The company is ford motor company
Why
This assignment is a mini-research paper to practice research skills related to the library database and acts as the beginning steps of creating a marketing plan.
The big picture: A marketing plan is a carefully constructed guide for running and coordinating marketing programs. It helps align the strategic objectives and the many people and organizations involved in creating and delivering value.
A marketing plan answers these three questions: Where are we now? Where are we going? And how do we get there?
This assignment focuses on the first part: First, it captures everything you and your team have learned about the market, the competition, and your customers. This information is critical because it becomes the supporting evidence for your and your team’s strategies (See Figure 1).
How does this apply to non-marketing majors? Regardless of your major, as an individual professional, as a future employee within the workforce, and at any organization, being aware of what is happening within the external environment and how it might impact you personally and professionally is necessary for future success. Learn and analyze what’s happening around you and in your industry so that you’re better prepared when layoffs, organizational changes, opportunities for promotion, (and more) are in reach.
Bring this to an interview! All of the information you learn about a company within this assignment: what they do, where they’re going, and how they stand out among the competition, will provide great conversations within an interview setting.
What
Students will complete a mini-situation analysis for a company they are interested in interviewing for, a business idea, a startup, or a family business.
Use the library database and other outside resources to gather information for your analysis.
Answer the following questions:
Personal Reflection
Why did you choose this type of business? Would you enjoy owning or working for this type of business?
Internal Environment
Choose any five bullet points to research and include with your analysis in paragraph format.
What does your business do, and how does it satisfy customers’ needs?
How does marketing support my company’s mission, objectives, and growth strategies? What is the organizational structure, and how is the marketing function structured?
How has the company added value through its offerings in the past: Target markets? Products? Pricing? Promotion? Supply chain?
Does any part of your business involve e-commerce?
What resources, including management expertise, does my company have that make us unique?
Is the firm financially stable?
What is their corporate reputation?
Expand on strengths and weaknesses of the company.
External Environment
Research all three bullet points to include with your analysis in paragraph format*.
What is the overall domestic and global market for our product or service? How big is the market? Who buys our product?
What industry do you operate in, and what are the industry-wide trends?
Identify three major competitors in your industry and include their market share. *(A competitor analysis can be completed within a grid format vs. paragraph). Include a minimum of three points of differentiation among your competition.
PESTLE Analysis:
The PESTLE analysis can be completed in a table or paragraph format.
Provide specific examples of how each force impacts your idea/business. If a force does not currently impact your idea/business, write N/A.
political
economic
social
technological
legal
environmental
SWOT Analysis
Use the information that you’ve researched in the internal and external/PESTLE analysis to build a SWOT analysis. The SWOT analysis will be in a quadrant format.
—
Grading Criteria
Format & Length
Personal reflection: 1-2 paragraphs
Internal analysis: 1 – 1.5 pages
External analysis: 1 – 1.5 pages (includes paragraphs and tables)
12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 inch margins, double-spaced
Minimum 5 sources; citations throughout the situation analysis, and references listed in APA format. (Sources can include the company website).
Writing for this assignment is fact-based; you must substantiate your ideas with research and cite using multiple credible sources.
Apply the rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling in all of your written assignments, including forums.
Content
Did the student identify relevant issues in the internal and external environment?
Did the student support each section with specific and appropriate evidence?
Ability to assemble and align each component together. The information in the internal and external environment feed into the SWOT analysis.
