Main topics of study:

Introduction to Marketing Management:

• The Nature of Marketing
• The Management Process
• A Modelling Approach
• Strategic Decisions & the Nature of the Strategy
• The Marketing/Strategy Interface

Marketing Auditing & SWOT Analysis:

• Marketing Audit – Its Meaning
• Reviewing Marketing Effectiveness
• Role of SWOT Analysis
• Characteristics of Effective Audits

Segmental Productivity & Ratio Analysis:

• Costs Categories
• Marketing Costs Analysis
• Segmental Analysis
• Marketing Experimentation
• Customer Profitability Analysis
• Nature of Productivity
• Use of Ratio

Approach to Competitor Analysis:

• Meaning of Competitor
• Competitive Relations Evaluation
• Identifying Competitors Objectives
• Competitors Strengths & Weaknesses
• Competitive Responses
• Competitive Information System

Approach to Customer Analysis:

• Model of Buyer Behaviour
• Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour
• The Buying Decision Process
• Organisational Buying Behaviour

Mission & Objectives:

• Purpose of Planning
• Establishing Corporate Mission
• Influences on Objectives & Strategies
• Setting Objectives & Targets
• Development of Strategies

Structural, Market & Environment Analysis:

• Analysing the Environment
• Nature of the Marketing Environment
• Micro & Macro-Environmental Analysis
• Approaches to Environmental Analysis

Market Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning:

• Nature & Purpose of Market Segmentation
• Bases for Segmentation
• Approaches to Segmenting Industrial Markets
• Market Targeting
• Product Positioning

Formulation of Strategy; Analysing the Product Portfolio:

• The Development of Strategic Perspective Models of Portfolio Analysis
• Market Attractiveness

Formulation of Strategy; Generic Strategies for Leaders, Followers, Challengers & Nichers:

• Types of Strategy, Porter’s Strategies
• Identifying Potential Competitive Advantages
• Strategies for Market Leaders, Market Challengers, Market Followers & Market Nichers
• Dangers of Strategic Wearout

Pricing Policies & Strategies:

• Role & Significance of Price
• Approaches to Price Setting
• Pricing Objectives
• Pricing Methods
• Using Price as a Tactical Weapon
• Offensive Pricing

Promotional Plan:

• The Promotional Mix
• Integrating the Elements of the Promotion Mix
• Advertising Plan
• Planning for Personal Selling

Distribution Plan:

• Distribution Audit
• Distribution Objectives
• Distribution Strategies
• Evaluation & Control

Criteria of Choice in Decision Making:

• Financial & Non-Financial Criteria
• Multiple Criteria, Modelling Approaches
• Financial & Non-Financial Plans

Strategic Implementation & Control:

• Marketing Feedback & Control Systems
• Basic Control Concepts & Their Application Throughout the Planning & Implementation Process Problem Areas & Organisational Considerations
• The Role of Internal Marketing, Management Controls, Budget, Networks, Performance Evaluation, Ratio Analysis, Corrective Responses, Bench-Marking
• The Auditing Process

Reading List

Main Text:

Strategic Marketing Management: Planning Implementation & Control – Wilson, Gilligan & Pearson (Butterworth Heinemann)

Alternative Texts and Further Reading:

Marketing Management – Philip Kotler (Prentice Hall)
Marketing Plans: How to Prepare Them, How to Use Them – McDonald MHB (Butterworth/Heinemann)