NMIMS Sem 4 April 2025 Marketing Assignments
Business: Ethics, Governance & Risk
Q1. “Business should conduct and govern themselves with integrity, and in a manner that is ethical, transparent and accountable” (Principle 1). Prepare an executive summary (in your own words) based on the disclosures given under Essential Indicators and Leadership Indicators, to showcase how the company is delivering on this principle from the Business Responsibility & Sustainability Report – 2023-24 (BRSR) of a company of your choice. You will find this report under Director’s Report section. Please select any ONE company that is listed as Large Cap. For this selection you must refer to the NSE’s Nifty 50 list by market cap. It is required that you include the name of the company in the brief introduction at the beginning. You must also go through the website of the company as well as its sustainability report, if available in public domain for relevant information on Principle 1. DO NOT copy paste.
Q2. Go through the ‘Management Discussion & Analysis’ section under the Director’s Report in the annual report (FY2023-24) of the company selected in question1 and prepare an executive summary (in your own words) on the following two topics:
Opportunities and threat
Internal control systems & their adequacy
You must mention the name of the company. DO NOT copy paste.
Q3. As Head of Sales in a medium size consumer durables company selling cooling systems and air conditioners you have just bagged a Rs 75 lac worth of order from an out-of-town company, (their first order with you). The purchase executive of the client company agrees to confirm the order on the condition that you will agree to pay for his and his wife’s travel and stay in your city, while visiting your office for finalizing and signing of the contract.
3a. What do you think are the ethical dilemmas involved in this scenario?
3b. Describe the process you will adopt to resolve the dilemmas in this scenario?
Research Methodology
Q1. Samsung mobile phones have been facing a significant decline in market share over the past one year in India, despite the growing overall demand for Mobile Phones. The company’s sales have decreased by 12%, while competitors have seen a growth of 18% in the same period. This decline is affecting the company’s profitability and brand position in the market. This decline is occurring despite an overall increase in industry demand. The problem impacts the company’s profitability, brand strength, and market position. Which type of research study is above and what can be the research questions for this study? Explain which research design you will follow and why?
Q2. You are working in the HR department of Havells India; who have 15 state-of-the- art manufacturing plants spread across 8 locations in India. You have to study the relationship of Annual Increment (three levels 5%, 8% and 10%) and employee productivity (in units). Explain the design of experiment, independent, dependent and extraneous variable (assume any) for the study. What can be the potential threat to internal and external validity in this experiment?
Q3. In recent years, the financial landscape has witnessed significant transformations driven by advances in technology and the widespread adoption of online banking platforms. The emergence of online banking has revolutionized the way consumers engage with banks. With the increasing adoption of digital banking channels, it is crucial to assess how traditional banking methods are affected in terms of customer behavior, service demand, Trust, Security, operational adjustments and the response to the socio-demography of consumers.
a. Develop a comprehensive research plan to compare customer satisfaction and service efficiency between online and offline banking.
b. Develop a Structured questionnaire for this study.
Digital Marketing
1. GlowX, a newly launched skincare brand, aims to develop an effective digital marketing strategy to increase brand awareness, engage with potential customers, and drive sales. The brand plans to utilize social media advertising, regularly update its blog and social media pages with valuable content, and encourage customers to share reviews and testimonials online. Using these details, discuss how the POEM Framework (Paid, Owned, Earned Media) can be applied to GlowX’s strategy.
2. A leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, Tech Sphere, specializes in offering cloud-based solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The company has recently observed a decline in the quality of inbound leads through traditional marketing efforts like email and webinars. To address this, Tech Sphere wants to focus more on leveraging social media platforms to improve lead generation, establish thought leadership, and build relationships with decision-makers. Discuss how Tech Sphere can effectively use Social Media Marketing to achieve its goals. You should discuss what all social media platforms the company can use and the rationale for the same, considering its B2B marketing (discuss at least 3). Also, discuss in detail the social media marketing strategy for each of the platforms identified.
3. Smart Wear, a leading brand in wearable technology, is planning to launch a new line of fitness trackers. To drive sales and build customer relationships, the company wants to leverage a strategic email marketing campaign focusing on product launches, post-purchase engagement, and customer retention. The team also wants to integrate Search Engine Marketing (SEM) alongside their email strategy to maximize visibility and conversions.
a) Design an effective email marketing strategy to launch their new fitness trackers, ensuring that the content is valuable, engaging, and aligned with customer needs at each stage of the customer journey (product launch, post-purchase engagement, and retention).
b) Develop an SEM strategy that complements their email marketing efforts, focusing on increasing website traffic, targeting the right audience, and optimizing conversions for the new fitness trackers.
Marketing Research
1. You are the Marketing Director of Gharonda Constructions in Delhi NCR. Your company wants to conduct market research to assess customer needs and preferences. Prepare a research plan – Mentioning the Target Group, Priority Markets, and Research Hypotheses in the plan along with the Success Criteria for your research.
2. Define the Target Group for Aishwarya Homes, a Property Developer in Chennai. Analyze the major infrastructure initiatives in Chennai (the Chennai Metro Rail, the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, Elevated Corridors, etc.) and their impact on the Chennai Real Estate market. What are the Opportunities for the Company? What are the Risks and how can they mitigate against these?
3. You’re the CMO for an Indian Automotive Major. Your company is planning the Pan- India launch of a new Product Family of Electric Two-Wheelers targeted at the entire family. As a first step, you’ve decided to conduct Market Research to help focus your MarketingPlan.
a) As part of your Market Research, describe your preferred sampling technique(s) and why you’ve chosen it(these).
b) Describe (at least) Five (5) Secondary Sources which you can leverage and as well, the reasons for selecting them.
Services Marketing
1. There are various salons in your city and in the future, you intend to open a salon. The problem is that all of them offer similar kinds of services. In such a case, you’ll need to make sure you differentiate your service offerings. Analyse and present the approach or the steps which should help you in creating differentiation for your processes, people and physical evidence.
2. You play the guitar. Your friends have been suggesting, that to start with your music classes. You also intend to offer other music and hobby classes by inviting experts. Considering that you plan to start your guitar classes, explain how would you apply the 7Ps used in Service Marketing in the given scenario which should also help you in an effective strategy formulation.
3. You have started a home cooked meal service. However, reaching out to people is a big challenge considering your limited marketing budget.
a) How will you build a service brand with your limited budgets?
b) How will attract your first set of customers?
