Marketing Operations and Management

marketing operations and management

Unit title:	Marketing Operations and Management
Unit code:
Level:	Postgraduate Diploma – Level 7
Credits:	30

main aims of the unit

The main aim of this unit it to introduce students to the key practical dimensions of marketing management, including marketing research, marketing strategy, marketing communications and operational management and also highlight the way the different functions need to be integrated. The unit aims to bring all the marketing dimensions together with a view to implementing them in a real business environment.

The unit will enable students to:

Identify and apply relevant marketing concepts and models
Appreciate the key factors influencing value creation by marketing organisations
Develop appropriate marketing strategies, plans and activities to a range of business contexts
Research and write a report of marketing practices in a service organisation, with appropriate data gathering and analysis
Provide an understanding of contemporary issues in marketing management
Understand the marketing operations required in developing marketing competences across organisational, national and sector boundaries

main topics of study

marketing philosophy and marketing management tasks

Value of marketing in management decision-making
Core marketing concepts
Value and satisfaction
Supply chain
Marketing environment
Marketing in changing marketplaces
Marketing accountability
Building strong brands
Delivering and communicating value

developing marketing strategies and plans

The value delivery process
The central role of strategic planning
Defining corporate mission
Establishing strategic business units
Business unit strategic planning
Organisational culture
Marketing innovation

collecting information and forecasting demand

Components of a modern Marketing Information System
The Marketing Intelligence System
Analysing the Macro-environment
Forecasting and demand measurement
Estimating future demand
Conducting marketing research
The marketing research process
Measuring marketing productivity
Measuring social media
Developing effective marketing dashboards

analysing consumer and business markets

Influences on consumer behaviour
Power of sensory marketing
The consumer buying decision-making process
Behavioural decision theory and behavioural economics
Influences on organisational buying behaviour
Participants in the business buying process
The purchasing/procurement process
Stages in organisational buying process
Managing business-to-business customer relationships
Establishing corporate trust, credibility and reputation

market segments and targets. Tapping into overseas markets

Bases for segmenting consumer markets
Market targeting
Effective segmentation criteria
Competing on a global basis
Deciding on which international markets to enter
Deciding on methods of entry into foreign markets
Deciding on the international marketing programme
Country of origin effects

brand equity brand positioning

Developing a brand positioning
Selecting a competitive frame of reference
Alternative approaches to brand positioning
Creating brand equity
Roles and scope of brands
Measuring brand equity
Devising branding strategy
Customer equity

assessing competition and driving growth

Growth strategies
Competitive strategies for market leaders
Niche specialist roles
Product life cycle marketing strategies
Managing a marketing crisis

product and services strategies

Product characteristics and classifications
Product hierarchy
Product and service differentiation
Environmental issues
Product and brand relationships
Packaging, labelling and warranties
Product mix pricing
The nature of services
Achieving excellence in services
Managing service quality
Managing product support services
Post-sale service strategy

new market offerings

New product options: Make or buy
New Product Development Process
Managing the development process
Factors affecting new product success or failure
Consumer adoption process
Diffusion of innovations

pricing strategies and programmes

Pricing in a digital world
A changing pricing environment
Pricing strategies
Discounts and allowances
Initiating price changes
Responding to price changes

integrated marketing communications

The role of marketing communications
Developing effective communications
Celebrity endorsements
Selecting the marketing communication mix
Coordinating media
Developing and managing an advertising programme
Setting advertising budgets
Sales promotions
Events and experiences
Public Relations
Online marketing
Social media
Word of mouth
Mobile marketing
Developing effective mobile marketing programmes

personal selling and database marketing

Direct marketing
Direct Mail
Catalogue selling
Telemarketing
Direct response marketing
Customer databases and database marketing
Data mining
Sales force objectives and structure
Sales force size
Managing the sales force
Evaluating sales force performance
Principles of personal selling
Relationship marketing

managing a holistic marketing organisation

Trends in marketing practices
Internal marketing
Organising the marketing department
Corporate and social responsibility
Social marketing
Marketing controls
The future of marketing

learning outcomes for the unit

Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:

Recommend Marketing Research techniques to obtain information for marketing decision-making
Appreciate and use marketing strategic planning models
Recommend applications of the elements of the promotional mix to reach and influence target audiences
Understand the activities associated with the design, development and marketing of products and services
Reflect on the developments and importance of marketing orientation to commercial and non-commercial organisations
Understand the key concepts and techniques of direct marketing
Develop effective marketing plans for the marketing, promotion and distribution of products in different operating environments
Understand the legal, ethical, social and global issues marketing managers must consider in their decision-making

learning and teaching methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes:

Learning takes place on a number of levels through lectures, class discussion including problem review and analysis. Formal lectures provide a foundation of information on which the student builds through directed learning and self-managed learning outside of the class. The students are actively encouraged to form study groups to discuss course

assessment methods which enable student to demonstrate achieving the learning outcomes for the unit:

Project (5000 words) on a topic selected by the candidates which addresses the learning outcomes of the unit

indicative reading for this unit

main text

Kotler P., Keller K. Marketing Management Global Edition 15th edition Pearson

alternative text and further reading

Baines, P. and Fill, C. Marketing, 3rd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. Principles and Practice of Marketing. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Fourali, C. The Promise of Social Marketing, London: Routledge.

guideline for teaching and learning time

(10 HOURS PER CREDIT)

100 hours - lectures / seminars / tutorials / workshops:

Tutorial support includes feedback on assignments and may vary by college according to local needs and wishes.

100 hours - directed learning:

Advance reading and preparation / Class preparation / Background reading / Group study / Portfolio / Diary etc

100 hours - self managed learning:

Working through the course text and completing assignments as required will take up the bulk of the learning time. In addition students are expected to engage with the tutor and other students and to undertake further reading using the web and/or libraries.

Marketing Operations and Management