Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
1. Through critical analysis of current and future issues in strategic marketing management, assess how marketing is managed internally and externally by organisations from different sectors and how such organisations are impacted by issues in sustainability, business ethics and corporate social responsibility;;
2. Critically and effectively assess the value of theories, concepts and models to the practices of the service sector and how they manage service quality;;
3. Evaluate critically, the strategic role of branding and assess the impact branding has on consumers, organisations and society;;
Key Skills
On completion of this module students will have had the opportunity to:
1. Enhance and apply planning, organising, decision-making and time management skills appropriate for use in an organisational context.
2. Experiment and develop personal initiative and responsibility in undertaking complex investigations in the solving of organisational problems and issues.
3. Critically analyse and apply key ideas and concepts via comprehensive research relevant both to the subject area and to professional practice in the field.
4. Use terminology associated with the subject area accurately and in a way, which demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and understanding.
5. Develop and enhance both individually and collaboratively effective written and oral communication skills for both specialist and non- specialist audiences.
Read the following case study:
"IKEA: Making Life Better for the World's Many People" in Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G.M. 2016. Principles of Marketing. 16th ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson pp. 619-621.
Critically discuss IKEA's marketing mix strategy in a country of your choice, and evaluate the company's responses to an increasingly environmentally concerned market. (100 Marks)
As a guide you should:
(a) Provide a critical discussion of the marketing mix that IKEA employs in country of your choice through the use of appropriate literature and practitioner sources.
(b) Evaluate the significance of the environmental concerns in the market that IKEA operates and propose sustainable marketing strategies.
You should draw upon relevant academic as well as practitioner sources to support your points (i,e. Broadsheet newspapers available on Nexis, reputable new agencies, documentaries via Box of Broadcasts etc).
Do not address the questions (if any) at the bottom of the printed case study.
Please note that you should use the printed case study as a starting point in your analysis, as you are expected to undertake your own desk research to update your understanding of the current corporate context of the company in the case study.
You may find the following paper on the extended case study method of assessment useful in guiding your preparation: http://usir.salford.ac.uk/17001/1/paper_39.pdf
Your work should be in a creative, critical and evaluative manner. Ensure that your arguments are clear and logical and where appropriate include academic sources, i.e. academic journal papers, which add weight to your points raised. Please show in your list of references an appropriate breadth and depth of references relevant to the topic.
Your work must be correctly referenced throughout in the Harvard format.
Your assignment should be word processed and produced in an appropriate academic style. The font should be 12, and be double spaced. The work should be completed on an individual basis.