BMW of North America LLC

SITUATION ANALYSIS CHECK LIST To help you ensure your situation analysis is complete, here is a list of items the grader will look for when grading your papers. I highly recommend that you use this as a check list. Please note however, the mere presence of the topic in your paper is not enough to warrant a good grade. It is the quality of the coverage and the clarity of your work that matters. All the items shown on this checklist will be graded.
A.COMPANY Recommended number of pages for this section:2 Company description Mission and Goals
B. SWOT Recommended number of pages for this section:3 SWOT Table (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) -Text in the tables could be single spaced SWOT Description
C. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS Recommended number of pages for this section:3 SWOT Table for at least 2 competitors -Text in the tables could be single spaced State your “educated” opinion regarding “gaps” in the market and trends at industry level
D. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS Recommended number of pages for this section:3 Define the segment(s) at the industry level (be specific with your segmentation variables) Identify the Needs and Wants for the segment(s)
E. MARKETING & PRODUCT OBJECTIVES Recommended number of pages for this section:3 Current market and Target Markets (Be specific) New product/Service (Present your new/revised product(s)/Service(s) here) Positioning (Perceptual map required)
F. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (Write ES only after you have completed all sections of the paper) Maximum 2 pages Two-page, double space, executive summary is given at beginning Summarizes the whole document CLEARLY AND CONCISELY

FORMAT OF THE PAPER
Does not exceed the page limits (Max 16 pages excluding cover page, table of contents, references pages and appendixes) Pages have numbers (Page X of Y format) Appropriate 12 point font size, double-spaced, one-inch margins MUST CITE ALL INFORMATION (otherwise = plagiarism = F) – Style= APA Provide a reference section at the end of the paper in correct style/format – Style= APA Edit/proofread and use correct Spelling and Grammar Use tables/charts/graphs effectively to present information (SWOT tables must be in the body of the paper; the rest of the tables/charts/graphs could be included in the appendixes) Use an appropriate tone and write clearly
Be consistent with your in-text citations and your references page (APA style). I would highly recommend using the automatic “References\Citations and Bibliography – \Table of Contents” in MS Word (“Reference tools” for Macintosh computers). For web reference guidance for APA format, you may look to: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
For library resources; please use the following links: http://library.calstate.edu/northridge/databases/subject/business-economics
http://library.csun.edu/ResearchAssistance/AskUs
When using web sources, remember to reference the actual source of your data or information, not the search engine you used to get to the source. GOOGLE, for instance, is NOT a source, nor is library.csun.edu. They are the vehicles you used to find your source. Any web citations should include the full URL address as well as the date you received information from that URL address. Sources should also be CREDIBLE. For instance, Wikipedia should not be used as a source in your paper – it is not a credible source for information (this doesn’t mean that you can’t use it, you just need to go to the direct source to find the credible information).

Important Reminders: • Be sure to cover all the items on the SA checklist. You may want to use items of the checklist as a headings/sub-headings in your paper. • Refrain from adding definitions from your textbook to “fill” the paper. Also, DO NOT include random information in the appendixes (e.g. general financial/stock information that are unrelated to topics discussed in the paper) • Your feelings, perceptions and experiences as a consumer are not necessarily facts. This is a research-based paper so, it cannot be based on what you feel or assume is true. It MUST be based on research and facts. In other words, DO NOT ASSUME because you and/or your team have a certain perception about a product, market, company, etc. all consumers will have the same perceptions as you do. • Your paper MUST have in-text citations throughout the paper and a reference page at the end of the paper (APA style). • Be sure to follow the formatting guidelines listed on page 2 of the SA checklist. • Be sure NOT to copy and paste material from internet or other teams’ work(s) into your paper. Please note that your submission will be checked in Turnitin automatically and note that “plagiarism=F” • Your paper does not have to be 16 pages, 16 is the maximum number of pages allowed for this paper. • If you have problems within your team, I expect you to be able to resolve any conflict as adults. It is important that you focus on the goal, work together and complete the paper in time. All students in this class will have a chance to review their teammates and provide a peer evaluation to me at the end of the semester. I take peer evaluations very seriously. • Tone of the paper: you may want to assume that your group is a consulting firm creating this SA for the CEO of company you’re working on. DO NOT attempt to market your hypothetical marketing firm, be sure to focus on the topics you need to cover according to the checklist. • Please refer to syllabus for important information regarding late submissions. • Each team needs to submit ONE copy of the SA paper on Canvas under the link provided for the submission. Only ONE person per team will upload a copy of the paper under this link. • Files MUST be in .pdf format. • Be sure to upload AND Submit Assignment on Canvas under the assigned link by deadline provided in the class schedule and on Canvas.

SA SAMPLE MKT304 – Do Not Print (2)

SAMPLE PAPER SA R1