MKT00720 – Marketing

Session 2, 2018

Assignment 2: Report (on Amazon Australia)

Core Information:

Due:                             Due by 11.00pm AEST, 23^th September 2018

Weighting:                     30%

Individual/Group             Individual

Word limit:                     1500-2000 words in total (plus or minus 10%)

Aim

The purpose of this assignment is to again provide you with an opportunity to apply knowledge, theory, frameworks and tools from the early part of the unit to an analysis of the strategy and strategic practices of a real organisation. In this assignment, you will work to analyse the strategies pursued by the Amazon Australia since its creation. You will evaluate marketing-related strategies and their effectiveness and relate to be real-life experiences and relevant research to look at core marketing theory. The aim is to provide experience of marketing analysis and practice and to determine your ability to relate real marketing strategy to theory and research.

The Overall Task

In increasingly competitive markets, consumers have a greater choice over where they buy their goods and services. For an organisation to meet its business objectives, it has to find out what consumers require and then identify the best way in which it can satisfy these needs and wants. Creating a competitive advantage can be difficult. A unique marketing strategy with clear objectives is vital to ensure effective promotional activity.

Your task in this case analysis is to answer two questions by critically analysing Amazon Australia’s market situation. Please do not just describe events, although you should read Amazon Australia’s history to understand the background to your analysis. You should use the principles and concepts that you have learned throughout the unit to answer the following two questions:

1. What marketing strategy or strategies has Amazon Australia has adopted since it was created? Answer this question by applying one or more of the theoretical approaches discussed in the course.

2. What marketing options can you describe for Amazon Australia if it wishes to remain a successful organisation throughout the next decade? Answer this question based on the circumstances that exist in 2018 and your best forecasts of relevant future industry factors.

These are wide-ranging questions and you should undertake extensive independent research into Amazon Australia and its industry. You should explore different aspects of these issues and incorporate them into your report. This is a practical assessment of a real company, but you need to show an understanding of theory and research in your evaluation and suggestions.

Process

1. Begin to gather information about Amazon Australia and its marketing-related strategies. There are a range of sources you can make use including the company’s own corporate website and related publications, academic journals, business press and media and so on. The quality business press such as Forbes or Business Week or the Economist are in some ways good places to start.
2. However, you need to begin to study relevant course materials as the task requires you to analyse and evaluate Amazon Australia’s marketing strategy in relation to theory, frameworks and research.
3. Consider each of the two questions carefully and begin to relate practice to theory in an attempt to answer each of them. The questions explicitly direct you to specific aspects of the unit material and to specific types of models, tools and theories.
4. It should be clear that there is no definitive right answer here. This also mirrors reality, in that companies are not able to find a single solution or pathway; they have to make difficult choices from alternatives. In the light of that try to explore different aspects of the two questions – there are no ‘correct’ answers and lots of valid arguments for and against all kinds of alternatives. The merits of your argument will depend to a large extent on how much evidence you can cite to support your point of view; that is why this is called a research project.
5. Write up your analysis. This should be in a report format. Here is a suggested structure:
   1. Executive Summary
   2. Introduction
   3. Background to the Company
   4. Marketing Analysis
      1. The Nature of Amazon Australia’s Marketing Strategy or Strategies since it began.
      2. Strategic Marketing Options for Amazon Australia moving forward
   5. Conclusion
   6. References
   7. Appendix

Ensure that you have related the real conditions of the company to theory and research and that you have read, cited and referenced appropriate academic material as well as more popular sources (which also need to be properly referenced).

6. Submit the report via the Turnitin Submission Link (under Assessment Details on the Blackboard site)…be fully aware of the plagiarism rules in the School; plagiarism will not be tolerated.
7. The marking criteria for the assignment can be found on the following page. They are published to give you detailed guidelines about the way in which your mark will be calculated. Please read them carefully. Note that they are a guide, not a definitive formula for allocating marks, and no set of criteria can accurately describe every possible assignment. Your final mark will reflect the application of academic judgement by your marker to your whole assignment.

Marketing – MKT00720 (Session 2, 2018)

 Assignment 2: Report (on Amazon Australia)

School extension policy

Students wanting an extension must make a request at least 24 hours before the assessment item is due and the request must be received in writing by the unit assessor or designated academic.

Extensions within 24 hours of submission or following the submission deadline will not be granted (unless supported by a doctor’s certificate or where there are exceptional circumstances – this will be at unit assessor’s discretion and will be considered on a case by case basis). Extensions will be for a maximum of 48 hours (longer extensions supported by a doctor’s certificate or exceptional circumstances to be considered on a case by case basis).

A penalty of 5% of the total available grade will accrue for each 24 hour period that an assessment item is submitted late.

Extensions will NOT be approved because of problems with personal computers or storage devices. Back up your work every day to a secure location.