The Component B re-assessment is an individual business report in which students must develop an elementary marketing plan that builds upon the marketing audit undertaken for the Component A assessment

Faculty of Business and Law

Module Code:

UMKD6J-15-1

Module Title:

Understanding the Principles of Marketing (BIM)

Submission Deadline:

Before 14:00 on Monday 3 August 2020

Assessment Component:

Component B – Individual Report

Assessment Weighting:

50% of total module mark

Marking and feedback deadline (20 working days):

Monday 31 August 2020

Module Re-assessment

This re-assessment brief is for Component B and is for students who did not pass the Individual Business Report assessment with their first submission.

The Component B re-assessment is an individual business report in which students must develop an elementary marketing plan that builds upon the marketing audit undertaken for the Component A assessment (either as a first submission or as a re-assessment).

Students who do not achieve an overall pass mark of 40% (calculated across the module’s two components) after re-assessment will be considered to have failed the module.

Component B Re-Assessment Instructions

1. Produce a business report

For Component A, you will have completed the first steps of a marketing plan by undertaking a marketing audit for a brand of your choice and will have identified a set of ‘Critical Success Factors’ (CSFs).

Now working individually, for Component B you should build on this work and assume the role of a ‘Marketing Consultant’. Using the evidence collected over the course of your marketing audit you should produce a report which:

· Presents a brief overview of your brand and two of its prioritised CSFs.

· Identifies possible approaches to segmenting the market for your product, service or event, and evaluates and selects a target market or markets for one of your prioritised CSFs.

· Makes substantiated recommendations as to how your brand’s marketing mix should be altered/developed/enhanced for the selected target market(s) on the basis of your prioritised CSF. You should ensure you address all 7Ps for your CSF in this section, outlining which of the 7Ps you would alter, and explaining how and why you would alter them. It is possible, in a couple of instances, that you will decide it is unnecessary to alter a particular element of the marketing mix, in which case you should explain your reasoning.

Important Reminder: Your brand must fall within one of the sectors listed below:

· Casual dining (excluding fast food restaurants)

· Chilled or frozen desserts (excluding yoghurt and ice cream)

· Events (including arts, cultural, entertainment, festivals, music, recreational or sports)

· Hotels

· Video game developers (either console or PC)

You are strongly advised to focus on the same sector and brand that you chose for your Component A assessment.

Your chosen brand can be UK-based or international, however, please note, should you pick a brand that does not fall within this sector list your group will receive a mark of 0 for this Component.

If you have any doubts about your choice of brand, please check with the Module Leader before proceeding with your research.

2. Write a critical reflection

You should produce a reflective account which outlines how your approach to your individual business report has improved and developed since your first attempt at (or non-submission of) Component B. Your reflection may be written in the first person and should:

· Describe the approach you took in your first attempt at Component B, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of your approach, and discussing the impact on your overall performance.

Please note, if you were unable to submit due to personal issues/problems, it is not necessary to discuss this, you can simply use the phrase ‘I was unable to submit at the first attempt due to personal reasons’ and, instead, reflect on the actions you undertook to seek support.

· Describe how you altered your approach when undertaking the re-assessment, for example, your approach to studying and researching, use of sources, application of theory, planning and time management, seek support or referencing.

· Consider what else you could have done when undertaking the re-assessment and/or how you might approach assessments of a similar nature in future.

Marking Criteria

The marking criteria is outlined below and is also used as the basis for the marking grid shown at the end of this brief. Please note the weightings for the marks for each section of the report and reflection; this should be reflected in your use of the word count. 

Overview of Brand and Prioritisation of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) (20%)

Evaluated against the following marking criteria:

· The relevance of the information provided within the overview

· The clarity with which the background to the CSFs is explained

· The extent to which the overview and CSFs are substantiated with appropriate market data and information from suitably academic sources

Approaches to Segmentation and Selection of Target Market(s) (20%)

Evaluated against the following marking criteria:

· The level of understanding demonstrated in the selection of the target market(s) and the extent to which this is explained with reference to relevant marketing theory

Recommendations to Change the Marketing Mix (30%)

Evaluated against the following marking criteria:

· The extent to which the links between the CSF and recommendations are clear

· The level of understanding demonstrated in the recommendations to alter the 7Ps and/or the justification provided for not recommending changes for a particular element of the marketing mix

· The extent to which the recommendations to alter the 7Ps are explained with reference to relevant marketing theory

· The level of detail provided and creativity demonstrated in the recommendations to alter the 7Ps

Critical Reflection (20%)

Evaluated against the following marking criteria:

· The level of critical reflection demonstrated through the description and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses in the first attempt at Component B

· The extent to which the approach to the re-assessment demonstrates the ability to develop knowledge and skills

· The level of insight demonstrated in the consideration of the approach similar assessments in future

Communication, Presentation and Referencing (10%) 

Evaluated against the following marking criteria: 

· The inclusion of an effective Executive Summary 

· The standards of spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structure 

· The appropriateness of the writing style 

· The standard of presentation (i.e. professional layout, cover page, contents page, page numbering and effective use of headings) 

· The extent to which the in-text citations and reference list conform to UWE Harvard requirements

Formative Feedback and Support

Further information about this assessment is available on the Blackboard site for this module and includes:

· Templates for each element of the assessment

· Lecture and tutorial slides

The Module Leader will also be available during the re-assessment period if any part of this brief requires clarification.

Formatting

Please use the Word file formats of .doc or .docx. We cannot ensure that other formats are compatible with markers’ software.

All work should be presented in 11-point Arial font and 1.5 line spaced.

Your report should be formatted as follows:

· It should have a clear title page – This should include:

· Your student number (please do not include your name as this prohibits anonymous marking)

· The module name and module code

· The title of your report and for whom it has been produced

· The date

· The total word count

· It should begin with an ‘Executive Summary’ – This is an extended paragraph, similar to an abstract for a journal. It should cover the scope of the report, explain its purpose and/or objectives, describe the procedure used to write the report, and briefly explain its findings and/or recommendations.

· The Executive Summary should be followed by a ‘Table of Contents’ – This should contain a list of all of the section headings, sub-section headings and page numbers. Sections and sub-sections should be numbered throughout. For example, the Introduction section should be numbered 1.0 whilst any sub-sections should be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc. Section headings are at the author’s discretion but as a general rule they should clearly signpost what is being covered within that section, e.g. “Overview of [brand name]”. Any diagrams, tables and figures should also be numbered and should have a title.

· There should be a section introducing the brand and two CSFs – This introduction might include background information on the brand (assume the marker is not familiar with the brand), information on competitors and market share, and information on customers and key target markets, as well as two prioritised CSFs.

· There should be a section detailing recommendations alterations, developments or enhancements to your brand’s/organisation’s marketing mix in the light of one prioritised CSF – You should ensure you address all 7Ps within this (as per instructions on page 2).

You are required to cite your sources throughout the report and include a references list presented in the UWE Harvard Referencing format – Where applicable, relevant academic concepts and frameworks should be used to support your discussion.

You may include diagrams, tables or graphs – They are valuable resources in a report (particularly when there is a word count) as they can say a thousand words but only if used properly and referred to within the body of the report. Always give a diagram, table or graph a number and a title, as well as crediting the data source as shown in the example below. You should refer the figure by name/number, for example, “Figure 1 demonstrates that sales of [product] continue to increase…”.

Word Limit

The report should not exceed 1500 words and should be structured in an appropriately formal business style. If the report exceeds 1500 words, marks will not be awarded for the portion that exceeds the limit. You may include appendices to support your report, but these should be used for illustrative purposes only. You may, for example, wish to include tables, charts and/or graphs to support points made within the main body of the report. Any text presented within the appendices will NOT be read or marked.

· This word count includes everything in the main body of the text (including headings, tables, charts, graphs, citations, quotes, lists, etc.).

· The references, bibliography and footnotes (provided footnotes only include references) are NOT included in this word count.

· There is no direct penalty for exceeding the word count, but the marker WILL stop reading once the maximum word limit has been reached and nothing further will be taken into account in the allocation of marks.

You can view the UWE word count policy here: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/aboutus/policies

Referencing

Please adhere to the principles of good academic practice and ensure you reference all sources used when developing your assessment, using the UWE Harvard system. Failure to properly reference your work to original source material can be grounds for the assessment offence of plagiarism and may result in failure of the assessment or have more serious implications.

For further guidance on correct referencing go to:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/referencing.aspx

Details of what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it can be found here:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/plagiarism.aspx

For general guidance on how to avoid assessment offences see:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentoffences.aspx

Instructions for Submission

Your report must be submitted via Blackboard before 14:00 on Monday 3rd August 2020.

Notification that the electronic submission portal is open for your assignment is displayed (usually two weeks before the submission date) in the Coursework tab in myUWE, the Coursework tab in Blackboard and via an announcement in the Blackboard course.

Please allow sufficient time to upload your assignment, noting that the system becomes busier and slower as the deadline approaches. Only your final upload will be counted. Ensure all your information is submitted at one attempt to avoid overwriting your intended submission. Always check and retain your receipts.

For full guidance on online submission through Blackboard, see:

http://info.uwe.ac.uk/online/Blackboard/students/guides/assignments/default.asp

Submissions of coursework by any other method (including a paper copy, on disk or by email) are NOT permissible for this module.

Before submitting your work, please ensure that:

· You have proofread you work thoroughly to ensure your work is presented appropriately

· You have addressed all the required elements of the assessment

· You have referenced in accordance with the guidance provided

· You have addressed each of the marking criterion

· The submission is in the correct format

Final Feedback and Marks Release

Students will normally receive marks and feedback on their submission within 20 working days of the submission deadline (not including any public holidays or university closure days). Any delay in returning students’ work will be communicated by the Module Leader via Blackboard.

Feedback on this module is not limited to the written comments you will receive on individual written assessment submissions.

Feedback and marks for this module will be available by Monday 31 August 2020.

For further guidance on feedback, please refer to the Module Handbook.

Further Guidance and Support

General guidance on study skills: is available at: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills.aspx

Specific study skills pages relating to this module include:

Writing skills:

https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/studysupport/studyskills/readingandwriting/writing.aspx

Support from the FBL Academic Success Centre:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/aboutus/studentexperience/academicsupportcentre.aspx

Guidance on UWE assessment regulations and terminology: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/assessmentsguide.aspx

Guidance on using the library: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/library/usingthelibrary.aspx

Personal Circumstances

If you are experiencing difficulties in completing a piece of assessment on time due to unexpected circumstances (for example illness, accident, bereavement), you should seek advice from a Student Support Adviser at the earliest opportunity.

Please note the Module Leader cannot grant personal circumstances or extensions.

Appointments with a student adviser can be made via an Information Point or online at:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/studentadvisers.aspx

The Student Support Adviser will advise as to whether you should submit an application for ‘Personal Circumstances (PCs)’, how to do so and what evidence is required to support the application.

Further details on ECs can be found here:

http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/academicadvice/assessments/personalcircumstances.aspx

DESCRIPTOR

CRITERIA

Assessment

criteria/

weighting

Grading level

Overview of Brand & Critical Success

Factors (CSFs)

(20%)

Segmen-tation & Selection of Target Market(s)

(20%)

Recommendations to Change the Marketing Mix (30%)

Critical

Reflection

(20%)

Communication, Presentation &

Referencing

(10%)

80-

100

PASS

90-100

Outstanding

80-89

Exceptional

Outstanding / exceptional level of relevant information provided. Outstanding / exceptional clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs fully substantiated with a wide range of appropriate market data & information from suitably academic sources.

16-20 marks

Outstanding / exceptional level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), fully explained using relevant marketing theory.

16-20 marks

Outstanding / exceptional links between CSFs & recommendations. Outstanding / exceptional level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Outstanding / exceptional level of understanding of all 7Ps, fully explained using relevant marketing theory. Outstanding / exceptional detail & creativity in recommendations.

24-30 marks

Outstanding / exceptional level of critical reflection demonstrated through description & evaluation of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment fully demonstrates ability to develop knowledge & skills. Outstanding / exceptional level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

16-20 marks

Outstanding / exceptional Executive Summary.

Outstanding / exceptional standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure. Entirely appropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list conform precisely to UWE Harvard requirements. 

 8-10 marks 

70-

79

PASS

Excellent

Excellent level of relevant information provided. Excellent clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs substantiated with a range of appropriate market data & information from suitably academic sources.

14-15 marks

Excellent level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), explained using relevant marketing theory.

14-15 marks

Excellent links between CSFs & recommendations. Excellent level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Excellent level of understanding of all 7Ps, explained using relevant marketing theory. Excellent detail & creativity in recommendations.

21-23 marks

Excellent level of critical reflection demonstrated through description & evaluation of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment demonstrates ability to develop knowledge & skills. Excellent level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

14-15 marks

Excellent Executive Summary. Excellent standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure. Very appropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list conform well to UWE Harvard requirements. 

7 marks 

60-

69

PASS

65-69

Very good

60-64

Good

Very good / good level of relevant information provided. Very good / good clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs mostly substantiated with appropriate market data & information from suitably academic sources.

12-13 marks

Very good / good level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), explained using marketing theory, one or two minor errors.

12-13 marks

Very good / good links between CSFs & recommendations. Very good / good level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Very good / good level of understanding of all 7Ps, explained using marketing theory, one or two minor errors. Very good / good detail & creativity in recommendations.

18-20 marks

Very good / good level of reflection demonstrated through description & evaluation of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment demonstrates some ability to develop knowledge & skills. Very good / good level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

12-13 marks

Very good / good Executive Summary. Very good / good standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure, one or two minor errors. Appropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list conform well to UWE Harvard requirements, one or two minor errors.  6 marks 

50-

59

PASS

55-59

Competent

50-54

Adequate

Competent / adequate level of information provided, some relevance

Competent / adequate clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs mostly substantiated with market data & information from suitably academic sources, some unsuitable sources.

10-11 marks

Competent / adequate level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), some attempt to use marketing theory, several minor errors.

10-11 marks

Competent / adequate links between some CSFs & recommendations. Competent / adequate level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Competent / adequate level of understanding of most 7Ps, some attempt to use marketing theory, several minor errors. Competent / adequate detail & creativity in recommendations.

15-17 marks

Competent / adequate level of reflection demonstrated through description of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment demonstrates some ability to develop knowledge & skills. Competent / adequate level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

10-11 marks

Competent / Adequate Executive Summary. Competent / adequate standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure, several minor errors. Mostly appropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list conform to UWE Harvard requirements to some extent, several minor errors.  5 marks 

40-

49

PASS

Weak

Weak level of information provided, some irrelevant. Weak clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs mostly substantiated with market data & information from unsuitable sources, some unsubstantiated.

8-9 marks

Weak level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), little attempt to include marketing theory, numerous minor errors.

8-9 marks

Weak links between most CSFs & recommendations. Weak level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Weak level of understanding of 7Ps, little attempt to use marketing theory, numerous minor errors. Weak detail & little creativity in recommendations.

12-14 marks

Weak level of reflection demonstrated through description of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment demonstrates little ability to develop knowledge & skills. Weak level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

8-9 marks

Weak Executive Summary. Weak standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure, numerous minor errors. Inappropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list conform to UWE Harvard requirements to a limited extent, numerous minor errors.  4 marks 

35-

39

FAIL

Poor

Poor level of information provided, mainly irrelevant. Poor clarity in background explanation for CSFs. Overview & CSFs substantiated with some market data & information from highly unsuitable sources, most points unsubstantiated.

7 marks

Poor level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), no attempt to include marketing theory.

7 marks

Poor links between CSFs & recommendations. Poor level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Poor level of understanding of 7Ps, some Ps omitted, no attempt to use marketing theory. Poor detail & lack of creativity in recommendations.

10-11 marks

Poor level of reflection demonstrated through description of first attempt. Approach to re-assessment demonstrates no ability to develop knowledge & skills. Poor level of insight demonstrated in consideration of future approach.

7 marks

Poor Executive Summary. Poor standards of spelling, grammar, punctuation & sentence structure. Inappropriate writing style in numerous places. Poor standard of presentation. Poor attempt to conform to UWE Harvard requirements, lacking consistent in-text citations &/or reference list.

3 marks

0-

34

FAIL

15-34

Very poor

0-14

Incomplete

Irrelevant overview, does not meet the brief.

Irrelevant explanation for CSFs, does not meet the brief. Overview omitted.

CSFs omitted.

0-7 marks

Very poor level of understanding demonstrated in selection of target market(s), no attempt to include marketing theory. Discussion of target market(s) omitted.

0-7 marks

Very poor links between CSFs & recommendations. Very poor level of understanding in recommendations for changes &/or justification for not recommending changes. Very poor level of understanding of 7Ps, no attempt to use marketing theory. Very poor detail & no creativity in recommendations.

Recommendations omitted.

0-10 marks

Irrelevant reflection, does not meet the brief. Reflection omitted.

0-7 marks

Very poor of Executive Summary. Executive Summary omitted. Very poor standards of presentation, spelling, punctuation, grammar & sentence structure, numerous minor errors. Entirely inappropriate writing style. In-text citations & reference list omitted.

0-3 marks