Course : Diploma in Management Studies (DMSD1 2433A / 2434A / 2535A)
Module Title : Principles of Marketing
Assessment : Individual Assignment
Date / Due Date : 28 February 2025
Weighting : 30% (100 marks)
Note : Submission of Soft and Hard copy of your assignment is compulsory
The objective of this individual assignment is to enable students to demonstrate their understanding of the Product Life Cycle (PLC) framework and its practical application in marketing strategies.
Instructions to Individual Written Assignment:
1. Late submission/resubmission is NOT allowed. Loss of data due to a computer crash is NOT a valid reason for late submission.
2. Students are required to write a report of 2,000 words, +/- 10%. The word count does NOT include diagram(s), table(s), appendices and reference list. Prior to your group assignment submission, do ensure that you produce a report with correct format. (see no. 3 and no. 4)
3. Please type in 1 ½ line spacing using Times New Roman 12 point for your group assignment. All pages of your assignment must be numbered appropriately and justified. Title the headings and/or sub-headings (if applicable). Do provide relevant diagram(s) and table(s) to support your assignments and do number and title the diagram(s) and table(s) accordingly.
4. Please use the ‘Spelling and Grammar’ function in Microsoft Word to ensure there is no spelling or grammar error. Your sentences should be easy to read and understand.
5. Students SHOULD apply Marketing theories or concepts learnt from lectures and class tutorials and do further reading from basic textbooks, references and or even Internet reading.
6. Students must use in-text citations and an end-text reference list based on Harvard style. of referencing format. Please note that some marks may be deducted for incorrect referencing. Sources from the Google and Wikipedia are excluded. (Your lecturer would brief you on the referencing). Please also visit the following link for Harvard referencing: https://www.bangor.ac.uk/studyskills/plagiarism-tutorials/tutorials/v4/GENERIC_EN/story_content/external_files/Harvard_Referencing_Guide.pdf
Academic Misconduct Rule:
1. Please DO NOT cut and paste from Internet.
2. All forms of cheating, plagiarism or collusion are regarded seriously and could result in penalties including loss of marks.
Procedures and Penalties on Late Assignment:
1. A student who wishes to defer the submission of an assignment must apply to the lecturer in charge for an extension of the time within which to submit the assignment.
2. Where an extension is sought for the submission of an assignment the applicant must:
2.1 be in writing and preferably before the due date; and
2.2 set out the grounds on which deferral is sought.
3. Assignments submitted after the normal or extended date without approval shall incur a penalty of loss of marks.
Question:
Topic: Product Life Cycle (PLC) and its Application in Marketing
You are required to select a product or brand in any industry and write a structured report addressing the following:
1. Introduction
2. Analysis of the Product Life Cycle
3. Marketing Strategies Across PLC Stages
4. Challenges and Recommendations
5. Conclusion
Assignment Criteria:
You will be assessed on the following:
1. Your ability to find and use relevant references and data;
2. The extent to which you use and apply logical, informed and convincing analysis to your chosen topic;
3. The structure and effectiveness or arguments used in the written assignment
4. Formatting and Harvard Referencing System.
5. If applicable, provide relevant diagram(s), feature(s) and / or table(s).
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Criteria
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Marks
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Introduction:
· Briefly describe the selected product/brand, its target market, and why it was chosen.
· Provide an overview of the concept of the Product Life Cycle (PLC)
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10
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Analysis of PLC
· Identify the current stage of the PLC for your selected product/brand (Introduction, Growth, Maturity, or Decline).
· Provide evidence or justification for your assessment using sales data, marketing campaigns, or market trends.
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30
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Marketing Strategies
· Describe the marketing strategies used during each stage of the PLC (Introduction, Growth, Maturity, and Decline).
· Use examples from your selected product/brand to illustrate how the strategies align with the characteristics of each PLC stage.
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30
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Challenges & recommendations
· Discuss potential challenges the product/brand may face in transitioning between PLC stages.
· Provide recommendations to address these challenges and ensure sustainable success.
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10
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Conclusion
Summarize your findings and provide final insights on the importance of understanding the PLC in marketing.
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10
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Overall presentation: Report layout, sourcing, tables, graphs, use of English language
Appendices: Quality of supporting evidence, quality of secondary
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10
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