MMK751 Services Marketing Assessment Details Trimester 1, 2017 Assessment tasks Marks (%) 1. Written industry-based research report 4,000 (+/- 10%) words to be completed individually. Submit online in CloudDeakin via your Assignment Drop box by 11.59pm on Wednesday 3rd May (Week 8). 40 2. Final examination (two hours, closed-book) 60 Hurdle details: achieve at least 50% of the available marks on the examination. Learning Outcome Details Unit Learning Outcome (ULO): At the successful completion of this unit students can: This ULO relates to the following Deakin Graduate Learning Outcome/s (GLO/s): ULO1 Design marketing strategies that overcome the challenges associated with the generic differences between goods and services. GLO1: discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities; GLO4: Critical thinking; GLO5: Problem solving. ULO2 Critically evaluate the conceptual and theoretical foundations of frameworks and models within the services marketing arena. GLO1: discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities; GLO4: Critical thinking; GLO5: Problem solving. ULO3 Evaluate various options for the marketing and management of ‘real-world’ service organisations using both theoretical and practical approaches. GLO1: discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities; GLO4: Critical thinking; GLO5: Problem solving. 1. Written industry-based research report, to be completed individually (4,000 words, +/- 10%) Learning outcome details ULOs assessed Students are required to apply services marketing theory and frameworks to an organisation and its operating environment in order to overcome ‘real-world’ marketing problems (ULO1, ULO2, ULO3). GLOs assessed DGLO1: discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities; DGLO4: critical thinking; DGLO5: problem solving. The assessment requires students to identify the challenges faced by an organisation and create practical solutions to these challenges. You are required to choose a service organisation that you believe would benefit from initiating a relationship marketing programme and answer the four questions that appear below with respect to your chosen organisation. Please note that it is permissible to choose an organisation that has implemented a few relationship marketing initiatives, but not an organisation that has a fully developed relationship marketing programme. For example, all airlines have long-established relationship marketing programmes as do many larger hotels and the two major Australian supermarket chains, i.e., Coles and Woolworths. These organisations are not suitable for your assignment. 1) Identify the benefits that accrue to the organisation and its customers if a valued relationship is developed between the two parties. 2) What segment(s) should be targeted by the organisation for a relationship marketing programme? Justify your answer. In your discussion, explain why targeting the ‘right’ customers is imperative to the success of the relationship marketing programme. 3) Suggest ways in which management may encourage long-term profitable relationships with the segment(s) that you recommend. 4) Marketing metrics are numeric data that allow marketers to evaluate their performance against organisational goals. How would you use marketing metrics to determine if the strategies that you identify in your answer to 3) were successful? IMPORTANT: Aside from reading the information pertaining to the assignment in this document, please listen to the assignment podcast available by week 4. Write your assignment as though you are a paid marketing consultant writing a ‘business report’ for the management (e.g., marketing manager, CEO, managing director) of your chosen organisation. Decide on a company name and logo for your marketing consultancy practice; both should be included in your report, i.e., on the front cover of your report and in the document header. The organisation that you choose to analyse in your report may be located in Australia or overseas, however it is VITAL that you have a very THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING of your chosen organisation for this assignment. You may wish to visit the organisation to observe how the business is run or to collect information; this will not be possible, of course, if the business is located overseas. Please clearly identify any relationship marketing tactics that your chosen organisation currently employs in your answer to question 3). If you recommend that management make changes to existing relationship marketing tactics, please provide a strong justification. It is acceptable for you to make ‘sensible’ assumptions about your chosen service organisation. However, it is important that you use supporting evidence (if it is publicly available) or make inferences from your analysis of the organisation’s marketing materials. Research paper assessment criteria The final mark allocated will be based on the criteria outlined in the Assignment Rubric (see Assessment folder in CloudDeakin). Please note that assignments will be marked out of 100 and then re-scaled to 40. Assignment structure Your report should include an executive summary, contents page, introduction, body (addressing all four assignment questions), conclusion and a list of references. Please note that an executive summary is meant to be an overview of your entire paper. It requires explicit detail, particularly in relation to your recommendations. Your executive summary should appear on a separate page. For a good description as to what is required in an executive summary, please access the following web address (http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4bi.html). A good introduction will be short and will help guide the reader. It should include: • The purpose of the report; • What the report will cover. Otherwise your marker will not be able to ascertain whether you have talked about it meaningfully. If applicable, also indicate what you are not going to cover in your report; and • Background information that will assist the marker in understanding the contents of the report. Your final paragraph should contain the conclusions that you draw from the information presented in the body of your report. Conclusions should be briefly but firmly stated. You should not introduce new information in your conclusion paragraph. You are strongly encouraged to use headings and sub-headings to give your report structure. Should you wish to attach any additional information to your report (e.g., a brochure), label this information Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Appendix 3, etc. and give each appendix a title, e.g. Appendix 1: Dreamworld Revenue 2011-2015. Each appendix must be referred to by number in the body of your report and described briefly. Research Sources A minimum of ten relevant references are required (ALL of which should be cited within the body of your report). Use a range of sources, e.g., journal articles, text books, web sites, business magazines, etc., however, your emphasis should be on citing journal articles. Please use the Harvard referencing system which can be accessed at the following web site (http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/referencing/harvard). A blend of relevant services marketing theory and practical advice for management is required to score a high mark for this assignment. Font and line spacing With regard to the text used in your paper, please use a standard font (such as Times New Roman or Arial Narrow), at 12-point, with 1.5 minimum spacing between lines, to enhance the legibility for markers. Word limit Your report should comprise 4,000 words +/- 10%. In fairness to all students, papers that exceed this word limit will not be marked. The word limit is assessed using the Microsoft Word counter, i.e., Word is the judge. While the word limit as computed by Word includes text and all tables and figures (graphs, charts, etc.) and any appendices written using Word, it should exclude the front cover page, executive summary, contents page, and reference list. Please include the word count on the front cover page of your assignment. Submission Procedure ALL assignments must be submitted online in CloudDeakin via your Assignment Drop box by 11.59pm on Wednesday 3rd May (Week 8). Additional material that you may deem important such as a brochure or other advertising material should be scanned and embedded into the research paper. Please submit one Word (not PDF) file only. Do not use different files for your appendices and list of references. Please retain duplicates of all material submitted. All research papers should be submitted via the CloudDeakin Assignment drop box, only (not by paper copies, and not by email, etc.). Written assignments must be assessed by students independently of the lecturer via Turnitin. Please do not leave this to the last minute as you must report the similarity index on the Assignment cover sheet. Turnitin checks that you have not unwittingly used the work of others’ (i.e., academic and trade authors, etc.). There are penalties for plagiarism at this university that are described in the MMK751 unit guide and on CloudDeakin. Make sure all quotations are in inverted commas and referenced correctly. To check your work for plagiarism, please use the “Check your Draft Drop box” folder. Once you have done this, please upload the final version of your assignment to the “Assignment” folder. Please note that the Turnitin link IS NOT a substitute for submission. Please name your assignment file as follows: MMK751-Surname-First Name-ID Number. Please include the following details on your assignment cover page: • The name of your Marketing Consultancy Firm and the logo that you have created for your firm; • The name of your chosen service organisation; • Word Count; and • Turnitin Similarity Index. You DO NOT need to use an official Deakin University assignment cover sheet. Penalties for late submission of assessment task A due date and time will be set for the submission of each summative assessment task. A marking penalty will be applied where the assessment task is submitted after the due date without an approved extension as follows: • 5% will be deducted from available marks for each day up to five days • Where work is submitted more than five days after the due date, the task will not be marked and the student will receive 0% for the task. “Day” means working day for paper submissions and calendar day for electronic submissions. The Unit Chair may refuse to accept a late submission where it is unreasonable or impracticable to assess the task after the due date. 2. Final examination The final examination will consist of a two-hour unseen written examination under ‘closed book’ conditions. The final exam is worth 60% of your final mark in this unit. Further details will be given in lectures. Hurdle requirement Students must obtain at least 50% of the available marks in the examination in order to qualify for a passing grade.