This assignment incorporates all you have learned throughout the course and assignments. Create a strategic marketing plan for a company of your choosing (suggest using one of the companies analyzed in competitive analysis assignment – use a particular product / company but it should be your plan not just the company information). (Instructor may request a draft earlier in the semester – will advise Week 1 of the course). This assignment will be done as a PowerPoint with Notes presentation. Moreover, students will be asked to condense the PPT into a five-minute in class presentation Week 7. Specific slides for the presentation are noted on the template found in Course Material – Week 7 entitled Marketing Plan PowerPoint Template. Please note this assignment is therefore due at class time. The presentation will also be included in the final Marketing Plan grade. The plan must include the following sections: Executive summary Opportunity assessment – describe the current industry/market situationProduct descriptionGoals – develop the results that must be achieved from the marketing plan you are proposing (not the corporate goals of the company) – use S.M.A.R.T. goals (at least three should be cited). ** make sure you follow the directions on this section.Critical success factors – describe factors which would impact the success of this product and planTarget market – fully describe the target market for this plan (demographics, psychographics, attitudes, geography, emotions, etc.Key messages – develop the key message pyramid – what does the customer want to hear, etc.(instructor handout in Course Material to assist with this section if needed)Marketing and communications tactics – include three different tactics, explain why these were selected, and describe in some detail (2-3 paragraphs per tactic recommended should be included in the note section) how to integrate the campaign elements you are suggesting. The detail is provided in the Note section of the slide. (Provide a summary conclusion to close out the paper). Charts, graphics and illustrations are encouraged. All facts must have reference citations in the body of the report (See APA guide). This assignment is to be presented as a PowerPoint with NOTES in a high quality, professional level. Remember, the intention of the paper is for you to show your mastery of the marketing planning elements with a specific campaign within an industry. Assignment MUST include: Cover page slideTable of contentsReference page (at least five references)Presentation Notes are required to support each slide with references. PowerPoint assignment should be no more than 15 slides in total including the cover page. Points will be deducted if over 15+ slides. For the presentation, condense to eight slides and NO MORE than five minutes in a verbal presentation Week 7. This will encourage and support clarity. Any longer and you will be asked to end the presentation (points lost as well). Organization, flow, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure will all be included as components of the grade. The rubric below will be used to evaluate this assignment. A template for the Marketing Plan PowerPoint will be found in Course Material – Week 7. For the presentation there are suggested slides on the PowerPoint template to incorporate vs the entire deck. This will provide a way for you to condense the material for the oral presentation. It is not necessary to redo any slide for the presentation, just reduce the number for the time consideration. Students demonstrate Practical Application when they: SLOExemplaryAccomplishedDevelopingBeginningApply theoretical concepts to real-life situationsStudent transfers appropriate elements of multiple theoretical concepts to a real-life situation, analyzes the situation in light of these theories, identifies relevant limitations of each theory, and evaluates the efficacy of the application.Student transfers appropriate elements of a theoretical concept to a real-life situation, analyzes the situation in light of the theory, and correctly identifies some limitations of the theory to the specific situation.Student uses a theoretical concept to analyze a real-life situation, but does not choose the most appropriate theory for the situation and/or makes no reference to limitations of the theoretical concept.Student is attempts to analyze a real-life situation using a theoretical concept, but makes only vague or inaccurate reference to the theory. *Letter grade guideline on page 4-5 also applies.

Portfolio Assignment Option #1IW Technologies (IWT) is a 6-year old company founded by Harold Jacksen and Donald Smith to exploit metamaterial plasmonic technology to develop and manufacture miniature microwave frequency directional transmitters and receivers for use in mobile Internet and communications applications. The technology, although highly-advanced, is relatively inexpensive to implement and their patented manufacturing techniques require little capital in comparison to many electronics fabrication ventures. Because of the low capital requirement, J&S have been able to avoid issuing new stock and thus own all of the shares. Because of the explosion in demand for its mobile Internet applications, IWT must now access outside equity capital to fund its growth and J&S have decided to take the company public. Until now, J&S have paid themselves reasonable salaries but routinely reinvested all after-tax earnings in the firm, so dividend policy has not been an issue. However, before talking with potential outside investors, they must decide on a dividend policy.Your new boss at the consulting firm FLT and Associates, which has been retained to help IWT prepare for its public offering, has asked you to make a presentation to Jackson and Smithfield in which you review the theory of dividend policy and discuss the following issues.Due in Module 5What is meant by the term “distribution policy”? How have dividend payouts versus stock repurchases changed over time?The terms "irrelevance," "dividend preference, or bird-in-the-hand," and "tax effect" have been used to describe three major theories regarding the way dividend payouts affect a firm's value. Explain what these terms mean, and briefly describe each theory.Submit the spreadsheet by Sunday of Week 5 so the instructor can review your work and provide suggestions for improvement. No points will be assigned for this, but points will be deducted from your final grade on the Portfolio Project if you fail to submit this assignment by the end of Week 5. Additionally, work received later than Week 6 of the course will not receive feedback prior to the final grading of the Portfolio Project.Due in Module 6What do the three theories indicate regarding the actions management should take with respect to dividend payouts?What results have empirical studies of the dividend theories produced? How does all this affect what we can tell managers about dividend payouts?Complete Requirement 2 and submit your work by Sunday of this week so your professor can review and provide suggestions for improvement. No points will be assigned for this, but points will be deducted from your final grade on the Portfolio Project if you fail to submit this assignment by the end of Week 6. Additionally, work received later than Week 7 of the course will not receive feedback prior to the final grading of the Portfolio Project.Discuss (1) the clientele effect, (2) the information content, or signaling, hypothesis, and (3) their effects on dividend policy.Assume that IWT has a $112.5 million capital budget planned for the coming year. You have determined its present capital structure (80% equity and 20% debt) is optimal, and its net income is forecasted at $140 million. Use the residual distribution model approach to determine IWT’s total dollar distribution. Assume for now that the distribution is in the form of a dividend. IWT has 100 million shares. What is the forecasted dividend payout ratio? What is the forecasted dividend per share?What would happen to the payout ratio and DPS if net income were forecasted to decrease to $90 million?What would happen to the payout ratio and DPS if net income were forecasted to increase to $160 million?In general terms, how would a change in investment opportunities affect the payout ratio under the residual payment policy?What are the advantages and disadvantages of the residual policy? (Hint: Don't neglect signaling and clientele effects.Describe the procedures a company follows when it makes a distribution through dividend payments.What is a stock repurchase? Describe the procedures a company follows when it makes a distribution through a stock repurchase.What are stock repurchases? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a firm's repurchasing its own shares.Suppose IWT has decided to distribute $50 million, which it presently is holding in very liquid short-term investments. IWT’s value of operations is estimated to be about $1,937.5 million. IWT has $387.5 million in debt (it has no preferred stock). As mentioned previously, IWT has 100 million shares of stock outstanding.Assume that IWT has not yet made the distribution. What is IWT’s intrinsic value of equity? What is its intrinsic per share stock price?Now suppose that IWT has just made the $50 million distribution in the form of dividends. What is IWT’s intrinsic value of equity? What is its intrinsic per share stock price?Suppose instead that IWT has just made the $50 million distribution in the form of a stock repurchase. Now what is IWT’s intrinsic value of equity? How many shares did IWT repurchase? How many shares remained outstanding after the repurchase? What is its intrinsic per share stock price after the repurchase?Your paper must meet the following requirements:Be approximately 4-6 pages in length, not including the cover page and reference page.Be sure to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA. Each paper should include an introduction, a body with at least two fully developed paragraphs, and a conclusion.Your paper must be clearly and well written using excellent grammar and style techniques. If you need assistance with your writing style, start with Tools for Effective Writing at the CSU-Global Library, accessible from the library’s homepage.Refer to the Portfolio Project grading rubric available in the Module 8 Folder for information on grading details.

Prior to entering this discussion, review section 4 of the Environmental-Trend Analysis in the Abraham’s textbook.As you have learned in this week’s readings, many businesses exist in dynamic markets that pose unique economic, political, and technological challenges. Select a medium- to large-sized, publicly traded corporation that currently exists in a challenging business environment. Refer to the seven common categories of trend analysis as laid out in your textbook: Economic, regulatory/legislative, political, demographic, sociocultural, attitude/lifestyle, and technological. Research the company online by accessing the Mergent Ashford University Library online database which offers company financials, descriptions, history, property, subsidiaries, officers and directors. Also, access the Business Insights: Global Ashford University Library online database which offers information on global companies and industries. It includes environment analysis, market share data, financial reports, case studies, business news, and company comparison charts. (View the Mergent tipsheet and Business Insights tipsheet documents for suggested methods of searching Ashford University Library databases generally, as well as specific advice for searching these two databases). You can always conduct research using credible online sources of corporate financial information, just be sure that wherever you obtain financial information that you cite your source. Use this Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. document for guidance. Choose one of the seven categories to use as a basis of analysis for this discussion. Ensure that the time frame is now and that the challenges are continuing.In your initial post of at least 400 words,Provide a general description of the publicly traded company you chose.Describe the challenges facing the company in the chosen category of analysis.Assess its current performance in your chosen category of analysis.Forecast its projected performance in your chosen category of analysis.Evaluate impending opportunities or challenges that result from your environmental scan.