Assessment Task: Situation Analysis

This task represents the first of two linked tasks examining your organisation's current situation and subsequently leading to the creation of a marketing plan for Assessment Task 2. In this foundation for the marketing plan, the Situation Analysis sets up the SWOT/TOWS, which leads to clear identification of the major issues your organisation is facing and which will inform the design of the marketing plan that follows.

Your Task

Your task is to prepare a Situation Analysis for the organisation you are currently working in or, if you are not currently working, an organisation with which you are familiar (e.g. a large global company). A Situation Analysis starts the planning process from ground zero and examines and evaluates the environment the organisation is currently operating in: the status quo, in other words.

It's typically the first substantive section of a marketing plan in which the marketing manager usually details their assessment of the current situation.

This section sets the foundation for the marketing plan as it analyses current and potential customers, the competitive environment and the company's relative strengths and weaknesses, against trends in the broader macroenvironment that may impact the product and its performance. This section also typically includes estimates of sales potential and forecasts, however, we don't have the word space for that level of analysis so that won't be included in your SA.

Focus only on those areas that are relevant to marketing and likely to have a significant impact upon elements of your marketing strategy (e.g. target markets, positioning strategy, marketing mix etc). Be analytical and detailed.

Your Situation Analysis will culminate in a SWOT/TOWS Analysis which will lead you to a marketing issue to be addressed through your marketing strategy (the next assessment task). In this case no problems or opportunities will be conveniently identified for you. Your reading may lead you to a strategic direction the company may be currently following or planning to follow, in which case you will be required to assess the merit of this direction using your theoretical knowledge of marketing. Or you may see more attractive opportunities in the macroenvironment for your product service.

One final point to remember: in some businesses, someone in management may actually suggest a preferred course of action or identify what they consider to be the major issues facing the brand. Keep in mind that they may not be right: it is up to you to use marketing theory and research to determine what the correct course of action is given the current circumstances.

The basis of your discussion should come from your prescribed text and your research into what's occurring in your environment right now (or in the immediate future). You will need to relate issues you take from the organisation's situation back to relevant marketing theory. Because this assignment is due in week 5 it is highly likely that many of the problems or opportunities you see facing your organisation will not have been covered yet in your reading. In this situation you will need to draw on your knowledge from your under-graduate degree, experience in your workplace, readings, discussions on the Moodie forum, or in consultation with me to help you interpret the nature of the problem/opportunity.

Your frame and structure

The structure of your paper and its sub-headings will include the following:

Title Page

Executive Summary

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction

2.1 Situation Analysis

2.2 External Analysis

2.2.1 Industry analysis

2.2.2 Market analysis

2.2.3 Competitor analysis

2.2.4 Customer analysis

2.2.5 Macroenvironment

2.3 Internal Analysis

2.3.1 Operational analysis

2.3.2 Financial analysis

2.3.3 Product analysis

2.4 SWOT/TOWS

2.4.1 SWOT analysis

2.4.2 TOWS analysis Reference List

Appendix (if appropriate/required)

As you can see, I'm not asking for a Conclusion. In practice there isn't a break between this part of the plan (Situation Analysis) and the strategy section, so I'm just advising you to conclude your plan at this point and to take it up again following the SWOT & TOWS in your next assessment task.