Entry Requirements

The syllabus has the approval of the Management subject team for the academic year 2006/7 1 Birkbeck College, University of London Faculty of Continuing Education ACADEMIC YEAR 2006/07 SUBJECT AREAS Management TITLE Principles of Marketing / Competitive Strategy (DAY RELEASE) MODULE CODE FFMN004UDCC LEVEL 1 CREDIT VALUE 30 ASSESSMENT TYPE 100% coursework AWARDS WITH WHICH Certificate in Management ASSOCIATE AND STATUS PRE-REQUISITES/ENTRY Applicants must normally be over 21 with experience in a REQUIREMENTS responsible for managerial role. Applicants must have a good standard of written and spoken English. TIMES Day Release 1pm to 3pm DATES Term 1: Weds 4th October 2006 Weds 20th Dec 2006 Term 2: Weds 10th Jan 2007 Weds 28th March 2007 VENUE Room 103, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck, 25-27 Torrington Square, London WC1E 7JL FIRST MEETING Wednesday 4th October 2006, 1.00pm 3.00pm COURSE TAUGHT BY: Neil Coade MA The course introduces students to the theory and practice of marketing in a competitive environment. More specifically, it examines the process concerned with identifying, anticipating and satisfying consumer/user needs, and considers the methods by which organisations (public and private sectors) develop appropriate competitive strategies in order to succeed and survive in the face of environmental threats and opportunities. No previous knowledge of the subject is required. On successful completion of the course, however, the student will have acquired a thorough understanding of marketing concepts and sufficient practical competence and confidence in the subject to apply that knowledge to basic marketing problems and situations. Entry Requirements This course is open access. Anyone who feels they will benefit may enrol. Attendance Students are normally expected to attend at least 75% of the course. The syllabus has the approval of the Management subject team for the academic year 2006/7 2 Aims These are to develop the students critical understanding of the theory and practice of marketing in the context of a competitive environment enable students to exercise independent and critical thought and express ideas with clarity and meaning Outcomes On completion of the course, the student should be able to demonstrate, in writing and orally, the application of marketing theory to practice critically examine real life marketing case studies and propose realistic strategies for ameliorating marketing problems exercise independent and critical thought about marketing issues and express ideas clearly and in structured and logical manner construct an appropriate marketing plan for either a private/commercial organisation or not-for-profit public/voluntary sector body work effectively as a marketing team member successfully complete individual and group assignments for assessment and undertake, with confidence, class case study/group exercises Teaching and learning strategies In delivering the course programme, a student-centred approach will be adopted. Formal lectures will be complemented by class discussions and problem-solving exercises. Visual aids, such as short video extracts, slides and similar illustrative materials will be employed to support the learning process. In some circumstances, typed lecture notes and printed handouts for the students personal use and retention, will be distributed at the beginning of each class meetings. A set of notes will comprise a detailed description of the content of the lecture plus summary of main points, self-completion exercises, case study materials and additional book/article references. These materials will facilitate and guide students self-learning between meetings. Numerous real-life case studies will be used to demonstrate marketing theory and practice in context. Assessment This comprises four pieces of work: three written essays selected from list of questions and one group project. Each unit of assessment is worth 25% of the total marks. The essays are individual assignments, two of which are submitted for assessment during the first term, the third submitted early in the second term. The group project, the fourth and final piece of assessment work, involves a presentation and the submission of a written report. Course content The course comprises two modules: Principles of Marketing and Competitive Strategy. Module 3: Principles of Marketing Introduction Rationale Teaching/learning strategies Students expectations Study skills Ethical considerations in marketing communications The role of the regulatory agencies Illustrative examples of controversial marketing communications Theory and practice of marketing Central concepts The syllabus has the approval of the Management subject team for the academic year 2006/7 3 Marketing models Concept of the marketing mix Case studies (Reading: Kotler - chapter 1) Segmentation Theory of market segmentation Criteria for segmenting consumers Target marketing Positioning Case studies (Reading: Kotler - chapter 10 Theories of products/services Products/services - definitions Concept of the product life cycle Planning product strategy Shostak, Ansoff, BCG, etc. Branding Case studies (Reading: Kotler chapters 15 & 16 Marketing plans Micro and macro analysis of the environment Setting goals and objectives Implementation Controls (Reading: Kotler chapter 3) Marketing research Ethics and market research Planning research activities Research techniques Image analysis and tracking studies Information technology and market research Case studies (Reading: Chisnall; Tull et al relevant chapters) Advertising Advertising in context Advertising theory Planning and implementing the campaign Measuring advertising effectiveness Case studies (Reading: Kent relevant sections; Kolter chapter 2) Public relations Theory and practice of public relations Public relations and the communications mix Building corporate and visual identity Managing media relations Case studies (Reading: Kotler chapter 23) Pricing and distribution policies Role of price and place in marketing mix Types of pricing policies Distribution in marketing Case studies (Reading: Kotler chapter 18) The syllabus has the approval of the Management subject team for the academic year 2006/7 4 Module 4: Competitive Strategy The nature of competitive strategy Porters competitive analysis Case studies (Reading: Porter chapter 2) Corporate strategy Nature of strategic decisions Strategic choice and implementation Strategic management Case studies (Reading: Johnson & Scholes- chapters 1 4) Culture and stakeholder expectations Cultural context of strategy Stakeholder analysis Case studies (Reading: Johnson & Scholes chapter 5) Strategic choice Strategic options Differentiation and value chain analysis Strategic evaluation Case studies (Reading: Johnson & Scholes chapter 6 8) Strate