The curriculum aims at providing the students with the latest thinking and practice in strategic marketing and communications, with a particular twist on marketing of innovation, and growth and sustainable performance of firms. Topics will typically include:
• Company marketing analysis and planning
• Segmentation, targeting, positioning and marketing mix
• Product/services, branding and product packaging decisions
• Brand/product and market portfolios and positioning of individual brands/products
• Rejuvenating the Product/Brand Portfolio, new product development /elimination decisions
• Distribution issues
• Market research methods/approaches. Deciding on innovation/new product attributes
• Consumer behaviour theories and relevant topics including CSR and responsible management
• Strategic Communications - Integrated communications strategy and particularly digital marketing communications and applications
• Risk and marketing communications: Transparency, trust, risk/ hazards, crises and their management
• Stakeholders and stakeholder management and Critical Systems Heuristics
Contact hours: 36
Private study hours: 114
Total hours: 150
Main assessment methods:
Group presentation -20-25 mins (20%)
Individual report – 3000 words (80%)
Reassessment method:
100% coursework
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
The intended subject specific learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Critically appraise the role of marketing, marketing for innovations and especially communications (including digital marketing ones) and branding, in sustaining organisational success in a variety of global market and business environments.
2 Identify and critically evaluate marketing data and marketing information sources and interpret their impacts on strategic and operational marketing for innovation decisions and strategic communication issues.
3 Discriminate between local and global complex and dynamic market environments and be able to systematically analyse marketing opportunities including customer analysis, competitor analysis and analysis of marketing investments and innovative marketing (including digital marketing) approaches and marketing for innovation solutions.
4 Critically assess, and draw selectively from, the toolkit of marketing concepts and analytical frameworks in order to formulate marketing strategies and implementation plans with an emphasis on strategic communications, CSR and sustainability.
5 Develop creative and sustainable marketing and digital marketing for innovation solutions to sustainability challenges as part of a team.
6 Defend and justify proposals for marketing plans and actions, which are suitable for board level discussion and aim at further growth, transformation and performance of firms and industries.
The intended generic learning outcomes.
On successfully completing the module students will be able to:
1 Effectively and efficiently work in senior management groups and teams
2 Demonstrate advanced research skills in the business and management area
3 Systematically apply critical thinking skills to provide solutions at senior level to organisational strategic marketing and strategic communication problems
4 Analyse complex problems and identify appropriate solutions in the field of strategic marketing and strategic communication problems
5 Work and study independently and demonstrate learning through reflection on marketing and communication (including digital marketing) senior managerial practice and experience
6 Demonstrate advanced communication and report writing skills at senior management level
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