IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 1 of 7

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes at the end of this assignment for students are having the:
 Ability to integrate appropriate marketing communication tools to achieve clearly
specified objectives
 Ability to develop and justify a marketing communication plan
 Ability to apply theory into practice
 Ability to assess the situation and recommend the appropriate strategies and tools

This individual assignment represents 60% of the total marks for this module.

Bermaz Auto’s earnings slip on soft demand, weak ringgit

KUALA LUMPUR: Bermaz Auto Bhd’s (formerly Berjaya Auto Bhd) earnings fell 40%
to RM119.05mil for the financial year ended April 30, 2017 (FY17) on lower sales and
tight profit margin.

The Mazda car distributor told Bursa Malaysia that its revenue slid 21% to RM1.66bil
due to lower sales volumes in both its markets, Malaysia and the Philippines. Local sales
were impacted by soft demand as Malaysia’s total industry volume shrank by 13% in
calendar year 2016.

In the Philippines, the slide in sales volume was mainly due to new model launches by its
competitors and supply constraints on a certain Mazda model.

In addition, it said, the ringgit continued to be weak against the Japanese yen, thus
compressing its profit margin. For the fourth quarter ended April 30, the company's
earnings were more than halved (-57%) to RM22.21mil from a year earlier while revenue
fell by about a third to RM354.03mil.

It attributed the dip in group revenue to lower domestic sales volume, as the rising cost of
living and weak job market had caused consumer demand to be sluggish. “On top of that,
local competition was more intense during the current quarter with some distributors
offering enormous cash incentives at an unprecedented level, thus putting further pressure
on our strategy to sell at full price offered with value added packages,” Bermaz Auto said.

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 2 of 7

On the reduced profit, it cited the fall in revenue and compressed profit margin as the
main reasons. “The contraction in profit margin was also partly caused by the Mazda CX-
5 run-out programme as more sales incentives were given for this model during the
current quarter in anticipation of the arrival of the all new CX-5 model in the last quarter
of this calendar year,” the company explained.

However, the impact was cushioned by higher profit contribution from associate
companies and cost-saving initiatives which kept the group’s operating expenses low, it
added.

On prospects for this financial year, Bermaz Auto said the domestic car industry outlook
was expected to be challenging as evidenced by Malaysian Automotive Association’s
total industry volume forecast of only 590,000 units for calendar year 2017 (a marginal
1.7% growth over 2016).

“Demand for passenger cars is expected to be soft as the weak job market and
uncertainties in the local and global economic landscape will likely cause customers to
defer their purchases,” it said.

“However, the company will continue to focus on driving sales at full selling price with
value offerings as this will augur well for the Mazda brand image and popularity in the
longer term.” The group said it was optimistic that new model launches planned for the
second half of this financial year would help mitigate the impact from an expected soft
domestic market.

As for the Philippines, it said strong economic data with growing overseas remittances
and low unemployment rate were expected to boost demand for passenger cars there.

The board has recommended a fourth interim dividend of 3.15 sen per share in respect of
FY17 (Q4 FY16: 2.50 sen) and a special dividend of 7.50 sen per share.

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 3 of 7

The total dividend declared for FY17 amounted to 11.65 sen per share (FY16: 16.90 sen).

Source: THE STAR (Business News). (2017) Bermaz Auto’s earnings slip on soft
demand, weak ringgit. [Online] Available from:
https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/06/13/bermaz-autos-
earnings-fall/ . [Accessed: 6th April 2018].

Scenario & Task

You are currently the Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Bermaz Auto Bhd
(Bermaz), the official distributor of Mazda cars and spare parts in Malaysia and the
Philippines. You have been assigned to devise an Integrated Marketing Communications
(IMC) Plan with an allocated budget of RM2 million for any Mazda passenger vehicle for
the year 2018.

Your IMC plan for the Mazda passenger vehicle that you have chosen should include the
following:

Content Marks

a) Executive Summary 5 marks

It is a concise statement of the problem, a short summary of the major
points arising from your analysis, and the major recommendations from
your analysis.
b) Situational Analysis 10 marks
Analyse and evaluate the organisation’s internal and external
environment. You are expected to apply market analysis tools (e.g.
SWOT, PEST, Competitors’ Analysis, etc.) by using market and
company information (e.g. annual reports, sales, market share, etc).
c) IMC Objectives & justification of the choice of these objectives 10 marks
There must be a minimum of three (3) IMC objectives and these
objectives must be clearly specified. Make sure that these objectives
meet the SMART criteria.
d) Target Market & justification of the choice of target market/s 10 marks
Identify the most appropriate market segments in which to promote the
product and describe the market segments that have been selected as
target markets. Provide reasons for the selection.

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 4 of 7

Brand Positioning and unique selling proposition (USP) & 10 marks

e) justification of the choice of positioning and proposition
Explain the message and image the brand wants to convey to the target
market and make a proposition (offer) to the consumer (What’s in it for
me? Why should I buy from you?)
f) Creative Strategy & justification of the choice of this strategy 10 marks
The creative strategy for your advertisement(s) based on USP, i.e. the
campaign theme. It should be in line with the IMC objectives. The
theme can be set based on:
 Promotional Appeal (Rational vs. Emotional).
 Execution Technique (Factual Message, Comparison, Slice of
Life, Fantasy, etc).
g) IMC Tools & justification of the choice of these tools used 20 marks
List of communication tools:
 Advertising
 Direct Marketing
 Public Relation
 Personal Selling
 Internet/Interactive Marketing
 Sales Promotion
 Exhibitions and Trade Shows
 Sponsorship
A minimum of 4 tools must be used, one of which must be advertising.

h) Media Schedule 5 marks

A media schedule involving the different types of media that are used
should be presented in the plan.
i) Budgeting & justification of how the budget is allocated 10 marks
A breakdown of all cost.
j) Evaluation and Control & justification of the evaluation criteria 10 marks
and control strategies used
The evaluation and control activities used to measure and evaluate the
effectiveness of the plan should be presented
Total 100 marks

Instructions

The assignment should not exceed 2,500 words.

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 5 of 7

You should state the number of words used on the cover of the assignment. You may
include diagrams or figures, reference and bibliography lists and any appendices
without word penalty. A sliding scale of penalties for excess length will be imposed.
The penalties will be as follows:

1 -10% excess no penalty

11-20% excess 3 marks reduction
21-30% excess 6 marks reduction
31-40% excess 9 marks reduction

The report must follow the standard academic format:

 Font type: Times New Roman
 Font size: 12 pts
 Line spacing : 1.5
 Headings only: 14 pts

Assignment Structure

When completing the assignment, it should have the following structure:

 Title page
 Executive Summary
 Contents page(s)
 Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) plan
 References/Bibliography
 Appendices

Please pay particular attention to the following:

 The executive summary should be no more than one page, but it should excite
interest for the reader, other than the assessor, to read the whole report.
 Bibliography/references should be listed according to the Harvard referencing
system with the authors listed in alphabetical order.

Marking Guidance:

Marks are awarded based on the following guidelines:

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 6 of 7

Banding Assessment Guidelines

Superficial analysis, concepts and language of the subject are absent or
scant. Irrelevant regurgitation of text book. Ideas are poorly expressed.
0 - 40%
Many key issues are ignored. Concepts and language of the subject are
used but are often confused in application and or explanation.
Superficial analysis, concepts and language of the subject are absent or
minimal. Few learning outcomes have been met. Irrelevant regurgitation of
40 - 49% text book. Ideas are poorly expressed. Many key issues are ignored.
Concepts and language of the subject are used but are often confused in
application and or explanation.
50 - 54% Some understanding of the relevant models and concepts. Some elements
(pass) of an appropriate structure are present. Restricted analysis of some issues.
Evidence of some reading and research. Incorrect referencing although it is
55 - 64% evident. Some elements of an appropriate structure are present. Key issues
are analysed but not done thoroughly.
Evidence of reading and research. Understanding of the application of
appropriate models and concepts is demonstrated, but not thoroughly. Key
65 - 69%
issues are identified and analysed, although this may be restricted at times.
Some sources are acknowledged.
Evidence of reading and research. Understanding of the application of
appropriate models and concepts is demonstrated. Key issues are identified
70 - 74%
and analysed, although this may not be consistent. References are
acknowledged.
Evidence of wider reading. The assignment effectively interprets the
information and exhibits the integration of ideas across the subject area.
75 - 79% The assignment has credible recommendations. A systematic approach to
development and evaluation is used. Most sources are acknowledged and
referenced using Harvard Name System of Referencing.
Arguments are clear and convincing. Confident integration of theory and
>=80%
practices is demonstrated. Consistent referencing to sources using the
Harvard Name System of Referencing.

Submission and Administrative Information

 Student should include the Coursework Submission and Feedback Form with their
submission.
 You are required to use at least 10 academic journals as references. Additional
references such as text books, magazines and online references are encouraged in
order to support the student’s writing and provide quality in their answer.
 Plagiarism is NOT acceptable. Representation of another person’s work or ideas
(whether from an academic or any other published or online sources) as your own,
without acknowledgement of the source, for the purpose of satisfying formal
assessment requirement is considered plagiarism. The possible consequences of
plagiarism include:
 Reduced grade for the module
 Referral for this module
 Failure of this module

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518
IMKTC (BM023-3-3) Individual Assignment Page 7 of 7

 Expulsions from the Institution

 You can avoid plagiarism by using the Harvard referencing system
 You may not copy another student’s work in any way
 All submissions must be made before the stipulate time. If the work is submitted
after this time, it will be given 0 (zero)

______________________________________________________________________________________
Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (A.P.U) 080518