USA: +1 725-224-8795 
Sign in
1 Portfolio
There are two components related to the portfolio assessment that you may want to complete.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
Portfolio Exercise No 1:
Case Study: Setting up a competitive intelligence system.
The continual improvement in online technology platforms at an increasingly cheaper cost has empowered online businesses to flourish and increase the number of competitors within industries. As a new entrant to the accommodation booking, airbnb offers a wide range of private accommodation deals around the world. You have been asked to set up an effective competitive intelligence system.
Task:
(a) Develop a list of possible information requirements your company will need to collect and understand the explicit external macro forces affecting this industry world-wide.
(b) What sort of information should one be gathering to develop a full profile of your competitors in this industry.
2 Portfolio
Case Study: Developing a TOWS for Union Assurance Company
The company: The Union Assurance Company is reviewing its strategies to take account of current trends in the business environment. It observed the following:
- Political/environmental factors: Government withdrawal from welfare provisions: self-help encouragement by government may restore welfare ethos.
- Economic environment factors: Widening gap between rich and poor.
- Socio-cultural factors: Substantial increase in working women in lower income groups; less manual jobs/ more office administration jobs; the lottery of higher expectations of middle-income groups
- Technological factors: New tech not easily accepted by lower-income groups; major growth in telemarketing/database marketing.
- Demographic factors: Population shift to middle/old ages; fewer young people
- Legal factors: Expenses/commission disclosures to every customer; increasingly severe pension legislation.
An industry analysis using the Forces Framework (aka Porter) indicated the following:
- Bargaining power of suppliers: Distribution is powerful; forces vertical integration; costs high to acquire & train
- Threat of substitutes products: None for life assurance; money for savings; gambling increasing (lottery); low switching costs; no economies of scale; little differentiation; experience not a barrier – buyable
- Bargaining power of customers: Middle market strong; largely undifferentiated; switching relatively easy; disclosure law gives power of comparison on cost; cashing in is routine in lower market
- Threat of new entrants: Unlikely in home service market; significant in middle market; non-financial players with good reputations (eg Wesfarmers (Coles), Virgin, etc); new technology/lower costs
- Degree of competitive rivalry: Fragmented industry; over-capacity; fewer big brands/shares; high costs; worsening expense/profit position; high exit barriers; traditional life products declining; undifferentiated; poor reputation
Shifting to:
Rapid rationalisation/consolidation for attractive growth and returns. New players; big trusted brands; high tech/low cost; direct sales/low cost; low entry barriers; low cost driving low price; greater competition; new competencies; marketing/service
A SWOT analysis revealed the following:
- Internal strengths: Financial – major reserves which could be accessed for development/improving returns to customers; with profit fund – no new player has or can build one, a good capital barrier; loyalty and awareness among industrial branch customer branch; investment income and track record (steady); national (locally based) distribution.
- Internal weaknesses: Poor sales track record- inefficient; inaccurate and untimely administration/processing; uncompetitive returns/high expenses; management culture; low awareness levels/market profile; reliance on single distribution channel
- External opportunities: Older population – needs care and illness cover; government encouragement of self-help welfare provision; new database/telemarketing technology and cost benefits; growing prosperity of middle income/age group; service/marketing emerging as new competencies
- External Threats: Increasing poverty of traditional customer base; reducing need for home collection of premiums for life and savings products (more in town office working and more women out all day); fewer young people – reducing market for savings and life products; cost reducing technology – not acceptable to traditional low income groups; legislation driving up costs and costs competition – lower margins; substitutes expenditure on lottery; political uncertainty – next government
Task: Using the information provided for UAC, suggest possible strategies that UAC might pursue.
3 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week there are two components related to the portfolio assessment that you may want to complete.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
Portfolio Exercise No 3:
Wattyl Paints: an exercise in B2B Segmentation:
Wattyl is an Australian-based company that specialises in the manufacturing and marketing of architectural and decorative paints and special purpose and protective coatings. They supply both the trade and the DYI segments using a number of different channels of distribution.
- Draw a simple tree diagram to illustrate at least 6 potential channels of distribution that lead to the end user.
- What is the value to Wattyl in terms of setting marketing strategy when they segment their market using these channels of distribution?
- Taking two (2) distribution channels for Wattyl Paints that you have drawn up in your tree diagram, propose and detail 2 marketing strategies for these channels.
4 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week you may wish to submit a news article.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
5 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week there are two components related to the portfolio assessment that you may want to complete.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
Portfolio Exercise No 4.
Established in 1973, Billabong is an iconic surf brand which became a global brand in the 1980s by pursuing a licensing entry strategy. They now require your assistance in improving its relationship marketing to improve customer loyalty.
- Billabong operates both a wholesale and retail business. What are the differences and similarities of B2C and B2B buying behaviour?
- Describe how Billabong could use the B2B Buyer Matrix
6 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week there are two components related to the portfolio assessment that you may want to complete.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
Portfolio Exercise No 5:
The Melbourne Museum offers a wide variety of programs and special exhibitions to the people of Melbourne, and visitors from interstate and overseas. Whilst their special exhibitions are proving popular with all, they are having difficulty attracting younger people, often called Gen Y, to the museum at other times. Management is aware that attracting this segment is important for the future viability of the museum and will also help in designing future programs. Management is now seeking your help for the following:
- Producing a detailed segmentation of the visitor market categorised as Gen Ys. Write a possible positioning statement.
- . How can the museum use segmentation as a strategic tool
- From your segmentation, propose some possible marketing strategies to increase visitation to the museum for Gen Y.
7 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week there are two components related to the portfolio assessment that you may want to complete.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
Portfolio No 6:
Porter’s typology of generic strategies offers four (4) possible strategies a company may follow.
- Provide a definition of each of these strategies together with its advantages and disadvantages.
- Choose and justify two (2) generic strategies that a new company, which manufactures and markets sportswear in Australia, can adopt.
8 Portfolio
Portfolio
This week you may wish to submit a news article.
Portfolio Newspaper Article No 1:
You are to collect a newspaper article that has been published within either local, national or international business press over the past week. You need to critically examine the content of the newspaper article and address the following questions:
- What are the marketing issues illustrated in this article?
- How would you respond to these issues and why?
