Research-Based Peer Alternative Response
Having multiple team members review the same data and come up with a different interpretation is common and very helpful in any marketing plan. While data is objective, analysis and interpretation of data are influenced by experience, preference, perspective, and risk tolerance. This is why strategy is often referred to as both an art and a science, and why a team can come up with a better solution than one person working alone. The science is finding data and calculating results; the art is looking at the data, understanding what it means today, and forecasting what it will mean tomorrow.
Since the client may view the data differently from the writer, it is helpful for the original writer to be aware of and prepared for alternative interpretations. You will have two roles in this discussion, as a writer from a marketing consultant perspective and as a peer reviewer who is helping the writer.
Your role as a writer was filled when you posted your initial draft to the discussion forum in 1.3.
Your role as the peer reviewer will be the one who prepares the writer for those alternative interpretations that could be asked by the client during the presentation of the report. You are therefore helping your peer prepare for questions and concerns that he or she might have missed or might have interpreted to be of a different level of impact.
Your role as a peer reviewer is to objectively examine the same category but to come up with a different interpretation of the data and/or a different recommendation. This means you will need to do your own research on the category to understand it well enough to provide an analysis and recommendation. Your solution must be based on your sources which must not be the same as the original writer. As a peer reviewer who must present an alternative interpretation and/or recommendation, you push and prompt the other person to reconsider his or her decision based on a different objective analysis. This allows the original writer to strengthen the proposal before the client sees it.
You have been assigned to review another specific student who you will work with throughout the course. The assignment is posted in the Announcement section of the course.
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
- Articulate models for product differentiation and positioning within the market.,
- Assess the market structure to determine the crucial factors influencing the marketing strategy.
Resources
- Textbook: Malcolm McDonald on Marketing Planning : Understanding Marketing Plans and Strategy, Ch. 3, pp. 33-48; Ch. 5-6, pp. 63-116
- Textbook: The 30 Day MBA in Marketing : Your Fast Track Guide to Business Success, Ch. 2, pp. 23-50
- **Textbook: Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, Ch. 1, pp. 5-10; Ch. 16-19, pp. 179-198
- File: Market Analysis Report Template
**You must request pages from Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind directly from Off Campus Library Services (OCLS). OCLS will email the pages to you within one (1) business day, not including weekends and holidays. Please include all of the information needed for this request: author, publication year, title, and publication information. Email your request to ocls@indwes.edu or fill out an Online Request for Services form.
You may also call OCLS at 1-800-521-1848. OCLS hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). OCLS closes on Sunday, all university holidays, and holiday weekends.
Instructions
- Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
- Review the initial market analysis from your peer as submitted to the 1.3 Discussion.
- You will need to do appropriate research on the industry and category so that you understand them in order to make an educated analysis and recommendation for this section of the consultant’s report. It is important to start out with a thorough understanding of the category and industry. You should not rely on the original writer’s research and description of the industry.
- You will provide a 250- to 350-word review to your peer as a post in the discussion forum. Your review must provide a different or alternative perspective, interpretation, conclusion, and/or recommendation for at least one (1) of the seven (7) elements noted in the assignment (these should be the 7 titled sections from the Market Analysis Report Template), based on your personal objective analysis of the category using credible sources. You do not need to have an alternative for all seven elements of the assignment, but your alternative may involve more than one element since many of them are related.
- You will not discuss the original writer’s analysis or recommendation; all of your comments must be focused on your objective interpretation and analysis. You must have a distinctly different perspective and/or recommendation in your alternative response. In other words, you are looking at the same scenario in the same industry and/or category, but you are coming to a different conclusion such that any form of “I agree” in your review is not an option.
- You must cite at least 2 credible sources that were not used by the original writer to support your interpretation and recommendation.
- Cite your work per current APA standards, however, indenting of the references is not required due to the discussion board format. (See OCLS APA Writing Styles Guides)
- Post your initial proposal into the discussion forum as a post, not as an attached file.
- Your grading is based in large part on your critical thinking as demonstrated in providing a different interpretation, conclusion, and recommendation. Because your peer is expecting this assistance on time to improve his or her report, late peer postings will have a penalty of 10% per day (6.5 points) for up to 5 days and may not be submitted for points after 5 days. This late penalty cannot be waived by the instructor.