ARUBAV2MS23 Marketing Strategy Assignment Date for Submission: 18th April 2017 (13:59 BST)Page 2 of 7 Assignment Brief As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Marketing Strategy assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments. Learning Outcomes: After completing the module you should be able to: 1. Design and appraise relevant, marketing strategies for different competitive situations 2. Apply relevant models to undertake an internal and external analysis of the business environment. 3. Critically evaluate and propose improvements to the procedures by which organisations develop and sustain competitive advantage 4. Critically analyse the application of theoretical and conceptual models in the development of marketing strategies. Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and a word count; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in Arden University (AU) Harvard format. You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work. Maximum word count: 3000 words Please note that exceeding the word count will result in a reduction in grade proportionate to the number of words used in excess of the permitted limit.Page 3 of 7 Assignment Task Corporate Social Responsibility remains high on the agenda for many firms, partly due to the ongoing search for new sources of competitive advantage. With reference to the article below plus your own research respond the following tasks: Piercy, N., & Lane, N., 2009. 'Corporate social responsibility: impacts on strategic marketing and customer value' [online], Marketing Review, 9, 4, pp. 335-360, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, [Accessed 24th August 2016]. Task 1 (40%) Explain what is meant by the term 'corporate social responsibility' and critically evaluate the extent to which adopting such an approach can contribute to an organisation's strategic positioning and prove to be a source of competitive advantage in a crowded market place. You must use relevant examples in your response (you will also be required to go beyond the above articles to answer this effectively). (LO1/LO4) Task 2 (35%) Using a range of sources, conduct research into an organisation of your choice that you consider to require improvement in terms of its CSR profile, identifying both macro and micro environmental factors affecting the market currently. Following on from this, conclude with creative strategic recommendations you feel appropriate for organisation and its brands going forward in improving its competitive positioning utilising Porter's Generic Strategies model. (LO2/LO3) Task 3 (25%) Using examples from your industry research and appropriate referenced theory, critically analyse the value of relationship marketing to your chosen industry, concluding with an assessment as to the role ethics can play in building/maintaining relationships with customers. (LO1/LO4)Page 4 of 7 Formative Feedback You have the opportunity to submit a draft plan in order to receive formative feedback. The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner. Your work must be submitted to myself via email to [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the submission date. This is to allow time for you to reflect on the feedback and draft your final submission. Guidelines 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 AU Harvard system. The My Study Skills Area contains the following useful resources: Guide to Harvard Referencing http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Harvard_Quick_Ref_Guide.pdf Guide to Harvard Citation http://moodle.bl.rdi.co.uk/guides/HarvardRef/AU_Guide_to_Harvard_Citation.pdf You must use the AU Harvard Referencing method in your assignment.Page 5 of 7 Additional notes: Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment. The word count excludes the title page, executive summary, 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. See 'Word Count Policy' on the homepage of this module for more information. Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail. Your assessment should be submitted as a single Word (MS Word) or PDF file. For more information please see the "Guide to Submitting an Assignment" document available on the module page on iLearn. 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 on the homepage of your module and also in the Induction Area).Page 6 of 7 Assessment Criteria - Level 6 (Learning objectives covered - all)Page 7 of 7