Postgraduate Course: Understanding Brands (CMSE11162)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | Taking a socio-cultural perspective, this course provides students with a deeper knowledge of the place of brands in the lives of consumers and the skills used to manage them. It does this by considering the meanings of brands and by outlining different brand strategies available to companies to both meet the needs of consumers and build powerful brands. Section one - which explores the socio-cultural meaning of brands - is designed to equip students with an understanding of what a brand is, how they are used by consumers and from where their meaning is derived. This will be done by exploring a range of contemporary theories from marketing and , sociology. With this grounding in place, we then move in section two to explore the concepts of brand equity before discussing different approaches to the management of brands. Learning is guided through consideration of the relevant literature and real-life examples from a variety of sectors. |
| Course description |
Aims, Nature, Context:
This course offers students the opportunity to study and understand a fundamental marketing technology. Brands are considerable vehicles for cultural meaning, self-expression, community, social movement and communication. Increasingly, for better or worse, the logic of brands and branding can be seen in diverse areas of life, beyond consumer goods - e.g. the political brand, branded religion and person as brand. In short, our daily lives are saturated by brand messages and meaning. From this backdrop we will explore the ways in which brands create value for organisation and consumers alike.
Student Learning Experience:
Tutorial/seminar hours represent the minimum total live hours - online or in-person - a student can expect to receive on this course. These hours may be delivered in tutorial/seminar, lecture, workshop or other interactive whole class or small group format. These live hours may be supplemented by pre-recorded lecture material for students to engage with asynchronously.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 15,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
132 )
|
| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Seminar/Tutorial hrs are the min total live hrs, online or in-person, students can expect to receive
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% coursework (individual) - assesses all course Learning Outcomes |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback:
Formative feedback will be given throughout the course through class discussion and Q&A sessions, particularly pertaining to the coursework. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the different roles that brands play in the lives of consumers.
- Understand how brands use functional and symbolic meaning to create value for consumers and, ultimately create powerful brands.
- Understand and critically analyse how brands create and communicate meaning through brand management, showing awareness of the sources of meaning e.g. cultural agents and consumers.
- Critically evaluate strategies used in the management of brands.
|
Reading List
Resource List:
https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/29253099820002466?auth=SAML |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills
Students will develop analytical skills such as:
* The ability to apply concepts and theories to real life brand management;
* The ability to critically evaluate brand strategies and management;
management;
* The ability to critically appraise brand management and make recommendations for improvement; * The ability to use introspection as an analytical tool
Subject Specific Skills
Students will gain:
* The ability to recognise and respond to challenges associated with the management of brands;
The abilty to critically analyse the cultural context of brand management;
* The ability to make recommendations to overcome and avoid specific brand challenges and threats.
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
* Be able to work individually on a piece of analysis;
* Be able to communicate and exchange critical insights in oral and written formats
* Be able to critically analyse and use problem solving skills when considering possible courses of action. |
| Keywords | Mark-UB |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Pauline Ferguson
Tel:
Email: Pauline.Ferguson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Emily Davis
Tel: (0131 6)51 7112
Email: Emily.Davis@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage