“The company you choose SBU

This is an individual project. In choosing your project, this is an opportunity for you to use your current employer, an entrepreneurial idea, an actual business, or an industry you are interested in. You will be researching this topic and linking the course concepts and terms to create a professional strategic marketing plan. While you will not have the opportunity to revise and resubmit assignment sections, your instructor will provide grading feedback which you should consider professional consulting on your project.

You will need to clear your project idea with your instructor. You need to have a project scope that is not too narrow (for example a single product/market focus) or too broad (such as attempting to analyze an entire multi product/market company, such as Proctor & Gamble). Review the Part 2 to get an understanding of the project scope requirements. Use the instructors Canvas email to clear your project topic.

An SBU (strategic business unit) is a profit center which focusing on a product (service) offering and a market segment (primary and related secondary markets). SBUs will have their own marketing plans analyzing the plan components outlined above. SBUs units may be part of a larger business. Top management considers the entire business entity to be their SBU. Division managers see the division as their SBU. Product managers see the product as their SBU.

Students often asked about using companies like Walmart, Amazon, Ikea, etc. While these are workable, you would still need to identify the SBU within these firms. Keep in mind that these companies don’t enhance your presentable skill portfolio.

For example, Walmart has a number of different SBUs: https://csimarket.com/stocks/segments.php?code=WMTLinks to an external site.

This includes its international divisions like Sam’s, online sales, superstores, neighborhood markets, etc.

GM has a variety of product lines that serve different segments. They are now moving into EVs, electric vehicles, as a new set of product lines.

Think about a future interview where someone asks you what you know about strategic marketing. You could say, “I did a project on Costco,” or you could say I analyzed a business that needed marketing help and they followed my suggestions are became more profitable. If you work for a company, you could perform a marketing analysis that you could present to management. If you know someone who’s business needs a marketing plan, you could use that.

It is up to you to decide on a topic, but this will need to be cleared in Unit 1.

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