INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment

Your task:

You can select a country of your choice (do NOT choose China), however the one you target cannot be your own home country.

You must prepare individually a business report for the team. The report will focus on three areas:

1. Investigating the market of your choice.
2. Recommendations on how to enter that market.
3. Some ideas on how to communicate with the potential customers.

INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment

The report will be 3000 words (excluding table of contents, executive summary, reference list and appendices). EVERYTHING in the main body of the report is included in the word count – that INCLUDES tables, charts and citations.

Please note that the 3,000 words limit for this report is an absolute maximum.

The source of all data, models, concepts and theories are to be given using Harvard Referencing throughout. You are recommended to consult the Citing References Guide available on NOW at https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/lor/viewer/view.d2l?ou=52836&loIdentId=25435&contentTopicId=1019510

You are required to submit a PDF copy of your report to the IM&C dropbox by noon on 20^th April 2018.

Your attention is drawn to the Definitions of Assessment Offences in the Student Code of Behaviour. Offences such as plagiarism, collusion or cheating will not be tolerated.

The assessment represents 100% of the module grade.

This is an individual assessment.

The assignment grading guidelines are attached.

A suggested report format and structure follows. Refer to the marking grid that will be used. By reading the brief, studying the grid, and reading through your own work carefully, you should be able to assess whether you are on the right lines.

  

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Suggested Report Structure:

Title page:

Module name, title of report, N/T number, word count.

Executive summary (excluded from the 3000 word count)

Outline the importance of this report including the key aims, key findings, and key conclusions & recommended strategies. This is a summary of the contents of the report – not an extended introduction. An effective executive summary is are structured in the same way as the report itself and tells the reader what the 3000 words contains, including what you have discussed and decided. It should be no more than 1 page and it does not count towards your word count.

 

Table of contents (excluded from the 3000 word count)

Include a list of main sections, references and any appendices. Use Word’s ‘Table of Contents’ feature to construct this. Do not forget to include page numbers.

 

INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment

Introduction (approximately 100 words)

The scope and format of the report.

Investigating the market of your choice – Macro / Micro analysis and evaluation (approximately 800 words)

This section should include:

• Market selection rationale underpinned by MCTs (e.g. CAGE, 12Cs, Yip, Ansoff)
• Target country analysis (PESTEL) including culture
• Industry analysis (e.g. Porter’s Five Forces)
• Use a SWOT as a summary with opportunities identified as markets / segments only. These opportunities should be based on conclusions drawn from your macro / micro analysis and evaluation.

Recommendations on how to enter that market (approximately 1000 words)

This section should include:

• Target market and positioning strategy (segmentation). A clear segment to target needs to be identified with academic justification. Who and where are the new customers going to be and why? Consider the position that you want in the target market’s mind – what perception do you want them to have of the product? Is there a ‘message’ that you want/need to communicate? All your justification must come from conclusions drawn from your market investigation and be underpinned by MCTs throughout. Which single segment is going to be your target market?

 

• Objectives – Your report will require 2 to 3 objectives. These should be based on key findings from the marketing analysis and what you want to achieve in the new market focusing on communications. The vision of the organisation will need to be taken into consideration to formulate appropriate objectives. For example, establishing brand awareness, changing perceptions, increasing sales, encouraging website & social media traffic etc. Remember these must be SMART.

 

• How will SCC research their potential market? In order to gain a competitive advantage what primary market research methods would be appropriate and why? What issues could they encounter and how could the company deal with them in order to get access to suitable market information?
• Market entry recommendations. How will SCC enter the new market and which entry method will be appropriate? A critical evaluation based on academic theory is needed to evaluate the methods and options available with conclusions made that are appropriate to the context.INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment

   

Some ideas on how to communicate with the potential customers (approximately 1000 words)

This section should include:

• A communications mix rationale. What communications methods (promotional mix – advertising, sales promotions, personal selling, direct marketing and public relations) should be used to announce your presence and reach the market segment identified? All your justification must come from conclusions drawn from your market analysis and be underpinned by MCTs throughout. Relevant theories must be applied and critically examined when proposing what methods should be implemented. Consider MCTs including buyer behaviour, branding and communications to justify your recommendations. Are they appropriate for the target customer? Consider culture, standardisation vs adaptation and country of origin arguments.

 

• Details of the methods of communications recommended. At least 2 -3 tools should be suggested.

 

• The outcomes achieved through your communications ideas should relate directly back to the SMART objectives set with clear links to the measures demonstrated e.g. 10% increase in website traffic, 5% increase in prompted awareness.INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment
  

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Conclusion (approximately 100 words)

Summarise the key points and arguments and highlight your recommendations.

Reference List (excluded from the 3000 word count)

This should be comprehensive and accurate, from a variety of different types of sources including academic journals and marketing and research text books (together with some newspapers, company websites, and market research data).

Make sure that every citation in the report is in the reference list; and that every item in the reference list is in the report! Also be consistent in your style.

Harvard style referencing must be used throughout. Please refer to the Citing References Guide available on NOW at https://now.ntu.ac.uk/d2l/lor/viewer/view.d2l?ou=52836&loIdentId=25435&contentTopicId=1019510. It is not necessary to include lots of secondary data in the main body of your report, but details could appear in suitably cross-referenced appendices.

Appendix (excluded from the 3000 word count)

This is where you can put any market data that you refer to, or useful material that is not directly relevant to the report. Do not use it as an ‘overflow’ because you have exceeded your word count. The appendix material must be limited to twelve A4 sides.

INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment

Useful pointers:

Remember to evidence you have read around the subject outside lectures (see the module document for suggested reading and the resource list on NOW) and use Harvard referencing throughout.

Pictures of tables and models in the report do NOT count towards your word count (Ansoff matrix or Porter’s 5 Forces model), but they DO count towards your word count if the model is ‘populated’ with data (e.g. if you have annotated the diagram).

Please note that the word count for each section shown above is indicative only. The only word count that you have to abide by for the summative assessment is 3000 words. There is no safety margin of +10%. So, you need to ensure that your report contains only the most important pieces of information. This is very much an exercise in developing your ability to focus on the key issues and communicate opinions clearly and succinctly. These are valuable business skills.

Present your work in a way which would be suitable for an organisation. You are future marketers and therefore, your report should be clear, easy to understand, no typos /grammar/spelling mistakes. While you are writing the report in the role of a marketing employee, it is an academic piece of work so ensure you show a sound academic knowledge of the subject matter (including relevant models/theories) as well as the ability to apply this knowledge to identify appropriate recommendations.

The module team will grade and moderate your work, so make sure that you listen to what is said in the seminars and lectures and note any feedback – both verbal and written and ask for clarity or guidance. Use the discussion board on NOW for any questions or queries.

In the following pages, you will find a breakdown of the assessment criteria that will be used to judge your performance. This will give you a very clear idea about how your tutor will approach the task of assessing the written reports.

INTB30605 International Marketing and Communications Summative Assessment.

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