Learning objectives
a. knowledge and understanding
Upon completion of the course students will have acquired advanced knowledge of marketing topics both at theoretical and application levels. Specifically, acquired knowledge will be:
- loyalty and loyalty value measurement
- impact of big data at organisation and industry level
- assessment of information needs and information requests to marketing information systems
- phases in the marketing research process and approaches
- concept of Strategic Business Unit
- portfolio management approaches (BCG and General Electric)
- choice of development strategies (Ansoff’s matrix)
- translating growth strategy into marketing plan
- segmentation approaches
- concept of positioning
- augmented product model
- classification of products (consumer and industrial)
- collaborative consumption approaches and new product service systems
- managing products and product lines: stretching, filling and cannibalization
- branding (retail branding)
- setting prices with demand, competitive and cost approaches
- analyzing and classifying channels
- channel organization and management decisions
- promotion analysis and classification
- creating a relationship building promotion
The above results in terms of knowledge and understanding will be attained by means of lectures, assigned readings and discussion of readings in class, presentations on assigned readings. Case studies, academic papers and video cases make up the collection of readings. An international week with lectures and case discussions given by an international academic will reinforce the results.
b. applying knowledge and understanding
Students will be able to apply learned concepts and methods to various situations and marketing problems. Students will more specifically be able to develop skills for thorough understanding, analysis and problem solving in marketing situations ranging from growth strategies to product, price, channel and promotion decisions. They will be able to interpret marketing developments and marketing impact of environmental changes. The above results in terms of knowledge application will be attained by means of lectures, assigned readings and discussion of readings in class, presentations on assigned readings. Case studies, academic papers and video cases make up the collection of readings. An international week with lectures and case discussions given by an international academic will reinforce the results.
c. making judgements
Upon completion of the course students will be able to apply analytical tools to marketing phenomena and situations in order to make autonomous and independent judgments. The ability to make judgments is expressed by a personal reflection on collected data and information and its processing. The achieved skills will enable students to take strategic and tactical marketing decisions. The specific goal of training students to make judgments is pursued by means of Q&A sessions at the beginning and during each lecture.
d. communication skills
Students will learn communication skills. Specifically, they will learn how to transfer marketing concepts and decisions – clearly, concisely and consistently – to different audiences. Students will train in presenting concepts, solutions, opinions orally and, more limitedly, in powerpoint presentation format.
e. learning skills
Students will learn to expand, update and upgrade the level and variety of knowledge acquired by means of lectures and individual study with textbooks. Such development will lead students to adopt an attitude of curiosity and research for novelty and updates to better deal with marketing decisions. These learning skills are strongly reinforced all through the course through the use of readings to be prepared autonomously at home and later presented and discussed in class. The final examination will stimulate students’ appraisal of their learning skills by means of a written test (short essay writing).
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the current concept of marketing as an orientation and set of tools for creating customer value and building profitable relationships with customers and business partners along the marketing channel. The marketing concept and approach is discussed in historical perspective to enable students deal with future re-conceptualisation of marketing. Students will learn to measure the value of customer loyalty and its impact on company profits, to assess the company need for data and information and turn it into requests for the marketing information system, to evaluate opportunities and threats of big data. The relationship between marketing on the one hand and corporate and business strategy on the other will be analysed and students will be able to see any marketing decision in terms of product/market development and SBU goals. In the second part of the course tools are provided to translate marketing goals in terms of differentiation and positioning for customer segments into actual products and services. Students will be trained in taking product and product line decisions, packaging decisions, branding (with specific reference to retail branding), pricing and channel organisation and management decisions. Promotion will be introduced at the end of the course when students learn to classify promotion according to type, target, goal and to create a relationship building promotion or “loyalty scheme”. Attention will be devoted to the development of a loyalty marketing strategy and to CRM (customer relationship management) practices all through the course, based on research “tradition” of the Marketing Group at the University of Parma, where an Observatory on Loyalty Marketing has been in place since 1999 (www.osservatoriofedelta.it).
Full programme
- loyalty and loyalty value measurement
- impact of big data at organisation and industry level
- assessment of information needs and information requests to marketing information systems
- phases in the marketing research process and approaches
- concept of Strategic Business Unit
- portfolio management approaches (BCG and General Electric)
- choice of development strategies (Ansoff’s matrix)
- translating growth strategy into marketing plan
- segmentation approaches
- concept of positioning
- augmented product model
- classification of products (consumer and industrial)
- collaborative consumption approaches and new product service systems
- managing products and product lines: stretching, filling and cannibalization
- branding (retail branding)
- setting prices with demand, competitive and cost approaches
- analyzing and classifying channels
- channel organization and management decisions
- promotion analysis and classification
- creating a relationship building promotion
Bibliography
Students who regularly attend course lectures may use materials made available at the photocopy shop to prepare for the exam. This includes two books of readings and slides plus the International week seminars materials (prof. Dawson lectures).
Other students can prepare for the exam by studying the following textbook: Kotler P., Armstrong G., Wong V., Saunders J. (2008), Principles of Marketing/MyMarketingLab European Edition - 5th Edition (or later), Financial Times/ Prentice Hall: UK ISBN13: 9780273720645
ISBN10: 0273720643. Chapters: all.
Teaching methods
The above results in terms of knowledge and understanding will be attained by means of lectures, assigned readings and discussion of readings in class, presentations on assigned readings. Case studies, academic papers and video cases make up the collection of readings. An international week with lectures and case discussions given by an international academic will reinforce the results.The specific goal of training students to make judgments is pursued by means of Q&A sessions at the beginning and during each lecture.
Students will learn to expand, update and upgrade the level and variety of knowledge acquired by means of lectures and individual study with textbooks. Such development will lead students to adopt an attitude of curiosity and research for novelty and updates to better deal with marketing decisions. These learning skills are strongly reinforced all through the course through the use of readings to be prepared autonomously at home and later presented and discussed in class. The final examination will stimulate students’ appraisal of their learning skills by means of a written test (short essay writing).
Assessment methods and criteria
Written examination. Three open questions (60 minutes in total). Different set of questions for students who regularly attended classes and all others.
Through the students' answers knowledge and understanding of the issues proposed (point a of the course goals) and the ability of the student to apply the knowledge to specific questions (point b) are assessed.
Furthermore, since the questions are open, students are able to exercise significant independent judgment (point c) with respect to what is required and we can check the communication skills of the student (point d).
Finally, the need for handling categories and qualitative information acquired during the course, during the specific cases studies, requires the students to apply knowledge already possessed, and to learn and to evaluate new information (point e).
Other information
Please check professor's webpage for updates on course, exames, dates and times, office hours and so on
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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