MSc Marketing

University of Strathclyde

This class provides a detailed understanding of brand theory and application of key brand strategies. Brands such as American Express and Levis jeans will be reviewed.

Understanding consumers is central to the business of marketing strategy. This class aims to move beyond the traditional focus upon the act of buying (buyer behaviour), to focus on having and being as fundamental processes in value formation. Consumer behaviour in this regard is more than buying, it also embraces the study of how having (or not having) things affects our lives, and how our possessions influence the way we feel about ourselves and each other.

In preparation for the Dissertation an intensive 3 week course known as Dissertation Skills is taught early in the 2nd semester, covering all aspects required for successful submission. By the end of this class, combined with necessary readings, students should be sufficiently prepared to undertake their dissertation, having submitted a research proposal, which requires a pass mark to proceed.

Marketing research and customer information provide key input to the development of a company's marketing strategy. The marketing concept is better implemented when information about the market, the competitors and potential buying behaviour is available. This class introduces the decisions and stages of the marketing research process, within the context of customer and market information now available from a wide range of sources including databases, loyalty cards and the internet.

The Marketing Works project provides students with a challenging organisation-based, action-learning opportunity to advise a company on a marketing problem/opportunity. Students will consult their client-firms or client-organisations with the objective of delivering realistic recommendations which if implemented could reasonably be expected to help generate strategic marketing plans. The scope of the project is to allow students to work in groups to manage the project at hand, and communicate their outcomes to their clients.

The aim of this class is to enable students to advance their understanding of the strategic marketing management process, to develop their knowledge of marketing planning and implementing the strategic activities of marketing within organisations in order to succeed in competitive markets. The class provides an overview of discrete marketing tools used as well as theories and the fundamental terminology used in the field of strategic marketing management. In addition, the class aims to equip students with the analytical skills necessary to be able to implement and assess the outcomes of marketing decision making.

This elective class is designed to build upon the core consumer behaviour class by developing in-depth knowledge of current thinking in the discipline and by analysing a range of contemporary consumer contexts.

The major premise of this class is that customer relationships are in a period of rapid change: digital technologies, including the Internet, e-commerce and social media platforms, are moving the balance of power in relationships through customer engagement to a ?customer led? phase. This class aims at developing students? knowledge and skills-based expertise in planning, implementing and managing successful e-marketing strategies.

The destination is the core element of tourism supply. It is defined in spatial as well as cultural/symbolic terms and encompasses a wide variety of sectors such as hospitality, the built and natural environments, cultural heritage, entertainment, sport and retailing. The diverse nature of the destination and lack of central ?control? implies quite specific challenges and responses in its management and marketing. This class will equip students with the skills necessary to engage with these.

This class focuses on exporting, the market servicing mode most commonly adopted by small to medium sized enterprises and firms in the early stages of internationalisation. The class covers both export strategy and export management issues and examines the latest research in export marketing.

Marketing Communications, bridge the gap between an organisation and its many stakeholders, provide a face and give voice to organisations. They can also help organisations build relationships and connect with their audiences and various stakeholders. Marketing Communications are recognised for their strategic and tactical roles in developing successful organisations, including commercial, not-for-profit, small and large sized firms. Marketing Communications is an exciting, vibrant and contemporary topic and the study of marketing communications can contribute to laying the foundations for future careers in marketing.

This class explores the marketing of cultural and heritage as ?resources? in a global context. It aims to introduce students to the essential dimensions of culture, heritage and the arts as resources for many types of organisation, both private and public sector, in activities such as tourism, festivals and events, community redevelopment and corporate branding. The class brings together theoretical and practical dimensions which need to be understood by cultural, heritage and tourism managers if these resources are to be used responsibly and sustainably.

Services represent more than a quarter of all world trade and the world market for services is growing at more than twice the rate of the product sector. Over the past two decades, academics and practitioners have become aware of the need to adopt a different emphasis when marketing services rather than products. Many companies producing products are turning to service to provide their differentiation.

This class provides an introduction to the structure and management of individual tourism organisations and attraction resources in the private, public and third sectors. It begins with an overview of key industries involved in the distribution of tourism products (tour operators, travel agencies, e-mediaries); those that facilitate tourist transport and accommodation (e.g. the international airline and hotel sectors) before focusing on the sustainable management of key resources at destination level (e.g. culture, heritage, sport and events).

This class assesses the role of retailing within the context of the overall supply chain and within the economy. The focus will be on global, as opposed to national trends and developments. This recognises that students who take this class come from a wide range of geographic regions and reflect a multi-cultural audience.

This class covers the topic areas that will allow class participants to understand and apply core concepts and frameworks that are relevant in the field of sports marketing and management. It takes a global focus. This recognises that many key sporting events are increasingly taking place in non-traditional locations, e.g. Dubai, India and China. Feedback from alumni and sports organisations suggests that there is a lack of suitably qualified marketing graduates and post-graduates who have the specialised knowledge and skill sets to perform in the sporting environment. This class attempts to address this problem.