MKTG 340: Marketing Management

Case Study Assignment 2

Marketing Mix & Product Strategy Analysis

Course Code	MKTG 340
Course Title	Marketing Management
Assignment Type	Case Study Analysis
Assignment Number	Assignment 2 of 3
Academic Level	Undergraduate Year 3–4
Department	Business Administration
Semester	Spring 2025–2026
Total Marks	100 marks (25% of final grade)
Word Count	1,500–2,000 words (excluding references and appendices)
Submission Format	Microsoft Word (.docx) uploaded via the course portal
Due Date	See course portal for confirmed submission date
Referencing Style	Harvard Referencing (author–date)

1. Assignment Overview

Marketing strategy rarely plays out the way textbooks suggest. Real companies face trade-offs, make adjustments mid-course, and sometimes get the marketing mix noticeably wrong — and that gap between theory and practice is precisely what makes case study work valuable. In this assignment, you will select a well-known company operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region or internationally, and conduct a structured analysis of how it applies the marketing mix across its core product or service line.

The focus is on the traditional 4Ps framework — product, price, place, and promotion — though you are encouraged to consider how digital channels and shifting consumer expectations in the region may affect how those elements are configured. Rather than simply describing what a company does, the expectation is that you will evaluate how well the marketing mix holds together and where adjustments might be warranted.

2. Learning Outcomes Assessed

This assignment assesses the following course learning outcomes (CLOs):

CLO 2: Apply the marketing mix framework to analyse real-world marketing decisions in both product and service contexts.
CLO 3: Evaluate the alignment between a company’s stated market positioning and its actual marketing activities.
CLO 4: Develop evidence-based recommendations for improving marketing strategy, drawing on current academic and industry sources.
CLO 5: Communicate marketing analysis clearly and concisely in professional written form using correct academic conventions.

3. Task Description

You are required to produce a case study analysis of 1,500–2,000 words. Your analysis should address each of the following components in a structured way. You may use subheadings throughout.

3.1 Company and Product Selection

Select one company from either of the following categories:

A GCC-based company with a clearly defined product or service line (e.g., a regional retail chain, a telecommunications provider, a food and beverage brand, or a hospitality group).
An internationally recognised company with a notable presence in the Middle East market (e.g., a consumer electronics brand, a fast-food chain, or an e-commerce platform with regional operations).

State your chosen company, the specific product or service line you are analysing, and a brief justification for your selection (approximately 100–150 words). Avoid choosing a company that has been used as a featured example in the course lectures, as this tends to produce overly descriptive rather than analytical work.

3.2 Market Context

Provide a concise overview of the company’s market environment (approximately 200–250 words). This should cover:

The industry or sector and its general condition — growth, saturation, disruption, or otherwise.
The company’s approximate market position relative to its main competitors.
Any relevant regional or cultural factors in the GCC market that shape how the company operates or markets itself.

This section is not a company history. Keep the background focused on what is directly relevant to the marketing mix analysis that follows.

3.3 Marketing Mix Analysis (4Ps)

This is the core of the assignment (approximately 700–900 words across the four elements). Analyse how the company currently manages each of the four Ps for the selected product or service line.

Product

What is the product or service offering? Consider the core benefit, actual product features, and any augmented elements (warranty, service, brand association). Where relevant, comment on the product life cycle stage and what that implies for strategy.

Price

What pricing strategy does the company appear to use — penetration, skimming, competitive, value-based, or another approach? How does the price point relate to the company’s positioning and target segment? Note any pricing differences between the GCC market and other markets, if applicable.

Place

How does the company distribute and make its product or service available? Consider both physical and digital channels. Are there any notable gaps or strengths in the distribution approach for the regional context?

Promotion

How does the company communicate with its target audience? Identify the promotional mix — advertising, digital marketing, personal selling, public relations, sales promotions, and so on. Comment on how well the promotional strategy aligns with the product positioning and the preferences of the target market.

3.4 Critical Evaluation

Drawing on your 4Ps analysis, provide a balanced critical evaluation of the company’s overall marketing mix (approximately 250–300 words). Consider the following questions as a guide — you do not need to answer each one separately:

How coherent is the marketing mix? Do the four elements support one another, or are there noticeable inconsistencies?
Are there elements of the marketing mix that appear particularly strong or that give the company a competitive advantage?
Where might the marketing mix be failing to connect with the target market, or where does it appear outdated or misaligned?

3.5 Recommendations

Propose two to three specific, actionable recommendations for how the company could strengthen its marketing mix (approximately 200–250 words in total). Each recommendation should:

Be clearly tied to a specific weakness or gap identified in your analysis.
Reference at least one academic concept or model to support the suggestion.
Be realistic given the company’s scale, market, and competitive context.

Avoid generic recommendations such as ‘increase social media presence’ without specifying how, for whom, and with what expected outcome.

4. Submission Requirements

4.1 Format and Presentation

Word count: 1,500–2,000 words (body text only; title page, reference list, and appendices are excluded from the count).
Font: Times New Roman or Arial, 12pt.
Line spacing: 1.5 throughout the body text.
Margins: 2.54 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
Headings: Use the section headings and subheadings listed in Section 3. Do not rename or reorder them.
Page numbers: Required in the footer.
File format: Microsoft Word (.docx). PDF submissions will not be accepted unless prior written agreement has been made with the instructor.

4.2 Referencing

All sources must be cited using Harvard referencing (author–date). A minimum of six academic or professional sources is required, with at least four drawn from peer-reviewed journals published between 2019 and 2026. You may also cite industry reports, credible news sources, and company documents where appropriate, but these do not count toward the minimum of four peer-reviewed sources.

Direct quotations should be kept to a minimum. The expectation is that you paraphrase and cite, demonstrating that you have understood and synthesised the source material rather than reproduced it.

4.3 Academic Integrity

All submitted work must be your own. You may discuss ideas with classmates, but the analysis, writing, and conclusions must be independently produced. Submitting work generated by AI writing tools — whether in whole or in part — without disclosure and approval constitutes a violation of the university’s academic integrity policy. If you are unsure about what constitutes acceptable use of such tools, speak with your instructor before submission.

5. Marking Rubric

Your case study will be marked against the following criteria. Read the descriptors carefully before submitting — they clarify the difference between a descriptive response and an analytical one, which is where most marks are gained or lost.

Criterion	Excellent (90–100%)	Proficient (75–89%)	Developing (60–74%)	Inadequate (0–59%)	Marks
1. Company & Market Context Identification of the selected company’s market position, product portfolio, and competitive environment.	Thorough, precise analysis of the company’s market standing with relevant industry context and well-chosen supporting evidence.	Clear description of market position; minor gaps in detail or supporting evidence.	Basic description present; limited engagement with competitive context or industry specifics.	Incomplete or missing market analysis; major inaccuracies or unsupported claims.	20
2. Marketing Mix Analysis (4Ps) Depth and accuracy of analysis across product, price, place, and promotion dimensions.	All four Ps examined in depth with specific, verifiable examples drawn directly from the case; well-integrated discussion.	Three or four Ps analysed adequately; examples present but occasional generalisations.	Two or three Ps covered; analysis is descriptive rather than analytical; limited use of examples.	One or fewer Ps addressed; superficial or largely incorrect analysis.	30
3. Critical Evaluation Ability to identify strengths, weaknesses, and strategic gaps in the current marketing approach.	Balanced, evidence-based critique that identifies both what works and what could be improved; draws on course concepts naturally.	Reasonable critical perspective; some strengths and weaknesses identified, though not always equally supported.	Descriptive rather than evaluative; critique is partial or lacks grounding in theory or evidence.	Little or no critical evaluation; primarily descriptive or opinionated without support.	20
4. Recommendations Practicality and specificity of proposed marketing strategy adjustments.	Three or more specific, realistic recommendations that follow logically from the analysis; considers feasibility and potential impact.	Two or three recommendations given; mostly actionable though some lack specificity or clear justification.	One or two vague recommendations; limited connection to the analysis or to marketing theory.	No clear recommendations, or suggestions are generic and disconnected from the case.	15
5. Academic Conventions Referencing accuracy, Harvard format, word count adherence, and presentation quality.	All sources correctly cited in Harvard style; word count within range; well-structured and clearly written throughout.	Minor referencing errors; word count broadly met; structure is generally clear.	Inconsistent referencing; word count noticeably under or over; some structural or clarity issues.	Poor or absent referencing; word count significantly outside range; difficult to follow.	15
Total					100

6. Guidance Notes

6.1 On Company Selection

Students sometimes underestimate how much the choice of company shapes the quality of the final analysis. A company with publicly available marketing information — annual reports, press releases, case studies in industry publications — will make your work considerably easier to support with evidence. Smaller or less documented companies can be interesting but often lead to speculative analysis that is hard to substantiate.

6.2 On Analysis vs. Description

The most common issue in case study assignments at this level is a tendency to describe what a company does without stepping back to evaluate whether it is working, why it is structured that way, or how it could be improved. Description tells the reader what; analysis asks why and how well. Aim to spend no more than one-third of each section on description and the remainder on interpretation and evaluation.

6.3 On the GCC Context

Where your chosen company operates in the GCC, consider how regional factors — consumer culture, digitalisation rates, regulatory environment, or the presence of large expatriate populations — may shape marketing decisions differently from what a generic global case study might suggest. This is not a requirement in every section, but it adds specificity and often strengthens the analysis considerably.

6.4 Recommended Starting Points

The following sources may help you locate relevant case material and theoretical grounding. They are starting points, not a substitute for your own research:

Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2022) Marketing Management, 16th edn. Pearson. — Core framework reference for the 4Ps and positioning theory.
Journal of Marketing (American Marketing Association) — Peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual work on marketing strategy.
Harvard Business Review — Accessible practitioner-oriented analysis of real company strategies.
Gulf Marketing Review — Regional industry source with GCC-specific marketing commentary.
Statista and Euromonitor International — Useful for market size, segment data, and regional consumer trend reports.

7. Suggested Academic References

The following sources are provided as a starting point. You are expected to locate and use additional sources independently. All references below are verifiable via the university library, Google Scholar, or the linked DOIs.

Deepak, R.K. and Jeyakumar, S. (2019) ‘Marketing mix: a review of research’, Advances in Management, 12(3), pp. 21–27. Available at: https://www.advancesmgt.com (Accessed: March 2026).

Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2022) Marketing Management. 16th edn. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

Lim, W.M. (2021) ‘A marketing mix typology for integrated care: the 10 Ps’, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 29(5), pp. 453–469. doi:10.1080/0965254X.2020.1775683.

Ritz, W., Wolf, M. and McQuitty, S. (2019) ‘Digital marketing adoption and success for small businesses’, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(2), pp. 179–203. doi:10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0062.

Shabbir, M.S. et al. (2022) ‘Linking green marketing strategies to sustainable business performance: evidence from Gulf countries’, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(3), pp. 3918–3930. doi:10.1007/s11356-021-16501-8.

Zarei, G., Asgarnezhad Nuri, B. and Noroozi, N. (2019) ‘The effect of internet service quality on consumers’ purchase behaviour: the role of satisfaction, attitude, and purchase intention’, Journal of Internet Commerce, 18(2), pp. 197–220. doi:10.1080/15332861.2019.1585724.

Appendix A: Sample Response Excerpt

The following excerpt is provided for guidance on tone and analytical depth only. It does not represent a complete or model answer.

Noon.com, the Dubai-headquartered e-commerce platform launched in 2017, offers a useful case for examining how a product strategy built around regional familiarity can coexist with — and at times conflict with — the pricing pressures of competing against Amazon’s regional operations. At the product level, Noon has concentrated heavily on its own-label line ‘Noon Daily,’ expanding into grocery categories where regional preferences around fresh produce and halal certification carry real purchase-decision weight. This positions the platform not merely as a product distributor but as a brand in its own right, a strategic shift that Kotler and Keller (2022, p. 347) associate with the transition from market follower to niche specialist. Whether that positioning has translated into sustainable margin improvement, however, is less clear from publicly available data, and the promotional spend required to maintain brand visibility in a crowded GCC digital market may be offsetting gains from own-label margins. A closer examination of the promotional mix reveals a heavy reliance on discount-led campaigns — flash sales, loyalty point multipliers, and seasonal promotions tied to national holidays — which, while consistent with regional consumer preferences, may inadvertently anchor Noon’s perceived value to price rather than product quality or service reliability.

Note: The in-text citation above references — Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2022) Marketing Management, 16th edn. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

1. Ritz, W., Wolf, M. and McQuitty, S. (2019) ‘Digital marketing adoption and success for small businesses: the application of the do-it-yourself and technology acceptance models’, Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(2), pp. 179–203. Emerald Insight Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0062

Relevance: Directly supports the Promotion and Place elements of the 4Ps, particularly digital channel adoption and how businesses make strategic promotional decisions — useful for the assignment’s digital marketing discussion.

2. Wichmann, J.R.K., Uppal, A., Sharma, A. and Dekimpe, M.G. (2022) ‘A global perspective on the marketing mix across time and space’, International Journal of Research in Marketing, 39(2), pp. 502–521. Tilburg University Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.09.001

Relevance: A high-impact, Scopus and Web of Science–indexed article that directly reassesses the 4Ps framework against contemporary global market forces — ideal as a core theoretical reference for the critical evaluation section.

3. Lim, W.M. (2021) ‘A marketing mix typology for integrated care: the 10 Ps’, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 29(5), pp. 453–469. Taylor & Francis Online Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2020.1775683

Relevance: Provides a solid conceptual reconfiguration of the marketing mix beyond the traditional 4Ps — useful for students who wish to engage critically with whether the standard framework is sufficient for their chosen company.

4. Shabbir, M.S., Bait Ali Sulaiman, M.A., Hasan Al-Kumaim, N., Mahmood, A. and Abbas, M. (2020) ‘Green marketing approaches and their impact on consumer behavior towards the environment: a study from the UAE’, Sustainability, 12(21), article 8977. MDPI Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12218977

Relevance: GCC/UAE-specific empirical research on how marketing strategies intersect with consumer expectations around sustainability — particularly valuable for students selecting a regional company and analysing the promotional or product dimensions of the mix.

5. Kotler, P. and Keller, K.L. (2022) Marketing Management. 16th edn. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.

Relevance: The foundational textbook reference for the 4Ps framework, positioning theory, and product life cycle concepts — already cited in the sample response excerpt in the brief. Available via university library catalogues globally.