51357 MARKETING STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT

Year	No.	Offer	Mode	Description			Cred. Pts
00	51357 	S12 	X 	MARKETING STRAT RES PROJ  	2.00

Contents


STAFFING:

Examiner: M. GARDINER
Moderator: G. JOCUMSEN
Instructional design: C. COTTMAN

Other Teaching Staff:

G. JOCUMSEN M. LAWLEY M. GARDINER

PRE-REQUISITE(S)

51368 51362/51366


SYNOPSIS:

This capstone unit of the Marketing Major combines the theory and skills acquired in Marketing Research Methods and the theory and practice of Marketing Strategy in a practical, applied marketing project. Strategic marketing decision making, including the development, implementation and evaluation of marketing strategy is a crucial contributor to the success of any organization. Further, the nature, relevance and benefits of strategic marketing planning cannot be over emphasised as pre-requisites to effective marketing and hence business performance. The prime focus of this unit is upon applying previously acquired knowledge of marketing to a `real life' situation involving strategic marketing decision making. Essentially, students are required to identify a strategic marketing decision `problem' in an organization of their own choosing, and to systematically develop a solution in the form of strategic marketing decision recommendations. The project must be presented in full `report' format, incorporating substantial strategic analysis as well as integrated marketing research exercise demonstrating the skills developed in the unit `Marketing Research Methods'. Please note: Semester 3 version extends into the following Semester 1 and is only available for students graduating at the end of Semester 1.


OBJECTIVES:

On successful completion of this unit students will be able
to:

  1. show understanding of the meaning of marketing and corporate
    strategy, and an ability to clearly distinguish between
    "tactical" and "strategic" marketing decisions;
  2. show understanding of the relevance and benefits of corporate
    or overall strategic planning;
  3. show knowledge and understanding of the various techniques
    that are available to marketing managers when developing
    strategy;
  4. relate the various elements of strategic decision-making to an
    overall decision model framework;
  5. demonstrate a grasp of ethics and social responsibility issues
    in marketing strategy;
  6. demonstrate a firm grasp of theory underlying formulation of
    marketing strategy;
  7. demonstrate an ability to logically derive conclusions from
    results of strategy analyses;
  8. apply appropriate analytical and research techniques to a
    marketing problem;
  9. coordinate the activities of specialist contributors to the
    planning and implementation of a marketing research project;
  10. demonstrate an understanding of the relationships between
    marketing research and other discipline areas included in the
    Bachelor of Business;
  11. demonstrate a working knowledge of the major management skills
    as they apply to marketing;
  12. demonstrate an ability to devise creative solutions to the
    marketing needs of organisations;
  13. present a research report containing solution(s) to a
    marketing problem; integrate the solution(s) into a strategic
    plan.

TOPICS:

 Description                                                    Weighting(%)
  1. Introduction 3.00

  2. Problem Identification and Analysis 9.00

  3. Project Design 3.00

  4. Strategic Analysis and Literature Review 20.00

  5. Primary Data Collection and Analysis 35.00

  6. Integration of Finding and Strategic Implication and 15.00 Options

  7. Recommendation and Implementation Issues 9.00

  8. Final Report 6.00


TEXT and MATERIALS to be PURCHASED:

Aaker, D.A., 1998, Strategic Market Management, 5th ed., John Wiley
& Sons Inc. New York.

Coakes, S.J. and Steed L.G., 1999, SPSS for Windows Analysis Without
Anguish,
Versions 7.0, 7.5 and 8.00, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane.

Burns, A.C. and Bush, R.F., 1998, Marketing Research, 2nd edn,
Prentice-Hall International, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Acquisition of the SPSS software.

Smith, B. & Summers, J. (eds) 1997, Faculty of Business Communication
Skills Handbook
, 2nd edn, Faculty of Business, USQ, Toowoomba, Qld.
Students should note Chapters 2 and 7 in particular.


RECOMMENDED REFERENCE MATERIALS:

Stevens, R.E., Wrenn, B., Ruddick, M.E. & Sherwood, P.K., 1996, "The
Marketing Research Guide", The Haworth Press, New York.


STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

	ACTIVITY				HOURS
Directed Study                                	100
Private Study                                 	200

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

No  *F/S Marks     Due        Description                              Wtg(%)    LBL WWW
1   S              WK 4      PROPOSAL ##                                         Y   N
2   S              WK 14     PROGRAM ##                                          Y   N
3   S    100.00    23/10/00  FINAL                                     100.00    Y   N

*F=Formative, S=Summative

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

1    To  obtain  a  passing mark in this unit students  must  normally
     obtain  a passing mark for the assignments in aggregate.  Further
     information regarding assessment of the unit may be found in  the
     Introductory Book.
2    The  due  date for an assignment is the date by which  a  student
     must  dispatch the assignment to the University, and is  normally
     that  defined in the relevant unit specification. The onus is  on
     the student to provide, if requested, proof of date of dispatch.
3    Students  may  apply  for  an  assignment  extension  either   by
     application  through  DEC before the due  date  or  by  including
     application  with the submitted assignment after  the  due  date.
     Such  applications  should be in writing and  include  supporting
     documentary evidence. The authority for granting extensions rests
     with the relevant Unit Coordinator. The extension policy for this
     unit tries to be fair to all students who organise their work and
     family  commitments to submit their assignments by the due  date,
     and  those  few students who cannot do so through unforeseen  and
     uncontrollable circumstances. If an assignment is late, up to one
     week's  extension  may  be  granted if a  signed  statement  with
     supporting documentation is sent with the assignment proving that
     an  {unforeseen} and an {uncontrollable} extenuating circumstance
     caused the delay, for example, unusual and unpredictable work  or
     family commitments. If this statement and documentation does  not
     show  that unforeseen and uncontrollable extenuating circumstance
     were  present for the days claimed, then the normal reduction  in
     marks  for  a late assignment of 20 percent per day, will  apply.
     Extensions  beyond  one week will not be allowed  unless  express
     permission is obtained from the Unit Leader {before the date that
     the  assignment is due}. Extensions beyond one week are extremely
     rare  because  model  answers  may start  to  be  distributed  to
     students  after  one  week. The Unit Leader  shall  consider  all
     documentary   evidence  (including  statement  from   a   doctor,
     employer,  counsellor or independent member of the  community  as
     appropriate) accompanying an application for extension and decide
     on the outcome.
     In  the  case  of  {an  application  for  extension  for  medical
     reasons},  the  documentation should include a statement  from  a
     doctor stating:
     - the date the medical condition began or changed;
     - how the condition affected the student's ability to study;
     -  when it became apparent that the student could not submit  the
     assignment.
     In  the case if {an application for extension for family/personal
     reasons},  the  documentation should include a statement  from  a
     doctor,   counsellor  or  independent  member  of  the  community
     stating:
     - the date the student's personal circumstances began or changed;
     -  how  the  circumstances  affected  the  student's  ability  to
     complete the assignment;
     - when it became apparent that the student could not complete the
     assignment.
     In  the  case  of  {an application for extension for  employment-
     related  reasons}, the documentation should include  a  statement
     from the student's employer stating:
     -  the  date the student's employment began or the conditions  of
     employment changed;
     - how this prevents the student from completing the assignment
4    Students  must  retain a copy of all assignments, which  must  be
     provided if/when required by the Unit Leader.
5    Unit  weightings of topics should not be interpreted as  applying
     to  the  number  of  marks allocated to questions  testing  those
     topics in an examination paper.

This information is accurate as at 31/10/00