introduction to the MODULE

This module is designed to introduce you to contemporary principles and practices in marketing, in a customer-focused and market-oriented organisation. Relationship marketing is the recent marketing approach that develops around the buying and consumption experience. As such, the module aims to develop your in-depth understanding of the strategic role of marketing in business, and its impact on the market and society in the digital age.

MODULE AIMS

The main aim(s) of the module are:

· To develop your understanding of contemporary marketing in an environment of digitalised communications serving a customer-brand-relationship.

· To equip you with the ability to make strategic decisions in market segmentation, targeting and positioning, brand and corporate reputation management, market offerings, and marketing programme/mix.

· To offer you insight into future marketing challenges: society, technology, and ethics; the role of corporations in our society; accountability and responsibility in the corporate environment.

· To develop your understanding of corporate social responsibility; and the most relevant mandatory corporate social responsibility interventions, to make responsible business and market decisions.

MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

Knowledge

1. Develop a critical understanding of major concepts, frameworks, and methods in marketing and corporate social responsibility, and assess their application in the business environment, including brand value.

2. Examine the role digital marketing and media play in contemporary marketing and business practice, and the social impact of these practices.

3. Identify key issues and problems related to the lack of responsibility in the approach to corporate business operations, and the risk that unethical corporate conducts pose for our society.

Thinking skills

4. Critically evaluate marketing strategies, including digital marketing solutions - in different business contexts, and address their implications including ethical issues, and reflect on the significance of key historical events.

Subject-based practical skills

5. Make strategic marketing decisions based on facts and market research; and to commission marketing communication campaigns, including digital marketing solutions.

6. Critically assess currently implemented corporate social responsibility solutions and recognise the links between the adoption of certain solutions and the performance of business operations.

Skills for life and work (general skills)

7. Adopt a persuasive argumentation, and present it in verbal or written communication.

8. Collect, analyse and synthesise data; and take a problem-solving approach to strategic thinking, and creativity.

READING AND RESOURCES LIST

Reading and resources for the module:

Core

Baines, P., Fill, C., Rosengren, S. and Antonetti, P. (2017) Fundamentals of marketing, UK: Oxford University Press.

Recommended

Altschuller, S., Feldman, D. and Blecher, L. (2008) “Corporate social responsibility”, The International Lawyer, 42: 489.

Carroll, A.B. (2009) A History of Corporate Social Responsibility, in Cran et al. (eds) Oxford: The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility, Oxford University Press.

Hanlon, A. (2019) Digital Marketing: strategic planning and integration. 4^th edn. London: SAGE.

Kotler, P. and Lee, N.R. (2009) Up and out of poverty: the social marketing solution. Horlow: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall.

Laudon, K and Traver, C (2015) E-commerce 2015: Business. Technology. Society, Harlow: Pearson.

Masterson, R., Philips, N. and Pickton, D. (2017) Marketing an introduction, London: SAGE.

Ozuem, W and Bowen, G (2016) Competitive social media marketing strategies. Hershey: IGI.

Rowles, D. (2014) Digital branding: A complete step-by-step guide to strategy, tactics and measurement. London: Kogan Page.

Tuten, T and Solomon, M (2015) Social media marketing, London: Sage

Visser, W. (2009) CSR in Developing Countries, in Andrew Cran et al. (eds) The Oxford handbook of corporate social responsibility, Oxford: Oxford Univeristy Press.

TEACHING SCHEDULE

Week No.	Week Commence	Topic
1	20/01/2020	Marketing today and Customer Behaviour
2	27/01/2020	Marketing Strategies and Competitiveness Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning
3	03/02/2020	Proposition and Branding Decisions
4	10/02/2020	Marketing Communications in a Digital age
5	17/02/2020	Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Ecommerce
6	24/02/2020	Marketing planning and Digital Strategy
7	02/03/2020	Introduction and Ethics
8	09/03/2020	Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
9	16/03/2020	Sustainability and supply chain
10	23/03/2020	CSR strategies
11	30/03/2020	Human Rights and Greenwashing
12	06/04/2020	Unethical Behaviour in organisations

Important note: The content of the module plan is subject to update by the Module Leader so check the Moodle site regularly to catch up with any changes, additional teaching and reading materials, and any relevant announcements.

Core Readings

Marketing today and Customer Behaviour

Textbook:

Baines, P., Fill, C., Rosengren, S. and Antonetti, P. (2017) Fundamentals of marketing, UK: Oxford University Press. Chapter 1, 2 and 3.

Marketing Strategies and Competitiveness- Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning

Textbook: Chapter 4 and 5.

Additional reading:

Fucks, C. and Diamantopoulos, A (2010) Evaluating the effectiveness of brand positioning strategies from a consumer perspective, European Journal of Marketing, 44 (11/12). 1763 -86

Porter, M (2008) The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy, Harvard Business Review, pp 78 -93

Proposition and Branding Decisions

Textbook: Chapter 6.

Further reading:

Schau, H. J., Muniz, A. and Arnould, E.J. (2009) ‘How Brand Community Practices Create Value’, Journal of Marketing, 73(5): 30-51.

Marketing Communications in a digital age

Textbook: Chapter 8 and 9.

Further reading:

Jobber, D and Ellis-Chadwick (2013) Principles and Practice of Marketing, Harlow: Pearson, Chapter 16.

Digital Marketing, Social Media, and Ecommerce

Textbook: Chapter 11.

Further reading:

Ozuem, W and Gordon, Bowen (2016) Competitive Social Media Marketing Strategies, Hersey: IGI, Chapter 1, 2 and 5.

Stephen, A.T and T.O (2010) Deriving Value from Social Commerce Networks, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 47, No 2. Pp.215 – 228.

Laudon, K and Traver, C (2015) E-commerce 2015: Business. Technology. Society, Harlow: Pearson, Chapter 1, 2 & 3.

Marketing planning: an overview

Key Reading: Jobber, D and Ellis-Chadwick (2013) Principles and Practice of Marketing, Harlow: Pearson, Chapter 18.

Further reading:

O’Keeffe, A, Ozuem, W and Lancaster, G (2016) Leadership Marketing: an exploratory study, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Vol. 24: no 5

Recommended academic journals for further reading are:

- Consumption Markets and Cultures

- Journal of Marketing Management

- Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

- Marketing Theory

Further recommended reading may be shared on Moodle and in the classroom.

ASSESSMENT

This assessment is an individual project that contains one individual summative report and one formative group presentation.

- Formative group presentation (0% - verbal feedback is provided).

- Summative individual written report (100%).

Emerging new technologies are changing the way consumers interact with brands which in turn provide avenues for marketers to reach their target consumer across a myriad of digital channels. In the connected world, we live in, successful marketing will require connected, personalised and real-time customer experience. Companies are experimenting on different marketing communication strategies, and embracing customers using various touchpoints to position their brands and connect with their target market. However, the hunger to buyers and consumers data and the eagerness to influence their decisions and behaviours led unconventional users of marketing and communications techniques to go above and beyond the norm. Such practices led to controversy in the society regarding privacy, ethically and legally accepted the use of data.

One of the major cases in recent years is the role Cambridge Analytica played in the latest American presidential election and the Brexit referendum in the UK. Political marketing and the use of digital media in political campaigns is not new; however, the way Cambridge Analytica used Facebook users’ data to target users with influential contents that can lead to favourable results to the promoted parties was labelled unethical and illegal.

Your Task

Research the case of Cambridge Analytica and write a report that reflects on and answers the following questions.

Your answers should be supported by evidence from the data you collect through your research. Your answers should also show how you analysed the data you collected using the marketing theories and concepts, and corporate social responsibility concepts you are learning in this module.

The questions:

1. What was the business opportunity for Cambridge Analytica? How did the company capture it?

2. Stand in the shoes of CEO Alex Nix: What could have been done better BEFORE the scandal in 2017 and earlier? What could have been done better AFTER the scandal broke (early 2018)? (Consider the following areas: marketing communication strategy and message, corporate social responsibility and corporate reputation, the impact on brand awareness and brand trust)

3. How do you judge the value of data for influencing decision making, in business as well as in politics? (consider the corporate social responsibility, impact on society, ethics and legislations)

4. Explain the work and service Cambridge Analytica provided Trump’s campaign. Apart from the legal side, in your perspective, was it right for Cambridge Analytica to provide this work for Trump?

5. How do public goodwill/license to operate and data-driven technology companies interrelate?

6. Facebook continues to face major ethical and legal challenges. What challenges Facebook brand is facing today? And what implications these challenges and the case of Cambridge Analytica have for the future of Facebook from your perspective?

Write a 3000-words report (10±) answering the above questions. Build clear arguments in your answers. Strengthen these arguments with sufficient evidence from the case study, your research into the market and the company and from the marketing and corporate social responsibility literature as appropriate.

Recommended report structure:

- Title page with student number and module code, plus word count

- Each question followed by the relevant answer. You may have sub-sections in each answer.

Report’s Presentation instructions

Your work should be word-processed as per the following:

Font style, Calibri, font size 12
1.5 line spacing
The page orientation should be ‘portrait’
Margins on both sides of the page should be no less than 2.5 cm
Pages should be numbered
Your name should not appear on the script
Your student number should be included on every page

Word Count

Your word count should not include your table of contents, reference list or appendices. You should provide your word count at the front cover of your report.

Exceeding the word count may result in a penalty of 5% of your mark. If your work is significantly shorter, then you probably did not provide the level of detail required.

Transitional Agreement Students ONLY

If you are completing 15 credits only of this module to compensate for MK7246 (Marketing in the digital age), then you need to complete the same individual written report assessment, but you only required to answer questions: 1,2, and 6. The word count limit is 2000 words (10±). The deadline here is 05 March 2020.

If you are compensating for SG7201 (Corporate social responsibility), then complete the same individual written report assessment, but answer questions: 3,4, and 5 only. The word count limit here is 2000 words (10±). The deadline is 10 April 2020.

The formative group presentation (Not assessed)

This is an invaluable opportunity for you to get feedback from your tutor that will be exceptionally helpful when you are writing your individual report, so don’t miss it.

Read the case study. Conduct market and company research and analysis. Answer the case study questions as a group. Prepare a few slides to present to the class and be ready to engage in a discussion and question and answer activity. Remember that “none of us is as smart as all of us”, so learn from each other, before you go and write your individual report. All of you will be winners here as each of you will write better after studying and discussing the case in class.

- Simply try to have a slide or two for each question. The first slide will have your names, and the last one will have your references.

- Presentation time is 15 minutes followed by 5 minutes discussion and tutor feedback, which will be invaluable for your individual report

- All group members are encouraged to participate in the presentation

Slides Presentation instructions (text should be presented in a legible format)

Your work should be word-processed as per the following:

Font style, Calibri, font size not less than 24
1.5 line spacing
Margins on both sides of the slide should be no less than 2 cm
Slides should be numbered
Your name and ID number should appear on your slides and the front slide

Skills Advice

Refer to your material provided in your skills modules to make sure that you have conformed to academic conventions. Pay attention to:

The use of sub-headings inside the questions
Paragraph structure

Do refer to Info skills at https://moodle.uel.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=802139

The Marking Scheme

Items	Criteria	Grade %
1.	Comprehensive research, use of journal articles/academic materials, market research, business report and news; and Critical analysis of the ideas Comprehensively researched, Identify the relevant concepts, Demonstrate a good understanding of the main academic theories and their applications. Provide evidence of critical thought.	45
2.	Quality of discussion: Ability to express ideas and present an argument with clarity Depth of the discussion: Ability to critically examine practical applications and implications of the relevant concepts, and offer problem-solving and creative marketing solutions	45
3.	Structuring, citation and referencing technique Logical structure Consistency with the prescribed presentation format Correct in-text citation Harvard referencing Writing quality Professionalism	10
	TOTAL	100

REASSESSMENT INFORMATION

If you are not successful in achieving a total mark of 50/100 or above, you will not be able to pass the module. You, however, can re-submit your assessment in July 2020. The resubmission deadline is on 06 July 2020. The online submission needs to be completed before 16:00. Submission will be through Turnitin via the relevant link on the Module’s Moodle page.

The resubmission mark of the assessment will be capped at 50 out of 100.

You will need to read the feedback provided on your previous submission carefully and seek further feedback from your tutor if needed. Then consider how you can rewrite your submission considering the tutor feedback to achieve the required standards and give satisfactory answers to the questions of the case study.

Submission

We strongly suggest that you try to submit all coursework by the deadline set as meeting deadlines is expected in employment. However, in our regulations, UEL has permitted students to be able to submit their coursework up to 24 hours after the deadline. Coursework which is submitted late, but within 24 hours of the deadline, will be assessed but subject to a fixed penalty.

The impact of the fixed penalty on your result will depend on what level of study you are in and when you began your course at UEL. For full details, see Part 3, Manual of General Regulations at https://www.uel.ac.uk/about/about-uel/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-policies/manual-of-general-regulations .

Coursework submitted up to 24 hours late will be accepted, but the component mark will be subject to a deduction of 5 marks from the mark awarded or a mark of 40% whichever is the greater.

Please note that if you submit twice, once before the deadline and once during the 24-hour late period, then the second submission will be marked and the fixed penalty applied.

This rule only applies to coursework. It does not apply to examinations, presentations, performances, practical assessments or viva voce examinations. If you miss these for a genuine reason, then you will need to apply for extenuating circumstances or accept that you will receive a zero mark.

Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which:

· impair your examination performance in assessment or reassessment, or

· prevent you from attending for assessment or reassessment, or

· prevent you from submitting assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled date

If you need to apply for extenuating circumstances, please find the relevant information at:

Manual of General Regulations at https://www.uel.ac.uk/about/about-uel/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-policies/manual-of-general-regulations

https://www.uel.ac.uk/discover/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-policies/extenuation-procedures

Student Appeals

Students who wish to appeal against Field and Award Boards decisions can find the relevant information at:

https://www.uel.ac.uk/about/about-uel/governance/policies-regulations-corporate-documents/student-policies

Guidance on referencing

As a student, you will be taught how to write correctly referenced essays using UEL's standard Harvard referencing system from Cite Them Right. Cite Them Right is the standard Harvard referencing style at UEL for all Schools apart from the School of Psychology which uses the APA system.

The electronic version of Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide (11th edition), can be accessed whilst on or off-campus via UEL the link below and will teach you all you need to know about Harvard referencing, plagiarism and collusion. The book can only be read online and no part of it can be printed nor downloaded.

Further information is available at:

Cite Them Right

http://www.citethemrightonline.com/

If you are accessing off campus:

· Click Login

· Select University of East London from the list of institutions

· Click Log In at University of East London

· Enter your UEL email address and password

Harvard referencing:

https://uelac.sharepoint.com/LibraryandLearningServices/Pages/Harvard-Referencing-.aspx

Academic Integrity:

https://uelac.sharepoint.com/LibraryandLearningServices/Pages/Academic-integrity.aspx

TURNITIN SUBMISSION

Our policy on the use of Turnitin recognises the educational desirability that all of our students should enjoy that is the opportunity to self-submit their work to Turnitin (before submitting for assessment). We also recognise that Turnitin Originality Reports will sometimes assist in the identification of plagiarised work submitted for assessment.

Therefore, the work that is submitted to Turnitin generates a Turnitin originality report, showing which parts of it have been reproduced from which sources. The system compares submissions to material that is to be found: on the world-wide web; in its database of previous submissions; and in its growing number of databases of published articles. You should not assume that a Turnitin originality report with a low similarity index is evidence that the piece of work concerned is free from plagiarism.

Our policy provides that a Module Leader may decide, in accordance with the policy of the School of Business and Law, that all student submissions for a particular component of assessment should be submitted to Turnitin, provided that the relevant Module Guide includes a notice to that effect.

Notice is hereby given that all components of the assessment are to be submitted online unless the tutor indicates otherwise. All components’ submitted documents should be submitted to the relevant TURNITIN link provided on the module’s page on Moodle. If you fail to submit your assessment to Turnitin, in accordance with the guidance provided on the Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Submitting Assessments Using Turnitin:

Turnitin is required for coursework assessments, such as report/research papers or projects in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and in PDF format. There are two main reasons we want you to use Turnitin:

· Turnitin can help you avoid academic breaches and plagiarism. When you use Turnitin before a submission deadline, you can use the Originality Report feature to compare your work to thousands of other sources (like websites, Wikipedia, and even other student papers). Anything in your work that identically matches another source is highlighted for you to see. When you use this feature before the deadline, you will have time to revise your work to avoid an instance of academic breach/plagiarism.

· Turnitin saves paper. When using Turnitin to electronically submit your work, you will almost never have to submit a paper copy.

Late Submissions Using Turnitin

UEL has permitted students to be able to submit their coursework up to 24 hours after the deadline. Assessments that are submitted up to 24 hours late are still marked, but with a deduction in marks (see above). However, you have to be very careful when you are submitting your assessment. If you submit your work twice, once using the original deadline link and then again using the late submission link on Turnitin, your assignment will be graded as late.

Turnitin System Failure

Best advice: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your assessments electronically. If you experience a problem submitting your work with Turnitin, you should notify your lecturer/tutor by email immediately. However, deadlines are not extended unless there is a significant systems problem with Turnitin. UEL has specific plans in place to address these issues. If UEL finds that the issue with the system was significant, you will receive an email notifying you of the issue and that you have been given a 24-hour extension. If you don’t receive any email that specifically states you have been given an extension, then the original deadline has not been changed.

Return of Work and Feedback

Tutor feedback regarding students’ performance and knowledge is shared as follows:

- In-class verbal feedback is offered to individual and group students. This is a reflection on current student engagement activities and discussions, and may include lessons learned from former students’ experiences.

- In-class verbal feedback during interactive lectures, debates and discussions, or talks.

- Verbal feedback on students’ presentations, videos, role play, and quiz performance.

- Verbal feedback during peer assessment exercises in-class, and through discussions.

- Feedback during feedback clinic on students’ ideas, outlines and structure of drafts, and through question and answer sessions.

- Written feedback on online submissions including Rubric and customised general and specific comments

- And finally, through the grade awarded in provisional marks and final marks. This is to be shared within 15 working days of formal online submission.

See Appendix C for more information.

STUDENT FEEDBACK

UEL values student feedback and there are lots of channels for gathering your views. Module evaluation is your opportunity to provide feedback on your learning and teaching experience of studying on your modules. All undergraduate and taught postgraduate students are provided with the opportunity to contribute feedback on their experience for each module that they study.

APPENDIX A: Module Specification

Module Title:

Marketing in a Digital Age and Corporate Social Responsibility

Module Code: MK7040

Level: 7

Credit: 30

ECTS credit: 14

Module Leader:

Dr Rula Al Abdulrazak

Pre-requisite: none

Pre-cursor: none

Co-requisite: none

Excluded combinations: No

Location of delivery: UEL/ Other/ By distance learning

If ‘Other’ please insert location here: Overseas collaborative partnerships

Summary of module for applicants:

This module is designed to introduce you to contemporary principles and practices in marketing, in a customer focused and market-oriented organisation. Relationship marketing is the recent marketing approach that develops around the buying and consumption experience. As such the module aims to develop your in depth understanding of the strategic role of marketing in business, and its impact on the market and society in the digital age.

Main topics of study:

· Understanding marketing in the digital era, customer-brand-relationship orientation.

· Market segmentation, targeting and positioning, brand management and value creation.

· Creating market offerings for global markets, and the marketing programme/mix.

· Integrated marketing communications mix: online, offline, mobile and interactive communication.

· Digital marketing, social media and e-commerce.

· Corporate reputation and brand, and future marketing challenges: society, technology, and ethics.

· The role of corporations in our society; accountability and responsibility in the corporate environment.

· Corporate social responsibility; and the most relevant mandatory corporate social responsibility interventions.

This module will be able to demonstrate at least one of the following examples/ exposures

Live, applied project ☒

Company/engagement visits ☒

Company/industry sector endorsement/badging/sponsorship/award ☐

Learning Outcomes for the module

The following codes identify where a learning outcome meets one of the UEL core competencies:

· Digital Proficiency - Code = (DP)

· Industry Connections - Code = (IC)

· Emotional Intelligence Development - Code = (EID)

· Social Intelligence Development - Code = (SID)

· Physical Intelligence Development - Code = (PID)

· Cultural Intelligence Development - Code = (CID)

· Community Connections - Code = (CC)

· UEL Give-Back - Code = (UGB)

· Cognitive Intelligence – Code = (COI)

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

Knowledge

9. Develop a critical understanding of major concepts, frameworks, and methods in marketing and corporate social responsibility, and assess their application in the business environment, including brand value. (IC) (SID) (EID)

10. Examine the role digital marketing and media play in contemporary marketing and business practice, and the social impact of these practices. (IC) (DP) (SID) (CID) (EID)

11. Identify key issues and problems related to the lack of responsibility in the approach to corporate business operations, and the risk that unethical corporate conducts poses for our society. (IC) (SID) (CID) (CC) (UGB)

Thinking skills

12. Critically evaluate marketing strategies, including digital marketing solutions - in different business contexts, and address their implications including ethical issues, and reflect on the significance of key historical events. (IC) (DP) (SID) (CID) (CC)

Subject-based practical skills

13. Make strategic marketing decisions based on facts and market research; and to commission marketing communication campaigns, including digital marketing solutions. (IC) (SID) (DP)

14. Critically assess currently implemented corporate social responsibility solutions and recognise the links between the adoption of certain solutions and the performance of business operations. (IC) (SID) (CID) (CC)

Skills for life and work (general skills)

15. Adopt a persuasive argumentation; and present it in verbal or written communication. (UGB) (EID)

16. Collect, analyse and synthesise data; and take a problem-solving approach to strategic thinking, and creativity. (UGB) (IC)

Teaching/ learning methods/strategies used to enable the achievement of learning outcomes:

For on campus students:

The learning philosophy is designed to encourage students develop appropriate analytical, evaluative and critical patterns of thought. To achieve this, a variety of teaching and learning methods are used in order to offer a diversity of approach and to meet the differing needs and expectations of students. These include mixture of tutor-directed lectures and seminars, case studies/video illustrations, as well as student-directed seminars and workshops, group work and shared learning, practitioner-led sessions, and potential use of virtual learning environment such quizzes, self-test or discussion board.

Assessment methods which enable students to demonstrate the learning outcomes for the module;

Project (up to 4000 words)

Weighting:

100%

Learning Outcomes demonstrated:

1-10