This module aims to:

Provide students with the ability to design marketing strategies and optimise customer value creation;

Develop students’ ability to assimilate and implement the fundamental principles of strategic marketing management and apply analytical theories and frameworks currently used in marketing;

Encourage students to critically assess the influence of digital technologies on the field of marketing from an ethical perspective, considering the influence on consumers and wider society.

(LO1) Students will be able to assimilate and implement the fundamental principles of strategic marketing management.

(LO2) Students will be able to apply analytical theories and frameworks currently being used in digital marketing.

(LO3) Students will be able to design digital marketing strategies and optimise customer value creation.

(LO4) Students will be able to critically assess the influence of digital technologies on the field of marketing, including the influence on organisations and wider society

(LRE1) A problem solver.
Students will be encouraged to think critically about theory and their own practice and to challenge assumptions about management and marketing theory and about organisational issues and dilemmas. They will do this by gathering and synthesising information, analysing alternative perspectives and options and presenting a considered course of action in their assessment.

(LRE2) An excellent verbal and written communicator.
Students will have opportunities to develop their communication skills through group discussions and coursework where they communicate ideas and arguments based on their reading and inquiry.

(LRE3) Commercially aware.
Students will develop an understanding of the commercial and financial nature of organisations and will use this understanding to underpin both operational and strategic decision-making.

(LRE4) Ethically aware.
The teaching, learning, and assessment strategy ensures that all students are exposed to ideas of sustainable business practice and awareness of ethical marketing issues such as data privacy.

(LRE5) Organised and able to work under pressure.
This will be evident in the students’ independent management of their assignments and ability to meet deadlines.

The module will primarily be delivered through a series of e-lectures, delivered through a variety of methods, covering key topics, theories and case examples. These will be supported by individual online task such as, case studies, blogs, collaborative tasks and discussion boards, which will be used to develop and apply learning. These activities will be moderated by the module instructor. Students will also be directed to key academic and practitioner readings to further develop their learning.

Unscheduled Directed Student Hours: 30 hours
Description: The asynchronous e-lecture and interactive class activity will equate to 5 hours per week over 6 weeks.
Attendance Recorded: Yes – tracked via the learning platform.

One scheduled synchronous seminar of one hour will be delivered in week 1, with the remaining two synchronous seminar hours scheduled during weeks 2 to 6. The dates and times of the seminars will be confirmed at the start of the module (if th ere are issues with time zones another session will be provided). Peer discussion and questions will be encouraged. These sessions will be recorded and moderated by the module instructor.

Scheduled Directed student hours: 3 hours
Description: The synchronous seminars will equate to 3 hours in total over 6 weeks.
Attendance Recorded: Yes – tracked via the learning platform.

Self-directed learning hours: 67 hours
Description: This will involve directed and independent reading, and independent research into digital strategic marketing management theories and practices relevant to the module syllabus, aims and learning outcomes.

The role and purpose of digital marketing within an organisational and global context.

The process of creating a digital marketing plan and its role within the wider marketing and organisational strategy.

The impact of the internal and external organisational environment on digital marketing strategy.

Digital pricing strategies from a micro-economic perspective e.g. supply and demand, profit maximising, digital ‘freemium’ and ‘SaaS’ (Software as a Service) models.

The value of digital marketing research and data analytics.

Ethical practices in marketing e.g. data ethics.

Segmentation, targeting and positioning as fundamentals of digital marketing practice.

Understanding consumer behaviour in a digital context.

Measuring digital marketing effectiveness.

Digital marketing and future digital technologies.