Introductory description

The module is designed to provide a framework for identifying and addressing major strategic marketing issues faced by organisations.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC MARKETING
Market-driven strategy in the context of corporate, business and marketing strategy. Challenges of a new era for marketing and needs for responsiveness and new business paradigms.
MARKETS, SEGMENTS AND CUSTOMER VALUE
Markets and competitive space. Strategic marketing segmentation. Strategic customer relationship management. Capabilities for learning about customers and markets.
DESIGNING MARKET-DRIVEN STRATEGIES
Market targeting and strategic positioning. Strategic relationships. Innovation and new product strategy.
MARKET-DRIVEN PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT
Strategic brand management. Value chain strategy. Pricing strategy. Promotion, advertising and sales promotion strategies. Sales force, Internet and direct marketing strategies.
IMPLEMENTING AND MANAGING MARKET-DRIVEN STRATEGIES
Designing market-driven organizations – structuring resources, globalization. Marketing strategy implementation and control – planning process, implementation approaches and the balanced scorecard, evaluation and control, measuring marketing performance.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Understand the domain of strategic marketing in the context of corporate and business strategy.
• Deploy insights into the organisational and strategic context within which strategic marketing processes operate.
• Contribute to enhanced processes for strategic marketing planning, implementation and control.
• Assess case studies to develop potential business solutions to strategic marketing issues.
• Take a critical view of conventional strategic marketing concepts and models presented in the literature.
• Critically evaluate conventional concepts relating to strategic market segmentation and competitive positioning.

Indicative reading list

Much of the reading would necessarily have to come from up-to-date journal sources. A relevant general textbook would be the following since it covers the topics proposed:
Macdonald, Malcolm & Wilson, Hugh, Marketing plans, 8th edition. Wiley, 2016.
Other relevant texts include:
Hulbert, James M, Noel Capon and Nigel F Piercy, Total Integrated Marketing: Breaking the Bounds of the Function, London: Kogan Page.
Hooley, Graham J., Nigel F. Piercy and Brigitte Nicoulaud, Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning, 5rd ed., London: Pearson Education, 2011.
Relevant academic journals from which additional readings will be taken include:

• Journal of Marketing
• Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
• Journal of Strategic Marketing
• Journal of International Marketing
• Journal of Market-Focused Management
• Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management
• Journal of Business Research
• European Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Marketing Management
• Harvard Business Review.
  In addition, students will be referred to readings in business and journalistic sources such as:
• BusinessWeek
• Fortune
• Financial Times
• Wall Street Journal
• Economist, etc.

Subject specific skills

Demonstrate an awareness of practical managerial issues in strategic marketing, as well as some generic solutions.
Apply strategic marketing concepts and techniques in a variety of settings and for a range of products and services.
Adopt a critical perspective on corporate practices in delivering value to their markets.

Transferable skills

Demonstrate problem solving skills in strategic marketing developed through analysing research papers and business problems in case studies.
Demonstrate oral communication skills developed through presentation of research results and their theoretical and practical implications.
Demonstrate written communication skills.