Group assessment tasks guidelines
Major Assignment – International market assessment, selection and entry report
Proposed Structure

Company and product analysis (10 marks)

Introduction (2 marks)

Executive summary (5 marks) (when compiling the report, place the executive summary  BEFORE the table of contents)

Table of contents (2 marks)

Country A analysis · Macro environment factors (6 marks) · Micro environment factors (6.5 marks)

Market selection with justification and opportunity statement Country A summary of opportunities and threats (7 marks) Country B summary of opportunities and threats (7 marks) Country selection with justification (6 marks)

Entry strategy selection (25 marks) including

References (marked together with , grammar, clarity, presentation, tables  (11 marks)

Appendices

Country B analysis · Macro environment factors (6 marks) · Micro environment factors (6.5 marks)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Explaining each step in the structure
Requirement: as a group of 3-4 students, you are required to prepare a report for a company to market its products internationally by comparing the opportunities and threats of TWO countries, and then decide which of the two is more attractive than the other in order to market your product in,
Conditions for company and countries selection:

1. The company must be an Australian edible oil (e.g. olive oil) or cheese company.
2. Selection of the two countries: They should be two of: Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and The Philippines.

From a structural perspective, this is a business plan and should be written in report format /genre.  http://www.latrobe.edu.au/lasesl/assets/downloads/business-report-writing.pdf .
The plan should include the following sections and sub-sections as a minimum:
1.      Table of Contents (2 marks): including sections, sub-sections, and page numbers.
2.      Introduction (2 marks): provides the reader with an understanding of the purpose of the project, its scope and structure – sections and sub-sections. Do NOT talk about the company or the countries in details in this section.
3.      Company and Product Background (10 marks): provide an analysis of the business and product performance from a domestic perspective.  This discussion should provide some information about the competitive advantages that the business might leverage in international markets.  You should:

• Briefly indicate company objectives and corporate strategies – what are the aims of the company?
• Are the company’s business strategies directed towards gaining market share?
• How has the company been faring in the last three years or so? Company size, assets, capabilities, competitiveness, strengths, etc.
• What is the product and what needs does it satisfy?
• Who is the target market for the product?
• How has the product been performing? Sales, market share, revenues/profits.
• Is the company already engaged in international marketing? What countries is it operating in? What entry strategies is it implementing?
• What resources does the company have to go overseas (assets, HR / skills, experience, etc)?

4.      Comparative Country and Product Market Attractiveness (12.5 marks [for country A] + 12.5 marks [for country B]): you are required to compare two countries by assessing the dynamic and competitive nature of the product market within each country.  In order to do this you should undertake a macro-environmental analysis of each country in question and then undertake a detailed micro-environmental (market) analysis of the chosen product market for each country.
Assess the macro environment of the two countries as follows:

• Political environment: including stability and security, safety, crime rate, corruption.
• Foreign relations/trade: Is the country open for foreign relations and trade? Trade barriers, regional economic integrations / treaties.
• Social and cultural environment: Ethnicities, religions, lifestyles, Hofestede’s cultural dimensions, product (in)compatibility with cultural norms or religious rules, and so on.
• Economic: including economic strength, stability, GDP/GDP per capita, forecasts, affluence, purchasing power.
• Technological: including infrastructure and industrialisation / development level of country, manufacturing, telecommunications.
• Agricultural (if applicable): Is the country’s environment / climate suitable for farming the product (crops, livestock, etc)?

What are the similarities and differences between the company’s country of origin and these two countries, in terms of these macro-environmental factors using the framework?

• How might these similarities and differences influence your country selection, marketing strategy in your country and product market?

Assess the micro-environment of the two countries as follows:
Product Market Analysis:

• What is the size of the market?
• Is it growing and if so at what rate?
• Are there clear and distinct product segments within the market? What are the sizes and relative growth rates of these segments?
• At what phase is the market in relation to the product lifecycle?
• To what extent is the market supplied by foreign sources?
• What are the sources of foreign supply?
• What are the major forms of marketing channels (distribution) used within the product market?

Competitive Analysis:

• Are there competitors in that market?
• What form of competitors are these (providing identical products or substitute products)?
• How many competitors are there in the market?
• Who are the competitors and how do they operate?
• Are the competitors foreign or locally-based?
• If foreign, what entry strategies are they using?
• Where do you see your company compared to those competitors (differentiation strategies and positioning)?
• What are you company’s strengths in comparison to the competitor?

Buyer Analysis:

• Assess buyer behaviour within the identified market segments through consumer analysis (who are they, how do they consume/use the product).
• Identify and describe your target market segmentation strategies.

5.   Market (Country) Selection with Justification and Opportunity Statement (20 marks):

• Briefly outline the major opportunities and threats in both countries, which will mainly come from summarizing the above points (macro and micro analyses) (for example: competitors may be weak in an area and you may find it necessary to fill in the gap or you could be satisfying latent needs).
• Compare the opportunities and threats of both.
• Which country among the two do you recommend your company to enter? This should be based on creating a fit between the company and the country.

6.       Marketing Objectives (5 marks):
Marketing objectives are usually derived from an assessment of the capabilities of the business and market opportunities.  These should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time framed.

• What market share do you aim to achieve?
• Are you aiming for long/short term marketing, large/small scale marketing?
• What are your target market segments? Where can you find them?
• How will you position your product (based on competition and target segment)?

7. Entry Strategy (20 marks): What entry mode(s) will you use to enter that country (for example - direct exporting, licensing, strategic alliance, establishing a subsidiary)? Justify your entry strategy explaining why the one you have chosen is better than the rest. Please take note that you may have a combination of entry strategies depending on the situation. Your chosen entry strategy must be linked to your marketing objectives discussed in Section 6.
8.      Executive Summary (a conclusive statement) (5 marks):
This summary is normally 1-1.5 pages long, encompassing:

1. Overview of the report.
2. Key findings from your analysis about the two countries: opportunities, threats, nature of the market, etc.
3. A summary of your major recommendations and key outcomes: recommended country to enter among the two, marketing objectives, and entry strategy with brief justification based on the findings.

NOTE: This is the last section to be completed; however, it should be displayed in the report before Table of Contents.
9. References (11 marks - including grammar, clarity of expression, presentation, and use of tables)

• Use about 10 references.
• The nature of this assignment will demand the use of reports about the company, industry, and country. Peer-reviewed journal articles are also relevant, especially for the entry strategy section.
• Use Harvard style referencing.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Suggested references
 
Passport (Euromonitor): access from library’s website
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/library  à Click Databases à P à Passport
 
MarketLine: access from library’s website
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/library  à Click Databases à M à MarketLine Advantage
 
IBISWorld: access from library’s website
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/library  à Click Databases à I à IBISWorld
 
Austrade
http://www.austrade.gov.au
http://www.austrade.gov.au/Australian/Export/Export-markets/Countries
 
CIA
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/profileguide.html
On the right side, click on:  Please select a country to view
 
Also, refer to website of the company in focus as well as its (potential) competitors in the target market (country).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Names of Student: ___________________________________________________________________________
 
___________________________________________________________________________
 

	Marks out of 100	Marks obtained
Executive Summary	5
Table of Contents with Page Numbers	2
Introduction	2
Company and Product Analysis	10
Comparative Country and Product Market Attractiveness Assessment	25
Market Selection with Justification and Opportunity Statement	20
Entry Strategy (including marketing objectives)	25
References, Clarity of Expression, Grammar etc.	10
Tables and Figures	1
Appendices
Total	100
Assignment Component of Total Assessment = 25%		%

 
Comments:
 
__________________________________________________________________________
 
__________________________________________________________________________
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
APPENDIX 3
Peer Review and Statement of Authorship Form LA TROBE UNIVERSITY – Business School MKT3IMK International Marketing – 2018
Statement of Authorship Form
Project title:                                                                                                                        
No of Words                                           (excluding Exec. Summary, Bibliography & Appendices) Tutor:                                                                                                                                    
Tutorial Day and Time:                                                                                                      

1. A Statement of Authorship must be completed for all items of assessment where the assessment is worth 10% or more of the total for the Subject.
2. The Academic Misconduct Policy found at www.latrobe.edu.au/policies/academicmisconduct.pdf
3. Statute 16 found at www.latrobe.edu.au/legalservices/statutes.html

Regulation 16.2 found at www.latrobe.edu.au/legalservices/downloads/R16x2.pdf
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
We each certify that our own contribution in the attached material is original work and that we have no
knowledge of an act of plagiarism committed by any member of this group. We declare that no other person's work has been used without due acknowledgement. Except where we have clearly stated that we have used some of this material elsewhere, it has not been presented by us for examination in any other course or Subject at this or any other institution.
We have read the Academic Misconduct Policy, Statute 16 and Regulation 16.2 relating to Student Discipline and Misconduct, which are available on the University's website and understand that we are bound by such Policy, Statute and Regulation and that we may be subject to student discipline processes in the event of an act of plagiarism by us.
We understand the nature of plagiarism to include the reproduction of someone else's words, ideas or findings and presenting them as our own without proper acknowledgement. Further, we understand that there are many forms of plagiarism which include direct copying or paraphrasing from someone else's published work (either electronic or hard copy) without acknowledging the source; using facts, information and ideas derived from a source without acknowledgement; producing assignments (required to be independent) in collaboration with and/or using the work of other people; and assisting another person to commit an act of plagiarism.

Name	Student number	Sections Allocated	Sections completed	Signature	Date

 
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
We each certify that our own contribution in the attached material is original work and that we have no knowledge of an act of plagiarism committed by any member of this group. We declare that no other person's work has been used without due acknowledgement. Except where we have clearly stated that we have used some of this material elsewhere, it has not been presented by us for examination in any other course or Subject at this or any other institution. We have read the Academic Misconduct Policy, Statute 16 and Regulation 16.2 relating to Student Discipline and Misconduct, which are available on the University's website and understand that we are bound by such Policy, Statute and Regulation and that we may be subject to student discipline processes in the event of an act of plagiarism by us. We understand the nature of plagiarism to include the reproduction of someone else's words, ideas or findings and presenting them as our own without proper acknowledgement. Further, we understand that there are many forms of plagiarism which include direct copying or paraphrasing from someone else's published work (either electronic or hard copy) without acknowledging the source; using facts, information and ideas derived from a source without acknowledgement; producing assignments (required to be independent) in collaboration with and/or using the work of other people; and assisting another person to commit an act of plagiarism.

注：本栏目重在收集一些海外留学文书的题目，以便加加留学编辑深入了解海外教育方式与发展形势，从而拓展个人陈述、推荐信等文书的写作思路。