Answer the questions
February 4, 2021
Strategic Planning and Strategic Management
February 4, 2021

Competitive Analysis

  • Write a 3–5-page executive report that analyzes a competitor’s product and marketing strategy, and explains how the competitive analysis can guide marketing decisions.Note: You are encouraged to complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.
  • Toggle Drawer

    Context

    Competition drives the energy in an open marketplace, preventing any company from resting on its laurels. While competition should not dictate marketing strategy, awareness and understanding of competitive offerings must inform it.Gaining an understanding of competition begins with the process of continuously gathering information about competitors and their products. Making use of that information requires careful analysis and evaluation of its implications for opportunities and threats in the marketplace. Setting up and maintaining an ongoing process of competitive analysis ensures that a company does this kind of thinking continuously, and decreases the likelihood of being surprised or blindsided in the marketplace.

  • Toggle Drawer

    Questions to Consider

    As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

    • Given that almost any aspect of a product could potentially become a competitive issue, how can you determine which factors are most critical for a particular product in a particular market?
    • Consider that most companies think certain aspects of their products to be proprietary and, as a result, keep information about these aspects confidential. At the same time, it is often these proprietary aspects that companies view as providing a competitive advantage. What are some ways that marketing can leverage the value of these advantages without revealing, or jeopardizing, the company’s confidential information?
    • What kinds of considerations should determine the direction that a company takes as a result of completing a competitive analysis?
  • Toggle Drawer

    Resources

    Suggested Resources

    The resources provided here are optional and support the assessment. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; However, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. They provide helpful information about the topics in this unit. The MBA-FP6012 – Integrated Global Marketing Library Guide can help direct your research. The Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.

    Competitive Analysis

    The following resources provide information about competitive analysis.

  • Assessment Instructions

    In the first assessment, you selected a company and product to study and then analyzed aspects of the product and company’s marketing strategy. In this assessment, you will analyze the competition for the product using a variety of information sources.Suppose that you have now been hired by the company you selected, and have been asked to conduct a competitive analysis of the product you chose. Format this assessment as an executive report, and include a title page and reference page. Follow APA guidelines for citations and references.

    Preparation

    Think about the information that you will need to have in order to do a thorough competitive analysis:

    • Which companies are considered competitors? Are they direct or indirect competitors?
    • What types of information will you need to collect?
    • What sources can you turn to that will have the types of information you are looking for?
      • Companies that provide market information, such as the Nielsen Corporation.
      • Trade publications.
      • Surveys.
    • How will you organize the information you collect to make it useful to the company?

    Assessment Requirements

    In your Competitive Analysis, include the following:

    • Identify the company’s top competitor and describe its product.
    • Analyze the competition’s product.
      • Compare the two products (your company’s and the competitor’s) in terms of:
        • Market share.
        • Product appeal.
        • Quality.
        • Growth potential.
        • Unique selling proposition.
      • Compare the two products in terms of features, benefits, and cost.
        • How do consumers rate each product in these terms?
    • Evaluate the marketing strategy of the competitor. What can the strategies used by a competitor tell you about organizational direction?
    • Explain how this analysis will guide the marketing decisions of the company.

    Additional Requirements

    • Include a title page and reference page.
    • Length: 3–5 double-spaced pages, not including title page and reference page.
    • Number of resources: At least 4. Resources must be formatted according to current APA guidelines.
    • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.
    Competitive Analysis Scoring Guide

    VIEW SCORING GUIDEUse the scoring guide to enhance your learning.How to use the scoring guide

  • SUBMIT ASSESSMENTThis button will take you to the next available assessment attempt tab, where you will be able to submit your assessm

"Get 15% discount on your first 3 orders with us"
Use the following coupon
FIRST15

Order Now
Place Order

Hi there! Click one of our representatives below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Chat with us on WhatsApp