In this course, you learned how a business chooses a positioning strategy in the marketplace and focuses on these areas by evaluating management’s use of production types, creating effective productivity, and analyzing the competitiveness of production. Now you will choose a retail organization and propose a positioning marketing strategy that analyzes the organizational management decisions related to any competitiveness of cost, quality, flexibility, speed, innovation, and/or service.
Prompt
Choose an organization that focuses on one of these areas in the market: competitiveness of cost, quality, flexibility, speed, innovation, and/or service. An example would be choosing ALDI or LIDL. Their cost marketing positioning strategy is providing customers with international goods for a lower price and, in turn, saving business fees by not providing bagging products for free. (This is just an example. Do not use this example for your project.)
Use the following steps below to create an effective marketing positioning strategy in 1,000-1,200 words for your chosen organization.
- Determine the organization’s competitive difference in the marketplace. Are they focused on cost, quality, flexibility, speed, innovation, and/or service? Explain how.
- Research and determine the company’s current market position in this arena.
- Analyze the company’s product position in the marketplace and explain how their strategy influences competitors.
- Develop a revised positioning strategy for the organization based on determined competitiveness.
Related Lessons
To complete Bus Operation Management, you may refer to the following lessons from the course for help with this assignment.
- Operations Management: Definition & Fundamentals
- What is a Business Model? – Definition & Relationship to Operations
- Positioning Strategy: Definition & Examples
- Production, Productivity & Competitiveness
Formatting and Sources
You may refer to the course material for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least three credible, outside sources and cite them using APA format. Please use reputable sites (e.g., .gov or .edu sites) for credible sources, and avoid sites that are not generally accepted academic resources (e.g., Wikipedia). Be sure to include a References page in APA style that credits the sources you used in your essay. Do not include an abstract. Including a cover page is optional. If you’re unsure about how to use APA format to cite your sources, please see the following lessons:
Grading Rubric
Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:
Category | Unacceptable (0-1) | Needs Improvement (2-3) | Good (4) | Excellent (5) | Total Possible Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Organizational Research (x3) | No organization is identified | Organization’s focus is somewhat identified | Organization’s focus is identified but needs more explanation | Organization’s focus is identified and explained in detail with examples | 15 |
Analysis (x3) | No examples are used to support arguments; analysis is missing or incorrect; no sources are cited | Few or weak examples are given to explain the organization’s position in the marketplace; fewer than 3 sources are cited | Examples are given to support most points, but not all; analysis lacks originality; at least 3 sources are provided, but some or all are not academic and/or appropriate for the topic | All main points are supported with evidence and include original analysis of the company’s product position in the marketplace and shows how their strategy influences competitors; at least 3 reputable and appropriate sources are cited | 15 |
Revised Positioning Strategy (x3) | Revised strategy is missing | Revised strategy is limited in scope | Revised strategy is included but is not based on determined competitiveness | Revised positioning strategy is thorough and is based on determined competitiveness | 15 |
Mechanics (x1) | Incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and use of standard English grammar hinders understanding | Several instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar | Few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar | No or very few instances of incorrect spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and usage of standard English grammar | 5 |
Before You Submit
When you are done writing your project, we suggest taking some time to check for any errors or to add some final touches. We also suggest that you use online plagiarism checkers such as PlagScan or DupliChecker to make sure that your essay is not too similar to any existing materials. Plagiarized submissions will NOT be graded.
How to Submit Your Paper
When you are ready to submit your written paper, please fill out the submission form and attach your essay as a Microsoft Word or Text document. After turning in your essay, you may go ahead and take the proctored final exam. You do not need to wait for your written response to be graded. You should receive your essay grade within one week.
If you are not satisfied with the score you receive on your paper, you may revise or rewrite your project and resubmit it for grading using the same submission form above. Keep in mind that the grade you receive on your project is only a third of your overall grade for the course, and you are free to retake the proctored final exam as well if you choose. Please see the course syllabus for a more detailed breakdown of the grading policy.
Requirements: rubric