Learning objectives
By the end of the course students will have acquired knowledge and understanding at the basis of Marketing Management. This will allow students to apply knowledge acquired in terms of basic skill of market analysis capability, strategic planning and concrete application of company marketing policies. By means of attending lectures and applied study the students will be able to develop their capability of making judgements independently reaching the ability to take both strategic and operational decisions, even in uncertain conditions. Throughout the course highly specialized/technical terms will be used so as to encourage students to develop such communication skills as to allow for preparation of brief analytical reports aimed at including marketing practitioners. Learning skills will be stimulated by means of the request to enlarge, update and independently/continually deepen knowledge acquired in class and in study.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
Developing and managing marketing activities means placing the customer (considered both as the final customer/consumer and as the intermediate customer/trader) at the centre of company decisions and investments. Starting from this guiding principle the course is developed in two main parts. The first focuses on deepening of strategic marketing dimensions, which dimensions concern the study of final demand needs and behaviour, the analysis of competitors’ positioning, customer segmentation, identification of target market, definition of aims and forms of company growth. The second concentrates on operational marketing dimensions, or rather on the decisions relating to concrete implementation of previously defined strategies. Such dimensions concern product/service policies (including branding choices), price and promotion policies, advertising policies and distribution channels. All the above dimensions are deepened with reference to both large and medium-small firms and to both national/local as well as international/global markets.
Full programme
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Bibliography
KOTLER P., ARMSTRONG G. (2014), Principi di Marketing, Pearson Italia, 15a Edizione.
Teaching methods
The development of knowledge and understanding will be enriched by means of the combined use of traditional face-to-face lectures and of monographic seminars held by firm managers. The ability to apply knowledge and understanding will come about through critical reflection on texts proposed for individual study, but also through in-depth analysis of specific case studies and the carrying out of group projects whose aim it is to prepare firm seminars. Making judgements will be developed by two-way interaction in class between students/teacher and between students/firm managers. Communication skills will be encouraged through the use of specific expressions which are commonly adopted in the Marketing Community sphere. Learning skills will be consolidated during the moments of self and group study which aim to prepare lectures and the final exam.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final exam is written. Knowledge and understanding will be tested by means of 3 open-ended questions. Each question will carry the same weight in final marking. Question contents will focus on the most significant aspects regarding topics of strategic and operational marketing. The ability to apply knowledge and understanding will be tested with more operational content questions based on the discussion of teachings taken from managerial seminars for students attending the course and/or on the personal re-elaboration of case studies presented in reference bibliography. The ability to make judgements and learning skills will be tested by evaluating the capability of the students to argue answers to questions and to identify main managerial implications of the themes discussed. Communication skills using appropriate language will be tested through evaluation of suitability of vocabulary and form of expression used during the final written exam
Other information
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