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20 tips for better marketing assignments

Presentation factors

1. Try to ensure that the quality of your work has not been compromised by poor
grammar. While I do accept that some grammatical errors are inevitable, I will
deduct marks when the quality of grammar is such that it makes it difficult to
understand what the student is trying to say. If you are unsure of your grammar,
read your answer out aloud, or have a friend or family member proof read it for
you.

2. Always avoid making any sort of spelling error. Essay with full of spelling errors
would definitely influence the examiners perception of the quality of ideas
contained within, and the amount of effort put into the report?

3. Make sure that your discussion is not compromised by poor punctuation.
Punctuation errors can take many forms. Just some of these are;
Failing to begin the first word of a sentence with a capital letter;
Failing to provide the last ) when using brackets;
Failing to provide commas to break up lengthy sentences;
Using a capital letter mid-sentence when it is not necessary.

4. Make sure that the tone of your discussion is formal and analytical. This means
avoiding; (1) slang (e.g. such a trend could muddy the waters for XYZ
company); (2) reference to the first person (e.g. I think XYZ company should
). For example, rather than write "I think Better Breakfasts should" ... a more
appropriate style would be, "Given the demographic trend towards smaller
family size (Stanton et al 1997), Better Breakfasts should alter its product
strategy by" ...).

5. Do not use one or two sentence paragraphs. Firstly, it makes it impossible to
provide the necessary depth of discussion to illustrate depth of understanding
which is the whole purpose of completing assignments. It also suggests to the
marker that you possess a series of fragmented, uncoordinated thoughts rather
than a structured, systematic, in-depth understanding of the topic. This problem
can be resolved by combining related sentences together into larger
paragraphs. Single sentence paragraphs are symptomatic of trying to discuss
too many topics in too little detail. The purpose of completing an assignment is
to illustrate your depth of understanding this is best illustrated through depth
of discussion of key topics.

6. Ensure your answer is not compromised by poor structure. This means jumping
from point to point with no logical, systematic flow. When you raise a key point,
discuss and analyse it in its entirety before moving on to the next point. Poor
structure can also be caused by separating discussion of theory from your own
analysis (e.g. providing two pages of regurgitated theory, and leaving your own
analysis to the very end). As a result, the necessary analytical links between the
two are neither strong nor clear.
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It also refers to sentence structure. There are two contrasting problems often
involved with poor sentence structure; (1) two separate sentences that should
be combined into one; or (2) one lengthy sentence that should be split into two.
When you proof your work, make sure that each sentence makes sense in its
own right. For example the following passage represents poor sentence
structure: Not so much the decline of profit, whilst that in its own is a concern.
But rather the amount by which it has declined. In this case the two sentences
could be combined to read: While declining profits are a key concern, of
greater importance is the amount by which they have declined.

7. Presentation should be visually appealing. Some students feel that simply word
processing an assignment is all that is necessary to meet this criterion. As you
will see however, there is more to it than just that;
a. Make sure you use the same font style and size throughout the body of
your answer;
b. Do not place headings or sub-headings at the very foot of the page. In
this situation, use a page break so that your heading appears at the top
of the next page;
c. Use the same sized gap between paragraphs (e.g. one line is usually
sufficient). Assignments look untidy when 5 lines are used to separate
two paragraphs on one page and 2 lines are used to do the same on
another;
d. Use the print preview to check the presentation prior to printing.
Sometimes a software glitch can cause an unattended gap to occur in
your print out.

8. Do not get carried away with your introduction, particularly when facing a word
limit. It should simply:
(a) Provide general insight into the nature and importance of the topic;
(b) Define key terms; and
(c) Set the scope or limits of discussion.
This shouldnt take more than a paragraph.

9. Make sure you provide a conclusion. A conclusion is extremely important
because it is the last thing the marker reads before determining your grade. It is
also extremely easy to write, because it simply summaries the key points from
the body of your answer. A common error is to provide new data in the
conclusion, rather than summarise the key points, or even more serious,
provide a conclusion that does not address the question. It should provide a
summary of your best arguments that specifically answer the question.

10. Ensure that you source all key arguments. In addition to avoiding automatic
failure due to plagiarism, it also ensures that you are providing a well -supported
answer and that you highlight to markers the research effort and theoretical
content in your answer. The key to attaining high grades is providing an
irrefutable argument by sourcing all key points.


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11. Ensure you use the correct referencing format (the Harvard system is easiest).
The format should always be (author/s, year) if summarising anothers work in
your own words, or (author/s, year, page number) if taking a direct quote from
anothers work. The term et al. can be used when there are three or more
authors (but not for bibliography entries, which must contain full details). Hence
for a quote, the correct referencing format would be: Market targeting involves
evaluating each market segments attractiveness and selecting one or more
segments to enter. Also note that the reference contains only the authors
surname (not their first name or initials) and that the reference is contained
within the sentence to which it refers (e.g. the full stop is placed after the
reference). The reference can also be included as part of the actual sentence.
Using the previous reference as our example, the sentence could be phrased
as: According to Kotler et al (2007), Market targeting involves evaluating each
market segments attractiveness and selecting one or more segments to enter.
While I typically use both methods, I make much greater use of the first method,
limiting the use of the second to key or contentious points.

12. You must provide a reference list. Without a reference list, you have nothing to
substantiate your argument. The references should be placed on a separate
page at the end of your assignment.

13. Ensure you have provided the correct referencing format. References must be
listed in alphabetical order by surname (e.g. Bartol et al., 1998 would be listed
before Robbins et al., 1997), and in the following format (surname, year, title of
book, publisher name, where published). Please refer to Q Manual.


Content factors

14. Facing a strict word limit you must choose your discussion topics carefully.
Ensure that all discussion directly answers the question. No marks are awarded
for irrelevant discussion.

15. Make sure your essay contains sufficient theoretical content and structure. This
is an important point, because the best way to show that you have learned
academic theory is to use it in your assignments. Do not base your argument on
opinion, or even your own work experiences. In regard to this last point, your
own organisations practices may be unique or even inefficient. If you are asked
to provide an example as part of your answer, ensure that it provides support
for your theoretical argument, rather than serving as a substitute for it.
Academic theory should always provide the structure for your answer,
and analysis and examples, the support.

16. Further to the previous point, a key determinant of student performance is
research effort. Markers regularly comment that a key indicator that a student
has deserved to fail an assignment is when they turn to the reference list and
see just one textbook listed. Given that an assignment is, amongst other things,
a test of your theoretical understanding, students should ensure they undertake
the necessary theoretical research to illustrate this understanding. This
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invariably means reading several textbooks. The focus of your research effort is
also important.

17. Ensure you achieve an even balance of discussion between theory and your
own analysis. Excessive theory that is not linked to the question via your own
analysis is irrelevant. On the other hand, too much of your own analysis without
theoretical support leads to a descriptive rather than analytical answer. Make
sure that you support each key argument with an academic source, and that
you explain the relevance of the theory to your argument.

18. Further to 16, the reference list should only list those references that are
included in the body of your answer. Despite what some students may think,
markers are never fooled by student efforts to pad their reference list. Moreover,
such a deceptive practice is unethical.

19. Make sure your answer is not compromised by a poor choice of example. One
of the best ways to convince a marker that your understanding is confused is to
provide an example that contradicts the point you are trying to make.

20. Do not answer essay questions in point form. In addition to being an incorrect
format, it prevents discussion from taking the necessary depth required to show
depth of understanding. If facing a word limit, choose only those topics that are
directly relevant, and discuss these in greater depth, using proper essay format.