BA (Hons)

Marketing Management
(Hong Kong)

Marketing Management
in Practice
MODULE MKT10903

student STUDY GUIDE

www.napier.ac.uk/business-school

Marketing Management in Practice

STUDENT STUDY GUIDE

Author: Philip Snelle

2015 Edition
Author
Philip Snelle School of Marketing, Tourism & Languages Edinburgh Napier University
First published by Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland 2015.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without permission in writing from
Edinburgh Napier University, 219 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, EH14 1DJ, Scotland.

Contents
Page
1.

Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

2.

Module Guide

3.

Further Reading and Other Resources

11

4.

Module Assessment Guidance

13

Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

Hello and welcome to the Marketing Management in Practice module. My name is

Philip Snelle and I am the module leader for this module and I, or one of my
colleagues, will be delivering the module.
This student study guide has been developed to help you work your way through this
module. I have drawn up the coursework assignment, which is the only assessment
for this module.
There are no additional tutorials and the entire module is delivered in a block of
classes at the beginning of this module. They are in a very different format to your
usual classes, so please read section 2 very carefully for a good explanation of how
this works.
If you have any queries as you work through this module you should direct these in
the first instance to me during the classes, or afterwards to the Local Programme
Administrator. Full contact details are provided in your Programme Handbook.
I wish you good luck in your studies and I hope that you will enjoy this module.

Philip Snelle
Module Leader
School of Marketing and Tourism & Languages

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Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

1.1

What is the module about?

I hear and I forget
I see and I remember
I do and I understand.
Old Chinese proverb

Aim of the module

The aim of the module is to make simulated marketing management decisions and to
apply and evaluate strategic marketing theory, tools and techniques to the simulation.
Therefore, this module will require you to take the theories and frameworks you have
studied in your previous Marketing modules and use these in a simulated marketing
environment. In reality, this means you will set up and run a company in a computer
simulation, you will make decisions in teams about how to run the company, how to
design, price and sell products, how much to pay your workforce etc. As in real life
you will be competing against other companies and the decisions you make in each
decision period will affect how your company performs. The simulation is designed
for you to put into practice all the theory you have learnt up to now to help you make
real marketing decisions (It should also be fun!).
Learning Outcomes
After studying this module you should be able to:
L.O.1: Identify and evaluate marketing issues within a case study or simulation.
L.O.2: Critically analyse and evaluate information using appropriate analytical
techniques and strategic marketing models, and to make and evaluate
decisions based on this information.
L.O.3: Formulate marketing objectives and strategies for the organisation in the
scenario and devise an appropriate marketing plan that would enable it to
achieve these objectives.
L.O.4: Demonstrate the ability to critically assess new information and make
decisions regarding how this would impact on the strategic marketing plan.
L.O.5: Work effectively in teams in order to make simulated decisions.
There is no examination for this module and the assessment is an individual
marketing plan for your company.

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Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

1.2

Studying this module

This student study guide has been written to support you as you work through this
module. This is a hands on module and does not follow the usual format. Therefore
any questions you may have must be raised during the week of delivery. Equally
important, we expect you to be present for all the classes and make a contribution to
the team. Your contribution is important not just for your own learning, but provides
stimulus for the learning for the whole group. In addition it provides ideas for the
ongoing development of the module. Therefore we are all part of a team to ensure
the successful delivery of the module.
As regards the structure and content of this module there are a number of points that
I would like to make. Firstly, this module is to be delivered in a teaching block of
around 30 hours by myself, or one of my colleagues. A copy of the slides and other
materials which we will use during these classes will be provided to you via the
Moodle website. After the teaching week, you are then expected to work individually
on your assignment.

1.3

Assessment

The assignment is an individual marketing plan based on the company you have
formed and its performance to date. You are asked to write a forward marketing plan
for this company. This is due to be submitted about four weeks after the delivery
week (the specific date will be notified to you). There is no examination.

Marketing Management in Practice

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Welcome to Marketing Management in Practice

Marketing Management in Practice

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Module Guide

2.1

Module Guide
Introduction

The module is quite different from anything else you will probably have studied. It is
based around a simulation game. It is similar to a game in that you can make
decisions, face the consequences and compete against the other players. However it
is much more than simply a game because it asks you to take all the knowledge
from previous strategy and marketing modules and put them into practice. You will
work in a management team to launch a new company design and launch new
products, price and promote them, whilst simultaneously analysing company and
market information, using your previous theoretical knowledge and making your
company a success!
This module aims to bring all the theory of the preceding marketing modules that you
have studied and apply this to a real marketing situation i.e. running a marketing
department for a simulated company and competing against other companies. You
will be using Executive, this is a commercially available programme based on the
European Car Industry which uses actual market data to set up and run your
company.
You will be given more details about the company you will run at the beginning of the
classes. Just as you would in real life you will make decisions about:
1.

The name and mission of your company.

2.

How your marketing department works and allocated roles of your team
members.

3.

You will buy and need to evaluate market research about the market, the
competitors and the customers.

4.

You will design new products, promotion strategies, pricing strategies, and you
will be able to invest money in R & D for new options.

5.

You will need to keep a close eye on the revenue, expenditure, costs of
production.

Just as in real life, not all of the data you would like is there and you have to make
decisions based on limited information. Also, you will be working in teams of people
having to split the workload between team members, and having to come to joint
decisions.

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Module Guide

Group work - Being there is critical!

The way the simulation game works means decisions must be made at specified
times you will need your team to agree and finalise decisions on time and you
cannot change them. Decisions are saved to a web page and are then processed by
the simulation software. Every teams decisions must be uploaded in order for the
simulation to proceed.
This means that you MUST attend every lab session your Team will need you to be
there and to take part in decisions. Each time once the decisions are made you will
need to be around to help analyse the market data that is coming back. If you do not
spend time analysing this data your company will do poorly.
Accessing Executive
You will be given passwords to access the simulation website and to enter your
companys data.

2.2. Support materials

For this module you are provided with:

Student Study Guide (this document)

PowerPoint Slides

Moodle site containing the above plus all materials and any other data used
during the classes.

2.3

How the Module operates

Please look through the Module work schedule contained in section 2.6 of this guide.
Attendance
Please note that you are not expected to do any work before you come to the classes
(see below). You are expected to attend classes for this module unless you
have exceptional circumstances.
In the Classes
There will be a small number of formal sessions where we will cover specific topics.
But most of the time will be taken up with supported group work. This means that you
will be working in a group of students to run your company.

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Module Guide

Groups will be decided prior to the first class. These should normally be between 3
and 5 students, but there maybe more. Due to the complexity of the simulation, there
will be no more than nine companies working in each simulation.
Each of the 10 sessions has very clear requirements, and the timetabling of each
class is critical. You are competing against the other Teams in the room and the
simulation of the car industry. Every Team needs to submit decisions by the same
deadline.
After the Classes finish
After the simulation game is complete and you have been briefed on what is required
for your individual assignment i.e. How to write the Strategic Marketing Plan, you
have a few weeks to work individually on the plan (depending on the submission
date).
You will be able to access the simulation games on the website after class, so you
can go over the decisions made during the simulation if you would like to do so.
This assignment is an individual assignment so, while it is based on the situation you
find your company in at the end of the week, you should work on the forward section
of the plan on your own. It is intended that you do this work by yourself during the
weeks immediately following delivery.

2.4

Equipment and use of software

You will either be working in a room with computers or on a laptop connected to the
internet during all sessions. You can also access the completed game after the
classes are over and before the assignment is handed in by accessing the website
using the passwords you have been given.

2.5

Overview of Topics

During the classes, there will be between 3 and 4 hours of formal teaching in
sessions that cover specific topics. The rest of the time I will be helping the groups
make their decisions. A copy of the PowerPoint slides, which I will be using during
the formal teaching sessions, will be provided to you via Moodle, for information.
The topics to be covered during these formal sessions are as follows.
Topic 1:

Module Overview the format of the module, the plan for the
week, the materials provided and how it will be assessed. This
initial session provides an overview of how the module will be run.

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Module Guide

Topic 2:

Introduction to the simulation the aims of the simulation,

working in teams, and an explanation what is expected of
students during the week.
This session covers the overall aims of the simulation. It will include
an explanation of how you will work together over the coming week
and the sort of initial decisions that you will have to make. This
session includes a very brief overview of models and frameworks
which may be used to analyse and evaluate the external environment
of a company. It is absolutely critical that you attend this lecture.

Topic 3:

The Simulation how Executive works. This session shows you

how the computer simulated game works and explains to various
decisions that you will have to make to set up your company. It will
also include the various marketing considerations, production, human
resources and financial decisions that you will have to make. There
will also be guide on how to set up the computerised what-if
scenarios.

Topic 4:

Marketing Analysis tools and techniques - applying marketing

theories to the simulation.
This session includes an overview of models, frameworks and
techniques which may be used to analyse and evaluate the internal
environment of the company,

Topic 5:

Coursework Assignment - the Forward Marketing Plan

guidelines and hints
This final session will give more details about how to write your
assignment what to include, how to use the analysis from the group
work sessions you have attended and how to include your own work.

As regards Topic 4, the purpose of the session is to briefly consider how various
theoretical models might be used in relation to the evaluation of the game data. We
will not be able go through a detailed explanation of the techniques that you may
wish to use in your assignment - these are reminder classes and you should have
already have learnt these topics in previous modules.
If you do not feel comfortable with some of the models and frameworks mentioned
you will have an opportunity to ask me during the classes. If you are very unsure
about a model or framework then it is recommended that you refer to a textbook prior
to the classes.

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Module Guide

2.6

Module work schedule

The key to doing well in this module is one thing attendance. You should ensure
that you attend all classes during the 10 sessions.
You can think of the following schedule as merely a ready reckoner for you to judge
how well you are keeping to the pace of the Module and hopefully it will be of help to
you in your own study planning. This module is different from the others because it is
taught intensively over 30 hours and then you need to schedule your own time over
the next few weeks in order to prepare the Assignment.
An example of the how your time might be organised is shown below. This may vary
according to location.
Week 1 (Date)
Day

Date

Session

Class

Morning

Formal session covering Topics 1 to 3 - Introducing the

simulation

Afternoon

Group session -Year One

Morning

Group session - Year Two

Afternoon

Group session - Year Three

Morning

Group session - Year Four

Interim update.

Afternoon

Formal session covering Topic 4 Analysis tools and

techniques

Morning

Group session - Year Five

Afternoon

Group session - Year Six

Morning

Group session Year Seven

Final update and review of the week.

Afternoon

Formal session covering Topic 5 - How to prepare your

assignment.

Week 2 (Date)

Work on your own to develop a plan.

Week 3 (Date)

Work on your own to develop a plan.

Week 4 (Date)

Work on your own to develop a plan.

Week 5 (Date)

Submit Assignment to Local Programme Administrator

(date to be advised).

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Module Guide

Please note that the amount of time you have to work on your own to develop your
plan may vary. Please check your submission date with your Local Administrator and
adjust your work schedule accordingly.

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Further Reading and Other Resources

Further Reading and Other Resources

Below is a list of key textbooks, which you may find particularly useful to complement
your studies. However, it is not compulsory for you to buy these books you should
only do so if you want to study some of the topics this module further.

Textbooks
Title:

Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control, 3rd Edition

Authors:

Graeme Drummond, John Ensor, Ruth Ashford.

Publisher:

Butterworth Heinemann

Published:

2008

ISBN:

978-0-7506-8271-8

Title:

Marketing Plans, 7th Edition - How to prepare them, how to use

them.

Authors:

Malcolm MacDonald and Hugh Wilson

Publisher:

Wiley

Published:

2011

ISBN:

978-0-470-66997-6

Title:

Strategic Marketing Management - Planning, Information and

Control. 3rd Edition

Authors:

Colin Gilligan, Richard M.S. Wilson.

Publisher:

Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Published:

2004

ISBN:

978-0-7506-5938-3

Journals
You will not find it very necessary to look up any academic journals for this module
as this is an applied module

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Further Reading and Other Resources

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Module Assessment Guidance

Module Assessment Guidance

There is only one assessment for this module and that is in the form of a coursework
assignment. The date for submission of your assignment will be advised to you. It is a
written formal document of a Strategic Marketing Plan for the company you have
analysed.

4.1

Guidance notes

Assignment Guidelines
Please note it is very easy to become involved with the detail of this game and lose
focus of the strategy of the company and the competition. This report should aim to
link strategy and theory to the activities in the game. Your assignment should be no
longer than around 3000-4000 words. It should contain the following sections:
1.

Review of First Seven years business

This section is effectively an executive summary it should not be more than 3
pages long and you can use bullet points. You should ensure that you look
strategically at the performance of the firm. Outline the initial objectives and
strategy for your company and any changes that you made to these during the
period. Consider the market share for your products and their competitive
position in relation to others in each sector, over each of the 7 years.
Statement of Current Situation
This should be a statement of where your company is at the beginning of year 8
i.e. after the results have come out from year 7 decisions. You should include
a theoretical framework in this section at the minimum this should include
SWOT, a Generic strategy analysis (Porter/Bowman) and some analysis of your
portfolio of products. You may find this includes some details perhaps one
product is doing well but another not so well if so, include this in your analysis.
It is also useful to summarise this section with a list of the key issues/problems
which you intend to address in your strategic marketing plan going forward.

2.

Marketing Plan for the next 3 Years (i.e. Years 8, 9 and 10).
This is the main body of the document and should include:

Mission Statement

Overall strategy adopted (and rationale)

Corporate and Marketing Objectives (relate to current position)

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Module Assessment Guidance

Overall company positioning and targeted segments

Marketing policies and tactics:

-

Price (detailed information on pricing)

Products (planned products / changes etc)

Place (which market segments and why?)

Promotion - this should include:

Sales promotion and dealer incentives

Advertising (details)

Any other promotional activity

Budget details for each activity

Explain how the tactics will support the overall strategic plan.

Financial Projections (budgets) this should include:

-

Current financial position and Projected position at for the next 3

years. You should take the information from the game at the end of
year 7 and use this to project forward sales.

Control and Contingency plans.

Other information
Always remember to reference any material you have used to write your report and
include a List of References at the end. The report should be a formal report with a
Table of Contents, page numbers etc.
The report must be typewritten in Arial font 12pt, with margins of at least 2cm. Line
spacing should be set at 1.5 and there should be good use of Titles and Sub titles.
Word count: your report should be a target length of 3000 words and a maximum of
4000 words (excluding bibliography, references and appendices these will not be
marked). The word count must be stated clearly on the front cover of your report. If
you exceed the maximum you will be penalised.

4.2

General marking guidelines

Below is a schedule, to help you judge what you need to do to achieve any given
mark range. Please note this is a general description of how you might achieve a
certain percentage and may not apply to all elements of your coursework.
Less than 40% - a poor assignment, the student has not addressed the assignment
properly. There may little evidence of a properly structured marketing plan,
no clear identification of the strategy, or use of any frameworks and

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Module Assessment Guidance

theories. It would show no evidence of connecting the key issues into

appropriate objectives, strategies and tactics.
40-49% - a weak assignment, the student has provided a marketing plan following
the guidelines above, but without clear identification of the strategy, or use
of any frameworks and theories. It would show limited evidence of
connecting these issues into appropriate objectives, strategies and tactics.
It might concentrate on tactical issues and simply report the decisions
made within the scenario.
50-59% - a good assignment, the student has provided a marketing plan generally
following the guidelines, but the strategy was not too clear, with little use of
any frameworks and theories. There was some consistency connecting the
key issues into appropriate objectives, strategies and tactics. There were
no budget projections for the plan or control/contingency plans.
60-69% - a very good assignment with minimal errors. There was quite a good
adaptation of strategy to the simulation game scenario. A theoretical
model was used to demonstrate the analysis of the issues. The corporate
and marketing objectives which were set attempted to overcome some of
the key problems identified. There was a fairly strong logical connection
throughout the strategies and tactics.
70-79% - an excellent assignment which is well written and explained. It shows a
very clear adaptation of strategy to the simulation game scenario. It would
most likely use a number of theoretical models or frameworks to
demonstrate the analysis of the issues. There would be very clear
strategic and marketing objectives set which would attempt to overcome
some of the key problems identified. The whole plan would have a strong
logical connection throughout.
80% + - a really exceptional assignment, which is sophisticated in its adaptation of
strategy to the simulation game scenario. It would have used a number of
theoretical models or frameworks in the analysis to demonstrate a deep
understanding of the issues. There would be very clear strategic and
marketing objectives set to overcome of the key problems identified and
the strategic rationale would be exceptionally well explained. The whole
plan would have a very strong logical connection throughout.
Note that in ALL categories above it is expected that you will provide a list of
references of the material used in preparation of your assignment.

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Module Assessment Guidance

4.3

Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria for the individually written Coursework Assignment are
shown below:
SECTION

% allocated

1. Review of First Seven Years business.

Should contain: summary of the strategic performance of the firm.
The initial objectives and strategy and the competitive position of
company by sector/product over the period. Max 3 pages.

10

2. Statement of Current Position.

Should contain: statement of where co. is now (year 8). Include
theoretical frameworks (SWOT/Generic Strategy/Portfolio Analysis
and Key Issues).

20

3. Marketing Plan for next 3 years

Should include:
Mission
Overall strategy
Corp/Marketing objectives
Overall co. positioning & target segments
Marketing policies & tactics using 4 Ps
o Promotional budgets
Financial projections
o Sales for each year
Control & contingency plans
Other
Should be clearly written, well structured and referenced piece of
work.
Total marks

60

10
100

You will be given feedback on your completed assignment based on these criteria.

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Module Assessment Guidance

4.4

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the publication of the ideas, or the expression of the ideas of another,
as ones own (Oxford English Dictionary). Some dictionaries use the term stealing.
Plagiarism is not permitted in assessments at Edinburgh Napier University.
Student Disciplinary Regulations (SDR) 11.2 categorises plagiarism as Academic
Misconduct. Some examples are:
Major examples of plagiarism include the following

copying from another student (Collusion)

copying large sections, from an academic or other source (e.g. book, internet
article) without acknowledging that source by referencing it

Minor examples of plagiarism include

Paraphrasing without acknowledgment

Using original reference obtained from a textbook but not reading original
material
OK

NOT OK

Quoting a relevant passage from a book, if the

reference is given e.g. Drury C, (2004),
Management and Cost Accounting, 6e, London,
Thomson. The reference must be clearly linked to
the body of your work by putting the Authors
name and date in brackets and the passage must
be presented as a quotation.

Copying from textbooks or

articles and failing to
acknowledge the source even
if the words/sentences are
rearranged. Or acknowledging
the source, but presenting the
copy as your own words, rather
than as a quotation.

Comparing different authors ideas, with

acknowledgement of source, and making your
own comments.

Copying from other students

even if the words and/or
sentences are rearranged.

Doing research with others in the library but

writing your essay alone.

Allowing another student to copy

your work

When citing from the WWW give, in the end

reference, the author if possible, the entire URL
and the date of access, not just the URL of the
home page e.g.
http://nulis.napier.ac.uk/studyskills/#Plagiarism

URL of home page alone and

/or no date e.g.
www.napier.ac.uk

Every time you submit any piece of work for assessment, you will be required to fill in
a declaration form. By signing this form, you confirm that you have understood
plagiarism as it is defined by Edinburgh Napier University. You are also confirming
that you have not plagiarised.

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Module Assessment Guidance

There is no text book for this module. Nevertheless you will probably use books or
other material to help you write the marketing plan. Whenever you do so, you should
ensure that the material is correctly referenced.
We will penalise any plagiarism under the Universitys plagiarism regulations
Depending on the seriousness of your offence, this could involve marks being
deducted or, in the most serious cases, you being awarded a mark of 0 for the
assignment. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
We do not apply the full plagiarism penalty to use of material from the classes, but we
deduct some marks for non-original work if it is relied on extensively.

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