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MKTG229: Routes to Market Lent Term 2025-26
Detailed Coursework Assessment brief
Table of Contents
Detailed Coursework Assessment brief……………………………………………………………………………………..1
Individual Coursework Assessment (50% mw) ……………………………………………………………………….2
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Deadline …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Format of the submission …………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Wordcount (more detail below)…………………………………………………………………………………….3
Potential formats…………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
The Task …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5
Overview …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Required elements……………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
Further advice ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7
Deadline & Submission Details ………………………………………………………………………………………….7
References and reference lists……………………………………………………………………………………….8
Electronic file formats…………………………………………………………………………………………………..8
‘Physical’ or non electronic formats ……………………………………………………………………………….9
Plagiarism and use of AI………………………………………………………………………………………………..9
Helpful Resources ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11
A word of caution – non critical sources and insufficient research! ………………………………….11
Table 1. Coursework Assessment Criteria and Feedforward………………………………………………..12
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Individual Coursework Assessment (50% mw)
Please note that this brief should be read in conjunction with the module outline, introductory
lecture in week 11 and the specific lecture briefing session in week 13.
Introduction
The coursework assessment for this module is an individual assignment which follows an (almost)
open-format, so will be quite different to most that you have or will encounter in your degree.
The purpose of this assessment is to ensure that you meet the module learning outcomes (see
module outline) and further develop the key academic and employability skills of:
Conducting a process of inquiry
Analysing and evaluating industry data
Concise communication of analysis and conclusions
The primary focus of this assessment is to demonstrate your understanding and analysis of how a
branded product/manufacturing organisation creates and delivers the intended unique and
distinction consumer value proposition of one of their products.
Deadline
Coursework must be submitted 12pm on Thursday 23rd April (week 21), but you will be able to
submit before the Lent vacation if you prefer.
Please note: The submission deadline for this assessment in previous years was before the break
and has been extended to give students more time to consider all elements of the module. Because
the deadline has been moved, it is considered to already be inclusive, so we will not be offering any
extensions, except where a student has exceptional circumstances, and these requests should go to
part2marketing@lancaster.ac.uk in good time before the assessment deadline.
More details are given below on how to submit your assessment.
Format of the submission
This submission can be described as almost open format. What we mean by this is that you have the
flexibility to present your submission in any format that you choose, except as a straightforward
essay. Open format is chosen because it enables you to present your work in a way that best suits
your personal strengths, the product that you have chosen, and the ‘story’ that you want to tell. You
can choose any format that you like except a traditional essay because we have seen in the past that
this task doesn’t work with a traditional essay and always results in low marks.
Drawing on the presentation skills that you have already developed in your degree, you may present
the material in any way you think is effective which this gives you ample space for originality and
‘creativity’. When we use the term ‘creativity’ in this sense we mean that you have thought
creatively about how to present your work with a restrictive word count, not that it needs to be
‘artistic’.
Wordcount (more detail below)
The allowed word count is 850 words (+/- 10%) plus visuals (diagrams, tables, charts etc.) and not
including in-text references/citations. The word count is deliberately strict so that you consider how
to use visuals and data presentation to good effect and because it drives a focus on analysis rather
than description. You should work out for yourself how you can best communicate within these
limits and you may present the work in any format that you wish, except for a traditional essay. One
of the reasons that an essay doesn’t work is that the word count is not sufficient to convey a
substantial amount of analysis and evaluation in an essay format.
Please note: appendices should be avoided as they will count towards the word count. Similarly,
graphics and tables which are deemed to be excessively ‘wordy’ will also be counted in the word
limit. The intention here is that you follow the spirit of using alternative ways to communicate rather
than trying to circumvent the word limit!
Potential formats
Below is a list of formats that have been selected in the past by students for you to consider. Please
note that you are not restricted to these, and we will share examples with you in case you require
some inspiration!
A presentation – could be regular Powerpoint submission, or with voiceover, or you could even
record yourself giving the presentation! You can also use other presentation software if you
have an alternative to Powerpoint that you prefer.
A business-style report
A poster or infographic – digital or printed (*see note below)
A collage approach such as a scrapbook or a pin board
A blog, or vlog
A website / page
A film, podcast or animation
A 3D (physical) model (**)
*Please note: As there is no effective zoom facility in the Moodle marking system, if you have
designed a poster or infographic you may want to submit this as a physical printed item as well as
the digital file (so that we see it as it is intended to be). The Creative Studio on campus can print
posters up to A0 size for you and offer an ‘express’ service if you leave it a bit late, but please
consider that the University has a closure period during the Lent vacation when no services will be
offered (from 2nd to 7th April).
** All physical submissions including posters: For all formats which require a physical submission
(including posters) you will need to hand these in to one of our coordinator colleagues in
Management School West Pavilion D69.
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Things to consider when choosing your format
i. What are your personal strengths
If you are particularly good at writing concisely you may want to select a report, website,
blog etc.
If you are quite artistic you may want to create a 3D submission or design a hand drawn
/ painted poster.
If you have strengths in digital design you could design a poster this way, and if you have
the technical skills maybe even a webpage or animation. Infographics can also work well
for this submission and there are many packages that help with designing these.
If you are confident in your presentation skills, maybe you can do a voice-over or
videoed presentation, vlog, film or podcast
If you don’t consider yourself to be ‘creative’ but have strong skills in data analysis and
presentation, you can create a really effective business report or business-style
presentation in response to the brief.
ii. What is the nature / personality of the branded product you have chosen
Is it considered to be a ‘quirky’, ‘cute’ or fun brand/product, or is it advertised in a fun or
quirky manner In these cases a very serious business report may not fit but you may
want to do something more ‘creative’
Is it a product consumed by children – would this influence how you present it
Is it controversial – how would this best work
Is it a luxury or value item and what might this suggest about presentation
Is it something more serious – would a report / presentation work better
iii. What is the story that you are telling / what are the aspects of analysis in their RTM (see
brief) that you want to focus most on
Most will find that their analysis is best presented as a journey, but it may lend itself
better to a collage approach or indeed something which goes full circle and this can
impact choice of format.
Some analysis may work best with a comparative design. Where the brand/product has
a very specific RTM which is distinctive in its product category, or where the category
has two distinct approaches (e.g. independent/artisan versus global mass-scale
organisation) you may want to present your analysis as a comparison and consider how
certain formats may work best for this.
iv. When will you aim to finalise your work and will you be on campus
Physical formats will need to be actually handed in so if you can’t be in Lancaster for the
deadline then this is really about being honest with yourself about whether you will
work on the submission throughout the term and get it handed in early, or would be
better to focus on something which can be submitted electronically.
Please remember that very few extensions will be given so for most the deadline is
absolute.
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The Task
“Using concepts that have featured in the module, and focusing on the consumer value statement,
explain the journey of ONE product from production to consumption (and possibly beyond).”
Overview
The task is to explain the journey (end-to-end route to market) of one consumer product (not a B2B
product, service or retailer) from its time, place and form of origin, through to its selection in the
store (physical and/or online) by the shopper, and potentially beyond this point (considering re-use,
recycling etc). You should track how value is created for the target consumer and shopper, whereby
it becomes available to purchase and consume in the right place, right form, right time, right
quantity etc.
You should therefore consider all transformation and value adding processes, including how the
product is presented in the retail environment, but also consider how value is captured, and how it is
(or potentially is) destroyed at various stages in its journey. Students should evaluate the route to
market to explain why it is specifically designed as it is, giving thought particularly to what
differentiates this product and which stages of the RTM create/deliver this differentiation.
Work should also demonstrate consideration of external factors / influences which may have driven
recent changes. Note: you are not expected to make recommendations on how this could be
improved as you won’t have the word count for this!
Effective work will consider all elements of the module teaching, and focus on original analysis
rather than description. Effective submissions will also be highly visual and demonstrate effective
research.
A good place to start is to identify a product that you buy and consume – think about what for you, is
the distinctive value proposal or your personal value statement (why do you choose to buy this
rather than an alternative) and how is the RTM organised to deliver this value You are strongly
advised to select a product based on your personal or career interests, and to look early in the
library market research databases to ensure that you can find data relevant to the product and
wider category. It isn’t absolutely necessary to choose a product that you consume, it just generally
makes the work more interesting!
Required elements
Balance: The balance of information, data and analysis that you present will very much depend on
the product that you have chosen and the story that you are telling. As an example, if your product is
differentiated very much by sustainable production techniques, then this aspect would be
significant, whereas a product which positioned as being a high end luxury item may focus more on
sourcing and production quality controls.
Focus on value: Remember that throughout the submission your focus is on how value is created
and delivered for the target shopper/consumer, how it is captured by the various RTM partner
organisations, and potentially how it is destroyed, for the shopper/consumer, one or more
organisation, or both.
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Category norms: In order to convey this effectively, you will also need to indicate what it is about
the RTM that differentiates the product (creates/delivers the specific value). In order to understand
what is different / unique / better or cheaper (or possible the opposite of these things) about your
product’s RTM you also need to understand what a regular RTM for this product category would
look like. This could be the category ‘norm’ or standard approach, or just a contrast with the market
leader or closest competitor. This understanding enables you to make points of comparison in your
analysis to illustrate where distinctive value is created and delivered.
Required sections/inclusions: For all submissions, there are just a few ‘rules’ about what you must
include. Please remember that where we state that there is required information, this doesn’t mean
lengthy description and could be entirely visual:
Some form of statement as to the core value statement of the product. The purpose of this
assessment is to analyse how and where value is created for the end consumer, so you need
to first state what this value is. This should consider the actual positioning (value
proposition) of the product, but also what you believe the target consumer value statement
to be if this is different (e.g. this may focus additionally or more do on product availability).
You must include somewhere a depiction of the end-to-end RTM – this could be combined /
integrated with your analysis/evaluation, or it could be supplied separately (for example as
one slide in a presentation or page in a report).
You must have some statistics/data presentation regarding your product and the category
that it sits in. These should be from credible sources (preferably the library databases) and
be used to illustrate where your product sits within it’s marketplace and any other elements
that you believe are relevant / support your analysis.
You must have some analysis / discussion relating to all three stages of the RTM. These do
not need to be given equal space / consideration depending on the story that you want to
tell, and it doesn’t need to be presented necessarily in this linear approach. For more detail
on each stage see below.
o Primary (sourcing / transport of ingredients/components)
o Secondary (key stage of manufacture or processing)
o Tertiary (downstream transport and retailing)
You must have some analysis / discussion regarding ethical and sustainable (or
unethical/unsustainable) aspects of the RTM.
You must have some mention or depiction of the actual ‘marketing’ of the product. This
could be simply be some visuals to support your articulation of the value
proposition/statement, or where relevant it could be more detailed (e.g. content marketing
regarding ethical credentials, in-store promotional activity etc). Please note that the point of
this is to demonstrate/evaluate how value is communicated. Simply depicting a picture of a
social media post, or some Similarweb data will rarely add value to your submission.
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Further advice
Stages of the RTM
Primary stage
You should include some information here regarding the sourcing of key ingredients or components
and how these are transported to the key point of manufacture/processing. If you are looking at a
complex product (e.g. tech product / phone etc) you do not need to track every single component,
but should aim to provide detail on at least the most important ones, or those components which
add most value.
Secondary stage
There must be some information regarding how and where the product is actually manufactured or
processed. Whatever the key stage of transformation is (e.g. assembly for a tech product,
manufacture of a chocolate bar, packaging of a kilo of potatoes) you must have some depiction as to
how this works. Note that it isn’t always possible to establish precisely how a specific organisation
assembles / manufactures / packages it’s products, so if this isn’t available you can make some
assumptions based on the information that can be found. What this means for example is that if you
choose a chocolate bar, you may find generic information on how chocolate is made, rather than
specifically how this chocolate is made. However, this only works if there is nothing about that bar
that is differentiated by it’s manufacturing process. For example, a chocolate bar with bubbles inside
if not going to be made in a generic fashion, so specific information would be required!
Tertiary stage
This should include some information on how the finished product is stored and transported to the
point of retail, but with more detail/analysis on the retailing itself. For this section try to
demonstrate understanding of the relevant module content and consider inclusion of how the
product is retailed, priced, promoted etc. Generally speaking, the ‘marketing’ of your product would
also sit here if you are presenting the work in these stages.
Deadline & Submission Details
Coursework must be submitted by 12pm on Thursday 23rd April (week 21).
Please note that for each student we will only mark one submission, please don’t supply two
different submissions such as a physical model and accompanying report, your submission needs to
be one thing. The only exception to this is if you have created a video/voiceover and are worried
about sound quality when you can supply a transcript, but it must be the same as what is said with
no additional information.
Additional note: In accordance with Lancaster University academic regulations, this assessment will
be anonymously marked. That means students’ names will not be visible during the marking
process. This means that you should not include your student ID number or name on your
submission. Please note: as your tutors are available to support you with your coursework
throughout the term you can of course share with them what you are doing which technically
removes the element of anonymity, but this is your choice.
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Extensions: As explained earlier in this document, the submission deadline for this assessment in
previous years was before the break and has been extended to give students more time to consider
all elements of the module. Extensions will only be offered by exception where there is evidence of
illness or other exceptional circumstances. Any extension request should be submitted with the
appropriate form with evidence to part2marketing@lancaster.ac.uk
References and reference lists
References / citations do not count towards your word limit. For some formats it may not be
possible or practical (or indeed aesthetically pleasing) to include in-text citations, but please consider
how you can do this wherever possible, and certainly for traditional formats such a report or
Powerpoint presentation these must be included in a professional manner. Please see also the
section below on plagiarism.
Every submission must have at least a professionally formatted, end list of Harvard-style references.
Where necessary these can be uploaded as a separate file alongside your submission.
Please note that it is not expected that you will have many (or any) academic references for this
work. Understanding of theory should be conveyed through your analysis / evaluation rather than
explicitly discussed (as for a professional style report) so most of your references will be websites
and research databases. If you are not familiar with how to reference these appropriately (i.e. not
just supplying a url) please check the Cite Them Right – Harvard style guide available here or through
the library.
Electronic file formats
Any submission format which is an electronic file should be uploaded to the Moodle submission
folder in the usual way. We will set the folder so that you can upload a variety of standard files, but
in some cases it may be necessary to upload your work in more than one format (your original
format plus one which works better with Moodle marking). The usual way to mark from within the
Moodle marking view is that the submission is loaded as a flat file with the only navigation possible
to move between pages. For anything therefore that isn’t a straightforward report or Powerpoint
presentation, the marker needs to open the preferred file type outside of the marking view, but they
need to know that this is what you want them to do so please see below.
Please note the following:
For a straightforward report, you should submit this as a .pdf
For a straightforward Powerpoint presentation – you can submit this as .ppt or convert to
.pdf. Just remember that if you have included notes in the notes sections (which would
count towards the word count unless they are just your references) you will need to convert
to the appropriate .pdf format. Please do not use software which converts Powerpoint to
pdf as a picture – these often don’t work well with Moodle marking.
If you have produced a Powerpoint presentation which has voiceover or video embedded,
you can submit as .ppt but you need to indicate this on your submission as otherwise these
elements will be missed from marking. In this case, please add an extra slide at the start of
your submission (won’t count towards word count) which simply states ‘please open the
attached file’ and why.
Other presentation types such as Prezi – if possible upload a .pdf version of your slides with
a front page which has a link to your submission (please check that the link works for other
people) and a request that we mark from the link.
Videos/podcasts/vlogs etc – you should be OK to upload most regular file types, unless the
file size exceeds 2GB. If your file size exceeds this, you will need to submit it as a usb drive
(so essentially a physical submission) or a link, but please ensure that you check that other
people can access the link not just yourself. In this case, please just upload a word doc with
the statement ‘Submission exceeds 2GB, please use this link / please see submitted usb
drive’. You should also load a document/.pdf with your references.
Websites / web blogs etc – please upload a word doc with a link and brief explanation of the
format of your work (e.g. ‘Please click this link to access my website’) and a list of
references. Please ensure that the link works for other people and not just yourself!
Posters / Infographics – in our experience these work best when printed. If you are
submitting a printed poster, please upload to Moodle a list of references first with a clear
indication at the top that you have submitted a physical item. Then upload the file of your
work as a back up. If you can’t or choose not to have your work printed, you may want to
consider if you could present it slightly differently, for example could it be separated into
different elements/stages which are then spread across a number of Powerpoint slides or
.pdf pages Otherwise, we can mark it from the uploaded file so that we can zoom in, but it
doesn’t always convey the impact that your work should have.
Important: Please do not upload your work as an HEIC file or another format which is incompatible
with the windows environment. If we can’t open your file, it will unfortunately be awarded an F4.
For all submissions you need to ensure that your student ID and word count are included
somewhere on the file that you want to be marked.
‘Physical’ or non electronic formats
For this assessment, it is possible that your submission will not take the form of an electronic file,
but please note that any physical submissions will need to be brought into the Coordinators office
(LUMS WP D69) and for this reason, if you intending to return to Lancaster late after the break you
will need to submit before you leave. This includes posters / infographics that you are printing. We
unfortunately will not be able to grant extensions to anyone who wants to submit a physical
format but is not on campus for the submission deadline.
Where you opt for a physical submission, you will also be required to upload two files to the Moodle
submission folder prior to the deadline:
A picture of your submission
A document containing your references, student ID and word count
Important: for your physical submission, you should also print and attach your references (with
student ID and word count) to your submission.
Plagiarism and use of AI
Because of the open format nature of this assessment, the rules regarding referencing are slightly
different to other modules that you have taken or will be taking, and you will be briefed in detail as
to the expectations and options for different formats.
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Please note however that additional checks are conducted on all submissions to ensure that any
plagiarism is identified by the marker, in particular where the format cannot go through the Turnitin
system. You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with all the rules regarding plagiarism and
how to avoid it by, by engaging with the resources from LUMS Learning Development and the
tutorial offered by the library (links below).
Learning Development advice https://modules.lancaster.ac.uk/course/view.php id=281
Library tutorial on plagiarism https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/library/how-to/reference/what-is plagiarism/
In particular, it is recommended that you do not copy-paste any text from websites into your
notes when you are preparing your submission, as this has been seen to be a common form of
plagiarism in non-standard submissions.
Use of AI – Important messages
Whilst we acknowledge that use of AI tools can support understanding, research and image
generation, they should never be used to create an assessment, or significant part of an assessment
as this will not be your work so constitutes plagiarism.
This assessment was used as a ‘testbed’ by ISS to see how effective AI tools would be in responding
to a non-standard assessment brief. Responses took a great deal of time/effort to produce by an
expert in this field, and all would have been would be failed for various reasons.
It is really not worth the time and effort that would need to be invested in trying to bypass
appropriate learning methods if your work will ultimately fail, and the lack of learning you will take
from the module will impact on your understanding in your final year.
Please read both the University guidance on ‘Using AI in your learning and assessment’ and the
departmental guidance below.
Use of AI for assessments (Marketing Department Guidance)
We recognise that the use of AI can be beneficial to aid and enhance your overall learning, for
example by helping you find relevant information about a particular topic you are doing research on.
However, you should not use AI to create an assignment for you, for the following reasons:
To copy-paste or replicate from an AI source, even if just small parts, is deemed unethical and
can lead to issues of academic integrity.
Using AI reduces the opportunity to use and improve crucial skills such as critical thinking and
problem-solving.
AI can provide answers that sound like human text, but they might not be factually accurate,
and this can have an impact on your understanding of the subject and fundamentally your
grade.
Ultimately, using AI removes the essence of independent learning, academic effort and
engagement with different subjects and materials, all of which are at the core of university
education, and key to honing your transferrable skills that are essential for your future
careers.
Turnitin now checks your work for AI usage as well as plagiarism to ensure the originality and
authenticity of the submitted work.
Helpful Resources
As this is a very practical module, most of the resources that will help with your coursework are not
necessarily ‘academic’ sources and you are encouraged to engage as much as possible with current
affairs and business news. A good place to start is to regularly engage with news stories, particularly
news on product supply and retailing, such as regulations, product shortages, pricing, ethics and
sustainability, and many news apps will let you tailor what you see to your interests.
You will be provided with links to interesting resources, articles and websites as we move through
the module, but some key resources are listed on Moodle in the ‘Useful resources….’ section.
A word of caution – non critical sources and insufficient research!
When you are researching for your submission, you need to ensure that you can offer a balanced
and critical perspective on the RTM. For this reason, although you may get a lot of your details about
the RTM from the organisation / brand’s own website, this must never be your only or main source
of information. Work which is over-reliant on company sources will generally lack the criticality and
wider perspective which we expect for higher grades.
Similarly, some students choose to interview someone within an organisation for some of their
information, and this can be a great idea so long as it is not the only source. Sometimes for small
companies you may need to speak with them to get details of their RTM and this can really add to
the depth of understanding in your submission, but interviews of this nature will lack the external
perspective which enables your criticality, so they need to be combined with other sources.
Number of sources: I generally don’t like the practice of saying how many sources / references a
piece of work should have as it can vary so much, particularly with a research-based piece of work
like this assessment. It is however possible to consult too few sources so that your work lacks the
appropriate rigour, detail or data that it requires. Please try to consult at least six sources, but
ultimately ensure that you have a range of sources, voices and perspectives to inform your work.
MKTG229: Routes to Market Lent Term 2025-26最先出现在KJESSAY历史案例。