Strategic Marketing

Hello,

• This is an MBA course called Strategic Marketing and I want the best high quality for this paper as it worth 100 % of the marks in this course.

• Word count: 1600 – 1650 words (Excluding References and graphs).

• References: Minimum 12 References (Harvard Referencing Style).

• References: Harvard Style

• I have uploaded also the slides of the course just to give you an idea about it.

• Please don’t waste the word count on unnecessary things or unimportant information.

• Please do not use or mention the following companies in the paper as they were already used in the class (Gucci, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Vit-Hit, any other company mentioned in the slides)

• It’s highly recommended to use at least 3 the Theories mentioned in the slides.

• Please use the Theories mentioned in the slides, and avoid using any Theories that is not mentioned in the slides.

• The topic is in the next page (its Copy and Paste as it is provided by the instructor).

• The answer for each one the tasks should have a reasonable number of words to explain the answers clearly and very well. Don’t write a short answer for one task and consume a lot of words on the other tasks, as each answer should be sufficient, well written, and satisfying to explain the answer of that task in a great way.

• Write a short introduction and conclusion for the essay.

Instructions for Individual Assignment 2

With reference to an organisation of your choice, critically discuss the nature of its competitive position, how this has been established and how it might be maintained or improved in the future.

In addressing this task you should discuss:

1. Whether or not, and in what ways, the organisation has been able to identify, understand and respond to key factors, issues and trends in the marketing environment (in what it does and how it does it).
2. For whom the organisation seeks to deliver benefits and create value (i.e. target customers/consumers), and the nature of the value that it seeks to create for these people
3. Who the organisation might be considered to compete against in this respect, how it is differentiated from key competitors, and the nature of any competitive advantage it might hold?
4. The source of its differentiation/competitive advantage and how this has been created (e.g. via innovation in elements of the marketing mix; the construction and development of brand image; and/or it’s relationship marketing)
5. The sustainability of its differentiation/competitive advantage, what changes in the environment might threaten this and how the organisation might seek to address these challenges to maintain/enhance its competitive advantage in the future (imitability, changing marketing environment (PESTEL Analysis, Porter 5 forces)

MPORTANT: You MUST NOT base the assignment on an organisation that was used as a working case-study during the delivery week workshops.

Assessment criteria: You will be assessed on theoretical knowledge and understanding, application of theory to/in the specified context, critical thinking and argument, independent research and reading, structure, presentation and clarity of communication.

• In addition to relevant content from the core text book (West et al.,2015; see table above), you MUST show evidence of reading, understanding and applying knowledge from at least TWO of the following articles (you may choose which two).
  • Hooley, G., Greenley, G., Fahy, J. and Cadogan, J., 2001. Market-focused resources, competitive positioning and firm performance. Journal of Marketing Management, 17(5-6), pp.503-520.
  • Kanagal, N.B., 2009. Role of relationship marketing in competitive marketing strategy. Journal of Management and Marketing Research.
  • Knox, S., 2004. Positioning and branding your organisation. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 13(2), pp.105-115.
  • Matear, S., Gray, B.J. and Garrett, T., 2004. Market orientation, brand investment, new service development, market position and performance for service organisations. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(3), pp.284-301.
  • Zhou, K.Z., Brown, J.R. and Dev, C.S., 2009. Market orientation, competitive advantage, and performance: A demand-based perspective. Journal of business research, 62(11), pp.1063-1070.

Do ..

• Respond to the set task as specifically as possible (be very clear about what you are being asked to consider and write about.
• Apply theory and concepts from this course (i.e. those you have learned about in the video lectures, core reading and workshops) to structure and inform your analyses, explanations and examples.
• Cite the sources of these concepts, models and frameworks clearly, consistently and in Harvard style
• Support all of your claims, assumptions, assertions and arguments with evidence/information.
• Cite the sources of these concepts, models and frameworks clearly, consistently and in Harvard style
• Showcase what you have learned on this particular course.

Don’t ..

• Just write everything you know about strategic marketing, without clearly addressing the specific requirements of the set task.
• Describe marketing practice without any reference to theory, concepts, models and frameworks
• Make broad, general assumptions, assertions and arguments without providing any evidence/information in support of them
• Introduce theory or evidence/information without citing the sources of this (using Harvard style)