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Module Handbook
2016/17

MBA Marketing

Level: 7

Semester(s): Academic Session 2016/2017

Credits: 10

Table of Contents

1. Welcome note and introduction.

2. Key contacts.
3. Using your University email address.
4. Personal development planning
5. Learning and teaching study programme,
6. How you will be assessed and submitting your work.
7. Group work.
8. Assessment results and feedback.
9. ReadingLists@Hull.
10. Module review.

Students are advised to read this handbook alongside the Business School’s study skills handbook
(available on your programme canvas ite) and to pay particular attention to the section on plagiarism
in both handbooks.

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 Welcome note and introduction

This module guide has been prepared for students following the MBA Marketing module. The guide
provides a brief, structured introduction to the ‘rules of the game’ that students must adhere to.
These rules constitute the ‘contract’ between the lecturers and the Business School on the one hand
and the students on the other hand. Also, in addition to offering a short overview of what marketing
is all about, the module guide contains some basic information. As well, the guide indicates the way
in which the module will be taught and assessed through written coursework although the actual way
obviously will depend on an individual lecturer’s preferred style and approach. The importance of
students using the e-bridge is emphasized, as is the University’s policy against plagiarism. Alongside
the Business School’s study skills handbook, please read this module guide very thoroughly, as the
information contained within it is pivotal to navigating the module successfully. Again, please pay
special attention to the section on plagiarism in both this guide and the study skills handbook.

Modules Overview
This postgraduate module aims to introduce students to aspects of marketing principles and
functional activities. The perspective of the module is to develop a critical appreciation of a range of
fundamental marketing constructs and theoretical models. The underlying rationale of the module is
to encourage students to select and use appropriate conceptual tools and theoretical models so as to
be able to interpret business-related problems in a marketing management context. This should
provide a complementary perspective to the viewpoints presented in other modules so that students
can recognize the range of marketing activities and how these can be important for building the value
by which an organization survives and grows. The module should help successful students to identify
and critically evaluate possible distinctive strategic recourses, and to consider strategic options for
supporting marketplace positions of sustainable competitive advantage. Within the timeframe of the
module, the module examines choices available to organizations in how they might analyze, plan,
implement, and control their marketing efforts. Students are introduced to the role of marketing
planning as part of the function of helping an organization construct value within its marketplace.
The module encourages students to question the difference between tactical aspects of marketing
activity and the strategic value of these activities in how they provide a sustainable future for the
organization and support for its stakeholders.

All students need to use this module handbook with reference to the Generic Module Handbook
which contains general information and guidance about learning and assessment within the Business
School. The Generic Module Handbook covers the following topics:

Student support
Disability
Attendance
Overlong assignments
Plagiarism and Unfair Means
Ethical practice
Examinations
Mitigating circumstances and Absence with Good Cause
Assessment grading
Module evaluation
Module changes
Health and safety

All students should also refer to their programme handbook for additional information including
guidance on examinations, plagiarism and overlong assignments. For non-Business School students
this can be found at:

 Key contacts

 Using your University email address

The Business School sends ALL formal communication with students to their University email
accounts. Any of the staff listed above may try and contact you via your University email address. As a
result all students should check their University email address on a regular basis.

Failure to do so will mean you miss out on important information.

 Personal development planning

The module intends to equip students with frameworks of established models and concepts to help
analyze the strategic role of marketing. Successful students will be able to use a range of marketing
concepts and planning tools to perform aspects of marketing functions that can support an
organization and its performance within its markets, and which help support the interests of key
stakeholder groups. The module should help to develop the ability to describe a range of core models

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and theories, as well as to select and use appropriate examples of these to analyze the potential
influence of market forces. Students should therefore develop a critical appreciation of relevant
organization resources and, in particular, those with the strategic potential to help establish a
competitive advantage. Students will be expected to recognize a range of marketing tactics that
enable strategic marketing plans to be implemented, and to see these in the context of broader
business objectives. This will provide underpinning theory that will assist in later modules

The Hull Way and the Hull Employability Awards

The Hull Way aims to give all students the opportunity to develop and articulate the graduate
attributes they need to become a ‘distinctive Hull graduate’. The starting point for the Hull Way is
the Hull Graduate Profile; which is a key set of graduate attributes all our students will have the
opportunity to develop. These graduate attributes outline core skills, knowledge and behaviours
we help our students to develop at Hull to enable them to be successful in the world at large and
achieve their full potential.

This module includes several elements that can support its students to reflect on and develop
some of the key Hull Graduate Attributes. Examples include:

 Demonstrate, in writing, a critical appreciation of the contextual forces that can have an impact
on organizations and strategic business units.
 Interpret, in written and verbal ways, the use of appropriate theoretical frameworks and
analytical tools that assess the relevance of specific markets and customers for related offers in
services and goods.
 Make a written critical appraisal of the deployment of resources to develop market potential with
goods and services that match customer expectations.
 Apply marketing concepts to practical business situations and processes in assessing the
operational deployment of resource to produced goods and services.
 Critically assess the relevance of marketing and management information in the context of
different industries

These attributes stand only as examples. Your tutor can give you further indication of the types of
skills you may gain from each session and you should personally reflect on your own performance.

By reflecting on the skills and attributes you gain whilst at university, some of which will be
developed during this module, you could gain a Hull Employability Award. The Awards recognise a
level of success in developing the skills and attributes characteristic of Hull graduates, standing as an
endorsement of excellent employability.

For further information on The Hull Way and The Hull Employability Awards and to register for The
Awards please visit www.hullawards.hull.ac.uk

If you have any questions about the Hull Way and the Hull Employability Awards please contact the
Business School’s Centre for Professional Success.
 1. Learning and teaching study programme
Your personalised timetable can be accessed via Scientia Web Timetables - 2.0.38. Please be aware
that dates, times and venues on the timetable are subject to change so you should check your
timetable regularly. Please download the University mobile app, iHull to ensure that you receive any
timetable change alerts.

Please find the module specification on the on-line programme and module catalogue. Details of the
learning and teaching study programme for the module are provided below. Please note that teaching
materials will be made available to you at least 48 hours in advance of teaching sessions and where
this is not appropriate, due to the content or mode of delivery, you will be informed.

Indicative Timing Plan - Day 1 (2pm - 10pm) Chapter

2.00 – 3.30 Introduction, Session Objectives, Assessment
3.30 – 3.45 Drink Break
3.45 – 5.30 Lecture 1 – Introduction to Marketing – history & philosophy 1&2
5.30 - 6.00 Drink Break
6.00-7.30 Coca Cola DVD and discussion
7.30-8.00 Drink Break
8.00- 9.00 Lecture 2 - The Marketing Planning Process - Audit
9.00-10.00 Case study task – airline - emerging markets

Indicative Timing Plan - Day 2 (2pm - 10pm) Chapter

2.00 – 3.45 Lecture 2 - The Marketing Planning Process – Audit cont. Ch 21
3.45 – 4.15 Break
4.15 – 4.45 Intel case study
4.45 - 6.45 Lecture 3: Consumer and Industrial Buyer Behavior
6.45- 7.15 Break
7.15 – 8.00 Case Study: Ebay – big data Ch 9 - 11
8.00-10.00 Mkt Mix Lecture 4: Segments and Product

Indicative Timing Plan - Day 3 (9am – 7pm) Chapter

9.00 – 10.45 Segmentation exercise Ch 11
10.45– 11.00 Break
11.00 –12.30 Lecture 5: Price / Place
12.30 – 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 2.00 Case Study: Sainsbury’s want to buy Argos
2.00 – 5.00 Lecture 6 – IMC Lecture 6: Integrated Marketing

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Break @ Communication (IMC)
3.30 Case Study: Intel Inside Break
5.00 – 6.30 Case Study: the droid at till number 7
6.30 onwards Review and Close

Indicative Timing Plan - Day 4 (9.00pm-7.00pm) Chapter

9.00 – 12.00 Lecture 7: Branding IPhone disabled Ch 12 -14
Break 10.15-
10.45
12.00 –12.30 Coursework discussion
12.30- 1.30 Lunch
1.30 – 3.30 Lecture 9: Relationships- Relationship Marketing Exercise Ch 21- 22
3.30 – 3.45 Break
3.45- 5.00 Lecture 10: Implementation and Ethics
5.00 – 7.00 Module Review, discussion and Close

NB. The schedule of teaching sessions will most likely change depending on how the module develops

Study programme

Please note a detailed reading list for each session is available on the e-bridge site

Introduction to marketing - history, philosophy

From a managerial point of view, marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception,
pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy
individual and organizational goals. Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target
markets and getting, keeping, and growing customers through creating, delivering, and
communicating superior customer value.

Learning Objectives
 To develop a critical understanding of the marketing concept
 To understand why marketing is a critical management function
 To identify the marketing concept development to understand to gain insights into what
“marketing” is

The Marketing Planning Process - Audit

The value delivery process (marketing) involves choosing (or identifying), providing (or delivering),
and communicating superior value to the consumer. The value chain is a tool for identifying key
activities that creates value and costs in a specific business. Strategic planning for individual
businesses entrails the following activities: defining the business mission, analyzing external
opportunities and threats, analyzing internal strengths and weaknesses, formulating goals,
formulating strategy, formulating supporting programs, implementing the programs, gathering
feedback, and exercising control. Each product level within a business unit must develop a marketing
plan for achieving its goals. The marketing plan is one of the most important outputs of the
marketing process.

Learning Objectives

 To appreciate the various steps and stages involved in marketing planning

 To recognise the critical relevance of theories and tools which underpin the marketing
planning process approach
 To critically appreciate the source and importance of developing strong marketing strategies

Understanding Markets
To carry out their analysis, planning, implementation, and control responsibilities, marketing
managers need a marketing information system (MIS). The role of the MIS is to assess the manager’s
information needs, develop the needed information, and distribute that information in a timely
manner. Better understanding of the customer is a critical outcome of any form a market research or
MIS system. This section covers the core buyer behavior concepts that help us understand both
consumers and business in the way they think and act. It underpins the very simple idea that to be
effective in marketing we must be able to determine who the customer is, how the view the world and
how we can use this to design marketing activity

Learning Objectives
 To be aware what a marketing information system is and what function it performs
 To understand the critical importance of understanding customer and how this can be used
in developing marketing activity
 To understand consumer and business buyer behavior

Strategic Options: Products and Segments

Target marketing involves three activities: market segmentation, market targeting, and market
positioning. A firm has to evaluate the various segments and decide how many and which ones
to target: a single segment, several segments, a specific product, a specific market, or the full
market. If it serves the full market, it must choose between differentiated and undifferentiated
marketing. Firms must also monitor segment relationships, and seek economies of scope and
the potential for marketing to super segments. They should develop segment-by-segment
invasion plans. Marketers must choose target markets in a socially responsible manner.

Learning Objectives
 To understand the different levels of market segmentation
 To know how a company can divide a market into segments
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  To identify criteria that determines what makes a market attractive

Customer Relationships: Value, Retention and Loyalty

Relationship marketing as a marketing concept has gained much acceptance over the last 20 years. It
is underpinned by a believe that by having longer lasting relationships with certain customers that
both parties gain e.g. the organisation has more predictable revenue sources, better information of
their core customers and can design offering which more precisely meet the needs of the customers
ultimately reducing cost and increased profitability. Customers gain because of improvements in the
offerings and services they receive, increased levels of trust and thus a decrease in performance risk

Learning Objectives
 To define relationship and Value marketing
 To enable a critical understanding of both concepts as activity and business model
 To review relationship marketing as a business concept in facilitating customer retention and
loyalty

Lecture 6: Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)

Marketing calls for more than developing a good product, pricing it attractively, and making it
accessible to target customers. Companies must also communicate with present and potential
stakeholders and the general public. Managing and coordinating the entire communications process
calls for integrated marketing communications (IMC): marketing communications planning that
recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the strategic roles of a variety of
communications disciplines and combines these disciplines to provide clarity, consistency, and
maximum impact through the seamless integration of discrete messages. In today’s context,
organisations need to maximise the use of digital media, and social media is an important tool within
the overall context of IMC.

Learning Objectives

 To understand the concept of “IMC”

 To understand theoretical underpinning in marketing communications
 To Understand the Communication Plan and communication strategy

Lecture 7: The Challenge of Implementation & Changing

Times
The final act of the marketing planning stage is implementation. Implementation is concerned with
taking all the factors that determine how an organisation functions within a specified operating
environment and ensuring that these fit strategic aims and objectives. This brings to the fore the
issue of coordination and control i.e. how to ensure all elements of a marketing plan support each
other and the aims of the organisation. To conclude, we also examine corporate social responsibility
(CSR): the process by which businesses negotiate their role in society.

Learning Objectives

 To have a clear understanding of the application of the marketing mix

 To have a critical appreciation of the issues of implementation
 To appreciate the importance of control within the planning process
 To appreciate recent trends that organisations are adopting: CSR

Integration with other MBA modules and the MBA

programme in general

The Hull MBA program has a strong emphasis on the Managing the Value Chain (see the next page).
The creation of value is the key in marketing (Albrecht, 1992; Alderson, 1957; Anderson, 1982;
Anderson & Narus, 1999; Doyle, 2000; Drucker, 1973; Woodruff, 1997). Indeed, the role of marketing
is “to assist the firm to create value for its customers that is superior to competition” (Tzokas & Saren,
1999: 53). Customers who are satisfied with a firm's products or services because these offerings
represent or produce value, ceteris paribus, remain loyal to that firm and place their future purchases
with that firm (Bolton & Drew, 1991; Eriksson & Löfmarck-Vaghult, 2000; Fornell, 1992; Reichheld,
1996; Rust & Zahorik, 1993; Scheuing 1995).

A number of marketing writers began to study value from the mid-20th century (Payne & Holt, 1999)
including Churchill (1942), Womer (1944), and Barton (1946)—who all examined brand loyalty and
repeat purchasing. However, it is fair to say that only recently has the value concept been embraced
by practitioners, and studied by academics, in a much more explicit way than what was previously the
case. It is useful to realize that the emphasis on creating value was not always crucial in the past,
when firms could still achieve high profitability because markets were regulated, production
resources were scarce, distribution channels were controlled, or poorly performing firms were
acquired and rationalized (Doyle, 2000). According to many authors, such opportunities are now fast
disappearing because of dramatic changes in marketing's context, which in turn lead to fundamental
changes in what is important in marketing. These trends include changes in physical distance and
time, as well as liberalization of economies, deregulation of industries, globalization of markets,
rising customer expectations, and new information technology (e.g. Doyle, 2000; Hunt, 2000;
McKenna, 1991; Sheth et al., 2000).

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Value is not only an increasingly relevant concept in the area of marketing, but also a salient notion
from the perspective of purchasing and supply management, as it can be said to be very closely
connected to the concept of ‘total cost of ownership’ (Wouters et al., 2005). Information on the total
cost of ownership quantifies the costs besides the direct purchasing price, which are involved in
acquiring and using alternative offerings. Such costs are comprised of transaction costs related to
purchasing activities (e.g., ordering, freight, and quality control), inventory holding costs (e.g. capital,
storage, handling, insurance, and obsolescence), as well as costs associated with poor quality (e.g.,
rejection, rework, downtime, and warranties) and delivery failure to customers (Carr & Ittner, 1992;
Ellram, 1995). Understanding and trading off these various costs—values—related to purchasing
decisions is all the more relevant given the emphasis on concepts such as total cost and value in a
more strategic perspective on the purchasing function and process (Axelsson et al., 2005).

Perhaps surprising then is that firms often do not know how to define value, or how to measure it
(Anderson & Narus, 1998). In fact, there has been only little research examining what value is,
“[despite] its importance for the marketing discipline, little research effort has been devoted to
examining what this value is, how it is produced, delivered and consumed and how it is perceived by
the customer” (Tzokas & Saren, 1999: p. 53).

The above belief is echoed by Woodruff (1997: p. 150), “[We] need richer customer value theory that
delves deeply into the customer's world of product use in their situations”. Collins (1999) undertook a
bibliometric study using key words in abstracts, titles, and headings during an electronic search in
order to identify papers and articles associated with customer retention, relationship marketing,
customer value, and relationship value over the period 1985-1998. Collins (1999) concluded that both
customer and relational value are not significant sub-fields within marketing, as the frequency of
publications on value has been relatively low.

Why is it that only limited research has been conducted? With regard to customer value, some people
argue that the concept is still poorly understood and that it is the customers and not the firms who
are driving the value creation process (Tzokas & Saren, 1999). Another argument is that existing
schools of thought such as (social and) relational exchange theory do not adequately address why,
and how, values are created, and what motivates customers and suppliers to engage in exchanges
(Sheth et al., 1988). It is also suggested that the research, which does exist, originates not from
marketing or purchasing and supply management, but rather from strategy and strategic
management, psychology and sociology of consumer behavior, accounting, and finance (Tzokas &
Saren, 1999). This has made it difficult for both marketing and purchasing and supply management
to control the value creation and delivery process.

In the last decade, however, the interest in value has seen a strong increase. The Marketing Science
Institute has defined the understanding of markets and the delivering of superior value as a research
priority (Parasuraman & Grewal, 2000). The need for research concerns not only theory on value, but
also marketing tools for understanding what consumers’ value and for designing systems that can
deliver this value. Specifically in the area of business marketing, both the Center for Business and
Industrial Marketing and the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, respectively at Georgia
State and Pennsylvania State University, give particular attention to value research in their research
programs (Ulaga, 2001).

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Part of the MBA Marketing module will develop a brief overview of existing research literature on
value in business markets, both from the perspective of the marketing and the purchasing and supply
process (cf. Lindgreen & Wynstra, 2005). Some of the early research strands on value are examined
including value analysis and engineering, the augmented product concept, consumer values, and
economic value of customers. Subsequently, this early research, together with more recent research,
is categorized according to two distinct levels of analysis: the value of products and services versus
the value of buyer-supplier relationships. This is supported by examination of case studies which will
enable issues that companies can face upstream and downstream to be considered
 How you will be assessed and submitting your work

Assessment tasks, assessment criteria and grading descriptors

The assessment details for the module are provided on the module Canvas site. It is important that
you understand the assessment task, assessment criteria and grading descriptors and so please do ask
your Module Leader for clarification if required.

Submitting your work

Coursework submission dates are provided on your programme Canvas site. Deadlines are strictly
adhered to. You must submit each assignment on, or before, 4pm /on the submission date provided.
Please note that a submission will be considered late even if it is only a few seconds after the
published deadline.

eSubmission is the approved method for your HUBS programme of study. You must submit your
assessed assignments to the relevant module Canvas site. Submission of a printed copy is NOT
allowed. Please consult the eSubmission information on your programme Canvas site and work
through the ‘Making an eSubmission Guide’ to familiarise yourself with the eSubmission process.

Due to the nature of the assessment of some modules, it may not be possible to hand in your
coursework via eSubmission. Examples of where eSubmission would not be possible include;

Portfolios: which include data in formats that cannot be captured electronically.

Web-sites: with multiple files, of different types, that cannot be combined into a single document.

The above is not an exhaustive list and Module Leaders will explain any exceptions to eSubmission
for their Module. Any coursework which cannot be submitted by eSubmission must be submitted
prefaced by a properly completed paper copy of an eSubmission Coursework Coversheet and on or
before the submission deadline.

Penalties for late submission and overlong assessments

Please be aware that the University has in place a standard system of penalties for work that is
submitted late (after the submission deadline) and assignments that are overlong (in excess of the
published word length). Please see the ‘Assessment procedures for written examinations and
coursework’ section in your programme handbook for details.

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Coursework submission - dates and times

The table below provides details of the final date and time by which work must be submitted.
Students may hand in work at any time prior to these deadlines, and are encouraged not to wait until
the final deadline.

Date Time Topic/Title Location

4/04/2017 16.00hrs Marketing Report canvas

MBA MARKETING MODULE ASSIGNMENT

Length: 3,000 words excluding references, figures, and tables; appendices should be
used where appropriate

Submission date: 1st April, 2017

The assignment is composed of TWO parts.

PART ONE
Company and Product Background:
ACME Smoothies UK is based in Hull. ACME Smoothies claim to offer an exclusive and
unique smoothie experience. The founder, Joe Blogs, is a trained chef and nutritionist, who
regularly visits locations where exotic fruit can be sourced to search out new flavours and
ingredients. However Joe has very little business experience. But believes that the
ingredients and the way they are mixed can offer a truly different and innovative
consumption experience for consumers wanting a new taste sensation.
ACME has developed a range of smoothies and wishes to market these within the UK
market. ACME’s founder, Joe Bloggs, has no experience in trading in the UK or elsewhere
and has limited resources.

Tasks
Create an ABRIDGED Marketing plan that examines the initial marketing campaign and
advise how the company should introduce ACME Smoothies into the UK market place.
Specifics:
You have the freedom to determine the parameters of the campaign. In producing your
marketing plan, please pay particular attention to the following four critical areas.
 Who is ACME’s target market? What customer needs should ACME address?
What value is given to customers?
 What would be ACME key differentiation/positioning? Why would you think this
differentiation/positioning would be successful?
 How should ACME go about communicating with their customers? Please
discuss the nature of its message, its tone and desired response.
  How would ACME go about pricing its products? How would ACME ensure that
the customers get the product?
Your recommendations should be justified through careful consideration. In other words, you
should demonstrate that you have applied marketing tools in your analysis, and the output of
such analysis should be shown in the appendix.

Assumptions:In putting together the report, you WILL have to make assumptions. Any
assumptions made should be sensible, logical, and clearly based upon available information.
In preparing the report, you MUST state where such assumptions have been made.
(Part one. No more than 2250 words, worth 75% of the assignment marks)

PART TWO

Drawing upon a number of examples of your choosing, demonstrate how the web can be
used to vary the price element of the marketing mix. Conclude by assessing whether, based
upon your analysis, the web constitutes a disruptive innovation for marketing. Please
remember that you should only select a single element of the Marketing mix, say for
example price or place but not both.
Your essay must show how theoretical foundations can be applied in practical applications.
To succeed it is critical that you read both text books and journal articles to see how others
have used theories of Marketing you are writing about and use their ideas to underpin your
own arguments
If you don’t include such arguments based on literature sources, properly referenced in your
work, you will fail this element.
It must be written in essay format and in accordance with the rules relating to using Harvard
referencing. This should be included as a subsection of the main report.

In no more than 750 words, (worth 25% of the assignment marks)

Notes
a) You need to use key analysis tools to examine the external operating environment, and
identify the organizations marketing response. You must base your analysis on the use of a
range of tools e.g. PESTEL, Porters 5 forces, BCG, PLC and others that are relevant.
b) All analysis you undertake using these models go in the report’s appendix (i.e. the
application of each model to examine say the organization’s product portfolio).
c) By undertaking a deep analysis of the business you should be able identify and discuss the
key themes and state what their implications are i.e. how they will impact on the marketing
activities of the organization. Only the outcome (implications) of the analysis should be
discussed in the main body.
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d) You may use SWOT to summarize key themes. This must then result in the identification
of matching strategies that feed through into you recommendations
e) Part a to be written as a standard marketing plan in report format, part b to be written as an
essay
f) The excessive usage of company produced material within the main body (more than 10%
of total word count) will be considered as poor academic practice and may result in the
award of a fail mark.

Avoiding failure
On what grounds do students fail this module, and indeed the reasons underpinning
persistent failures are consistent in many cases. Use this as a check list before you submit

1. First and foremost… plagiarism. Have I copied and pasted anything from a web-site,
electronic document. This in itself is the poorest level of performance…and invites a
zero mark, investigation and possible termination of study. Take it seriously!!!
Don’t ‘guess’ the conventions, read your study skills handbook, or ask. All work
must be your own except when quoting. Quotations are verbatim accounts of other
people’s work that demand explicit acknowledgment by you of the source of the
quote. So…..?
2. Have I indicated all such quotations “as such” with the author and the page number
next to it “as such” (Smith, 2009: p.101)?
3. Have I used multiple quality literature sources, academic books are good, journals are
better? Are just 1 or 2 cited sources in my bibliography
4. Have I inscoffeed just ‘googled it’, this is lazy practice and invites failure. Indicators
are bibliographies that include, Wikipedia, QuickMBA.com and dozens of other free
and highly dubious sources that a thousand other students before you have used?
5. Have I applied theory or have I just described the context (business, market, industry)
from my own subjective experience, or just told a story based on facts about a
company that I have collected and reported. Analyses should produce unusual and
different insights based on the same facts. Think explicitly “what tools have I used”
in each section. If you can’t answer.. then it is probably descriptive work and invites
failure?
COURSEWORK: ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The work must be word-processed and submitted by the hand-in date set. Also, the document must
be written in Times New Roman, font 12, and all margins must be of 2.5 cm. The text should be
justified and double spaced.

Harvard Referencing system should be adopted - see study skills guide

Marking criteria
Success in the marketing module, and indeed in your future career, depends to a large extent on
judgment and communication. Two key issues are involved. First, critical judgment refers to whether,
how, and under what circumstances a particular theory, concept, or a set of marketing techniques can
be used or cited. In other words, marketing and its associated armory of concepts and techniques can
only be deployed in situation-specific contexts to find consumer-oriented solutions to business
problems. The context or circumstance is, in all cases, the driving force to which businesses should
respond – in other words a marketing orientation. Thus, even for organizations competing in the
same marketplace or marketspace, there are no ready-made solutions or pat answers to marketing
questions.

Second, critical reasoning refers to how to marshal or develop specific arguments in response to
questions or scenarios. In other words, it concerns using your judgment to select how best to advance
and support a viewpoint. It is up to you to develop critical judgment and appropriate arguments in
your responses to assignments. Whether and under what circumstances a particular theory, concepts,
or set of marketing techniques can be used or cited to improve insight into a situation is a matter of
critical judgment. You will be assessed on the quality of these arguments and judgments.

When marking your assignment, your tutor is looking for evidence that you have achieved the
intended learning outcomes. This will be assessed by markers as part of a University Quality Control
Process, which uses second markers and external examiners to monitor standards and consistency in
assessment. Credit for your work will be partly based on:
 Clarity of expression, overall planning, and coherence of your work.
 Knowledge and understanding of the issues related to management work and skills development.
 Ability to draw appropriate and logical conclusions.
 Evidence of learning through reflection.

Further, your mark will be based on the evidence, provided by you in your assignment, that you have
met the coursework assessment criteria.

Please remember: Failure to comply with the requirements set down for this assignment will result in
an overall module failure. You will be notified via your University email when provisional grades and
feedback are available for collection. Please note that whilst you are able to ask for further
clarification on feedback provided you cannot appeal your grade on the basis of academic judgment.
Please be assured assessments are marked anonymously. That is, your assessor will not know the
students identity. Additionally, all work is subject to sample second marking and moderation, and
each module assessment is reviewed by an independent academic External Examiner to the
University. In this way the University assures itself of the standards applied.

A final note: Increasingly, we have experienced students approaching their lecturer to discuss their
assignment – or indeed to have them read through their assignment, asking them for how they can
approve their assignment so that they can have a higher mark. It is important to clarify that this is not
an appropriate behaviour. If such an approach were allowed it would be a means to improve a grade
for an assignment that could end up being more that of the lecturer than that of the student.

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Therefore, we will answer questions of a general nature, but not questions that are specific to a
particular student’s assignment.

Broad coursework marking criteria

Characteristics of coursework
70+ Distinction Exceptional clarity, excellence of presentation, mastery of the course
material, and originality of argument, with a clearly stated and well-argued
conclusion, showing an interdisciplinary knowledge. Extensive referencing from the
literature.
60-69 Good Pass Work of good quality showing perception, critical insight and conceptual
analysis. A considered argument marshalling some of the pros and cons with well-
selected evidence.
55-59 Moderate Pass A pass standard at a higher degree level, showing knowledge,
understanding and application to the question topic.
50-54 Marginal Pass This work is nearly, but not quite, of a sound Masters standard,
demonstrates knowledge and understanding appropriate for the topic but of limited
scope or shorter in length than is necessary.
45-49 Compostable Fail Some use of relevant evidence to tackle the question, even
though treatment may be one-sided or scanty. Marks in the range 45-49 may be
considered as a compostable pass subject to overall performance described in the
University regulations.
44 or less Fail General lack of understanding of the question, irrelevant content, rudimentary
attempt at discussion without a relevant discussion or argument.
0 Non-submission (and one of several potential penalties for plagiarism).

 Group work

There is no group work assessment in this module

 Assessment results and feedback

You will receive feedback on your progress in the following ways:

 Discussions with your Module Leader
 Questions during lectures and tutorials
 Coursework and examination feedback

Coursework feedback will be made available within four weeks of the assessment deadline and should
allow you to identify how you can improve and develop your work for future assessments. We
appreciate your patience and would like to reassure you that the four week timeline:
 Ensures that your work is read thoroughly and that constructive feedback is provided.
 Allows for second marking which is a quality assurance process whereby a member of the
teaching team ensures the consistency and standards of first-marking

It is possible that some Module Leaders may provide feedback before the four week timeline
depending on various factors including module size and teaching and research workloads.
Please see your programme Canvas site for a summary of all coursework feedback dates. You will be
notified via your University email account when provisional grades (pending exam board approval)
and feedback are available for collection together with details on how to access these. Please
remember that written feedback is always going to be limited due to space constraints and the nature
of it being ‘one way’. If you would like to speak to your Module Leader, to ask any questions or clarify
anything, please email or visit during office hours.

Feedback on examinations is provided on a cohort basis on the module Canvas site within 1 week of
students being able to access their results.

For further information on feedback and results please see your programme handbook which also
includes a copy of the School’s Feedback on Assessment Policy.

 ReadingLists@Hull

You can access the module reading list directly by searching by module name or module code on:
http://readinglists.hull.ac.uk. These materials are presented as ‘Suggested Purchases’, ‘Essential’,
‘Recommended’ and ‘Background’. Please see the ‘Learning resources’ section in your Programme
Handbook for information on these definitions.

 Module review

Module is updated each delivery to reflect current thinking and to incorporate new
marketing case studies

The module staff hope that you enjoy studying this module and that it makes a valuable educational
contribution to your chosen programme

END

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