Marketing and International Business

Module Number: BAM5009

Module Name: Marketing and International Business

Year/Semester/Cohort: 2022-2023/Semester 2/January 2022 Cohort

Module Tutors: Laurence Hoppen

Assessment Number	2
Assessment Type (and weighting)	Pre-seen Case Study for Open Book Exam
Assessment Name	Case Study
Assessment Submission Date	Exam Paper Release Date & Time: Saturday 6 May 2023 at 10:00am Submission Cut-off Date & Time: Sunday 7 May 2023 at 10:00am

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO3: Develop and apply the components of a marketing plan for a project, client, or business.

LO4: Appraise the marketing effectiveness of marketing strategies for business.

Assignment Brief:

Please read the case study carefully and prepare notes which you can use during Exam.

Please note, you may not be asked to write a full marketing plan during the examination itself. However, the examination questions will assume that you have prepared an outline marketing plan that you can refer to during the exam.

Marketing and International Business

Case Study

The Hardware Store is an independent retailer in Mountain Top, Yorkshire, England. It was established in the late 1960s. A traditional ‘ironmongers’ it sells household hardware for home improvements and repairs such as screws, piping, plugs, locks, plumbing supplies, paint brushes, gardening equipment, knife sharpening and hoover bags as well as houseware items. While not particularly outgoing, Walter Marks, the owner knows his stuff and tries to ensure his customer has the right product. If he doesn’t have a particular item in stock, Walter will happily order it in for the customer and, as many customers will attest to, it was not uncommon for Walter to give someone an item and say ‘if it’s not the right size, just bring it back’. It’s the sort of place that you’ll actually be able to buy a barbeque in the summer or sledges on the first school snow day of the year.

However, the impact of the big retail DIY chains such as B&Q, Homebase and Wickes had slowly lured customers away. Sales were already in decline when Walter took over The Hardware Store 6 years ago. When lockdown hit in March 2020, government guidelines enabled the store to remain open for essential items, and sales increased slightly while the larger stores had to remain closed. But this was not enough. One day, Walter confided to a customer that lockdown might be the end of his business. As a result of this conversation, the customer, a local locksmith, posted the following on the Mountain Top Facebook page.

“Today I visited The Hardware Store on Mountain Top high street for a few decorating bits… I asked him how he was and he said that due to other large stores closing or selling out of things, business had picked up for him slightly, but he said he spends most days stood wondering/worrying how he can make those new visiting customers come back?? He has no access to social media and was genuinely at a loss … hence my post! He literally sells everything from fire wood to decorating – hardware to mops and clothes dyes!!!! If you are close or passing and need anything – instead of queuing for an hour outside a huge store – call here – this will be appreciated much more!!!!

A flurry of affirming posts followed as local people took to Facebook, describing the hardware stores as an Aladdin’s Cave. It was clear they appreciated Walter’s knowledge and help. Despite reducing his opening hours during lockdown, Walter began to see more customers trickling in. The tide was turning…

As a result, a member of the local community offered to set up a Facebook page for the business, free of charge. Within days, over 4000 people began to follow The Hardware Store’s Facebook page. Another local showed Walter how to use social media and reply to messages.

Not surprisingly, Walter was delighted and extremely touched that local people were prepared to help him out without expecting anything in return.

For a short time, sales doubled. However, this has been short lived and while sales are slightly higher than pre-lockdown, the business is not sustainable in the long term at this level.

it became clear that Walter was struggling with the new Facebook account – enquiries went unanswered and the page was never updated.

The shop windows are cluttered with random items. They are not displayed as one might expect. In some ways, this is endearing, but the items are rarely changed and some items show signs of fading and look dated. Indoors, it truly is like an Aladdin’s cave, with every inch of space being utilised. Metal watering cans and plastic hoses hang from the ceiling and the counter is covered with catalogues and containers storing screws, nuts, and bolts.

Prices vary – although generally more expensive than the DIY chains, there are some items that are cheaper. Walter will often sell the amount of an item that you need rather than having to buy a big pack from the DIY store. He will also order hard to find items direct from the supplier and these tend to be cheaper than the larger stores. However, what you can’t put a price on is his knowledge and the advice he gives customers.

The small double-fronted store is located on a busy local road in a village between two large conurbations. Walter lives above the shop. There is some on street parking but it does get very busy at times. The nearest B&Q and Wickes are about 4-5 miles away in both directions. Both have plenty of parking and are many times larger than The Hardware Store.

It is clear that Walter is knowledgeable and passionate about his product range but lacks marketing skills.

Walter has come to you for advice on what he can do to increase footfall and sales. He has limited budget but would be able to reinvest some of the increased profit into marketing activity if it proves to be successful. Due to the immediacy of the situation, any marketing activity needs to generate immediate results but should also outline activities over a maximum of a 3 year period.

General Assessment Criteria for Written Assessments HE5

	%	Relevance	Knowledge	Argument/Analysis	Structure	Presentation	Academic Writing	Research/Referencing
Class I (Exceptional Quality)	85-100	Directly relevant to title. Expertly addresses the assumptions and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates an exceptional knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level through the identification and critical analysis of the most important issues and themes.	Makes exceptional use of appropriate arguments and/or theoretical models. Demonstrates some distinctive or independent thinking. Presents an exceptional critical analysis of the material resulting in clear, logical and original conclusions.	Coherently articulated and logically structured. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of figures, tables, plates (FTP).	An exceptionally well written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear, resourceful and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text. A wide range of contemporary and relevant references cited in the reference list in the correct style.
Class I (Excellent Quality)	70-84	Directly relevant to title. Addresses the assumptions and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates an excellent knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level through the identification and analysis of the most important issues and themes.	Makes creative use of appropriate arguments and/or theoretical models. Presents an excellent analysis of the material resulting in clear, logical conclusions.	Coherently articulated and logically structured. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of figures, tables, plates (FTP).	An excellently written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear, resourceful and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text. A range of contemporary and relevant references cited in the reference list in the correct style.
Class II/i (Very Good Quality)	60-69	Directly relevant to title. Addresses most of the assumptions and/or the requirements of the brief.	Demonstrates a very good knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level through the identification and analysis of key issues.	Uses sound arguments or theoretical models. Presents a clear and valid analysis of the material in the main with clear, logical conclusions.	Logically constructed in the main. An appropriate format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Effective inclusion of FTP.	A very well written answer with standard spelling and grammar. Style is clear and academic.	Sources accurately cited in the text and a range of appropriate references cited in reference list in the correct style.
Class II/ii (Good Quality)	50-59	Generally addresses the brief, but sometimes considers irrelevant issues.	Demonstrates a good knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level through the identification and analysis of some key issues.	Presents largely coherent arguments. Evidence of attempted analysis, with some descriptive or narrative passages. Conclusions are fairly clear and logical.	For the most part coherently articulated and logically structured. An acceptable format is used.	The presentational style & layout is correct for the type of assignment. Inclusion of FTP but lacks selectivity.	Competently written with minor lapses in spelling and grammar. Style is readable and academic in the main.	Most sources accurately cited in the text and an appropriate reference list is provided which is largely in the correct style.
Class III (Satisfactory Quality)	40-49	Some degree of irrelevance to the brief. Superficial consideration of the issues.	Demonstrates an adequate knowledge/understanding of theory and practice for this level. An attempt is made to analyse key issues.	Presents basic arguments, but focus and consistency lacking in places. Issues are vaguely stated. Descriptive or narrative passages evident which lack clear purpose. Conclusions are not always clear or logical.	Adequate attempt at articulation and logical structure. An acceptable format is used.	The presentational style & layout is largely correct for the type of assignment. Inappropriate use of FTP or not used where clearly needed to aid understanding.	Generally competently written although intermittent lapses in grammar and spelling pose obstacles for the reader. Style limits communication and is non-academic in a number of places.	Some relevant sources cited. Some weaknesses in referencing technique.
Borderline Fail	35-39	Significant degree of irrelevance to the brief. Only most obvious issues are addressed at a superficial level and in unchallenging terms.	Demonstrates weaknesses in knowledge of theory and practice for this level, with poor understanding of key issues.	Limited argument, which is descriptive or narrative in style with little evidence of analysis. Conclusions are neither clear nor logical.	Poorly structured. Lack of articulation. Format deficient.	For the type of assignment the presentational style &/or layout is lacking. FTP ignored in text or not used where clearly needed.	Deficiencies in spelling and grammar makes reading difficult. Simplistic or repetitious style impairs clarity. Style is non-academic.	Limited sources and weak referencing.
Fail	<34	Relevance to the brief is intermittent or missing. The topic is reduced to its vaguest and least challenging terms.	Demonstrates a lack of basic knowledge of either theory or practice for this level, with little evidence of understanding.	Inadequate arguments and no analysis. Conclusions are sparse.	Unstructured. Lack of articulation. Format deficient	For the type of assignment the presentational style &/or layout is lacking. FTP as above.	Poorly written with numerous deficiencies in grammar, spelling and expression. Style is non-academic.	An absence of academic sources and poor referencing technique.