| Unit name | Issues in Consumer Marketing and Innovation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIM20045 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Simon Blyth |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) | |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
In this unit you will explore the changing marketing environment and the challenges this poses for marketers. You will explore the processes associated with innovation and new proposition development, in the context of consumer marketing. We do this, in part, through a detailed focus on one particular global consumer brand throughout the unit.
This is a fast-changing field. You are encouraged to contribute by raising contemporary issues of particular interest to you, or by bringing in examples of latest developments that you have noticed in consumer marketing.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
For BSc Marketing students, this unit provides the opportunity to encounter and learn about key aspects of brand management. It also provides an opportunity to make connections between marketing theory and practice through the use of the extended brand case study.
For students on other allied programmes (International Business, Business and Management etc) this unit offers the opportunity to learn about a key business and management function, marketing.
An overview of content
This unit is designed around three propositions:
1) That marketing managers constantly face ethical, moral, political and social dilemmas as they go about their business. And that they, more than any other business professional, have to make sense of, interpret and intervene in the world outside of their organisation;
2) That ‘consumers’ now play a central role in the innovation rhetoric, practice and processes of marketing-led organisations; and
3) That marketing managers need to hold and develop a complex set of knowledge, skills, competencies and behaviours, which allows them to be both analytical and creative.
This unit will focus on the ‘fuzzy front end’ or early concept stage. We will draw on several different disciplines - including marketing management, innovation studies, sociology, psychology, anthropology and design. We will organise our learning around a particular current brand for which we will develop a proposal for new products and/or services for the brand, whilst critically reflecting on the process and thinking, shaping and informing our innovation.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
As a result of working on this unit, students will gain an understanding of the dilemmas and challenges faced by marketers, innovators and consumers. Students will practice working in teams and sharing ideas and concepts as well as discussing theory, thereby gaining confidence in sharing their ideas and perspectives.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able:
1: Analyse a marketing environment and identify opportunities for organisations to innovate and develop new propositions.
2: Understand the relation between innovation and consumption in the context of global and fragmented markets.
3: Recognise and appreciate the role of marketers in interpreting the world outside of their organisation.
You will learn through lectures, in which relevant theory and concepts will be taught. Seminars will be used to discuss the lecture materials in the context of the extended brand case study and innovation project.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
There are two formative assessment points within this unit. One relates to the presentation of a team situation analysis. The second involves the development of a short film, pitching an innovation project for a given brand. Students will receive verbal feedback from course lecturers and peers on both formative assessments, in preparation for their summative essays.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Students are required to write an essay of 3,000 words where they explore and discuss relevant marketing, consumption or innovation theory in the context of a particular consumer brand and their own experience of developing an innovation concept for it (ILO1, ILO2, ILO3).
When assessment does not go to plan
Students are required to write another essay of 3,000 words where they explore and discuss relevant marketing, consumption or innovation theory in the context of a particular consumer brand and their own experience of developing an innovation concept for it (ILO1, ILO2, ILO3). Students are required to choose a different essay question to answer from that submitted as their first attempt.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EFIM20045).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
