HI5004 Marketing Management
Tri1 2014
Individual Essay Guidelines
Worth 20%
Due Week 5
Marks 20
Words 1500

• Choice of Topic from the subject outline more marks if they choose a specific topic and relate to specific brands or companies.
• Discussion on theory maximum 30%
• Students need to apply the marketing concepts in real life business cases.
• Students get top marks if they give examples of brands or companies using marketing concepts to pursue their business.
• References Harvard style
• General presentation of the essay with headings and subheadings.
• Research atleast 2 to 3 articles on the topic
• Students need to submit a soft copy on BB and hard copy by due date.

Bit more insights into the essay;

Choose one of the topics below:

1. Discuss the concept of perceived value and its importance to consumer behaviour and marketing. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of how customers perceive various brands and how this impacts on their behaviour.
• Perceived value and its importance to consumers
• Discuss theory
• Choose 2 or 3 brands or companies and consumer’s attitude towards these
• Min 2 to 3 articles on these brands

2. To evaluate an organization's Strategic Business Units (SBU), the Boston
Consulting Group developed a portfolio performance framework.

• Explain BCG and SBU’s
• Take 2 to 3 companies and explain how these companies have been using this model
• Min 2 to 3 articles

3. Segmentation, targeting and positioning are interrelated activities which are important to achieving a successful Marketing Mix. Discuss these concepts in theory and give practical examples of how they can be applied to one industry of your choice. Examples of an industry you might choose: fashion for men, or personal care products (shampoo, shavers etc.), or pet products, or toys, or vehicles, or furniture, or fashion for women, or financial services, or beverages, or baby products, or snack foods or another industry.

• Explain segmentation, targeting and positioning
• Identify 2 to 3 brands or companies and apply how these are using these concepts
• Any under performing brand which is not using these concepts properly
• Or any brand repositioning
• Min 2 to 3 articles

4. Marketing decision makers in a firm must constantly monitor competitors' activities - their products, prices, distribution, and promotional effort.
• Find 2 to 3 articles on any of the elements of marketing mix
• Your essay need to focus on how companies are changing their MM to achieve growth, market share or profitability or brand awareness or bran loyalty

5. Good market research and environmental scanning forms the basis of success for other related marketing activities. Discuss the theory and then give practical examples of what types of market research and environmental scanning a company like Domino’s Pizza should do and explain why.

• Choose 2 to 3 business articles in market research
• Explain how companies are doing environmental scanning and market research and seeing some benefits for their business.
• You can choose a company and analyse their past performance due to effective market research done in the past

6. Why is it important to do market research and adjust the marketing mix when entering into a foreign market? Explain the theory and then give practical examples of how some companies have already adjusted their marketing mix in foreign markets. Also, explain what advice you would give the marketing team of “Vegemite” - if they wanted to launch this product in a foreign market such as South Africa (or a market of your choice), where people do not know the product/brand.
• Identify 2 to 3 articles
• Write on MM as how companies are reviewing their MM while entering into foreign markets and getting success
• Or any problems when they do not adjust their MM in overseas markets