Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 1 Guide to Assessment Task 1: Situation Analysis This task represents the first of two linked tasks that examine a particular company’s current situation and which leads to recommendations for that company’s future. In this first task the Situation Analysis sets up the SWOT analysis (by examining the macro-environment, competitors and the company itself) which will guide decisions regarding an appropriate marketing mix in the following assignment task. Context for your Situation Analysis (your point 2.0) This starts from the beginning and looks outward from the company into the environment it operates in. In this paper you will provide a Situation Analysis for an organisation selling either: OR OR Identify a leading brand in one of the product categories above. Here’s how to go about it The first step with this task is to make yourself familiar with your brand’s latest Annual Report. Get a solid picture of how they’ve been travelling over the past year or so. At the same time, you can be starting your analysis of the current environment they’re operating in. Begin your plan with the external environment: Situation Analysis % of overall assessment 25% Word count (approx.) 1500 Learning outcomes addressed K3, S1, S4, A1, A2 Due date Monday Wk 5 Runners Toothpaste ChocolateGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 2 2.0 Situation Analysis This is where you will introduce the Situation Analysis. Discuss the purpose for it and bring in some of your secondary research skills. Introduce the two sections to follow. 2.1 External Analysis In this section you will analyse the current situation of the organisation using a macro-environmental sweep to identify current trends that will impact either positively or negatively on your company’s operations. 2.1.1 Macro (remote)-environmental trends This will take most of your word count and will be where most of your effort lies. Don’t underestimate how much time will be required for this. Referring to each of the 6 components of the macro-environment, identify how each one will impact upon your product’s target market or marketing-mix (e.g. what will the current falling Australian dollar mean for your pricing strategy? How will the changing demographic environment impact on how you will communicate with your target audience? Where you need to make your product available?). While you should use actual statistics to support your analysis (e.g. the Australian Bureau of Statistics at http://www.abs.gov.au/ will help you with your demographic analysis), your emphasis should be on marketing theory and illustrating your ability to identify how each component affects your product/marketing mix. This section should include subheadings that are based on the following elements that are to be included in your report: 2.1 External Environment 2.1.1 Macro-environmental Trends 2.1.2 Competitor Analysis 2.2 Internal Environment 2.2.1 Evaluation of the Company’s Internal Capabilities and Core Competencies See Lecture 4 This is the environment you are looking at. Check out pp. 98-117 The basis of your discussion should come from your prescribed text and other relevant marketing texts. This means you will need to relate issues you take from the Hint: refer to Chapter 4 of your textbookGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 3 case back to relevant marketing theory. Because this assignment is due in week 5 it is highly likely that many of the problems or opportunities you see facing your company will not have been covered yet in your reading. In this situation you will need to draw on your knowledge from previous marketing units to help you interpret the nature of the problem/opportunity. This is how to structure your paper: Title Page Table of Contents Executive Summary 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Situation Analysis 2.1 External 2.1.1 Macroenvironmental Trends 2.1.2 Competitor Analysis 2.2 Internal 2.2.1 Evaluation of the Company’s Internal Capabilities and Core Competencies 3.0 Conclusion Reference List Appendix (if appropriate) You do not have to allocate equal levels of discussion to all six environments. You’ll be able to evaluate where the emphasis lies for your product category/industry. You could use a simple table format like this: Macroenvironmental Factors Issue Opportunity or Threat identification Information Source Political/Legal Economic Social Technological Culture DemographicsGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 4 The following example does not include whether the information presents a threat or an opportunity (which I’d like you to do) and it examines the natural environment, whereas I’d like you to look at Demographic and Cultural as per your textbook. The information you gather tells you how attractive this industry is right now. It enables you to identify opportunities or threats in the macro environment and so guides your decision making. The following is an alternative format for presenting the same information; this one examining the macro environment for the airline industry (the company is Virgin Airlines).Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 5 Political environment •Strict government regulations restrict competitive strategies available to Virgin Australia. The Civil Aviation Act 1988 (Cth) limits domestic routes to airline operators with at least 51% Australian ownership and enforces strict conditions for employees and maintenance. The political environment creates significant difficulty for Virgin Australia to achieve cost-efficiencies because the company is unable restructure the organisation with cheaper offshore maintenance and employees. Also, access to necessary capital resources for growth is largely restricted by legislation. Further deregulation of the domestic industry has the potential to improve cost-efficiencies and differentiation opportunities, but may result in new entrants in the industy. Economic environment •Both the market and the industry are only recently starting to recover from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) (Mann, 2009). National and global economic changes impact both customer spending and access to capital required for growth and differentiation (Mann, 2009). •For the 2011-2012 financial year, there was only a 5% and 4% increase in disposable income for low and middle income households respectively (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). For high income earners there was no significant change. For Virgin Australia, this means that there is unlikely to be an increase in leisure travel and that leisure consumers will likely continue to seek cost efficiencies. Socio-cultural environment •Air travel has a growth rate of approximately 6% over the past 50 years (Kroesen, 2013) with an expectation from aircraft manufacturers that the market will double in size by 2030 (Airbus, 2010, as cited in Kroesen, 2013). •Consumer expectations are increasing. Consumers expect more reliable and user-friendly services, yet they are often dissatisfied with airlines (Clayton & Hilz, 2015). •This expected increase in cost-conscious consumers with high expectations creates the need for Virgin Australia to adopt strategies that predict socio-cultural trends and deliver services that satisfy ever-changing needs. Technological environment •Introduction of the internet and online booking systems, has allowed for easier price and service comparison (Granados, Kauffman, Lai, & Lin, 2011). Customers further expect lower prices online because operating costs are lower (Chiam, Soutar, & Yeo, 2009). Internet sales has been a key factor in the need for airlines to adopt low-cost strategies (Joo & Fowler, 2014). •Technology developments enables organisations to track and better customise services to the individual, rather than just to a market segment (Razak & Lilias, 2011). Early adoption of the right technology has the potential to improve differentiation and attract customers. Natural environment •Between 1990 and 2002, greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft rose by almost 70% (Capoccitti, Khare, & Mildenberger, 2010). Environmental impact presents a significant threat to the airline industry and consumers, with air travel only expected to increase (Capoccitti et al., 2010) •Multinational airlines face increasing criticism over the negative environmental impact associated with the industry (Kolk, 2003). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) project that air travel could account for up to 15% of global warming (from human activities) by the year 2050 (GLOBE-Net, 2007, as cited in Capoccitti et al., 2010). In light of this, environment regulations are likely to become stricter. •This increased environmental awareness and pressure creates the need for airline to develop proactive, preventative strategies to reduce their environmental impact.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 6 Remember – this is a current situation – so all information must apply to the current environment – not the environment 5 years ago. That’s no longer relevant to your decision making. Once you have a good understanding of the environment your company is operating is, turn your attention to its direct competitors. Start thinking about what the competitive situation is and what that could mean for your company. 2.1.2 Competitor Analysis (e.g. who they are, who their customers are, what their strengths and weaknesses are) Identify two direct competitors for your brand. For example, if your company was a coffee manufacturer such as Nescafe, your direct competitors may be companies such as Moccona and Folgers. If your company was Virgin airlines, your direct competitors will be Qantas and Singapore Airlines. Identify the two dimensions that you think customers make their purchase decisions on (you’ll see price and quality used regularly here – try and think of two other important dimensions), and create a perceptual map showing where you think you are all positioned in your customers’ minds. Here’s an example of what that could look like in the economy hotel industry using price and quality dimensions: Figure 4: Positioning of Australian Economy Hotel main competitors Sources: Best Western Australia, 2014; Mantra Group, 2014; Accor Hotel, 2014Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 7 2.2 Internal Analysis 2.2.1 Company (e.g. what are the organisation’s current capabilities and core competencies in terms of marketing strategies, financial performance, human resource management, including the company's objectives in terms of profit and sales/market share etc.) See Lecture 4 The company’s competencies are specific to it and consist of resources and capabilities. You’ll be able to find this information in an Annual Report. Competencies are critical to creating competitive advantage. What does your company do well? You will be able to identify strengths and weakness here. You’ll need to think about how to leverage the strengths and minimise the weaknesses when you consider your marketing strategy for the next assignment. Now that you have a clear picture of the environment your company is operating in, who its main competitors are and its current capabilities and core competencies, you are in a strong position to start thinking about who to target your product to and how to position it best for competitive advantage. That’s the next assignment! This next information will help you in constructing your first paper in marketing. Your paper will be presented in report format – but remember what you’re creating is a Marketing Plan – it’s not a report. So don’t refer to it as a report.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 8 Report presentation The following gives you guidance on how this marketing plan should be presented (in general report format). It comprises two main sections: front matter and end matter. Front & End Matter Front matter comprises the Title Page, Executive Summary and the Table of Contents. Numbering your pages. The front matter will be numbered using Roman numerals and the remaining pages will be numbered using Arabic numbers. It can be tricky if you haven't done it before, but just follow the steps below or, for the visual amongst us... You Tube instructions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6xOMmq1W_A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1WtKR6FDM4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bbo0MKsTJ8 (Mac) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2zrDKkha1Y 1. From your Table of Contents page go to Header/Footer View 2. Click to go into the footer 3. From your Header/Footer tool bar, click "Format Page Number" icon (you can see what each icon does what by hovering your mouse over each) 4. Where it says "Number format:" click the arrow and select the lower case roman numerals (standard for TOC page numbering) 5. At the bottom of that window where it says "Start at", click the arrows to start at one (i) 6. Click the "Insert Page Number" icon in the header/footer toolbar. Your page number will appear. Center it if that's where you want the number 7. Click "OK". That takes care of the TOC. Now for the rest of the document and a change in page numbering: 8. At the last page of your Table of Contents, remove the page break if you have one. (Don’t worry) 9. From the "Insert" dropdown menu, click "Break" and then "next page". That will insert a Section Break. You need this in order to have alternate page numbering (Roman numerals in the first section and Arabic in the second section) 10. Get into Header/Footer view.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 9 11. Click to go to the Footer 12. In the Footer of this section you will see the words "Same as Previous". You will need to change that because you are changing your page numbering. You need to click the "Link to previous" icon from your Header/Footer tool bar. (Again, hover your mouse over the icons to find it.) This step unlinks you from the previous section with the Roman numeral numbering. 13. Follow steps 3-7 above (only be sure to change your number format to Arabic and "start at" 1. Title Page The title should be brief but descriptive of the project. Never write “assignment 1” Always give a suitable title to a report. Many students overlook the importance of a properly constructed Title Page. What is an appropriate title? Well, it’s certainly not “Assignment 1”, nor is it “A Report Forming the First Phase of a Marketing Plan.” I’ve seen both of these, believe it or not. An example of an appropriate title would be “BOOST Manufacturing Marketing Plan 2010/2011.” I’d like to see seven components on this page: Title of the Assignment Department/School Your name & student number Word count Name of your lecturer Due date Name of the course and course code You will lose marks if it doesn’t contain all 7 components. Table of Contents The table of contents follows the Title Page on a new page. It states the pages for various sections. The reader receives a clear orientation to the report as the table of contents lists all the headings and sub-headings in the report. These headings and sub-headings should be descriptive of the content they relate to (see section 3 of this handbook). These are frequently incorrectly set out and wrongly numbered, so I thought I should make a couple of notes here for you to refer to as you’re setting this up. As a rule of thumb, your Introduction is always point one, page one. Anything that comes before the Introduction (known as ‘front matter’) is numbered using Roman numerals rather than the Arabic: e.g.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 10 Table of Contents Page No. List of Figures……………………………………………………………………i List of Tables…………………………………………………………………….ii (only if you have any!) Executive Summary……………………………………………………………iii 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………….....1 2. Macro environmental Trends...............................................................1 2.1 Economic environment................................................................2 2.2 Technological environment.........................................................2 2.3 Political and Legal environment.................................................3 and so on for all of the macro elements 4. Conclusion..............................................................................................15 Reference List..............................................................................................16 A large number of students don’t seem to realise that References and Appendices do not need to be numbered in the Table of Contents. Nor are they numbered (in the sense of your on-going numbering system) in the Appendix. You just refer to them as Appendix 1, Appendix 2 and so on. The last number in sequence on your T of C is the Conclusion. Like this: 4. Conclusion...................................................................................................15 Reference List...................................................................................................16 Appendices........................................................................................................17 Appendix 1 (Title) ..................................................................................19 Appendix 2 (Title)...................................................................................20 By the way, front matter and end matter (end matter is anything that comes after your Conclusion such as Reference List and Appendices) are not part of your word count. I consider everything from Introduction to Conclusion to comprise your word count. Make sure you supply this count on your Title Page. If you exceed the limit by more than 10% a penalty will be applied, as it will for submitting work 10% under the word count. Yes, I know maintaining the word count is not easy, but it helps you to write more succinctly. Be ruthless when it comes to editing your work! You will improve with practice. Figures and Tables There’s a rule here you need to be aware of. Include List of Figures and Tables only if you include them in the body of your work. BTW: you don’t reproduce them here – it’s only a LIST!Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 11 The rule is, if there are less than 6 in the list they go on the same page as the Table of Contents, underneath the last item (which may be your Reference List or it may be any appendices you’re including). If there are six or more, they are listed separately on the next page (which would become iv). I’ve appended an example for you because it seems that nobody ever gives you these details. The parentheses: Writing Introductions and Conclusions I’ve always seen Introductions and Conclusions as the brackets around the report. They kind of embrace the real meat in the middle, don’t you think? I know some of you struggle with these small but critical sections in reports, so here are my thoughts. Introductions You should keep this to about 100 words (no more), so don’t waffle – be precise. Tell the reader what’s to come in the body of the report. In the Introduction you should tell the reader why you’re writing it: and, no, it’s not because “it’s for an assignment.” The introduction sets the stage for the reader. It gives the context for the report and generates the reader’s interest. It orients the reader to the purpose of the report and gives them a clear indication of what they can expect. The introduction should: • briefly describe the context • identify the general subject matter • describe the issue or problem to be reported on • state the specific questions the report answers • outline the scope of the report (extent of investigation) • preview the report structure • comment on the limitations of the report and any assumptions made. (Adapted from Emerson, 1995, p. 35) What is a figure? …a chart, photograph, drawing, diagram, illustration or other nontext depiction)Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 12 Here’s an example of a reasonably good Introduction (61 words) Shine Travel Management is an Australian-based and owned travel agency providing “innovative and cost-effective travel management solutions” to corporate consumers. Shine’s core business services include bookings and ticketing, provision of travel advice, travel management data and logistics and various related ancillary services to customers. This Situation Analysis examines Shine’s current operating environment as part of the development of a long-term marketing strategy. Here’s an example of a poor Introduction For over 45 years, Hilton Hotels still maintains its leading position as the world’s top hotel and market leader within Europe. Perhaps the bedrock of their success relies heavily on the strategies that Hilton manager peruse, as specific actions can have a major impact on organisational performance relative to its competitors (Emanoil, & Nicoleta, 2013). Such actions may include the assessment of a situational analysis. Moreover, the external and internal environment contain influential sectors that has the potential to either; impact the development of strategic management practices or alternatively, provide intelligence for Accor to use in strategy formation and implantation (Belch, Belch, Kerr, & Powell, 2009). The application of effective marketing strategies; such as a situational analysis, can therefore direct organisational efforts, maximises company performance and consequently influence organisational prosperity or solvency (Emanoil., et al 2013). A situation analysis will therefore be undertaken contrasting against Hilton Hotels. The goal is to identify and understand the company’s specific design and implementation of innovative business strategies that assist them to sustain a competitive advantage achieve organisational objectives or potentially highlight areas for development. Furthermore, the investigation seeks to identify and discuss major and minor issues that the industry is currently presented with. An observation into probable impacts will also be explored where we will then offer alternative solutions to avoid potential impact. The investigation will draw upon marketing models and principals to present the overall situation analysis report. Ultimately the core of this investigation is to highlight how all strategic leaders can manage the strategy-making process by formulating, implementation and monitoring strategies that enable them to achieve a competitive advantage and superior performance (Emanoil., et al 2013). I hope you can see the difference… I could write a page discussing the problems here (including the spelling mistakes that could have been easily picked up by a simple spell check). I hope you could, too. I would have given this about 4/10. And that’s on the generous side. Monash has a couple of good examples you can check out to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of Introductions: http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/business-economics/marketing/2.2.2.xml Your next point (2.0 Situation Analysis) should start immediately after your Introduction, not on a separate page.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 13 Conclusions A business report usually needs both conclusions and recommendations. The difference between conclusions and recommendations in a report lies in the orientation to time. Conclusions typically relate to the present or past situation, while the recommendations belong in the future; but you’ll need to be more aware of that in your third paper than this one, which doesn’t make any recommendations. Here’s an example of a good Conclusion (95 words) As evidenced, the media industry has undergone substantial change in recent years, with continual technological advancements, changing consumer trends and the increasing need for a 24 hour newsroom. Fairfax Media has had to implement a number of substantial changes to the organisation and the way in which the company operates and delivers news to consumers. The format of the news is now digital, resulting in all industry players having to adapt. Despite the changing nature of the industry, Fairfax Media has made significant changes and managed to keep its competitiveness in an increasingly competitive industry. Here’s an example of a poor Conclusion As the media industry becomes more and more online focussed, the print media industry will find it more and more difficult to compete. Therefore, Fairfax Media have many ongoing challenges that they need to think about - how they can contribute to this phenomenon in order to ensure growth. I hope you can see the differences… if not, you may like to lead a discussion on the Moodle site about what constitutes useful and meaningful Introductions and Conclusions. Completing your report Use the Grewal et al. text to leap into the literature from. In other words, I’d like to see you reference the marketing tools you’re using to analyse the situation from the text, but also deepen your understanding of their use through extant literature. Reference List (not included in word count) When writing conclusions: • interpret and summarise the findings; say what they mean • relate the conclusions to the report issue/problem • limit the conclusions to the data presented; do not introduce new material • number the conclusions and present them in parallel form • be objective: avoid exaggerating or manipulating the data. (Guffey, Rhodes & Rogin, 2001, p. 391) Never start a sentence with a figure. Write the word if it begins the sentence: e.g. Not: 6 years after they entered… But: Six years after they entered…Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 14 In the course of analysing your company’s situation, you should have drawn extensively from marketing theory. This means that you will, therefore, need to provide a reference list, detailing the various sources you drew on. The last section of your assignment is the Reference List. As usual, you will use the APA referencing style for both of your assignments and you will find all information needed on the Moodle site. Note you’ll need to reference the Grewal et al. textbook for this study. See Referencing Guide on Moodle Don’t forget that we need to be able to access everything you reference. A reference list is a guide for people to show how you accessed the information contained in the body of your work. It shows them where to go to find the same information you did. I am expecting a list of at least 10 articles to have been consulted for this paper so you can demonstrate your ability to search the literature and synthesise your readings into coherent analyses. I don’t expect to see a list of marketing texts. PLEASE DO NOT USE ‘WIKIPEDIA’ AS AN ACADEMIC REFERENCE. IT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THIS PURPOSE. Having said that – here’s the caveat. Wikipedia can be a very useful signpost to some very relevant and applicable scholarly articles. Go to the bottom of any Wikipedia page and you’ll see a list of references from which the information on the page was derived. Some of these may lead you to perfectly acceptable published academic sources for this paper. Check it out. My little foibles Please don’t use quotes without indicating/discussing their value to your paper. For example, I have read a draft assignment in the past that stated at the end of a paragraph: “People’s motivational levels are viewed as a function of their work environment” (Futrell, 2001, p. 278) – no comment – no contextual discussion – just the quote. Please don’t just drop quotes all over the place and think that’s OK. If you absolutely must, then do quote an author, but support the quote with some comment concerning its relevance to your argument/ideas. In fact, I’d really much prefer you to minimise quotes and to learn to paraphrase. Please don’t use ‘utilise.’ I find it pretentious. ‘Use’ will do perfectly well… Executive Summary Executive Summary is not part of the word count An effective executive summary should consider your audience and give the reader a quick summary/overview of the report’s content. All papers must be posted to Moodle accompanied by a Turnitin reportGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 15 Placement While the Executive Summary is placed at the beginning of your plan (after the Table of Contents – although this is always contentious. Make sure you know where your very own academic wants it placed. This really is variable), it typically serves as a summary for upper level managers that lack the time to read the full report (hence its name). As such, you should write it in much the same way you would write a conclusion, except that rather than being placed at the end of your report it will be placed at the beginning. Writing an Executive Summary You will write this section of your report last. The purpose of an executive summary: An executive summary is designed to provide the reader with a brief and concise overview of the key points raised in your report. In other words, it consolidates the main points that you have outlined/discussed in detail in your actual report. It is a critical component of your report, in that busy CEOs often only get time to read this section. Therefore you need to provide all the information that they may need/want to understand what you are discussing. Good executive summaries not only contain the main points raised in the report, but also key pieces of evidence to support any arguments being made. They also outline any key recommendations. Structure of an executive summary: You will begin the executive summary with a brief opening statement that provides the reader with the context for your report (i.e. a statement introducing the company and outlining the purpose of your report). Generally, the content of an executive summary is organised to flow in the same order as that which is presented in your actual report. As such, you will need to provide a concise summary of each section your report. To do this well, you will need to think about which facts are most important for a busy CEO to know. This will vary from situation to situation. So read through each section of your report and highlight the key points and any critical pieces of evidence that support any arguments that you have made. The length of the executive summary is generally proportional to the length of the actual report. In this instance, you should not exceed one A4 page. As such, you should aim to summarise the information from each section of the report into a couple of very concise sentences. Remember, you only summarise the most significant/important points and any critical evidence to support any arguments that you have made. Remember also, you do not introduce any new information in an executive summary. It should only contain information that has been outlined/discussed in your actual report.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 16 Hints to making an executive summary read well: Once you have got all the facts into your executive summary, it is time to start editing. You need to get this summary as short and concise and interesting as possible. This does take time!! It is important that you leave yourself time to revisit your executive summary. Often when you reread your work after a short break of a day or so, you will find that some sentences don’t make much sense or you’ll see that you’ve left out key pieces of information. Remember to proofread your work!! Look at your sentence structure, the flow of information, as well as the grammar and spelling. One of the things I hate to see most in an ES is a cut and paste from the report. That spells pure laziness to me. Ways to check if you have written a good executive summary: Test it out: Ask someone you know and trust with your work to read your executive summary and then tell you what they understand about your report. Now assess each of the following points: • Did they explain the purpose of your report accurately? • Can they outline the key facts from each section of your report? • Can they describe your overall situation If the answer to any of these questions is “No”, then you really need to review what you have written. Double-check: Read your executive summary out to yourself. As you do so, ask yourself these questions. • Do you have trouble reading the sentences? • Do the sentences flow clearly or do they ramble? • Is there a logical sequence to the information? • Do you need to include commas to help the sentences flow well? Your goal is to write an executive summary that is logical, clear and interesting, and helps build your trust and credibility with your audience. If you want to have a look at some examples of good and the bad, check here. http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4bi1.html I actually like the example of the good ES but, all too often, I see the poor example. I have lost track of the times I’ve written “this reads more like an Introduction than an Executive The major points of an ES: A summary of the report’s main conclusions and justification for any recommendations An explanation of the problem studied A summary of the process used to examine the problem An outline of the recommendations or decisionsGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 17 Summary” – which is exactly what the poor example looks like. I’d love not to have to write that this semester. If you need any more help, don’t forget we’re only a text, call or email away. Kind regards, Rowan Here’s where the marks are! SITUATION ANALYSIS Introduction 5% External Environment Macroenvironmental Trends 40% Competitor Analysis 20% Internal Environment Capabilities 20% Referencing 5% Presentation 5% Conclusion 5%Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 18 Appendix 1: Example of a Table of Contents including 6 or more Figures and Tables: Table of Contents where there is a list of more than six figures and tables. In this case, you can see the list has been placed on the next page and is numbered iii, and the Executive Summary (therefore) becomes page number iv. Table of Contents List of Figures……………………………………………………………………..iii List of Tables……………………………………………………………………...iii Executive Summary……………………………………………………………….iv 1 Statement of Level of Analysis………………………………………………….1 2 Situation Analysis………………………………………………………………..1 2.1 External Analysis 2.1.1 Market/Industry Analysis………………………………….…4 2.1.2 Marco Environment…………………………………….…….5 2.1.3 Competitor Analysis………………………………………….7 2.2 Critical success factors…………………………………………………7 3 Internal Environment……………………………………………………………..8 3.1 Internal Capabilities and Core Competencies………………………….9 3.2 STDP Evaluation……………………………………………………….10 3.2.1 Segmentation of Grand Mercure 3.2.2 Targeting 3.2.3 Positioning 3.3 Financial Evaluation…………………………………………….………11 4 Conclusion……………………….……………………………………………..…12 Reference List………………………………………………………………….........13 Appendices……………………………………………………………………….….14 iiGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 19 List of Figures Figure 1: Global Lodging Industry Life Cycle……………………………….………..1 Figure 2: Industry growth characteristics……………………………………………...2 Figure 3: Industry Growth Strategies………………………………………………….3 Figure 4: Micro-environment impacts on the Lodging Industry…………...….………5 Figure 5: Market Segmentation of Grand Mercure……………..………………….…..9 List of Tables Table 1: Porter’s 5 forces Model on global lodging industry …………………….…...4 Table 2: Grand Mercure main competitors, competitive positions and strategies…..…6 Table 3: Hilton’s internal capabilities…………………………………………………..8 Table 4: Grand Mercure consumers’ characteristics for each group brand………...…..9 Table 5: Accor Financial Ratio Analysis……………………………………………….11 iiiGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 20 Appendix 2: Example of a Table of Contents including less than 6 Figures and Tables: Table of Contents where there is a list of more than six figures and tables. In this case, you can see the list has been placed on the next page and is numbered iii, and the Executive Summary (therefore) becomes page number iv. Table of Contents List of Figures……………………………………………………………….….…..ii List of Tables……………………………………………………………….…….....ii Executive Summary……………………………………………………………..….iii 1 Statement of Level of Analysis……………………………………………...…….1 2 Situation Analysis………………………………………………………………....1 2.1 External Analysis 2.1.1 Market/Industry Analysis…………………………………..…4 2.1.2 Marco Environment………………………………………..….5 2.1.3 Competitor Analysis……………………………………….….7 2.2 Critical success factors……………………………………………….…7 3 Internal Environment…………………………………………………………..…..8 3.1 Internal Capabilities and Core Competencies………………………..….9 3.2 STDP Evaluation…………………………………………………….….10 3.2.1 Segmentation of Grand Mercure 3.2.2 Targeting 3.2.3 Positioning 3.3 Financial Evaluation…………………………………………….………11 4 Conclusion……………………….………………………………………….….…12 Reference List……………………………………………………………….............13 Appendix…………………………………………………………………….…..….14 List of Figures Figure 1: Global Lodging Industry Life Cycle……………………………….……….1 Figure 2: Industry growth characteristics…………………………………………......2 List of Tables Table 1: Porter’s 5 forces Model on global lodging industry ……………………..…...4 Table 2: Grand Mercure main competitors, competitive positions and strategies…...…6 Table 3: Hilton’s internal capabilities…………………………………………………...8 iiGuide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 21 Appendix 3: How to depict numbers in your plan Rules for Writing Numbers Like most things in the English language, there are rules for writing numbers. Yes, imagine that! There are certain numbers that we spell out in letters, while there are others that we only write in numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). You have probably come across more than your fair share of ‘Top 10’ lists. Why is it not ‘Top Ten’ list? Keep reading to find out. Numbers that Are Spelled Out Please note that there are some exceptions to the rules outlined below. As with other grammar rules, rules for writing numbers change according to certain style guides (i.e. Chicago Manual of Style, AP, MLA, etc.). However, here are some general rules for spelling out numbers. Numbers Under 10: • Martin has two younger sisters and five older brothers. Note: Some style guides recommend spelling out the numbers one to one hundred. Numbers at the Beginning of a Sentence: • Sixty children came to the class trip last year, but this year there were 80. Fractions (usually hyphenated): • About one-third of the class comes from China. Note: However, the exception to this rule is when it is a mixed fraction. We then use numerals (unless it comes at the beginning of a sentence). Example: The recipe calls for 1½ cups of nuts. Numbers that Require Numerals Numbers 10 and Above: • She has bought about 12 pairs of shoes and 15 dresses in the last three months. Note: When numbers are in a list it is best to keep all the numbers in the list consistent, even if numbers are under 10. • Correct: She has four brothers aged 5, 7 12, and 15. Incorrect: She has four brothers aged seven, nine, 12, and 15. Dates and Years: • School begins on August 27, 2009. Note: We do not use ordinal numbers (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd with full dates). • Correct: The play is on March 23, 2010. Incorrect: April 1st, 2001.Guide to Assessment Task 1 Semester1, 2017 Dr. Rowan Kennedy 22 Percentages: • According to the latest survey 52% of teachers live in the city. Note: If a percentage begins a sentence, it should be spelled out. Example: Fifty and one-half percent of students walk to school. Decimals: • There was 0.73 inches of rain last month. More than One Rule The following are special cases and are often written in multiple ways. Decades: 1. She lived in San Francisco in the eighties. 2. During the 1980s she lived in San Francisco. 3. She lived in San Francisco in the ‘80s. Time: We usually spell out the time when it is followed by o'clock or when a.m. or p.m. is not mentioned. However, we use numerals when we need to emphasize the exact time and when using A.M. and P.M. • Examples: o'clock Correct: We have to get up at six o'clock to be on time for school. Correct: She gets home around eight in the evening. Incorrect: We have to get up at 6 o'clock to be on time for school. • Examples: a.m., p.m. The accident happened at 8:22 p.m. last night. They did not leave the party until 2 a.m. We usually spell out noon and midnight instead of writing 12:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. • Example: We came home around midnight and slept until noon the next day. Large Whole/Round Numbers: If there are only a few words, we often spell out. Examples: • He earned two million dollars last year. or He earned $2 million last year. • Can you loan me twenty dollars? For larger numbers we write in numeral form ($5, 385, 673) Final Note When in doubt about whether to spell out or write numbers, it is usually best to spell out the numerals. Source: http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/rules-for-writingnumbers.html