Order Description Discuss the cultural, social, personal and psychological factors that affect buying/consumer behaviour of Qantas airline.Report Writing In Marketing Tips and Examples EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The executive summary provides a summary of the essential info rmation in the report; is usually about 10% of the main body of the report in length, and should contain: (a) background information and the purpose of the report, (b) brief details of the method of analysis (approach, procedure and/or methods), (c) important results and/or findings , and (d) major conclusion(s)/recommendations . INTRODUCTION Generally speaking, the introduction should introduce all aspects of the report question and preview the content of the report . Specifically, the introduction can include: (a) general lead-in information about the report topic ; (b) a statement of the main aim(s) and objective(s) ; (c) explanations of terminology if necessary ; (d) method(s) of approach; (e) indications of the scope and limitations of the report ; (f) a preview of material presented in the body of the report . BODY The body of the report will include sections a nd sub-sections which develop a comprehensive argument. The contents of these sections should reflect your critical anal ysis of a variety of sources. All sections and sub-sections should ha ve headings and be a ppropriately numbered. Using a variety of sources in the body of the report The marking criteria for this assignment emphasises th e need to use a variety of sources in your report. You are expected to access journal articles, industry publications, magazines, web sites, newspapers and interviews, and use these to support and strengthe n the points you want to make. Your analysis of these sources will be crucial in developing a sound ar gument: as you state an idea, you need to provide evidence from a variety of sources to support it Dont just rely on one source all the time! Compare the following examples: Example 1 Market segmentation The first stage of positioning may start with market segmentation; a smaller part of the market needs to be chosen in order to concentrate the orga nisations resources effectively (Mercer, 1992, p.243). This is a process that is used by marketers to divide a mass market into groups with relatively homogenous needs or wants for a given product or service (Cooper & Madden, 1993, p.15). There are many ways to segment a market and a combination of different segment variables may be necessary in order to establish an effective way of viewing the market structure (Kotler et al, 2001, p.167). The major variables can be classified as geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural/ situation usage variables (Cooper & Madden, 1993, p.16; Kotler, et al, 2001, p.167; Mercer, 1992, p.252). Commentary In the introductory stages of a report on market segmentation, an overall description of the purpose and process of marketing segmentation may be appropriate, as we find here. Although the paragraph is fairly descriptive, it demonstrates a good level of analysis and synthesis; that is, the student has drawn on at least three sources, analysed the information and synthesised it in a cohesive way. Analysis is particularly evident in the final sentence. Report Writing In Marketing Tips and Examples Now look at a second example. In contrast to the previous example, this paragraph does not indicate wide reading, and is not developing an argument. Example 2 Personnel Differentiation Personnel differentiation requires a company to select its customer-contact people carefully and train them well to understand customers, to comm unicate clearly with them and to respond quickly to their requests and problems (Kotler 1998, p321). Companies can gain a strong competitive advantage by hiring and training better people than their competitors (Kotler 1998, p321). Reference Kotler, P 2001 Principles of Marketing . Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd, Frenchs Forest. Commentary Notice that this paragraph alone does not develop a comprehensive argument. The student draws on only one source (Kotler), and is simply describing Kotlers argument rather than developing his/her own. Kotlers statements may be used as theory, but they must also be related to other source material and examples to develop an argument. This third example indicates wide r eading and a well developed argument. Example 3 Product Differentiation Product differentiation is an im portant aspect of a companys positioning strategy as it assists in gaining a competitive advantage (Kotler 2001, p181). Carb (2000, p14) argues that to become successful, a company must develop its positioning strategy with a clear business proposition that differentiates itself from the competitor. The recent positioning strategy employed by Anglicare to differentiate itself from other Australian welfare organisations is one example of this. Anglicare took up a position as an organisation with an holistic approach, addressing the causes of the disadvantages by providing counselling, financial management programs, job seeking programs and running retirement villages (Ad News 1999). References Ad News 1999 Anglicare campaign boosts donations fourfold, http://www.adn ews.com.au/effect11.html, accessed 23/03/2001. Carb, F 2000 Market Sense: Positioning companies for future Net trends, Phillytech Magazine , June, p.14 Kotler, P 2003 Principles of Marketing , Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd, Frenchs Forest. Commentary The student begins with a general theoretical statement about the importance of product differentiation, then introduces Carb to further elaborate and emphasise the point, and provides an example from an organisation to illustrate the point. Note the different types of sources an online advertisement as evidence of the companys positioning strategy; the industry magazine for current editorial opinion; and a textbook for the standard theory.