A CASE STUDY PROJECT

This assessment is a case study based project, which has two parts, a report and a presentation. The purpose of this assessment is to assess skills and knowledge required to identify, evaluate and take advantage of marketing opportunities by analyzing market data, distinguishing the characteristics of possible markets and assessing the viability of changes to operations. Learners can do this assessment in their own time, however they will present in class assuming classmates as management of the business.

Your assessor will be marking you against a competency checklist to ensure you have met the requirements of each of the relevant competencies. These competency checklists are marked as Satisfactory (S) or Not Satisfactory (NS). The final outcome of this assessment is satisfactory or not satisfactory.

Case Study-Report Writing

Virgin Blue Airline is the Brisbane-based subsidiary of the Virgin Group and began operation in Australia in the year 2000. They began with 280 members and 2 planes flying the route from Brisbane base to Sydney and return. From the success of running a student magazine in London, Sir Richard Branson founded Virgin s a small mail order company in 1970 at the age of 20. In 1984 Virgin Atlantic Airways has been established as a British International Airline, 2002 Virgin Blue counts 1300 team members flying 17 aircraft servicing and 18 different routes.
Before attempting Task you are required to read and understand Virgin blue strategic and marketing plans. Information about Virgin blue can be accessed on line

http://www.virginaustralia.comicsjgroups/internetco.ntent/@wcidocuments/webcontenti-edispiinvestor-infon-nation-prospectu.pdf

Assume that you are the marketing manager for Virgin Blue. Conducting your own research you are required to Identify and evaluate marketing opportunities for Virgin Blue in Australia. Write a report to Senior Management explaining about marketing opportunities available for Virgin Blue.

Your report should include the following;

1. Give an overview of the business, including:

1.1 A brief description of the business.

1.2 Aims and objectives of the business.

2. Market Analysis

2.1 Market background: Competitiveness, type of market structure.

2.2 Market Size: In terms of dollar value, volume or size.

2.3. Market Growth: Projected growth trends impacting on the company or business..

2.4. Key Competitors: Identify and evaluate competitors.

2.5. Environmental Factors: Potential and barriers of the existing market.

2.6. Target Markets: Is there potential to expand target markets? (PC-ti)

3. Identify marketing opportunity

3.1. Refer to Virgin blue' prospectus and identify market and business needs.

3.2. Describe the new marketing opportunities for the Virgin Blue airlines in Australia.

3.3. Rank the marketing opportunities according to order of importance to Airline's strategic Plan?

3.4. Identify appropriate marketing strategy you may consider: You may consider any of the following; Market penetration, product development, market development or diversification?

3.5. Explain how you may implement the marketing strategy that you have chosen? Consider creative and innovative way to implement the marketing strategies.

4. Investigate marketing opportunity

4.1. Explain how the marketing strategy you have selected will enable Virgin blue to achieve organizational goals.

4.2. Describe your strategy and include how you have considered the following industry codes of practice to confirm your strategy.

ADMA - Direct Marketing Code of Practice

Free TV Australia - Commercial Television Industry code of Practice

Australian E-Commerce Best Practice Model

Trade Practices Ac

4.3 Virgin blue's future performance depends on many marketing and business factors .Refer to Virgin blue prospectus and comment on knockout factors that affect Virgin Blue's future performance?

4.4. Consider marketing codes of practice, privacy laws and ethical principles. Explain how these external factors determine the financial viability of each marketing opportunity that you have identified?

4.5 Identify risk factors and explain how these may affect financial viability of the Airlines?

4.6. Refer to prospectus of Virgin blue and comment on current financial status of the Airlines? You may consider factors such as net profit/loss or return on investment?

5. Conduct Presentation

Virgin has been branded with a younger person type of appeal and its demographic range includes people that are between 25 and 44 years of age .Assume that management of Virgin Blue is considering on new customer base and conduct a presentation recommending possible changes to current marketing operations;

Your presentation must include

5.1. Summary of your Task 1 report.

5.2. Recommend changes in current services that may appeal to new customer base.

5.3. Recommend changes in marketing strategies.

5.4. List physical, human and financial resources required to implement new marketing strategies.

5.5. Justify your marketing strategies in terms of financial and strategic goals of Virgin Blue.

5.6 identify one idea suggested by each of these sources, showing how the idea was developed and analyzing its potential for developing into a marketing opportunity, and showing how it would fit with the entrepreneur's current business.

Your presentation must include written information covering all the above points. You may develop PowerPoint slides including all the above information and submit to your trainer.