1 Outline for Completing the Marketing Plan Assignment .docx

1
Outline for Completing the Marketing Plan Assignment
MKT501– Strategic Marketing
Use this format to plan your research and complete the SLP assi
gnments. Your final paper in
module 4 SLP should follow this outline. Note that the letters “a
, b, c…” and the numbers “i, ii,
iii, iv…” in the outline below are used to show the major issues
you need to include in your
paper and you should not use these letters and numbers to organ
ize your paper.
Cover Page (1 page)
a. Marketing plan title
b. Course title and number
c. Your name and date
d. Name of Instructor
e. Executive Summary (2 pages maximum)
f. Summary of what plan is designed to achieve
g.
Summary of key elements of internal environment and external
environment
analysis (only points that are relevant to understanding the actio
n plan, only the

point, not the analysis)
h.
Summary of prescribed goals and strategic approach to achievin
g them.
i. Summary of key actions that are outlined.
Table of Contents (as many pages as needed)
I. Product Statement (2 pages maximum)
j. Describe the company/organization
k. Provide brief background of the organization
l. Describe charge you have for this marketing plan
m.
Provide a brief overview of what issue you are studying, and ho
w a marketing
perspective can help address the issue.
II. Situation Analysis (3‐6 pages)
NOTE: only include sections which are relevant to your charge.
The relevance of
each section of analysis should be clear to the reader.
a. External Environment Analysis
i. Context Analysis
Industry forces that might impact success of any actions taken
ii. Competitor Analysis

organization or message which may prevent any actions
taken from being successful
iii. Technological and Economical situation Analysis
iv. Political, legal and cultural Analysis
2
b. Customer Environment Analysis
i. Customer Analysis
ii. Collaborator Analysis
c. Internal Environment Analysis
i. Company Analysis
III. SWOT Analysis (3‐6 pages)
a. Strengths and Weaknesses(Internal)
i. Strengths
ii. Weaknesses
b. Opportunities and Threats (External)
i. Opportunities
ii. Threats

c. SWOT Table
IV. Issues Analysis (2 pages maximum)
a.
Given your complete marketing analysis, what are the key issue
s which the
company/organization must understand in order to address the c
harge that is
being considered?
i.
NOTE: This section concisely identifies the most important issu
es and
decisions that the organization is likely to face when trying to p
romote
the product in your charge
points (or numbered statements) are acceptable.
V. Goals and Objectives (2 pages maximum)
a.
The goals and objectives should be stated clearly and concisely
i. (Think S.M.A.R.T.).
b. Do not “Discuss” the goals/objectives. Just present them.
i.
Each goal/objective should be easily understood given your prev
ious
analysis and summary of key issues.

VI. Marketing Strategy Statements (2‐6 pages)
a. NOTE: These are LITERALLY STATEMENTS.
i. Do not provide detailed descriptions.
ii. These statements will guide your implementation.
iii.
These statements should be logical given your analysis and goal
s.
b. Target Market Definition
3
i.
NOTE: This is a short, final description of who your action plan
will be
intended to reach. You may simply be a restating target populati
on
previously identified.
Describe the target market in demographic and/or psychographi
c
terms.
the key benefits/behaviors this target market
seeks/prefers
the number of customers in this segment.
c. Strategy Statements

i. Value Statement
1. Why should “customers” adopt your strategic initiative?
2. What does your initiative provide (or what do you suggest it
provide) in order to encourage/support behavioral change.
a. Identify “the set of benefits that the strategy offers”
b. NOTE: The value proposition is intangible, it is made
tangible through specific offerings/activities.
ii. Proposition Statement
1. What is the key proposition on which the strategy and its
activities should be based?
a. Refer to the “4ps” of marketing.
iii. Accessibility Statement
1. What information or support materials must be made easily
accessible?
a. Refer to the “4ps” of marketing.
iv. Communication Statement
a. What method of communications should be sought?
i. Print/radio and other traditional media?
ii. Social networking?
VII. Marketing Implementation (2‐6 pages)
a. Follow the format provided in the module 4 SLP.
b.
Remember, you should suggest at least 2 actions to be taken whi
ch can help
achieve your stated goals and which are consistent with your str

ategic
statements.
c.
What is the cost/budget of implementing the suggested actions?
VIII. Marketing Budget (1 page)
IX. References
COPYRIGHTS: Notes, materials, or tapes of class lectures
cannot be transmitted or used
without permission of course developer.
Running head: PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AND SITUATION
ANALYSIS
1
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AND SITUATION ANALYSIS
7
Product management and situation analysis
Student’s name
University affiliation
Product statement
Samsung is a South Korean company that operates globally
which has made it possible for the company to experience
benefits of a large market (Michell, 2010). The conglomerate
organization has its headquarters in Samsung Town, Seoul. The
company was founded by Lee Byung-Chul on March 1, 1938,

which proves that the firm is 78 years old. The organization
provides products that comprise of electric components,
telecommunications equipment, apparel, medical equipment,
chemicals, and semiconductors among others. Some of the
services provided by the firm are healthcare services,
advertising, financial services, information and communications
technology, entertainment, and construction among others. The
company is believed to have started as a small trading company
with an average of forty workers. At first, the firm dealt in
locally-grown groceries, dried fish, and making of noodles. The
company has since continued to succeed to the current situation
by providing increased number of diverse products and services.
Also, the company has grown to own several numbers of
subsidiaries and businesses in different nations.
The fact that there is increased level of competition has led to
the situation by which the company works hard towards the
provision of quality products and services. Many organizations
have continued to enter the market which requires Samsung to
identify the best techniques and strategies that will enable it to
maintain its position in the market and gain a competitive
advantage. Therefore, the Samsung Group wants to introduce a
tablet who name is Galaxy Mini S so as to make sure that it
improves the customers’ satisfaction and compete for a larger
market share.
The Samsung Galaxy tablet refers to a computing device that
makes it easy for people to perform a series of functions in an
effective and efficient manner. The company has provided a
series of tablets for a number of years which have continued to
impress the public leading to an increase in sales. The company
targets enterprises which would need to use the portable tablets
in place of large computers. Also, the tablet provides game apps
that can be used for entertainment which has led to the success

of the tablets in the market. Therefore, the introduction of the
new tablet is so as to make sure that the company attracts more
customers and provides a product that helps it earn a
competitive advantage in the market.
External environment analysis
Samsung has been identified to be the largest manufacturer of
smartphones, mobile phones, and tablets that enable it to reach
a large market. It is also the largest producer of LCD panels and
televisions in the world which identify that it is of great value
and significance to the society. The company continues to
succeed and expand which suggests that the introduction of the
new tablet has a higher possibility of excelling. The brand
competitors are Apple Inc, Lenovo, and Motorola Xoom among
others while the product competitors are Dell computers and
Sony. These competitors pose a great risk to Samsung because
they produce products that are almost of the same quality
performing the same functions. However, they have a smaller
market share compared to Samsung which suggests that they
earn a lower income than Samsung. Their strengths are that they
provide quality products and operate globally while their
weaknesses are that they experience competition from other
companies and incur high costs in coming up with quality
products.
Technology development affects the charge in that after some
time the customers will be in need of a better quality product.
Also, the current specifications of the tablet may be outdated if
another company provides a product of high quality to the
market which will require Samsung to either improve the
product or introduce a new product. The fact that the Samsung
Group is the largest in the world proves that the newly
introduced product has a chance of experiencing high sales that

will lead to high profits (Rodiek, 2008). The company has
already built a corporate image which enables it to attract
potential customers.
Some of the government regulations may prevent the company
from entering new markets easily. However, most of the states
have provided intellectual property rights that ensure there is no
single organization that will try to copy the specifications of the
Samsung Group which protect it from exploitation. Some of the
cultural trends that will affect the introduction of the new
product are value orientation and giving back to the society.
Provision of quality and affordable products and ability to
maintain corporate social responsibility will attract a large
number of customers.
Customer environment analysis
Samsung Group focuses on the retailers in Europe and the
United States which have made it possible for it to maintain a
steady sales channel for its commodities and services. The
buyers’ purchasing power and the company bargaining power
influence the purchasing decision. The Company serves the
whole world which has been possible by creating a numerous
number of stores in different countries. Electric commerce has
also made it possible for the company to advertise its products
and access customers’ feedback.
The company provides a continuous supply of products enabling
customers to purchase goods anytime. The firm has also
maintained advertising and promotional strategies that lead to
success by meeting the psychographic needs of people in
different geographical areas. Other companies provide almost
the same product but Samsung has made sure that it provides

quality goods so as to compete advantageously and meet
changes in customers’ needs. Customers pay for the products on
a cash basis which prevents the occurrence of bad debts. There
will always be unsatisfied needs because of taste and
preferences among people. The charge will provide low priced
commodities so as to attract more customers and conduct an
increased level of advertisement and promotion so as to make
the product known to the public.
Internal environment analysis
The company has been able to achieve a corporate image in the
world which makes it possible for the charge to succeed. The
company has a large marker share which has led to the
achievement of its objectives through increased profitability.
The company provides affordable prices and maintains efficient
distribution channels that have continued to attract a large
number of customers. The firm uses advanced technology and
maintains a high production level which satisfies the needs of
the market. The use of skilled and experienced personnel will
enable the introduction of the new tablet to exceed (Hill, &
Jones, 2010). Also, the company maintains a good relationship
with its customers by answering all their questions that will
ensure that the firm incorporates the necessary qualities in the
product leading to the success of the product.
Samsung’s financial performance
Revenue
US$ 305 billion(2014)
Net income
US$ 22.1 billion(2014)
Total assets
US$ 529.5 billion(2014)
Total equity
US$ 231.2 billion(2014)

Histogram
Series 1-revenue
Series 2-net income
Series 3-total assets
Series 4-total equity
References
Hill, C. & Jones, G. (2010). Strategic management theory : an
integrated approach. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage
Learning.
Michell, T. (2010). Samsung Electronics and the struggle for
leadership of the electronics industry. Singapore Hoboken, NJ:
Wiley.
Rodiek, C. (2008). External Environmental Analysis - The U.S.
Television Manufacturing Industry. München: GRIN Verlag
GmbH.
Samsung is a major competitor in the consumer electronics
industry. The company has a wide variety of strengths that have
kept them going strong over the 78 years that they have been in
business. Along with the many strengths of the company there
are many weaknesses the company needs to work on. With
globalization and the world in general moving forward there are
multiple opportunities the company has to consider as well.
Along with this comes multiple threats as well that the company

needs to consider (Samsung).
Samsung has multiple strengths that has kept them in business
for such a long period of time versus the stiff competition in the
industry. In the consumer electronics industry staying ahead on
research and development is the biggest key. A consumer is
always looking for the product that brings the most to the table
and has the latest and greatest abilities. Samsung prides
themselves in their research and development as they are often
the first to possessing new features with their products. If the
company does manage to fall behind somewhere for example in
the cell phone industry versus Apple Inc, they have shown they
can replicate and improve upon the products that have been
released by them.
Another strength is that the impressive market share that
Samsung currently holds. As of 2015 they held a market share
of 21.4% in the cell phone industry. This is significantly higher
than their biggest competitor which is Apple Inc. who holds
13.9%. The ability to hold a larger market share than
competitors is very important to the success of a company.
(SWOT analysis of Samsung).
Samsung also has very strong relationships with retailers
throughout the United States and other countries around the
world. Where Apple often depends on their own stores,
Samsung is better known for selling through retailers which
they have built strong relationships with over time.
Finally Samsung has is their very good manufacturing and
marketing capabilities. With production facilities in both the
Asian and American regions the company has the ability to
lower their costs of shipping by producing domestically in each
region (Dudovowski).
Samsung does have multiple weaknesses that they are facing as
well. Many users who have Apple products feel that their iOS is
better than that of the Android. Each operating system has their
own look to them, but the idea that Apple’s is better in people’s
minds represents a weakness that the company has to deal with.
The company also faces very limited growth potential where

they are doing business. In general people already have the
products that are provided by Samsung such as televisions and
wireless phones. Samsung is fighting to keep a hold onto these
customers from competitors which represents a different kind of
challenge then growing in their current market.
There are many opportunities for a Samsung that they need to
take advantage of. While many regions which Samsung is doing
business in do not have room for growth, there are regions in
the world that they could expand their business to. For example
there are areas in India and Africa that represent huge
opportunities for Samsung as they have not quite made it to the
technology level that countries like those in western Europe or
even the United States have.
Another opportunity that Samsung has is the increasing demand
for new wearable technology products such as watches. Watches
that people can make calls and check e mails on have become
more popular in recent years and Samsung has the opportunity
to capitalize on the consumers desires in this area.
In many countries the middle class is on the rise and because of
this, more people are going to be able to purchase these
products. There used to be multiple countries where the
population for the most part was too poor to afford products that
Samsung produces. There has been a shift recently though and
more people are in the middle class and able to afford their
products.
Another opportunity that Samsung has is the use of online sales
to promote and get their product to their customers. People are
not going to stores as much as they used to, but rather are
ordering products online using sites such as Amazon. These
types of online sales channels can provide not only another way
to sell to customers but cost savings as well. Not having to sell
a product in actual stores could save the company money if
online sales were to completely make in store sales irrelevant
someday (SWOT analysis of Samsung).
While Samsung does have many opportunities that they can take
advantage of, there are threats that they are currently facing as

well. While Apple was not a major competitor of Samsung when
they first entered the cell phone industry they are now. Apple
not only is a competitor, but they have ways of keeping their
customers by making it impossible to transfer their information
to a competitor’s phone.
They face another threat via Chinese manufacturers such as
Huawei and Xiamoi who are potentially major rivals for
Samsung in the near future. The industry is one that does allow
for competitors to emerge and these are just two of them in the
Asian markets that could be a threat in the near future for them.
Arguably their biggest competitor Apple only competes with
Samsung in certain areas of the consumer technology industry.
Apple could decide to attempt to take over some of Samsung’s
market share for other products such as cameras or other home
appliances such as televisions.
In order for Samsung to continue their success they need to
make sure that they stay ahead of the competition from a
research and development standpoint. This is by far the most
important area when dealing with the technology industry. The
company has shown that they can compete with the best, but
they do have some weaknesses and threats that they need to
thwart before they become too much of a burden to face.

Works Cited
Dudovowski, J. (n.d.). Samsung SWOT Analysis. Retrieved
January 1, 2017, from http://research-
methodology.net/samsung-swot-analysis/
Samsung. (n.d.). Retrieved January 1, 2017, from
http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/
SWOT analysis of Samsung. (2015, October 21). Retrieved
January 1, 2017, from http://pestleanalysis.com/swot-
analysis-of-samsung/
Here is the brief overview of this cumulative Session Long
Project (SLP). In this
research project, you would work as a marketing consultant to
develop a feasible
marketing plan for your client. You would conduct both
secondary research in
SLP1 and SLP2 to glean the necessary information for your
marketing plan in
SLP3 and SLP4.
It is important to conduct quality market research on your focal
product/company
in order to develop realistic and workable marketing plans.
Generally speaking,
there are two types of research. One is secondary research,
which refers to data
collection using existing sources, and the other is primary
research, which is your

own data collection for the specific study at hand. The purpose
of market
research is to collect usable information to make more informed
decisions on the
business problem, thus increasing the chance of business
success in the
marketplace.
Please check the outline of the marketing plan, which provides
information on:
The final format for this cumulative Session Long Project;1.
A list of topics for the whole project;2.
The continuity and connections among SLPs 1-4.3.
In this module SLP3, conduct the issue analysis based on the
secondary
research results in SLPs 1-2. Then develop goals and objectives,
as well as
the specific marketing strategies to accomplish your charge.
This is the
third step of this cumulative research project and you are
developing
marketing plans for your charge. Be sure to revise the sections
in SLPs 1-2
and include them in this paper following the marketing plan
outline
provided above.
Issues Analysis
The situation analysis and SWOT Analysis are the basis for the
Issues Analysis.
Here the primary focus should be on the charge for your

research project. What
are the most important issues and decisions that the
organization is likely to face
when trying to accomplish the charge? Further, if the previous
research steps
(situation analysis and SWOT analysis) have shown that
previous marketing
Listen
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efforts were unsuccessful (and why), you should include the
lessons to be learned
as issues.
In general, issues can include, but are not limited to (the issues
depend on the
charge of the respective marketing plan and are likely to differ
from plan to plan):
Should the company focus on the charge in question?
What rate of growth is necessary and sustainable?
Does the company need to increase promotion to thwart the
competition or to
successfully reach its target market?
Does the company need to develop new promotional efforts to
reach the

identified target market?
What would be the most promising way of communicating with
the target
market?
Does the company need to increase the target market’s
knowledge base?
Does the company need to address/change the target market’s
belief
systems?
Does the company need to develop persuasive messages tailored
to the
specific brand at hand?
Does the organization need to work on its reputation?
Is the company’s current distribution in order?
Should the company review its pricing strategy?
Does the company anticipate any major competitive attacks in
its current
markets?
Note: Be realistic when proposing issues. For example,
suggesting that the
company should invest funds in stocks or real estate is not
appropriate for the
marketing plan. First, it has nothing to do with the charge at
hand; second you are
unlikely to have enough information to address this issue in the
following sections
(i.e., goals, objectives, and implementation).

Also do not list questions in your issue analysis. Instead you
should list the
issues in a descriptive way based on the situation analysis and
SWOT analysis
results.
Goals and Objectives
Both goals and objectives need to be driven by the Issues
Analysis.
Establish corporate goals: qualitative statements of desired
general
accomplishments that are indicative of the direction and
priorities of the company
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or the outcome that the company hopes to accomplish (e.g., to
improve customer
satisfaction and loyalty, increase consumer knowledge, change
consumer beliefs,
persuade the target audience to buy the new brand, have the
most-recognized
and effective advertising campaign in the industry, improve
service quality, have
lower prices than all competitors, increase market share,
produce the most loyal
customers in the industry).

Set specific measurable corporate quantitative objectives:
targeted dollar amount
of sales; number of iPad 4 sold; targeted market share; etc. That
is, you need to
express the goals you have outlined above in quantitative
(numerical) terms, and
you also need to place them within a time frame. In other
words, the objectives
are driven by the goals you outlined above. Please avoid listing
objectives that
have nothing to do with the identified goals.
Note: If you are dealing with a new product (i.e., your charge),
please do not
express objectives for the first year in percentage terms. In
other words, stating
that you would like to increase awareness by 5% for a new
product does not
make sense, because a new product will start out with a market
share (or
awareness) of zero and 5% of zero is still zero. In such a case,
please phrase
your objectives differently (e.g., the objective is to increase the
brand awareness
among 10% of the target market within the next 6 months).
You should have at least one goal. Please make sure that those
goals (and
your objectives) focus on your charge and also reflect your
issues analysis. You
should have at least two objectives for each goal.
The format for this section should look as follows:
Goal 1

Objective 1
Objective 2 (if applicable)
Etc.
Goal 2
Objective 1
Objective 2 (if applicable)
Etc.
Marketing Strategies
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Marketing strategies encompass recommended positioning,
competitive
differentiation, and customer value strategy. These include a
description of your
target market, intended image/position in the market, and the
value proposition.
A. Target Market Definition
The process of selecting a target market is one of the most
important decisions
an organization can make. Most organizations segment the
entire population into

groups with homogeneous needs. For a market segment to be
viable it must
be measurable, meaningful, and marketable. A segment is
measurable if its
size can be determined, its purchasing power can be estimated,
and other
characteristics can be identified. It may be difficult to segment
on the basis of
social class, but easy to segment along income levels. A
segment
is meaningful when it is large enough to have sufficient sales
and growth
potential to serve in the long run. A marketable segment is one
that may be
reached and served efficiently. In general, a company wishes to
serve the largest
possible homogeneous group that also seems to be most likely
to be persuaded
to buy the product in your charge.
When companies write the marketing plan, defining the target
market often
proves to be the most challenging aspect of the plan. However,
if you do not
choose the right markets to target, you will often never achieve
complete success.
Too often, companies see that their solution can serve the needs
of multiple
markets and they try to establish multiple markets at the same
time. Ultimately,
this may lead to failure because they overextended themselves
and did not
successfully meet the needs of any market. Choose a well-
defined market when
you write your marketing plan and stick to it until the market
dictates a change.

Bases for segmenting consumer markets include demographic,
benefit,
psychographic, and behavioral characteristics. Demographic
segmentation
includes the characteristics of age, family size, family life
cycle, gender, income,
occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality,
and social
class. Benefit segmentation describes why consumers buy a
product (e.g.,
makes me feel good, makes me feel useful, etc.). Psychographic
segmentation
encompasses lifestyle (e.g., outdoors, athletic), and personality
(e.g., compulsive,
gregarious). Behavioral characteristics include occasion (e.g.,
Valentine’s Day,
birthday), usage rate (e.g., light, medium or heavy users), or
attitude (loyalty).
Note: You do not have to use all of the above-listed bases for
segmenting
consumer markets. However, demographic segmentation and
benefit
segmentation will always have to be used. Follow the
instructions below:
1. Primary (and Only) Target Market
Describe the primary target market in demographic terms (use
the descriptors
that are most useful in terms of your charge).
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Describe the primary target market using benefits sought by that
market.
Describe the primary target market using one of the following
bases:
geographic, psychographic, benefits sought, or usage (depends
on your target
and your charge).
Estimate the number of customers in your primary market.
Justify the choice of your primary target market (if applicable).
This section is very important. Do not take shortcuts.
B. Strategy Statement
1. Image/Market Position
Positioning is the act of designing the offering and its image so
that both occupy a
meaningful and distinct competitive position in the minds of the
target market.
What is the intended image you wish the product to portray?
What is the position
you wish the product to obtain?
2. Value Proposition
Why should customers buy from the agency instead of its
competitors?

What does the agency have to offer to its customers that
outperforms its
competitors’ products?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Use the following outline to organize your paper. Note that the
letters “a, b, c…”
and the numbers “i, ii, iii, iv…” and “1, 2, 3, 4…” below are
used to show the major
issues you need to include in your paper, but should not be used
to format your
paper.
V. Issues Analysis (2 pages maximum)
Given your complete marketing analysis, what are the key
issues that the
company/organization must understand in order to address the
charge that is
being considered?
Note: This section concisely identifies the most important
issues and decisions that the organization is likely to face when
trying to sell the product in your charge.
i.
Bullet points (or numbered statements) are acceptable.
1.
VI. Goals and Objectives (2 pages maximum)

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The goals and objectives should be stated clearly and concisely.
(Think S.M.A.R.T. i.e., Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Realistic, and Time
bound).
1.
Each goal/objective should be easily understood given your
previous analysis
and summary of key issues.
Do not “discuss” the goals/objectives. Just present them.i.
2.
VII. Marketing Strategy Statements (2-6 pages)
Note: These are literally statements
Do not provide detailed descriptions.i.
These statements will guide your implementation.ii.
These statements should be logical given your analysis and
goals.
iii.
1.
Target Market Definition

Note: This is a short, final description of who your action plan
will be intended to reach. You may simply be restating target
population previously identified.
i.
Describe the target market in demographic and/or
psychographic terms.
Describe the key benefits/behaviors this target market
seeks/prefers.
Estimate the number of customers in this segment.
2.
Strategy Statements
Value Statement
Why should “customers” adopt your strategic
initiative?
What does your initiative provide (or what do
you suggest it provide) in order to
encourage/support behavioral change?
Identify “the set of benefits that the strategy
offers.”
Note: The value proposition is intangible,
but it is made tangible through specific
offerings/activities.
i.
Proposition Statement

What is the key proposition on which the
ii.
3.
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strategy and its activities should be based?
Refer to the “4 Ps” of marketing.
Accessibility Statement
What information or support materials must be
made easily accessible?
Refer to the “4 Ps” of marketing.
iii.
Communication Statement
What method of communications should be
sought? Print/radio and other traditional media?
Social networking?
iv.
Note: Use double-spaced, black Verdana or Times Roman font
in 12 pt. type
size. Include a title page and references. Revise your Module 3
SLP based on the

feedback from your professor and your additional research, and
include the SLPs
from Modules 1-3 in the Module 4 SLP.
Explain clearly and logically the facts you find about your
company and charge,
and use the required reading to support your positions on the
issues. Do not
repeat or quote definitions. Your use of the required readings to
support your
opinions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate
that you
understand the concepts presented.
Paraphrase the facts using your own words and ideas, employing
quotes
sparingly. Quotes, if absolutely necessary, should rarely exceed
five words.
Academic papers at the master’s level should include citations
and references.
Look at different sources, especially credible and reputable
resources such as
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek,
and The
Economist, to find the information for your paper. Also use
Trident University’s
online library databases such as ProQuest and EBSCO to find
information for
your project. Your discussion on each topic should be a
synthesis of the different
sources. Taking shortcuts on the number and quality of your
sources will result in
a poor-quality marketing plan that will be of no use to your
client.

Also, it is important that you reference your sources throughout
the text of your
marketing plan. Take the following paragraph as an example:
“As a result, telephone interviewers often do not even get a
chance to explain that
they are conducting a survey (Council for Marketing and
Opinion Research,
2003), and response rates have steadily declined (Keeter et al.,
2000) to reported
lows of 7% (Council for Marketing and Opinion Research,
2003). This decrease
presents a problem because not only does it increase the cost of
conducting
telephone surveys, but it also leads to questions concerning the
generalizability of
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the results (Struebbe, Kernan & Grogan, 1986; Tuckel &
O’Neill, 2002).”
There are different citation and reference formats such as APA,
MLA, or Chicago.
No matter which format you adopt for your marketing plan,
make it consistent
throughout the plan.
Also note: The marketing plan should use third person business

writing. Avoid
“we,” “our,” and “you.” Do not use contractions in business
writing.
Here are some guidelines on how to conduct information search
and build critical
thinking skills.
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Searching for information.
Retrieved from
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/sear
ching.htm
Emerald Group Publishing. (n.d.). Developing critical thinking.
Retrieved from
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/learning/study_skills/skills/criti
cal_thinking.htm
Guidelines for handling quoted and paraphrased material are
found at:
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Academic writing. Retrieved
from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/2/
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Quoting, paraphrasing, and
summarizing.
Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Is it plagiarism yet?
Retrieved from
Your paper consists of arguments in favor of your opinions or
positions on the

issues addressed by the guidelines; therefore, avoid the
following logical fallacies:
Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Logic in argumentative
writing. Retrieved from
Your SLP should not simply be a list of facts. Take the facts
you find about the
company, the charge, and the environments that the company
faces, and explain
how you think those facts will affect the financial future of the
product or brand in
your charge. The emphasis in grading your paper will be on the
breadth and
depth of your discussion of each topic, critical thinking, the
clarity of your
discussion, and the proper organization of the paper.
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