Tutor Marked Assessment
FALL 2016-2017

Read carefully the following instructions andboth cases study, and then answer each question in an

essay format.To support your analysis use relevant material from BE200 covered so far and other

resources such as AOU e-library articles.
INSCTRUCTIONS:
• Cut-off date: Submit this assignment no later than TBALBD. All late submissions require

approval from the branch course coordinator and will be subject to grade deductions.
• Word count:you should discuss the questions in no more or less than the number of words

mentioned for each question (plus or minus 10%).
• Referencing: You must acknowledge all your sources of information using full Harvard Style

Referencing (in-text referencing plus list of references at the end). Use E-library: to get

journal articles on the topic (Emerald, EBSCO…). Use at least 2 articles.
• Plagiarism:Remember that you should work the information from references into your own

original thoughts and INTO YOUR OWN WORDS. Plagiarism will lead to a significant loss of marks.

Extensive plagiarism could mean that you failed your TMA. (Refer to AOU definitions of cheating and

plagiarism at the end of this document)
• Essay guidance: Your response to each question should take the form of a full essay format.

Avoid using subheadings and bullet points. Use BE200textbook,slides, case study and E-Library.

Plan what you will write, and have a well-organized outline.
• Using PT3 form:When you have completed your TMA, you must fill in the assignment form (PT3)

posted on your moodle account, taking care to fill all information correctly.
• Turnit-in upload:A soft copy of your TMA and PT3 form should be uploaded to Turnit-in via

the link posted on your moodle account, within the cut-off date.
• This TMA is 20% of BE200 Grade.

For textbook: Principles of Marketing (Arab World Editions) with My Marketing Lab – refer to

chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5
For textbook: Principles of marketing, 5th European editionby Philip Kotler, Gary Armstromg,

Veronica Wong and John Saunders: refer to chapters 1, 3, 4 and 5

Case Study: CARREFOUR plans to meet marketing challenges

France’s Carrefour relies on the key strengths of supplier contacts and customer knowledge when

developing and implementing marketing strategy. Carrefour has €108 billion in yearly turnover and

operates 1,530 hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores and convenience stores in 33 countries.

Even though retailing is an intensely competitive industry, Carrefour’s marketers have used these

global strengths to great advantage when preparing marketing plans to address various

opportunities and threats in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
For example, a few months after Carrefour moved its global sourcing office to Thailand, executives

became aware that local farmers were producing a surplus of fruits such as durian and mangosteens.

In the past, these fruits had sold well in the 34 Thai Carrefour stores as well as in the chain’s

outlets in Taiwan, China and Indonesia. Identifying this as a marketing opportunity, Carrefour’s

marketing director in Thailand arranged to buy hundreds of additional tonnes of local fruits and

created a plan to encourage the European stores to stock the fruits as a taste of Thailand at an

attractive price.
Depending on the country, as much as 90-95 per cent of merchandise stocked inCarrefour stores is

purchased from local suppliers. The purpose is to make the most of the opportunity by establishing

mutually beneficial connections with local suppliers for the long term.
When Carrefour’s marketers analyze the internal environment, they examine the results of previous

marketing programmes across the entire chain and in individual stores. They have grouped the

customer base of 14 million households worldwide into 60,000 customer segments for more relevant

marketing attention. With deep analysis, they can target more precisely and measure the return on

investment for each programme in the marketing plan. Carrefour also acts quickly when analyses

point to unusual challenges or opportunities. For example, just a few months after opening

hypermarkets in Moscow and Krasnodar, the retailer decided to stop expansion in Russia and sell the

new stores because difficult economic circumstances had reduced short-term growth opportunities.

Question 1: (35 Marks)
a. Why did Carrefour segment its customers? Elaborate your answer by defining and showing

clearly the importance of segmentation. (15 Marks)
b. Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using

products;
– Explain the types of consumer buying behavior. (10 Marks)
– Which one would you most likely use if deciding on a Cell phone purshase? Elaborate (10

Marks)
(Word count: 450 words)
Question 2: (30 Marks)
Given the global nature of Carrefour’s operations, which external factors are likely to pose the

greatest threats to its expansion in the coming years? Justify your answer by refering to the case

and what you have learned from BE200 material.
(Word count: 300 words)

Question 3: (35 Marks)
a. How would you recommend that Carrefour’s marketers encourage customers to buy Thai fruits?

Give your recommendations basedon the Marketing Mix strategy. (15 Marks)
b. Which marketing orientation is being adopted by Carrefour? Justify your answer while

discussing briefly different orientations. (20 Marks)
(Word count: 450 words)

Grades deduction for:
TMA Presentation: (up to 5 marks)
Up to 5 marks should be deducted for poor presentation or poor organization of the TMA outline and

discussion or TMA presented without PT3.
Proper referencing: (up to 5 marks)
Referencing should be both in-text referencing, plus a list of references at the end using Harvard

style. Up to 5 marks should be deducted for poor referencing.

Use of E-Library: (up to 5 marks)
A minimum use of 2 articles from AOU e-library is required to support the discussions. Up to 5

marks should be deducted for no use or poor use ofe-library.

Word count: (up to 5 marks)
The answers should be within the specified word count. A deviation of 10% is acceptable; if more, a

deduction up to 5 marks will be applied.

Arab Open University Definitions of cheating and plagiarism
Plagiarism means copying from internet, from unreferenced sources, from other students’ TMAs or any

other source. Penalties for plagiarism range from failure in the TMA or the course, to expulsion

from the university.
According to the Arab Open University By-laws, “the following acts represent cases of cheating and

plagiarism:
• Verbatim copying of printed material and submitting them as part of TMAs without proper

academic acknowledgement and documentation.
• Verbatim copying of material from the Internet, including tables and graphics.
• Copying other students’ notes or reports.
• Using paid or unpaid material prepared for the student by individuals or firms.
• Utilization of, or proceeding to utilize, contraband materials or devices in examinations.”

Penalty on plagiarism: The following is the standard plagiarism penalty applied across branches as

per Article 11 of the university by-laws was revisited and modified to be more explicit with regard

to plagiarism on TMAs. Penalties include the following:
1) Awarding of zero for a TMA wherein more than 20% of the content is plagiarized.
2) Documentation of warning in student record.
3) Failure in the course to dismissal from the University.
All University programs are required to apply penalties that are consistent with the University by

laws.