Analytical Report-Billabong

This subject's critical aspects of evidence requires students to develop a marketing plan for an organisation. However as part of your assessment hurdles this semester, you first need to demonstrate some theoretical understandings about strategic marketing planning.

Assignment Part 1 is designed to assess your ability to research an organisation and analyse it from the perspectives of the following marketing theories:

The Organisation: Billabong – Surfwear retailer

The organisation chosen is iconic Australian surfwear manufacturer/retailer Billabong (website http://www.billabong.com.au) Billabong are currently undergoing severe financial pain on the Australian sharemarket (as of late June 2012). According to newspaper reports (The Age Business 26 June 2012) their share price had plummeted, they are likely to be taken over and staff morale is at an alltime low. Their CEO is Gordon Merchant was said to be out of Australia while this turmoil was occuring. (See accompanying newspaper extracts from The Age, Tuesday 26 June 2012.)

A. The current situation Billabong finds itself it (A situation analysis)

The scope of the situation analysis includes:

business definition and scope

external – near environment

external – remote environment,

the firm- internal capabilities

tows analysis

product/s (brand) life cycle

Refer : Session 2, Session 4

Competitor analysis (you may incorporate this into A above)

Discuss 3 competitive brands/retailers of Billabong

Billabong' presumed or stated strategic thinking and strategic decision making

You will need to read any available literature/research/news commentary on Billabong, review their website presence and discuss against current theories (via Reed text book/ppt slides) and discuss through the following filters:

8 attributes of excellence (Session