4. Fill in the gaps with the most appropriate term.

MARKETING PLAN COMPETITOR EXPANSION JOINT VENTURE TO ENTER

1. We offer better services than our … .

2. A(n) … helps you to establish and coordinate your marketing efforts.

3. We are going to set up a … to develop a new project.

4. Our plan for the next year is … a new market with a luxury product.

5. We have enough money to spend on … .

Case Study 1

Highly Brill Leisure Center has hired you to help them with their marketing decision making.

Perform a SWOT analysis on Highly Brill Leisure Center, based upon the following issues:

1. The Center is located within a two-minute walk of the main bus station, and is a fifteen-minute ride away from the local railway station.

2. There is a swimming pool; but it has no equipment as other pools do.

3. It is located next to one of the largest shopping centers in Britain.

4. It is one of the oldest centers in the area and needs some cosmetic attention.

5. Due to an increase in income over the last six years, local people have more money to spend on leisure activities.

6. There has been a huge decrease in the birth rate over the last ten years.

7. In general people live longer and there are more local people aged over fifty-five now than ever before.

8. After a scandal with the manager of a competing leisure center, the leader of a respected local scuba club is looking for a new premise.

9. The local authority is considering privatizing all local leisure centers by the year 2020.

10. Press releases have just been issued to confirm that Highly Brill Leisure Center is the first center in the area to be awarded for quality standard.

11. It is known that Highly Brill has the best-trained and most respected staff of all of the centres.

STRENGTHS	OPPORTUNITIES
WEAKNESSES	THREATS

Confusing words

Opportunity: something that happens because you work on it.

Chance: something that happens by luck, without being planned.

Possibility: something that may happen or may be true.

1. There is a(n) … I will travel to New York next month.

2. Success is rarely a matter of … . You have to work at it.

3. There are lots of job … if you get an MBA degree.

Case Study 2.

Expo Marketing Consultants carried out a SWOT analysis of GUBU Toys Ltd. Put all their findings in the correct box to complete the SWOT analysis

1. Reliable and committed workforce

2. Use of wood ― seen as 'good for the environment'

3. High labour costs

4. Location ― far from population centres/far from new markets

5. Beautiful handmade toys

6. Poor communications systems / limited technological skills

7. Internet as potential marketing tool / e-commerce

8. Lack of IT training in staff

9. Declining interest in domestic markets for traditional toys

10. Potentially strong demand in Germany and Scandinavia

11. Competition in Germany and Scandinavia / Baltic countries

12. Increased competition from mail order companies

13. Selling by new channels, e.g. mail order

Expo Marketing Consultants SWOT Analysis for GUBU (Toys) Ltd
STRENGTHS	OPPORTUNITIES
WEAKNESSES	THREATS

Case study 3

Background

Sunrise Holidays provides holiday apartments by the sea in southern Europe. The guests want sunshine, beaches and a relaxing holiday. Blue Horizon is a new Sunrise Holidays building.

The brochure

SUNRISE HOLIDAYS

A Sunrise Holiday is a 'holiday of a lifetime'. Our buildings are close to the sea, and all apartments have large balconies and air conditioning

The apartments are:

• large, modern, spacious, comfortable and clean;

• colourful;

• well-furnished and decorated.

Each apartment has:

• a shower / bathroom;

•a satellite TV, telephone, hairdryer and safe;

• all kitchen equipment.

The apartment buildings have:

• lovely views of the sea;

• beautiful gardens;

• a large swimming pool;

• a gym;

• two tennis courts;

• shops and a small supermarket.

Read the notes made by Blue Horizon guests.

Comments from our guests

1. sea ― 10 kilometers away

2. old building ― no view of the sea

3. no balconies

4. garden? ― no trees, no flowers

5. swimming pool not finished

6. rooms ― no air conditioning,

grey paint on walls

7. no supermarket, only one shop

Task

Work in pairs. Student A is Sunrise Holidays Representative. Student B is a guest at Blue Horizon.

Student A

Sunrise Holidays Representative

You receive a telephone call from an unhappy guest.

1. Listen to the guest.

2. Say you are sorry about the problems.

3. Offer to talk to the manager.

4. Do not offer to give back their money.

Student B

Guest at Blue Horizon

Telephone the company's representative.

1. You are very unhappy with your two-week holiday at Blue Horizon. It cost a lot of money.

2. Tell the representative why you are unhappy with the building, apartment and facilities.

3. You want to move to a different Sunrise Holidays apartment building or to get your money back.

Writing 1

You are an employee of Sunrise Holidays. Write a memo to the Manager of Blue Horizon, Carla Davis. Include:

• details about complaint

• solution to the problem

Writing 2

You are a manager at the head office of a company. One of your overseas branches has many problems. Write an e-mail to Carla Santori, the Branch Manager. Say what you think are the three biggest problems in the list and suggest a solution to each of the three problems.

Problems identified

• many long, formal meetings

• staff don’t like the new office manager

• difficult for employees who have children to start at 8.3 a.m. and finish at 5.00 p.m. every day

• many people spend a lot of time writing reports

• staff say it’s difficult to talk to the manager – they have to phone or write e-mails

• people don’t like to have to dress very smartly

Grammar