Unit: Marketing in Business Assignment title: Highbury English Language School June 2017 Important notes  Please refer to the Assignment Presentation Requirements for advice on how to set out your assignment. These can be found on the NCC Education website. Click on ‘Policies & Advice’ on the main menu and then click on ‘Student Support’.  You must read the NCC Education documents What is Academic Misconduct? Guidance for Candidates and Avoiding Plagiarism and Collusion: Guidance for Candidates and ensure that you acknowledge all the sources that you use in your work. These documents are available on the NCC Education website. Click on ‘Policies & Advice’ on the main menu and then click on ‘Student Support’.  You must complete the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work. The form is available on the NCC Education website. Click on ‘Policies & Advice’ on the main menu and then click on ‘Student Support’.  Please make a note of the recommended word count. You could lose marks if you write 10% more or less than this.  You must submit a paper copy and digital copy (on disk or similarly acceptable medium). Media containing viruses, or media that cannot be run directly, will result in a fail grade being awarded for this assessment.  All electronic media will be checked for plagiarism.Page 2 of 4 Marketing in Business © NCC Education Limited 2017 Introduction Highbury English Language School is a small business, located in north London. It has been operating for eight years and is owned by husband and wife Kevin and Jill Watts. Kevin manages the business, taking care of operations, finance and marketing. Jill is a qualified and experienced English language teacher who delivers most of the teaching in the school, with some classroom assistance from Kevin. Scenario The business has been trading well since it started, making a very good profit by delivering intensive business English courses to visiting Japanese executives at the nearby Mazubishi car plant. Kevin was a senior executive at the plant but took early retirement to start the language school with his wife. He maintained good relationships with the managers at the car plant, and used these to land the contract to deliver on-site English language courses. Delivering classes on-site was a real benefit for the Highbury School as it meant they did not need to invest in buying or leasing teaching accommodation. However, Mazubishi has recently decided to change the way it develops English language competency for its senior executives, preferring them to attend classes in Japan. There is no issue with the quality of the classes delivered by the Highbury School, as these are always very highly regarded by its students. However, Mazubishi wishes to standardise course content and teaching methods delivered to all staff before they are posted to any of their manufacturing plants around the world. The company has therefore decided not to renew the contract with Highbury English Language School, when it expires in nine months. As Kevin is in charge of marketing, he realises he has nine months to devise a plan to save the business. Losing the Mazubishi contract can be viewed as both an opportunity and a threat so he needs to take stock of his current situation and consider his options. Some of his immediate thoughts include:  Highbury English Language School has an excellent reputation for quality, albeit with just the one client. There are also both advantages and disadvantages to being a small, family business.  Should he try to find new customers for his existing courses, delivered in the same way, given that there is high demand for business English courses in the large number of overseas businesses present within his daily travelling distance?  Should he consider looking for new markets, diversifying from business English courses to different segments, such as foreign school visits, or intensive courses for foreign students seeking to enrol in higher education in the UK?  If he seeks new markets or develops new products, can he run a language school which does not own its own teaching site? Should he consider buying or renting a property? The business has healthy financial reserves but does not have the capital to purchase property without committing to a sizeable mortgage.  Should he look for a collaborative arrangement with another organisation? This could involve promoting intensive English language courses to the large number of overseas football fans who travel to London, or working with London’s tourism organisations to seek other opportunities.Page 3 of 4 Marketing in Business © NCC Education Limited 2017 Kevin has recruited you, as a business marketing expert, to act in an advisory role as he seeks to establish new opportunities for Highbury English Language School. Task 1 – 20 Marks a) Consider the current situation at Highbury English Language School, with particular reference to the business’s strengths and weaknesses. The loss of the Mazubishi contract is clearly a threat to his business, but how could it be seen as an opportunity? (8 marks) b) Explaining any assumptions you make, use the PESTLE model to summarise and evaluate the main factors which Kevin should consider when formulating his marketing plan. (12 marks) Task 2 – 35 Marks a) Addressing each section of Ansoff’s Matrix, discuss the options open to Highbury English Language School. (8 marks) b) Identify what you think are the business’ brand attributes and discuss whether Highbury English Language School should build on existing brand strengths or create a new brand proposition if it is to succeed in any proposed marketing plan. (13 marks) c) Using the services marketing mix as a framework, summarise the key issues the business needs to address in order to meet the opportunities and threats you have already identified. (14 marks) Task 3 – 20 Marks Discuss the range of marketing research techniques which need to be applied to support your discussion from the first two tasks.  In doing so you should summarise which sources of secondary research would inform your situation analysis, both internal and external to the business, and how and why they should be used. (10 marks)  You should also recommend the most appropriate methods of primary research to supplement any existing, secondary data, and how these might be conducted (by Kevin and Jill or by use of third party services). (10 marks) Task 4 – 5 Marks Highbury English Language School is clearly familiar with dealing with Japanese clientele, but if the business is to attract other foreign customers it must consider cultural differences in the way products and services are promoted and delivered. Describe the first FOUR (4) of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and use the model to illustrate any key differences between the Japanese market and others which might be attractive to the School.Page 4 of 4 Marketing in Business © NCC Education Limited 2017 Task 5 – 15 Marks  Explain the importance of segmentation, targeting and positioning, with reference to information provided in the case study. (3 marks)  With this in mind, summarise the range of communication methods which might most effectively promote the Highbury English Language School’s new strategy. (12 marks) Task 6 – 5 Marks Be sure to format and present your submitted assignment correctly. This includes checking the references you have used, as well as your spelling and grammar, before submitting your work. Guidance Consult with your tutor if you are uncertain about any aspect of this assignment. Please note that this is a fictional company. Submission requirements Answers should be presented in a clear and professional manner, ideally in a business report format, as stated in the assignment. The word count for your report is 4000 words. Candidate checklist Please use the following checklist to ensure that your work is ready for submission. Have you read the NCC Education documents What is Academic Misconduct? Guidance for Candidates and Avoiding Plagiarism and Collusion: Guidance for Candidates and ensured that you have acknowledged all the sources that you have used in your work?  Have you completed the Statement and Confirmation of Own Work form and attached it to your assignment? You must do this.  Have you ensured that your work has not gone over or under the recommended word count by more than 10%?  Have you ensured that your work does not contain viruses and can be run directly? 