Marketing Strategy Assignment

Page 1 of 6 ARUBAV2MS23 Marketing Strategy Assignment Date for Submission: 17th October 2017 (14:00 BST) Page 2 of 6 Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Marketing Strategy assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments. Learning Outcomes: After completing the module you should be able to: 1. Design and appraise relevant, marketing strategies for different competitive situations. 2. Apply relevant models to undertake an internal and external analysis of the business environment. 3. Critically evaluate and propose improvements to the procedures by which organisations develop and sustain competitive advantage. 4. Critically analyse the application of theoretical and conceptual models in the development of marketing strategies. Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and a word count; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in Arden University (AU) Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work. Maximum word count: 3000 words (maximum) Please note that exceeding the word count will result in a reduction in grade proportionate to the number of words used in excess of the permitted limit. Page 3 of 6 Assignment Task A recent article questioned whether the commonality in so many brand values within the FTSE100 of companies renders the stated values ‘meaningless’. The most common values as stated by companies and identified in the article were: • integrity • respect • customer centricity • innovation • excellence Liddell, N., 2016. The Excessive Sameness of the FTSE100 [online]. London. Available from: http://theclearing.co.uk/ftse100/ [Accessed 15 May 2017]. Giving consideration to the article, respond to the tasks below: Task 1 Present a balanced discussion on the strategic value of branding and brand values in achieving competitive advantage, using relevant research, texts, articles and examples of your choice (with full AU referencing). (LO1/LO3) (40%) Task 2 Taking any organisation that you feel has strong brand values, provide an internal and external analysis of the organisation’s business environment, applying relevant models and making any recommendations you feel appropriate in moving the organisation forward whilst building on brand values. (LO1/LO3) (30%) Task 3 Communication of brand values and effective differentiation are to an extent dependent on an effective strategic marketing planning process. Research and evaluate the value of strategic marketing planning in achieving competitive advantage for the firm. (LO4) (30%) Page 4 of 6 Formative Feedback You have the opportunity to submit a draft plan in order to receive formative feedback. The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner. Your work must be submitted to myself via sheaton@arden.ac.uk at least two weeks prior to the submission date. This is to allow time for you to reflect on the feedback and draft your final submission. Guidelines You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system. The My Study Skills Area contains the following useful resources: Guide to Harvard Referencing http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Harvard_Quick_Ref_Guide.pdf Guide to Harvard Citation http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Guide_to_Harvard_Citation.pdf You must use the AU Harvard Referencing method in your assignment. Additional notes: Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment. The word count excludes the title page, executive summary, reference list and appendices. Where assessment questions have been reprinted from the assessment brief these will also be excluded from the word count. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count. Printed words include those contained within charts and tables. See ‘Word Count Policy’ on the homepage of this module for more information. Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail. Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the “Guide to Submitting an Assignment” document available on the module page on iLearn. You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area Page 5 of 6 Assessment Criteria – Level 6 (Learning objectives covered – all) Page 6 of 6