MSc Marketing Timetable and Modules

 

Michaelmas Term	Hilary Term	Trinity Term
Advertising Management Data Analytics and Market Research Entrepreneurship & Innovation Marketing Management Marketing Society Research Methods	Brand Management Consumer Behaviour Digital Marketing Communication	Dissertation or Company Research Project This project allows students to showcase the knowledge they have gained and enhance their career potential by specialising in a particular area

Michaelmas Term (September to December)

• Advertising Management
• Data Analytics and Market Research
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation
• Marketing Management
• Marketing Society
• Research Methods

Hilary Term (January to April)

• Brand Management
• Consumer Behaviour
• Digital Marketing Communication

Electives (choose two in Hilary Term) 

• Digital Business Models 
• eCommerce
• Sales Management 
• Marketing Design Consultancy for "Good"

Module Descriptions

Advertising Management (5 ECTS)

This module will introduce the students to the fundamental principles of planning, managing, creating and distributing advertising content. Advertising, like many industries, is moving through a period of great change and this module is designed to provide the students with an understanding of the most current theories and best practices within the industry and the knowledge to apply them to real commercial situations.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand the fundamental principles driving the advertising industry today and the important trends shaping its future.
• Understand the advertising planning and management process from research & customer understanding, to insight creation, to best-in-class advertising strategy
  and execution.
• Understand the creative process, from ideation to copywriting, art direction, content creation and the steps from brief to campaign delivery.
• Understand how brand stories are told and the principles behind modern communication and media planning.
• Understand how to measure what matters and evaluate successful advertising campaigns.

Data Analytics and Market Research (5 ECTS)

In this digital age, data has become an important asset to develop customer insights that can direct marketing strategies. For this, a good understanding of advanced quantitative analytical techniques is required. Only those marketing managers with a solid understanding of these techniques are able to create a competitive advantage.

The major objective of this module is to provide students with a sound understanding of how to organise data analytic process and to equip them with the required data analytical skills for their future careers. This course will discuss multiple analytical techniques, such as descriptive analytics, regression analysis, cluster analysis, perceptual mapping, conjoint analysis, etc. Each time links will be made to the marketing decisions it can support, such as digital marketing strategy, brand management and innovation. 

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Select the correct analytical technique to support management decisions.
• Set up a research design for several marketing analytics techniques.
• Create customer insights from the output of these analytical technique.
• Translate analytical results into insights and recommendation that are relevant for marketing management.

Entrepreneurship & Innovation (5 ECTS)

The aim of this module is to provide students with:

1. Framework for approaching the creation of a new business opportunity
2. Set of core entrepreneurship skills and mind-set.
3. Critical perspective of the major trends, dynamics, and opportunities currently marking the field of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Over the past two decades, entrepreneurship has become one of the most relevant disciplines in business and has attracted the interest of scholars, policymakers and practitioners from all over the world. Entrepreneurship is deemed a key driver to innovation and economic development, regional and urban competitiveness, and a critical source of jobs. Yet entrepreneurship has also been criticized for underpinning wealth and income inequality, particularly in “winner takes all” markets. As entrepreneurship progresses and generates opportunities as well as controversies, a multi-disciplinary and international perspective is required.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand the process of entrepreneurship and the major phases undertaken to create a successful innovation driven venture.
• Discover and quantify entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Create, formulate and present a new business idea.
• Display personal skills including creativity, idea generation, initiative, research and reflection.
• Critically evaluate the role of entrepreneurship in an international content.

Marketing Management (5 ECTS)

In this postgraduate module on marketing management in a digital world, students will delve into the intricate landscape of a hyper-complex, digitally driven global environment, with a strong emphasis on both marketing management and the modern digital complexities. Throughout this module, each student will develop the ability to critically assess and delve into a wide spectrum of marketing theories, frameworks, philosophies, techniques, tools, and technologies, effectively translating this knowledge into practical applications. As the global business landscape evolves dynamically due to technological, social, medical, and environmental shifts, top management teams rely on marketers to consistently adapt their strategies to effectively tackle these challenges.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Define, understand, and critically evaluate the marketing mindset needed because of digitalisation.
• Investigate and comprehend the principles and practices of customer-centric strategies.
• Critically evaluate the challenges of digital transformation within marketing practice and assess deep and next generation technologies and particularly AI challenges and opportunities.
• Identify, select, combine, and compose ideas for how to create customer experiences.
• Demonstrate skills and knowledge necessary to excel as a marketer in a digitized world, demonstrating proficiency in leveraging a digital orientation and innovative applications in practice.
• Develop a deep comprehension of the importance of proactive preparedness for the future.
• Show proficiency through working and delivery through teamwork and through individual written and verbal communication.

Marketing Society (5 ECTS)

This module analyses marketing’s role in contemporary society through exploration of the relationships and tensions that exist between marketing practice and society, with a focus on contemporary ethical dilemmas. In addition, the module introduces students to a variety of applications of marketing beyond commercial marketing by exploring the role, dynamics and impact of corporations in the creation of social, sustainable (as well as economic), value. The aim of the course is to provide the student with an eclectic appreciation and understanding of key societal issues that directly and indirectly, affect marketing decision making and shape implementation of marketing strategy in organisations.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Describe and interrelate current social trends by using different theoretical lenses, to determine the role of marketing in society.
• Critique a range of key discourses and themes reflecting changes in society, and explain how these changes impinge directly and indirectly on marketing decision making and practice.
• Work effectively both as a member of a team and independently, by actively contributing to group discussions, reflecting on your own thoughts and opinions, and devise different persuasive arguments using oral and written communications.
• Appraise the relationship between marketing and society, particularly the good and bad that marketing can bring to society, and justify a way forward as a responsible marketing practitioner.

Research Methods (Online) (5 ECTS)

The objective of this module is to equip students with the required research skills in order to successfully complete their company project/ dissertation module. The module exposes students to the fundamental concepts and philosophy of research, with a specific focus on the practice of market and consumer research. This course looks at each stage of the research process, including teasing out research problems, developing research questions and research proposals, designing and planning a research strategy, collecting and analysing secondary and primary data, and presenting the final results.

Upon the successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the main approaches to research required of the Masters dissertation
• Demonstrate an ability to identify and critically review academic literature/secondary data
• Evaluate different research approaches available to answer the research questions and employ appropriate methodologies to collect both quantitative and qualitative data
• Identify appropriate statistical procedures to perform basic analysis of quantitative data
• Develop skills in report writing, presentation, communication and project management.

Brand Management

This course provides students with an extensive set of tools to build powerful, meaningful and culturally-resonant brand. Students will learn the fundamentals in brand management and positioning before moving to more advanced, socio-cultural theories of brand management. Working with state of the art  frameworks, students will learn how to build brands that are instilled with authenticity, form communities of loyal brand devotees, and create brands with deep sensory appeal.

Students will be encouraged to draw on their own experiences as consumers to develop a personalised understanding of the concepts that they encounter. This perspective will afford the opportunity for critical reflection on the social, political, economic and environmental consequences of life within consumer culture. 

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• To understand and know how to apply mainstream branding concepts and frameworks.
• To understand how broader socio-cultural issues influence the development of successful brand management strategies.
• To apply state of the art tools in the formulation and implementation of successful branding strategies across product categories and contexts.
• To develop practical skills relevant to successful brand management in the “real world”.  
• Critically evaluate brand management concepts in relation to social, political, economic and environmental concerns.

Consumer Behaviour (5 ECTS)

In this module students will engage with sociological, anthropological, psychological and cultural theory to develop a comprehensive understanding of how and why people consume. Moving beyond traditional consumer behaviour approaches, students will critically evaluate the meaningfulness of consumption and the role that this plays in the creation of consumer’s individual and social identities. Positioning consumer behaviour against the backdrop of ‘consumer-culture’, this module applies theory to “real-life” examples of consuming behaviour from various facets of popular culture. This focus will elicit a deep understanding of why the consumer is central to the formulation of effective marketing strategy. Students will be encouraged to draw on their own life experiences as consumers to develop a personalised understanding of the concepts that they encounter. This perspective will afford the opportunity for critical reflection on the social, political, economic and environmental consequences of life within consumer culture. 

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand and apply a wide range of key concepts of consumer behaviour.
• Identify and critically evaluate the role of consumer behaviour concepts in the formulation of effective marketing strategy.
• To understand how broader cultural issues shape consumption patterns.
• To develop skills relevant to researching consumer behaviour.
• Critically evaluate consumer behaviour concepts in relation to social, political, economic and environmental concerns.

Digital Marketing Communication (5 ECTS)

Traditional marketing principles and concepts have to adapt to the opportunities and pitfalls offered by modern digital marketing tools. This module will allow students to understand the needs and wants of modern consumers and how to utilize the verticals, tools and assets available to them to effectively communicate their intent to potential customers in a digital setting. The module content encompasses Digital Strategy, In-Bound and Outbound Content Marketing, Influencer/Affiliate Marketing, Paid Advertising, and Social Media Marketing.  This module uses practical, industry examples and case studies. This module is grounded in practical work in which students will assess the existing strategy of an Irish company and how it could improve, as well as outlining what they would propose if building a strategy from scratch.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand the full breadth of marketing channels available in the digital space and how to navigate them.
• Research and outline consumer persona and value proposition canvases in a digital context.
• Understand the psychology and emotional resonance behind effective copywriting and engaging marketing.
• Understand how to manage successful growth strategies utilising influencers and content creators to increase brand reach.
• Learn how to use common digital marketing platforms for paid advertising, social media and analytics.
• Design a content marketing strategy from inception to execution for a business.

Digital Business Models (5 ECTS)

This course will dig in the digital business models realities and new trends in different competitive landscape and industries. It will begin with an overview of how the Internet and a digital worlds impact Firms’ Strategies and Business Models. Then major strategic layers and digital business models will be discussed before analysing today’s challenges and formulating prospective diagnosis for pure-players and bricks-and-mortars. There will be a comprehensive introduction to Business Models Canvas and Value Networks, focusing on how they are impacted by a Digital Era.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Identify and describe the constitutive elements of digital business models
• Understand the managerial challenges of developing successful digital platforms
• Explain the corporate strategy implications of digital ecosystems
• Develop a forward-looking approach to digital business models

eCommerce (5 ECTS)

This module will take a very practical approach to generating an understanding of the position of eCommerce within the broader digital marketing space. While not all brands or businesses are selling directly online, for many, eCommerce success is the culmination of their digital marketing efforts. It is the area that can give them the most tangible return on investment through a number of measurable KPIs.
Using case studies and examples taken from leading eCommerce companies, such as Amazon, eBay, Taobao and local companies like Eason’s & Super Valu, the module examines why these companies continue to grow revenues while many traditional retailers struggle to replicate offline success online.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Define, understand and critically evaluate key eCommerce concepts and their place within a digital marketing framework.
• To articulate the factors critical to eCommerce success.
• To understand the key operational and legal aspects of eCommerce.

Sales Management (5 ECTS)

How customers engage with businesses continues to evolve and adapt as the business environment responds to new digital technology, new competitors, changing buyer behaviours and political issues. Addressing such challenges, this course presents the principles and practical applications of successful personal selling and sales management within the business environment. The course will cover the importance of sales process, leadership, sales strategy, ethics, sales and productivity tools in the context of the customer's buying journey.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand and critically evaluate fundamental principles of buying and personal selling.
• Understand how personal selling and sales management is changing as the business environment involves embracing new digital technologies and new ways of engaging customers.
• Evaluate the linkage between sales and marketing as part of the customers buying journey.
• Recognise and critically assess the role of leadership, ethics, sales process and sales strategy.
• Recognise the importance of digital technology on sales.

Marketing Design Consultancy for Good (5 ECTS)

The aim of this module is to understand the traditions of marketing and design theories in the context of marketing consultancy and put critical tools and frameworks to work. In doing so, students will be able to make judgements about what is worth doing, and what to do next to understand how marketing and design tools can make and shape sustainable organisational solutions. Students will critically review current research and theory as it relates to marketing and design and bottom-up approaches to marketing activities.

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Co-create a solution and persuasive case for change by doing ‘experiential’ marketing consultancy, and as a result, consolidate and enhance the quality of those learnings/insights.
• Develop a critical understanding of existing research and theory as it relates to bottom-up approaches to marketing and design.
• Understand the traditions of marketing and design and some of their critical tools and frameworks that might be useful in marketing consultancy and practice.
• Frame and present a persuasive case for change that is likely to enroll others in a formal or informal market.
• Develop your project management, teamwork and critical and creative thinking skills.

The MSc. Marketing Strategy Final Dissertation (30 ECTS)

Dissertation

Students will be given the opportunity to either work on a specific managerial issue for a company of their choice or academically investigate a research question of their choice, supervised and supported by an experienced member of faculty or a chosen industry expert.
 Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Define, introduce and outline a research question, contextualise the topic in its wider research area, demonstrate the motivation for the research and indicate to whom it is relevant.
• Demonstrate an ability to identify and critically review relevant theory via academic literature, and information via practitioner-orientated publications, industry reports and other relevant secondary data sources using the techniques and tools learned in the programme
• Describe the methodology being applied (including data collection and analysis) and justify that it is appropriate to the research question under investigation.
• Collect, analyse and evaluate secondary and/or primary data (including but not limited to company/industry-specific data, descriptive statistics, interviews, cases, graphs etc. and present it within a coherent, rigorous and analytical framework).
• Apply the appropriate organization and management skills required to design and execute an individual learning task of substantial scope and depth that is largely self-directed and self-motivated.
• Produce an individual written document in adherence to professional and academic standards.

Company Project: The company project is a practical project whereby students provide solutions to challenges facing real-world companies. The students are mentored by managers in the host company and also by alumni of the programme.

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