MKT501 Strategic Marketing
Module 1 – SLP
STP & SITUATION ANALYSIS
Session Long Project
Here is the brief overview of this cumulative Session Long Project (SLP). In this research project, you would work as a
marketing consultant to develop a feasible marketing plan for your client. You would conduct both secondary research in
SLP1 and SLP2, and primary research in SLPB to glean the necessary information for your marketing plan in SLP4 and
SLPS. When conducting primary research in SLP3. collect only qualitative data (i.e., personal in-depth interviews with at
least three target customers) for this study.
It is important to conduct quality market research on yourfocal product/company in order to develop realistic and workable
marketing plans. Generally speaking, there are two types of research. One is secondary research, which refers to data
collection using existing sources, and the other is primary research, which is your own data collection for the specific study
at hand. The purpose of market research is to collect usable information to make more informed decisions on the business
problem, thus increasing the chance of business success in the marketplace.
Please check the outline of the marketing plan, which provides information on:
1. The final format for this cumulative Session Long Project;
2. A list of topics for the whole project;
3. The continuity and connections among SLPs 1-5.
In this module SLP1, identify a company and a charge (or task) for this marketing research project and conduct
situation analysis related to your charge. This is the first step of this cumulative research project. You need to
review all five SLPs first in order to better understand the requirements for this project.
Product Statement
In this section. describe the company and the product that is going to be the focus of interest for your marketing plan. For
example, if your client is Apple, provide background information on the organization (e.g., what it is, what it does, history,
success in what it is doing, etc). If the charge is to market a new product (such as iPad 6), describe what iPad is, how long
it has been around, how successful it has been, and who the target audience is. Be specific and detail-oriented. and do not
assume that the reader is familiar with the company and product.
Identify a company and a charge for your research project at the very beginning, based on the detailed
requirements for this cumulative Session Long Project. The new charge is a hypothetical task, which should be
based on one of the company’s existing brands or products. It is also better to identify a new product charge for
existing public firms so that you can find enough information for your task. For example, you may pick one of the
following companies and charges.
1. Apple needs to increase its market share for iPhone 7.
2. SamSung wants to introduce a tablet called Galaxy MiniS.
3. New Balance needs to market its Men’s 611 running shoes.
4. Ford needs to have a successful introduction of the 2015 Fusion.
5. Lexus wants to increase the brand awareness of its 2015 Lexus GX466.
Do not choose the product that is the basis of Case 1. It is best to check with your instructor regarding the company
and the charge you choose to analyze for this project. In choosing your company and the charge, keep in mind that in
order to effectively conduct your market research, you must have access to relevant information. Also note that your
charge or task for this research project is what you are going to do with a brand. rather than just the brand. In other words,
your charge or task is to solve a business problem faced by your client. So you need to state the business problem and
your charge clearly at the beginning since it would guide the following steps of this research project.
Situation Anaiysis
A situation analysis may also be known as an environmental analysis. Conduct an environmental analysis including the
external environment. customer environment, and internal organizational environment.
A. External Environment Analysis
In this section, identifyidescribe ail external forces for change that might affect the company. its future, and the future of its
industry. Identify the external realities upon which your plan will be based. What are the competitive. technological,
economic, politicalllegallregulatory, societal/lifestylelcultural. market, buyer behavior, channel of distribution, and other
industry trends that translate into external opportunities and threats? Explicitly state how each of these forces can impact
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C. Internal Environment Analysis
This section should identifyfdescribe relevant internal aspects of the company that will help identify strengths and
weaknesses in your SWOT analysis in the Module 2 SLP. This requires the identification and analysis of the organization’s
past financial performance (sales, market share, profitability, etc); marketing strategies (target market and
positioningfimage); marketing goals, objectives, and past performance; and marketing programs (advertising/promotion
effectiveness, producUservice offers, distribution effectiveness and channel programs, pricing, sales force effectiveness,
sales strategy and programs, public relationslpublicity, marketing researchlintelligence gathering efforts, etc.). Additionally,
the report may need to examine items such as production capacity, technical capabilities, managementlleadership,
organizational structure and culture, level of available resources and skills, financial stability, the product life cycle (i.e., is
the product in introduction, growth, maturity, or decline stage?), and other relevant characteristics of the company that help
develop a complete list of strengths and weaknesses in your SWOT analysis. It is important to focus on how the company
is perceived by the market and its own customers as the main determinant of market-relevant strengths.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Use the following outline to organize your paper. Note that the letters “a, b, c…” and the numbers “i, ii, iii, iv…” and “1, 2, 3,
4…” below are used to show the major issues you need to include in your paper, but should not be used to format your
papeh
l. Product Statement (2 pages maximum)
1. Describe the company/organization.
2. Provide brief background of the organization.
3. Describe the business problem and charge you have for this marketing plan.
4. Provide a brief overview of what iSSue you are studying, and how a marketing perspective can help
address the issue.
ll. Situation Analysis (3-6 pages)
Note: Only include sections that are relevant to your charge. The relevance of each section of analysis should be
clear to the reader.
a. External Environment Analysis
i. Context Analysis
Industry forces that might impact Success of any actions taken
ii. Competitor Analysis
iii.
Any organization or message that may prevent any actions taken from being
successful
iv. Technological and Economical Situation Analysis
v. Political, Legal, and Cuttural Analysis
b. Customer Environment Analysis
c.
i. Customer Analysis
ii. Collaborator Analysis
d. Internal Environment Analysis
e.
i. Company Analysis
Note: Use double-Spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font in 12 pt. type size. Include a title page and references.
Explain clearly and logically the facts about your company and charge, and use the required reading to support your
positions on the issues. Do not repeat or quote definitions. Your use of the required reading to support your opinions (that
is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented. Paraphrase the facts using
your own words and ideas, employing quotes sparingly. Quotes, it absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed five words.
Academic papers at the master’s level should include citations and references. Look at different sources, especially
credible and reputable ones such as The New York Times, The Wail Street Journal, Businessweek, and The Economist, to
find the information for your paper. Also use Trident University’s online library databases such as ProCtuest and EBSCO to
find information for your project. Your discussion on each topic should be a synthesis of the different sources. Taking
shortcuts on the number and quality of your sources will result in a poor-quality marketing plan that will be of no use to your
client.
it is also important that you reference your sources throughout the text of your marketing plan. Take the following
paragraph as an example:
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“As a result, telephone interviewers often do not even get a chance to explain that they are conducting a survey (Council
for Marketing and Opinion Research, 2003), and response rates have steadily declined (Keeter et al., 2000) to reported
lows of 7% (Council for Marketing and Opinion Research, 2003). This decrease presents a problem because not only does
it increase the cost of conducting telephone surveys, but it also leads to questions concerning the generalizability of the
results (Struebbe, Kernan & Grogan, 1986; Tuckei 8: O’Neill, 2002).”
There are different citation and reference formats such as APA, MLA, or Chicago. No matter which format you adOpt for
your marketing plan, make it consistent throughout the plan.
The marketing plan should use third person business writing. Avoid “we,” “our,” and “you.” Do not use contractions in
business writing.
Here are some guidelines on how to conduct information search and build critical thinking skills.
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Searching for information. Retrieved from
htthMwwemeraidinsight.comflearninggstudy skifls/skiiis/searching.htm
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Developing Critical Thinking. Retrieved from
htth/‘irrwwemeraidinsight.com/learningstudy skiifsfskiiis/criticai thinkinghtm
Guidelines for handling quoted and paraphrased material are found at:
Purdue Oniine Writing Lab. (n.d.). Academic Writing. Retrieved from bftgs://owi.engiishgurdue.edu/owi/section/f/Z/
Purdue Oniine Writing Lab. (n.d.). Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. Retrieved from
hftgsJ/owi. engiish. gurdue. edu/o eresource/563/1/
Purdue Oniine Writing Lab. (n.d.). Avoiding Piagiarism. Retrieved from httgsl/owt.engiigh.gurdue.edu/owf/regoumg/SBQ/‘i/
Your paper consists of arguments in favor of your opinions or positions on the issues addressed by the guidelines;
therefore, avoid the following logical fallacies:
Purdue Oniine Writing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in Argumenfative Writing. Retrieved from
hugs/fowl.engiish.Qurdue.edu/owi/resource/GSQ/OS/
Your SLP should not simply be a list of facts. Take the facts you find about the company, the charge. and the environments
that the company faces, and explain how you think those facts will affect the financial future of the product or brand in your
charge. The emphasis in grading your paper will be on the breadth and depth of your discussion of each topic, critical
thinking, the clarity of your discussion, and the proper organization of the paper.
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