Pearson BTEC Level 4 HNC/D Diploma in Business Marketing Intelligence Assessment Date for Submission: 30th May 2016 (The submission portal will close at 23:59 HKT) Assessor Name: David Mui ([email protected]) Remarks: Please note that all assignment must submit through iLearn before the given deadline. Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for the HNC/D programme you are required to submit an assignment for each module. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments. After completing the module you should be able to: LO 1 Understand buyer behaviour & the purchase decision-making process LO 2 Be able to use market research techniques LO 3 Be able to assess market size and future demand LO 4 Be able to measure customer satisfaction Scenario Wearable technology is said to be the 'next big thing' in technology take up by consumers and businesses although recent history seems to show a limited level of take-up in some territories - leaving this as a niche market only - why is this? Conduct some research into the Google Glass and other technology wearables, upcoming developments in the market and the potential for these products going forward. Respond to the marketing intelligence issues raised below: Please note: You may as an alternative to the above, respond to the brief using your own proposal if you have an appropriate issue in progress that demands research, but you must confirm your choice with your tutor in the first instance via email ([email protected]).   Task 1 a. As regards the purchase of wearable technology, explain how this might differ if wearable technology were being bought by an organisation for its staff in a B2B scenario in comparison to a B2C purchases situation. (Assessment Criteria 1.1/1.2) b. From a consumer or business point of view, identify common buyer motives as detailed in marketing books (external/internal stimuli, psychological, sociological, economic factors, cultural, lifestyle, etc) and explain how these relate to the adoption/purchase of wearable technology. (Assessment Criterion 1.3) Task 2 a. Use at least two established sources of secondary research, for example from the EBSCO link on ilearn, or an established newspaper or market report to highlight any trends in the wearable technology market going forward. Following on from this, assess these sources in terms of their validity & reliability as regards the information they provide using appropriate theory. (Assessment Criteria 2.2/2.3) b. Following on from the above, plan and conduct some detailed analysis as regards the wearable technologies market, assessing market size, trends and activity along with levels of competition in terms of participants and their key strengths, evaluating the opportunities & threats for firms in the market going forward. (Assessment Criteria 3.1/3.2/3.3) Task 3 a. Using relevant primary research techniques, prepare a market research plan & a customer satisfaction survey to obtain information on potential customer uptake & satisfaction in purchasing wearable technology (likes/dislikes/needs/uses/ relevance to the individual, understanding of the value of the technology to them personally, perceived uses, etc). This must include the design, execution & analysis of a customer satisfaction survey. (Assessment Criteria 2.4, 4.2) b. Within your satisfaction survey you must also evaluate the relationship between the level of brand loyalty, corporate image & repeat purchase as regards wearable technology - Do consumers stick with the brand linked to their phone - Apple for example? If not, what might drive them to change? (Assessment Criterion 1.4) c. Conclude by evaluating your research plan, the method of research in assessing customer response and the success of your survey including an evaluation as regards the validity & reliability of the data gathered, identifying any alternative techniques/methods (at least one must be discussed here) you might use in any future research. (Assessment Criteria 2.1, 2.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)   Important – Please Note: In completing Task 3, you are required to design and complete a customer satisfaction survey and submit this with your final assessment. You must use this to conduct some actual test research as part of the plan. (Assessment Criteria 4.1, 4.2)   Formative Feedback Opportunity Students will be given the opportunity to receive formative feedback during the 'assignment workshop' sessions for this module. Student Guidelines 1. You should write this assignment using headings & subheadings but not as a formal report 2. You must ensure that the submitted assignment is all your own work and that all sources used are correctly attributed. Penalties apply to assignments which show evidence of academic unfair practice. (See the Student Handbook which is in the Induction Area). Please also refer to the 'Guide to Unfair Practice in Assessment' on the module page on ilearn. 3. You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the Bournemouth University (BU) Harvard system. The 'My Study Skills' area contains the following useful resources; Study Skills Guide (containing a BU Harvard Referencing section) and a BU Harvard Referencing Interactive Tutorial. You must use the BU Harvard Referencing method in your assignment. 4. You should use diagrams and tables of figures where appropriate ensuring to reference their source using the BU Harvard Referencing method. 5. You are required to write your assignment within 4000 words in order for your research and summarising skills to be developed, and for effective time management. You are required to ensure that the assignment addresses all of the assessment tasks. In the interests of good academic practice, an assignment submitted with excessive word counts (i.e. more than 10% in excess of the limit) will be returned to you. You will be given a maximum of 48 hours to edit the work to reduce the word count to the permitted maximum. In the event that the submission is still regarded as excessively long then, in line with advice received from Pearson, we will be unable to accept it for marking and you will receive a Refer grade for Non-Submission. The word count excludes the title page, reference list and appendices. Where assessment questions have been reprinted from the assessment brief these will also be excluded from the word count. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count. Printed words include those contained within charts and tables. 6. Your assignment should be submitted as a single document. For more information please see the "Guide to Submitting an Assignment" document available on the module page on iLearn. Recommended Additional Resources Please Note: this unit is not addressed by the core text alone: EBSCO Online E-Book recommended for this course – Hart, S, & Baker, M 2008, The Marketing Book, Amsterdam: Elsevier / Butterworth-Heinemann, eBook Collection (EBSCO host - available via ilearn) Online E-Book recommended for this course – Hedin, H, Vaarnas, M, & Hirvensalo, I 2011, The Handbook Of Market Intelligence : Understand, Compete And Grow In Global Markets, Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.: John Wiley & Sons, eBook Collection (EBSCO host - available via ilearn) Online E-Book recommended for this course – Chaffey, D, & Smith, P 2013, Emarketing Excellence : Planning And Optimizing Your Digital Marketing, Hoboken: Routledge, eBook Collection (EBSCO host - available via ilearn) Other Recommended Textbooks: Bradley N (2010) - Marketing Research: tools and techniques, 2nd edition (OUP) Chisnall P (2004) — Marketing Research 7th edition (McGraw Hill) Wilson A (2006) — Marketing Research: An Integrated Approach (FT/Prentice Hall)   Assessment Criteria for Pass To achieve a pass you must meet all of the assessment criteria as stated below. Failure to cover all of the assessment criteria will result in a referral grade and you be required to re-submit your assignment. Further guidance on completion of your assignment can be found in the guidance notes which are posted on the group learning space by your module tutor. For additional support please post questions onto the group learning space, or email [email protected]. Descriptive content will dominate at this level Learning Outcomes/ Assessment Criteria & Related Task Criteria Met For tutor use (you may wish to use this in your preparation for your assignment submission) LO 1: Understand buyer behaviour & the purchase decision-making process 1.1 describe the main stages of the purchase decision making process Task One -1a 1.2 explain theories of buyer behaviour in terms of individuals and markets Task One - 1a/b 1.3 explain the factors that affect buyer behaviour Task One - 1b 1.4 evaluate the relationship between brand loyalty, corporate image and repeat purchasing Task Two - 2b LO 2: Be able to use market research techniques 2.1 evaluate different types of market research techniques Task Three - 3c 2.2 use sources of secondary data to achieve marketing research objectives Task Two - 2a 2.3 assess the validity and reliability of market research findings Task 2a/3c 2.4 prepare a marketing research plan to obtain information in a given situation Task Three LO 3: Be able to assess market size and future demand 3.1 assess market size trends within a given market Task Two - 2a 3.2 plan and carry out a competitor analysis for a given organisation Task Two - 2b 3.3 evaluate an organisation's opportunities and threats for a given product or service Task Two - 2b LO 4: Be able to measure customer satisfaction 4.1 evaluate techniques of assessing customer response Task Three - 3c 4.2 design and complete a customer satisfaction survey Task Three - 3a   Assessment Criteria for Merit To achieve a Merit all of the Pass criteria need to be met, then the tutor will assess whether you have met the Merit Criteria. Each of the Merit criteria must have been met at least once within the assignment. The following statements are examples of how a merit may be achieved, if you do meet the Merit Criteria by showing you have reached this level in other ways then credit will be awarded for this. You will need to meet M1, M2, M3 at least once. application & analysis will be evident at this level M1 - Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions • relevant theories have been applied for example in the choice of market research techniques • substantial analysis is evident such as in the study of buyer behaviour variables - for further detail on analysis you need to look at the study skills guide on ilearn as regards 'critical analysis' M1 M2 – Select design and apply appropriate methods/techniques • There is a strong balance of theory to practice evident in the report – the report is therefore less reliant on descriptive content alone • The research plan & questions are purposeful & fully justified • You demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the environment as detailed in Task Two M2 M3 – Present and Communicate Findings • An appropriate format is used which is free from major error (grammar & spelling) • Market Research language & terminology has been accurately used • The work is fully referenced using a range of academic & non-traditional academic sources & adopting the Harvard format (see ilearn) M3   Assessment Criteria for Distinction To achieve a Distinction you have met all of the Pass and the Merit criteria. Each of the Distinction criteria must be met at least once within the assignment. The following statements are examples of how a Distinction may be achieved, if you do meet the Distinction Criteria by showing you have reached this level in other ways then credit will be awarded for this. You will need to meet D1,D2,D3 at least once. analysis, evaluation & synthesis will be evident at this level D1 - Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions • Critical & evaluative thinking has been used to generate and justify valid conclusions as in the limitations of market research, applicability of competitive forces factors, realistic proposals, etc for example - see the study skills guide on ilearn for more detail here D1 D2 - Take responsibility for managing and organising activities • autonomy/independence demonstrated for example in your research (with full referencing) in to the environment & key trends in Task Two • the assignment is completed fully to deadline • a wide range of resources have been used including academic sources such as e-texts & possibly journals/EBSCO resources in addition to general online resources D2 D3 - Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking • Ideas are evaluated for their validity & realism in the context of the organisation – do you research suggestions for example fit the needs of the organization? • capacity for innovation and creative thought has been used for example in generating pertinent & meaningful research questions D3