University of Leicester - School of Management - Distance Learning

MSc in Marketing

Course Structure

The Modules

Stage 1

• Foundations of Professional Knowledge and Skills: provides requisite quantitative awareness, analysis of the production of “knowledge” within marketing, encourages students to begin developing personal skills necessary for academic and business environments.
• Principles and Practices of Marketing: Introduces and examines the foundational concepts of marketing including the marketing mix, segmentation, targeting and positioning to show their application in a broad range of business contexts and their role and use in developing marketing strategy and generating marketing plans.
• Marketing Theory: Introduces the main theoretical assumptions and debates that surround the marketing discipline to consider how the subject and its theory have developed and grown into the discipline that we recognise today. Students will consider the relative value of theory compared to the practical experience to examine the Marketing, Concept and Marketing Orientation; the value of generic models in marketing (including the marketing mix framework); the scope and domain of marketing in for example its application in the public sector and not-for-profit contexts; possible future directions in markets and consumer society; and the potential impacts on future marketing practice.
• Consumer Behaviour: Emphasises that marketing practice and theory is underpinned by in-depth knowledge of the purchasing and consumption behaviour of customers and that effective marketing strategy rests on an understanding of how consumers choose between brands and how best to research consumer markets. It introduces and reviews key consumer behaviour theories and shows how to apply these to ‘real world’ applications in marketing.
• Marketing Research: This covers all major techniques used in marketing research and provides examples of research exercise. The focus is on research design, data collection methods and interpretation of data; the impact of market research on corporate strategy, consumers and society is demonstrated alongside a consideration of the ethics and professional codes of conduct in the market research industry, and the politics and power of research and its use to effect marketing strategy.

Stage 2

• Product Policy and Innovation: Develops a critical understanding of the role and process of product development and the crucial role of innovation in marketing. It uses case studies to illustrate how individuals and corporations behave with respect to idea generation, R&D, new product development and market launch and students will learn the concepts and techniques used to analyse innovation and technology policies, initiatives and strategy.
• Branding and Communication: Introduces and reviews the importance of strong brands and the types of communication used in marketing today to assess how advertising and other marketing communications work, the systems and operations of the marketing communication industry, the connection between advertising and cultural capital, and its impact on business and society.

Stage 3

Two electives will normally be undertaken. The following list provides examples of electives currently offered to candidates:

• Project Management for IT
• Managing Information: Technology and Systems
• International Organisational Behaviour
• Public Finance
• International Finance and Globalisation
• Fixing Futures: Trading and Other Narratives
• Accounting representations: Public and Private Sector
• Branding and Communication
• Business-to-Business Marketing and Supply Chain Management
• Knowledge Management
• Managing Diversity
• A Critical Perspectives on Corporations and Consumers
• Critical Approaches to HRM
• Alternative Economies
• The Future of Work
• Marketing of Services
• Consumption, Society and Culture
• Total Quality Management
• Information Technology in Marketing
• International Marketing
• Retail Marketing
• Employee Relations
• Strategic Human Resource Management
• Benchmarking
• Shakespeare and Management
• Developments in Business Finance
• Performance Measurement: Quantitative Approaches
• Investment and Portfolio Analysis

Note: the availability of Electives may change from year to year.

Stage 4

After reviewing a range of alternative research methods candidates will undertake a research project which will provide them with an opportunity to examine, in depth, a topic of particular relevance to their own interests.

During the course of the dissertation process you will independently identify an appropriate management issue and apply theoretical knowledge to this area in order to produce realistic, critically informed analysis. This stage of the MSc in Marketing provides and opportunity for you to integrate and inter-relate concepts, techniques and competencies acquired in the course of the programme. The dissertation will be of 15,000 words in length. Students completing dissertations will be expected to demonstrate:

The first stage is the production of a short proposal outlining your intended area of research.

The dissertation will be of 15,000 words in length. You will be expected to demonstrate:

• Initiative and capacity for setting up the problem in a tractable form;
• An understanding of research method:
• Application of relevant analytical and problem solving skills:
• Logical argument and clear written communication skills.