Grant Timms Senior Examiner Assignment brief December 2013 / March 2014 Marketing Leadership & Planning

Presentation title Assignment theme Securing a successful strategic fit and the engagement of stakeholders.

Presentation title Preparatory Work Provide a brief background of the chosen organisation. Undertake a strategic audit of the organisation’s existing marketing strategy. Align the analysis & audit to the specific challenges of the assignment brief where possible. Use & apply the strategic audit throughout the assignment where appropriate.

Presentation title Task One Produce a report appropriate for a senior management audience which utilises the key findings from the strategic audit of the organisation. This report should be clearly divided into 2 sections. Part A. (10 marks) Part B. (15 marks) The combined word count for both sections is 2500.

Presentation title Task One Part A. CRITICAL evaluation of the current market orientation of the organisation. –The key terms should be adequately defined using academic sources. –It is not sufficient to merely describe. Candidates are required to give evidence where possible & justify their conclusions.

Presentation title Task One Part B. This builds on the conclusions arising from Part A. Justified recommendations are required to develop a more robust market orientation. It’s important that a wider stakeholder perspective is adopted in relation to the role this may play in supporting longer-term success.

Presentation title Task Two Develop a strategic marketing plan which improves the organisation’s strategic fit & its future competitiveness. Within the above plan, critically evaluate the challenges & propose solutions to support effective implementation of the strategic plan. Part A. (30 marks) Part B. (10 marks) The combined overall word count is 4000 words.

Presentation title Task Two Part A. Candidates should use an academic & recognised strategic planning framework to deliver compelling organisational change. The orientation of this change is to develop & improve the organisation’s strategic fit in order to build a more competitive future competitive position. The above is worth 30 marks & therefore candidates should typically allow around 3000 words for this section.

Presentation title Task Two Part B. This element focuses on measures to facilitate the successful implementation of the strategic plan. Candidates are required to critically evaluate the internal aspects of leadership & culture that may hinder successful adoption of the plan. Finally, candidates should briefly summarise coherent & justified solutions which will address the issues raised above.

Presentation title Task Three This should be a SEPERATE document. The intended audience is NOT exclusively senior management, but ALL employees. It is essential that candidates recognise & respond appropriately to this challenge. Although it is ONE article, there are clearly two parts & the article should be written as such. Part A. (15 marks) Part B. (10 marks) The combined overall word count is 1500 words.

Presentation title Task Three Part A. Candidates are required to distil the key outcomes of the strategic marketing plan & summarise them succinctly for the intended audience. They must be presented in a way which is meaningful & appropriate for all employees.

Presentation title Task Three Part B. Again with an internal audience in mind, candidates should summarise the benefits & ways in which employees can be a key driver of organisational success. Requires clear evidence & application of how the organisation seeks to demonstrate this in practice.

Presentation title Format & Presentation Executive summary (allow an additional words). Do not confuse with an introduction or abstract. Relevance to the tasks. Use of supporting concepts & frameworks. Professional tone & required format. Harvard referencing. (10 marks available.)

Presentation title Considerations Closely align your paper to the set tasks, their requirements & the marking scheme. Read the guidance notes closely, they have been provided to further explain the tasks & deliver additional information. Use the strategic audit/analysis to inform your decision making & be precise when making reference to it within the report. Remember that the assignment is a coherent piece of work & that there should be clear evidence of a holistic approach throughout.

Presentation title Considerations (continued) Candidates at PG level are expected to adopt a critical & justified perspective. There should be clear evidence of thorough analysis, robust evaluation of alternative strategies when required & strong application of theory/academic principles to the organisational context. The assignment needs to blend the appropriate level of academic rigour with the practical relevance necessary for a senior management business audience. Please ensure that all CIM policies & protocols are followed.