Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

choose one of the Marketing mix elements and discuss its importance in marketing.

For example, you can discuss strategic pricing or any pricing strategy that you find unique. It can be based on the business model exercise last week or you can relate the discussion to any other successful or unsuccessful company. 

Or you may discuss e.g. the challenges of the product life cycle on the product, problems distribution channel decisions (e.g. channel conflicts), or go into the discussion of the appropriate relationship between marketing and sales, how to integrate them, etc. The concept of "relationship marketing" might also be of interest to you if you want to pick this last mentioned topic.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

minimum 300 words, only personal thoughts, no references needed, be insightful
Questions: 
How does branding inform social media? 
How does social media inform branding? 
What role does social media play in segmentation?

Readings 
Kellogg on Marketing, Ch. 5 (pdf attached to this assignment) 
Gavett, Gretchen (July 9, 2014).  "What You Need to Know About Segmentation." Harvard Business Review.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

1. Provide two things about Global Marketing:
   give a brief description of what you think you will cover with this topic:
   
   2. Provide information on 3 potential sources you may be using to develop your writing assignment (provide links, names of web sites, names of articles, etc.). This means you need to do a preliminary search for sources of information you will use. This will help tell you if you can find information and it is useful and relevant information for the topic you are selecting
   
   3. Global Marketing - a case study of a brand that is adapting to a global market, with revised marketing strategies in order to be relevant to different cultures, environments, and target markets. Anything related to global marketing issues, strategies, trends, etc. that you find interesting, that relate to marketing, and you find published information on.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer: 

Detailed description of airless, spherical tires

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 
The first step to designing an online store is selecting the name of your store. Your Web address, also called a URL-Uniform Resource Locator-or domain name, tells customers who you are and how to find you on the Internet. No two parties can have the same Web address; your online identity is totally unique.
 
Your domain name tells customers exactly how to find your business on the Web, it also communicates and reinforces the name of your business to every Web site visitor. It can also be used as part of your e-mail address to establish your online identity. 
 
Keep these tips in mind before you choose: 
Make it memorable. "Amazon.com" is much catchier than "booksonline.com." 
Describe your business. Another approach is to simply and logically describe your business. "Flowers.com" works perfectly for a florist. And if you are setting up an online presence for an established business, keep the name of your site the same as the name of your business. 
Keep it short. The best domain names are those that customers can remember and type into their browsers after seeing or hearing them only once, so complicated strings of words like "onlinecdstore.com" don't work as well as a simple phrase: "cdnow.com." 
 
Your assignment is to: Explore at least three (3) domain registration sites and evaluate the sites for similarities and differences. Your summary should include (but not limited to):
Is the site user friendly?
Cost of registering a domain name (to include initial cost and fees for up to 5 years).
Does the company offer website hosting? What is the cost?
Does the company offer templates to create websites? Is pricing involved?
Determine which site you would use to register your company domain. Explain
 
Include a minimum of two scholarly sources (in addition to the textbook)  
Written paper at least 2 pages
Format your paper according to APA guidelines

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

Assessment 2: Marketing report 

Length: 2500 words

You are to create a formal marketing report on this topic. The word count relates to the formal report excluding the Executive Summary, Reference List and you may include a number of Appendix to support claims or give details. 

You are to be a consultant providing this report to the TFE Board of Directors to advise whether they should proceed in expanding to New Zealand and if so, what city.
TFE Hotels is a major international hospitality company in a venture with Toga Hotels and Far East Hotels. View www.tfehotels.com
The parent company has a number of hotel brands. You are to choose EITHER Medina Self Contained Apartments OR Vibe Hotels. Do not choose other TFE brands.
You must research New Zealand as a potential market for your chosen brand.
Choose ONE of these brands:
* Medina Self Contained Apartments OR
* Vibe Hotels
Each brand has quite a different set of target markets. In your analysis consider the target market and opportunity for growth or decline in tourism and hospitality in New Zealand.
You may elect to focus on one city or one region. You are to consider competitors and both domestic travellers and international tourists or business personnel if applicable. A guide to this assessment piece will be covered in class and a resource will be available on the LCB site.
DO NOT contact the company directly. You are to use publicly available information on the hotel, hospitality trends, country data and tourism data. You can view press releases, corporate websites, tourism destination and airline data, journals, books and social media
comment sites by other travellers.
Please use relevant and legitimate references and sources and reference appropriately. This means you DO NOT use Wikipedia, and case study sites.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

Write a Marketing Plan on a product that does not currently exist or offered by your chosen company. Be sure to include some unique aspect of the plane that competitors already working on this idea do not have. This would be your "superior value proposition" that sets you apart.  Also, there are many articles you can use to hone in on to see how your product would be set apart from others.  

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-electric-aircraft-20160830-snap-story.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/thomson-reuters-why-2025-matters/electric-flight/208/

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 

Most researchers agree that an attitude has three components. List and briefly describe those three components.

Questions and Topics We Can Help You Answering; 
Write a 700-word paper that describes the various components of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) and how these components relate to building a brand image.

Select two companies that have successfully integrated some or most of these components into their IMC Plan: implementation of a digital marketing strategy, a successful advertising campaign, or a viral marketing plan with brand ambassadors.

Did the campaign help the company build or reinforce a brand image (i.e. define the message in the campaign, and describe how the message helped to build the brand)?

What is the company's value principle and how does it tie into the branding message?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines, including any citations for materials used from any websites.

Questions and Topics We Can Help to Answer
Paper Instructions;

This Assignment has 2 parts:

Part 1: Website Ranking of Fashion Brands
Conduct a search on a product that could be found on the sites of two fashion brands (e.g., strappy sandals). Note  how each ranks in the search results.  If they rank low, list three suggestions on how they can improve their ranking (e.g., on page and off page tactics - be specific). If they rank high on the search, list three reasons why.  Make sure your comments are a minimum of 100 words for each site analyzed.

Part 2: Based on a review of their website, list the keywords and phrases used by your selected fashion brand. Compare them to the keywords and phrases used by two of the brand's competitors. Highlight the words that are used by all three brands.  List words that are unique to each brand.  What other words and phrases could your selected fashion brand use to stand out from competitors based on Google's (or other) keyword search tool.  Ensure your suggested words are based on research, traffic generated and odds of winning a bid for that keyword.  Your recommendations should be in paragraph form and at least 100 words.

Questions and Topics We Can Help to Answer
Paper Instructions;

Understanding the purchase decision process of the target market is an essential element of the marketing plan. In a two page paper, please address the below outlined items.....make sure to use at least three relevant  references from your research.  



Develop a demographic profile of the customer who might be ideal for your business and include: 



Age  

Income  

Occupation  

Education  

Lifestyle  

Activities  

Interests  

Opinions 

  

Describe the motivation of the target consumer. Please answer the following questions: 

·        Why is the consumer buying the product?  

·        What external forces will influence the target consumer as he or she considers the purchase? For example, will the consumer's culture or subculture affect the purchase decision? How?  

·        Describe the consumer's typical consumer purchase decision process?  

·        What is the likely process a consumer will go through in making the decision to purchase the product?

Questions and Topics We Can Help to Answer
Paper Instructions;

Week 1 Assignment

Required Reading

Required Reading and Multimedia:

•    Principles of Strategic Planning and Marketing, Chapters 1 and 2: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-marketing-v2.0/s05-strategic-planning.html  This is a good view of  how SWOT is used in strategy development.
•    SWOT analysis in  strategy development: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE|CX3273100290&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=86bd270f6e12bb7d0ee947a39effe1ac  This is a nice quick view of SWOT.
•    Porter's Five Forces (industry analysis). https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/strategic-management-12/external-inputs-to-strategy-87/porter-s-five-forces-420-1822/
Recommended Resources:
•    Risvi, Qamar (2010).      Going International: A Practical, Comprehensive Template for Establishing a Footprint in Foreign Markets. (Attached)

•    Khanna, Tarun and Palepu, Krishna (2013). Emerging Markets: Look Before you Leap. (Attached)

•    Multimedia: YouTube - The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy
Required Industry Databases:
•    GlobalEdge.msu.edu
•    Global Edge Industry Insight Reports.  This link takes you to the Global Edge short industry reports, which give insight into industry structure.  http://globaledge.msu.edu/global-insights/by/industry 
•    

Country level research databases:
•    The Global Competitiveness Report 2014-2015, World Economic Forum. http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-competitiveness-report-2014-2015
•    Ease of Doing Business Index. The World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IC.BUS.EASE.XQ
•    Global Talent Competitiveness Index. INSEAD Global Indices. http://global-indices.insead.edu/gtci/gtci-2014-report.cfm
•    World Bank Development Index,
•    IMF (International Monetary Fund)
•    UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development).
•    WTO (World Trade Organization)

Assignment Topic # 1

Using information from the GlobalEdge Databases of Industry Performance, select data on the following subset of industries:

automobile
healthcare
financial services
consumer goods
telecoms and technology

Based on the data you find, discuss your views on the following questions.

1.    What kinds of industries tend to be better performers in the medium to long term? Why? What kinds of industries tend to do poorly in the medium to long term? Why? Refer to the readings to support your views.

2.    Can you make the claim that some industries are inherently more profitable than others? Provide arguments and examples to justify your response.  

3.  Which of these  industries would you recommend for your team's strategy project? Justify your recommendation.

Assignment Topic # 2

Using financial performance information at the company level for your selected Industry in topic one, discuss your views on the following questions. Use and refer to the assigned readings  to support your views.

1.    How is it that, even among the best performing industries, only some companies do well? How can some companies in poorly performing industries still do well?

2.    Generally speaking, for companies in the same industry, what factors would explain differences in company performance over the long term?

3.  Which company in your selected industry would you recommend for your team's strategy project? Explain why, using data to support your recommendation.  Remember that you will want to select a company that is not already operating in too many of the BRICS+ Next 11 countries, as that  would leave you with little room for international expansion.