Students

MMBA8028 – Designing Competitive Marketing Strategies

2021 – Term 2, Special circumstances

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

Download as PDF
Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ralf Wilden
ralf.wilden@mq.edu.au
Contact via via Email
Room 162, 3 Management Drive
Monday 4-5pm (all consultations, incl. outside the hour, must be arranged via email)
Oliver Wade
oliver.wade@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MBA and (MMBA8020 or MGSM820)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

To be successful, organisations must develop value-creating marketing strategies and implement them. The core determinant of marketing strategy is the identification of promising target markets and the development of differential competitive advantage and clear positioning. Most importantly, marketing leaders must focus on developing marketing as a strategic partner within organisations.
This unit develops students' knowledge of the process of designing competitive marketing strategies. It focuses on how to identify and develop higher-order objectives and on the role of organisational factors such as culture, strategic orientation and important aspects of market analysis in designing competitive marketing strategies.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Analyse and evaluate theories and concepts related to marketing strategy.
  • ULO2: Identify and evaluate the impact of organisational factors and market forces on designing marketing strategy.
  • ULO3: Develop higher-order objectives relevant to marketing strategies.
  • ULO4: Design competitive marketing strategies.

General Assessment Information

Late assessment submissions must also be submitted through the appropriate submission link in iLearn. No extensions will be granted unless an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late. Late submissions will not be accepted after solutions have been discussed and/or made available.

Note: Further information on submitting an Application for Special Consideration can be found at https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Case Study Analysis 30% No Week 7
Strategic Marketing Project 50% No Week 9
Class Activities 20% No Week 10

Case Study Analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%

 

The case study will assess students’ ability to analyse a case, marshal their thoughts and ideas, and communicate them in written form (2,000 words). The aim is to apply theory to solve the case and defend solutions to the case questions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify and evaluate the impact of organisational factors and market forces on designing marketing strategy.

Strategic Marketing Project

Assessment Type 1: Project
Indicative Time on Task 2: 27 hours
Due: Week 9
Weighting: 50%

 

Group component: 20-minute presentation: approx. 15 slides per group, with each group member preparing 3-4 slides. Individual component: individual analysis submission, including additional information in notes view.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop higher-order objectives relevant to marketing strategies.
  • Design competitive marketing strategies.

Class Activities

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 20%

 

In specified weeks, students prepare and present solutions to assigned discussion questions and problems to demonstrate their theoretical understanding of important aspects of marketing strategy.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and evaluate theories and concepts related to marketing strategy.
  • Identify and evaluate the impact of organisational factors and market forces on designing marketing strategy.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Intensive mode of delivery (purely online) via Zoom. 

We have provided material in the iLearn unit (case studies, articles, and video links) as a resource for you. These materials comprise compulsory and recommended resources. 

Unit Schedule

Please refer to iLearn.  

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2021.07 of the Handbook