Overview
For one tangible product (not a service) of a chosen UK brand, write a 3,000 word report, which evaluates the opportunities in two new countries. The product should not be currently available in these two new countries (the brand or company should not officially be involved in any activities related to this product in these two countries) but the product must be available in the UK. One of the countries must be a European country (not the UK) and the other, a non-European one.
Your report must be underpinned (and fully referenced) by appropriate theories, theoretical concepts, models and frameworks. Your report must comprise of the following 5 parts. Further guidance on the structure can be found on page 3 and 4.
Part 1 [worth 10%]: Brief introduction to the chosen UK brand and chosen product. Justification of the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation.
Part 2 [worth 25%]: Profile the marketing environments for your chosen product for the two potential countries (one European and one non-European) using STEEPLE.
Part 3 [worth 15%]: Develop a positioning map for each country by applying competitor and consumer insights. Clearly discuss how you would differentiate yourself from your competition in each country.
Part 4 [worth 15%]: Critically discuss, justify and evaluate the chosen market entry mode and method for each country.
Part 5 [worth 25%]: Present and discuss the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion (including Packaging if relevant).
Presentation & Referencing is worth 10%.
Further Guidance:
Choice of countries: You must choose one European and one non-European country. If you choose large countries such as the USA, China, India, etc. you must decide whether to go country-wide or decide to launch in a specific region or state initially. The 27 EU (European Union) countries, countries in the EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland should be treated as 'European' countries. Please seek guidance if unsure. Consider the brand’s current international operations and experience when picking the two countries.
Choice of brand: The UK brand could be owned by a UK company; e.g. Warburtons is a family owned UK brand or it could be owned by a non-UK entity. What is important is that the brand you pick has UK origins; e.g. Cadbury and Innocent have UK origins but are now owned by American entities.
Choice of product: You must choose one tangible product, not a service. It must be the same product for both countries. You must not choose a range of products. The UK brand’s product must exist in the UK and must not exist in your chosen countries (the brand or company should not officially be involved in any activities related to this product in these two countries). There could be other competing brands with the same product or similar products in these two countries. You just have to ensure that the chosen product of your brand does not exist in the two countries.
Quick Tip: Although simplistic, Warburtons for instance can be your brand and your product can be their “4 Crumpets (Gluten Free)”. Please seek guidance if unsure.
Report Structure:
Your report must be structured as outlined below. When developing your report, you must suitably apply the content covered in lectures and follow the guidance/clarification provided in seminars.
Executive Summary: You must include an executive summary at the start of the report which outlines your report. This is not an introduction but an overview of the entire report presenting the main highlights. The executive summary will be marked but is not part of the 3,000 word limit. The executive summary must be presented in (and limited to) 300 words. This must be presented before the contents page.
Part 1 [worth 10%]: Brief introduction to the chosen UK brand and chosen product – this must be presented in roughly 20 words. Use the remaining words (approximately 280) to justify the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation. You must apply the ‘nine strategic windows’ (Solberg, 1997) when justifying the decision to internationalise or continue internationalisation. You must identify the most relevant ‘window’ by discussing ‘industry globalism’ and ‘preparedness for internationalisation’. Part 1 (in total) must be presented in (and limited to) 300 words.
Part 2 [worth 25%]: Profile the marketing environments for your chosen product for the two potential countries (one European and one non-European) using STEEPLE. When profiling the marketing environments of the two countries, you must investigate all the STEEPLE factors. However, you must discuss only the 5 most pertinent factors for each country to justify entry. Two of these five factors must be ‘Socio-Cultural’ and ‘Ethical’ factors (for both countries). You must present 4-5 insights for each of the 5 factors within Part 2. There is no need to describe these insights or make recommendations. Part 2 must be presented in (and limited to) 850 words. You must present a table of all the STEEPLE factors for each country within the appendices using bullet-points (4-5 insights per factor).
Part 3 [worth 15%]: Develop a positioning map for each country. You must apply relevant competitor and consumer insights to identify ‘points-of-parity’ and ‘points-of-difference’. Use these insights to present a well-underpinned, critical discussion for each country to encapsulate how you would differentiate yourself from your competition. Be creative – there are lots of different variables you can include in a positioning map. You must not rely on simplistic variables such as price and quality. Your positioning in the two countries may be different and so can the variables in your positioning maps. Part 3 must be presented in (and limited to) 500 words.
Part 4 [worth 15%]: Critically discuss, justify and evaluate the chosen market entry mode and method for each country. Make sure you fully consider the relevant factors (market entry rules, external factors, internal factors, etc.) when you justify and evaluate the market entry mode and method for each country. The mode and method may or may not be the same for the two countries. Make sure to justify and evaluate your choices. Part 4 must be presented in (and limited to) 500 words.
Part 5 [worth 25%]: Critically discuss the standardisation versus adaptation strategy for the two countries relating to the 4 Ps; i.e. Product, Price, Place & Promotion (including Packaging if relevant). You need to provide an overview, discuss, justify and evaluate with evidence, which of the 4Ps (including Packaging if relevant) you will keep the same and which you will adapt in each country. You must suitably apply aspects such as product levels, pricing strategies, distribution strategies, suitable promotion objectives, promotion frameworks; e.g. AIDA, etc.
Present overalls in a table first. Critically justify and evaluate your decisions thereafter, aided by a clear and well-underpinned discussion. This table will be useful to present an initial overview of your standardisation/adaptation decisions, before critically discussing, justifying and evaluating your decisions. Please make sure that in your discussion, you refer to parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 to ensure your report is internally cohesive. Part 5 must be presented in (and limited to) 850 words.
Marketing Mix
European Country
Non-European Country
Product
Adapted or Standardised?
Adapted or Standardised?
Price
Adapted or Standardised?
Adapted or Standardised?
Place
Adapted or Standardised?
Adapted or Standardised?
Promotion & Packaging
Adapted or Standardised?
Adapted or Standardised?
Presentation & Referencing is worth 10%.
Presenting coursework for assessment
Your assignment when submitted should not include your name – we use a system of anonymous marking to reduce the risk of any unconscious bias. The authentic and essential requirements for this piece of assessed work are;
Coursework must be word-processed in 12 point Arial font and double-spaced
Use black text on a white background
Pages must be appropriately numbered
Any tables/figures/diagrams should be legible, correctly captioned and clearly identified
Title page is required with module name, title, student number (not student name) and word count
Executive summary is required (300 words) before the contents page and should not have a page number. This is marked but not in the 3,000 word limit
A properly formatted contents page is needed after the executive summary
A complete and properly formatted reference list is needed after Part 5
An introduction and conclusion are not needed
Appendices (strictly up to 4 pages) are permitted (after the reference list) but they are not marked
Please write in the third person
Avoid bias to any one source and use different sources to enhance criticality
You must engage in wider reading beyond the core text
Use reliable sources only; e.g. peer-reviewed journal articles, Passport, etc.
Do not use Wikipedia, unverified websites, personal blogs, etc.
Ensure adequate and consistent citation within the main body (5 parts)
Avoid personal opinions and speculation
Follow the assessment grid for this coursework and seek guidance if needed
Do not use AI tools
You will lose marks if you do not fulfil these requirements
?Margins must be set to Normal (all four sides set to 2.54 cm)