MKT00720 – Marketing
Session 3 2015
Assignment 2: Report (on Facebook inc.)
Core Information:
Due: Due by midnight AEST, Friday 8th January 2015
Weighting: 30%
Individual/Group: Individual Assignment
Word limit: 1500-2000 words in total (plus or minus 10%)
Aim: The purpose of this assignment is to again provide you with an opportunity to apply knowledge, theory, frameworks and tools from the early part of the unit to an analysis of the strategy and strategic practices of a real organisation. In this assignment, you will work to analyse the strategies pursued by Facebook since its creation. You will evaluate marketing-related strategies and their effectiveness and relate those real-life experiences to relevant research and theory. The aim is to provide experience of marketing analysis and practice and to determine your ability to relate real marketing strategy to theory and research.
The Overall Task:
Facebook Inc is a global online social network that has about one billion member accounts. However the organisation is less than 10 years old. Despite intense media excitement when Facebook listed as a public company in May 2012, the share price has bobbed around quite a bit since. Many business analysts are beginning to question the company’s long-term viability because it is difficult to discern a coherent business strategy.
Your task in this case analysis is to answer two questions by critically analysing Facebook’s history, resources and market situation. Please do not just describe events, although you should read Facebook’s history to understand the background to your analysis. You should use the principles and concepts that you have learned throughout the unit to answer the following two questions:
1. What marketing strategy or strategies has Facebook adopted since it was created? Answer this question by applying one or more of the theoretical approaches discussed in the course.
2. What marketing options can you describe for Facebook if it wishes to remain a successful organisation throughout the next decade? Answer this question based on the circumstances that exist in 2014 and your best forecasts of relevant future industry factors.
These are wide-ranging questions and you should undertake extensive independent research into Facebook and its industry. You should explore different aspects of these issues and incorporate them into your report. This is a practical assessment of a real company, but you need to show an understanding of theory and research in your evaluation and suggestions.
Process
1. Begin to gather information about Facebook and its marketing-related strategies. There are a range of sources you can make use including the company’s own corporate website and related publications, academic journals, business press and media, blogs and so on. The quality business press such as Forbes or Business Week or the Economist are in some ways good places to start.
2. However, you need to begin to study relevant course materials as the task requires you to analyse and evaluate Facebook’s marketing strategy in relation to theory, frameworks and research.
3. Consider each of the two questions carefully and begin to relate practice to theory in an attempt to answer each of them. The questions explicitly direct you to specific aspects of the unit material and to specific types of models, tools and theories.
4. It should be clear that there is no definitive right answer here. This also mirrors reality, in that companies are not able to find a single solution or pathway; they have to make difficult choices from alternatives. In the light of that try to explore different aspects of the two questions – there are no ‘correct’ answers and lots of valid arguments for and against all kinds of alternatives. The merits of your argument will depend to a large extent on how much evidence you can cite to support your point of view; that is why this is called a research project.
5. Write up your analysis. This should be in a report format. Here is a suggested structure: a. Executive Summary
b. Introduction
c. Background to the Company
d. Marketing Analysis
i. The Nature of Facebook’s Marketing Strategy or Strategies since it began ii. Strategic Marketing Options for Facebook moving forward e. Conclusion
f. References
g. Appendix
Ensure that you have related the real conditions of the company to theory and research and that you have read, cited and referenced appropriate academic material as well as more popular sources (which also need to be properly referenced).
6. Submit the report via the Turnitin Submission Link (under Assessment Details on the Blackboard site)…be fully aware of the plagiarism rules in the School; plagiarism will not be tolerated.
7. The marking criteria for the assignment can be found on the following page. They are published to give you detailed guidelines about the way in which your mark will be calculated. Please read them carefully. Note that they are a guide, not a definitive formula for allocating marks, and no set of criteria can accurately describe every possible assignment. Your final mark will reflect the application of academic judgement by your marker to your whole assignment.
Marking Criteria follows on the next page.
MKT00720 – Marketing (Session 3, 2015)
Assignment 2: Report (on Facebook Inc.)
School extension policy
Students wanting an extension must make a request at least 24 hours before the assessment item is due and the request must be received in writing by the unit assessor or designated academic.
Extensions within 24 hours of submission or following the submission deadline will not be granted (unless supported by a doctor’s certificate or where there are exceptional circumstances – this will be at unit assessor’s discretion and will be considered on a case by case basis). Extensions will be for a maximum of 48 hours (longer extensions supported by a doctor’s certificate or exceptional circumstances to be considered on a case by case basis).
A penalty of 10% of the total available grade will accrue for each 24-hour period that an assessment item is submitted late. Therefore an assessment item worth 20 marks will have 2 marks deducted for every 24-hour period and at the end of 10 days will receive 0 marks.
Please note: work commitments are rarely a sufficient reason to approve special consideration and being away on holidays is never a reason. There is no penalty for submitting an assignment BEFORE the due date, so if you are going away just manage your time to get assessment tasks finished before you go. You’ll enjoy your holiday more.
Extensions will NOT be approved because of problems with personal computers or storage devices. Back up your work every day to a secure location.
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