will probably use most of the same content as the former. However, it adds value as it makes a point and focuses, not on simply reporting from the readings, but on a conceptual argument. Avoid repetition of words and ideas. You have a strict word limit to each assignment. Therefore, when you say something, say it once. Do not repeat an idea two or three times to further illustrate or clarify it. Also, as you re-read your first draft, notice any repetition of words within the same or neighbouring sentences. A thesaurus is particularly helpful in this regard. For example, The group thought that the group did well on the group exercise, yet as individuals the group members did less well. There are too many groups and the word well is also repeated. Instead, try something like, The members of the syndicate thought they did well on the exercise as a group. As individuals, however, they had lower scores. Bullet points. These can be used, but should be used sparingly. Lists do not allow you to craft an argument. They do not flow or enable you to add any value as they usually do not say anything, they simply list. If you find you have a lot of points in your list, think about how you can group those points and discover the important theme that underlies the group. This is
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Assignment writing
what you should be trying to communicate. Instead of using bullet points to create a list, use bullet points to separate a few points which all relate to the same question or issue. After the bullet point title use a sentence to summarise the point and then elaborate on it. Explain the point further. Why is this point significant? What insights can you draw from it? Referencing. Citations are points in the text at which you refer to, or cite, the work of someone else. The best way to get a sense of how to use citations is to be aware of them in the course materials and readings. Citations are important to those of us who mark your assignments, because they signal that you have done the readings and that you have been able to understand and apply them. Your assignment should include a reference section at the end which gives full citations. For more information on this, please refer to the Managing Your Learning booklet. Some common problems in assignment writing: Overusing words such as However and Thus. Beginning sentences with the words But or And. Using abbreviations which are not defined at their first use. If you are writing about management by objectives (MBO), once you have defined it, as we just did, you can save some words by using the abbreviation later on. Using words that are too unusual. If you try using certain words to positively impress your readers with your intelligence, you will probably have the opposite effect. Your object should be to communicate, not to try to impress us with your vocabulary. You will impress us when you communicate successfully. For more assistance with essay writing you may like to visit the Learning Centre at the University of New South Wales, which can put you in contact with a writing assistant for help with writing assignments. Its website address is <www.lc.unsw.edu.au>.
Appendix 3
Marketing audit can be useful in developing a marketing plan.
AGSM MBA Programs Marketing audit

G. R. Dowling used with permission Complete the following questions in the space provided. Q1. Competitive strategy Which one of the strategies a., b. or c. below best describes the business approach of your (total) organisation? Please tick the appropriate box. a. Differentiation across the various market segments in industry all our products (or services) differ on at least one factor, for example, packaging, delivery method, level of customer service, quality, brand name, etc. b. Cost leadership our production or scale economies allow us to be the lowest-cost producer. c. Focus we forgo a broad industry range, either in product or customer terms, and focus on just one (or a few) particular products or market segment(s).
Consider your answer to Q1 a., b. or c. above in relation to the Strategic advantage matrix below.
Strategic advantage Uniqueness perceived by customer Industry wide Particular segment(s) only Differentiation Focus Low cost position Cost leadership
This matrix will help you to establish the basis of your organisations sustainable competitive advantage. The three options a., b. or c. of Q1 are basic strategies available to all firms in an industry. The differentiation position is implemented by adopting a cost and pricing policy that produces margins sufficient to fund re-investment in your method of differentiation. The cost leadership strategy is implemented with a pricing policy aimed at profitable volume and market share growth. The focus strategy tries to dominate a particular market segment by differentiating its products/services or by its low cost position.
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Marketing audit
Q2. Organisational growth Many companies face a number of choices if they want to grow and expand their operations. They can try to sell more of their current products/services or they can develop new products/ services. Increasing sales of existing products or developing new ones can be targeted at established markets or new markets. Hence, there are four basic options open to an organisation:
Established products Established markets New markets 1. Market penetration 2. Market development New products 3. Product development 4. Diversification
When your organisation seeks to grow, which option would it be likely to choose? Please tick: 1. Market penetration 2. Market development 3. Product/service development 4. Diversification
Many firms try to grow first by adopting a safe market penetration strategy. The next safest strategy is that of product development. Why? Because you know your market (i.e., customer behaviour) which is crucial for success. The next strategy in terms of its risk of failure is market development. The most risky strategy is diversification. Here you do not know much about either the new market (unless you undertake considerable market research) or the new product (unless you invest heavily in research and development). Q3. Business philosophy Each of the following statements can be used to provide a description of your company and/or one of its operating units. Please rate your company and/or the operating unit you work with by agreeing or disagreeing with each of the following statements. (Circle the appropriate number on the on table on the next page. Before proceeding, please tick to indicate the basis of your answer.) I am rating my: company operating unit both* *
If you would like to rate your company and your operating unit, instead of circling the numbers below use a C (company) and O (operating unit) to show your ratings.
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Marketing audit
Agree Moderately Moderately Strongly Neither
Disagree Strongly 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1. Demand is strong for all the products/services we can produce 2. Production efficiencies are the key to our success 3. If we lowered our prices more people would buy our products/ services 4. The people running our organisation tend to be engineers/innovators 5. Financial measure like cash flow, ROI, etc. are important measures of our success 6. Our organisation places a strong emphasis on good financial controls 7. Our easiest company growth could be achieved using mergers and takeovers 8. The people running our organisation tend to be lawyers and/or accountants 9. Our primary focus is to produce very high quality products/services 10. Our consumers really value the quality and work in our products/ services 11. We continually undertake R&D to produce better products/services 12. We are always searching for new customers 13. We like to introduce new versions of our products/services on a regular basis 14. Advertising and personal selling are important to our success in the marketplace
N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
continued 3
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Marketing audit
Agree Moderately Moderately Strongly
Disagree Strongly 1 1 1 1 1 1
Neither
15. The people running our organisation tend to have had some selling experience 16. When the need arises, most of our customers (would) prefer to use our products/services again 17. Everybody in our organisation has a responsibility for customer service 18. We make a big effort to ensure that we fully understand the needs of our customers 19. Our strategies regarding the quality of our product/service, its promotion, pricing and distribution are all coordinated to ensure that they complement each other 20. It is a formal company policy to ensure that none of our products/ services could have any adverse environmental or social effects
On the following score sheet please transfer the numbers you circled from each question 1 to 20 above. Then add your total score against each type of business orientation listed, and finally divide the number of non-zero scores to obtain your average score per type of organisation. Production orientation 1. 2. 3. 4. Total Average Production orientation 9. Financial orientation 5. 6. 7. 8. Total Average Sales orientation 12.
N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0
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Marketing audit
10. 11. 4. Total Average Marketing orientation 16. 17. 18. 19. Total Average
13. 14. 15. Total Average Social marketing orientation 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Total Average
Now plot your average scores in the space below by drawing a line joining your averages. You can see from the resulting graph the relative emphasis your organisation places on these different types of operating philosophies. Business orientation
Production Financial Product Sales Marketing Social Marketing 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4
Average score
3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
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Marketing audit
Q4. Market research For the product(s) and/or services you work with, when was the last time a formal research study was conducted in the following areas? (Please tick)
Not applicable 12 years ago Dont know
More than 2 years ago
Within the last year
Market research conducted on: Competitors activities Members of the distribution channel Customers (end-users): market segments brand image corporate image pricing product (features, benefits, quality, range, etc.) advertising (levels, effects, etc.) customer service sales forecast Industry analysis: economic trends industry structure market share product life cycles
For each tick in the Dont know column, ask someone else in your organisation. The more ticks you have in the left-hand column the better. These indicate that your organisation is monitoring its operating environment and customer needs. Too many ticks in the More than 2 years ago column could signal that you spend too much time looking at the world from behind your desks and not enough time looking from your customers and competitors points of view.
Never
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Marketing audit
Q5a. Customer behaviour Thinking generally about your customers, consider who buys your products/services? Remember that buying can be thought of as: initiating the purchase influencing the purchase searching for information about the product/service deciding which product/service to buy using the product/service. Does one person typically carry out all these roles? Please tick:

Yes No
If No, please describe in a few words who typically performs the following buying functions: initiates influences searches for information decides uses (If many people are involved in purchasing your product then your marketing has to cater for their needs. This is typically the case in business-to-business markets, or when families buy and for the services of many public service institutions.)
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Marketing audit
Q5b. Consider how your customers buy your products/services. Remember, we can break the buying process down into the following stages:
Stage of buying process 1. Becoming aware 2. Evaluating the product/service 3. Forming a preference for our brand 4. Trial 5. Buying 6. After purchase satisfaction Example Via advertising, seeing the product in use, talking to other people Searching for information, seeing it used, talking to people Via advertising (image), value-in-use, recommendations from other people Thinking about how it will be used, how to pay for it, visiting a showroom Good retail availability and display, good point of purchase service, the right price Favourable attitude, positive recommendations to other people
Some interesting questions which flow from this analysis are given below. Please estimate in the space provided below what percentage of the customers in your potential market (=100%) are:
aware of your product/services recognise your brand at the point-of-purchase when surrounded by competitors brands have a favourable attitude towards your product/service think your advertising is informative actively search for information before making a choice need some assistance at the point-of-purchase to help them make the best choice like to buy only what their friends and peers say is good like to try the product/service before actually buying would consider buying your product/service are very loyal to your product/service are satisfied customers % % % % % % % % % % %
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Marketing audit
Look at the percentages you have included in this list. They tell you about the effectiveness of your past marketing efforts (e.g. % aware, % who would consider buying, % satisfied) and some of the things you need to do to help improve future sales (e.g. if a large per cent searches for information every time they purchase then you need to make information about your company and its products and services easily available). Q6. Marketing factors For a typical customer how important are each of the following elements in your marketing mix? In order to get a good measure of the relative importance of each factor, allocate a total of 100 points among the marketing mix elements. Give more points to the more important elements. Also, you can give 0 points to some elements if you think they have no impact on how a typical customer evaluates your product/service. Marketing factor wide (easy) availability of product/service the lowest price high product quality informative advertising good customer service helpful service at point-of-purchase Points
100 These are the elements of your marketing strategy over which you have control. It is important to understand which of these are hot buttons for consumers so that extra attention can be given to these. Also, there should be a balance of importance across these factors. This concludes your marketing audit. The audit itself will not be graded but will form the primary input to your answer to Assignment 3.
Appendix 4
Sample exam.
Australian Graduate School of Management
AGSM MBA Programs
Marketing Management (MKTM) Sample Examination

Instructions
1. Time allowed: 3 hours (plus 15 minutes reading time). You may make brief notes during reading time but may not begin writing in your answer booklet. Spend time planning your answers. Marks are awarded for demonstration of breadth and depth of understanding and applications of concepts and ideas in your course materials. Ensure that the examiner can see clearly that you know the course materials and can use them. Marks are awarded for well-planned, concise statements. 2. The exam consists of 2 sections. Please answer both questions in Section 1, and choose two (2) only out of the three (3) questions in Section 2. All questions are of equal value (25 marks). This exam is 40% of total marks for the course. Answer each question in a separate answer booklet. Ensure your name and the question you have answered are clearly marked on the front of each booklet that you use. The MBA (Executive) program has a policy of open book examinations. You may bring into the exam session your course materials and any textbook provided as part of the course. Your materials and textbooks may be annotated and the use of Post-it Notes is permitted. Your own study notes are also permitted. However, you are strongly cautioned against copying the work of others. This is plagiarism and a breach of discipline. Calculators with alpha keypads, laptop computers and other electronic devices are prohibited. If you inadvertently enter the exam session with prohibited material or equipment, surrender it immediately to the examination supervisor. Please return the question paper with your answer booklets before leaving the examination room.
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Page 1 of 4
Please read the mini-case below and answer Question 1 and 2 (both questions are compulsory). Each question is worth 25 marks.
Shopping Technology Inc., a company that develops new technology for supermarkets and grocery stores, is always looking to develop new technologies and to create new products for the marketplace. Shopping Technology Inc. has developed technologies like barcode scanners and self-checkout stations. They have recently completed work on a new product idea, which is labelled Shopping Buddy. The current plan is for this new product to be introduced to the marketplace in the next six months. Shopping Buddy is a small computer monitor and barcode reader that can be mounted on a shopping trolley. The Shopping Buddy can be used in conjunction with a frequent shopping card program. When customers arrive at the store, they can scan the shopping card with Shopping Buddy and their shopping history with the store is automatically downloaded to the trolley. Then, customers scan each item they pull off the shelf and place them directly into bags in the trolley. When it is time to check out, the customers can simply scan their frequent shopping card again and pay. The idea is there will be no more waiting in queues to check out and not need for a cashier to scan all items at the register. However, the Shopping Buddy is more than just an item that can speed up the shopping and checkout process. Because it knows a customers shopping history, it can remind a customer when he or she has not purchased an item in a while, it can tell him or her where in the store to find particular items, it can alert him or her of any sale items and it can be used to place orders at the deli counter (and will notify you when its ready to be picked up). As the launch date is nearing, a special team of marketing managers has been put in place to review and revise the marketing plan, as well as to finalise their launch strategy. Now, consider that you are a marketing manager in this team atShopping Technology, Inc. and respond to the following issues.
Section 1
Question 1 Answer 1a and 1b (25 marks total, equal marks for (a) and (b))
a.
Define the likely target segment for this product. Are there any other target segments that might be interested in this product? (Hint: be sure to indicate why you
have identified these target segments)
b.
Provide a detailed plan for how you would go about positioning this product to one of the target segment(s) you identified?
Question 2 Answer 2a and 2b (25 marks total, equal marks for (a) and (b)) a. Suggest an integrated marketing communications (IMC) campaign that would support the recommended positioning. b. How would you go about determining whether your IMC campaign was effective?
Page 2 of 4
Please answer 2 (two) of the following 3 (three) questions. Each question is worth 25 marks. Total marks for this section is 50 marks. Question 3 Answer 3a and 3b (25 marks total, equal marks for (a) and (b)) Warner Brothers has turned Looney Tunes characters (e.g., Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, etc.) into one of the worlds most sought after licenses. More than 225 licensees generate US$6 Billion in annual retail sales of products sporting one or more than 100 Looney Tunes characters. Consider you are a marketing manager for Warner Brothers and that you manage the Looney Tunes characters. a. Based on your understanding of products, define the Looney Tunes product that you are managing. b. What are the key implications of this product definition for the tactical marketing decisions? Question 4 Answer 4a and 4b (25 marks total, equal marks for (a) and (b)) Consider that you are a marketing manager for a real estate development company. In particular, you are managing a new mixed retail and residential development being built on the Gold Coast.You and your colleagues have determined that you will position the development as being high-end or prestigious. Thus, your primary focus will be on targeting potential business customers, such as high-end retailers, boutique shop owners or unique restaurants owners. Likewise, you will be targeting potential residential customers who are looking for a modern and sophisticated lifestyle. a. In this course, you have been introduced to the 5Cs.For this product, discuss three of the Cs Context, Competitors and Collaborators as they apply to this product b. How will these three Cs (Context, Competitors and Collaborators) impact the marketing of this product?
Section 2
Page 3 of 4
Question 5 Answer 5a and 5b (25 marks total, equal marks for (a) and (b)) Krispy Kreme is a US-based doughnut company, dating back to 1933.Initially, Krispy Kreme doughnuts could only be bought in United States, then only within North America.Recently, however, Australiabecame the first foreign country outside of North America to be granted a franchise license. Consider you are a marketing manager for Krispy Kreme in the US and that you are tasked with identifying ways in which the organisation itself can grow (e.g., increase revenues). a. What are the ways in which you can explore growing the Krispy Kreme organisation? b. How will you go about deciding which of the option(s) you describe in part (a) are best for Krispy Kreme?
- End of Paper -
Page 4 of 4
Appendix 5
General guidelines for answering exam questions.
AGSM MBA Programs
General guidelines for answering exam questions

Building on the appendix on reasoned argument, we would like to provide you with some general guidelines when it comes to answering the exam questions: (a) Read the question carefully and identify what it is really asking many students make the mistake of addressing issues that are not relevant to the questions asked. (b) Use the frameworks/theories weve addressed in class and in the course notes. Although it is good to bring examples in from your work experience, it is better to show that you have a thorough understanding of the key concepts behind your examples. (c) With (b) said, it is okay to use examples from your experiences as consumers or from your work in addition to relevant marketing concepts and frameworks but not in place of them! Just be sure that it supports whatever position you are taking on your exam question. And, remember we are trying to judge your ability to apply concepts that you have studied not just personal observations, industry anecdotes and opinions. (d) Quantity does NOT always indicate Quality! It is better to be concise and to the point than to ramble and risk going on a tangent. (e) We do not try to trick you in any way what we are asking is what we want an answer to we aim to make the instructions and the questions easy to understand with no hidden meanings. Finally, (f) The most important thing to remember is to SUPPORT all of your statements/ suggestions/positions. For example, you cannot simply say that you recommend launching a product into the market you must indicate why you have reached your decisions. Importantly, your justification and support must include the explicit application of principles and concepts taught in the course and not simply your impressions, personal opinions and views.
Appendix 6
A word about why we do not provide sample answers for Marketing Management.
AGSM MBA Programs
A word about why we do not provide sample answers for Marketing Management
Although it is likely that many of you would appreciate sample answers to questions, we do not provide these in Marketing Management. The reason is not because we do not want to as we see it, there are three main reasons for this: 1. The first reason stems from the nature of the Marketing Management material. In Marketing Management (as with many other courses), there are several key concepts that can be applied in helping to answer assignment and exam questions (some of which will be more appropriate or relevant than others). And, although some theories and frameworks in Marketing do change, many of the key principles have remained the same over the past several years (e.g. STP, key differences between Goods and Services, Brand Names, elements of the marketing mix, etc.). Our objective in the Marketing Management exam is to test your general knowledge of Marketing Management and your ability to apply appropriate and relevant concepts and tools to make marketing management decisions. However, as you can imagine, we typically want to focus on the key issues. As such, although we change the questions each semester, many of these key concepts come up regularly. Therefore, some answers will apply (with some adaptation) across the years, from exam to exam. As a result, if we provide sample exam answers we will likely diminish our ability to draw on many of the key concepts year after year. 2. The second reason stems from us wanting to allow for creativity and differences in student responses. If we provide sample answers to questions, our experience has been that we end up with many students who simply repeat whatever it is that we provided in the samples rather than trying to find ways to apply the concepts to aid their understanding and arguments. Although there are some concrete answers in Marketing (e.g. ways of segmenting the market), we are interested in how you use the concepts creatively to construct strategic and tactical decisions. Marketing does not always have right and wrong answers we look more to see if you base your answers on sound judgment and can make a case for your proposal. In other words, there may be several different ways to approach the problems posed on the exam. After all, marketing is an evolving field, where creativity and thinking outside of the box can be a major strategic advantage!
3. The third reason for not providing sample answers arises from the need to have objective exams/assessment processes. In our experience, providing students with sample answers results more often in regurgitation of frameworks and ways of thinking that we provided. This certainly does not enable us to provide you with useful feedback of where you stand among your peers and within the general discipline of marketing knowledge. Further, it makes it more difficult for students to differentiate themselves, as many would provide many similar answers.
Appendix 7
Assessment cover sheet Course feedback.
Assessment Cover Sheet

GDM SMY MBA Hong Kong GDM/MBA
Fill in all details on this form and submit with your assessment
Student details
Student ID Course name Assessment name Name Lecturer / Instructor name Due date /
Student declaration
I declare that I have read, understood and followed the University Rules in respect of student academic misconduct outlined in the Student Code of Conduct and Annexure 1 of the Student Misconduct Procedures. I declare that this assessment item is my own work, except where acknowledged, and has not been submitted for academic credit previously in whole or in part. I declare that appropriate citation methodology has been used throughout the assignment in accordance with the UNSW policy on Academic Misconduct. I have read the policy on plagiarism in the AGSM Student Handbook. I acknowledge that the assessor of this item may, for assessment purposes: provide a copy to another staff member of the University. communicate a copy of this assessment item to a plagiarism checking service (such as Turnitin) which may then retain a copy of the assessment item on its database for the purpose of future plagiarism checking. I have retained a copy of this assignment, which I can provide if necessary. By signing this declaration I am agreeing to the statements and conditions above.
Please complete either the individual OR group assessment declaration below.

Individual assessment declaration:
This assessment item is my own work, except where acknowledged, and is not the result of collaboration with others. Signature / Student ID Date / /
Group assessment declaration:

This work is the result of collaboration amongst all members of the group listed below and no others. All members of the group have contributed to the assessment. Family name Given name Signature / Student ID
NB: If the assessment is submitted electronically please type name/s into the signature field.
0020_AS00662
Issued: 28.10.2011
CRICOS Provider Number: 00098G
Page 1
Course feedback
Marketing Management Session 3, 2011
We would like to provide you with an opportunity to make comments and suggestions on these course materials. Please email your comments to studentexperience@agsm.edu.au.

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Marketing Management (Intensive)

12 March Individual Assignment Part A due 12 noon 19 March (25%)

Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11 Unit 12

Assignment Part B due Sunday 29 April (25%)

30 April 7 May Final Exam (35%) (Saturday 12 May)

Program Learning Goals

The history of marketing in Australia

Figure 1: Diffusion of marketing in Australia

Criteria for Marking

Superior Issue 1 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 4 Issue 5

Group Assignment: Organisation analysis strategic marketing analysis

Criteria for Marking

Confidential Peer Assessment for Group Projects

Part B: Group Presentation of the chosen organisations Marketing Strategy

Web based support

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Additional student resources and support

People who prepared this course

Assignment aid: Reasoned argument versus opinion by Craig Tapper.

MBA (Executive) Program unauthorised copying prohibited

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What is a reasoned argument?

What is a reasoned argument?

What is a reasoned argument?

Assignment writing by James Carlopio and Rose Trevelyan.

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AGSM MBA Programs

Marketing audit can be useful in developing a marketing plan.

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AGSM MBA Programs Marketing audit

Agree Moderately Moderately Strongly Neither

Agree Moderately Moderately Strongly

More than 2 years ago

Within the last year

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Australian Graduate School of Management

AGSM MBA Programs