Level 3 Diploma in Marketing

Level 3 Diploma in Marketing

Course Synopsis
This Quality Assured Level 3 Diploma course provides a foundation in the field of Marketing. People are exposed to marketing on a regular basis, some subtle mediums, others more in 'your face' and noticeable. It will be of particular benefit to those students who wish to pursue the examinations of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, undergraduates looking to study to the course at University or those graduates in Management wishing to pursue postgraduate studies in Marketing.

The course comprises of ten carefully selected modules that cover a broad range of topics within the Marketing field covering theory and models, and techniques to implement the tools into practice.

Course Content:

Unit 1 - Introduction to Marketing
Providing the foundation blocks for the entire course. This module will introduce the student to modern concepts of business marketing. The focus will be on marketing in the context of the global economy, working in the new digital age. The most widely accepted definition of marketing on a global scale comes from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in the UK which is the largest marketing body in the world in terms of membership. The definition claims marketing to be the "management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer requirements profitably". Thus, operative marketing involves the processes of market research, new product development, product life cycle management, pricing, channel management as well as promotion. However, marketing is more of a process-oriented cross function, not a direct decision maker in these processes. It is one of the company's management tools to ensure that products and services are developed according to market requirements, and that they are profitable.

Unit 2 - Marketing Principles
This unit will examine the practice, theory and standards in Marketing. It will examine the core skills required in order to obtain proficiency in marketing. It will introduce the professional Institutions that support the development of marketing and provide governance over the profession. We will examine concepts of marketing in the UK business arena and the world stage.

Unit 3 - Marketing Strategy
This unit will examine the techniques of formulating Marketing Strategies within modern business applications. It will examine both theoretical and practical applications of strategic development. We will examine alignments required with Corporate Strategic Planning. We will examine latest published works in this area and provide an additional reading list to support individual development A marketing strategy serves as the foundation of a marketing plan. A marketing plan contains a list of specific actions required to successfully implement a specific marketing strategy. An example of marketing strategy is as follows: "Use a low cost product to attract consumers. Once our organization, via our low cost product, has established a relationship with consumers, our organization will sell additional, higher-margin products and services that enhance the consumer's interaction with the low-cost product or service."

Unit 4 - Marketing Communications
This unit looks at the important aspect of communications within marketing. How to make the best use of media coverage, how to conduct effective marketing campaigns, the ability to produce coherent marketing presentations and stakeholder management. Traditionally, marketing communication practitioners focus on the creation and execution of printed marketing collateral; however, academic and professional research developed the practice to use strategic elements of branding and marketing in order to ensure consistency of message delivery throughout an organization. Many trends in business can be attributed to marketing communication; for example: the transition from customer service to customer relations, and the transition from human resources to human solutions. In branding, opportunities to contact stakeholders are called brand touchpoints (or points of contact.) Marketing communication is concerned with the general behavior of an organization and the perceptions of the organization that are promoted to stakeholders through these touchpoints.

Integrated Marketing Communication is accepted as a goal of a marketing communication strategy.

Unit 5 - Global or International Marketing
The economic aspects stressed in globalization are trade, investment and migration. The globalization of trade entails that human beings have greater access to an array of goods and services never seen before in human history. From German cars, to Colombian coffee, from Chinese clothing, to Egyptian cotton, from American music, to Indian software, human beings may be able to purchase a wide range of goods and services. The globalization of investment takes place through Foreign Direct Investment, where multinational companies directly invest assets in a foreign country, or by indirect investment where individuals and institutions purchase and sell financial assets of other countries. Free migration allows individuals to find employment in jurisdictions where there are labor shortages. These aspects of international trade and marketing are explored in greater depth.

Unit 6 : Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is a discipline within marketing that involves the planned recording, analysis and tracking of individual customers' (business-to-business or consumer) responses and transactions for the purpose of developing and prolonging mutually profitable customer relationships. The term was coined in the 1970s by Lester Wunderman, who pioneered direct marketing techniques with brands such as Amex and Columbia Records.

Unit 7 - Distribution in Marketing
'Distribution' is one of the four aspects of marketing. A distribution business is the middleman between the manufacturer and retailer or (usually) in commercial or industrial the business customer. After a product is manufactured by a supplier/factory, it is typically stored in a distribution company's warehouse. The product is then sold to retailers or customers. The other three parts of the marketing mix are product management, pricing, and promotion.

Unit 8 - Marketing and E-Commerce
Electronic commerce, EC, e-commerce or ecommerce consists primarily of the distributing, buying, selling, marketing, and servicing of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The information technology industry might see it as an electronic business application aimed at commercial transactions. It can involve electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, e-marketing, online marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), automated inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. It typically uses electronic communications technology such as the Internet, extranets, e-mail, e-books, databases, and mobile phones.

Unit 9 - Marketing for Managers
Marketing management is a business discipline focused on the practical application of marketing techniques and the management of a firm's marketing resources and activities. Marketing managers are often responsible for influencing the level, timing, and composition of customer demand in a manner that will achieve the company's objectives.

Unit 10 - Marketing - The theory and the techniques
A summing up unit examining the many theories and techniques exploited in marketing today. An examination into methods and leading theorists is explored.

Most companies today have a customer orientation (also called customer focus). This implies that the company focuses its activities and products on customer needs. Generally there are two ways of doing this: the customer-driven approach and the product innovation approach.