B122 – Introduction to Retail Marketing and Management TMA – Fall 2015-2016 I- INSCTRUCTIONS II- CASE TO STUDY III- QUESTIONS IV- GRADES DEDUCTION V- AOU POLICY ON PLAGIARISM VI- PT3 FORM I- INSCTRUCTIONS: • Cut-off date: Submit this assignment no later

B122 – Introduction to Retail Marketing and Management
TMA – Fall 2015-2016
I- INSCTRUCTIONS
II- CASE TO STUDY
III- QUESTIONS
IV- GRADES DEDUCTION
V- AOU POLICY ON PLAGIARISM
VI- PT3 FORM

I- INSCTRUCTIONS:

• Cut-off date: Submit this assignment no later than December 14, 2015. All late submissions require approval from the branch course coordinator and will be subject to grade deductions.
• Learning outcomes: The purpose of this assignment is to support students’ understanding and application of different concepts learned in B122 of Book1 and Book 2.
• Word count: you should discuss the questions in no more or less than the number of words mentioned for each question (plus or minus 10%).
• Referencing: You must acknowledge all your sources of information using full Harvard Style Referencing (in-text referencing plus list of references at the end). Use E-library: to get journal articles on the topic (Emerald, EBSCO…). Use at least 2 articles.
• Plagiarism: Remember that you should work the information from references into your own original thoughts and INTO YOUR OWN WORDS. Plagiarism will lead to a significant loss of marks. Extensive plagiarism could mean that you failed your TMA. (Refer to AOU definitions of cheating and plagiarism at the end of this document)
• Essay guidance: Your response to each question should take the form of a full essay format. Avoid using subheadings and bullet points. Use B122 textbooks and slides, the case, and E-Library. Plan what you will write, and have a well-organized outline.
• Using PT3 form: When you have completed your TMA, you must fill in the assignment form (PT3) posted on your moodle account, taking care to fill all information correctly.
• Turnit-in upload: A soft copy of your TMA and PT3 form should be uploaded to Turnit-in via the link posted on your moodle account, within the cut-off date.
• This TMA is 20% of B122 Grade.
I- CASE TO STUDY
South Africa: Marketing in a Competitive Retail Environment
As more and more shopping centres spring up, providing savvy consumers with more retail choices than ever before, centres need to be sure they have sound marketing strategies in place to remain competitive and to attract patronage.
As with any other marketing strategy, shopping centre marketing begins with the centre's target market. Research conducted needs to take into account the structure of the customer base in terms of its socio-economic profile, age structure and ethnic composition. Also of vital importance is an investigation into shopper behaviour, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of surrounding centres.
A centre's marketing plan needs to link in with the category of shopping centre that it falls under, though its design, location and tenant mix should already have been developed to suit the market in question.
In order to remain competitive, centres need to establish a strong brand. This is accomplished by highlighting more impressive traits such as size, tenant choice, architectural treatment or special attractions that make it unique.
What is essential is that the marketing of the brand remains clear and consistent. Regular promotions, with a targeted brand message, are a useful way of assisting the centre to remain foremost in the minds of potential customers. The overall customer experience is, of course, essential to the way in which a centre's brand is perceived. This will involve aspects such as customer service level, centre security and ambiance.
In terms of traditional marketing channels, print mediums such as newspapers, magazines and pamphlets are an effective way of generating exposure. However, in order for a centre to thrive, it needs to keep up with changes in technology and should be moving into the electronic space with social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter that will allow them to engage with their loyal client base. Yet when entering the online space one needs to bear in mind that a strong strategy is needed and this should not just be done for the sake of it.
In light of the current retail environment and the burgeoning competition for customer spend; a sound promotional plan is not really an optional extra centre owners can afford to forego anymore. Effective marketing of shopping centres or shopping malls is becoming increasingly critical to their future performance.







II- QUESTIONS:

Answers to these questions should be based on good comprehension of the case study, material learned from the textbook and online sources (i.e. e-library databases) AND their proper application to the case study

Question1: (25 Marks)
a. How can you define retailing? Explain it providing relevant examples of retailers in your own country. (10 Marks)
b. Referring to the case study and concepts learned in B122 lecture; explain what kind of research should be done in order to choose the most appropriate marketing strategies? (15 Marks)
Word count: 250 words
Question2: (35 Marks)
Being an independent retailer or opening in a Mall or a shopping center is quite a major decision to take. Which format brings the biggest flow of customers, who will in turn provide the highest amount of sales and revenue?
a. What is the difference between both kinds of retailers? (7 Marks)
b. What are advantages and disadvantages of opening in a shopping center? Explain in details using external sources and personal experience.
The student should find at least 4 advantages and disadvantages. (20 Marks)
c. What Kind will you choose and why? (8 Marks)
Word count: 400 words

Question 3: (25 Marks)
The retail industry is known for making widespread use of technology and in doing so it has improved profitability, management and control, and many other areas of retail business. Referring to the case, B122 lectures and your personal experience, discuss the influences of technology on retail management decision making? Explain why is it important for the success of the retailer?
Word count: 250 words

Question 4: (15 Marks)
Customer experience is essential to the way in which a centre's brand is perceived. This involves aspects such as customer service level, centre security and ambiance.
As a manager of retail store explain the ways to ensure a high customer service level?
Word count: 250 words

III- GRADES DEDUCTION:
TMA Presentation: (up to 5 marks)
Up to 5 marks should be deducted for poor presentation or poor organization of the TMA outline and discussion or TMA presented without PT3.
Proper referencing: (up to 5 marks)
Referencing should be both in-text referencing, plus a list of references at the end using Harvard style. Up to 5 marks should be deducted for poor referencing.

Use of E-Library: (up to 5 marks)
A minimum use of 2 articles from AOU e-library is required to support the discussions. Up to 5 marks should be deducted for no use or poor use of e-library.

Word count: (up to 5 marks)
The answers should be within the specified word count. A deviation of 10% is acceptable; if more, a deduction up to 5 marks will be applied.

IV- AOU POLICY ON PLAGIARISM:
Arab Open University Definitions of cheating and plagiarism:
Plagiarism means copying from internet, from unreferenced sources, from other students’ TMAs or any other source. Penalties for plagiarism range from failure in the TMA or the course, to expulsion from the university.
According to the Arab Open University By-laws, the following acts represent cases of cheating and plagiarism:
• Verbatim copying of printed material and submitting them as part of TMAs without proper academic acknowledgement and documentation.
• Verbatim copying of material from the Internet, including tables and graphics.
• Copying other students’ notes or reports.
• Using paid or unpaid material prepared for the student by individuals or firms.
• Utilization of, or proceeding to utilize, contraband materials or devices in examinations.

Penalty on plagiarism: The following is the standard plagiarism penalty applied across branches as per Article 11 of the university by-laws was revisited and modified to be more explicit with regard to plagiarism on TMAs. Penalties include the following:
1) Awarding of zero for a TMA wherein more than 20% of the content is plagiarized.
2) Documentation of warning in student record.
3) Failure in the course to dismissal from the University.

V- PT3 FORM
Use of PT3 form is mandatory as a cover page for your TMA. This form is provided to you by your tutor or posted on LMS. TMA presented without PT3 form is subject to grades deduction. This PT3 form will be used by your tutor to add comments and marks and will be returned to you with the annotated work.