Papers: There is only 1 written paper required in this course. The highest possible grade in this category will require a student to engage not only in critical thinking in relation to the subject, but also follow APA style thoroughly when using references. The review paper contains multiple questions that you will have to address. You may use a different paragraph for each question/topic. Your papers must include at least 5 (APA style 7) references in the reference list. References can be from scholarly sources and may include video, websites etc also. The word count requirement for the paper has been reduced to minimum 1000 (not including the references) given the nature of the review paper. You may use more words if needed. Academic work that is not professional will not be graded and can lead to being given a grade of “0” and dropped from the course. Late submission would not be accepted. Sunday 11:59 pm (for the weeks it is due) is the deadline for this paper. If you miss the submission, you would not be receiving any points for the assignment. The instructor will provide feedback with the help of rubric /or comments that can be easily accessed through “My Grades” on the left side of the Bb course homepage screen.
Make sure the answers adhere to APA style 7. You may use a word file to upload your response.
This assignment has 2 parts.
In Part A, a product or a service will be reviewed from a consumer’s perspective and generating a Twitter feed on the review.
In Part B, you will switch gears from consumer to a marketer. You as a Marketing Researcher will be professionally researching on the general feedback of the product/service/hybrid and will identify an opportunity to improve this product both in terms of quality and in terms of increasing consumer base/revenue.
Part A: It has 2 subparts (1 and 2)
1.Many of us are familiar with reviews for products, services, hybrid (product+ service offering) etc. For this assignment, you will select a product or service (preferably new) that you have used recently. Then, using consumers’ lens you will evaluate the product/ service on the aspects mentioned below. Feel free to use any additional criteria that may suit the review purpose.
You are required to follow the prompts below:
DESIGN
• Accessibility: Is it easily accessible?
• Usability & User-fit: Easy to use? Does it meet the short-term vs. long-term transactional needs & requirements?
• Tech Specs (if needed)
• How does it aesthetically look?
FUNCTION
• What kind of problem it solves? Daily/ regular vs. occasional issue
• What does it do?
• Where and how can it be used?
COST
• How much does it cost? Is the price worth it?
• Post-purchase experience
• Value: Does it have a clear value proposition that resonates with the target audience?
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS (if any)
• Fixed/portable, stable/wobbly
• Quality of materials used
SERVICE QUALITY (if any)
• Reliability: Ability to perform the said service
• Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers
• Assurance: Employee’s knowledge and courtesy and their ability to inspire trust and confidence
• Empathy: Caring, good communication, Customer understanding and personalized attention to suit the needs.
SAFETY
• Is it safe to use?
• How and why?
RECOMMENDATION
Yes/No and explanation based on the experience. Rate the product/service on a scale of 1 (poor)….. 5(excellent)
2. Microblogging: How would you write this product/service review on company’s Twitter handle? Remember, only 280 characters can be used.
***It is a good idea to do some brainstorming before you start working on this assignment. Do some research to find if writing a review for a company’s offering can get you paid. Some companies pay if the product/service review offers a good insight.
Part B: This is a very creative task!
Based on your review in Part A, and additional research, propose and justify appealing feature addition/opportunity that can be added to the existing product/ service offering using atleast ONE relevant marketing theory/concept. Critically and insightfully evaluate the integration of the feature/ opportunity. You may use the following prompts:
• Documentation of the market need/ Develop an organized list of customer needs (Primary and Secondary)
• Shortcomings of existing competitive/own products, and how integrating opportunity will benefit the consumer
• Description of some of your concept generation steps and target specifications processes. Comment on the process and the expected results (if any).
Evaluation criteria:
PART A: 1. Are the product/service offerings clearly identified for the review? Is the analysis sufficient? Is the relationship between the product features (if any) explained clearly? Associated issues analyzed? Appropriate examples provided? Is any position taken/ recommendation made? Is it supported sufficiently? Overall, an understanding of the product/service offering is reflected. 40 points
Part A: 2. The review is adequate for Twitter (280 characters). 10 points
Part B: Have you done sufficient research on the product/service and reviews available online? Have you identified the additional feature(s) that could be integrated into the existing product? Is this addition technically feasible? Have you developed a strong argument in support of adding the feature(s), particularly in terms of quality enhancement/ increase in revenue generation/market share etc.? Have you identified the theory/concept in marketing with which you will back up the new opportunity. Who would be your target consumers? 40 points
Writing Style- Professional business style. Ateast 5 different sources in references should be included. Include minimum of 2 journal articles. Text book may be used as a source but will be counted only once. Websites, videos, Trade pubs, and other online technical reports etc. may be included as a source. References should follow APA style 7. Reference list must be included at the end. Is the minimum word count met (1000 words) for the entire paper? Word count does not include the references/citations etc. 10 points
Plagiarism – Has any of the paper been copied from external sources without proper documentation? Has the paper been recycled from another class? Has the paper been purchased from an external provider? If yes, the entire assignment receives”0”. Double dipping is not allowed.