MARKETING (Canale B)

Description

Objectives: The Marketing course presents the fundamentals of marketing management, and therefore models, processes, tools and techniques that accompany the analysis, decisions and operational management of marketing. The aim of the course is to provide students with essential marketing knowledge, without however limiting themselves to their introductory discussion, but by deepening the numerous multidisciplinary references that allow them to deal rigorously with the management of exchange processes, the market and competition. A rigor that is also pursued through analytical and quantitative insights into the tools that qualify contemporary marketing management. The didactic positioning of the course, therefore, is defined by the objective of training both students interested in acquiring the background necessary to follow subsequent advanced and specialization courses on marketing and students who intend to follow a training course on other areas of business and organizations in general, i.e. opting for advanced management courses. Assessment: 1. Report on case study (teamwork) 30% 2. Business Challenge (teamwork) 35% 3. Final exam (individual) 35% Teaching Methods: • Synchronous lessons: presentation and discussion of the essential concepts that are part of the study program, seasoned with the right amount of interactivity and student participation, both prompted by the teacher and spontaneously. • Asynchronous lessons (video pills): on some topics, indicated in the lesson calendar, a 10-minute video will be made available to students containing a “didactic pill” on the main contents of the indicated topic. Students are asked to watch the short video before the lesson, which will be conducted considering that all have had a careful exposure to the contents of the "teaching pill" and therefore have already learned its contents. • Group work (and presentations): students will have the opportunity to carry out group work of a highly applicative nature on case studies and on a company business case, both articulated and demanding. • Guest speaker speeches: some webinars are planned, which will also be attended by students from other channels, which will host the speeches of important exponents of the marketing community (often Luiss graduates who hold top positions of responsibility in their respective organizations), who will share their experience and their vision on the phenomena studied in the course. • Discussion of scientific papers: some scientific articles relating to specific themes of the program will be presented by the teacher and subsequently discussed in the classroom, in order to allow students to familiarize themselves with the “noble” sources of generation of marketing knowledge (and not only). Prerequisites: No specific prior knowledge is required. In any case, familiarity with the basic concepts of economics and statistics is certainly useful for increasing the "absorbing capacity" and making the learning process of theories, models, tools and techniques on which the course of Marketing focuses. Contents: Marketing management is a set of processes aimed at creating economic and social value for consumers, citizens, businesses and organizations. The contents of the course concern both analytical processes and decision-making processes (strategic and operational) as well as activities for the realization, measurement and control of economic and competitive performance. Starting from the meaning of marketing, both as a scientific discipline and as a "vital" function of companies and organizations, the course focuses on the analysis of demand, research, marketing strategies, management of the main marketing processes and some “special” themes, that is of particular relevance and topicality. In further detail, the course is aimed at developing the student's ability to understand: • How firms can analyze market demand; • The dynamics of the purchasing behavior of consumers, individuals, families and organizations and those underlying the development of relationships with customers; • The logic and methods by which marketing research is conducted, in the broader information system on customers and competitors; • The process of analyzing and defining marketing strategies with reference to the segmentation-targeting-positioning trilogy; • The management of products, brands, distribution channels, marketing communication and pricing policies; • Marketing planning models and processes; • Approaches and models to manage the “digital transformation” of marketing management. Reference Texts: Kotler, P., Keller, K. L., & Chernev, A. (2022). Marketing management 16ed.(16). Harlow: Pearson. Additional materials will be provided by the teacher Thesis assignment criteria: The criteria for thesis assignment will be communicated at the end of the course. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 1: Introduction: This session defines a framework for marketing management and provides the overall course overview. It will also analyze the marketing process and its main aspects Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 10: Integrated Marketing Communications: This session will focus on advertising, i.e., one of the most important tools in the communication mix, which is of the utmost importance in consumer markets and has been the object of continuous attention on the part of practitioners and academics. The session deals, as well, with additional communication tools and broaden the picture of the communication mix. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 11: The management of marketing channels: This session is about the management of distribution and focus upon the choices available to manufacturers: the structure of the distribution network, the typology of intermediaries involved and the relationship with those actors. Moreover, the session will focus also on the players in the distribution system and processes (i.e., Retailing and wholesalers). Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 12: Presentation of the best three marketing plans Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 2: Environment Trends & Marketing Planning: This session will focus upon the environment and the main trends in the environment, that are shaping the context where marketing processes develop. Moreover, students will be provided a framework for the development of marketing plans and examples. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 3: Consumer Behaviour and customer analysis: This session will focus upon consumer buying behaviour, and is intended to provide a framework for the analysis of consumer decision-making, It will also deal with new emerging issues in this field, like the increasing importance of hedonic attitudes and experiences, the role of emotions, the interaction between customers and their suppliers Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 4: Marketing Research: This session focuses upon Marketing Intelligence systems devised to collect, process and distribute information and knowledge about clients (existing and potential) and competitors. Its purpose is to offer a broad overview of existing methods and techniques. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 5: Market heterogeneity and segmentation: This session introduces the idea that markets are heterogeneous and have to be subdivided into homogeneous “segments”. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 6: Targeting and Positioning: This session introduces the key strategic decisions in marketing: the choice of the segment/s to target (targeting), and the choice of the way to compete against competitors (positioning). Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 7: Targeting and positioning part 2: this session introduces and discusses several examples of different positioning strategies: based on cost leadership, on differentiation, on value innovation, etc. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 8: Value proposition – product, service, experience – Brand and Branding: This session introduces the notion of “value offer” of “value proposition”, and the concept of product and its components. It develops also the ides of measuring and evaluating value. Moreover, the session will introduce the concept of brand and branding. Then, it extends to branding strategy to explore the establishment of brand equity. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 9: Value Proposition – Pricing: This session is companion of the session on product and service. It focuses upon the value of the offer; it provides models to analyze this value and to decide how to price this value offer Intended learning outcomes: • Knowledge and comprehension ability: By the end of the course students will have developed ability to comprehend the link between the value generated for the customer, breadth and quality of market relationships. • Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension: Such abilities will be acquired through the discussion of conceptual models and the development of applied projects during the course. • Autonomy of judgment: By the end of the course students will have acquired ability to analyze problems and identify information needed to solve them. Specifically, students will have acquired critical thinking, problem-solving skills and team working skills as well as and ability to relate with others. • Ability to communicate: By the end of the course students will have gained adequate competencies and tools to manage and transmit data and information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. • Learning ability: The course mainly aims to develop methodological capabilities, cognitive tools and capabilities that allow the students to know strategic and operational marketing techniques and adapt them to each specific context. Objectives: The Marketing course presents the fundamentals of marketing management, and therefore models, processes, tools and techniques that accompany the analysis, decisions and operational management of marketing. The aim of the course is to provide students with essential marketing knowledge, without however limiting themselves to their introductory discussion, but by deepening the numerous multidisciplinary references that allow them to deal rigorously with the management of exchange processes, the market and competition. A rigor that is also pursued through analytical and quantitative insights into the tools that qualify contemporary marketing management. The didactic positioning of the course, therefore, is defined by the objective of training both students interested in acquiring the background necessary to follow subsequent advanced and specialization courses on marketing and students who intend to follow a training course on other areas of business and organizations in general, i.e. opting for advanced management courses. Assessment: 1. Report on case study (groupwork) 30% 2. Business Challenge with a company (groupwork) 35% 3. Final exam (individual) 35% Teaching Methods: • Synchronous lessons: presentation and discussion of the essential concepts that are part of the study program, seasoned with the right amount of interactivity and student participation, both prompted by the teacher and spontaneously. • Group work (and presentations): students will have the opportunity to carry out group work of a highly applicative nature on case studies and on a company business case, both articulated and demanding. • Guest speaker speeches: some webinars are planned, which will also be attended by students from other channels, which will host the speeches of important exponents of the marketing community (often Luiss graduates who hold top positions of responsibility in their respective organizations), who will share their experience and their vision on the phenomena studied in the course. • Discussion of scientific papers: some scientific articles relating to specific themes of the program will be presented by the teacher and subsequently discussed in the classroom, in order to allow students to familiarize themselves with the “noble” sources of generation of marketing knowledge (and not only). Prerequisites: No specific prior knowledge is required. In any case, familiarity with the basic concepts of economics and statistics is certainly useful for increasing the "absorbing capacity" and making the learning process of theories, models, tools and techniques on which the course of Marketing focuses. Contents: Marketing management is a set of processes aimed at creating economic and social value for consumers, citizens, businesses and organizations. The contents of the course concern both analytical processes and decision-making processes (strategic and operational) as well as activities for the realization, measurement and control of economic and competitive performance. Starting from the meaning of marketing, both as a scientific discipline and as a "vital" function of companies and organizations, the course focuses on the analysis of demand, research, marketing strategies, management of the main marketing processes and some “special” themes, that is of particular relevance and topicality. In further detail, the course is aimed at developing the student's ability to understand: • How firms can analyze market demand; • The dynamics of the purchasing behavior of consumers, individuals, families and organizations and those underlying the development of relationships with customers; • The logic and methods by which marketing research is conducted, in the broader information system on customers and competitors; • The process of analyzing and defining marketing strategies with reference to the segmentation-targeting-positioning trilogy; • The management of products, brands, distribution channels, marketing communication and pricing policies; • Marketing planning models and processes; • Approaches and models to manage the “digital transformation” of marketing management. Reference Texts: Kotler, P., Keller, K., Chernev, A. (2024), Marketing Management, 16a, Pearson. Thesis assignment criteria: The criteria for thesis assignment will be communicated at the end of the course. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 1: Introduction: This session defines a framework for marketing management and provides the overall course overview. It will also analyze the marketing process and its main aspects Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 10: Integrated Marketing Communications: This session will focus on advertising, i.e., one of the most important tools in the communication mix, which is of the utmost importance in consumer markets and has been the object of continuous attention on the part of practitioners and academics. The session deals, as well, with additional communication tools and broaden the picture of the communication mix. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 11: The management of marketing channels: This session is about the management of distribution and focus upon the choices available to manufacturers: the structure of the distribution network, the typology of intermediaries involved and the relationship with those actors. Moreover, the session will focus also on the players in the distribution system and processes (i.e., Retailing and wholesalers). Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 12: Presentation of the best three marketing plans Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 2: Environment Trends & Marketing Planning: This session will focus upon the environment and the main trends in the environment, that are shaping the context where marketing processes develop. Moreover, students will be provided a framework for the development of marketing plans and examples. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 3: Consumer Behaviour and customer analysis: This session will focus upon consumer buying behaviour, and is intended to provide a framework for the analysis of consumer decision-making, It will also deal with new emerging issues in this field, like the increasing importance of hedonic attitudes and experiences, the role of emotions, the interaction between customers and their suppliers Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 4: Marketing Research: This session focuses upon Marketing Intelligence systems devised to collect, process and distribute information and knowledge about clients (existing and potential) and competitors. Its purpose is to offer a broad overview of existing methods and techniques. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 5: Market heterogeneity and segmentation: This session introduces the idea that markets are heterogeneous and have to be subdivided into homogeneous “segments”. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 6: Targeting and Positioning: This session introduces the key strategic decisions in marketing: the choice of the segment/s to target (targeting), and the choice of the way to compete against competitors (positioning). Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 7: Targeting and positioning part 2: this session introduces and discusses several examples of different positioning strategies: based on cost leadership, on differentiation, on value innovation, etc. Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 8: Value proposition – product, service, experience – Brand and Branding: This session introduces the notion of “value offer” of “value proposition”, and the concept of product and its components. It develops also the ides of measuring and evaluating value. Moreover, the session will introduce the concept of brand and branding. Then, it extends to branding strategy to explore the establishment of brand equity. Case study presentation and discussion Extended Program And Reference Reading Material: Week 9: Value Proposition – Pricing: This session is companion of the session on product and service. It focuses upon the value of the offer; it provides models to analyze this value and to decide how to price this value offer Intended learning outcomes: • Knowledge and comprehension ability: By the end of the course students will have developed ability to comprehend the link between the value generated for the customer, breadth and quality of market relationships. • Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension: Such abilities will be acquired through the discussion of conceptual models and the development of applied projects during the course. • Autonomy of judgment: By the end of the course students will have acquired ability to analyze problems and identify information needed to solve them. Specifically, students will have acquired critical thinking, problem-solving skills and team working skills as well as and ability to relate with others. • Ability to communicate: By the end of the course students will have gained adequate competencies and tools to manage and transmit data and information to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. • Learning ability: The course mainly aims to develop methodological capabilities, cognitive tools and capabilities that allow the students to know strategic and operational marketing techniques and adapt them to each specific context.