Marketing Principles MK 204

J. E. Cairnes School of
Business & Economics

MARKETING PRINCIPLES [MK 204]

Semester 1
- Course Outline -

The objective of this course is to introduce students who have not

Objective
formally studied marketing before, to the key marketing concepts
and their application in both an Irish and international context.
Name Office Ext E-mail
Ms. Orla Room 305 JE orla.higgins@nuigalway.ie
Lecturer(s) Higgins Cairnes
School of
Business
Day Venue
Times
Wednesday 5-6 p.m. AC 202, Concourse
Thursday 2-3 p.m. Tyndall Theatre

Upon completion of this course you will be able to:

 Understand the fundamentals of marketing theory and how
they are practiced and applied by market leaders globally;
 Acknowledge the role marketing plays in the success of
businesses in Ireland and internationally;
Overall  Understand the relevance of the elements of the marketing
Learning mix;
Outcomes  Recognise the importance of effective market research;
 Critique the impact of external influences on the
marketplace;
 Demonstrate an insight into Consumer Buyer Behaviour;
 Identify ways in which markets can be segmented;
 Evaluate the effectiveness of marketing communication
channels and tools relative to desired outcomes.
The are 24 lectures for this course: 2 per week for 12 weeks.
Format
There will also be 2 guest speaker slots (TBC)
BIS; Fourth Year Industrial Engineering; Fourth Year Information
Programme(s
Technology; Diploma in Business Studies; Corp. Law & Visiting
)
Students.
Continuous Assessment 50%
Assessment End of Year Examination 50%

Credit weighting: 5 ECT

Workload

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 Marketing Principles MK 204

Students Need Their Own Copy.

Core Text Kotler, Philip & Armstrong, Gary. Principles of Marketing (13th
edition), Pearson, Global Edition.

Supplementary Text(s):
As university students, you are expected to read widely to become knowledgeable
about your subjects. It is essential that you have read the relevant chapters ahead of
each lecture. Lecturers will refer to, but not simply repeat, what is contained in your
required textbook. Instead lecturers will develop, augment and challenge the
concepts in your textbook and as appropriate will provide Irish/European examples of
marketing practice. While your textbook is comprehensive, you should read relevant
sections of other leading textbooks, relevant articles in business and marketing
journals such as the Harvard Business Review, the European Journal of Marketing,
the Journal of Marketing and the business supplements from the daily newspapers.
For example other texts for you to consider include:
 Principles & Practice of Marketing : David Jobber
 Marketing – An Introduction for Irish Students : Donal Rogan
 Marketing: Real People, Real Choices : Solomon, Marshall & Stuart.

Students are expected to read all course material assigned in advance of class.

Date Readings + Learning Outcomes

Septem
ber 8, Course Introduction
2010
Chapter 1: Marketing – Creating & Capturing Customer Value.
 Define marketing and outline the steps in the marketing process
 Explain the importance of understanding customers and the marketplace,
and identify the 5 core marketplace concepts
Septem  Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and
ber 9 discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing
strategy
 Discuss customer relationship management

 Describe the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing
landscape in this age of relationships
Chapter 3: Analysing the Marketing Environment
 Describe the environmental forces that affect the company’s ability to
serve its customers
 Explain how changes in the demographic and economic environments
Septem affect marketing decisions
ber 15  Identify the major trends in the firm’s natural and technological
environments
 Explain the key changes in the political and cultural environments

 Discuss how companies can react to the marketing environment

Septem Chapter 4: Managing Marketing Information to Gain Customer
ber 16 Insights
 Explain the importance of information in gaining insights about the
marketplace and customers

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 Define the marketing information system and discuss its parts

 Outline the steps in the marketing research process
 Explain how companies analyze and use marketing information

 Discuss the special issues some marketing researchers face including

public policy and ethics issues
Chapter 5: Consumer Markets & Consumer Buyer Behaviour

Delivered by Topic Expert Ann Walsh, Department of Marketing

 Define the consumer market and construct a simple model of consumer

Septem buyer behaviour
ber 22  Name the four major factors that influence consumer buyer behaviour
 List and define the major types of buying decision behaviour and the
stages in the buyer decision process
 Describe the adoption and diffusion process for new products

Septem
Industry Guest Speaker - TBC
ber 23
Chapter 6: Business Markets & Business Buyer Behaviour

Delivered by Topic Expert Ann Walsh, Department of Marketing

 Define the business market and explain how business markets differ form
Septem consumer markets
ber 29  Identify the major factors that influence business buyer behaviour
 List and define the steps in the business buying decision process
 Compare the institutional and government markets and explain how
institutional and government buyers make their buying decisions

Septem
Industry Guest Speaker - TBC
ber 30
Chapter 7: Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy – Creating Value for
Target Customers

Delivered by Topic Expert Ann Walsh, Department of Marketing

 Define the major steps in designing a customer-driven marketing

strategy: market segmentation, targeting, differentiation and positioning
October
 List and discuss the major bases for segmenting consumer and business
6&7
markets
 Explain how companies identify attractive market segments and choose a
market-targeting strategy
 Discuss how companies differentiate and position their products for
maximum competitive advantage in the marketplace

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Chapter 8: Products, Services & Brands – Building Customer Value

 Define product and the major classifications of products and services
 Describe the decisions companies make regarding their individual
products and services, product lines and product mixes
October  Discuss branding strategy – the decisions companies make in building and
13 managing their brands
 Identify the four characteristics that affect the marketing of a service and
the additional marketing considerations that services require

Chapter 8 (contd.)

Chapter 9: New-Product Development & Product Life-Cycle Strategies

October  Describe the stages of the product life cycle and how marketing
14 strategies change during the product’s life cycle
 Discuss two additional product issues: socially responsible product
decisions and international product and services marketing

Chapter 10: Pricing – Understanding & Capturing Customer Value

 Answer the question ‘What is a price?” and discuss the importance of
pricing in today’s fast-changing environment
 Discuss the importance of understanding customer value perceptions
October when setting prices
20  Discuss the importance of company and product costs in setting prices
 Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm’s pricing decisions

October
Chapter 10 (contd.)
21
Chapter 12: Marketing Channels: Delivering Customer Value
 Explain why companies use marketing channels and discuss the functions
these channels perform
 Discuss how channel members interact and how they organise to perform
October the work of the channel
27  Identify the major channel alternatives open to the company
 Explain how companies select, motivate, and evaluate channel members

 Discuss the nature and importance of marketing logistics and integrated

supply chain management
October Chapter 14: Communicating Customer Value – Integrated Marketing
28 Communications Strategy
 Define the 5 promotion mix tools for communicating customer value
 Discuss the changing communications landscape and the need for
integrated marketing communications
 Outline the communications process and the steps in developing effective
marketing communications

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 Explain the methods for setting the promotion budget and factors that
affect the design of the promotion mix

Chapter 15: Advertising & Public Relations

 Define the role of advertising in the promotion mix
 Describe the major decisions involved in developing an advertising
program
Novemb
er 3  Define the role of public relations in the promotion mix
 Explain how companies use public relations to communicate with their
publics

Novemb Chapter 15 (contd.)

er 4
Chapter 16: Personal Selling & Sales Promotion
 Discuss the role of a company’s salespeople in creating value for
customers and building customers relationships
 Identify and explain the six major sales force management steps
Novemb
er 10  Discuss the personal selling process, distinguishing between transaction-
oriented marketing and relationship marketing
 Explain how sales promotion campaigns are developed and implemented

Chapter 17: Direct & Online Marketing: Building Direct Customer

Relationships
 Define direct marketing and discuss its benefits to customers and
companies
 Identify and discuss the major forms of direct marketing
 Explain how companies have responded to the Internet and other
Novemb
powerful new technologies with online marketing strategies
er 11
 Discuss how companies go about conducting online marketing to
profitably deliver more value to customers
 Overview the public policy and ethical issues presented by direct
marketing

Novemb
Chapter 17 (contd.)
er 17
Chapter 19: The Global Marketplace
 Discuss how the international trade system and the economic, political-
legal, and cultural environments affect a company’s international
marketing decisions
Novemb  Describe three approaches to entering international markets
er 18  Explain how companies adapt their marketing mixes for international
markets
 Identify the 3 major forms of international marketing organisation

Novemb Chapter 20: Sustainable Marketing – Social Responsibility & Ethics

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 Define sustainable marketing and discuss its importance

 Identify the major social criticisms of marketing
 Define consumerism and environmentalism and explain how they affect
er 24 marketing strategies
 Describe the principles of sustainable marketing
 Explain the role of ethics in marketing

November 25 Course Review & Examination Preparation

Course Once you have registered for the course you will be able to access
Material lecture notes and assignments via http://blackboard.nuigalway.ie

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