Marketing Foundations (2225.YR.004255.1)

General information

Type:	OBL	Curs:	2	Period:	S semester
ECTS Credits:	5 ECTS

Teaching Staff:

Group	Teacher	Department	Language
Year 2	Mònica Casabayó Bonás	Marketing	CAT, ESP

This course has an eminently "applied" approach, because it develops students' marketing knowledge and skills by emphasizing practical, concrete applications of the concepts studied, incorporating theoretical applications as appropriate. It comprises three modules or blocks: "understanding," "creating," and "executing." In the first module, we will examine how marketers analyze the marketing environment and how they use marketing research and information systems to study consumers and identify marketing opportunities. In the second block, we will look at the elements of a marketing strategy: segmentation, targeting, and positioning. In the third module, we will examine the "marketing mix" and the set of tactical tools marketers use to implement their strategies, including product/service, pricing, distribution (place), and promotion.

This is a 5 ECTS credits course. Each ECTS credit represents 25 hours of independent work/study by students. The total 125 hours of work/study that the course entails include 40 lecture hours as well as 85 hours of work/study that students are expected to do outside of class.

The course introduces students to the fundamenal Marketing concepts and the methodologies and knowledge they need, representing a solid base upon which to make appropriate decisions.

We have designed this course for students to be able to experience situations which not only serve to acquire knowledge but to also develop their social and personal skills.

The Introduction to Marketing course thus helps students to primarily develop the following personal traits: creativity and innovation as well as professional social responsibility.

Upon successfully completing this course, students will:

- Understand the key principles of marketing, as well as marketing's relationship with the business environment;
- Be familiar with the basic models, theories, decision-making tools, and techniques typically used in marketing;
- Be capable of effectively putting these models, theories, decision-making tools, and techniques to practical use. Specifically, students should be able to gather, select, evaluate, and effectively utilize information to achieve marketing goals.
- Learn how to work effectively in a team, respecting the ideas and opinions of others, making a positive contribution to resolve selected marketing challenges.

Upon achievement of these objectives, students will be well-prepared and equipped for next academic year's marketing class, which has a more strategic focus.

1. UNDERSTANDING In this block, we will cover how to thoroughly analyze the problems and the underlying situations that marketers are confronted with. Comparatively, more sessions are dedicated to this block than to the subsequent two, partly reflecting how CRUCIAL this initial step in the marketing process is. In this block's sessions we will look at the following topics: What is marketing? Marketing definition. The Marketing Research Process Briefing (Project-Based Learning), Marketing Research Frameworks and Tools. What are the drivers of effective teamwork? What are Insights and how do we extract them?

2. CREATING In this block, we will address the fundamentals of the second pillar of the marketing process: The strategy design phase. This includes: Segmentation, targeting and positioning. We will examine both the concepts and their practical application.

3. EXECUTING In this final block, we will cover basic concepts pertaining to the third pillar of the marketing process: The (strategy) execution phase. Marketing strategies are typically materialized through the marketing mix, known otherwise as the 4P's: Product/Service; Place (distribution), Price, and Promotion.

4. CLOSURE We will finish with final project presentations by students and the course wrap-up.

In-class activities:

Lectures: faculty combine the discussion of theoretical issues with their practical application, inviting guest executives to some of the sessions. Students are required to complete the assigned readings (case studies, articles, and/or recommended bibliography) before these sessions.

Group project: The Marketing Project represents the implementation stage of the learning process through a conceptual but real scenario. The ultimate aim is to familiarize students with the decision-making process in line with the course structure. Students will work in teams and develop a market research proposal, consisting of research, analysis and a final proposal.

Participatory sessions: Students will be divided into work groups in the first session. Faculty will also explain the final project and general norms governing the latter. Before participatory sessions, groups will have to carry out the programmed activities and turn in written reports when specified. In some sessions groups will provide preliminary presentations of their projects.

Guest executives: With the aim of furthering students' knowledge of very concrete marketing areas, the program may include participation by guest executives specialized in different fields within the industry. The aim is to illustrate the practical application of marketing principles in their different facets.

Course website: the website on the Moodle platform includes material to complement the in-class sessions.

Participation can be in-class or via Moodle.

Recommended bibliography:

Santesmasses Mestre, M. (1996): Marketing: Conceptos y Estrategias. Ediciones Pirámide.
Kotler, P. Marketing Management, 14th edition. Prentice Hall.
Lambin, Jean-Jacques et al (2012), Market-driven Management. Strategic and Operational Marketing. 3rd edition, Palgrave Macmillan

Group	Teacher	Department
Year 2	Mònica Casabayó Bonás	Marketing