COMM2385 – Managing a Communication Business

Assessment 2 – Situational Analysis Report

Assessment Value: 30%, either individual or in a pair

Due Date & Time:

Saigon: 9AM Tuesday November 24th (Week 6) via Turnitin and via email to
erik.young@rmit.edu.vn

Hanoi: 9AM Tuesday November 24th (Week 6) via Turnitin only. No hard copy or email
submission.

Assessment Aims:
 To select a specialist area of communication industry and describe it. The area of
focus should be narrow, i.e. not the advertising industry, but rather a specific aspect
of advertising practice, for example advertising for movies, or art and culture
promotion for print media etc.
 To investigate key influences affecting its operation, including macro environment
factors, market situation, competitive situation, and client analysis.
 To evaluate the sector’s potential to decide for or against opening a business in it.
 To undertake and implement strategic planning in the development of a business.

Assessment Submission Instructions:

Students are required to submit one soft copy of the assignment to Turnitin BY the deadline.
Any submission after the deadline is considered late and subjected to penalty as outlined in
the Late Submission part below.

Your email submission should include: (1) A completed cover page, (2) A completed Pair
Work Agreement (if any), and (3) The assignment.

Assessment Specifications:
 Student’s choice of topic for analysis must be submitted and approved by lecturer BY
Week 4 via email (Wednesday November 11th , 2015).
 If you have decided to work in pair, you will need to submit a pair work agreement
together with the assignment. The template of this agreement is available on
Blackboard.
 Complaints to your teacher about the partner must be made as soon as possible
when relevant problems arise and no later than Wednesday November 18th , 2015
(Week 5). If, after consultation with all the concerned parties, the teacher believes
the pair has not followed the agreement appropriately or behaved reasonably, the
teacher has discretion to stop the pair work.
 This market research report can be used as background information to support the
business plan, which is the subject of Assignment 3.
  Word limit: 2,500 words (+/- 10% = 2,250 ~ 2,750). Word count should be displayed
at the end of the report, before Reference list. Reference list is not counted against
the word limit.
 Because of the lack of formal data on local communication industry, students are
required to make full use of (1) local and international media coverage and websites;
(2) organisation websites and online commentary; organisation publications; AND (3)
interview with at least two industry people (with managerial responsibilities) on the
topic. Notes or recordings of interviews (with permission) must be verifiable (i.e. you
cannot fabricate an interview).
 Students should use Harvard referencing guidelines for all references used in the
report.
 Market research report should have a report format with the following sections:

Introduction: Provides an overview of the market sector you have selected and what your
report will be addressing
Macro environment analysis: Looks into the PEST (or PESTL or STEEPL) factors that
influence the operation of the sector
Industry analysis: You will be using Michael Porter’s five forces to assess the profitability
and the potential of the sector. While an analysis of all five forces are required, focus should
be put on two forces:
Competition (Rivalry among existing competitors): provides a description of major
competitors with size, goals, market share, service comparisons
Target clients (Bargaining power of buyers): analyses the identification and behaviour of
target buyers/end users and consumer wants and needs
Implications: Determine which forces are the controlling forces for profitability. Draw
conclusions about what it takes to win this market sector.
Additional Information

RMIT Gradings

The gradings available at RMIT University for Higher Education courses are as follows:

High Distinction - HD - 80 to 100 - Indicative of outstanding work. Distinguished by original

thought, independent research, depth and clarity of argument and structure, and an
intelligent critical engagement with the set material.

Distinction - DI - 70 to 79 - Excellent work, containing original thought and research, well

structured arguments and a comprehensive grasp of the set material, but marred by one or
two minor problems.

Credit - CR - 60 to 69 - Good to very good work, displaying some original thought and
research, but undermined by gaps in reasoning and argumentation, insufficient critical
engagement with the set material, or weaknesses in the overall structure.

Pass - PA - 50 to 59 - Average work, displaying a basic grasp of the set material, but with a
range of more or less serious flaws, such as poor referencing, lack of evidence of
independent reading and research, poor reasoning, lack of argument and lack of
engagement with the key ideas explored in the task. Fail - NN - 0 to 49 - Inadequate work.
Some reasons for failing include where there is no evidence of any attempt to cover the set
readings or do any research. Plagiarism can also be grounds for failure.

Late Submission

Assignments submitted after the deadline without an approved extension or an approved

special consideration application will incur a penalty of 5% of the total mark available for the
assignment for each working day after the due date. For example, if an assessment is worth
40 marks and it is submitted three working days late, the student will lose 3 x 2 (5% of 40) =
6 marks. Work submitted more than two weeks beyond the due date without an approved
extension or approved special consideration application will receive a mark of zero (0).

Extensions

Short term extensions (up to a maximum of seven calendar days from the original due date)
You must complete and lodge an Application for Extension of Time for Submission of
Assessable Work form (available on the Intranet in Resources – Forms) no later than one
working day before the original submission due date. You must lodge this form with the
Professional Communication Administrative Assistant. The Program will advise you of the
outcome of your application within no more than two working days of the date of the
application. All communication about your application (including notification of the
outcome) will be made via your official RMIT student email account.
Special Consideration Special Consideration is a process that enables RMIT University to
take account of unexpected circumstances such as serious illness, injury or bereavement
that have affected a student’s performance in assessment. You must complete an
Application for Special Consideration form (available on the Intranet in Resources –
Forms)and submit it to the Student Services Helpdesk, or directly to the Academic Registrar
(Vietnam), no later than two working days after the examination or assessment deadline
that has been affected. If you have access to a scanner, you may scan the form and
supporting documents and email them directly to registrar@rmit.edu.vn. Your application
must be accompanied by independent substantiating documentation written in English, or
be accompanied

by an authorised translation. All communication about your application (including

notification of the outcome) will be made via your official RMIT student email account.
Please ensure you check your account on a daily basis.

University Plagiarism Statement

Plagiarism: the presentation of the work, idea or creation of another person as though it is
your own. It is a form of cheating and is a very serious academic offence that may lead to
expulsion from the University. Plagiarised material can be drawn from, and presented in,
written, graphic and visual form, including electronic data, and oral presentations.

Plagiarism occurs when the origin of the material used is not appropriately cited.

Examples of plagiarism include:

 Copying sentences or paragraphs word-for-word from one or more sources, whether

published or unpublished, which could include but is not limited to books, journals,
reports, theses, websites, conference papers, course notes, etc. without proper
citation;
 Closely paraphrasing sentences, paragraphs, ideas or themes without proper
citation;
 Piecing together text from one or more sources and adding only linking sentences;
 Copying or submitting whole or parts of computer files or websites without
acknowledging their source;
 Copying designs or works of art and submitting them as your original work;
 Copying a whole or any part of another student's work; and
 Submitting work as your own that someone else has done for you.
 Enabling Plagiarism: the act of assisting or allowing another person to plagiarise or to
copy your own work.

Students are responsible for ensuring that their work is kept in a secure place. It is also a
disciplinary offence for students to allow their work to be plagiarised by another student.