BMGT 6014 Reflective Report

Assessmentinstructions

Foronetangibleproduct(notaservice)ofachosenUKbrand, write a 3,000 word report, which evaluates the opportunities available in two new countries. The product should not be currently available in these two new countries (the brand or company should not officially be involved in any activities related to this product in these two countries) but the product must be available in the UK. One of the countries must be a European country (not the UK) and the other, a non-European one.

Your report must be underpinned (and fully referenced) by appropriate theories, theoretical concepts, models and frameworks. Your report must comprise of the following 5 parts. Further guidance on the structure can be found on page 17 and 18.

Part 1 [worth 10%]: Brief introduction to the chosen UK brand and chosen product. Justification of the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation.

Part 2 [worth 25%]: Profile the marketing environments for your chosen product for the two potential countries (one European and one non-European) using STEEPLE.

Part 3 [worth 15%]: Develop a positioning map for each country by applying competitor and consumer insights. Clearly discuss how you would differentiate yourself from your competition in each country.

Part 4 [worth 15%]: Critically discuss, justify and evaluate the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.

Part 5 [worth 25%]: Present and discuss the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product,

Price

,

Place

& Promotion (including Packaging if relevant).

Presentation &

Refer

encing is worth 10%.

Further Guidance:

Choice of countries: You must choose one European and one non-European country. If you choose large countries such as the USA, China, India, etc. you must decide whether to go country-wide or decide to launch in a specific region or state initially. The 27 EU (European Union) countries, countries in the EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland should be treated as ‘European’ countries. Turkey is not a European country. Consider the brand’s current international operations and experience when picking the two countries.

Choice of brand: The UK brand could be owned by a UK company; e.g. Warburtons is a family owned UK brand or it could be owned by a non-UK entity. What is important is that the brand you pick has UK origins; e.g. Cadbury and Innocent have UK origins but are now owned by American entities.

Choice of product: You must choose one tangible product, not a service. It must be the same product for both countries. You must not choose a range of products. The UK brand’s product must exist in the UK and must not exist in your chosen countries (the brand or company should not officially be involved in any activities related to this product in these two countries). There could be other competing brands with the same product or similar products in these two countries. You just have to ensure that the chosen product of your brand does not exist in the two countries.

Quick Tip: Although simplistic, Warburtons for instance can be your brand and crumpets could be your product. Please check your choice of brand and product with your seminar leader or module leader before you start working on your report. Students are strongly advised to get their brand and product approved by the end of week 2.

Report Structure:

Your report must be structured as outlined below. When developing your report, you must suitably apply the content covered in lectures and follow the guidance/clarification provided in seminars.

Executive Summary: You must include an executive summary at the start of the report which outlines your report. This is not an introduction but an overview of the entire report presenting the main highlights. The executive summary will be marked but is not part of the 3,000 word limit. The executive summary must be presented in (and limited to) 300 words. This must be presented before the contents page.

Part 1 [worth 10%]: Brief introduction to the chosen UK brand and chosen product – this must be presented in less than 50 words. Use the remaining words (approximately 250+) to justify the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation. You must apply the ‘nine strategic windows’ (Solberg, 1997) when justifying the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation. You must identify the most relevant ‘window’ by discussing ‘industry globalism’ and ‘preparedness for internationalisation’. Part 1 (in total) must be presented in (and limited to) 300 words.

Part 2 [worth 25%]: Profile the marketing environments for your chosen product for the two potential countries (one European and one non-European) using STEEPLE. Analytically summarise and discuss the key insights arising from your research to justify entering the two countries. While profiling the marketing environments of the two countries, you must investigate all the STEEPLE factors. However, you must discuss only the 5 most pertinent factors for each country to justify entry. Two of these five factors must be ‘Socio-Cultural’ and ‘Ethical’ factors (for both countries). Part 2 must be presented in (and limited to) 850 words. You must present a table of all the STEEPLE factors for each country within the appendices (use bullet-points).

Part 3 [worth 15%]: Develop a positioning map for each country. You must apply relevant competitor and consumer insights to identify ‘points-of-parity’ and ‘points-of-difference’. Use these insights to present a well-underpinned, critical discussion for each country to encapsulate how you would differentiate yourself from your competition. Be creative – there are lots of different variables you can include in a positioning map. You must not rely on simplistic variables such as price and quality. Your positioning in the two countries may be different and so can the variables in your positioning maps. Part 3 must be presented in (and limited to) 500 words.

Part 4 [worth 15%]: Critically discuss, justify and evaluate the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country. Make sure you fully consider the relevant factors (market entry rules, external factors, internal factors, etc.) when you justify your market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country. The mode and method may or may not be the same for the two countries. Make sure to justify and evaluate your choices. Part 4 must be presented in (and limited to) 500 words.

Part 5 [worth 25%]: Critically discuss the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion (including Packaging if relevant). You need to provide an overview, discuss, justify and evaluate with evidence, which of the 4Ps (including Packaging if relevant) you will keep the same and which you will adapt in each country. You must suitably apply aspects such as product levels, pricing strategies, distribution strategies, suitable promotion objectives, promotion frameworks; e.g. AIDA, etc. Please do not submit two marketing plans, but only present overalls in a table and critically justify and evaluate your reasoning thereafter, aided by a clear and well-underpinned discussion. This table will be useful to present an initial overview of your standardisation/adaptation decisions, before critically discussing, justifying and evaluating your reasoning. Please make sure that in your discussion, you refer to parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to ensure your report is internally cohesive. Part 5 must be presented in (and limited to) 850 words.

Adapted or Standardised?

PriceAdapted or Standardised?Adapted or Standardised?PlaceAdapted or Standardised?Adapted or Standardised?

Adapted or Standardised?Adapted or Standardised?

Marketing Mix	European Country	Non-European Country
Product								Adapted or Standardised?
Promotion & Packaging

Presenting coursework for assessment

Your assignment when submitted should not include your name – we use a system of anonymous marking to reduce the risk of any unconscious bias. The authentic and essential requirements for this piece of assessed work are;

• Coursework must be word-processed in 12 point Arial font and double-spaced
• Use black text on a white background
• Pages must be appropriately numbered
• Margins must be set to Normal (all four sides set to 2.54 cm)
• Any tables/figures/diagrams should be legible, correctly captioned and clearly identified
• Title page is required with module name, title, student number (not student name) and word count
• Executive summary is required (300 words) before the contents page and should not have a page number. This is marked but not in the 3,000 word limit
• A properly formatted contents page is needed after the executive summary
• Appendices (strictly up to 4 pages) are permitted but they are not marked
• Please write in the third person
• Avoid bias to any one source and use different sources to enhance criticality
• You must engage in wider reading beyond the core text
• Use reliable sources only; e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles, Passport, etc.
• Ensure adequate and consistent citation and a complete reference list

Avoid personal opinions and speculation

Assessment Criteria

Rubric

Assessment Criteria

Outstanding 85-100%	Excellent 70-84%	Very Good 60-69%	Good 50-59%	Threshold Pass 40-49%	Marginal Refer 30-39%	Refer 0-29%
Part 1 (10%)	Outstanding application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Outstanding introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Excellent application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Excellent introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Very good application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Very good introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Good application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Good introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Basic application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Basic introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Weak and inadequate application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Weak and inadequate introduction to the brand and chosen product.	Extremely weak and inadequate application of the ‘nine strategic windows’ to justify the internationalisation decision. Extremely weak and inadequate introduction to the brand and chosen product.
Part 2 (25%)	Outstanding profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Excellent profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Very good profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Good profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Basic profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Weak and inadequate profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.	Extremely weak and inadequate profile of the marketing environments for the chosen product for the two countries using STEEPLE.
Part 3 (15%)	Outstanding discussion of positioning and map, fully aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Excellent discussion of positioning and map, well aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Very good discussion of positioning and map, aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Good discussion of positioning and map, aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Basic discussion of positioning and map, aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Weak and inadequate discussion of positioning and map, aided by competitor and consumer insights.	Extremely weak and inadequate discussion of positioning and map, aided by competitor and consumer insights.
Part 4 (15%)	Outstanding discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Excellent discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Very good discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Good discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Basic discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Weak and inadequate discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.	Extremely weak and inadequate discussion of the chosen market entry mode(s) and method(s) for each country.
Part 5 (25%)	Outstanding presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Excellent presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Very good presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Good presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Basic presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Weak and inadequate presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.	Extremely weak and inadequate presentation and discussion of the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion.
Presentation & Referencing (10%)	Outstanding presentation and referencing with little to no errors. The brief has been fully addressed. Outstanding executive summary.	Excellent presentation and referencing with little to no errors. The brief has been fully addressed. Excellent executive summary.	Very good presentation and referencing with a few errors. The brief has been addressed with some areas requiring attention. Very good executive summary.	Good presentation and referencing with several errors. The brief has been adequately addressed with several areas requiring attention. Good executive summary.	Basic presentation and referencing with many errors. Greater attention is needed when addressing the brief. Basic executive summary.	Weak and inadequate presentation and referencing with errors throughout. The brief has not been adequately addressed. Weak and inadequate executive summary.	Extremely weak and inadequate presentation and referencing with errors throughout. The brief has not been adequately addressed. Extremely weak and inadequate executive summary.