Introduction to MarketingLaajuus (3 ECTS)

Objective

Upon course completion, the student will know the scope, focus, objectives, elements (terminology, theory and tools), activities and functions of marketing; will know how to develop a marketing strategy and plan; will understand corporate and business-level planning, what strategic planning entails as well as implementation strategies and issues; will know methods for determining investment objectives and the growth options; will understand about consumers, markets, segments, positioning, why and how people buy and what influences them; will know competitive strategies and the Marketing Mix Elements (PPPP), their strategies and issues; will know about selling philosophies, approaches, techniques etc.; and will be familiar with management, team and leadership issues.
Upon course completion, the student will be able to communicate competently in the field of marketing; will be able to think strategically and develop a plan of action applying tools for creating options and assessing the environment, competition, own assets, etc. especially in the field of marketing.
This provides the student with an overview of all the elements of the business curriculum and the terminology, theory and tools needed to function and communicate in the coming courses and in the field of marketing. It provides specific terms and tools for application in future courses, i.e. International Marketing, Marketing Research, Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Contextual Decision-Making, and Corporate Strategy; and it shows the relevance and connection to Business Communication courses and highlights the relationship with Management & Organisational Behavior and HRM courses as well as Economy, Finance and Accounting courses.
Related competencies of the degree programme
There is a micro-, mezzo-, and macro-approach to each course, so the interrelationships with the rest of the business curriculum, the field itself, as well as the community, are quite explicit, and therefore most competencies and knowledge elements listed in the “Competencies of the Degree Programme” section are at least addressed if not stressed. The course on a micro-level covers specific theories, terms and tools within the “Marketing System” and/or within that subject’s particular area of study (whether Basic Marketing, International Marketing, Marketing Research, Entrepreneurship, Corporate Strategy, etc. – all have specific bases of orientations, models, theories and processes); on a mezzo-level it handles its connection to other courses of the curriculum and often offers cross-boundary projects; and on a macro-level the programme handles larger issues such as ethical considerations, life-long learning, cross-cultural and cross-functional perspectives, long term sustainability, community development, and so on). As a result, specific, as well as deeper and broad-based methods, applications and experiences are covered, while the different competencies (whether developmental, social, communicative, etc.) are nurtured.

Content

Preliminary: Overview; Interrelationships; Paradigms of Marketing
1. Marketing & Marketing Planning: a) The Nature of Marketing; b) Business-Level Planning; and c) Marketing Planning & Strategy Formulation
2. Customers, Markets & Competition: a) Why People Buy, How They Choose & What Influences Them; b) Markets, Segmentation & Positioning; and c) Strategic, Competitive Strategies
3. Marketing Intelligence the Marketing Manager: Marketing Research and Its Role in Decision Making (brief, see Marketing Research course)
4. Marketing Mix Elements: a) Product Management, Product Strategies & Product, Development; b) Persuasive Communication: Advertising, Sales Promotion, Personal Selling, Publicity, PR, Budgeting Evaluation, Sales Management; c) Pricing: Role, Goals, Factors & Variables, Strategies & Methods; and d) Placement - Distribution Strategies & Channel Management, and briefly SCM
5. Marketing Strategy and the Organization - Strategies for Change: Change Management, Interrelationships, Conclusions

Qualifications

English Language Proficiency

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Sufficient performance: showing just enough understanding of the subject to merit a pass grade but requiring greater effort to achieve a more satisfactory result

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Good performance: showing strong understanding of basic concepts and good grasp of techniques, but with certain minor problems still requiring further attention

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent performance: not only fulfils all standard requirements but demonstrates originality and imagination