ASSIGNMENT 1 Due - Week 6 (6th August 2013 - 2359) Current Issues in Strategic Marketing I

Students will be required to prepare a current issues paper in strategic marketing. The topic for this paper must be approved by the lecturer. Students will be expected to utilise academic resources, and proper referencing, to prepare this submission. More guidelines will be given, based on your chosen topic. Length: This submission should not exceed 10, 1.5 line spacing, pages. Type of Assignment: Individual Weighting: 10% Discovering and identifying the specific problem gives direction and purpose to deriving comprehensive strategies in marketing. Only then can clear marketing objectives be defined. It will be necessary to conduct exploratory research to refine the problem into a researchable one and to identify possible variables and hypotheses for the study. The formal quantitative research process should not begin until the problem has been clearly defined. Your report should cover this stage as well as the research methodology that is required to achieve the specified research objectives. You should cover the following steps: 1. Problem discovery and exploratory research (identification of the objectives and background to the problem). This section will necessitate an outline and report of findings from secondary data analysis, experience surveys and/or focus groups that you have undertaken in collecting preliminary information for the project. 2. Definition of marketing problem: (a) Marketing research objective (clear, succinct statement of the purpose of and the reasons for conducting the research) (b) Marketing research questions (clear, succinct statements which specify the information needs to satisfy the research objective no more than five questions). 3. Details and rationale of proposed survey method for data collection (i.e. telephone, personal interview or questionnaire surveys). 4. Details and rationale of proposed questionnaire design: Depending on your topic and data collection method, your questionnaire should not exceed two pages in length (excluding cover note). Include preliminary, revised and completed pre-tested questionnaires. (Your questionnaire should be pre-tested on a few close acquaintances.) Describe and justify the changes to your questionnaire following the pre-test. Do not analyse pre-test data. 5. Sampling plan How many? How are respondents selected?
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6. Timing schedule Provide a timeline of the project from start to finish with details of activities that would need to be scheduled and the length of time to allow for their completion. Include an outline of the organisation of fieldwork and other assistance where appropriate. Marking criteria Assignment 1
As a guide, allocation of marks for Assignment 1 will be on the following basis: Problem discovery (10%) Background info is succinct. The Objectives of the studies are clearly identified. Management decision problem clearly warrants research investigation. There is a clear fit between background, the objectives and the management decision problem. Exploratory research (10%) A clear outline of the Exploratory Research method(s) is provided. Brief rationale for choice of Exploratory Research methods given. Findings/analysis from Exploratory Research are clearly presented and specifically linked to the management decision problem. Marketing research problem (15%) Clear rationale provided to support the marketing research problem. Research questions are appropriate and unambiguous. Research questions contribute towards the research objective. Data collection (10%) An appropriate method for research problem is presented. Clear rationale provided to support decision. Sampling plan (10%) Comprehensive description of sample provided Strong rationale provided to support sampling decisions. Timing schedule (5%) A logical and thorough schedule is provided with detail of tasks to be completed. Questionnaire (25%) Strong rationale is provided for the proposed questionnaire design. Format of survey is well-presented (uncluttered). Questions match and relate to research questions. Appropriate use of question types and use of scales. Presentation of report (15%) The report is professionally prepared, i.e. logical structure, free of all spelling and grammatical errors, strong sentence structure. The writers analysis and position is clear. Appropriate use of references and referencing. 2

Assignment 2 Due - Week 12 (17th Sept 2013 - 2359)

Current Issues in Strategic Marketing II

The main intention of this paper is to derive appropriate strategies to address the problems identified in Assignment 1. Students will be expected to complete the study and present the results in conformance with submission guidelines for the Australia and New Zealand Marketing Academy (http://www.duplication.net.au/ANZMAC09/Tracks.html). Length: 5 pages maximum (excluding references, executive summary and appendices). Weighting: 30% (report 20%, presentation 10%) Presentation date: 10 September 2013 Report Submission date: 17 September 2013 Type of Assignment: Individual The paper submitted must refer to a minimum of 20 journal papers. The paper must be organised under the following headings: 1) Introduction, 2) Literature Review, 3) Methodology, 4) Results and 5) Conclusions. In your conclusions you must note the limitations associated with your study. Each student is to survey 3050 respondents. Students are to enter their results into SPSS or Excel (at a minimum) and analyse their results. The final assignment will take the form of a Research Report and a PowerPoint (or similar) presentation of your analysis and findings. The presentation can utilise a variety of media but should include as a minimum a PowerPoint presentation covering the following: 1. Title overhead 2. Informational overheads covering: Research design Sample design Data collection and fieldwork Analysis methods used. 3. Results (with tables, graphs and relevant details of statistical values) for key findings 4. Limitations 5. Conclusions and recommendations. Assignment submission Students are to submit two copies of their assignment: 1. An electronic copy for marking (report and PowerPoint) is to be submitted in the assignment section of Strategic Marketing at elearning.mdis.edu.sg by the due date. 2. A hard copy of the report with attached appendices is to be submitted to MDIS Students Services Unit after the due date.

Marking criteria Assignment 2 As a guide, allocation of marks for Assignment 2 will be based on the followings: Problem definition and research design (10%) Appropriate revision of Assignment 1 content. Results and data analysis (40%) Appropriate data preparation. Variety of data analysis methods used (descriptive and multivariate). Appropriate reporting of findings from analysis with narrative, tables and graphs. Appropriate analysis, i.e. analysis addresses research questions. Limitations appropriately identified. Conclusions and strategies recommended (30%) Informative, actionable Executive Summary. Appropriate conclusions, i.e. based on findings and related to research questions. Appropriate recommendations leading to actionable and related strategies on research questions and research findings/conclusions. Presentation (20%) Completeness, i.e. inclusion of full report components (e.g. title page, table of contents, appendices). Appropriate use of headings and sections. Professional language, i.e. objective reporting, free of spelling and grammatical errors. Correct referencing. Visual appeal and ease of readability. Students should consult the recommended text for guidance on presentation and writing style. Reports are expected to be of a professional standard with, for example, clarity, logical flow, legibility, tidiness, spelling and grammar, and visual appeal. Students should also ensure their assignments are fully referenced. Please do not overdo the use of graphics, fonts etc. Excessive effort on presentation does little to help an assignment that is poorly researched.