Please read this document carefully.

It includes the learning outcomes, assignment task, information about

plagiarism and marking criteria. Please speak to your tutor if you have any questions.

Programme Undergraduate Foundation Programme:

Business, Economics, Finance and Management

Module UFPB1 - Business Behaviours

Assessment title Research report - analyse the external factors that have impacted the
marketing mix of a business

Deadline date To be confirmed by your tutor

Weighting This assessment counts for 40% of your overall grade for this module:

Pass mark 40%

*please note your University may require a higher grade for progression.
Assignment summary You will work individually to research a specific business.
Your report will investigate the external factors that have influenced the
marketing strategy of the business.

Important details
Unless instructed otherwise by your tutor, please follow the below instructions:
Word count 1,200 – 1,700 words
File type Word processed
Font 12 pitch font – Arial or Times New Roman
Format Double spaced and justified
Referencing Harvard system
Notes Your assignment must include page numbers and word count.

You will receive a 10% penalty for the assessment if you go over the word
count by more than 10%. If your assignment is significantly under the
word count, you may not have answered the question in full. This will be
reflected in your overall mark and feedback given by your tutor.

The word count does not include contents, end of text references or
appendices.
Module learning outcomes:
On successful completion of this assessment, you will have met criteria towards the following module
learning outcomes:
Knowledge based outcomes:
LO1. Recognise the purpose and key characteristics of business
LO2. Explore the impact of the external environment on business decision-making
LO3. Examine the use of marketing research and the marketing mix

Skills based outcomes:

 Carrying out secondary research 
 Ability to work competently and independently, being aware of own strengths and
weaknesses 
 
Assessment criteria:
In order to successfully complete this assessment and meet criteria towards the above learning
outcomes, you must satisfy the following criteria:

AC1.1 Describe different types of business activity and purpose

AC1.2 Analyse the different forms and legal structures of businesses
AC1.3 Recognise the role and importance of stakeholders on the operations of a business

AC2.1 Identify the key factors influencing demand for a product or service
AC2.2 Analyse the effect of external factors on business as part of a SWOT analysis

AC3.2 Recognise the elements and purpose of the marketing mix

AC3.3 Describe pricing strategies, promotional and distribution strategies used by businesses
AC3.4 Explore the use of market research for business decision-making including Boston Matrix
and Product Life cycle

Assignment instructions:
Use the following details to help structure your essay:
 For this assignment you need to submit a research report of 1200 words
 You must choose one business to research - this must be approved by your tutor to avoid any
overlap with other students
 Use the following details to help structure your assessment

Task 1 - Introduction to the business: Business purpose (20 marks)

 Describe the purpose of the business
 Analyse the legal structure of the business
 Discuss the importance of stakeholders on the operations of a business

Task 2 - External factors (20 marks)

 Recognise external influences that may impact the business
 Analyse the effect of external factors on business as part of a SWOT analysis
 Task 3 - Marketing (20 marks)
 Describe the marketing strategy / marketing mix of the business
 Explain the likely use of Product Portfolio Analysis (product life cycle and/or the Boston matrix)
to make business decisions

Task 4 - The impact of external factors on the marketing mix (20 marks)
 Analyse the extent to which external factors have influenced the marketing mix of the
business and/or are likely to impact them in the future

Task 5 - Presentation and Harvard Referencing (20 marks)

 Check your work for spelling and grammar
 Present you work in an acceptable format
 Use Harvard referencing

Fu Other Instructions:
You will need to provide a bibliography of at least 5 references. Please try to use a variety of sources
such as reliable websites, newspapers, databases, books, journal articles. You will need to use
Harvard referencing. You must not reference any user-generated sources of information such as
Wikipedia or forums. You could read these to get a general overview for your own understanding, but
they should not be used in your references as they are not always reliable sources of information.

Plagiarism
We expect all submitted work to be your own words (apart from in-text quotations), written in a style
that reflects your English language level. If you copy other people’s work and present it as your own,
this is called plagiarism and is a serious academic offence.

The full details of our policy on academic misconduct can be found at the back of the Programme
Handbook.

You must complete a coursework submission sheet and attach this to the front of your assignment.
Submissions without this sheet may be rejected and may result in a mark of 0 being awarded for
this assignment.