09511 - Marketing

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are able to understand and use the main variable, theories and tools of marketing managemant. After discussing some main theoretical frameworks at hte end of the course students will be able to aplly them to the real company and market contest. Students are able to analyse behavior and after sale behavior of costumers, to segment the market, to define a marketing plan and decide the main section of marketing mix such as product and brand management, pricing, distribution channels and comunication.

Course contents

The course is designed to provide a broad understanding of marketing and the role of marketing in the society, from the basics to the most recent advancements of the discipline. It drives students to understand the basic principles and theories of marketing and it aims to offer students models and tools to manage the exchange process between firms and customers.

The course is structured in two main modules:

1. The first part of the course is dedicated to the diagnostic nature of marketing activity, with the aim to familiarize students with the fundamentals of marketing research, that is developing research questions, analyzing data and drawing inferences, with a view to making better business decisions. Here, the course is a walk through the main strategic decisions falling under the marketing domain: analyzing consumer needs, developing segmentation and targeting positioning, developing marketing strategies and plans.
2. The second part of the course is focused on the implementation side of the marketing, where main strategic policies are concretely realized and oriented to the market: students will discuss how a product can be launched and managed and how a marketing strategy can be implemented through distribution decisions, sales force management, pricing decisions, communication decisions. A specific focus will be dedicated to the emerging role of "marketing as a force for good" in line with the most recent advancements of the discipline and practice.

The course is held during the months of September-December

 

Readings/Bibliography

The required textbook is:

Title: Marketing Management,
Authors: Russ Winer, Ravi Dhar

Publisher: Prentice Hall (International Edition) Fourth Edition
Year: 2014

Lecture notes

Students will be equipped with slides and additional material during the course that will be uploaded on Virtuale in .pdf format before each class, so that students can bring a printed version of the slides to annotate them during class at their convenience.

Teaching methods

Each class is either primarily a lecture or a case analysis and discussion. Exercises and teamwork will be also developed to open discussion about how to analyze read data and apply the concepts to real cases. 

Guest speakers will be invited to bring also a practical perspective to the course.

We will learn that marketing is an evolving discipline so lectures will be continously filled with real examples from the practice. Students will also be asked to bring their own examples in class by observing what is happening during their daily life (at the supermarket, on social media platforms, by watching TV or by reading the newspaper). 

Participation of Exchange Students:

A maximum of 20 exchange students (Erasmus, Overseas, etc.) is accepted. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED logic will be used for incoming students.

Assessment methods

Though not compulsory, class attendance and participation in team-work assignments is strongly encouraged. Team-work assignments consist of:

a) One intermediate short team-work project at the end of the first term

b) One final team-work project at the end of the second term

Details about the topic of the team-work projects will be presented during lectures.

Course evaluation will be different depending on the participation in team-work assignment, as detailed in the following:

Students participating in team-work assignments:

50% final written exam

50% team-work assignment

Students who do not participate in team-work assignments:

100% final written exam

 

The evaluation criteria for the project work are the following:

- Exhaustivity of the presentation

- Ability to address the topic correctly

- Presentation skills

- Respect of the allotted time

Final written exam

Students can attend a mid-term exam (not compulsory) during the teaching break at the end of the first sub-cycle, and then the second mid-term exam at the end of the course. The grades of the two mid-term exams will be averaged to compute the “final written exam” grade.

By School regulation, those who positively pass the first mid-term exam (i.e. grade greater or equal to 18), have the chance to take the second mid-term exam either in the January or February session. However, the second mid-term can be taken only once. Therefore, if a student does not pass the second mid-term exam (or opts for a re-take), s/he can attend only total exams from that moment on.

The course material chapters on the topics discussed in the team-work assignments will be excluded from the exam program for those students who will participate in team-work assignments.

The evaluation criteria for the final exam are the following:

- Ability to answer correctly the questions

- Quality of response/length of the response ratio

Grading

The test assessment grid is determined as follows:

- < 18 insufficient

- 18-23 sufficient

- 24-27 average/good

- 28-30 very good

- 30 cum laude excellent/outstanding

Teaching tools

Teaching materials essential to the course and compulsory for the exams is available thorough "Teaching resources on Virtuale".

Students with disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) are required to make their condition known to find the best possibile accomodation to their needs

Office hours

See the website of Annamaria Tuan