The analysis will be no more than five word processed pages long (roughly 2000 words) plus appendices and will be due prior to the start of class on the following dates:

• Cottle-Taylor (individual case)

2000 words.

Analysis should include:

• a company SWOT analysis

• a clearly identified central strategic issue(s) facing the company. Remember to focus on marketing strategy and not the immediate short term problems that might be presented by the case writer. This section should not be more than two or three sentences long.

• a set of clearly identified alternative courses of action that will address the central issue of the case

• a brief analysis of the pros and cons of each of the strategic marketing courses of action that you have identified. Ensure that you use the market research and financial numbers presented in the case effectively. You must analyze the marketing data provided by the case writer. Failure to do so will result in a grade of F.

• your choice of the most appropriate strategic marketing course of action for the firm along with a brief implementation plan.

See the Grading Rubric for cases on the class Moodle site to see how your cases will be graded. Remember to think critically in analyzing these cases. Don’t necessarily accept what the author tells you as absolutely correct and don’t look for the easy or conventional solution. Be creative, find the strategy that gives the company a sustainable, competitive advantage.

Cases may be task cases or problem cases. In a task case, there is nothing obviously wrong in the company, but there is a decision to be made. In a problem case, there is something wrong (something seems broken), and you must recommend some remedial strategy. In a problem case, something is obviously wrong. This means that there are symptom(s) which lead to your diagnosis, which is the underlying problem.

In a marketing case, the problem or task is always within the marketing strategy plan. Particularly, investigate:

• Choice of market segments

• The 4 P’s

• the environment impacting on these decisions.

Each analysis should include:

• Problem Statement:

o Clear Identification of key strategic issues facing the company including a company SWOT. Remember to focus on marketing strategy and not the immediate short-term problems that might be presented by the case writer.

• Situation Analysis:

o Valid arguments – analysis of financial performance and relevant supportive detail; clearly analyze and support the critical issues and key problems. Ensure that you use the market research and financial numbers presented in the case effectively. You must analyze the marketing data provided by the case writer. When choosing which part of marketing strategy plan to focus on remember that the strategy plan is sequential in that: The target market must come first (so check it out first before choosing any other part of strategy); Product choices must precede others; Price and place choices are of equal importance; Promotion decisions should always come last.

o Therefore, if the firm has a target market problem, solve for that problem only. If the target market is fine, check out the product strategy. If product is fine, check out price. If price is fine, check out place. If place is fine, look to promotion. Also, the reverse is true: if you say the firm has a promotion problem, be certain that everything is fine in the other parts of the marketing strategy plan. Make sure that once you choose the focus of the case you stick with it through to recommendations given.

• Analysis of Alternatives:

o Analyze, Evaluate key issues – a set of clearly identified alternative courses (3 or more) of action that will address the central issue of the case. A brief analysis of the pros and cons of each of the strategic marketing courses of action that you have identified.

• Conclusions and Recommendations:

o Your choice of the most appropriate strategic marketing course of action for the firm along with a brief implementation plan.

See the Grading Rubric for Cases on the class Moodle site to see how your cases will be graded. Remember to think critically in analyzing these cases. Don’t necessarily accept what the author tells you as absolutely correct and don’t look for the easy or conventional solution. Be creative, find the strategy that gives the company a sustainable, competitive advantage.