Programme:	MSc Digital Marketing
Module Code:	MK9701 (LD9701 at London)
Module Title:	The Digital Customer Journey: Data, Profiling and CRM
Distributed on:	Teaching Week 1 (via the e-learning portal)
Submission Time and Date:	Task 1: Presentations will take place during the semester, approximately teaching weeks 8-10 (22nd Nov by 12noon UK time) Task 2: Date to be finalised by Student Central (20th Jan 2022 by 12noon UK time)
Word Limit:	See below instructions for further details
Weighting	The assessment has two tasks which are weighted as follows: - Task 1: Presentation (25%) - Task 2: Portfolio (75%)
Submission of Assessment	It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignment arrives before the submission deadline stated above. See the University policy on late submission of work (the relevant extract is set out below). Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA): Please note if your assignment is submitted electronically it will be submitted online via Turnitin by the given deadline. You will find a Turnitin link on the module’s Blackboard site.

 

 

 

Instructions on Assessment:

 

This assessment is based on the retailer TK Maxx: https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/.

 

This organisation has the following characteristics which make it suitable for customer journey analysis in this module:

 

- They operate across both online and offline channels (i.e. they are a multi-channel business)

- They are from an industry where there is a good amount of market data available (e.g. there are reports accessible via places such as MINTEL etc.);

- Their product offering can be broken down into various categories;

- You may have some personal experience of this product category (if not, research them online or try and visit one of their stores if safe to do so).

 

We suggest engaging in further research on the case company online at the earliest opportunity. Your work can factor in changes in shopping habits and business operations arising from the covid-19 pandemic.

 

You will be required to focus your work on a specific target market who may shop at TK Maxx and a specific product category within their wider offering.

 

 

Task 1: Recorded Presentation

 

Completed: Individually

Date: Monday 22nd November, 12:00 (midday). Submitted via email

Duration: 10 minutes

Marks: 25%

 

You are required to prepare, record and submit (using appropriate visual aids) a presentation which covers the following:

- An outline of your choice of target market for the case company, using demographic, psychographic and geo-demographic criteria as appropriate. You will also clearly address which product category they are likely to be purchasing from.

- Presentation of a customer persona

- A review of a typical customer journey undertaken by your target market when making a purchase in this product category. This will be presented visually, supported by research, encapsulate all online and offline touchpoints and lead to brief recommendations on how the case company can utilise this knowledge in their relationship marketing strategy.

 

Note: Late submission will carry a marks penalty in line with university policy. A Panopto recording will be made available on Backboard to provide more detailed guidance.

 

 

 

Task 2: Portfolio

 

Completed: Individually

Date: End of semester assessment period

Word Count: 2,000 plus other documentation (as broken down below)

Marks: 75%

 

This task brings together the main themes of the module and requires you to build a portfolio of developed materials. The portfolio is comprised of three parts:

 

Part One: Infographic (15 marks)

- You are required to produce an infographic which provides insights on:

o Your chosen target market

o Your chosen product category

- You will use secondary research to develop a professional standard document which will provide both a detailed understanding of the customer and identify trends in the product category.

 

Part Two: Database Activity (30 marks)

- Using the CRM software and customer database provided, you are required to:

o Create distinct customer segments based on suitable data fields;

o Set clear objectives for each customer segment and justify these in an email marketing plan;

o Develop targeted email communications designed to achieve the stated objectives.

 

Note: Parts One and Two are not subject to the word count.

 

 

 

Part Three: Critical Analysis of Theory (30 marks)

For this section you are required to select one of the below topics:

 

- Electronic Word of Mouth

- Data Privacy

- Online Customer Loyalty

 

You are required to develop a 2,000 word discussion (broken into sections as appropriate) which demonstrates an understanding of your chosen topic and provides a critical discussion of theory in this area. This will be supported by a range of academic sources (largely journal articles and textbooks) but may be supplemented by more practical sources. You will conclude the discussion by identifying current trends in your chosen area which may be relevant to digital marketers.

 

Note: Part Three of the portfolio is subject to the stated 2,000 word count and does not need to be based upon TK Maxx.

 

Late submission of work

 

Where coursework is submitted without approval, after the published hand-in deadline, the following penalties will apply.

 

For coursework submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval, 10% of the total marks available for the assessment (i.e.100%) shall be deducted from the assessment mark.

 

For clarity: a late piece of work that would have scored 65%, 55% or 45% had it been handed in on time will be awarded 55%, 45% or 35% respectively as 10% of the total available marks will have been deducted.

 

The Penalty does not apply to Pass/Fail Modules, i.e. there will be no penalty for late submission if assessments on Pass/Fail are submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline.

 

Coursework submitted more than 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval will be regarded as not having been completed. A mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment and the module will be failed, irrespective of the overall module mark.

 

For clarity: if the original hand-in time on working day A is 12noon the 24 hour late submission allowance will end at 12noon on working day B.

 

These provisions apply to all assessments, including those assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.

 

 

Word limits and penalties

 

If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply.

 

The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment and the assignment cover sheet.  The word count does not include:

 

· Title and Contents page	· Reference list	· Appendices	· Appropriate tables, figures and illustrations
· Glossary	· Bibliography	· Quotes from interviews and focus groups.

 

Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith, 2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.

 

If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under ARNA page 30 Section 3.4 this will be regarded as academic misconduct.

 

If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will be deducted.  For example: if the assignment is worth 70 marks but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7 marks will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63.

 

Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment (including ALL appendices) and it must be made available within 24hours of them requesting it be submitted.

 

Note:  For those assessments or partial assessments based on calculation, multiple choice etc., marks will be gained on an accumulative basis.  In these cases, marks allocated to each section will be made clear.

 

 

 

Time limits and penalties for presentations

 

The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to.  At the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.

 

Academic Misconduct

 

The Assessment Regulations for Northumbria Awards (ARNA) contain the Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.

The full policy is available at: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/qualitysupport/asspolicies/

 

You are reminded that plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic misconduct as referred to in the Academic Misconduct procedure of the assessment regulations are taken very seriously by Newcastle Business School.  Assignments in which evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is found may receive a mark of zero.

 

 

 

Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives

 

 

This assessment will contribute directly to the following postgraduate programme goals and objectives.

 

Goal 1: To develop the skills necessary for employment and career progression

Students will be able to:

 

	1.	Demonstrate awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and the ability to engage in continuing self-development
X	2.	Demonstrate the development of  inter-personal and intra-personal skills
X	3.	Demonstrate competence in contemporary analytical and ICT applications

 

Goal 2: Be culturally and ethically aware

Students will be able to:

 

	1.	Demonstrate their ability to work in culturally diverse groups and teams and make appropriate and personal contribution to team effectiveness
	2.	Reflect on their own ethical values
X	3.	Understand the wider impact of individual or organisational decision making on social and environmental contexts

 

Goal 3: Have developed leadership and management capability

Students will be able to:

 

X	1.	Analyse and communicate complex issues effectively
	2.	Demonstrate decision making, problem solving and project management skills

 

Goal 4: Have developed and applied knowledge of international business and management theory

Students will be able to:

 

	1.	Acquire, interpret and apply knowledge of international business, management and organisational functions
X	2.	Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of innovative and contemporary research on the business and management community
X	3.	Acquire, interpret and apply specialist functional knowledge in relation to their programme of study

 

 

 

Goal 5: Have developed a range of research skills and project capabilities

Students will be able to:

 

	1.	Plan and complete a major piece of research or project on a contemporary business, financial, management or leadership topic
	2.	Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business and management issues