BUSI4H015: Marketing Theory

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• To develop a critical understanding of marketing theory, focusing specifically on key debates and cutting-edge knowledge that challenge conventional accounts of marketing theory. The theoretical, managerial, social, economic, and political dimensions of marketing are considered, in order to illuminate how marketing thought has developed: the role of marketing within markets, organisations, and society: and assumptions underpinning marketing thinking.

• The Development of Marketing Theory and Thought: Origins and Eras
• Paradigms and Turns of Marketing Theory
• Consumer Society and Conceptualising the Consumer
• Marketing as Exchange: Transactions, Relationships, Co-Creation or Manipulation?
• Brands and Branding
• Globalisation and Marketing in Non-Western Contexts
• Gender, Identity and the Marketplace
• Technology and Surveillance in the Marketplace
• Ethics, Vulnerable Consumers and Social Marketing
• Marketing and Society: Alternative Markets and the Future of Marketing

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module students will have:
• a critical understanding of the history and development of marketing theory
• a comprehensive knowledge of the assumptions underpinning marketing theory;
• an advanced understanding of alternative accounts of the role of marketing in markets, organisations, and society;
• an appreciation of the reciprocal relationship between marketing and technology, and marketing and culture;
• a critical understanding of the debates surrounding ethical, responsible, and sustainable marketing practice.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of the module students should have the:
• ability to critically evaluate marketing theory;
• ability to understand and apply different perspectives and approaches to marketing;
• ability to debate the underlying assumptions that constitute the various paradigms in marketing theory;
• ability to understand and evaluate the relationship between marketing theory and practice.

Key Skills:

• critical thinking in evaluating marketing theory and practice
• creative and adaptable problem solving and analytical skills
• effective written communication skills
• self-reflection and self-awareness in research and practice
• group work

• The module will be taught in a combination of a weekly 2 hour workshop and 1 hour per week of asynchronous online learning activities. Asynchronous online learning activities will cover the core concepts which students can work through at their own pace. Workshops will comprise a balanced mix of group work, case studies, and discussions. This flipped classroom approach, encourages greater levels of interaction and collaboration, thus facilitating a deeper understanding of the module content and enabling the learning outcomes to be met.
• The summative assessment, by individual written assignment, is designed to test students' acquisition of subject specific knowledge and understanding of the range of subject matter that has been introduced during the module.

Workshop exercises will give students an opportunity to explore, discuss, critique and apply the key aspects of marketing theory and will be closely linked to the summative assessment. Participation in workshops provides an opportunity for formative feedback throughout the module. Verbal formative feedback will be given to the students throughout the workshop exercises. The aim of formative assessment is to begin to understand the application of the material, to consolidate knowledge, and further develop relevant skills for academic work.

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