Task
Through strategic planning, a company decides what it wants to do with each part of its business. Marketing planning has a key role to play in strategic planning, because it is responsible for managing the interface between the company and its environment. It helps to answer the core questions like, Where are we now? Where would we like to be? How do we get there? The marketing audit is the means by which the first question can be answered, although many organisations still do not conduct an audit regularly or comprehensively. With the huge volume of information available to marketers today, this can be a very complex activity, although it is more important than ever before. Consider the following quotation:
“Marketing managers need to appreciate that effective marketing planning relies on carrying out a systematic and comprehensive marketing audit”.
(Blythe and Megicks, 2010 p. 20)
For this assignment, you are required to use this quote as your starting point, in order to write a critical review which considers why Blythe & Megicks made this assertion, by critically evaluating the role and importance of the marketing audit. This will be in the form of a 2,500 word individual essay. In order to do this, you will need to read widely around the topic of strategic marketing in both textbooks and academic journal articles.
Guidance on responding to the task
Your first job will be to use the available literature to define the explicit concepts and their roles (e.g. what is the marketing planning process, and how does it contribute to strategic planning; what is the marketing audit, what role does it play in the marketing planning process, and what activities does it comprise, etc.). You may find that some terms can be defined in different ways and that each carries a degree of ambiguity, so when reviewing definitions it is important to identify and compare different concepts, before then synthesising them into their common or shared elements to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.
When exploring these concepts, you will find you need to refer to other key concepts from the module, which are not explicitly mentioned in this assignment brief, but that you believe are still relevant. Once you have identified all relevant concepts, and have determined the extent to which they can be defined, you have provided a strong underpinning for the remainder of your discussion.
The next part of your essay is to explain and justify the process of undertaking the marketing audit, identifying any complexities and barriers that marketers may come across in trying to conduct a comprehensive and accurate audit, both external and internal, that may ultimately affect the success of their organisation’s marketing plan.
Your conclusion should be clearly stated; rational and justified; and based upon what you find from the literature rather than on arbitrary personal opinion. The argument (see Appendix 1) should be developed within the main body of your work and then summarised in your conclusion.
We will, of course, provide more guidance as Term 1 develops, so if the above is not totally clear at present, it will be by the time you need to submit your work.

Strategic marketing

The report should be in three main parts:

1 Undertake an external environmental analysis looking at an overview of the international business environment with particular attention paid to factors which will impact the global bottled water industry. Evaluate a range of key themes relating to marketing internationally within the industry. You will also need to consider any themes that particularly apply to Spritzer.
2 You should propose strategic marketing responses to the themes you have identified in your environmental analysis that you judge as having the greatest potential impact on the process to expand internationally.
3 Critically analyse 2-3 international markets Spritzer can seek entry into as the first step towards eventual globalisation. One of the markets should be outside of SE Asia.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Marks will be awarded for the clear analysis and interpretation of the case in respect of:

• Understanding and analysing the key themes within International marketing
• Applying key theoretical approaches to the case study;
• Clarity of expression and reasoning with evidence of analytical rigour; effective interpretation of data and other relevant information
• Presenting a workable strategic marketing plan for Spritzer Bhd to venture overseas.

Strategic marketing

The report should be in three main parts:

1 Undertake an external environmental analysis looking at an overview of the international business environment with particular attention paid to factors which will impact the global bottled water industry. Evaluate a range of key themes relating to marketing internationally within the industry. You will also need to consider any themes that particularly apply to Spritzer.
2 You should propose strategic marketing responses to the themes you have identified in your environmental analysis that you judge as having the greatest potential impact on the process to expand internationally.
3 Critically analyse 2-3 international markets Spritzer can seek entry into as the first step towards eventual globalisation. One of the markets should be outside of SE Asia.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Marks will be awarded for the clear analysis and interpretation of the case in respect of:

• Understanding and analysing the key themes within International marketing
• Applying key theoretical approaches to the case study;
• Clarity of expression and reasoning with evidence of analytical rigour; effective interpretation of data and other relevant information
• Presenting a workable strategic marketing plan for Spritzer Bhd to venture overseas.