Overview
Strategic marketing decision-making and planning plays a critical role in the success of businesses, not-for-profit organisations, governments and individuals or experiences. This unit introduces the central strategic marketing concepts and techniques for achieving sustainable success, and explains how to develop and manage your marketing program in the rapidly changing, competitive environments. This unit aims to take your marketing skills to the next level by developing your strategic thinking capabilities, planning and implementing a marketing plan and your capacity to analyse and integrate marketing metrics. Today's competitive business environment requires Australian and global companies to understand the various opportunities and threats facing their business, along with a considered analysis of the organisation's internal strengths and weaknesses. This unit gives you the opportunity to apply your theoretical knowledge and creativity to a real-world strategic marketing process, developing and implementing marketing strategies that enable organisations to respond to challenging environments.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisite: Minimum completion of 18 credit points of postgraduate marketing specialisation units before attempting this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2019
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation feedback
Some international students indicated that finding a suitable organisation was difficult in the time available.
It is recommended to provide a single case study for students who are unable to locate a suitable company perhaps through a partnership arrangement.
Feedback from Student evaluation feedback
Some students noted that an excursion (site visit) to an organisation would be valuable to their learning in this unit.
It is recommended that the opportunity to include an organisation site visit as a potential component of the unit should be investigated further.
- Evaluate and communicate a range of strategic marketing concepts and theories and their application to business contexts
- Assess and evaluate internal environmental characteristics of organisations in relation to strengths and weaknesses; particularly production, R and D, human resources, marketing capacity, financial capacity, distribution and other resources
- Analyse and connect external environmental influences on organisations in relation to opportunities and threats; particularly competition, customers and PESTN environments
- Demonstrate a theoretical and practical capability to critically appraise the complex situation and use market data and competitive indicators to adjust marketing strategies and tactics, develop a detailed marketing plan and apply appropriate metrics.
Aligning with the Australian Business Deans Council academic standards and the accreditation criteria for the Australian Marketing Institute, this unit examines and applies the depth and breadth of the marketing knowledge gained throughout your studies. You will demonstrate your professional judgement, your ability to undertake systematic problem identification, analyse and interpret data, and develop evidence-based solutions. You will demonstrate your professional communication and your analysis and ethical decision-making skills within a real business situation.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 20% | ||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Workplace Project - 50% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Presentation - 20% | ||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 30% | ||||||||
| 3 - Workplace Project - 50% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Building a marketing plan - A complete guide
(2011)
Authors: Wong, HY, Radel, K, & Ramsaran-Fowdar, R
Business Expert Press
New York New York , NY , USA
ISBN: 979-1-60659-159-1
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.sultan@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to Marketing Planning
Chapter
1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Overview of unit learning and assessment requirements
Module/Topic
The Situation Analysis
Chapter
2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Selection/discussion of project focus and scope
Module/Topic
Analysing the Target Market - Marketing Research
Chapter
3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment related discussion
Module/Topic
Analysing the Target Market - Consumer Behaviour & Target Marketing
Chapter
4
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment related discussion
A1 - Presentation on key marketing planning components Due: Week 4 Friday (9 Aug 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Writing the Situation Analysis
Chapter
No set chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Discussion of situation analysis style & layout
Module/Topic
Mid-term break
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and assessment related discussion
Module/Topic
Marketing objectives & Strategy Formulation
Chapter
5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and assessment related discussion
Module/Topic
Planning for Products & Brands
Chapter
6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and discussion of situation analysis progress
Module/Topic
Planning for Pricing
Chapter
7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and discussion of situation analysis progress
A2 - Situation Analysis Report Due: Week 8 Friday (13 Sept 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Planning for IMC
Chapter
8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and marketing plan exercise
Module/Topic
Planning for Distribution & Logistics
Chapter
9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and marketing plan exercise
Module/Topic
Marketing Implementation & Control
Chapter
10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Case studies and marketing plan exercise
Module/Topic
Writing a Marketing Plan & Presentations
Chapter
No set chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Summary of the unit
A3 - Marketing Plan Due: Week 12 Friday (11 Oct 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
This unit forms the capstone of your marketing major. Aligning with the
Australian Business Deans Council academic standards for marketing
graduates and with the accreditation criteria for the Australian
Marketing Institute, this unit examines and applies the depth of your
marketing knowledge gained throughout your studies. You will demonstrate
your professional judgement, your ability to undertake systematic
problem identification and solution, your communication skills, and your
analysis and ethical decision-making skills within a real business
situation.
1 Presentation
Submission Due date: Friday Week 5; 11:55 PM AEST
Weighting: 20%
Length: 10 Minutes’ presentation
The Task:
As a marketing manager to UNCLE TOBYS (https://www.uncletobys.com.au/), you are to select a particular UNCLE TOBYS product/brand and develop a complete marketing plan for 2020. For this unit, please note that you will carry the same product/brand for three assessment tasks, including presentation, situation analysis, and marketing plan. Your first assessment task is a presentation.
The general manager of the UNCLE TOBYS has recently tasked you to give a short presentation (10 minutes) on the key planning backgrounds of one of their products. This presentation should include the following:
A brief historical background of the company, and vision-and-mission statements of the company, any data and relevant facts with relevant citations,
The company’s product mix,
Details about the chosen product/brand to develop a marketing plan,
The target market characteristics,
The current pricing-distribution-and-promotional strategies of the product,
An analysis of current direct competitors and their market offerings,
The SMART objectives of the marketing plan for 2020, and
The mapped objectives, estimated budget and projected outcomes of each of the objectives.
Notes:
- Distance/Flex students to present and submit the PowerPoint Slides with Voiceover (10 minutes max) via the unit Moodle site. Your unit coordinator will schedule Zoom sessions for this presentation in Week 5. Note that you need to upload two files in week 4 (i.e. before your presentation) - (i) PowerPoint Slides with Voiceover and (ii) the script in a Word document.
- F2F student will present the proposal as a 10-minute presentation in workshops in week 5 of the term. Your campus lecturer will schedule this for you. Note that you need to upload two files in week 4 (i.e. before your presentation) - (i) PowerPoint Slides with Voiceover and (ii) the script in a Word document.
- Be professional and creative.
- You can visit nearby or local large and small retail stores to find what UNCLE TOBYS products/brands are available in shelves, how those are organised as compared to competing products/brands and assess comparative retail sales by observing their presence in shelves and consumers’ purchase preferences. You can make a short video (max. 3 mins) and include this in your 10 minutes’ presentation.
Week 4 Friday (9 Aug 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
All students to submit PowerPoint Slides and script for a 10 minute presentation online, via the unit Moodle site. Please read the assessment task and notes carefully.
Week 6 Friday (30 Aug 2019)
Results will be returned on completion of moderation processes.
A title slide – 2 marks
A brief historical background of the company, and vision-and-mission statements of the company, any data and relevant facts with relevant citations – 2 marks
The company’s product mix – 2 marks
Details about the chosen product/brand to develop a marketing plan – 2 marks
The target market characteristics – 2 marks
The current pricing-distribution-and-promotional strategies of the product – 2 marks
An analysis of current direct competitors and their market offerings – 2 marks
The SMART objectives of the marketing plan for 2020 – 2 marks
The mapped objectives, estimated budget and projected outcomes of each of the objectives – 2 marks
Overall presentation quality, professionalism, and a minimum of five references – 2 marks
- Evaluate and communicate a range of strategic marketing concepts and theories and their application to business contexts
- Demonstrate a theoretical and practical capability to critically appraise the complex situation and use market data and competitive indicators to adjust marketing strategies and tactics, develop a detailed marketing plan and apply appropriate metrics.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
2 Research Assignment
Submission Due date: Friday Week 8; 11:55 PM AEST
Weighting: 30%
Length: 2000 words’ individual written assessment task
The Task:
In the second task, the UNCLE TOBYS’s general manager has asked you to develop a brief report on the current market situation of the product you have chosen. This report should include the following:
Analysis of the product/brand: Develop the product/brand analysis and include a hypothetical Product Lifecycle Analysis, a BCG matrix analysis with at least one nearest competitor, and two-dimensional consumer perception map analysis; and provide your critical reflections for each. Provide recent and relevant citations where appropriate.
Analysis of the macro-environmental forces: Develop a framework with the major macro-environmental forces and include demography, economic, social and cultural, technological, and political and legal factors affecting the marketing practices and competitive environment of the UNCLE TOBY’s product. Provide recent and relevant citations where appropriate.
Analysis of the competitive environment: Follow Michael E. Porter’s five forces framework to develop a framework for competitor analysis and include the comparative SWOT analysis for each of the five forces. For this purpose, you need to identify at least one nearest competitor of the UNCLE TOBY’s product. Provide recent and relevant citations where appropriate.
Notes:
- Be professional and creative.
- The Turnitin matching
rate must be less than 20%.
Week 8 Friday (13 Sept 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
Submit via unit website in Moodle. Only .doc or .docx files are accepted.
Week 10 Friday (27 Sept 2019)
Results will be released when marking and moderation have been completed.
A cover page, a table of contents, an executive summary etc. – 2 marks
Analysis of the product/brand – 8 marks
Analysis of the macro-environmental forces – 8 marks
Analysis of the competitive environment – 8 marks
Summary, conclusion, presentation style, formatting, sentence structure, grammar and references (at least 5) – 4 marks
- Evaluate and communicate a range of strategic marketing concepts and theories and their application to business contexts
- Assess and evaluate internal environmental characteristics of organisations in relation to strengths and weaknesses; particularly production, R and D, human resources, marketing capacity, financial capacity, distribution and other resources
- Analyse and connect external environmental influences on organisations in relation to opportunities and threats; particularly competition, customers and PESTN environments
- Demonstrate a theoretical and practical capability to critically appraise the complex situation and use market data and competitive indicators to adjust marketing strategies and tactics, develop a detailed marketing plan and apply appropriate metrics.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
3 Workplace Project
Submission Due date: Friday Week 12; 11:55 PM AEST
Weighting: 50%
Length: 3000 words’ individual written assessment task
The Task:
In the final task, the UNCLE TOBYS’s general manager has asked you to develop a comprehensive marketing plan for the product you have chosen. The marketing plan will also include the key aspects of your revised presentation and situation analysis report. The final marketing plan should include the following:
An executive summary: covering the entire marketing plan with key findings, objectives, suggestions and budget.
Background: this section will include the key aspects of the revised presentation (i.e., task 1).
Current market situation analysis: this section will include the key aspects of the revised current market situation analysis (i.e., task 2).
Marketing objectives: include the SMART objectives to be achieved in 2020 for the product.
Marketing mix strategies: present a structured framework for the marketing mix strategies with justifications. Provide recent and relevant citations where appropriate.
Marketing budget: provide a specific and detailed budget for the mix
strategies.
Marketing measurement and metrics: provide specific metrics and measurement criteria to be used to measure the objectives.
Notes:
- Be professional and creative.
- The Turnitin matching
rate must be less than 20%.
Week 12 Friday (11 Oct 2019) 11:55 pm AEST
Completed marketing plan needs to be uploaded into moodle. Only .doc or .docx file is accepted.
Exam Week Friday (25 Oct 2019)
Results will be release on finalisation of grades and moderation processes.
A cover page, a table of contents, an executive summary etc. – 5 marks
Background – 5 marks
Current market situation analysis – 5 marks
Marketing objectives – 5 marks
Marketing mix strategies – 15 marks
Marketing budget – 5 marks
Marketing measurement and metrics – 5 marks
Summary and conclusion, presentation style, formatting, appendices, sentence structure, grammar and references (at least 5) - 5 marks
- Evaluate and communicate a range of strategic marketing concepts and theories and their application to business contexts
- Assess and evaluate internal environmental characteristics of organisations in relation to strengths and weaknesses; particularly production, R and D, human resources, marketing capacity, financial capacity, distribution and other resources
- Analyse and connect external environmental influences on organisations in relation to opportunities and threats; particularly competition, customers and PESTN environments
- Demonstrate a theoretical and practical capability to critically appraise the complex situation and use market data and competitive indicators to adjust marketing strategies and tactics, develop a detailed marketing plan and apply appropriate metrics.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
