High on Professor Patzer’s list of objectives or goals for our course:
A marketing term project that leads-focuses-directs each class member
“to look inward, outward, and forward—to move upward” her/his career and life.
3 Options for Term Project Report:
Product — or — Company — or — Self
• Option One (Option #1): Product (existing, fictitious, future idea, yours or not,
“small-time” or “big-time,” local, national, or international, etc.)
• Option Two (Option #2): Company (existing, fictitious, future idea, yours or not,
for-profit business or not-for-profit organization, “small-time” or big-time”)
• Option Three (Option #3): Self professional/career or personal life (or that of another
person such as spouse, partner, friend, child, politician, star/aspiring star, etc
Regardless which of the above three options that you choose for your course project, each will require (for your final term project report) your thought-discussion of formal components of marketing strategy (as required for this course, see “Written Assignment — Term Project Report, Essentials”). Correspondingly, your thought-discussion will be required to be applied to your chosen marketing strategy plan “product” that will in-turn require:
(1) realistic-idealistic goal(s) stated precisely for your chosen marketing strategy plan “product”
(2) in whatever timeframe that you choose (and stated specifically)
(3) along with specific text (ideally with rationale for stated actions) about how to get from start to finish (i.e., how you will market your chosen “product” to achieve your stated goal(s).
Note: Marketing defines “product” to include tangible physical items, services, individuals, politicians, causes, for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations, etc.
Please note these three bullet paragraphs of information:
(1) Each of the above three options requires the same headings/sections/topics in the form of a marketing plan, of course with different type of text for each topic dependent on option/focus chosen. For list of these required headings/sections/topics, as well as required length, format, and so forth, please see “Written Assignment — Term Project Report, Essentials.”
Important elaboration to above paragraph: All class members need to include each and every specified section heading/section/topic (and to do otherwise will result in less favorable evaluation of your report). At the same time Professor Patzer is well aware that to fit discussion appropriate for your specific project option/focus into the individual specified topics/headings can be difficult and can take thought and creativity on your part. To assist you, three syllabus supplements designed specific to the course term project is posted under “Syllabus” at the respective RU website URL for this course:
• Syllabus supp, Term Project Info 1 of 2, Options-Intro
• Syllabus supp, Term Project Info 2 of 2, Essentials
• Syllabus supp, Q’s and A’s 2 of 2, Course Project
Note: My term project product is a Cell Phone Charging Station, which is a machine with different type of cable chargers, that allow people who get die phones to charge their cell phones with out worry about carrying their own charger with them where ever they go. And the target market for this project will be the universities student, malls and shopping centers customers.
***Required Primary Section Headings (without Commentary) for the Written Presentation
(as pertinent for option and project chosen)
————————————————————————————————————–
See also, following section titled: “Primary Section Headings
with Commentary for the Written Presentation (as pertinent for option and project chosen)
—————————————————————————————————————
Title Page
Executive Summary
Table of Contents
______________________________
*Introduction — *Optional section
Objective [or Goal]
Competitive Advantage(s) / Competitive Strengths (and/or Competitive Weaknesses)
Product (including PLC/Product Life Cycle stage and considerations, if appropriate)
Price
Place / Distribution / Marketing Channels
Promotion / Communication (including website and social media, if appropriate)
Uncontrollable Variables (uncontrollable environments/environmental variables)
Market Segmentation / Target Marketing
Buyer Behavior
Marketing Research
Perceptual Map(s)
International Marketing
*Budget (expense, revenue, and/or net profit, generally and/or specifically) — *Optional
*Ethics/Ethical Considerations/Ethical Dilemma(s) — *Optional
*Conclusion — *Optional section
*Limitations — *Optional
*References — *Optional
*Additional Titled Section Headings — *Optional
___________________________________________
*Appendix A: Example of Print Advertising — *Optional
*Appendix B: Example of Audio Advertising — *Optional
*Appendix C: Example of Audio-Video Advertising — *Optional
*Appendix D: Example of Resume (if/ maybe appropriate for Option #1 Self) — *Optional
*Appendix E: Example of Whatever (that you deem appropriate) — *Optional
*Additional and/or Differently Titled Appendices — *Optional
***Required Primary Section Headings (with Commentary) for the Written Presentation
(as pertinent for option and project chosen)
——————————————————
Title Page (requirements to be included and esthetically spaced on the page):
• (1) Project/product/report title (short but descriptive with 20 words maximum).
• (2) Name of individual/author/class member.
• (3) Contact information with at least one or more working e-mail addresses, and other contact info if appropriate/if deemed pertinent or important by the class member.
• (4) Current date (normally the scheduled submission due date):
o Month Day, Year
• (5) Course number and course title as printed in the university catalog, current semester (such as Fall Semester 20## or 20## Fall Semester) and both the college and university names. For example:
o MKTG 406-10, Marketing Strategies / MKTG 406-30, Marketing Strategies / MKTG 302-24, Principles of Marketing / etc.
o 20## Fall Semester / 20## Spring Semester
o Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration
o Roosevelt University
• (6) Course professor’s title (Professor), name (Gordon Patzer) and degree suffix (Ph.D.) and professor’s university email address:
o Professor: Gordon Patzer, Ph.D.
o gpatzer@roosevelt.edu
• At the least, Professor Patzer requires all these immediately above items to be included, esthetically spaced, on the title page, however, if your judgment is that all this information is too much for your written project report’s cover title page, then include an immediately following second title page with a portion of this information as you judge best.
• After “Title Page” text, start next topic/section on new page.
Executive Summary (requirements to include regarding content and length):
• This section should be titled “Executive Summary” and should present a summary overview of the entire report’s most significant points/information/thoughts/etc. It should be neither an introduction per se to the report nor an attempt to summarize the entire report. Rather, it should hit each important high point of the entire written report, leaving the reader with as best as possible brief understanding of what was done, found, and/or what is proposed, projected, concluded, recommended, etc.
• The executive summary, also referred to as a managerial summary (and at times an abstract depending on context/audience), is frequently considered to be the most important part of the written research report because it is likely that only a very few people might read the entire report in detail. Higher-level managers will focus on the report’s executive summary and refer to the report itself only to seek additional details about particular topics that pique their interest.
• Length (in double spaced text) should be a maximum of 1 to 2 pages (preferably about 1/3 to about 1/2 page, double spaced text) and a minimum of 1 of 2 short paragraphs. Organize content into paragraphs and sentences with or without bullets as you judge best.
• Begin executive summary section on a new page, following either the title page or the table of contents page as you judge best for your written report.
• After “Executive Summary” text, start next topic/section on new page.
Table of Contents
• Length should be a maximum of one page that lists the section headings along with the respective starting page number for each section. Please note that while the entire body of your written report needs be double-spaced, the table of contents page can be double space, single space, and/or both double space and single space; all which might is acceptable for the table of contents section depending on the number of report levels presented, e.g., see our textbook table of contents.
• Begin the table of contents page on a new page, following either the title page or the executive summary page as you judge best for your written report.
• Like nearly all tables of contents, for this term project report the Table of Contents page numbers should list only the beginning page for each section/heading of the report and should not include all page numbers on which a section/heading of the report might be discussed. I.E., only the starting page number of the respective section headings/topics should be presented. You need not (and should not) include the range of page numbers on which the corresponding section heading/topic spans.
• Note regarding table of contents page numbers: You can either do this “manually” or “automatically” through WordPerfect; it is your choice in that it is good to learn/know how to use this automatic WordPerfect feature but to learn it initially will take a bit of time that you need not expend for this course term project. Ideally for your own long-term benefit and convenience and accuracy, but not absolutely necessary for this term project report, you should learn how to automatically create and change pagination as well as revised wording of sections/headings in the table of contents. Microsoft Word and such word processors all have this feature and its worth your time (certainly in the long term) to learn this automatic table of contents feature. Note: Depending on your computer program and related expertise, using this wonderful, ultimately time-saving, automatic feature may take some, or even substantial, trial-and-error time-and-effort for you to learn to use it.
• After “Table of Contents” text, start next topic/section on new page.
_______________________________
*Introduction
• *Optional section
Objective [or Goal]
• For Option #1 (Self), precise statement identifying or describing where/what you wish to be (professionally and/or personally) realistically-idealistically specifically in 10 years or 20 years (or, with special advance professor approval in 5 years).
• For Options #2 (Company) and #3 (Product), precise statement identifying or describing where/what you wish it (company, product, or population/market segment) to be realistically-idealistically specifically in whatever time marker(s) you choose.
• Additional consideration not necessary for this course term project: A real-world ideal would be to include articulation of marketing objectives that would be measurable, realistic and challenging, and could focus on building brand/product strength, market share, sales revenue, etc. Related, this section could include a financial forecast (one year, two years, three years, five years, etc.) encompassing marketing overhead, variable costs, promotional spending, sales forecast based on market objectives and profit-and-loss statements.
Competitive Advantage(s) / Competitive Strengths (and/or Competitive Weaknesses)
• Please see Professor Patzer’s respective Q’s and A’s document specific to our course term project for some suggested text concerning the opening one or two sentences or more sentence for our course term project titled, “Competitive Advantage(s),” followed by some specific illustrative text.
• A formal SWOT analysis as performed sometimes in other classes is not necessary. It can be included if you desire but it cannot be substitute for any of the sections/section headings required for this term project as specified in this “Syllabus Supplement, 2 of 2”document. You are required to provide text specifically appropriate for the sections/headings/topics required for this marketing course term project. If you simply include a SWOT analysis in substitute of the topics required for this marketing course term project (without writing or re-writing text specific for the required topics for this marketing course term project), your project report will be evaluated negatively accordingly.
Product (including PLC/Product Life Cycle stage and considerations, if appropriate)
• Description of “product” (individual/person, product, product line, business, organization, etc.) along with, as might be pertinent, variations, what models and why, what sizes and why, product mock-up, product illustration(s), etc. Also, ideally, why, which means the rationale that it is needed or wanted it the marketplace.
• Branding either can be dealt with here concerning product or within the promotion section.
Price
• State appropriate price and explain its determination (e.g., based on wants and needs of the consumers/customers/clients, cost, competition, push-pull strategy, image, or whatever). In other words, what price and why.
Place / Distribution / Marketing Channels
• Location, methods of distribution, where/how distribution is to be done, and description of outlets if appropriate, also why. In other words, what distribution/channel(s)/place(s) and why. Note that Distribution/Marketing Channels/Place are all the same for purposes of this course term project.
• If marketing project focuses on marketing one’s self:
o (1) Then the focus in the report will most likely focus on “place” rather than “distribution” or “marketing channels.” In this case, state geographical place(s)/location(s) where you would see your marketing strategy career taking you in terms of geographical location to live and work. This could be as simple as listing one or more countries (e.g., US, Mexico, England, etc.), one or more cities (e.g., Chicago, Phoenix, etc.) or a specific suburb or a small rural town (e.g., Galesburg, I) or wherever you would be willing to live or, alternatively, where you would be only willing to live. Try to be as specific as possible and include a sentence or two about rationale that might involve the employment prospects for your career interests and/or might involve personal-family considerations. In addition, if particularly pertinent or important or special, include mention of the “place” where your career/marketing strategy likely will take you to work (e.g., “the Microsoft campus in Seattle”–[which as a footnote actually looks like a university campus when I visited there], “the Google high-tech free-food hip design facilities in Silicon Valley south of San Francisco,” “a typical business office environment in a St. Louis bank that will then involve traditional business suit-and-tie dress on most days,” etc.). Also, of course, your particular career choice might limit you to a particular location (such as working in a family business might, or might not, force a person to live in a particular location; which as pertinent would be appropriate to state in this section and which stated reason would also be rationale for that location/place).
o (2) It is not likely, but if your focus on marketing yourself requires or involves particular or specific or unique or special means of transportation, and/or even length commuting, then, yes, include mention of means of transportation. Even if the transportation component does not involve particular/specific/unique/special means of transportation but you feel it is important for whatever reason to your report then definitely include such text.
Promotion / Communication (including website and social media, if appropriate)
• Branding either can be dealt with here concerning promotion or within the product section.
• Additional consideration not necessary for this course term project: Thorough promotion campaign could include promotion mix, objectives, slogans, appeals, media usage, non media usage, etc. Be somewhat realistic but don’t worry excessively about the cost of your proposed campaign. Again, try to be at least somewhat realistic, as well as creative and appropriate for your product. In addition, just a few promotion mix tools could be Internet marketing, advertising on television (local, regional, national) on radio (types of program, day part, etc.), on outdoor billboards, and in print, in-store displays (POP), sales promotions, PR campaigns, etc. In other words, what types of promotion tool(s) and why. What promotional message(s) and why. If pertinent, who or what type of spokesperson/communicator and why.
Uncontrollable Variables (uncontrollable environments/environmental variables)
• Discussion of positive and/or negative effects of such pertinent variables.
Market Segmentation / Target Marketing
• List potential market segments and identify which you choose to address at this time, i.e., the target market/s. Whether “product” is a tangible product, service, or individual/person, this section might include demographic and psychographic profiles if the selected target market(s) are individuals and/or other defining characteristics if the selected target market(s) are businesses or other organizations of some sort.
Buyer Behavior
• Buyer behavior (consumer market and/or business market as pertinent) to this project’s product. As pertinent to your project, say/write something concerning the buyer behavior such, depending on your project–accordingly, much of the buyer behavior section depends on your specific project and your target market(s).
o Examples: If your project is a business-to-business product/service then describe how companies most likely make or not make their purchase decision. Is it a committee process or a single person? Is the purchase though a purchasing agent or a department head and if so what department head? If possible, what can you say or generalize about the purchase decision maker: older or younger, educated formally or not, male or female predominantly or not? Special considerations/biases/perspectives the buyer(s) might have–conservative, liberal, cautious, care-free, frugal, etc.? Is it a bidding process? How important does the buyer (business) is past experience with its product/service suppliers? This section and the examples in this paragraph apply whether your product is a tangible product, service, yourself as the “product,” a not-for-profit organization/cause/etc.
o Examples: If your project is a business-to-consumer product/service then describe how buyers most likely make or not make their purchase decision. Is it a family decision, typically father, mother, children prompter, etc? If possible, what can you say or generalize about the purchase decision maker, his/her demographics and psychographics–older or younger, educated formally or not, male or female predominantly or not–I realize these demographic and psychographic characteristics might already be presented in the target market section and if so you would NOT simply repeat them here and you probably would not even include these items here IF presented in the target market section? Special considerations/biases/perspectives the buyer(s) might have–conservative, liberal, cautious, care-free, frugal, etc.?
Marketing Research
• At least very very rough estimates of market potential numbers, some speculative discussion about how many buyers there might be and/or how buyers feel or perceive the product and maybe the pros and cons of the best or worse marketing research method to use: secondary data or primary data and/or some other procedure (e.g., for option one, “informational interview/s”).
• Additional consideration not necessary for this course term project: Within this marketing research section include, analysis/thoughts concerning a particular firm/organization as pertinent, analysis/thoughts concerning pertinent firms/organizations in general, and/or analysis/thought concerning the product’s industry.
Perceptual Map(s)
• Plot product and competition on one or more two-dimension maps. This section needs to include one or more visual maps along (with a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, both with “bi-polar” descriptors) including related text discussion.
• Required for Option #1 (Self), Option #2 (Company), and Option #3 (Product)
International Marketing
• At least some mention of some international considerations for your product, which may regard either the immediate, short term, and/or long term.
*Budget (expense, revenue, and/or net profit, generally and/or specifically)
• *Optional
*Ethics/Ethical Considerations/Ethical Dilemma(s)
• *Optional
*Conclusion
• *Optional section
• After “Conclusion” text, start next topic/section on new page.
*Limitations
• *Optional–This section requires a “step back” look to objectively identify realistic limitations of this marketing proposed marketing strategy, which includes limitations of both this plan itself and the proposed marketing actions. Please note that limitations of the report/proposed marketing strategy may or may not equate with uncontrollable variables.
• After “Limitations” text, start next topic/section on new page.
*References
• *Optional–If pertinent, as appropriate.
• If you include references in your written report, please then do so with typically used/accepted reference citation format style: Reference/bibliography citations “in-text” should citations use, preferably, “author year” format or superscript number cross-referencing. “End-of-report” reference/bibliography citations should consistently use a common writing guideline style such as APA (American Psychological Association), Journal of Marketing Research, or Journal of Marketing, but other common styles are acceptable such as MLA, Chicago Turabian, etc.
• After “References” text, start next topic/section on new page.
*Additional Titled Section Headings
• *Optional
__________________________________________
*Appendix / Appendices
• *Optional
• If one or more appendices are deemed appropriate by you for your report, please title each appendix and start each appendix on a new page. Examples of potential appendices and title format:
*Appendix A: Example of Print Advertising for such media as magazine, newspaper, billboard, Internet, etc.
o *Optional. Very rough mock-up to be explained in both written and verbal presentation.
*Appendix B: Example of Audio Advertising for such media as radio, Internet, Podcast, etc., 30 or 60 seconds, possibly 10 or 15 seconds, with script
o *Optional. Very rough draft, ideally with audio, to be explained in both written and verbal presentation.
*Appendix C: Example of Audio-Video Advertising for such media as television, Internet, etc. 30 or 60 seconds, possibly 15 seconds, with scripted storyboard
o *Optional. Very rough draft to be explained in both written and verbal presentation.
*Appendix D: Example of Resume (if/maybe, appropriate for Option #1 Self)
o *Optional.
*Appendix E: Example of Whatever (that you deem appropriate)
o *Optional.
*Appendix F: Example of etc.
o *Optional.
*Additional and/or Differently Titled Appendices
o *Optional.
***Term Project Written Presentation: Required Mechanics
Required Length
• Maximum: 2,880 words (12 pages) to 4,800 words (20 pages) – number of words (not spaces) per Microsoft Word count feature – “body text” not counting title page, table of contents page, or appendix materials that might accompany the report.
• Minimum: 1,680 words (7 pages) – number of words (not spaces) per Microsoft Word count feature – “body text” not counting title page, table of contents page, or appendix materials that might accompany the report.
Required Format
• Times New Roman, 12 pitch, 1” margins on all sides, double-spaced (which likely approximates 240 words per such page. Note: Double space the text even though double space may look weird to your view.
• Nearly always, all text for this class project written report should be double-spaced except the title page, table of contents page, and maybe the appendices pages. While the entire body of the written report is required to be double spaced, the title page, table of contents page, and pages presenting appendix material can be either double spaced, single spaced, and/or both double spaced and single spaced, as judged best by the report writer/author. In regard to the table of contents page, the spacing usually depends on the number of report levels presented, e.g., for illustration see our textbook table of contents and/or Professor Patzer’s course syllabus table of contents.
• Body text within the report should be “left justified” and not full justified and not right justified.
• Pagination: Every page — Upper right corner pagination (in Arabic numerals style and not in Roman numerals style) on every page of the report along with a few key “running header words” identifying the report title/topic.
• Do not write report in “block style” / “block letter style.” This includes, do not “double double” space between paragraphs and, instead, start new paragraphs by indenting the first line of each new paragraph by 1/2 inch.
• Please note that all electronic submissions must be compatible with the university’s PC computer hardware and software (keeping in mind that even in this day-and-age, problems can arise, particularly concerning text columns and graphs, when prepared and electronically sent via Apple computer to a PC computer). The university standard provided to Professor Patzer is a PC computer utilizing Microsoft Outlook (for email), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), and Microsoft Windows (operating system).
Required Report Completion and Submission, Method and Date
• Completed term project report must be submitted by Blackboard submission (except for specific explicit advance pre-arrangements with Professor Patzer to do otherwise such as, possibly in rare cases, submit a paper-and-ink hardcopy).
• Specifically, all class members are required to submit (by Blackboard submission)–and in electronic form as an email attachment–the semester-long course term project with related written report to Professor Patzer by the due date specified in the “Schedule of Course” section of our course syllabus that is identified with a bullet designated:
• Due Deadline Written Item:
o Assignment with required Blackboard submission–due with rigid deadline of…–..see document titled, Written Assignment — Term Project Report.
o Note: The immediately above referenced document includes specific steps for “Submission procedure to/at Blackboard for this written term project report assignment.”
• Your term project report submitted to Professor Patzer to/at Blackboard in electronic format need NOT be submitted also in paper-and-ink hardcopy format. Both are not required for the assessment/grading evaluation needs of Professor Patzer for our class.
• Likewise, your term project report submitted to Professor Patzer to/at Blackboard need NOT be submitted also in electronic form as an email attachment. Again, both are not required for the assessment/grading evaluation needs of Professor Patzer for our class.
Note about your Word Processor “Page Breaks” and “Centered Words Within a Line”
• Regarding your “page breaks” within your report: It is not essential for you to do for this course term project, however, you really should learn how to insert “hard page breaks” after sections in which you want the report project to continue on the next page (rather than manually inserting a bunch of seemingly appropriate line spaces into/onto the next desired page). This is a super easy Microsoft WORD feature to learn/use and saves much time and effort at later times particularly if/when a person makes potential later changes in the report text.
• Regarding your “centered words within a line” within your report: It is not essential for you to do for this course term project, however, you really should learn how to center words within a line (rather than manually inserting a bunch of space bar spaces into/onto the line until the words reach the desired center location). This is a super easy Microsoft WORD feature to learn/use and saves time and effort at later times if/when a person makes potential later changes in the report text.
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Regardless which of the options and corresponding focuses that a class member chooses, to strengthen her/his term project report (and accordingly increase its assessment by Professor Patzer) please include more-rather-than-less reason or reasoning, justification, rationale, explanation, thinking, data, and/or detail for your statements and thoughts presented throughout your report.
