BTEC Business Unit 2 Part A checklist - 9 May 2022

Intro

During Part A...

You'll have access to the internet
You'll be given preparatory materials to analyse and write notes about
You'll have access to a word processor
You will be in relaxed exam conditions
Your notes will be checked, and cannot contain any pre-made promotional plans, part B structure or significant analysis, and must be a maximum of 2 A4 pages in length.

You will be provided with your annotated Part A document and these notes for your Part B exam.

Analysing research

This looks very intimidating at first, but it's just very detailed. Tick items off as you do them so you don't forget!

Start by reading the brief to learn about the scenario
Skim over each piece of research at first.
- Note which topic(s) the research talks about:
  - Market size, share, growth and competition
  - Market trends
  - Target market
For each piece of research, annotate with...
- type of source (primary, secondary, newspaper, research journal, etc.)
- sample size - if known (a few people in a town? internet survey? data from a limited number of shops?)
- strength, weakness, opportunity or threat for the business?
- any link(s) to one or more of the 7 P's, if possible
  - price
  - product
  - place
  - promotion
  - people
  - processes
    - mainly for things like service industries (car garages, restaurants, plumbing, etc.)
  - physical environment
Research and bullet point AT LEAST 3 PESTLE factors for the business linked to the research (positive or negative)
- Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental
- Example factors:
  - Unemployment rate
  - Inflation rate
    - Bank of England interest rate
  - Corporation tax
    - Current corporation tax rate
  - Minimum wage
    - Current minimum wage
  - Pollution and recycling
  - Taxes - import/export, VAT, Brexit costs
- For each factor, write some bullet points (you have to write up properly in Part B)...
  - brief explanation of the factor
  - how it has changed over the last few years to now
  - (briefly) how it might affect the business
  - link to research
Research SWOT factors
- Research one or two competitors to compare external opportunities/threats relating to marketing mix
  - Competitor pricing
  - Competitor promotions
  - Competitor sales figures
  - Competitor market share
- Identify the biggest strength/weakness/opportunity/threat for the business
- Bullet point justification for each chosen SWOT factor
  - Explanation of the factor
  - How it affects the business
  - How it affects the marketing campaign (price/product/place/promotion)
  - What research backs it up?

Part B - work in progress

You won't have access to this resource during the 3 hours of Part B.

Your notes created in Part A CANNOT contain any pre-made marketing plans, Part B structure or significant data analysis.

Write-up

Section 1

Write up 3 chunky paragraphs on: market share/size/growth/competition; market trends; target market
- what does the data show?
- why is this an strength/weakness/opportunity/threat?
- what research data supports this?
- what might this s/w/o/t lead to?
- how could it influence the marketing campaign? (optional, but preferred)
  - price
  - product
  - place
  - promotion
  - people
  - processes
  - physical environment
- is the data reliable?
  - where does the data come from? is it independent and reliable?
  - is the data up-to-date?
  - is the research appropriate for the target market?
  - is the sample size big enough?
Write up SWOT
- Internal environment
  - Strength
  - Weakness
- External environment
  - Opportunity
    - From PESTLE factor(s)
      - Social factors (e.g., market trends)
      - Environmental factors (e.g., climate ethics)
  - Threat
    - From PESTLE factor(s)
      - Economic factors (e.g., inflation, minimum wage)

Section 2

SMART objectives x3
- One each about...
  - product
  - price
  - promotion
- Use JAM structure
  - Why is it important for the business? Link to their aim.
  - How does this objective link to the case study?
  - What might it lead to or allow?
  - How does the objective relate to the the provided research about the market?
Marketing message
- Explain what is for sale in a memorable way
- Show customer wishes are being listened to and addressed
- The problem solved for the customer
- What makes you different
- Why the customer should trust you
7P's about your marketing plan - small paragraph for each (JAM)
Budget & timescale
- Justify your decisions