Unit 1 [GM591 Strategic Project Selection and Initiation].docx

Unit 1
[GM591: Strategic Project Selection and Initiation]
Demonstrating Project Need and Feasibility For a Project of
Antiquity
Instructions: This worksheet is designed to help you decide
whether the chosen project team addressed their fiduciary
responsibilities and obtained enough information to prove to
you that the project you researched was needed and was
feasible.
Research your chosen project of antiquity and ask yourself each
of these questions. Check Yes for those questions that were
addressed adequately. If you check No, conduct the corrective
actions in italics.
QUESTIONS
YES
NO
Was the project goal defined clearly, in terms that the sponsor
can understand? If not, how could the goal have been redefined?
Is the sponsor financially and organizationally able to provide
all needed resources? If not, who was the real sponsor and could
they get the real sponsor involved?
Did they express the core project concept clearly and
succinctly? If not, redefine the core project description for
them.
Was some form of project scope and risk analysis or needs
analysis conducted to show a bona fide need for the product

(deliverables) of the project? If not, should project have been
abandoned or an appropriate analysis that proves project need
be provided?
Did they clearly express the costs and benefits of the project? If
not, restate the description of costs and benefits in terms
appropriate to the situation.
Did they consult all project stakeholders to obtain their
opinions about the need, scope, risk and feasibility? If not,
identify missing stakeholders and explain how they could have
addressed this requirement.
Did they define the project scope, risk and strategy in enough
detail to enable the sponsor(s) to really understand what they’re
getting into? If not, restate the project scope, risk and strategy
in a way that can be understood.
Are the results of the research assembled into a well-written
document and/or presentation? Ensure all APA and writing
requirements are met.
*Sponsor is the customer, client, final owner, or entity
providing funding. The sponsor has the power to provide funds,
approve the use of resources, and/or stop the project.

Overview
Marketing and product sales are the lifeline of any business and
the thorough knowledge of international marketing practices is
a necessity for aspiring practitioners in international business.
Analyzing marketing opportunities in international markets and
creating marketing campaigns are skills that will help you
succeed in global organizations.
The final project for this course is the creation of an
international marketing plan that could be used for the
evaluation of a new product launch and accompanying
marketing campaign by a multinational corporation in a specific
international market. This project will exercise your ability to
analyze market conditions for a product launch in international
markets based on real-world data. In your role as an aspiring
marketing practitioner, you will not only “launch” this
marketing campaign, but also design an advertisement of your
choice, in the form of a video, billboard, or web banner.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the
following course outcomes:
· Develop international marketing strategies and advertisement
campaigns for specific international markets that incorporate
product, pricing, promotion, and placement
· Analyze brand changes of competitors for determining
marketing strategies that are customized to specific
international markets
· Develop itemized marketing budgets for new marketing
campaign launches in international markets that are informed by
fiscal responsibility and price sensitivity
· Assess the political and legal environments of international
markets for developing marketing strategies that adhere to
current policies
· Determine the overall impact of new product launches on
companies for appraising the value of pursuing international
market opportunities

Prompt
You are tasked with launching a product and accompanying
marketing campaign in the international market of your choice.
You will select a specific international market in the world,
excluding the United States, and a specific product, and then
assess the marketing conditions in the international market in
several important areas. You should select a country that you
were always interested in and might be your “dream” country to
work in one day.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
1. Overview: Provide a brief overview where you select a
specific international market and a company within a selected
industry. Assume this company is planning to enter your
selected international market with a new or updated product. Be
sure to include key details about the company.
2. Country SWOT for marketing strategies
a. Assess the political system in your selected country for
whether it favors a new product or not.
b. Analyze the rules and regulations governing marketing in
your specific market. For example, are there any regulations
regarding the time when certain products can be advertised? Are
there certain media on which your product cannot be
advertised?
c. Analyze the law and regulations governing the specific
product you are launching in the market. Are there any
restrictions? Regulations that can prevent the launch? For
example, medical equipment and products face particular
restrictions.
3. Branding: Analyze competitors’ brands for how they have
adapted their product to your specific market.
a. Analyze the competitors’ brand changes in your specific
market in the categories below:
i. Logos
ii. Marketing campaigns
b. Analyze the competitors’ brand products and whether the
product had to be customized to fit your specific international

market. Explain the rationale behind the brand product strategy.
c. Analyze the competitors’ brand positioning in terms of price
in your specific international market. Explain the rationale
behind the brand positioning strategy.
d. Analyze the competitors’ brand in terms of placement in your
specific international market. Explain the rationale behind the
placement strategy.
4. Target Market and Market Segmentation
a. Justify why your product is correctly customized to the
market you are selling in. Be sure to include your logo image
and describe any changes you made to it.
b. Justify how your product is appropriately priced for the
intended target market group. c. Justify your product placement
within the specific international market.
d. Develop a promotion strategy for your product in the specific
international market. Provide justification for your selected
platform(s):
i. Media marketing
ii. Social media
iii. Print
iv. Other
5. Pricing and Budgeting: In this section, you will develop a
complete marketing budget.
a. Produce an overall budget for your marketing campaign
consisting of all the required budget items based on your
budgeting strategy.
b. Provide exact pricing for your selected promotion strategy.
The prices should reflect current pricing options in the specific
international market.
c. Determine whether or not the current product price covers the
current marketing budget. Is your budget fiscally responsible?
d. Evaluate the impact of adjustments of the current product
price to the highest-priced competitor and the lowest-priced
product competitors on your budget.
6. Conclusions
a. Determine the overall impact of the product launch on your

company. For example, how will this launch impact your other
products on the market? How will this launch impact your
overall net income?
b. Appraise the value of the product launch opportunity in the
international market based on the marketing techniques you
have employed. Will you will pursue this marketing
opportunity? Support your answer.
c. Provide suggestions for future product launches. For
example, would other product(s) from your selected company
succeed in this market? Support your suggestions with evidence.
7. Advertisement Design: Create one advertisement using your
market-specific strategy, choosing from the following: video,
billboard, web banner, or brochure.
Guidelines for Submission: Your international marketing plan
should adhere to the following formatting requirements: 12-
point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and the most
current APA formatting. Your submission should be a 8-10
pages. While completing this project, you must use scholarly
references as much as possible for full credit. At least six
scholarly references should support your entire project. Please
do not use Wikipedia and Investopedia as your resources.
DUE DATE: 02 Dec 2017 DUE TIME: 20:00Hrs
Budget: $20.00
This assignment is in two parts.
Part 1:
Trending in Project Management
1. Read the following article before writing your response:
Castellano, S. (2011). Top 10 project management trends for
2011. T+D, 65(3), 23.
The project management practitioners at ESI propose ten trends
for the near future in project management. Discuss how these
trends may influence or affect you in your career over the next
5 years?
…………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………
Part 2:
2. Project Need and Feasibility Focus Paper
Using the Demonstrating Project Need and Feasibility for a
Project of Annuity worksheet, select a well-known project from
the past (Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Panama Canal, Suez Canal,
Chunnel, Golden Gate Bridge, etc.) and determine if the project
should have been initiated based on the principles outlined in
your worksheet. Submit your assessment in the form of a focus
paper of your findings. The objective of this Assignment is an
analysis of your selected project with recommended courses of
action to a problems or issues you found, and to present the
recommended courses of action. Your focus paper should
include the following components of a business proposal and in
compliance with APA format:
Components
● Cover page (please see sample Unit 1 Assignment)
● Table of contents
● Executive summary
● Body of the proposal (use Headings to organize).
● Assess the core project concept. Determine the costs and
benefits of the project. Assess if the project scope, risk and
strategy was defined clearly.
● Conclusion stated as a recommendation for implementation of
your recommended solutions or improvements.
● Reference page and any other data suitable for this section of
the report (this includes your completed worksheet to be pasted
in the document after the references).
● A minimum of three scholarly journal and textbook source
references cited and credited according to APA format using a
minimum of six intext citations.
● The paper should be focused and to the point and containing
between 700 and 900 words from the Executive Summary to the
end of your Conclusion.

Checklist for Assignment
● Assess the core project concept
● Determine the costs and benefits of the project
● Assess if the project scope, risk and strategy is defined
clearly
● Evaluate the quality of research associated with presentation
materials
Directions for submitting your Assignment:
To submit your Unit 1 Assignment, go to the Dropbox and
select Unit 1: Assignment and follow the instructions. Make
sure that you save a copy of each of the papers you submit. Unit
1 [GM591: Strategic Project Selection and Initiation]
Grading Rubric for Assignment GM591 Unit 1 Assignment:
Project Need and Feasibility Focus Paper
Points Possible
Points Earned
Content (50 pts)
Response successfully answers the assignment question(s) as
noted on the Worksheet: Demonstrating Project Need and
Feasibility for a Project of Antiquity, with a thorough use of the
textbook and other literature. Includes a strong thesis statement,
introduction, and conclusion. The main points of the paper are
developed clearly. All arguments are supported well (no errors
in logic) using outside sources as assigned.
25
Sources are primarily academic journals, with thoughtful use
web sources. References are applied substantively to the paper
topic. Skillfully addresses counter-arguments and does not
ignore data contradicting its claim. Refers to sources both in-
text and in the reference page.
25
Analysis (30 pts)
Response exhibits strong higher-order critical thinking and

analysis (e.g., evaluation). Paper shows original thought.
10
Analysis includes proper classifications, explanations,
comparisons, and inferences.
10
Critical thinking includes appropriate judgments, conclusions,
and assessment based on evaluation and synthesis of
information.
10
Writing (20 pts)
Grammatical skills are strong with typically less than one error
per page. Correct use of APA when assigned.
6
Appropriate to the Assignment, fresh (interesting to read),
accurate, (no far-fetched, unsupported comments), precise (say
what you mean), and concise (not wordy).
8
Project is in 12-point font. Narrative sections are double-spaced
with a double space between. Project is free of serious errors;
grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning
by following accepted conventions.
6
Total
100
Assignment Specifications
Please remember to follow the Assignment Specifications (these
are applicable for all
written assignments Unit 1-6, including the Unit 4 Team
Assignment):

Assignments should be written specifically for this course and
meet each week’s Unit
assignment instructions.
You must demonstrate that you understand the material and how
it applies to the
assignment and project management.
You should also be using correct APA formatting for your in-
text citations to justify your
discussion and place references at the bottom of the paper.
Avoid using quotations, you
should paraphrase the material and use an in-text citation to
give credit to the reference.
You should include at least different 3 reference sources (the
course text, a scholarly
peer reviewed type article, the PMBOK and PMI, etc...) and
include a minimum of 6
intext-citations.
Each assignment paper in this class (weeks 1-6, including the
Team Assignment in
wk4) should be between 600 and 800 words of narrative (from
the Executive Summary
(3 to 5 sentences) to the end of your Conclusion/Summary (4 to
8 sentences) and
include analysis/recommendations. An acceptable paragraph
must have at least three
sentences. Points will be deducted for papers that are too brief
and do not adequately
address the topic or if the paper is too wordy and goes off topic.
We urge you in the
strongest possible terms to keep your paper between 600 to 800
words, if not it may
lose grade points for the following reasons: Response is

generally wordy and/or
ambiguous, the overall structure of the assignment is not
effective, appropriate in
places, but elsewhere vague writing interferes with the
development and clarity of the
main points. Inconsistent and/or unclear writing either (too
brief or too wordy) and did
not demonstrate an understanding of the material.
All papers must include: Cover page with student name, course,
week/unit number of
assignment, date, table of contents, Executive Summary (no
abstracts);
Introduction/background/discussion, (at your own discretion any
headings you deem
appropriate to organize your narrative),
Analysis/Recommendations (as appropriate for
the assignment) and Conclusion. The word count between the
Executive summary and
the end of the Conclusion narrative should be between 600 and
800 words for all
assignments units 1-6. Please see the pdf file in doc sharing for
formatting ideas (file
name): Student-Sample-GM591 Unit 1 assignment-August-2014
For the 600 to 800 word count, begin counting at the Heading:
Executive Summary and
stop counting at the end of your Conclusion (you can select this
portion and let Word do
the counting for you) the paper should be 600 - 800 words, this
does not include cover
page or references or charts/tables.

Project Need and Feasibility Assessment
All charts, flow/mapping diagrams, tables, figures, graphs,
photos, etc. must be inserted
after the conclusion and before the references and are not
counted toward the 600 –
800 word specification.
Use headings to organize your work and to indicate that you
have covered all of the
essential components of the assignment.
The file submitted must have your name and the unit number
included (minus 5 points if
not included):
student.name.unit-1
Kris.Kringle.unit-1
Team-A.unit-4
Kris.Kringle.peer.assessment.unit-4
You must submit the peer evaluation for the unit 4 Team
assignment (10 points
deducted if not submitted). Unit 4 Group/Team assignments will
not be accepted late. If
you have verified “Extenuating Circumstances” the situation
must be discussed with the
instructor as soon as possible.

Unit 1 Assignment: Project Need and Feasibility Focus Paper
Using the Demonstrating Project Need and Feasibility for a
Project of Annuity
worksheet, select a well-known project from the past (Pyramids,
Eiffel Tower, Panama
Canal, Suez Canal, Chunnel, Golden Gate Bridge, etc.) and
determine if the project
should have been initiated based on the principles outlined in
your worksheet. Submit
your assessment in the form of a focus paper of your findings.
The objective of this
Assignment is an analysis of your selected project with
recommended courses of action
to a problems or issues you found, and to present the
recommended courses of action.
Your focus paper should include the following components of a
business proposal and
in compliance with APA format:
Components
● Cover page (please see sample Unit 1 Assignment)
● Table of contents
● Executive summary
● Body of the proposal (use Headings to organize).
● Assess the core project concept. Determine the costs and
benefits of the project.

Assess if the project scope, risk and strategy was defined
clearly.
● Conclusion stated as a recommendation for implementation of
your
recommended solutions or improvements.
● Reference page and any other data suitable for this section of
the report (this
includes your completed worksheet to be pasted in the document
after the
references).
● A minimum of 3 scholarly journal and textbook source
references cited and
credited according to APA format using a minimum of 6 intext
citations.
● The paper should be focused and to the point and containing
between 600 and
800 words from the Executive Summary to the end of your
Conclusion.
Checklist for Assignment
● Assess the core project concept
● Determine the costs and benefits of the project
● Assess if the project scope, risk and strategy is defined
clearly
● Evaluate the quality of research associated with presentation

materials
Directions for submitting your Assignment:
To submit your Unit 1 Assignment, go to the Dropbox and
select Unit 1: Assignment 1
and follow the instructions. Make sure that you save a copy of
each of the papers you
submit.

Unit 1 Project Need and Feasibility Assessment – Eiffel Tower
Student Name
Date, 2015
Professor – Dr. Tim Truitt
GM591 Strategic Project Management
Kaplan University
Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3
Project Goal 3
Resources 4
Core Project Concept and Market Analysis 4
Costs and Benefits 4
Project Stakeholders 5
Project Strategy - Recommended Courses of Action to Problems
or Issues 5
Conclusion 6
References 7
Appendix A - Project Need and Feasibility worksheet 8

Executive Summary
After completing a project need and feasibility assessment
utilizing the GM591
Unit 1 Worksheet: Demonstrating Project Need and Feasibility
for a Project of Antiquity
(Appendix A) to analyze the project of the construction of the
Eiffel Tower, I have
determined that the Project was indeed an early example of
strategic project
management that achieved the targeted goals and benefits. The
project goal and core
concept were clearly defined, the financial and organizational
resources were provided,
and a market analysis to show the need and the costs and
benefits were clearly
expressed. Project stakeholders were consulted and the project
strategy was clearly
defined.
Project Goal
The goal of the Eiffel Tower project was clearly defined for the
project sponsors

who would be the customer, client, final owner, or entity
providing funding. A project
sponsor is the executive stakeholder who has full accountability
for the project’s
outcome (Resch, 2011). In the case of planning the Eiffel
Tower, the main sponsor
would have been Gustave Eiffel himself. The main goal of the
project was to build the
world’s highest tower as an entrance gate to the Universal
Exposition (World Fair) of
1888. (Bhatia, 2010).
Resources
Gustave Eiffel developed a financial scheme which would later
be considered an
early example of project finance. Under this finance model, “a
public grantor awards a
concession to a project’s private sponsor” (Du Moutier, 2011,

p.127). Organizationally,
Eiffel was known worldwide for his architectural skills as a
metal constructor. His plans
included fifty engineers, 5300 blueprints, 100 ironworkers and
121 workers on the
construction site (Bhatia, 2010).
Core Project Concept and Market Analysis
The core project concept was clearly and succinctly expressed
to the Fair
Commissioner in Eiffel’s proposal submitted on May, 1886.
This was clearly to be an
achievement in metal structural engineering that would help
promote French knowledge
and industry and become an attraction to the public for at least
the following 20 years,
after which time, the city of Paris would have the right to take
down the tower (Du
Moutier, 2010). That, of course, did not happen. The need for
the project was
determined by the planners of the 1988 World Fair who, by
requesting proposals for
such types of unique and amazing exhibits every year, create an
market need for such

one of a kind exhibits and constructs.
Costs and Benefits
The costs and benefits were clearly expressed in the contract
signed by Gustave
Eiffel, the country of France and the city of Paris. France would
offer approximately one
quarter subsidy for the project and Eiffel would finance the rest
(Wallace, 2013). In
return he would be reimbursed by the operating revenue from
the fair and for the 20
years to follow. The benefits of the project are directly related
to the core project goal
and concept of creating the tallest metal structure in the world
to the benefit of France.
Project Stakeholders
There were many stakeholders involved in the Eiffel Tower
project. On board
were Eiffel and his contractors and workers, the country of
France, the city of Paris, the

Fair Commissioner, and the banks funding Eiffel’s portion of
the project. There was
some public disagreement, even outcry, about whether the tower
would be an eyesore
and ruin the otherwise beautiful cityscape (Wallace, 2013). But
the feasibility and scope
of the project had been defined and the option to tear down the
structure after 20 years
answered any long term aesthetics concerns for Paris.
Project Strategy - Recommended Courses of Action to Problems
or Issues
The project strategy for the Eiffel remained clear and consistent
from its
conception by Gustave Eiffel. The Tower would be the tallest
metal structure in the
world. It would be presented to the world during the 1888
World Fair in Paris as a 300
foot tall gateway. It would represent both artistry and
architectural achievement for Paris
and through visitor revenue, would pay for its own construction.

Conclusion
Well planned projects have a clearly defined goal, resources,
costs, benefits,
core project concept, and strategy. A variety of needs and
stakeholder analysis need to
be conducted during the early planning phases. The result of the
project should have a
business value (Project Management Institute, 2013). The Eiffel
Tower project was an
ideal early example of strategic project planning. It still stands
today as the symbol of
Paris, France to the world. Today it welcomes almost 7 million
visitors a making it the
most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world (tour-
eiffel, 2013).

References
Bhatia,S. (2010). Manage management lessons from Gustave
Eiffel. Retrieved from
http://www.managementcanvas.iimindore.in/icanvas/index.php?
option=com_cont
ent&view=article&id=120:management-lessons-from-gustave-
eiffel&catid=44:other-areas&Itemid=61
Du Moutier, M. (2010). Financing the Eiffel Tower: Project
finance and agency theory.
Journal of Applied Finance, 20(1), 127-141.
Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to project
management body of
knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA:

Project
Management Institute.
Resch, M. (2011). Strategic project management transformation.
Fort Lauderdale, FL: J.
Ross Publishing.
Tour-Eiffel. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.tour-
eiffel.fr/en/everything-about-the-
tower/the-eiffel-tower-at-a-glance.html
Wallace, N. (2013) The Eiffel Tower 1889. Retrieved from
http://www.jssgallery.org/essay/worlds_fairs/paris_exposition_1
889/eiffel_tower.h
tm
Appendix A

GM591 Unit 1 Worksheet: Project Need and Feasibility
worksheet
Instructions: This worksheet is designed to help you decide
whether the chosen
project team addressed their fiduciary responsibilities and
obtained enough information
to prove to you that the project you researched was needed and
was feasible.
Research your chosen project of antiquity and ask yourself each
of these questions.
Check Yes for those questions that were addressed adequately.
If you check No,
conduct the corrective actions in italics.
QUESTIONS YES NO
Was the project goal defined clearly, in terms that the
sponsor can understand? If not, how could the goal have
been redefined?
YES Xxxxxx
Is the sponsor financially and organizationally able to provide
all needed resources? If not, who was the real sponsor and
could they get the real sponsor involved?
YES Xxxxx
Did they express the core project concept clearly and
succinctly? If not, redefine the core project description for
them.
YES Xxxxxxx

Was some form of market analysis or needs analysis
conducted to show a bona fide need for the product
(deliverables) of the project? If not, should project have been
abandoned or an appropriate analysis that proves project
need be provided?
YES Xxxxxx
Did they clearly express the costs and benefits of the project?
If not, restate the description of costs and benefits in terms
appropriate to the situation.
YES Xxxxxx
Did they consult all project stakeholders to obtain their
opinions about the need and feasibility? If not, identify
missing stakeholders and explain how they could have
addressed this requirement.
YES Xxxxxxx
Did they define the project strategy in enough detail to enable
the sponsor(s) to really understand what they’re getting into?
If not, restate the project strategy in a way that can be
understood.
YES Xxxxxxx
Are the results of the research assembled into a well-written

document and/or presentation? Ensure all APA and writing
requirements are met.
*Sponsor is the customer, client, final owner, or entity
providing funding. The sponsor
has the power to provide funds, approve the use of resources,
and/or stop the project.

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