Assignment 2: Market Position Analysis

Throughout this course, you will conduct a strategy audit for a
selected company. InModule 1, you
selected an organization for your course project activities.
In this assignment, you will assess the product portfolio for your
selected business unit by analyzing the value proposition, market position, and
competitive advantage of its products and services. You will begin your
analysis by identifying the business unit and the product(s) and service(s) you
will focus on in this paper.
Complete the following:
Conduct at least
three interviews with
your selected mid-level or senior managers. Use the interviews to solicit
each manager’s understanding of your business unit’s market position,
value proposition, and competitive advantage.Provide either
full transcripts or annotated summaries of the interviews. Include them in
the appendix of your analysis.
In your analysis, be sure to cover the following:
Describe the
target customer for the product/service in terms of relevant
characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including location
(how it is reached) and buying habits.Identify each
customer segment’s specific wants and needs. Explain why they buy your
company’s product or service, or a competing product or service.Justify how well
your product/service satisfies customer wants and needs. Identify any
wants and needs that are not met by your product/service.Analyze your
product’s position in relation to the competition. Identify 3–5 main
competitors. Explain how your product differs in terms features, function,
quality, price, availability, brand image, etc. Explain why this
differentiation is important to your customers.Describe the
source of competitive advantage for your product. Evaluate sustainability
of this source of advantage.Assess the
long-term sustainability of the source of differentiation and competitive
advantage.Apply the five
“P’s” of marketing to your product analysis.Provide a
concluding paragraph in your report that recapitulates the findings of
your interview.
.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/85140042-50fd-4730-b533-24758172be20/AUO_B6028_M2_A2_Matrix_Template.doc”>Click here to download a template to
use for comparing your product to that of the competition.
Support your responses giving reasons and examples from scholarly
resources. Include the matrix in an appendix and add an extra page for your
references.
Write a 3-page paper in Word format and attach the matrix as an
appendix. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file
naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M2_A2.doc. For example, if your name is
John Smith, your document will be named SmithJ_M2_A2.doc.

Assignment Component

Proficiency

Maximum Points

Described the target customer for the product/service in terms
of relevant characteristics that impact the marketing strategy, including
location (how reached) and buying habits.

Target customer is clearly and accurately identified.
Description includes all relevant characteristics that impact the marketing
strategy, including (but not limited to) location and buying habits.

8

Identified each customer segment’s specific wants and needs.
Explained why they buy your company’s product or service, or a competing
product or service.

Each customer segment’s wants and needs are identified,
specific, and appropriate.
Explanation as to why the customer buys the product/service is
clear, complete, and provides specific detail to support ideas.

12

Justified how well your product/service satisfies customer wants
and needs. Identified any wants and needs that are not met by your
product/service.

Justification of how well the product/service satisfies customer
wants and needs is clear, complete, and provides sound examples that support
stance.
Any wants and needs not met by the product/service are
identified and evaluated.

16

Analyzed your product’s position in relation to the competition.
Identified the main competitors. Explained how your product differs in terms
of features, function, quality, price, availability, brand image, etc.
Explained why this differentiation is important to your customers. Explained
how the 5 “P’s” of marketing are represented in the analysis.

Analysis of product in relation to competition is clear,
complete, and detailed. Where the product resides in the market as a whole is
clear and accurate. Main competitors are specified.
Explanation of how product differs from competition is clear and
complete. It includes discussion of features, function, quality, price,
availability, brand image, and the like.
Explanation of why differentiation is important to customers is
clear and supports the justification as to customers’ wants and needs.
Explanation links the analysis to the 5 “P’s” of marketing.

16

Described the source of competitive advantage for your product.
Evaluated how sustainable this source of advantage is.

Source of competitive advantage for product is clearly and
completely described with details to highlight specific ideas.
Evaluation of sustainability of source of advantage is clear and
grounded in appropriate examples.

12

Included information from appropriate interviews.

Information from interviews is woven into the assignment and
used as support throughout.

8

Wrote using ethical scholarship and proper grammar and
mechanics.

Writing is clear, concise, and in an organized manner; demonstrates
ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources;
and displays accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

8

Total:

80