Strategic Marketing

This first module focuses on the strategic impact of marketing on company operations and on company results. The aim is for participants to develop a marketing plan in direct relation to corporate strategy, so that the whole company is able contribute directly to the success of new initiatives.

Topics include:

• The importance of planning
• The strategic marketing planning process
• Marketing audit and SWOT
• Marketing objectives and strategies
• Scenario and IT planning
• Barriers to planning
• Why marketing plans fail
• Marketing simulation

Market Research

The second module is a course in advanced market research under the supervision of an expert practitioner, building on the basic market research tools introduced in the core course on Marketing. Case will illustrate the importance, tools presented, analytical approaches explained.

Topics include:

• Traditional approaches to generating data
• Recent approaches to generating data
• Analyzing data
• Approaches to market segmentation
• Using research data to implement market strategy
• Managing the research results, the market data and their exploitation within the company

New Venture Business Planning

This final module has been developed to meet the needs of managers who may be required to set up a new business start-up, or a new division within an established organization. Business planning is an essential skill for business students and this module gives the opportunity to put the theory learned on the program into practice.
The main aim of this module is to take students through the whole process of transposing a business idea into a viable project via all the necessary intermediate stages, including the marketing plan.

Topics include:

• Creativity: This will revolve around the brainstorming of business ideas based on pre-set business areas.
• Why Business Plan: This explains what a business plan is and why it is helpful to individuals and businesses.
• Business Planning Principles: An understanding of the link between business planning and strategy.
• Preparing the Business Plan: An understanding of what is required and expected in a robust business plan.
• Evaluating and Implementing the Business Plan: An understanding of how business proposals are evaluated, in particular the criteria by which financial data determine whether the initiative will be viable or not.