Overview This assessment is designed to test the students’ ability to individually conduct an external analysis of an industry sector in a consumer or business market identifying marketing trends, opportunities and threats to effectively demonstrate their understanding of the market. The assessment will consist of a 1,000 word document and a 10 minute presentation. Note: Part A of this assessment task assures Course Learning Outcomes 3 and 5 as follows: Course Learning Outcome 3 Apply critical thinking and problem solving to make informed decisions to enterprise futures within global Business contexts, Course Learning Outcome 5 Identify discipline-appropriate cultural issues and make recommendations for improved Business practice. Details The assessment requires students to select an industry sector in a consumer or business market in Australia to use as the basis for a succinct external analysis. Students must rigorously research both markets before selecting their final choice. Examples of markets include: retail, telecommunications, information technology, foods, automotive, resource, aviation/aircrafts, logistics and distribution, fast moving consumer goods or “FMCG”, and services. The external analysis of the industry sector should cover the following: Customer analysis  How is the market segmented?  What is the customer motivation in this sector?  What are the unmet needs? Competitor analysis  Who are the competitors?  How do you evaluate the competitors? Market Analysis The market analysis consolidates the customer and competitor analysis and enables marketers to make informed strategic Judgments about the market and its dynamics.  Market growth  Actual and potential size  Trends and developments Key success factors  Market profitability  Distribution systems Environmental Analysis This involves a PESTEL analysis:  P-political forces  E-economic forces  S-social forces  T-technological forces  E-environmental forces  L-legal forces Corporate social responsibility This section should articulate students’ understanding and application of corporate social responsibility frameworks to their case. Emphasis of the PESTEL analysis should not be limited to outlining the above forces but should address the following general insights:  What impact do these forces have on trends and future events in the market?  Special emphasis should be placed on the impact of cultural forces in the context of your sector using Hofstede’s framework.  What threats and opportunities emerge from the analysis? The analysis should conclude by outlining and evaluating the key strategic questions that emerge from the analysis that are likely to impact on strategy going forward.