Assignment: Understanding Customers' Value Needs

Introduction

Assignments have been designed to help you integrate and apply the marketing concepts, terms, and information you have learned up to this point. These concepts provide a foundation on which other course concepts are built. Assessing your comprehension will help ensure that you are on track to successfully complete the course. This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade in the course.

2.1: Market Research Concepts

Assessment: This part of the assignment will be assessed using the following criteria:

• Demonstration of ability to navigate the Statistics Canada website to retrieve the requested information.
• Critical assessment (advantages and disadvantages) of the use of Statistics Canada data for market segmentation and strategy development.

Statistics Canada is a key source of secondary data in Canada, particularly for basic demographic information on Canadian cities and regions. Using both Statistics Canada data (http://www.statcan.gc.ca) and any other data you can find on the Internet, develop a report on a Canadian city of your choice that answers these questions:

1. What is the total population of the city?
2. Using means (averages), frequencies (number of people), and percentages provided by Statistics Canada describe:

o The population of the city in terms of age, income, education, ethnic background, marital status, occupation, and housing
o The demographic characteristics of the entire Canadian population
o The most significant thing you learned from this exercise

3. Review all of the information provided on the Statistics Canada website. For marketers seeking to develop market segment profiles or marketing strategy, what are four advantages and four disadvantages of using this data, from a marketing perspective?

2.2: Consumer and Organizational Buying Behaviour

Assessment: This part of the assignment will be assessed using the following criteria:

• The extent to which the answer provides comparison and contrasts and is able to illustrate how the model applied or did not apply in this situation.

• Depth of insight with respect to the implications for sales and marketing.
In this module, you learned that consumers and organizations go through a progression of steps as they make purchase decisions.

1. Describe your decision process for each step in the consumer decision-making process when deciding to purchase an Apple iPad.
2. How does your consumer decision-making process for an Apple iPad compare with the model illustrated in Figure 5.5 in the textbook on page 164?
3. With respect to Figure 2.1, the FCB Grid discussed earlier in this module, what type of decision is your decision to purchase an Apple iPad? Explain why your decision is a high/low involvement and a think/feel decision?
4. Assuming the consumer decision-making process is typical and that competition in the tablet market continues to increase, what are five sales and marketing implications for Apple to increase their chance of success in selling to a consumer like you?

2.3: Mega Bloks- Segmentation and Positioning

Assessment: This part of the assignment will be assessed using the following criteria:

• Strategic marketing insight of the SWOT Analysis
• Level of detail in the target market segment profiles
• Depth of rationale and use of marketing concepts, terms, and information to support conclusions or recommendations

1. Review the SWOT Analysis and four most important factors and their rationale facing this organization from your first assignment. Include both in this assignment. (0 points (used for reference only))

2. Decide on a segmentation approach for this market. Identify at least three target market segments in this market that fit this segmentation approach. Justify (from a marketing perspective) why this segmentation approach is a good one.

3. Develop detailed target market profiles for these three target market segments using your own experience, secondary research, and exploratory research methods (interviews with customers and/or direct observation). Ensure you apply consumer or organizational buying behaviour concepts and terms in the profile development.

4. Make a recommendation for the selection of a primary target market segment (target audience) you think this organization should target. Provide rationale as to why this target market segment should be the primary target market segment.

5. Determine a positioning strategy for the organization for your primary target market segment. Provide two reasons, from a marketing perspective, why this positioning is appropriate for your target audience.

6. Describe, from a marketing perspective, what allows this organization to defend this positioning or what competencies would need to be developed.

7. Draw a positioning map to illustrate your positioning strategy.

2.4 Customer Relationship Management

Assessment: This part of the assignment will be assessed using the following criteria:

• Level of detail in the explanation of CRM
• Use of marketing terms and concepts to support the process

Review the information about Customer Relationship Management in your textbook and answer the following questions.

1. What is CRM and why is it important?
2. Describe the steps used in implementing a CRM System
2.5 Report Structure and Presentation

Remember, you will be judged by the structure, clarity, presentation, and quality of your work. Prepare and present your assignments in a formal manner suitable for business.

To ensure the quality of your written work, refer to the Assignment and Final Project Structure under the Course Overview on the course home page in Blackboard.