Please submit the completed grid and use the 6-section American Marketing Association’s approach (in narrative form) for the two cases (the grid is below the AMA approach). If necessary, review the full explanation of WOT in the Week 1 Content section titled “SWOTrNOT”:
AMA SWOT ANALYSIS GUIDELINES FOR MARKETING CASES;
You should know how to take ‘relevant’ information from the case and categorize it (either internal or external) to help you identify the problem, generate alternatives, select an alternative, and defend your position. (The text in black below is the AMA vernacular. I’ve put some hints and guidelines in each section below in red.)
Section 1 – INDUSTRY, COMPETITIVE AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (External):
In the first section, all information that was relevant and pertaining to the external environment and put into the grid as an opportunity, a threat, or both.
Every problem or challenge must be considered in the context of its environment. Environmental factors are primarily external (i.e. the economy, foreign and domestic competition, government rules and regulations, etc.). Among the matters considered in the analysis are threats of: entry, rivalry, product substitutions, buyers and suppliers. Also the rate of market growth and the stage of industry life cycle should be addressed. Identify the key success factors in the industry. The analysis performed and presented in this section should involve a careful evaluation of the issues, with particular attention given to the implications. Care should be given not to offer a reiteration of facts presented in the case. Avoid rehash. For the purpose of this class, the cases are complete. Do not offer extraneous data.
Quantitative analysis should be performed whenever numerical data concerning the external environment is present. Market trends, competitor positioning, and buyer characteristics are among the issues that might be analyzed.
Section 2 – CAPABILITY ANALYSIS (Internal):
In the second section, all information that was relevant and pertaining to the internal environment and put into the grid as a strength, a weakness, or both.
Internal analysis is presented in this section. Among other things, attention should be directed to the differential advantage of the firm, its strengths and weaknesses, the market niche of its product(s) or services, the goals and values of management, as well as issues relating to social responsibility. Analysis should not be neglected. The mere presentation of information is insufficient. Draw well-reasoned, factually supported conclusions. Cite the implications of the points you make.
Quantitative analysis should be performed whenever numerical data is present. For example, you should examine the financial rations, trends, product contributions to sales and profitability, unit manufacturing costs, etc. Although much of the quantitative data in the cases will be in the form of financial information, analysis should be directed to the issues relating to marketing. Exhibits may be appended to the end of the text but should be addressed in the body. The mere presentation of financial ratios is insufficient; interpretation of the data and its effects on the marketing scheme is essential.
Section 3 – PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION:
This is the most important section because if you don’t identify the correct problem (or opportunity) you (as the marketing practitioner) won’t be able to do the rest of the sections. Your problem hypothesis) must be stated in ‘controllable’ elements from the internal environment (bad image, price too high, product is wrong, etc.). You cannot state your problems in terms of uncontrollable elements (like “the competition is too strong”…or “we’re in an economic recession”).
The problem identification includes a statement of the problem or problems facing the firm at the time. Weak problem definitions generally contribute to poor alternatives and inadequate recommendations. Skill should be exercised in addressing the key issues; a laundry list of problems will not suffice. Make sure that you have actually defined the problem(s) and not merely identified the symptoms. It is often necessary to discriminate between more and less urgent issues. Some problems require immediate attention, while other issues necessitate a long-term strategic planning approach. Interestingly, a relatively small matter, such as liquidity, may be urgent, while a more serious problem, like finding a competitive niche in the market, usually has a longer time horizon. More often than not, short- and long-term problems are interrelated.
Section 4 – ALTERNATIVES:
Generate as many possible alternatives as you can (doing nothing is always an alternative).
An alternative is a proposition or a situation offering a choice between two or more courses of action, only one of which may be chosen. Each alternative should be a discrete (distinct) course of action that offers benefits and has a genuine possibility of solving the defined problem(s) cited and should include outlines of different competitive marketing strategies. Alternatives must be inclusive. Do not combine alternatives. Provide clear-cut courses of action. Avoid fragmented options that address subordinate issues. Finally, donâ€t offer alternatives that obviously wonâ€t work.
Section 5 – RECOMMENDATIONS:
As stated, indicate which alternative you recommend.
Indicate specifically which of the alternatives you recommend. The recommendations should include a restatement of the alternative selected, but with an elaboration of details relating to the course of action. Do not recommend a combination of two or more alternatives; doing so indicates that you have not thought in terms of discrete courses of action. Also, you should not recommend the use of consultants or additional research — you are the consultant and the researcher. Recommendations should relate directly to the problem(s) identified and the chosen alternative. Do not combine the recommendations and defense sections or your case analysis. Recommendations involving divestiture should be supported by an estimate of liquidation value.
Section 6 – DEFENSE OF POSITION:
There is no right or wrong answer for these cases. It’s more about logic and feasibility for the specific situation mentioned in the case.
Your defense should include a well-reasoned, factually based set of arguments supporting your recommendations. A numerical listing of points may be helpful. Be persuasive. You must convince your reader that your assessment of the problems(s) is correct and that your recommended course of action offers the most promise of success. Do not employ specious reasoning; use sound logic based on good information. You should anticipate objections and offer a defense against them. Do not argue the case for and against each alternative.
————————————————————
The FORMAT AND GUIDELINES are meant to assist you on how to approach a situation for analysis. Each section should lead you into the requirements of the next section. Situation analysis and problem resolution are the essentials of successful business acumen.
You can use the grid to track and categorize relevant information to be used when making marketing decisions.
The SWOT GRID
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT:
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
SOCIOCULTURAL
POLITICAL
LEGAL
REGULATORY
ECONOMIC
TECHNOLOGICAL
COMPETITIVE
INFRASTRUCTURE/TOPOGRAPHY
EVENTS
GEOGRAPHICS
DEMOGRAPHICS
PSYCHOGRAPHICS
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT:
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
MISSION/IMAGE
GOALS/STRATEGIES
ORGANIZATION/CAPACITY
RESOURCES
PRICE
PRODUCT
PLACE
PROMOTION
6 mins ago
Can you help me with this too? They two case studies are combined.
Using the SWOT analysis grid and the 6-section AMA format, analyze the following case. Be sure to identify and categorize information and its relevance to either in external environment for opportunities and/or threats or its relevance to the internal environment for strengths and or weaknesses.
Case # 1: Swanâ€s Ice Arena
David Swan, the manager of Swanâ€s Ice Arena, is trying to decide what strategies to use to increase profits.
Swanâ€s Ice Arena is an ice-skating rink with a conventional hockey rink surface (85 feet x 200 feet). It is the only indoor ice rink in a northern U.S. city of about 450,000. The cityâ€s recreation department operates some outdoor rinks in the winter, but they donâ€t offer regular ice skating programs because weather variability.
David runs a successful hockey program that is more than breaking even—but this is about all he can expect if he only offers hockey. In an attempt to increase his profits, David is trying to expand and improve his existing public skating programs andfdevelop any additional revenue producing programs. With such programs, he could have as many as 700 people in a public session at one time, instead of limiting the use of the ice to 12 to 24 hockey players per hour. While the receipts from hockey can be as high as $200 an hour (plus much higher concession sales), the receipts from a two-hour public skating session—charging $5 per person—could yield up to $3,500 for a two-hour period (plus much higher concession sales). The potential revenue from such large public skating sessions could make Swanâ€s Ice Arena a really profitable operation. But, unfortunately, just scheduling public sessions doesnâ€t mean that a large number will come. In fact, only a few prime times seem likely: Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
David has included 14 public skating sessions in his ice schedule, but so far they havenâ€t attracted as many people as he hoped. In total, they only generate a little more revenue that if the times were sold for hockey use. Offsetting this extra revenue are extra costs. More staff people are needed to handle a public skating session—guards, a ticket seller, skate rental, and more concession help. So the net revenue from either use is about the same. He could cancel some of the less attractive public sessions—like the noon-time daily sessions, which have very low attendance-and make the average attendance figures look a lot better. But he feels that if he is going to offer public skating he must have a reasonable selection of times. He does recognize, however, that the different public skating sessions do seem to attract different people and really different kinds of people.
The Saturday and Sunday afternoon public skating sessions have been the most successful, with an average of 200 people attending during the winter season. Typically, this is a “kidsitting†session. More than half of the patrons are young children who have been dropped off by their parents for several hours, but there are also some family groups.
In general, the kids and the families have a good time—and a fairly loyal group comes every Saturday and/or Sunday during the winter season. In the spring and fall, however, attendance drops about in half, depending on how nice the weather is. (David schedules no public sessions in the summer, focusing instead on hockey clinics and figure skating classes.)
The Friday and Saturday evening public sessions are a big disappointment. The sessions run from 8 until 10, a time when he had hoped to attract teenagers and young adult couples. At $5 per person, plus $1.50 for skate rental, this would be an economical date. In fact, David has seen quite a few young couples—and some keep coming back. But he sees a surprising number of 8- to 14-year-olds who have been dropped off by their parents. The younger kids tend to race around the rink playing tag. This affects the whole atmosphere, making it less appealing for dating couples and older patrons.
David has been hoping to develop a teenage and young-adult market for a “social activity,†adapting the format used by roller-skating rinks. Their public skating sessions feature a variety of couples only and group games as well as individual skating to dance music. Turning ice-skating sessions into such social activities is not common, however, although industry newsletters suggest that a few ice-rink operators have success with the roller-skating format. Seemingly, the ice-skating sessions are viewed as active recreation, offering exercise or a sports experience.
David installed some soft lights to try to change the evening atmosphere. The music was selected to encourage people to skate to the beat and couples to skate together. Some people complained about the “old†music, but it was “danceable,†and some skaters really like it. For a few sessions, David even tried to have some couples-only skates. The couples like it, but this format was strongly resisted by the young boys who felt that they had paid their money and there was no reason why they should be kicked off the ice. David also tried to attract more young people and especially couples by bringing in a local rock radio station disc jockey to broadcast from Swanâ€s Ice Arena—playing and music and advertising the Friday and Saturday evening public sessions. Swanâ€s son eve set up Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for Swanâ€s, but only a few people joined the groups. All of this appeared to have no effect on attendance, which varies from 50 to 100 per two-hour session during the winter.
David seriously considered the possibility of limiting the Friday and Saturday evening sessions to people age 14 and over—to try to change the environment. He knew it would take time to changeâ€s peopleâ€s attitudes. But when he counted the customers, he realized this would be risky. More than a quarter of his customers on an average weekend night appear to be 13 or under. This means that he would have to make a serious commitment to building the teen and young-adult market. And, so far, his efforts havenâ€t been successful. He has already invested over $3,000 in lighting changes and over $9,000 promoting the sessions over the rock music radio station, which very disappointing results. Although the stationâ€s sales rep said the station reached teenagers all over town, and on-air offer for a free skating session did not get a single response!
Some days, David feels itâ€s hopeless. Maybe he should accept that most public ice-skating sessions are a mixed bag. Or maybe he should just sell the time to hockey groups. Still he keeps hoping that something can be done to improve weekend evening public skating attendance, because the upside potential is so good. And the Saturday and Sunday afternoon sessions are pretty good money-makers.
Using the SWOT grid and the narrative 6-section AMA format evaluate Swanâ€s Ice Arenaâ€s situation. What should David Swan do?
START DATE
JAN 8, 2018 7:48 AM
DUE DATE
FEB 15, 2018 5:30 PM
Hide Rubrics
Rubric Name: Bi-Weekly Assignment Rubric
Assignment Part 1
EXCELLENT1.5 POINTS
GOOD1.2 POINTS
FAIR1.05 POINTS
POOR0.9 POINTS
NOT ACCEPTABLE0 POINTS
MARKETING CONCEPT #1
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #2
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the second marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the second marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the second marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #3
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the third marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the third marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the third marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #4
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the fourth marketing concept in the writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the fourth marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the fourth marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
Assignment Part 2
EXCELLENT1.5 POINTS
GOOD1.2 POINTS
FAIR1.05 POINTS
POOR0.9 POINTS
NOT ACCEPTABLE0 POINTS
MARKETING CONCEPT #1
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #2
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #3
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
MARKETING CONCEPT #4
Student exhibits a high level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can precisely apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits a good level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment and can generally apply the concept to a real product.
Student exhibits an average level of understanding of the first marketing concept in this writing assignment, but may not have been able to apply the concept to a real product effectively.
Student exhibits a poor understanding of the concept and cannot demonstrate the concept’s applicability to a real product.
Student did not attempt or effort was off track.
Assignment Adherence and Writing
EXCELLENT3 POINTS
GOOD2.4 POINTS
FAIR2.1 POINTS
POOR1.8 POINTS
NOT ACCEPTABLE0 POINTS
GRAMMAR, COMPOSITION, ADHERENCE TO SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS, EFFECTIVE USE OF REFERENCE
Student submitted a professional document with no typos or grammatical errors. Assignment adheres all all submission requirements outlined in the syllabus. Student demonstrated superior research and referencing skills and uses a college-level style guide.
Student submitted a good document, may have a few typos or grammatical errors. Assignment adheres to all submission requirements outlined in the syllabus. Student demonstrated adequate research and referencing skills, but may have some issues with attribution of statements of facts or others’ opinions, uses a college-level style guide.
Student submitted an acceptable document, may have an unacceptable number of distracting typos or grammatical errors. Assignment does not adhere to all submission requirements outlined in the syllabus. Student demonstrated poor research and referencing skills leaving most statements of facts and others’ opinions unattributed, and attributions may not be in the form of a college-level style guide.
Student submitted a poor document, typos and grammatical errors very distracting to the reader. Assignment does not comply with most submission requirements as outlined in the syllabus. Students does not demonstrate any research and referencing skills. Writing style needs significant help. Suggest student seek the services of UMUC’s Effective Writing Program before submitting further assignments.
Student does not submit a writing assignment on time or in an acceptable format.
Overall Score
LEVEL 513.5 OR MORE
LEVEL 412 OR MORE
LEVEL 310.5 OR MORE
LEVEL 29 OR MORE
LEVEL 10 OR MORE
13.5-15 points
90%-100%
12-13.5 points
80%-89%
10.5-12 points
70%-79%
9-10.5 points
60%-69%
0-9 points
0%-59%
Do you need a similar assignment done for you from scratch? We have qualified writers to help you. We assure you an A+ quality paper that is free from plagiarism. Order now for an Amazing Discount! Use Discount Code “Newclient” for a 15% Discount!NB: We do not resell papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
The post need-help-with-the-following appeared first on Essay Fount.
What Students Are Saying About Us
.......... Customer ID: 12*** | Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Honestly, I was afraid to send my paper to you, but you proved you are a trustworthy service. My essay was done in less than a day, and I received a brilliant piece. I didn’t even believe it was my essay at first 🙂 Great job, thank you!"
.......... Customer ID: 11***| Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This company is the best there is. They saved me so many times, I cannot even keep count. Now I recommend it to all my friends, and none of them have complained about it. The writers here are excellent."
"Order a custom Paper on Similar Assignment at essayfount.com! No Plagiarism! Enjoy 20% Discount!"
