MARK 1130 – INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING

Research Simulation & Reflection Paper Individual

Weight Factor: 25% of final grade

Incentive 5% Due:
Simulation Term Game 10% Due:
Written Reflection 10% Due:

OBJECTIVE/TOPIC: Practice Marketing puts players in the role of a marketing decision maker for a small
backpack company. Players research the market for backpacks and choose a promising market segment to target.
Then they design a backpack with the goal of matching its style, attributes, and special features to the preferences
of that market segment. After setting an initial price for their backpacks, players select distribution channels, and
coordinate an integrated communications strategy to build awareness for their products.
The game includes a realistic marketplace in which individual players act as companies which compete against
computer-controlled and other student-controlled companies. Players analyze sales results, collect competitive
information, and then refine their product, price, place, and promotional strategies to maximize results and become
a market leader. Each turn represents one business quarter

REQUIREMENTS: You must register for McGraw-Hill Connect. This will give you access to the simulation.
Four or Five competitors compete in each cluster. Your score (Profit, Market Share, Marketing Return,
Customer Satisfaction) will be graded against everyone in your cluster. I wouldn’t expect you to look at
the decisions of up to 45 other students.

SIMULATION:

 INCENTIVE 5%:
From the beginning of the semester, you can receive up to 5% of your final grade for completing the following
simulation incentives available in connect: (1) backpack simulation – guided tutorial, (2) Marketing Mini Sims:
Segmentation, (3) Backpack simulation – Practice: You vs Computer (1-6 practice turns). Students who don’t
register for connect and do these incentives, will lose these easy marks. The goal is to get you used to how the
game works. The incentive closes on XXXXXXXXXXXXXX. No exceptions.

 TERM GAME 10%:

You will compete in one game over the semester. Please see the course planning calendar indicating the Practice
Marketing (PM) round number and closing dates.
 Opens XXXXXXX at 8:00 am. You will have 14 turns over 8 weeks.
 You will be asked to make decisions on the following factors: SEGMENT TARGETED, PRODUCT
FEATURES, PRICE, PROMOTIONS, POSITIONING, and DISTRIBUTION
 Your performance: After each turn ends at 11:00 pm (Thursdays and Sundays) there are visual graphs and
reports in the simulation that you can use to determine how well you did on various criteria as well as comparing
your decisions and results to the others in your cluster. This will help in writing your short reflection paper at the
end of the simulation. As well, you will want to keep track of why you are making the decision as you make
them so that you can talk about them in your reflection paper at the end of the simulation.

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 WRITTEN REFLECTION 10%:
 The written reflection paper is due on XXXXXXXX at 11:00 pm and should include:
1. Your first page will be a Title Page including name of the backpack company, your name, instructor, and date
of submission. A template is provided in Moodle.

2. The next two pages of content will include an analysis of your performance in the game. It will include
performance metrics and a discussion of the decisions you have made. It should also include some secondary research that will
help to explain/justify why you made the decisions that you did. You will be expected to find a minimum of 3 sources.
Remember to document your sources using APA referencing style. This will include in-text citations and a reference page.
Please use the following headings and incorporate the information described:

Performance Summary:
Indicate your overall score in your cluster and compare your results to the others from your cluster. There is no
need for an introduction that explains or describes the game. You may want to have a look at each of the
elements in your score and compare your results to the others in your cluster. Were there areas where you scored
higher or lower than the others?

Marketing decisions:
 Indicate what segment you targeted and why you chose that segment. Did you change segments after round 1
and if you did, why did you change segments? Did your backpack attract purchase from other segments that
you did not choose?
 Indicate how you used the marketing mix (product, place, price promotion) with your targeted segment.
o Tell me about your product features and why you chose the ones you did. Did you change those features
at any time during the game and if so, why?
o Tell me about your backpack’s price and why you chose the price you did. If you changed that price
during the course of the game, tell me why.
o Tell me about the place you chose to sell your backpack and why you chose it. Did you change it, add
more places, or stop using some places during the game and why?
o Tell me how you chose to promote your backpack. What was your positioning message and why? Did
you use any advertising and why did you choose the media that you chose? Tell me about any changes
you made during the game and your rational.
 Select a product that could be sold to the same target market as you chose for your backpack. Select a
company that sells that product. For example, if you targeted urban commuters, you may want to pick the
waterproof packable anorak jacket that is sold by the company Arc’teryx. (Choose a different example for
your paper.)
o Use secondary research about the company and the product to talk about the company’s target market,
marketing mix and positioning to compare their marketing decisions to your decisions for your product
and company. You will be expected to find a minimum of 3 sources. Remember to document your sources using
APA referencing style. This will include in-text citations and a reference page. Do not define terms that your
instructor will know. Each individual submission should research at minimum three (3) outside sources
You can find sources through the library databases and/or current events through business news and
periodicals. Wikipedia is not a source.

Quarterly Results:
Use the subheadings below:
Best Quarter: Indicate which quarter you feel was your best quarter and explain what you did and what the
results were that make you feel that this was your best quarter.
Most Challenging Quarter: Indicate which quarter you feel was your most challenging quarter and why. What
did you do to overcome the challenges?

Competitor Moves:
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Discuss your performance in relation to competitors. Before you made a decision in a quarter, did you consider
the decisions your competitors made in the previous quarters? How did their performance affect your decisions?

Conclusion:
Discuss what you learned by doing this backpack simulation. How will you apply what you have learned from
this simulation to your future career in business?

3. Your Final Page Four (4) will be your reference page and should include the minimum 3 APA formatted sources.
The sources should be about the product and company that you chose to compare your marketing mix decisions
with. You can find sources through the library databases and/or current events through business news and
periodicals. Wikipedia is not a source.

4. Please use in-text citations when incorporating a source into your report. Your submission will be 12 Times
New Roman Font, double-spaced and include page numbers. A template in Moodle will help to get you started.
Please do not put any images into this short analysis. Additionally, successful business writing direct and to the
point. Because this is a short analysis, do not write “as mentioned before” or use direct quotes from your sources.
There is a grading rubric and report template on Moodle for you to follow.