MKT 260/1060 Marketing Essentials – Spring 2023 (Dr Lynn Vos)
Assignment 1: Report on Key Marketing Concept(s)
Assume that you are a team of teachers who must write a mini chapter (report) for a marketing
textbook (Assignment 1) and then prepare a class presentation with notes sections in PowerPoint
(Assignment 2). Your key goal is to be as thorough and as clear as possible because you are teaching
students about a marketing topic (see topics below). You will also include an in-class activity to ensure
that your students can apply the topic.
The description below is about Assignment 1 of a 2-part assignment. In Assignment part 1 you will write
a mini-chapter (report) that demonstrate your understanding of a key marketing concept or conceptual
area and by providing many examples. Each group will be randomly assigned a topic (see below).
Your instructor will mark this report and provide you with feedback on: the depth of your explanation
and analysis; how well it demonstrates your understanding; the accuracy and excellence of your
examples; your writing and editing skills, the depth of research and value of the sources chosen and
your in-text referencing and final reference list. It is worth 20% of your final grade.
You will then take your feedback from Assignment 1 and improve upon your report for Assignment 2
(Part 2). Assignment 2 will include all of your improved text, sources and referencing in the Notes
section of a PowerPoint presentation and your voice overs for each slide. It is worth 20% of your final
grade but 70% of this mark is individual and 30% group.
All students can achieve an A grade on Assignment 2 if they follow the instructor’s guidelines and
feedback from Assignment 1.
Team Size: Maximum of 4 people; teams can be self-selected but the instructor reserves the
right to add someone to your group (up to 4 max).
Grading: Group with final marks based upon peer evaluation (20% of course total)
Due Date: June 29, by midnight on D2L
Format and Length: Title page with all student names and IDs (1 page); approx. 7-10 written
pages; in class -activity included; in text references and final reference list ( on a separate page).
Written component in 1.5 spacing and 11-12 point.
Topics:
Your team will be assigned one of the following cases:
1. Explain the steps in the strategic marketing planning process. Be clear on the
importance of each step and provide examples throughout the report.
2. Discuss corporate social responsibility (CSR), why companies undertake CSR, how it has
evolved over the years and why is it important today. Provide examples throughout the
report
3. Explain the many personal, social and cultural factors that can affect consumer buying
behaviour. Provide many examples of how these factors influence purchasing
behaviour. Discuss why consumer buying behaviour is not always ‘rational’ using
examples
4. Explain the consumer decision making process. Explain what customers do at each
stage in the process and what companies can do at each stage to support customers.
Also explain why consumers do not always go through these steps when they buy
something, whether the process is always linear or not. Provide many examples
5. Explain the importance of market segmentation and targeting in marketing. Discuss the
demographic, psychographic and behavioural segmentation variables that are used to
segment markets, giving examples along the way. Evaluate which variables are most
important for different types of products and services. Create an example of a customer
persona that includes all of these variables for a product or service of your choice.
6.
Learning outcomes:
1. Demonstrate an excellent understanding of the core topic.
2. Be able to demonstrate examples of this concept/topic in action through current examples.
3. Demonstrate ability to effectively convey the meaning and importance of the topic to others
through effective choice of words and language, presentation style, examples and in-class
activity.
4. Demonstrate ability to create a learning activity that will engage the audience and ensure
their understanding.
5. Demonstrate ability to conduct excellent research using library materials, differentiate
between weaker (usually Google) and stronger academic and professional sources. You may
also include interviews with experts.
6. Demonstrate proper citing of sources both in text and in the final reference list and the use
of appropriate sources.
7. Demonstrate excellent writing and editing skills.
8. Demonstrate creativity
Assignment 1: Grading criteria and tips
1. Research: A minimum of 10 sources have been consulted. Library, textbook and academic
sources must make up at least ½ of your sources. Interviews can be included as long as those
you are interviewing are working in the field or are experts in this area. Any Google (or other
search engine) source used must be carefully vetted and a justification provided for why it was
used. All sources must be properly referenced, in-text and in the reference list.
Top grades achieved by providing the best possible sources - The better the sources selected, the
better the grade. Referencing formats must be correct. Use this guide:
https://libguides.sait.ca/apa
2. Conceptual Clarity and understanding: 7-10 written pages (1.5 spaced) explaining the
meaning of the concept or concepts and provides some history of its origin, how it has evolved
over time, and why it is so critical to successful marketing. KEY: FULLY DEMONSTRATES YOUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOPIC/CONCEPT and is clear such that anyone could learn from your
work. EVERY GROUP MEMBER MUST CONTRIBUTE TO THIS AND PUT THEIR INITIALS BESIDE
DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
Top grades achieved by providing - Excellent explanation of the concept, anyone who does not
know the concept will understand based on your explanation and examples; historical overview
clearly demonstrates how the concept developed.
3. Writing and editing: Your report should be well written and free from grammatical errors.
Your report must also be COHESIVE. A report that is a compilation of different students work
will and is not properly joined together will lose many marks. It must read as a single report, not
a just a set of different student’s work. You will need a good introduction and conclusion and
good connecting sentences.
All good writing happens in the editing process. Almost no one can simply write a report and
publish it. Good writers edit their work a minimum of 3 times. Top grades will be given to well
written and edited reports that are cohesive and do not appear to be simply a bunch of different
student’s work joined together. Clearly you MUST work together as a team and get your work in
earlier enough for editing.
4. Sufficient, excellent, meaningful and up to date examples. A minimum of 4 examples of the
concept in use, with images (organizations past or present) and explanation of why they are
either good examples or poor ones and what could have been done better (up to 2 pages). Very
interesting, well-researched, thoughtful and creative. Not dull! You CAN use a single company
set of examples throughout the report if you choose, but please do NOT choose Apple, Nike,
Amazon or other too commonly used examples.
Excellent examples clearly demonstrate the meaning/importance of the concept and how to
implement it correctly. Very interesting, well-researched, thoughtful and creative. Not dull!
5. Strong Activity that will help students (your audience) understand and apply the concept:
Short class activity and an explanation of why it is a good activity to help students learn the
concept. Provide solutions for the activity.
Top grades achieved by providing – an engaging activity that teaches the concept successfully
and done within the timeframe permitted (about a 5-10 minute class activity).
6. Anything else you would like to include to get better marks.
7. Ensure every individual makes an equal contribution. Student names should be beside the
sections they have done. If more than one student or all students worked on a section, please
add all relevant names. You will all provide a peer evaluation and grades will be affected if
members get low scores.
8. Ensure each student reviews the final copy.
BE SURE THAT INDIVIDUAL STUDENT NAMES are BESIDE EACH PART THEY HAVE DONE AS THIS
COULD AFFECT YOUR GRADE IF each individuals WORK IS NOT ROBUST. However, the report
must be cohesive.