Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2011-2012 (archived)

Module BUSI1131: MARKETING PRINCIPLES

Department: Business School (Business)

BUSI1131: MARKETING PRINCIPLES

Type Open Level 1 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2011/12 Module Cap None. Location Durham

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • BUSI2111 Marketing Management.

Aims

  • This module is designed to enable students to understand the key principles of marketing theory and its application in both commercial and non-commercial sectors.
  • This module also aims to provide an introduction to marketing practices, where students will begin to appreciate a critical engagement with relevant academic research and case study material. We will go beyond the sole interest of developing knowledge that enables marketing practitioners to maximise the sales of products and services. Students will critically assess marketing principles and concepts in order to develop critcial thinking in Marketing and a deeper engagement with Marketing studies. As such the module will provide a foundation for further study, and expose students to marketing concepts through the application of case studies as well as up-to-date academic research and practice.
  • The module also aims to provide students with an understanding of how marketing works in practice, taking into account the context (domestic or international), culture, market characteristics and trends.

Content

  • Introduction to marketing and evolving aspects of marketing
  • The marketing environment
  • Customer behaviour and marketing psychology
  • Market segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP)
  • The traditional marketing mix: product, price, marketing channels (place), and marketing communications (promotion) (4Ps) and 7Ps
  • International marketing
  • Services marketing, non-profit marketing and business-to-business marketing
  • Marketing planning and strategy
  • Distribution, channel management and retailing
  • Relationship marketing (RM) and customer relationship management (CRM)
  • E-marketing, social media and digital communication
  • Marketing ethics and social responsibility
  • Brand management, brand culture and cultural branding
  • Market and Consumer research, and research and resistance in Marketing studies
  • Marketing communications (MC) and integrated marketing communciations (IMC)
  • Non-traditional marketing techniques and implicit marketing communications: product placement, viral marketing, guerrilla marketing, and ambient media
  • Critique in marketing
  • Experiential marketing and hedonic consumption
  • Debates around Marketing studies and current issues in marketing
  • Exam revison lecture

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Demonstrate an understanding of core marketing concepts and principles
  • Analyse market opportunities and select and justify appropriate marketing approaches
  • Describe and evaluate marketing tools and analysis
  • Discuss and evaluate the role marketing plays in supporting a brand’s marketing objectives
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of the relationship between marketing and consumer behaviour and evaluate how these are affected by new technology
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of planning aspects of marketing and evaluate the effects of various contexts
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of the link between Marketing and other corporate activities • Identify and analyse social and ethical issues relating to marketing policies, procedures and practices
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Have developed expertise in understanding the key marketing concepts and principles
  • Be able to apply marketing concepts and strategies in a dynamic, global, diverse and fragmented media landscape and the ever-increasing significance of social media
  • Apply knowledge of the marketing princicples in the context of the development of global brands
  • Be able to take a critical perspective towards standard marketing concepts and principles to reappraise their effectiveness and relevance in the light of contemporary marketing issues, including the digitisation of communications technology, the difficulty of enforcing global intellectual property rights, the fragmentation of consumer markets, the cross-border nature of branding, and, especially, the increasingly consumer-driven character of digital marketing activity
Key Skills:
  • Effective written and oral communication skills
  • Planning, organising and time management skills
  • Problem solving and analytical skills
  • The ability to use initiative
  • Advanced skills in the interpretation of data
  • Advanced computer literacy skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures (L) are used to underpin the knowledge requirements of the module providing students with a sound conceptual and empirical base for further study and will follow a pre-planned syllabus.
  • Seminars (S) will allow students to experience a broader range of thinking on a topic, and to interact with associated subject experts. They will provide an opportunity for smaller-group discussion and exploration of selected topics in greater depth. They may include case studies and presentations and are intended to develop students’ discursive and interpersonal skills. They will also be used as a focus for student-led material to be provided to the module cohort.
  • Independent study (IS), research and analysis underpin students’ written and presented work and develop their ability to think independently, discriminate and use judgment, and assess the relevance and validity of others’ views.
  • Structured reading (SR), in conjunction with lectures, underpins the knowledge requirements of the programme.
  • Case studies (CS) provide students with an opportunity to consider and apply what they have learnt in the context of a particular example. They are intended to develop students’ analytical skills.
  • Reports (R) (whether in written examinations or as assessed coursework) develop students’ ability to communicate clearly, in writing, a coherent argument based on relevant subject-specific knowledge under constraints of length and/or time and (in the case of written examinations) without access to study aids.
  • Group presentations (GP) provide students with an opportunity to consider and apply what they have learnt in the context of a particular issue or problem. They are intended to develop students’ analytical, presentational and interpersonal skills, including working with others.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 20 1 per week 1 hour 20
Seminars 8 Fotrnightly 1 hour 8
Preparation and Reading 172
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 60%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
One written examination 1 hour 30 mins 100%
Component: Assignment Component Weighting: 40%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Group Assignment 2000 words max 100% Individual Assignment

Formative Assessment:

Seminar exercises will be used to give students an opportunity to explore, discuss, critique and apply the key marketing concepts, strategies and principles in practice. The main aim of the formative assessment is to begin to understand the application of marketing material, to consolidate your knowledge and further develop relevant skills for academic work. Participation in seminars provides an opportunity for formative feedback throughout the module. Students will undertake one formative assignment during the year. This assignment will be in the form of an individual essay of 1000 words.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University