a company report
Main Objective of the assessment
To write a report that explains some aspect of business and management based on Heathrow Airport. Also, you should prepare your own curriculum vitae (CV) and a covering letter to a standard appropriate to send off as part of a job application.
Description of the Assessment is divided into two parts;
A) Writing a report based on Heathrow Airport UK (http://www.heathrow.com/)
B) Writing a CV and covering letter.
Part A) your report must critically discuss these four aspects of their business:
1. Business strengths and weaknesses.
2. Development of new products/services.
3. Competitors.
4. Marketing strategies.
Preparation/data gathering: (http://www.heathrow.com/company/investor-centre)
http://www.heathrow.com/company/investor-centre/document-centre/annual-accounts
• Your first step is to locate the Company’s website and find their Annual Report. This is often flagged as ‘about the firm’, ‘information for investors’, ‘investor relations’ or similar.
• Search for additional information about the Company in journals, newspapers. It is most important to make use of all the electronic databases such as Business Source Premier, Fame, ABI Inform, Mintel, GMID, Snapshots.
Prepare a simple matrix of data about the company in Excel. Your purpose is to use it to perform simple calculations and prepare simple graphs, bar charts, pie charts, etcetera in order to help a potential reader make sense of what may be complex data.
Your task is to make it simple enough for the lay person (someone who is less familiar with the subject matter) to read and also to keep their interest.
You will need to prepare a spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet must contain:
• Overall sales revenues over the last five years (present this as a bar chart).
• Sales growth over the last five years (present this as a line chart).
• Main business areas (present this as a pie chart).
• Each graph or chart will need what is called a ‘legend’, explaining what it is
The report should be no more than 1500 words long. This includes all words, that is, from the first word of the title to the very last word in the list of references.
Part B) Writing a CV and covering letter Prepare a CV, and an (accompanying letter no more than 500 words long), which would be appropriate to submit for the job advertisement below.
You will see that they are jobs for work placements (rather than jobs for after you graduate, at the very end of your studies). You should write the CV and accompanying letter as if you are just about to go out on work placement in the following year. So, you will have to invent some of the facts about yourself.
Job: eMarketing and data analysis coordinator/intern
Key responsibilities:
• Support website creation and development (Internet, intranet, extranet)
• Support the introduction of new technology and functionality
• Coordinate development of online campaigns
• Monitor and control search engine optimisation activity
• Measure and analyse web metrics to improve performance
• Design, monitor and analyse online research
• Research best practice in e-marketing
• Co-ordinate data capture requirements in line with CRM strategy
• Assist in managing CRM system and Sales Analysis
Required profile:
• Type of degree (minimum of 2.2 in first-year results)
• Work experience/competencies:
• Familiarity with web design/functionality
• Good understanding of Microsoft Word, Excel and Access databases
• Research and data analysis
• Previous marketing experience preferred
Soft skills:
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Effective communicator
• Analytical, logical, data literate
• Good influencing skills
• Organised: ability to take ownership of projects and drive results
• Good problem solving skills
• Flexible to changing circumstances and environment
• Team player
What your report will look like in terms of its structure:
• Title of the report
• Introduction, including overview of what is to follow
Main body of the report:
• Business strengths and weaknesses
• Development of new products/services
• Competitors
• Marketing strategies
• Concluding comments
• List of references
• Appendix
• Covering Letter
• CV
