Assessment 3: International Marketing Case Study Assessment Guide Due date: Week 9 Friday 5pm

Weighting: 25%

Word count: 1500 words +/-10% (excluding reference list)

Assessments details: This is an individual assessment task where each student is required to complete a case study analysis of complex and strategic international marketing issues.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of international marketing theories/concepts.
• Critically analyse and apply international marketing theories/concepts to diverse real- world contexts.

This assessment is marked based on Five criteria:

A)  Case summary (15%)

Make sure you cover the answers to the following key questions in this section:

• What is the brand/business?
  1. What is their marketing (product) offering?
  1. Who is the customer (target market must be defined)?
  1. What are customers’ wants?
  1. How is the competition in the category?
  • What is the problem(s) at hand?

B)   Critical Analysis (40%)

In this section, you are required to explain, discuss, and critically analyse how the business’s practices align or contradict with relevant international marketing concepts and/or theories.

In other words, you will be explaining:

• The business’s practices described in the case.
• How and why the business problem(s) has occurred.
• How and why these business practices (1) are consistent or contradict with the relevant international marketing concepts and/or theories, and (2) have led to the positive (successful) and negative (unsuccessful) results described in the case.

Please refer to the following example that will give you a brief idea of what you are asked to write, please also note that you are required to provide a more in-depth analysis of the business problems and practices etc.

Company A has experienced decreased sales with its brick-and-mortar stores in Japan. On the one hand, its competitors are increasingly gaining sales and market share as they are expanding their e-shops on a global scale. On the other hand, customers’ buying behaviours have been changing for the past few years, they are less keen to shop in physical stores and are demanding more efficient and personalized online purchase and international delivery service. Relevant marketing concepts here could be international  diffusion of innovation and cultural  and behavioural changes. A careful and thorough analysis of international customers’ adoption of technologies and buying behaviour is crucial in designing more effective and efficient marketing mix and strategies.

Note: Marketing concepts/theories refer to ANY marketing concept including those we have learned in lecture/seminar. For example, segmentation approaches are referring to a marketing theory/concept. Please also note that ‘theory’ refers to ‘a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something’. So, ‘segmentation’ is counted as a theory although it does not have ‘theory’ in its name.

C)  Strategic recommendations/solutions (30%)

In this section, you are required to offer strategic recommendations or solutions regarding the alignment or misalignment between specific business practices and relevant international marketing concepts and/or theories discussed in the previous section.

• These strategic recommendations or solutions must be specific, meaningful, and practical.
• You are expected to describe and explain how firms can implement these recommendations or solutions in real life.

o For example, if the firm has been successful in the past, how can your recommendations help the firm in growing in the future; or if the firm has been unsuccessful in the past, how can your solutions rectify the business problems.

• There is no maximum required number of recommendations/solutions, however, there is a minimum requirement for each awardable grade (please refer to the marking rubric for this assessment on iLearn)

D)  Formatting and Expression (10%)

• Use minimum 12-point font, 1.5 line-spaced, 2.54cm margin.

• Three main headings must be used (summary, analysis, recommendations/solutions).

• Appropriate sub-headings can be used.

• Numbering of pages is essential.

• You MUST include a cover page that contain your full name, student ID, day and time of your workshop, title of the assessment, total word count.
• Table of content is NOT compulsory.

• The word limit for this assessment is 1500 words (+/-10%), not including cover page, table of content, and reference list.
• Tables, diagrams, and appendices are all included in the 1500 (+/-10%) word-count.

• There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for every 100-extra-word-count.
• Please name your file with your student ID and full name (e.g., 1234567_IvanHo)

E)   Referencing (5%)

• Failure to document fully and in the acceptable format all sources of existing information may render students open to the claim of plagiarism.
• You are highly encouraged to read and conduct your research broadly and not to rely heavily and solely on your prescribed and recommended textbook.
• All references must be properly cited, both in-text and in the reference list. ONLY APA or Harvard style allowed.

• There is no minimum or maximum number of references required, HOWEVER, using a limited range of references/sources may lead to negative evaluation of the quality of literature search/review (also see marking rubric).

Additional Important Notes:

Allocation date of case studies

In early week 7,, students can find a file on iLearn that includes their student ID and a case name. Thereby, each student will be randomly assigned (by your UC) to complete a case analysis. That is, student A may be assigned to do case 1, and student B may be assigned to do case 2. For details of the due dates and post-dates (date that marks are released), please see the Turnitin links on iLearn.

Important Notes about Online Submission of Assignment

• Please upload the via iLearn by the due date. Please check the submission link on ilearn for more details about specific due dates and post-dates (date that marks are released).
• The assignment will be subjected to Turnitin. You can have multiple Turnitin submissions until the due date. The final copy supersedes all other earlier ones. The similarity index / originality report will be available to you as a guide, unless of course if your submission is at the last few minutes. Please note that if you resubmit your paper, it will take 24 hours to generate your second originality report.
• Plagiarism and/or copying others’ assignments are risks not worth taking. Students tend to get caught. The penalty could be from reduced marks, zero mark to having to face the Faculty Hearing (Discipline) Committee. None of these would be pleasant to either yourself or the teaching team.

Late submission

• Late submissions must also be submitted through Turnitin (please DO NOT submit via email).
• The Turnitin submission box will mark any late submissions in red. Late submissions are subject to 10% penalty of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for

each 24-hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty) up to 72 hours. After 72 hours, the submission link will be locked. This penalty does not apply for cases with an approved application for Special Consideration. Note: applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time.

Extensions

• No extension will be granted unless a student has an approved special consideration. Special consideration can be made through the following link: ask.mq.edu.au
• Applications for Special Consideration Policy must be made within 5 (five) business days of the due date and time.

Substitutions

• There is one major submission, and no substitution is offered.

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