Business Plan

Final Project Details

Each student will develop a 10-page marketing plan for a new business or a Marketing Plan for yourself Your project idea must be approved by the instructor.

By the end of Week 1, submit your project idea for approval. Briefly describe the company you have chosen for your final project. Include the company’s location(s), product/service, background, etc. One or two paragraphs should suffice. Wait for acceptance before proceeding with your research. (3 Points)  By the end of Week 2, make an appointment with the Writing Center for the last half of Week 4.

http://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/StudentServices/WritingCenter/OnlineWritingCenter.html

Submit a one page document which contains a summary of your project progress to date and the date/time of your appointment with the Writing Center.  (5 points)

By the end of Week 4, submit your marketing plan. The body of your document (not counting title page, executive summary, references, and appendix) should not exceed 10 double-spaced pages. The title page should include the name of the reviewer from the Writing Center and the time/date that your meeting took place. The components to be included in your plan are shown below. (75 points)

Marketing Plan Components

Title Page

Executive Summary (1/2 to ¾ page max)

Introduction (brief intro to the company – one paragraph)

Mission Statement (1-3 sentences long)

SWOT Analysis (This is an internal and external situation analysis; see Week 1 chat. Do not present strategies in this section.)

Marketing Objectives (These need to be ‘S.M.A.R.T. objectives’. Google this term if you don’t know what it means)

Target Market (Write a full descriptive profile of each target market. See Week 2 chat and slides.)

Positioning Strategy (How does the company want to position itself in the minds of the target market as distinct from, and better than, what competitors have to offer?)

Marketing mix:                ◦ Product/Service (see topics in Chapters 10-12)                ◦ Price (see chapters 19-20)                ◦ Place (see chapters 13-14)                ◦ Promotion (see chapters 15-18 and Week 4 chat)

Conclusion

References (APA format. For secondary research, use higher level reference materials; e.g ProQuest, WSJ, Bloomberg. Remember to cite any interviews you conduct with company owners or staff.) Remember that in-text (parenthetical) citations are required in the body of your paper if you use sourced information or quotes!