7BUS2040 Strategic Marketing & Entrepreneurship Assessment 1 Brief 2024-25

7BUS2040 Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding assessed in this assignment:

• Develop a critical understanding of the role and processes of strategic marketing planning in the creation of value and/or competitive advantage for an organisation.
• Evaluate how marketing tactics should be adjusted depending on the context of the organisation, factors in the environment, segmentation, customer personas and consumer behaviour.
• Examine the role and processes of innovation and business model development to create new ventures, products and services in response to growth opportunities.
• Assess the market environment in the context of contemporary issues, including digital transformation, marketing ethics and sustainability.

Learning Outcomes: Intellectual, Practical and Transferable Skills assessed in this assignment:

• Propose strategic marketing plans backed by secondary research and application of academic concepts and literature.
• Develop a range of entrepreneurial skills through a new venture or new product/service development project, including teamwork, ideation, innovation, evaluation, communication and persuasion.
• Recommend financially viable business models, launch plans and roadmaps that will deliver sustained growth in response to clearly identified market opportunities.
• Critically evaluate key issues using academic concepts and literature.

Feedback/Marking Criteria for this Assignment

• Performance will be assessed using HBS Grading Criteria (Rubric)
• Feedback for improvement will be given in writing via your Canvas module site within 4 weeks of submission
• Lateness Penalty: For each day or part day up to five days after the published deadline, coursework relating to modules submitted late will have the numeric grade reduced by 10 grade points until or unless the numeric grade reaches the minimum pass mark (UG 40/PG50). Where the numeric grade awarded for the assessment is less than the minimum pass mark, no lateness penalty will be applied. If the coursework is submitted more than 5 days after the published deadline, it will not be marked, and a grade of zero will be awarded. Please note: Referred coursework submitted after the published deadline will be awarded a grade of zero (0).
• Extensions: Students do not have an automatic right to an extension. If you require an extension, this must be requested in advance of the submission deadline. Please give your reason(s) for needing an extension. Not all Assessments are eligible for an extension. Please check above.
• Retrievable Assessment: Students who fail a retrievable assignment have the opportunity to act on the feedback promptly and to resubmit the same assignment within a specified deadline set by the Module Leader. Marks for resubmitted work will be capped at 40% for UG and 50% for PG. Students who resubmit work and go on to fail the module will still be able to do the referred coursework (capped at 40% UG or 50% PG).

Detailed Brief for Individual Assignment

Assignment Title: Marketing Plan for (insert product/ service name here) to Facilitate the Development and Growth of (insert your small business's name here) in the UK

Description of the Assignment, Task, Content and Structure:

Assume you are an entrepreneur who has moved from overseas and is now looking to develop and grow your small business in the UK. Your task is to develop a marketing plan (in the form of a PowerPoint presentation) for local (UK) success, proposing a new product/service (either market development of an existing product or an entirely new offering for the UK market) for your small business. Your proposed new product/service/ offering should be targeted at a specific target market within the
UK

The primary objective of the marketing plan is to facilitate your small business's growth (driving increased sales and market share). So, you must construct an audit of the internal and external environments and make recommendations to provide customer value and competitive advantage through new product development and/or innovation.

Please note that you are expected to present your plan/ findings/ ideas, etc., in PowerPoint format (as a presentation) for submission only. You will not be asked to verbally present your work, and only your PowerPoint presentation will be marked, so it needs to be as comprehensive but as succinct as possible. You should not use more than 10 slides for the actual plan itself (your title/cover slide, executive summary, table of contents/ agenda, reference list & appendix are excluded from this slide count). 

Specific instructions:

The HBS Grading Criteria (rubric) will evidence how marks are awarded for individual parts of the assignment i.e. Presentation and Structure, Intellectual Curiosity and Referencing. Content, Analysis, Discussion.

Throughout your PowerPoint presentation, it is VERY IMPORTANT to refer to at least ten (10) research sources, academic texts, marketing magazines and academic journal articles to support your analysis and argument. Your marketing plan should also include facts and figures from credible, published reports. All these sources must be referenced using the Cite-Them-Right Harvard Referencing System.

The content of the marketing plan PowerPoint presentation should include the following elements as specified below.

Title/ Cover Slide

Student ID Number:

Tutorial Tutor's Name & Surname:
Module Name: Strategic Marketing & Entrepreneurship
Module Code: 7BUS2040

Assignment Title: Marketing Plan for (insert product/ service name here) to Facilitate the Growth of (insert your small business's name here) in the UK

Date of Submission: (must be before the 16 of March 2025 at 23:59hrs)

Final Slide Count: (excludes title/ cover slide, executive summary, table of contents/agenda, reference list & appendix)

Executive Summary (excluded in slide count)

A very brief overview of the marketing plan to intrigue the reader's interest (Hint: It summarises the most important points from each section of the plan)

Table of Contents / Agenda (excluded in slide count)

1. Small Business Description

A very brief background/history of the small business, identifying the vision and mission (if any) of your company, and briefly explaining any current products or services.

2. Situational Analysis (Market Audit)

2.1 Customer Analysis

To identify the potential customers for the NEW product/service, you should provide a detailed description of the proposed segmentation of the customers available to target, and a description of met and unmet needs. Consider your proposed value proposition for the potential UK target market.

2.2 Competitor Analysis

Use perceptual positioning mapping to assess competitors for your NEW product/service in the UK market.

2.3 Swot/ Tows Analysis

SWOT should be used to summarise the results of the environmental audit (an analysis of the relevant UK market, trends, competition, supply and distribution, etc.), and present the status (brief internal analysis) of your small business. Make sure your analysis includes consideration of any CSR (corporate social responsibility) or sustainability and ethical factors.

So, you need to use all this information to prepare a review of the strengths and weaknesses (S&W) within the small business and its external environment (Opportunities & Threats; O&T). Some of the identified factors may require a change within the small business and you should explain and justify the analysis with supporting theory, business insights, etc.

3. Marketing Objectives

It is important to demonstrate that you have assessed your strategic options in deciding on your new product/ service for the UK market. You should also list your SMART marketing objectives to measure results accurately. The objectives should be for the following year based on the NEW product/service and should offer a clear value proposition with brief illustrations of how customer value can be co-created, and a competitive advantage obtained, through the new product/ service. (Hint: Max 3 objectives using SMART Criteria -Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound).

4. Marketing Mix Strategy

You should suggest the best marketing mix strategies to market the NEW product/service in the UK market. The marketing mix (4Ps) component of a marketing plan describes the strategies and, ultimately, tactics implemented to reach the target audience. The proposed tactics should be carefully analysed, evaluated, and justified with supporting theory, business insights and credible academic literature.

4.1 Product Strategy
4.2 Pricing Strategy
4.3 Place/Distribution Strategy
4.4 Promotion Strategy
and 4.5 People 
4.6 Physical Evidence 
4.7 Processes for a new service

5. Timeline

You are required to prepare an estimated timeline to implement the proposed marketing mix strategies. A simple Gantt chart will suffice. (Hint: To include pre-launch, launch and promotional strategies for the NEW product/service).

6. Budget

You are required to provide a brief, rough & realistic estimation (that is practical for a start-up on a limited budget) of the expected expenses needed to implement the marketing mix strategies. A simple table will be sufficient. (Hint: To include pre-launch, launch and promotional strategies for the NEW product/service).

7. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS
8. REFERENCES/ REFERENCE LIST (excluded in final slide count)
9. APPENDICES (if applicable) (excluded in final slide count)

Additional Tips:

1. Use relevant theory and frameworks to help structure your report (please note that there is no expectation for you to include every single framework and tool discussed in class).
2. In addition to those recommended above, you may use any relevant/ appropriate marketing planning
models.
3. Concentrate on the critical quality and depth of your report, not the quantity of points. 
4. Give evidence to support your analysis and recommendations (e.g., market data). 
5. Interpret rather than just present numbers.

Please do not submit an individual submission with more than 10 slides (this number excludes your titlel cover slide, executive summary, table of contents/ agenda, reference slide(s) and any appendices). Each slide must be legible (ie., the font must not be too small and any font size less than font size 12 is not permitted) and must be as succinct as possible. You can include any further explanations by adding a few notes to each slide, as appropriate, but bear in mind that when you make a presentation in real life the audience does not normally see the notes! Please note that there will be NO requirement to present your work ORALLY. But please do not include too many words in your notes - these will not be read in full and may not count towards your assignment mark. It is therefore suggested that a limit of 200 words of notes per slide is applied, should you wish to include notes on any of your slides. Note that the impact of your work should be through your actual slides, as this is what the Tutor will use as a basis to mark your assignment.

Remember to include a title/ cover slide (this is NOT included in the 10-slide count). You should also include an appropriate reference list at the end of your PowerPoint presentation (this is additional and is also not included in the 10-slide count, nor are any appendices, if you have any).

Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, Essay Mills and other Academic Misconduct Offences

You are NOT allowed to copy any information into your assignment without using quotation marks and a reference - this is 'plagiarism' (a type of academic misconduct).

You are NOT allowed to copy from other students (or allow other students to copy from you) - this is 'collusion'.

You are NOT allowed to copy from your assignments on other modules - this is 'self-plagiarism'.

You must NEVER buy assignments from websites (essay mills) - this is called 'contract cheating' and it is now illegal in the UK.

Contract cheating is a serious academic misconduct offence and also includes arranging for help with an assessment, such that there is also reasonable doubt as to whose work the assessment represents. It extends to input from a fellow student, friend, relative, or any other person, artificial intelligence, with or without payment of any kind.

For all references, use Cite it Right, Harvard style.- Harvard Referencing (see video for support) 

Unauthorised use of artificially generated material (AI) in researching or presenting material for an assessment is an academic misconduct offence if you use AI tools in producing your assessment unless the use of AI tools is expressly permitted. However, even if expressly permitted, where you do not declare that you have used an artificial intelligence tool(s) in the production of your assessment, or you are dishonest about the extent to which such tools have been used, you will have committed academic misconduct.

If you commit academic misconduct, your mark will be reduced, or, depending on the severity of the offence, you may get 1% for the assignment in question or 1% for the module, and get a disciplinary warning. Repeat offenders normally face disciplinary action.

Please note that in this assessment, you are permitted to use GenAl tools (or a proofreader or proofreading service) to proofread your work, but not permitted to use Al tools in the creation of content for your work.

PG Grading Criteria for HBS Individual Report in PowerPoint Presentation Format