Assignment Details

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING

MKT1705D PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING

Semester 1, AY2023/24 (August 2023)

Assessment Components Weight Remarks

Class Participation 20%

Subject Pool Participation 10%
Individual Online Learning 10% Complete:
§ 8 weekly Reinforce Learning online activities
§ 1 online simulation activity

(Important reminder:
Remember to stay on task. You can attempt the
weekly online activities tasks at any time as long
as you complete before the respective due
dates. Pace yourself.

There will be NO extensions if you forget and

miss the deadlines, regardless the reasons.

Individual Assignment 20% Due week 6

Students only need to submit one IA (either A or

B – to be allocated)

Individual Presentation 10% The individual presentation is graded based on

your presentation skills during the group
presentation that will take place in Weeks
11/13.

Group Project 30% On Week 11 and 13 (Four groups each week)

(report + presentation)

Total 100%

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Important Information
Refer to the course schedule for the submission deadlines. If you submit late and within 24 hours
from the submission deadline, there is a penalty of 50% of marks deducted. Submissions
thereafter will carry no marks.

Do NOT generate AI-answers, copy nor plagiarise your answers from another student and/or
copy from external sources. You are expected to write your answers in your own words. Ensure
in-text citations and apply proper referencing format (APA or any other reader-friendly
consistent format) in your assignments.

When you submit your answers to Canvas, your IA and reports will go through Turnitin, a
software that will check for plagiarism, similarity, and AI-generated scores. NUS takes plagiarism
seriously and students found plagiarising will be heavily penalised or sent for disciplinary actions.

Class Participation (20%)

Your regular and punctual attendance, constructive sharing and discussion will contribute
towards the class participation. Students are expected to participate actively in class – either
through contributions during class discussions or during peer (or small) group discussions.
Learning is a continuous journey and a two-way. Your learning experience will be enriched when
you engage respectfully and positively in collaborative learning.

Subject Pool Participation (10%)

Students taking this course participate in various market research projects conducted by the
professors, and doctoral and honours year students. You need to commit an estimated 3 hours
during the semester for subject pool participation. Once you fulfil the 3 hours requirement, you
will receive full marks for this component.

We will pro-rate the marks for students who serve less than the required number of hours. Each
study is conducted in blocks of 30 minutes (e.g., half hour study, one-hour study). Some studies
are conducted in instalments (e.g. in parts 1 and 2). These studies will require you to attend
several sessions that are conducted over a span of a few weeks. You will be given credit for the
study only if you attend the sessions.

For subject pool enquiries, email Ms Wang Kim Fong at mktwkf@nus.edu.sg. Details on the
subject pool facility and registration will be available for download from Monday 4 September
2023 from the following website: https://nus-bizmkt.sona-systems.com.

Students who do not wish to participate in Subject Pool need to email the
coordinator, Regina Yeo at bizyblr@nus.edu.sg by Friday 8 Sept, 12pm.

You will be assigned to do an individual project that is worth 10% in lieu of subject pool
participation. The replacement individual project details will be assigned to these students on
Fri 13 Oct and submission deadline is Fri 27 Oct (this follows the same deadline as the subject
pool participation). Students who do not indicate their interest to the coordinator by this date
will be considered to be participating in the subject pool activities.

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Individual Online Activities (10%)

The individual online activities include the following:

§ Students are required to complete their readings, adaptive learning tasks (also known as
Reinforced Learning tasks), and mini simulation activities on the online designated
ConnectMaster platform.

§ At the end of each assigned chapter/topic, students attempt short questions (mostly MCQs)
to reinforce learning of concepts and understanding.

§ There are 8 weekly Reinforced Learning tasks and 1 simulation activity which consist of
questions focused on concept checks. They work on an adaptive learning algorithm which
customizes the questions to each student’s level of proficiency and understanding. Students
will be prompted with other question(s) on the concept they had answered wrongly and be
directed to relevant readings, to ensure that concepts are correctly understood.

§ You have unlimited attempts to practise for the Reinforced Learning (or adaptive learning
activities) and mini simulation activity.

§ Marks are awarded based on punctual and full completion of the learning tasks

How are you graded for the individual online activities on CONNECT?

Activities Each Remarks Points

Activity
8 Reinforce 10 points Must attain full score to get 10 points 8 RLs x 10 points =
Learning (RL) for each RL activity. There is no partial 80 points
activities attribution if no full score is achieved.
1 simulation 20 points Must attain minimum 18 points (out of 1 sims x 20 points =
(sims) activity 20) for the sims activity to score full 20 points
mark (unlimited attempts)

There is no partial attribution if the

minimum 18 points is not achieved.
TOTAL 100 points

§ You can attempt the weekly online activities at any time as long as they are completed before
the respective deadlines as stated in the course schedule.

§ Pace yourself and avoid last minute work.

Your timely completion of these weekly individual online tasks on CONNECT contribute towards
your overall assessment. NO extensions if you miss the deadlines regardless the reasons for
missing.

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Individual Assignment 1 (20%)

Formatting for IA 1 is 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman/Calibri 12, margin 2.5cm all around,
maximum 3 pages (excluding appendices and referencing). Include your name and student
number in the header. Ensure in-text citations and adopt referencing format (APA or any other
reader-friendly consistent format).

Read beyond the textbook and research widely. Organise your writing process to ensure critical
thinking and writing when attempting the individual assignment. Cite your sources and adopt
referencing. Failure to reference will lead to a penalty of marks. Refer to the Purdue University’s
Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL) which is an excellent resource for referencing format
(https://owl.english.purdue.edu/).

Each student will work on ONE IA, the specific IA will be allocated to you.

Popular Holdings Limited, more commonly known as just Popular, is a Singaporean multinational
bookstore chain. Established in 1924, Popular is a one-stop shop that provides a comprehensive
range of books, educational peripherals, household appliances, entertainment, lifestyle
products and IT related gadgets.

Due to the disruptions that have affected its business, Popular is in a quagmire and needs to
rethink its business strategy to stay relevant in a competitive industry.

Individual Assignment A: Market Environment Scanning

1. Using SWOT analysis to structure, evaluate Popular’s current market situation in Singapore
in the light of disruptive marketing. Cite evidence and examples to support.

2. (a) Conduct a competitors analysis of Popular by examining two (2) indirect competitors and
appraise how they may have affected Popular’s business. (b) Of the four elements of
excellence covered in the e-book for Week 2, recommend the element that Popular should
focus to build its competitive advantage. Cite evidence and examples to support.
Individual Assignment B: Consumer Behaviour and Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning

1. Visit Popular and Kinokuniya (any outlets at your convenience) to observe. Compare and
evaluate the customer segments of Popular Bookstore and Kinokuniya in terms of:
demographics, psychographics and behavioural. Cite evidence and examples to support.
(State the date, day and time of visit. Include a picture of yourself at the stores – do NOT
photoshop yourself in the picture.)

2. There are 2 main bookstores in Singapore: Popular and Kinokuniya. Discuss the points-of-
parity (POP) and points-of-difference (POD) between Popular and Kinokuniya. Are their
differentiation relevant to Singaporeans? Based on your evaluation to POP and POD,
evaluate the brand positioning of Popular and Kinokuniya. Cite evidence and examples to
support.
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Individual Presentation (10%)

Your individual presentation is graded out of 10 marks and will be based on your presentation
skills during the final group presentation scheduled in Week 11 or 13.

Assessment criteria include:

ü Articulation and clarity of speech

ü Pace and tone
ü Consistent eye contact with the audience
ü “Stage” presence
ü Command of the presentation content

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Group Assignment (30%)

Objective
The group project aims to help students to :

§ understand the fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) industry, focusing on food and
personal care.
§ be aware and tuned in to the market environments and the consumer behavior in the
respective sector
§ understand the importance of seeking opportunities and avoid threats to capitalise on trends
in order to stay competitive and relevant
§ apply relevant marketing concepts to craft a marketing plan for the brand’s growth in
Singapore

Project Requirements
There will be 8 project groups. The group membership is pre-assigned. The approach to decide
on the specific (non-overlapping) brand for each project group will be discussed in the first week
of class.

§ In preparation for the final project-deliverables, there will be two check points to ensure that
all groups are on track before the final presentation. Although check point presentations are
not graded, students are expected to put in good effort as your deliverables will impact the
final project and presentation.

§ Half of the group can present in check point 1 and the other half present in check point 2.
Take this opportunity to hone your presentation skills. All students must present in the final
presentation; only the final presentation is graded.

Check Point 1 (Week 6)

Prepare and deliver a maximum 12-minute presentation based on the following:

a) Introduction & Brand Background - Briefly describe the FMCG market that your assigned
brand is in. Provide a brief overview of the brand selected. Scope the project to the Singapore
context.

b) Situational Analysis - Analyse the industry of your assigned brand including: SWOT, macro-
environmental factors, the size of the market & growth rate (where possible), competitors,
and key market and industry trends based on the Singapore market.

c) Customer Analysis – Describe the customer segments and their behaviour

Check Point 2 (Week 7)

At check point 2, groups only need to present the research methodology (meaning, how will
your research be conducted). You are NOT required to conduct the market research surveys at
this stage. Prepare and deliver a maximum 12-minute presentation.

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d) Research Methodology – based on the analysis done in Check Point 1 (week 6), the group
decides on the research scope and objectives.

o Present the research methodology (surveys, questionnaires). This includes:

- what is the research scope and objectives; how will the surveys be conducted?
- determine which method(s) to adopt: online surveys? face-to-face interviews? focus
groups? mystery shopping?) what’s the sample size?

o Conduct your market research a survey AFTER the check point 2 presentations.
- some suggestions, for online surveys, minimum is 50 respondents. As guideline, your
online/face-to-face surveys should be designed such that the duration is kept to 10
minutes per respondent. You do not want respondents to suffer from survey fatigue.

Final Presentation (Week 11 & 13)

All students must present. Prepare and deliver a maximum 25-minute presentation that covers
the following:

e) Findings and Analysis - identify and discuss the key findings from the surveys conducted in
(d) and from secondary research.

f) Analyse the current marketing program of the selected brand to provide your evaluation of
its STP/4Ps efforts.

g) Recommendations – drawing from e) and f), recommend how the brand can address the
areas for concern as well as identify/pursue growth areas for opportunities.

Other requirements

Report
§ The report should address the project requirements in (a) to (g).

§ The report should be typed (1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman/Calibri 12, margin 2.5cm all
round, maximum 10 pages (inclusive of in-text citations but excluding appendices and
references pages). Ensure in-text citations and use referencing format (APA or any other
reader-friendly consistent format). Include the names and student numbers of all group
members on cover page.

§ Upload the final report to the Group Project Assignment folder in Canvas in Week 11. Your
group report will go through a Turnitin software that will check for plagiarism, similarity
scores and AI-generated index. Students found plagiarising will be heavily penalised or sent
for disciplinary actions. You are expected to write the report in your own words.

Presentation
§ Each group has to give a maximum 25-minute presentation. Please strictly adhere to the time
limit. All students must present. There will be a Q&A session for the presenting team to
address after each presentation.

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§ Upload your slide deck in Canvas in Week 11. Include the names of all group members on
cover slide. Presentations will take place in Weeks 11 and 13.

Advice regarding group project

Peer Review : students will be required to submit a Peer Review form for the group project

§ As with most group work, there are may be differences in opinions or perceived inequitable
efforts from group members. Knowing how to manage your time, workload and peers are
part of the learning process. Whilst you may be group members, it is important to work
together as a team.

§ The group project is a concerted and an integrated effort of ALL team members. It is not a
collection of individual members’ attempts to a specific question and then combined to form
the group report. Critique constructively but not criticise.

§ Be positive and open-minded to each other’s ideas and suggestions. A good team effort draw
out the strengths in each other, enrich the learning process and enhance the quality of your
project and presentation.

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