Marketing Strategy
This course will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to contemporary marketing theory and practice. During your studies, you will become familiar with the importance and the fundamental thinking of this core management function.
You will use a wide range of concepts and techniques to analyse the external environment and to develop practical and creative strategies to meet its challenges.
Senior managers operate in a complex environment of rapid change both within and outside their organisations. Organisational life is full of messy problems that cannot be neatly compartmentalised into one specific management function and decisions may need to be made at short notice with incomplete or even conflicting information.
As a manager, the quality of your decision making will depend on your ability to select and combine the best and most appropriate ideas and techniques from a range of management functions and know how to use them.
So whether you are a marketing manager or work in another function, such as finance or human resources, you will need to understand the language used by marketing practitioners and have a sound grasp of the concepts and approaches that marketing offers.
This course will provide you with a toolbox of ideas and methods to help you make sense of your organisation's complexity. Through the six study units we build the basic principles and provide comprehensive coverage of the main theories of marketing set in the context of modern business practice.
You will learn how to understand your customers' needs; how to focus scarce resources most effectively though marketing segmentation and targeting; brand building through the right marketing mix; as well as the development and implementation of marketing plans. This is reflected in the more specific unit objectives.
On completion of your course, you will receive a certificate:
Stonebridge Associated Colleges: Marketing Strategy Diploma
Marketing Strategy Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, to view a sample of the college’s award, please click here.
Requirements for Entry
There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.
Professional Membership
On completion of this course you will be eligible to join the following Professional Associations(s):
Anyone who is studying for or has completed a course endorsed by an Ofqual approved awarding body is eligible to join Qualifications Register. The Qualifications Register (QR) is an independent register that aims to serve both members of the public and those professionals who hold recognised qualifications.
QR's primary aim is to provide transparency to members of the public and employers. The QR is a searchable database that allows them to find a practitioner and view the relevant qualification and endorsements the practitioner holds. The member of the public is then able to make an informed decision in relation to the suitability of the practitioner. QR also tracks whether practitioners have insurance, again something that is useful for members of the public. QR can also help professionals gain insurance or find professional indemnity cover. Click here to find out more.
Members of the public can check an independent source with complete confidence that the practitioner has the qualification(s) they claim to have and that any additional CPD the practitioner has, is verified and quality assured to make sure that the CPD is being done on a regular basis. QR tracks a practitioners endorsed CPD (in unison with our CPD accreditation partner Lifetime Awarding) and other key signals to help members of the public and employers to come to a more informed decision about the professional they intend to use. This is an enormously valuable signal that's increasingly important as business becomes more deregulated and privatised.
For practitioners QR helps you market your skills, endorsements and feedback transparently to a wider audience. It also gives you access to a community to help make you more able to progress and succeed in your field of expertise. Click here to find out more.
Unit 1: Introduction to Marketing
Introduction
Objectives
Key Issues
The buyer-seller relationship
Marketing as an attitude of mind
Marketing creates customer value
Marketing approaches
The marketing mix
Marketing as a process
The marketing environment
Summary
References
Unit 2: Understanding the Market
Introduction
Objectives
Key Issues
Understanding the customer
How do consumers make decisions?
How do organisations buy?
Market segmentation
Segmentation process
Target marketing
Positioning
Marketing research
The research process
Applying research
Summary
References
Further reading
Unit 3: Product and Services Management
Introduction
Objectives
Key issues
Products
Services
Branding
Product life cycle
New product development
Summary
References
Unit 4: Pricing and Distribution Management
Introduction
Objectives
Key issues
Why is price important?
Pricing methods
Impact of the euro on price
Why is place important?
Who uses distributors?
Summary
References
Unit 5: Promotion Management
Introduction
Objectives
Key issues
Development of marketing communications
Defining marketing communications
The communication process
Communications planning
Marketing strategy
Message development
Communications mix decisions
Evaluating effectiveness
Summary
References
Further reading
Unit 6: Marketing Planning
Introduction
Objectives
Key issues
Planning or strategy?
Marketing audit and strategic focus
Marketing objectives
Marketing strategy and competitive behaviour
Implementing the marketing plan
Marketing organisation
Marketing control
Summary
Assessment Method
After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
Course Textbook
For this course you will be required to purchase the textbook:
- Principles and Practice of Marketing, David Jobber, second edition, Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill (1998).
What's Included
- All study materials
- Study Guide
- Full Tutor and Admin support
