Skip to main content
 

BUSI1131: Marketing Principles

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type Tied
Level 1
Credits 20
Availability Available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • This module is designed to enable students to understand the key principles of marketing theory and its application in both commercial and non-commercial sectors.
  • This module also aims to provide an introduction to marketing practices, where students will begin to appreciate a critical engagement with relevant academic research and case study material. We will go beyond the sole interest of developing knowledge that enables marketing practitioners to maximise the sales of products and services. Students will critically assess marketing principles and concepts in order to develop critical thinking in Marketing and a deeper engagement with Marketing studies. As such the module will provide a foundation for further study and expose students to marketing concepts through the application of case studies as well as up-to-date academic research and practice.
  • The module also aims to provide students with an understanding of how marketing works in practice, taking into account the context (domestic or international), culture, market characteristics and trends.

Content

  • Consumer behaviour and decision-making
  • Market segmentation, target marketing and profiling consumers
  • Marketing strategy and planning
  • Brands, Branding and positioning
  • Marketing of products, services and experiences
  • Distribution channels, retailing, and the retail environment
  • Marketing communications: Communications Theory; integrated marketing communications campaigns
  • Pricing
  • Sustainability and ethics in marketing.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of core marketing concepts and principles
  • Analyse market opportunities and select and justify appropriate marketing approaches
  • Discuss and evaluate the role marketing plays in supporting a brand's marketing objectives
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of the relationship between marketing and consumer behaviour and evaluate how these are affected by new technology
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of planning aspects of marketing and evaluate the effects of various contexts
  • Identify and analyse social and ethical issues relating to marketing policies, procedures and practices.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Have developed expertise in understanding the key marketing concepts and principles
  • Be able to take a critical perspective towards standard marketing concepts and principles to reappraise their effectiveness and relevance in the light of contemporary marketing issues, including the digitisation of communications technology, the fragmentation of consumer markets, and, the increasingly consumer-driven character of digital marketing activity.

Key Skills:

  • Effective written and oral communication skills
  • Planning, organising and time management skills
  • Problem solving and analytical skills
  • The ability to use initiative.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The module will be taught in a combination of a weekly 2 hour workshop and 1 hour per week of preparatory asynchronous online learning activities covering core concepts. Workshops will include a balanced mix of group work, case studies, and discussions. They will also be used as a focus for student led material to be provided to the module cohort. Sets of independent learning activities (posted online) will also be available on a weekly basis - designed to further consolidate students knowledge and understanding. 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.
  • The summative assessment is an individual assignment of 3000 words, designed to test students' acquisition of subject specific knowledge and understanding of the range of subject matter that has been introduced during the module.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Workshops Attendance will be monitored at workshops. 10Weekly2 hours20Yes
Asynchronous online learning activities Completion of independent learning activities, including preparation for assessments. 10Weekly1 hours10 
Preparation and Reading170 
Total200 

Summative Assessment

Component: AssignmentComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Individual Assignment3000 words maximum100Same

Formative Assessment

Formative group project, preparing students for the individual written assignment.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.