Division of Marketing and Retail

Assignment brief
MKTP010/IBUP017 Brand Marketing - Spring 2022
As part of this assignment, students will adopt the role of a consultant and have been asked to
conduct a case study analysis to strengthen the brand positioning of a country of their choice from
South-America or Africa.

This assessment is summative (i.e. will be formally assessed) and will cover the following learning
outcomes:

Individual case study report (100%) MLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7

Students are expected to formally prepare an individual case study. This has to be submitted
to Canvas on Tuesday 1st of March by 11am and forms 100% of the final grade for this
module.

The assessment for this module allows students to prepare individually a 1500 words case
study analysis of a country of their choice from the South-American or African continents.
For this it is required to conduct substantial academic research (using academic journal
articles), use visuals, and a variety of sources to support analysis recommendations. In their
analysis, students assess how the country has used nation branding techniques
to strengthen its global positioning, improve/shift national image, and/or overcome
negative COO (Country of Origin) effects.  

Students are free to select any country within South-America or Africa and write a
‘rebranding proposal’ for a country that they feel has neglected nation branding, and in
their written case study offer strategies on how the rebrand the country of choice. 

Students need to ensure that the work is their own and that they reference/paraphrase
properly. Do NOT “copy and paste” content from the internet/other sources, do NOT take
content from other assignments or share your assignment with any of your colleagues.
Check below the policy on academic misconduct and make sure that the work submitted is
your own: https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/professional-services/student-academic-and-
corporate-services/academic-registry/academic-policy-and-practice/quality-handbook/
academic-integrity-policy-and-academic-misconduct-procedure/
Students are expected to carry out substantial research (including academic sources) to
support their arguments and suggestions. The assignment must cover the following:

 Cover sheet (template in Canvas and at the end of this brief).

 Introduction. This section could briefly introduce the country, a short overview of
the key issues emerging from the analysis, how these will be addressed and
signposting of the structure of the report.
 Country analysis. Students should consider COO effect, stereotypes, strengths and
weaknesses of the national image, policies, areas of development and the macro-
environment. Students need to engage with branding theory (e.g. brand symbolic
meanings, country of origin, nation branding, cultural appropriation, positioning,
brand equity…).
 Recommendations. Students need to propose relevant recommendations building
on the previous analysis and indicating how these would be implemented with
support from academic references. This section should consider the sustainability of
this new country image and suggest further developments in the future. It is
expected to engage with theory using support from academic journal articles (e.g.
desired positioning, brand resonance pyramid, brand extensions, 5 dimensions of
place branding…).
 Conclusion.
 References list. These should include a variety of sources (e.g. academic journal
articles, statistics, market research reports, news, etc.). All references in the list
should be mentioned in the text and every source in the text should appear in the
reference list.
 Appendix. It is advised to use an appendix section for any tables, figures,
screenshots or other materials that help to justify the ideas presented (key
figures/tables can go in the body of the case study). These appendices should be
mentioned in the text of the case study (referring the reader to the relevant
appendix) and organised in the same order as they appear mentioned in the main
document. Note that, the appendix is not a section to put text that does not fit in
the case study analysis because of the word limit.

The word limit is 1500 words (maximum 1650, excluding references and appendices).

All students must include academic journal articles,  visuals and other sources/references
to illustrate their analysis and show how recommendations would be implemented from a
nation branding perspective. This will add conviction to the analysis and can strengthen the
arguments presented show evidence of the claims made. These sources can be a
combination of academic journal articles, statistics, practitioners’ literature, market research
reports, news, etc.

Students can also take into account cultural/geographical aspects impacting the chosen
nation. This is a branding project and should therefore be underpinned by relevant literary
sources.  Case studies that rely solely on a cultural / historical presentation of a
country and neglect the use of academic journal articles and visuals to illustrate
recommendations will be poorly graded, as they are not dialoguing with the rich sources on
country / nation branding, place/destination marketing, and branding literature more
generally. 

Assessment Criteria

 Critical thinking: Critical evaluation of factors (both positive and negative) impacting
the country’s brand image and evidence of research (consultation of a
comprehensive and relevant range of research sources. Evaluation of theories,
frameworks, source material; use of branding terminology, evidence of wider
reading; use of references to support arguments).
 Creativity: Originality of work/analysis of chosen country.
 Problem solving: provide solutions on how to improve country’s brand image and/or
maintain competitive global position.
 Synthesis: Structure and organisation (synthesis of material used for case study
analysis); balance and clarity of argument; systematic ordering of ideas, concepts,
materials.
 Communication: Clarity of written communication; use of visuals to enhance the
argument; addressing the assignment brief.

N.B. Please note that any module marks returned to students during semester are provisional
until confirmed by the relevant Examination Board.

Submission
You need to complete your report by 11 am on Tuesday 1st of March 2022 and it needs to be
submitted via the assignment submission link in the module Canvas site.

Please ensure that your student registration number and module code are stated on every page of
your assignment (either in the header or footer). An assignment cover sheet should be completed
and attached to the front of your assignment. Cover sheets will be available via the module Canvas
site.

It is the individual responsibility of each student to ensure that their submitted work is free from
plagiarism and due acknowledgement is given to all sources. For details on plagiarism including the
University’s policy on plagiarism, students should consult Academic Integrity Policy and Academic
Misconduct Procedure | About | University of Stirling. Once marked, you will receive your grade and
feedback on your assignment via the module Canvas site.

Referencing

The Stirling Management School recommend using the Harvard Stirling University Referencing Style
(HSU).

The following brief information will help you to get started using HSU but you should consult the
Harvard Stirling University Guide on the Library web pages (http://libguides.stir.ac.uk/Harvard-
Stirling) for more detailed guidance, additional reference types and updates. This information is
also available in the Management School Undergraduate Student Handbook which is available on
Canvas.
To acknowledge a paraphrased idea put the reference information in brackets next to the idea used.

For example:
There is some evidence (Smith 1995) that these figures are incorrect.
OR
Smith (1995) has provided evidence that these figures are incorrect.

Multiple Authors: If a reference has two authors include both e.g. (Smith and Richardson 2013)
but if it has more than two authors give only the first name followed by et al. e.g. (Johnston et al.
2012).

Example Reference List / Bibliography

Anderson, R.C. and Klofstad, C.A. (2012) Preference for leaders with masculine voices holds in the
case of feminine leadership roles. Plos One. 7 (12), e51216. Available:

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0051216 [Accessed:30 July

2014].

Creating the Kelpies (2014) [Television Broadcast] BBC 2 Scotland, 6 May.

Gilmore, S. and Williams, S. eds. (2009) Human resource management. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.

Roberts, I. (2003) Sociology and industrial relations. In: P. Ackers and A. Wilkinson eds.
Understanding work and employment: industrial relations in transition. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, pp. 31-42.

Scottish Government (2011) Economic strategy: transition to a low carbon economy. Scottish
Government. Available:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/EconomicStrategy/LowCarbon [Accessed:28 March
2012].

The Hobbit: an unexpected journey (2013) [DVD] Directed by Peter Jackson. Los Angeles: Warner
Bros. Pictures.

Information on all referencing styles can be found here:

http://www.stir.ac.uk/is/student/writing/referencing/howto/
STUDENT ASSESSMENT FORM

By submitting this assignment I confirm that I have not sourced or used any information from
any online ‘essay’ provider nor any other third party not acknowledged in my assignment.

Student Registration Module

Number: Code:

Assessment Due Date: _________________________

Tutor’s Name: Dr Ines Branco-Illodo

Grade Descriptors

Criteria (that meets the module learning

80-100%
30-39%

40-49%

50-59%

70-79%
60-69%
outcomes)
0-29%

Individual case study - Resit

Focus and Overall Effort: Critical evaluation of factors

(both positive and negative) impacting the country’s
brand image

Evidence of research: consultation of a

comprehensive and relevant range of research
sources. Evaluation of theories, frameworks, source
material; use of branding terminology, evidence of
wider reading; use of references to support arguments

Creativity: Originality of work/analysis of chosen

country.

Problem Solving: provide solutions on how to improve

country’s brand image and/or maintain competitive
global position.

Structure & Organisation: synthesis of material used

(case study analysis); balance and clarity of argument;
systematic ordering of ideas, concepts, materials.

Communication: Clarity of written communication; use

of visuals to enhance the argument; addressing the
assignment brief.

General Comments
1st Marker Signature: ____________________ 2nd Marker Signature : ___________________

Mark

Penalty for Late Submission

FINAL MARK

Students are required to make assessed coursework available for the External Examiner and the Centre is required to store
past student assessments for teaching quality assessment purposes. Marked assignments should therefore be returned to the
Divisional Support Office by the end of semester.

Work which is submitted for assessment must be your own work. All students should note that the University has a formal
policy on plagiarism which can be found at http://www.quality.stir.ac.uk/ac-policy/assessment.php