MK9620 – B2B Marketing
| Programme: | Various |
| Module Code: | MK9620 |
| Module Title: | B2B Marketing |
| Distributed on: | Week 1 |
| Submission Time and Date: | |
| Word Limit: | 2,000 |
| Weighting | This coursework accounts for 70% of the total mark for this module |
| Submission of Assessment | It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignment arrives before the submission deadline stated above. See the University policy on late submission of work (the relevant extract is set out below).
Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA): Please note if your assignment is submitted electronically it will be submitted online via Turnitin by the given deadline. You will find a Turnitin link on the module’s eLP site.
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Instructions on Assessment:
Component 2: Individual work
This task is to be completed individually. You should use the work collected/developed in Component 1 as a springboard for your assignment.
Marketing Plan (70%)
Your client wants you to develop a 12-month (January – December) B2B marketing plan for a specific product or product range, including exhibiting at an important industry-based trade show in September. It must consider what strategies and activities the company’s sales and marketing team should undertake (online and offline) throughout the year.
Accordingly, the client would like you to include standard elements of a marketing plan, such as an executive summary, analysis, planning, implementation, control and concluding comments. They would like to see evidence of joined-up, strategic thinking through the plan.
Key areas the client would like to see considered:
- Organisational buyer behaviour, particularly considering the needs of potential customers at the information search and evaluation of alternatives stages
- Relationship marketing, specifically building relationships with potential customers (pre-trade show) and new customers (post-trade show)
- Appropriate sales management strategies
- IMC and effective branding across the activities
SPECIFICATION: 2,000-word assignment to be presented in report format using a title page, contents page, clear structure, numbered headings and subheadings, business formal language, and the correct use of Appendices. Your work should be fully referenced using APA formatting.
Marking criteria:
- Content/feasibility/strategic thinking: 40%
Coverage and understanding of the key areas, appropriate structure, ideas in
line with current/previous marketing strategies of the company,
realistic/manageable in terms of the industry and company. Evidence of
joined-up, logical, strategic thinking between the pre-, during- and post-strategies.
- Application of theory to justify activities, (Org. buying behaviour, relationship
marketing, IMC/branding and sales management): 40%
Correct identification and application of relevant theory to support strategies
and tactics suggested. Critical evaluation needed to access higher marks.
- Depth of research (inc. APA usage): 10%
Considering the quality, depth and breadth of the research, looking for a good
balance between industry information (databases, company info, environmental
info), and academic research (journal articles, textbooks), accuracy of APA
formatting. Avoiding unsuitable/poor quality resources e.g. Wikipedia,
Marketing91, Tutor4U, QuickMBA etc.
- Presentation/professionalism: 10%
Considering professional appearance of the work, appropriate language and
layout, neatness, readability, use of report format (headings, subheadings,
contents page) etc.
Late submission of work
Where coursework is submitted without approval, after the published hand-in deadline, the following penalties will apply.
For coursework submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval, 10% of the total marks available for the assessment (i.e.100%) shall be deducted from the assessment mark.
For clarity: a late piece of work that would have scored 65%, 55% or 45% had it been handed in on time will be awarded 55%, 45% or 35% respectively as 10% of the total available marks will have been deducted.
The Penalty does not apply to Pass/Fail Modules, i.e. there will be no penalty for late submission if assessments on Pass/Fail are submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline.
Coursework submitted more than 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval will be regarded as not having been completed. A mark of zero will be awarded for that element of the assessment.
For clarity: if the original hand-in time on working day A is 12noon the 24 hour late submission allowance will end at 12noon on working day B.
These provisions apply to all assessments, including those assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.
Word limits and penalties
If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply.
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment and the assignment cover sheet. The word count does not include:
| · Title and Contents page | · Reference list | · Appendices | · Appropriate tables, figures and illustrations |
| · Glossary | · Bibliography | · Quotes from interviews and focus groups. |
Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith, 2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.
If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under ARTA this will be regarded as academic misconduct.
If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70 marks but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7 marks will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63.
Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment (including ALL appendices) and it must be made available within 24hours of them requesting it be submitted.
Note: For those assessments or partial assessments based on calculation, multiple choice etc., marks will be gained on an accumulative basis. In these cases, marks allocated to each section will be made clear.
Academic Misconduct
The Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards (ARTA) contain the Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.
The full policy is available at: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/qualitysupport/asspolicies/
You are reminded that plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic misconduct as referred to in the Academic Misconduct procedure of the assessment regulations are taken very seriously by Newcastle Business School. Assignments in which evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is found may receive a mark of zero.
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives
Knowledge & Understanding:
- Comprehensive knowledge and critical evaluation of current B2B Marketing and Sales theories, practices and trends. (MLO1)
- Critical analysis and application of theory into commercial contexts in support of appropriate business solutions. (MLO2)
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
- Make relevant marketing and sales decisions based on effective teamwork and being able to present this effectively. (MLO3)
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
- Critical appreciation of ethically multi-stakeholder value delivery in an international context. (MLO4)
Module Specific Assessment Criteria
The module assessment consists of two main elements.
A group presentation, using theoretical knowledge applied in a business context to address a commercial brief (30% of module weighting). This component will address MLO1, MLO2, MLO3 and MLO4.
Peer Evaluation is used to ensure marks are allocated commensurate to individual student input.
A 2,000-word individual written assignment comprising several interrelated questions on key themes explored during the module (70% of module weighting). This component will address MLO1, MLO2 and MLO4.
