Undergraduate Course: Marketing Strategy (BUST10118)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Marketing strategy has been the subject of considerable research in both the business and marketing literature over the past four decades. It has become an area of primary concern to all organisations, depending critically on a subtle understanding and analysis of the market. Its importance becomes even greater in today's ever challenging and fast-changing business environment. Too often companies focus upon marketing management related issues and expect these to deliver competitive advantage and better performance. However, very often companies that commit their limited resources to new product development, or launching a new brand, or embarking upon an extensive promotion campaign, or signing up distributors, or publishing pricing details, tend to do so without a detailed examination of their marketing environment and their own competences. Also, far too often companies appear to have the view that if only they could do things right, success would follow.
In this course, we stress that companies need to consider whether they are doing the right things! The philosophy underlying this course is that strategically-oriented companies are geared for long term success and that this strategic orientation must be pioneered by top management and infused throughout the whole organisation. In addition to this overall strategic-oriented culture, a body of marketing knowledge must be understood and a host of specific skills are required including marketing planning, market segmentation and targeting, marketing communications, pricing and distribution, evaluation and control. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Marketing (BUST08004)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Year 3 only. Business Studies Honours entry. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Business Studies courses (including at least one Marketing course)at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
60 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment for this course is comprised of the following:
An exam (2 hrs; 2 questions from a choice of 5) will contribute 60% of the final mark.
A group based assignment will contribute 40% of the final mark. This will be divided into 35% for the submission and 5% for Peer Assessment.
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
On completion of the course participants will be expected to:
- Understand the concept of marketing strategy and appreciate the relationship between marketing strategy and corporate strategy.
- Understand the strategic marketing management process; including the specific techniques for carrying out a thorough appraisal of a company's internal and external environments.
- Appraise the alternative strategic marketing decisions available to organisations.
- Understand the implementation (management) of the firm¿s marketing mix strategies in various market-segments.
Cognitive Skills
On completion of the course participants will be expected to:
- Critically evaluate key marketing strategy concepts; theory and practice.
- Formulate and implement a marketing strategy based on a systematic strategic analysis
- Demonstrate a sound understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of each strategic marketing decisions and operational issues associated with them.
- Critically evaluate a firm¿s marketing mix decisions and marketing strategy performance.
- The course assignment also gives participants the opportunity of applying key strategic marketing tools, and recommending appropriate future marketing strategies and activities.
Transferable Skills
On completion of the course participants will be expected to:
- Be able to analyse marketing strategy cases and provide appropriate suggestions to the challenges of operating in various segments of a market.
- Be able to apply strategic tools/frameworks to real-world marketing situations and recommend appropriate course of actions to given organisations.
- Be able to undertake a strategic marketing analysis.
- Be able to communicate your analysis effectively to others class mates in small groups or to the whole class.
- Be able to demonstrate your understanding of specific marketing strategy concepts under examination conditions, by drawing upon relevant reading and examples.
Content
Key areas that will be covered in the course are:
- strategic analysis of macro factors and competitive forces in the marketing environment
- strategic choices including markets to serve, products to offer and positioning decisions
- the development and implementation of the strategic marketing mix:
product strategic decisions
- strategic pricing
- strategic decision of marketing communications
- distribution strategic decisions
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Reading List
Core Text:
West Douglas, John Ford and Essam Ibrahim (2010) Strategic Marketing: Creating Competitive Advantage, (2nd edition), Oxford University Press.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | MS |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Essam Ibrahim
Tel: (0131 6)50 8496
Email: Essam.Ibrahim@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Anastasia Fliatoura
Tel: (0131 6)50 3826
Email: Anastasia.Fliatoura@ed.ac.uk |
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