Marketing Audit Report

Please refer to this guidance and structures to complete this report. I will upload a sample paper for previous student who did this course last semester and you can look and follow the same instructions and guidance.
OUTLINE AND REQUIREMENTS Select a company of your choice and analyse its marketing philosophy, marketing environment, segmentation, targeting and positioning in practice and marketing mix strategies. Apply all the concepts learnt in the class and prepare a report highlighting its strategies and give suitable recommendations. You must show evidence of research for this assignment. It is recommended that you use around 20 references from varied sources (e.g. journal articles, newspapers, magazines, web sites). In doing so, you must acknowledge all sources of any facts and ideas which are not your own. Visit http://www.library.uow.edu.au/referencing/ for UOW Author-Date (Harvard) referencing guide. All breaches of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Disciplinary Committee of the university.

Choose any organisation with which you are familiar. Assume that the chief executive officer of the organisation has approached you to determine whether the organisation practices the marketing concept. They ask you to prepare a report in which you firstly specify the criteria that you would use to make that determination and then apply those criteria to the organization, (or part thereof, such as a division or a branch).

State what you would conclude:

1. It is not expected that you will conduct a customer survey. However, secondary sources of data will form the basis for this report.
2. Consideration of all study materials and reference to other literature on the subject is expected.
3. Your marketing audit has to be confined only to consumer markets in this report.
4. Give a brief introduction of the company, its marketing philosophy and discuss its marketing environment.
5. Indicate the broad segmentation basis, as well as the variable, or variables, within this broad category that will identify market differences on which you could base the development of successful marketing mixes. Identify the meaningful market segments, or target markets, that reflect those market differences. Be sure to list the criteria needed to determine if a segment is viable. MARK922: Marketing Management 8
6. Explain and identify the specific different marketing mixes that are required for each market segment (targeting strategies). You can focus your analysis on a segment or a selected set of segments and need not be carried out on all segments served by the chosen organisation. However, indicate your rationale behind the choice of a segment(s).
7. Inclusion of quantitative data, (for example, size of market segments), is expected.
8. The positioning strategy must identify the products or brands competitive advantage and stress salient product characteristics or consumer benefits that differentiate the product or brand from those of the competitors.
9. Discuss marketing mix strategies (4Ps/7Ps) of the selected company and discuss distinctive capabilities of the company.

Reports must be typed and should include:
1. A table of contents;
2. An executive summary;
3. A reference page at the end of the paper, citing all sources in full;
4. Appendices (optional)

MARKING CRITERIA

There are three sections in the Assignment. The weightages of each of the sections are given below:
1. The Marketing Concept (philosophy) and marketing environment analysis section.
2. Segmentation, targeting and positioning section.
3. Marketing mix strategies & recommendations.

The Marks are based on how each of these areas is discussed and explained. Marks for each of these areas are awarded based on the:
– Demonstration of understanding of the concepts.
– Academic linkage through journal articles.
– Application and analysis of the concepts with reference to the case organisation.
– Recommendations forwarded based on the analysis.

Specifically, the marks you obtain depends on the extent to which:
1. You are able to demonstrate your understanding of relevant concepts and your ability to apply the concepts in the audit report.
2. You are able to critique the company’s marketing situation with a well established academic linkage.
3. The opinions you express are clear and supported by concise, creative, logical and coherent arguments (i.e., it does not consist of three or four disjointed parts).
4. The report is easy to read and understand and if the layout allows the reader to easily grasp the sense, direction and objectives.
5. The report is researched broadly and skilfully from varied sources (Journal articles, industry publications, magazines websites, newspapers, interviews).
6. Harvard referencing style is used accurately and consistently within text as well as at the end of the report.
7. You are able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the basic rules of punctuation.
8. You use an extensive vocabulary.
9. There is insignificant number of spelling errors.
10. The report is visually striking and appealing.
11. The report consists of :(i) an informative title page; (ii) a table of contents complete with sub-headings flowing in a logical sequence; (iii} an executive summary; and all technical matters of interest in the appendices.