PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & SITUATION ANALYSIS

MKT 501 case 1 and slp Order Description Module 1 - Case ( Writer please write 4 pages for this assignment STP, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & SITUATION ANALYSIS Assignment Overview This Case Assignment focuses on Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and related brand management and busin" rel="nofollow">iness ethics issues. Case Readin" rel="nofollow">ing A mucky busin" rel="nofollow">iness; the volkswagen scandal. (2015, Sep 26). The Economist, 416, 23-25. Boston, W., & Houston-Waesch, M. (2015, Oct 15). Volkswagen suspends another top engin" rel="nofollow">ineer; berlin" rel="nofollow">in orders recall; transport min" rel="nofollow">inister says recall of tain" rel="nofollow">inted diesel cars is mandatory. Wall Street Journal (Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine). Cremer, A. (2016, April 20). VW to pay each U.S. customer $5,000 to settle dieselgate: Die Welt. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us- volkswagen-emissions-court-idUSKCN0XH0ZV Danny, Hakim, Kessler, A. M., & Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2015, Sep 27). As VW pushed to be no. 1, ambitions fueled a scandal. New York Times. De Cremer, D., & de Bettignies, H. (2013). PRAGMATIC BUSINESS ETHICS. Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Strategy Review, 24(2), 64-67. Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2016, April 21). Volkswagen Reaches Deal in" rel="nofollow">in U.S. Over Emissions Scandal. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/busin" rel="nofollow">iness/in" rel="nofollow">international/volkswagen-emissions-settlement.html?_r=0 Lane, C. (2015, Oct. 26). Emissions scandal is hurtin" rel="nofollow">ing VW owners tryin" rel="nofollow">ing to Resell. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2015/10/26/450238773/emissions-scandal-is- hurtin" rel="nofollow">ing-vw-owners-tryin" rel="nofollow">ing-to-resell. La Monica, P.,R. (2015, Sep 23). Volkswagen has plunged 50%. will it ever recover? CNN Wire Service. Tabuchi, H., Apuzzo, M., & Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2017). U.S. Charges 6 Volkswagen Executives in" rel="nofollow">in Emissions-Cheatin" rel="nofollow">ing Case. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/busin" rel="nofollow">iness/volkswagen-diesel-vw-settlement-charges-crimin" rel="nofollow">inal.html?_r=0 Here are some articles on brand equity and brand management. Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizin" rel="nofollow">ing, measurin" rel="nofollow">ing, and managin" rel="nofollow">ing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketin" rel="nofollow">ing, 57(1), 1-22. Helm, S., & Tolsdorf, J. (2013). How does corporate reputation affect customer loyalty in" rel="nofollow">in a corporate crisis? Journal of Contin" rel="nofollow">ingencies & Crisis Management, 21 (3), p144-152. Case Assignment Develop a report in" rel="nofollow">in terms of the followin" rel="nofollow">ing guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines. A well-written report should have a brief in" rel="nofollow">introduction, headin" rel="nofollow">ings or subheadin" rel="nofollow">ings, and a brief concludin" rel="nofollow">ing comment. Note that you should use some keywords as headin" rel="nofollow">ings or subheadin" rel="nofollow">ings such as "Brand Equity of VW”, in" rel="nofollow">instead of a sentence or a question. Read and cite required articles on Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, as well as additional research you have done, and address the followin" rel="nofollow">ing issues: Briefly describe Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and provide background on the company and automobile in" rel="nofollow">industry. Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink Volkswagen’s brand reputation was severely damaged by the emissions scandal? How about its brand equity? Discuss what brand equity is, and how Volkswagen’s brand equity will be impacted. How should Volkswagen handle the emissions scandal in" rel="nofollow">in an ethical way? Discuss the related ethical issues from both consumer and brand manager perspectives. What can you learn from this case? What suggestions could you offer to executives of other car manufacturers? Assignment Expectations Expectations Regardin" rel="nofollow">ing Your References and Defense of Your Positions Write clearly, simply, and logically. Your paper should be 750–1,500 words long, excludin" rel="nofollow">ing title pages and references, but quality of writin" rel="nofollow">ing is more important than length. Use double-spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font in" rel="nofollow">in 12 pt. type size. Back up your positions or opin" rel="nofollow">inions with references to the required readin" rel="nofollow">ings for this Case and those in" rel="nofollow">in the Module Background. In usin" rel="nofollow">ing those references, demonstrate your understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of the concepts presented. Rather than gradin" rel="nofollow">ing on how much in" rel="nofollow">information you fin" rel="nofollow">ind, emphasis will be on the defense of the positions you take on the issues. Also remember that: The “why” is more important than the “what.” The defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take. Do not repeat or quote defin" rel="nofollow">initions. Your use of the required readin" rel="nofollow">ing to support your opin" rel="nofollow">inions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented. Do not in" rel="nofollow">include defin" rel="nofollow">initions or summaries of the readin" rel="nofollow">ings or simply describe what the company did. Instead, your responses to the questions should be analytical and should demonstrate that (a) you understand the prin" rel="nofollow">inciples from the background readin" rel="nofollow">ing and (b) you can apply them to this particular case. Vague, general answers will not earn a good grade. Avoid redundancy and general statements such as “All organizations exist to make a profit.” Make every sentence count. Paraphrase the facts usin" rel="nofollow">ing your own words and ideas, employin" rel="nofollow">ing quotes sparin" rel="nofollow">ingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed five words. When writin" rel="nofollow">ing an academically oriented paper, you will uncover many facts about the company and the scandal. If you paraphrase the facts, cite the sources in" rel="nofollow">in your text and lin" rel="nofollow">ink those citations to references at the end of the paper. Here are some guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines on how to conduct in" rel="nofollow">information search and build critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing skills. Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Searchin" rel="nofollow">ing for Information. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/searchin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Developin" rel="nofollow">ing Critical Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/critical_thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for handlin" rel="nofollow">ing quoted and paraphrased material are found at: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Academic Writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Quotin" rel="nofollow">ing, Paraphrasin" rel="nofollow">ing, and Summarizin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Is it plagiarism yet? Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/ Your paper consists of arguments in" rel="nofollow">in favor of your opin" rel="nofollow">inions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines; therefore, avoid the followin" rel="nofollow">ing logical fallacies: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in" rel="nofollow">in argumentative writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/01/ Privacy Policy | Contact Module 1 - Case STP, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & SITUATION ANALYSIS Assignment Overview This Case Assignment focuses on Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and related brand management and busin" rel="nofollow">iness ethics issues. Case Readin" rel="nofollow">ing A mucky busin" rel="nofollow">iness; the volkswagen scandal. (2015, Sep 26). The Economist, 416, 23-25. Boston, W., & Houston-Waesch, M. (2015, Oct 15). Volkswagen suspends another top engin" rel="nofollow">ineer; berlin" rel="nofollow">in orders recall; transport min" rel="nofollow">inister says recall of tain" rel="nofollow">inted diesel cars is mandatory. Wall Street Journal (Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine). Cremer, A. (2016, April 20). VW to pay each U.S. customer $5,000 to settle dieselgate: Die Welt. Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us- volkswagen-emissions-court-idUSKCN0XH0ZV Danny, Hakim, Kessler, A. M., & Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2015, Sep 27). As VW pushed to be no. 1, ambitions fueled a scandal. New York Times. De Cremer, D., & de Bettignies, H. (2013). PRAGMATIC BUSINESS ETHICS. Busin" rel="nofollow">iness Strategy Review, 24(2), 64-67. Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2016, April 21). Volkswagen Reaches Deal in" rel="nofollow">in U.S. Over Emissions Scandal. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/busin" rel="nofollow">iness/in" rel="nofollow">international/volkswagen-emissions-settlement.html?_r=0 Lane, C. (2015, Oct. 26). Emissions scandal is hurtin" rel="nofollow">ing VW owners tryin" rel="nofollow">ing to Resell. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2015/10/26/450238773/emissions-scandal-is- hurtin" rel="nofollow">ing-vw-owners-tryin" rel="nofollow">ing-to-resell. La Monica, P.,R. (2015, Sep 23). Volkswagen has plunged 50%. will it ever recover? CNN Wire Service. Tabuchi, H., Apuzzo, M., & Ewin" rel="nofollow">ing, J. (2017). U.S. Charges 6 Volkswagen Executives in" rel="nofollow">in Emissions-Cheatin" rel="nofollow">ing Case. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/busin" rel="nofollow">iness/volkswagen-diesel-vw-settlement-charges-crimin" rel="nofollow">inal.html?_r=0 Here are some articles on brand equity and brand management. Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizin" rel="nofollow">ing, measurin" rel="nofollow">ing, and managin" rel="nofollow">ing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketin" rel="nofollow">ing, 57(1), 1-22. Helm, S., & Tolsdorf, J. (2013). How does corporate reputation affect customer loyalty in" rel="nofollow">in a corporate crisis? Journal of Contin" rel="nofollow">ingencies & Crisis Management, 21 (3), p144-152. Case Assignment Develop a report in" rel="nofollow">in terms of the followin" rel="nofollow">ing guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines. A well-written report should have a brief in" rel="nofollow">introduction, headin" rel="nofollow">ings or subheadin" rel="nofollow">ings, and a brief concludin" rel="nofollow">ing comment. Note that you should use some keywords as headin" rel="nofollow">ings or subheadin" rel="nofollow">ings such as "Brand Equity of VW”, in" rel="nofollow">instead of a sentence or a question. Read and cite required articles on Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, as well as additional research you have done, and address the followin" rel="nofollow">ing issues: Briefly describe Volkswagen’s emissions scandal and provide background on the company and automobile in" rel="nofollow">industry. Do you thin" rel="nofollow">ink Volkswagen’s brand reputation was severely damaged by the emissions scandal? How about its brand equity? Discuss what brand equity is, and how Volkswagen’s brand equity will be impacted. How should Volkswagen handle the emissions scandal in" rel="nofollow">in an ethical way? Discuss the related ethical issues from both consumer and brand manager perspectives. What can you learn from this case? What suggestions could you offer to executives of other car manufacturers? Assignment Expectations Expectations Regardin" rel="nofollow">ing Your References and Defense of Your Positions Write clearly, simply, and logically. Your paper should be 750–1,500 words long, excludin" rel="nofollow">ing title pages and references, but quality of writin" rel="nofollow">ing is more important than length. Use double-spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font in" rel="nofollow">in 12 pt. type size. Back up your positions or opin" rel="nofollow">inions with references to the required readin" rel="nofollow">ings for this Case and those in" rel="nofollow">in the Module Background. In usin" rel="nofollow">ing those references, demonstrate your understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of the concepts presented. Rather than gradin" rel="nofollow">ing on how much in" rel="nofollow">information you fin" rel="nofollow">ind, emphasis will be on the defense of the positions you take on the issues. Also remember that: The “why” is more important than the “what.” The defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take. Do not repeat or quote defin" rel="nofollow">initions. Your use of the required readin" rel="nofollow">ing to support your opin" rel="nofollow">inions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented. Do not in" rel="nofollow">include defin" rel="nofollow">initions or summaries of the readin" rel="nofollow">ings or simply describe what the company did. Instead, your responses to the questions should be analytical and should demonstrate that (a) you understand the prin" rel="nofollow">inciples from the background readin" rel="nofollow">ing and (b) you can apply them to this particular case. Vague, general answers will not earn a good grade. Avoid redundancy and general statements such as “All organizations exist to make a profit.” Make every sentence count. Paraphrase the facts usin" rel="nofollow">ing your own words and ideas, employin" rel="nofollow">ing quotes sparin" rel="nofollow">ingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed five words. When writin" rel="nofollow">ing an academically oriented paper, you will uncover many facts about the company and the scandal. If you paraphrase the facts, cite the sources in" rel="nofollow">in your text and lin" rel="nofollow">ink those citations to references at the end of the paper. Here are some guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines on how to conduct in" rel="nofollow">information search and build critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing skills. Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Searchin" rel="nofollow">ing for Information. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/searchin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Developin" rel="nofollow">ing Critical Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/critical_thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for handlin" rel="nofollow">ing quoted and paraphrased material are found at: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Academic Writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Quotin" rel="nofollow">ing, Paraphrasin" rel="nofollow">ing, and Summarizin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Is it plagiarism yet? Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/1/ Your paper consists of arguments in" rel="nofollow">in favor of your opin" rel="nofollow">inions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines; therefore, avoid the followin" rel="nofollow">ing logical fallacies: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in" rel="nofollow">in argumentative writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/01/ Privacy Policy | Contact Module 1 - SLP ( writer: Please write 5 pages for this assignment STP, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & SITUATION ANALYSIS Here is the brief overview of this cumulative Session Long Project (SLP). In this research project, you would work as a marketin" rel="nofollow">ing consultant to develop a feasible marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan for your client. You would conduct secondary research in" rel="nofollow">in SLP1 and SLP2 to glean the necessary in" rel="nofollow">information for your marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan in" rel="nofollow">in SLP3 and SLP4. It is important to conduct quality market research on your focal product/company in" rel="nofollow">in order to develop realistic and workable marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plans. Generally speakin" rel="nofollow">ing, there are two types of research. One is secondary research, which refers to data collection usin" rel="nofollow">ing existin" rel="nofollow">ing sources, and the other is primary research, which is your own data collection for the specific study at hand. The purpose of market research is to collect usable in" rel="nofollow">information to make more in" rel="nofollow">informed decisions on the busin" rel="nofollow">iness problem, thus in" rel="nofollow">increasin" rel="nofollow">ing the chance of busin" rel="nofollow">iness success in" rel="nofollow">in the marketplace. Please check the outlin" rel="nofollow">ine of the marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan, which provides in" rel="nofollow">information on: 1. The fin" rel="nofollow">inal format for this cumulative Session Long Project; 2. A list of topics for the whole project; 3. The contin" rel="nofollow">inuity and connections among SLPs 1-4. In this module SLP1, identify a company and a charge (or task) for this marketin" rel="nofollow">ing research project and conduct situation analysis related to your charge. This is the first step of this cumulative research project. You need to review all four SLPs first in" rel="nofollow">in order to better understand the requirements for this project. Product Statement In this section, describe the company and the product that is goin" rel="nofollow">ing to be the focus of in" rel="nofollow">interest for your marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. For example, if your client is Apple, provide background in" rel="nofollow">information on the organization (e.g., what it is, what it does, history, success in" rel="nofollow">in what it is doin" rel="nofollow">ing, etc.). If the charge is to market a new product (such as iPad 6), describe what iPad is, how long it has been around, how successful it has been, and who the target audience is. Be specific and detail-oriented, and do not assume that the reader is familiar with the company and product. Identify a company and a charge for your research project at the very begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ing, based on the detailed requirements for this cumulative Session Long Project. The new charge is a hypothetical task, which should be based on one of the company’s existin" rel="nofollow">ing brands or products. It is also better to identify a new product charge for existin" rel="nofollow">ing public firms so that you can fin" rel="nofollow">ind enough in" rel="nofollow">information for your task. For example, you may pick one of the followin" rel="nofollow">ing companies and charges. 1. Apple needs to in" rel="nofollow">increase its market share for iPhone 8. 2. Microsoft in" rel="nofollow">intends to in" rel="nofollow">increase sales of Xbox One S 10TB console. 3. Fitbit plans a successful release of Charge 3 wristband. 4. Ford needs to have a successful in" rel="nofollow">introduction of the 2018 Fusion. 5. Amazon wants to in" rel="nofollow">increase brand awareness for Echo digital media streamer in" rel="nofollow">in Japan. Do not choose the product that is the basis of Case 1. It is best to check with your in" rel="nofollow">instructor regardin" rel="nofollow">ing the company and the charge you choose to analyze for this project. In choosin" rel="nofollow">ing your company and the charge, keep in" rel="nofollow">in min" rel="nofollow">ind that in" rel="nofollow">in order to effectively conduct your market research, you must have access to relevant in" rel="nofollow">information. Also note that your charge or task for this research project is what you are goin" rel="nofollow">ing to do with a brand, rather than just the brand. In other words, your charge or task is to solve a busin" rel="nofollow">iness problem faced by your client. So you need to state the busin" rel="nofollow">iness problem and your charge clearly at the begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ing sin" rel="nofollow">ince it would guide the followin" rel="nofollow">ing steps of this research project. Situation Analysis A situation analysis may also be known as an environmental analysis. Conduct an environmental analysis in" rel="nofollow">includin" rel="nofollow">ing the external environment, customer environment, and in" rel="nofollow">internal organizational environment. A. External Environment Analysis In this section, identify/describe all external forces for change that might affect the company, its future, and the future of its in" rel="nofollow">industry. Identify the external realities upon which your plan will be based. What are the competitive, technological, economic, political/legal/regulatory, societal/lifestyle/cultural, market, buyer behavior, channel of distribution, and other in" rel="nofollow">industry trends that translate in" rel="nofollow">into external opportunities and threats? Explicitly state how each of these forces can impact your company, your charge, and the outcomes you wish to accomplish. That is, do not just list these forces; relate them to the task at hand. Keep in" rel="nofollow">in min" rel="nofollow">ind that tables and figures cannot stand alone in" rel="nofollow">in any marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. In other words, if you want to use tables and figures, use them as support tools to illustrate the poin" rel="nofollow">ints you are tryin" rel="nofollow">ing to make in" rel="nofollow">in your written text. 1. Industry Analysis: What is the current situation in" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">industry? This description in" rel="nofollow">includes the size of the particular in" rel="nofollow">industry, trends in" rel="nofollow">in the in" rel="nofollow">industry, the in" rel="nofollow">industry outlook (expandin" rel="nofollow">ing, stagnant, or contractin" rel="nofollow">ing), success factors and failures of the in" rel="nofollow">industry, and so forth. Are these trends and developments likely to affect your charge? How? 2. Competitive Analysis: There are three major types of competitive forces. Brand competitors offer similar products with similar benefits and prices (e.g., monetary cost, time, effort, etc.), and serve/target the same customers. Product competitors offer products that compete in" rel="nofollow">in the same product class but have different features, benefits and price. Generic competitors offer products that satisfy the same need or solve the problem, but in" rel="nofollow">in a different way. For example, assume that the brand in" rel="nofollow">in question is Apple iPad 4 and your charge is to come up with a marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan of how to promote the iPad 4. In your Product Statement you will have already talked about the iPad. Brand competitors in" rel="nofollow">in this case would be Samsung Galaxy, Motorola Xoom, Toshiba Excite, Lenovo IdeaPad, and so on. Product competitors could in" rel="nofollow">include Hewlett-Packard,Sony, and Dell computers. Generic competitors of iPad could in" rel="nofollow">include Regal Theatres, Cox Cable and so on, which satisfy consumers’ entertain" rel="nofollow">inment needs. When discussin" rel="nofollow">ing the competitive forces, focus on the brand and product competitors and describe these competitors in" rel="nofollow">in more detail. How big are they? What is their market share (in" rel="nofollow">in comparison to that of your company)? What is their in" rel="nofollow">income? How is the in" rel="nofollow">income derived? How do they spend their moneys? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do they pose a threat to your company? What attracts consumers to their products? A detailed description of these competitors will aid your future SWOT and Issues analyses, and will give you ideas about target market and implementation. 3. Technology not only refers to the new types of products such as computers and digital products but also means the processes by which tasks are accomplished. This section examin" rel="nofollow">ines how changes in" rel="nofollow">in technology impact customers’ lives and needs and how marketers respond to their needs. Are these trends and developments likely to affect your charge? How? 4. The Economic Situation looks at the stability and growth of the market in" rel="nofollow">in which the firm operates—for example, country, region, state, or local area. This section may examin" rel="nofollow">ine in" rel="nofollow">inflation, employment, and in" rel="nofollow">income levels; taxes; and consumer confidence as they impact the company and the charge of the marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. Are these trends and developments likely to affect your charge? How? 5. Political Trends, Legal Trends, and Regulatory Forces: This section examin" rel="nofollow">ines how governmental regulations may affect the company and its charge. It also looks at the company’s relationships with elected officials. Is the current admin" rel="nofollow">inistration, Congress, state legislature, county or city government likely to sponsor laws or regulatory changes that will affect the company and the charge, either favorably or negatively? Do recent court decisions have an impact on the operatin" rel="nofollow">ing environment? Do they impact how you will have to carry out your charge? 6. Cultural Trends may have a profound impact on how customers respond to the company’s offerin" rel="nofollow">ing. Examples of lifestyle trends in" rel="nofollow">include less leisure time; cocoonin" rel="nofollow">ing; focus on health, exercise, and nutrition; and less concern with cleanlin" rel="nofollow">iness. Demographic trends in" rel="nofollow">include agin" rel="nofollow">ing baby boomers, new boomers (Generation Y), a rise in" rel="nofollow">in sin" rel="nofollow">ingle-person and sin" rel="nofollow">ingle-parent households, more women who work, and in" rel="nofollow">increasin" rel="nofollow">ing population diversity. Some changes in" rel="nofollow">in cultural values in" rel="nofollow">include less conspicuous consumption, value orientation (quality/price), environmental concern, less tolerance of public smokin" rel="nofollow">ing, more tolerance of varyin" rel="nofollow">ing lifestyles, and givin" rel="nofollow">ing back to the community. Are these trends and developments likely to affect your charge? How? B. Customer Environment Analysis This section should examin" rel="nofollow">ine the current situation in" rel="nofollow">in respect to the needs of the target market, expected changes in" rel="nofollow">in those needs, and how the firm presently meets those needs. Make sure you answer all of the followin" rel="nofollow">ing questions. Keep in" rel="nofollow">in min" rel="nofollow">ind that this section focuses on the current target market of the company, not the market you propose to target with this marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. At this poin" rel="nofollow">int, you are still examin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the status quo, which should aid your decision makin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in the remain" rel="nofollow">inder of the marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. For example, if the company in" rel="nofollow">in question is Apple, and the charge is to promote the iPad 4, the focus in" rel="nofollow">in this section of the marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan would be on the existin" rel="nofollow">ing target markets served by Apple and what can be learned from those targets. Consider the followin" rel="nofollow">ing issues for your analysis: 1. Who? Who are current and potential customers of the same customer group? What are the demographics, psychographics, and geographics? Is the buyer the user? Who in" rel="nofollow">influences the purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing decision? 2. How many? How many customers does the company serve? How many does it have the capacity to serve? 3. Where? Where are products purchased? Where do customers buy the products? What are the types of in" rel="nofollow">intermediaries? What is the in" rel="nofollow">influence of electronic commerce? Where are customers doin" rel="nofollow">ing non-store buyin" rel="nofollow">ing—Home Shoppin" rel="nofollow">ing Network, catalogs, Internet? 4. When? When are the products bought? What is the frequency of purchasin" rel="nofollow">ing? Do promotional events affect purchase? How do differences in" rel="nofollow">in physical or social environment, time demands, or purchase task affect buyin" rel="nofollow">ing? 5. How and What? What are the basic need-satisfyin" rel="nofollow">ing benefits? Does a competitor’s product fit a need this product/service does not provide? What are changes in" rel="nofollow">in customers’ needs? How do the customers pay—cash, credit? 6. Why Are There Non-Customers? Needs not met? Bad fit for lifestyle/image? Price? High switchin" rel="nofollow">ing costs? Competition’s product is better? Poor distribution? They do not know about the product? C. Internal Environment Analysis This section should identify/describe relevant in" rel="nofollow">internal aspects of the company that will help identify strengths and weaknesses in" rel="nofollow">in your SWOT analysis in" rel="nofollow">in the Module 2 SLP. This requires the identification and analysis of the organization’s past fin" rel="nofollow">inancial performance (sales, market share, profitability, etc.); marketin" rel="nofollow">ing strategies (target market and positionin" rel="nofollow">ing/image); marketin" rel="nofollow">ing goals, objectives, and past performance; and marketin" rel="nofollow">ing programs (advertisin" rel="nofollow">ing/promotion effectiveness, product/service offers, distribution effectiveness and channel programs, pricin" rel="nofollow">ing, sales force effectiveness, sales strategy and programs, public relations/publicity, marketin" rel="nofollow">ing research/in" rel="nofollow">intelligence gatherin" rel="nofollow">ing efforts, etc.). Additionally, the report may need to examin" rel="nofollow">ine items such as production capacity, technical capabilities, management/leadership, organizational structure and culture, level of available resources and skills, fin" rel="nofollow">inancial stability, the product life cycle (i.e., is the product in" rel="nofollow">in in" rel="nofollow">introduction, growth, maturity, or declin" rel="nofollow">ine stage?), and other relevant characteristics of the company that help develop a complete list of strengths and weaknesses in" rel="nofollow">in your SWOT analysis. It is important to focus on how the company is perceived by the market and its own customers as the main" rel="nofollow">in determin" rel="nofollow">inant of market-relevant strengths. You are required to create a table to show the company’s fin" rel="nofollow">inancial performance such as its sales revenues, the profits, profit margin" rel="nofollow">in, market share, stock price, market cap, return on assets, operatin" rel="nofollow">ing cash flow, and so on. Also generate a histogram or a chart to show these fin" rel="nofollow">inancial numbers. Your written analysis in" rel="nofollow">in this subsection should be consistent with the table and histogram/chart. SLP Assignment Expectations Use the followin" rel="nofollow">ing outlin" rel="nofollow">ine to organize your paper. Note that the letters “a, b, c…” and the numbers “i, ii, iii, iv…” and “1, 2, 3, 4…” below are used to show the major issues you need to in" rel="nofollow">include in" rel="nofollow">in your paper, but should not be used to format your paper. I. Product Statement (2 pages maximum) 1. Describe the company/organization. 2. Provide brief background of the organization. 3. Describe the busin" rel="nofollow">iness problem and charge you have for this marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. 4. Provide a brief overview of what issue you are studyin" rel="nofollow">ing, and how a marketin" rel="nofollow">ing perspective can help address the issue. II. Situation Analysis (3-6 pages) Note: Only in" rel="nofollow">include sections that are relevant to your charge. The relevance of each section of analysis should be clear to the reader. a. External Environment Analysis i. Context Analysis • Industry forces that might impact success of any actions taken ii. Competitor Analysis • Any organization or message that may prevent any actions taken from bein" rel="nofollow">ing successful iii. Technological and Economical Situation Analysis iv. Political, Legal, and Cultural Analysis b. Customer Environment Analysis i. Customer Analysis ii. Collaborator Analysis c. Internal Environment Analysis i. Company Analysis (in" rel="nofollow">include the table and histogram/chart in" rel="nofollow">in the appendix) Note: Use double-spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font in" rel="nofollow">in 12 pt. type size. Include a title page and references. Explain" rel="nofollow">in clearly and logically the facts about your company and charge, and use the required readin" rel="nofollow">ing to support your positions on the issues. Do not repeat or quote defin" rel="nofollow">initions. Your use of the required readin" rel="nofollow">ing to support your opin" rel="nofollow">inions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented. Paraphrase the facts usin" rel="nofollow">ing your own words and ideas, employin" rel="nofollow">ing quotes sparin" rel="nofollow">ingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed five words. Academic papers at the master’s level should in" rel="nofollow">include citations and references. Look at different sources, especially credible and reputable ones such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Busin" rel="nofollow">inessweek, and The Economist, to fin" rel="nofollow">ind the in" rel="nofollow">information for your paper. Also use Trident University’s onlin" rel="nofollow">ine library databases such as ProQuest and EBSCO to fin" rel="nofollow">ind in" rel="nofollow">information for your project. Your discussion on each topic should be a synthesis of the different sources. Takin" rel="nofollow">ing shortcuts on the number and quality of your sources will result in" rel="nofollow">in a poor-quality marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan that will be of no use to your client. It is also important that you reference your sources throughout the text of your marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan. Take the followin" rel="nofollow">ing paragraph as an example: “As a result, telephone in" rel="nofollow">interviewers often do not even get a chance to explain" rel="nofollow">in that they are conductin" rel="nofollow">ing a survey (Council for Marketin" rel="nofollow">ing and Opin" rel="nofollow">inion Research, 2003), and response rates have steadily declin" rel="nofollow">ined (Keeter et al., 2000) to reported lows of 7% (Council for Marketin" rel="nofollow">ing and Opin" rel="nofollow">inion Research, 2003). This decrease presents a problem because not only does it in" rel="nofollow">increase the cost of conductin" rel="nofollow">ing telephone surveys, but it also leads to questions concernin" rel="nofollow">ing the generalizability of the results (Struebbe, Kernan & Grogan, 1986; Tuckel & O’Neill, 2002).” There are different citation and reference formats such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. No matter which format you adopt for your marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan, make it consistent throughout the plan. The marketin" rel="nofollow">ing plan should use third person busin" rel="nofollow">iness writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Avoid “we,” “our,” and “you.” Do not use contractions in" rel="nofollow">in busin" rel="nofollow">iness writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Here are some guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines on how to conduct in" rel="nofollow">information search and build critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing skills. Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Searchin" rel="nofollow">ing for in" rel="nofollow">information. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/searchin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Emerald Group Publishin" rel="nofollow">ing. (n.d.). Developin" rel="nofollow">ing critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldin" rel="nofollow">insight.com/learnin" rel="nofollow">ing/study_skills/skills/critical_thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing.htm Guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines for handlin" rel="nofollow">ing quoted and paraphrased material are found at: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Academic writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Quotin" rel="nofollow">ing, paraphrasin" rel="nofollow">ing, and summarizin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/ Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Is it plagiarism yet? Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/ Your paper consists of arguments in" rel="nofollow">in favor of your opin" rel="nofollow">inions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelin" rel="nofollow">ines; therefore, avoid the followin" rel="nofollow">ing logical fallacies: Purdue Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Writin" rel="nofollow">ing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in" rel="nofollow">in argumentative writin" rel="nofollow">ing. Retrieved from https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/01/ Your SLP should not simply be a list of facts. Take the facts you fin" rel="nofollow">ind about the company, the charge, and the environments that the company faces, and explain" rel="nofollow">in how you thin" rel="nofollow">ink those facts will affect the fin" rel="nofollow">inancial future of the product or brand in" rel="nofollow">in your charge. The emphasis in" rel="nofollow">in gradin" rel="nofollow">ing your paper will be on the breadth and depth of your discussion of each topic, critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing, the clarity of your discussion, and the proper organization of the paper. Privacy Policy | Contact