Assessment Brief 2025

Assessment Criteria

Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Understanding assessed in this assignment:

• LO1 Develop a critical understanding of the role and processes of strategic marketing planning in the creation of value and/or competitive advantage for an organisation.
• Evaluate how marketing tactics should be adjusted depending on the context of the organisation, factors in the environment, segmentation, customer personas and consumer behaviour.
• Critically appraise the role and processes of innovation and business model development to create new ventures, products and services in response to grow the opportunities.
• LO4. Synthesize evidence within the market environment in the context of contemporary issues, including digital transformation, marketing ethics and sustainability

Learning Outcomes: Skills and Attributes assessed in this assignment:

• Integrate and apply academic concepts and literature, and secondary research in the context of a strategic marketing plan.
• Evidence a range of entrepreneurial skills through a new venture or new
  product/service development project including team working, ideation, innovation, evaluation, communication and persuasion.
• LO4. Critically evaluate key issues using academic concepts and literature.

Transformational Opportunities:

E.g. Use LinkedIn Learning to improve skills

• Practical assignment that aligns with real-world business functions

Feedback /Marking criteria for this Assignment

• Performance will be assessed using HBS Grading Criteria (Rubric)

Detailed Brief for Individual / Team Assignment

Assignment Title: Individual Recorded Presentation: Situation Analysis

Description of the assignment, task, content and structure:

Option 1

You have been tasked by your current employer to help them develop a new product or service.

Option 2

You are a marketing consultant specialising in social enterprise. You have been approached by a social enterprise company in the UK to help them develop a new product or service. (You will need to decide which social enterprise you would like as a client.)

Choose wisely as this assignment will lead into your second assignment when you will show your ideation process and report on the new product/service.

Detailed instructions for both options:

Your presentation should provide:

1. A short introduction (1 slide)

To include the purpose of the presentation and a brief overview of the organisation / business unit (option 1) or your client (option 2)

2. An external analysis (2-3 slides)

To include an analysis of the market including an industry analysis, key trends, competitions, supply and distribution. Your focus should be on the macro-environment and you should include some key models  eg PEST, Porters Five Forces

3. An internal analysis (2-3 slides)

To include an analysis of the organisation/business unit. Your focus should be on the micro-environment and you should include some key models eg Balanced Scorecard, VRIO

4. Segmentation explained (2-3 slides)

A detailed customer analysis including a description of the proposed segmentation of the customers available to target and a report of met and unmet needs.

5. A SWOT analysis: (1 slide)

a. Strengths of the internal environment
b. Weaknesses of the internal environment
c. Significant opportunities available in the marketplace, including unmet customer needs.
d. Significant external threats to the competitive advantage of the organisation

6. A summary (1 – 2 slides)

A summary of the significant factors affecting the organisation/unit (no more than 8 in total). You should include a key model eg perceptual  / positioning map

7. Identify the UN Sustainable Development Goal the company meets for Option 2 only (1 slide)

8. Overview (1 slide)

A very brief illustration of how customer value can be created, and competitive advantage obtained, through potential innovation and/or NPD

9. References (1 slide)

At least 10 credible references

You MUST submit using the template available on the assignment information page.

The assignment should be submitted via Canvas as:

1) a word document (this MUST be the template provided within the assignment information section).  This word document will include your AI declaration, the URL address for your narrated presentation and your reference list (all sources should be referenced according to HBS guidelines, using Harvard).

2) a copy of your powerpoint slides

Referencing and Resources:

You should include a minimum of 10 credible references including marketing databases. Read and use a range of recent academic resources, e.g. books, journals, websites for Mintel reports, Keynote, Business Source Complete etc. Do NOT use Wikipedia/ company website references alone, nor should you use Student/ Essay websites.

You must use Cite Them Right Harvard Reference style.

Tips and specific instructions:

1. Use content in Module Units 1, 2 and 3 to help you complete this assignment.
2. Use relevant theories and frameworks to help structure your presentation.
3. You may use any relevant marketing planning models.
4. Concentrate on your presentation’s critical quality and depth, not the number of points.
5. Give evidence to support your analysis and recommendations (e.g. market data).
6. Interpret rather than just present numbers.
7. Paraphrasing others’ views and citing/referencing the relevant source is generally better than using
   direct quotes.
8. Check grammar, use UK spelling
9. Evidence of independent thought and original applications may improve your mark.
10. Include a cover slide and references should be added to slides at the end of the presentation.
11. the presentation should be no more than 15 minutes. You may go under the time limit but if you are around 13 minutes or less that implies you have not enough content. Please add the timing on the cover slide.
12. That means no more than 5 bullet points on a screen containing no more than 1 or 2 sentences. 16.

Please also upload your script on a Word document.

The presentation of the plan should be in your own words. When you have referred to a text, this must be referenced. If you quote short phrases directly from textbooks (you are allowed to do this occasionally), these MUST be referenced correctly following the Cite Them Right referencing (see point above).  It is unlikely that these short quotations will exceed ten words. A plan which contains lengthy quotations will be marked down. Where you quote techniques and theories, they must be supported through adequate and rigorous referencing. It is expected that you will refer both to the suggested texts and further self-researched sources through your own wider reading.

Any specific instructions:

The HBS Grading Criteria (rubric) will evidence how marks are awarded for individual parts of the assignment i.e. Presentation and Structure, Intellectual Curiosity and Referencing, Content, Analysis, Discussion – see Mark Scheme below:

Use of Generative AI

Your use of generative AI (genAI) tools in this assessment must follow one of the three categories below. Your Module Leader will indicate which category applies:

You are permitted to use Category 2 – Proofreading only permitted

Category 1 – Authorised use of AI
You are permitted to use genAI tools to create content for your work and to proofread your work. Alternatively, you may use a proofreader or non-genAI proofreading service.

Category 2 – Proofreading only permitted
 You are permitted to use genAI tools (or a proofreader or proofreading service) to proofread your work, but you are not permitted to use AI tools to create content. This applies even if the assessment includes marks for English and grammar.

Category 3 – AI use not permitted
You are not permitted to use genAI tools for content creation or proofreading. This category applies where all or most marks are awarded for language proficiency (including spelling, punctuation, and grammar).

The relevant HBS Grading Criteria (Rubric) for your assignment should be added as a table immediately below the assignment description.  If you are unable to find the Grading Criteria (Rubric), please contact your Module Leader.