MSc Marketing Timetable and Modules

 

Michaelmas Term	Hilary Term	Trinity Term
Marketing Management Data Analytics and Market Research Research Methods Marketing and Society Advertising Management Entrepreneurship	Innovation & Digital Technology Consumer Behavior Brand Management Digital Marketing Communication	Dissertation or Company Research Project This project allows students to showcase the knowledge they have gained and enhance their career potential by specialising in a particular area

 

Electives (choose two in Hilary Term) 

• Digital Business Models 
• eCommerce
• Sales Management 
• Marketing Design Consultancy for "Good"

Module Descriptions

 

Marketing Management (5 ECTS)

Within this module each student will learn to critically evaluate and explore the diversity of marketing theories, techniques, tools, technologies and practices and integrate this knowledge within a marketing planning framework.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Define, understand and critically evaluate key marketing concepts and philosophies within a marketing plan framework;
• Appreciate the influence of key environmental forces on marketing activities including digitalisation and globalisation;
• Identify and apply practical marketing strategies to the realities of the business environment;
• Demonstrate an understanding of the different approaches to market research using the many new and innovative technological advances;
• Divide the market into distinct segments and identify and select optimum target market(s) for companies;
• Select a positioning and differentiation strategy and design a positioning map;
• Understand, identify and select the optimum marketing programme from the range of marketing mix activities;
• Identify the core marketing management implementation issues and marketing metrics for success;
• On completion of this module, the student should be able to design, develop and implement a marketing plan for a company

 Consumer Behaviour (5 ECTS)

This module addresses how psychological, anthropological, and sociological issues affect consumer choices and why this is important for businesses to know about. You will explore how consumer behaviour theories are integrated into business decision-making and subsequently develop this understanding into a research proposal.

To enhance your learning experience modules are designed to reflect contemporary issues in the business and financial world. As such, a degree of flexibility is expected in the exact content in terms of scope and coverage to ensure relevance to current circumstances

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

1. Understand why consumer behaviour theories are essential for companies and creatively integrate consumer behaviour theories with other strategic decisions in the company (knowledge & understanding)
2. Apply appropriate theoretical terminology, tools and techniques to exploring a consumer phenomenon (skills)
3. Identify contexts of interesting and unique consumer phenomena that can be influenced through marketing (skills)
4. Understand the social impact of engaging with consumer behaviour theories (values & attitudes)
5. Critically engage with the ethical issues of consumer behaviour and especially its potential for manipulating behaviour (values & attitudes)

Marketing and Society (5 ECTS)
This module analyses marketing’s role in contemporary society through exploration of the relationships and tensions that exist between marketing practice and society, with a focus on contemporary ethical dilemmas. In addition, the module introduces students to a variety of applications of marketing beyond commercial marketing by exploring the role, dynamics and impact of corporations in the creation of social, sustainable (as well as economic), value. The aim of the course is to provide the student with an eclectic appreciation and understanding of key societal issues that directly and indirectly, affect marketing decision making and shape implementation of marketing strategy in organisations.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Describe and interrelate current social trends by using different theoretical lenses, to determine the role of marketing in society;
• Critique a range of key discourses and themes reflecting changes in society, and explain how these changes impinge directly and indirectly on marketing decision making and practice;
• Work effectively both as a member of a team and independently, by actively contributing to group discussions, reflecting on your own thoughts and opinions, and devise different persuasive arguments using oral and written communications;
• Appraise the relationship between marketing and society, particularly the good and bad that marketing can bring to society, and justify a way forward as a responsible marketing practitioner.

Data Analytics and Market Research (5 ECTS)
Marketing analytics is one of the key competences that many companies worldwide need to acquire in order to deal with the increasingly dynamic business environment. This module will provide a framework for data analytics in organizations. In this framework, students will learn how to acquire, manage, and analyse data, as well as how to transform the insights into actions. This module will also provide some applied tools of descriptive and predictive analysis to improve decision making in organizations. These tools can be used to analyse data from various sources, such as survey, CRM, mobile, social media data, etc. The major objective of this module is to provide students with a sound understanding of how to organize data analytic process and to equip them with the required data analytical skills for their future careers.

Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Develop an analytical strategy for an organization
• Identify the appropriate methodology for a given managerial problem
• Apply marketing analytics
• Translate analytical results into substantive managerial advice Core competencies and skills that students will strengthen through this course include:
• Data analytical – acquire data analytical skills that are necessary in solving real world marketing problems
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – demonstrate the ability to plan and carry out market research and data analysis for different marketing situations
• Collaboration – work as a team to achieve a mutual objective

Digital Marketing Communication (5 ECTS)
Digital marketing is continually changing the way organisations communicate and interact with their customers and prospects today. This module focuses on how to develop digital strategies that target customers across the entire customer journey using key digital channels. Key to the module will be understanding how to research, plan, design and implement digital marketing campaigns in real world scenarios. The module content encompasses Digital Strategy, Search Engine and Display Advertising, Search Engine Optimisation, Content Marketing (Organic and Paid), and Measuring the impact of Digital Marketing. The module is practical in nature, and students will use real life digital marketing tools.


Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand the impact and influence that digital channels have across the customer journey in today’s Omni-channel world
• Devise and develop digital marketing strategies and plans for a range of business types
• Research, develop and target customer personas in the digital context
• Acquire key skills of using digital marketing tools and applications including paid and organic media channels
• Create an end to end Digital Marketing Plan for a business of their choice
• Assess digital technologies and applications and present findings
• Understand how to assess and measure the impact of digital marketing on business goals

Entrepreneurship (5 ECTS)
Over the past decade, entrepreneurship has become one of the most relevant disciplines in business and has attracted the interest of scholars, policymakers and practitioners from all over the world. Entrepreneurship is deemed a key driver to innovation and economic development, regional and urban competitiveness, and a critical source of jobs. Yet entrepreneurship has also been criticized for underpinning wealth and income inequality, particularly in “winner takes all” markets. As entrepreneurship progresses and generates opportunities as well as controversies, a multi-disciplinary and international perspective is required.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the process of entrepreneurship and the major phases undertaken to create a successful innovation driven venture.
2. Discover and quantify entrepreneurial opportunities.
3. Create, formulate and present a new business idea.
4. Display personal skills including creativity, idea generation, initiative, research and reflection.
5. Critically evaluate the role of entrepreneurship in an international content.

 

eCommerce (5 ECTS)
This module will take a very practical approach to generating an understanding of the position of eCommerce within the broader digital marketing space. While not all brands or businesses are selling directly online, for many, eCommerce success is the culmination of their digital marketing efforts. It is the area that can give them the most tangible return on investment through a number of measurable KPIs.
Using case studies and examples taken from leading eCommerce companies, such as Amazon, eBay, Taobao and local companies like Eason’s & Super Valu, the module examines why these companies continue to grow revenues while many traditional retailers struggle to replicate offline success online.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

1. Define, understand and critically evaluate key eCommerce concepts and their place within a digital marketing framework.
2. To articulate the factors critical to eCommerce success.
3. To understand the key operational and legal aspects of eCommerce.

Digital Business Models (5 ECTS)
This course will dig in the digital business models realities and new trends in different competitive landscape and industries. It will begin with an overview of how the Internet and a digital worlds impact Firms’ Strategies and Business Models. Then major strategic layers and digital business models will be discussed before analysing today’s challenges and formulating prospective diagnosis for pure-players and bricks-and-mortars. There will be a comprehensive introduction to Business Models Canvas and Value Networks, focusing on how they are impacted by a Digital Era.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Identify and describe the constitutive elements of digital business models
• Understand the managerial challenges of developing successful digital platforms
• Explain the corporate strategy implications of digital ecosystems
• Develop a forward-looking approach to digital business models

Research Methods (5 ECTS)
The objective of this module is to equip students with the required research skills in order to successfully complete their company project/ dissertation module. The module exposes students to the fundamental concepts and philosophy of research, with a specific focus on the practice of market and consumer research. This course looks at each stage of the research process, including teasing out research problems, developing research questions and research proposals, designing and planning a research strategy, collecting and analysing secondary and primary data, and presenting the final results.

Upon the successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the main approaches to research required of the Masters dissertation
• Demonstrate an ability to identify and critically review academic literature/secondary data
• Evaluate different research approaches available to answer the research questions and employ appropriate methodologies to collect both quantitative and qualitative data
• Identify appropriate statistical procedures to perform basic analysis of quantitative data
• Develop skills in report writing, presentation, communication and project management

Advertising Management (5 ECTS)
This module will introduce the students to the fundamental principles of planning, managing, creating and distributing advertising content. Advertising, like many industries, is moving through a period of great change and this module is designed to provide the students with an understanding of the most current theories and best practices within the industry and the knowledge to apply them to real commercial situations.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the fundamental principles driving the advertising industry today and the important trends shaping its future.
2. Understand the advertising planning and management process from research & customer understanding, to insight creation, to best-in-class advertising strategy
   and execution.
3. Understand the creative process, from ideation to copywriting, art direction, content creation and the steps from brief to campaign delivery.
4. Understand how brand stories are told and the principles behind modern communication and media planning.
5. Understand how to measure what matters and evaluate successful advertising campaigns.

Sales Management (5 ECTS)
How customers engage with businesses continues to evolve and adapt as the business environment responds to new digital technology, new competitors, changing buyer behaviours and political issues. Addressing such challenges, this course presents the principles and practical applications of successful personal selling and sales management within the business environment. The course will cover the importance of sales process, leadership, sales strategy, ethics, sales and productivity tools in the context of the customer's buying journey.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand and critically evaluate fundamental principles of buying and personal selling.
• Understand how personal selling and sales management is changing as the business environment involves embracing new digital technologies and new ways of engaging customers.
• Evaluate the linkage between sales and marketing as part of the customers buying journey.
• Recognize and critically assess the role of leadership, ethics, sales process and sales strategy.
• Recognize the importance of digital technology on sales.

Marketing Design Consultancy for "Good" (5 ECTS)
The aim of this module is to understand the traditions of marketing and design theories in the context of marketing consultancy and put critical tools and frameworks to work. In doing so, students will be able to make judgements about what is worth doing, and what to do next to understand how marketing and design tools can make and shape sustainable organisational solutions. Students will critically review current research and theory as it relates to marketing and design and bottom-up approaches to marketing activities.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Co-create a solution and persuasive case for change by doing ‘experiential’ marketing consultancy, and as a result, consolidate and enhance the quality of those learnings/insights.
• Develop a critical understanding of existing research and theory as it relates to bottom-up approaches to marketing and design.
• Understand the traditions of marketing and design and some of their critical tools and frameworks that might be useful in marketing consultancy and practice.
• Frame and present a persuasive case for change that is likely to enrol others in a formal or informal market.
• Develop your project management, teamwork and critical and creative thinking skills.

Innovation & Digital Technology (5 ECTS)
This module covers the challenges companies face in a rapidly changing world due to a range of disruptive technologies. Students will work together to review, analyse, discuss and debate what companies have to do, if not must do, to stay relevant. What worked in the past is no longer acceptable or even tolerated by consumers and based on that new solutions, products and revenue streams are what consumers, shareholders and stakeholders are looking for. A range of traditional/conventional technology solutions as well as new technologies will be covered, analysis will be done on who is using them and the value that they are bringing will be discussed.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Evaluate the importance of industry and technology trends in strategy development
• Understand emerging technologies organisations are using to achieve efficiencies, generate revenue and launch new products
• Analyse the Fintech phenomenon and the ‘Platform Economy’
• Evaluate an organisation’s innovation strategy through a detailed business plan, recommend an emerging technology (e.g. blockchain, RPA, etc.) and how it can be integrated to obtain a competitive advantage

The MSc. Marketing Strategy Final Dissertation (30 ECTS)

Dissertation: Students will be given the opportunity to either work on a specific managerial issue for a company of their choice or academically investigate a research question of their choice, supervised and supported by an experienced member of faculty or a chosen industry expert.
 Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Define, introduce and outline a research question, contextualise the topic in its wider research area, demonstrate the motivation for the research and indicate to whom it is relevant.
• Demonstrate an ability to identify and critically review relevant theory via academic literature, and information via practitioner-orientated publications, industry reports and other relevant secondary data sources using the techniques and tools learned in the programme
• Describe the methodology being applied (including data collection and analysis) and justify that it is appropriate to the research question under investigation.
• Collect, analyse and evaluate secondary and/or primary data (including but not limited to company/industry-specific data, descriptive statistics, interviews, cases, graphs etc. and present it within a coherent, rigorous and analytical framework).
• Apply the appropriate organization and management skills required to design and execute an individual learning task of substantial scope and depth that is largely self-directed and self-motivated.
• Produce an individual written document in adherence to professional and academic standards.

Company Project: The company project is a practical project whereby students provide solutions to challenges facing real-world companies. The students are mentored by managers in the host company and also by alumni of the programme.

[Back to Top]