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MMBA8028 – Designing Competitive Marketing Strategies

2023 – Term 1, In person-scheduled-intensive, City

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ralf Wilden
ralf.wilden@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

General Assessment Information

Late submissions of assessments 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern. 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Special Consideration

To request an extension on the due date/time for a timed or non-timed assessment task, you must submit a Special Consideration application. An application for Special Consideration does not guarantee approval.

The approved extension date for a student becomes the new due date for that student. The late submission penalties above then apply as of the new due date.

Word limits

Anything beyond a stated assessment word limit (other than your reference list) may not be marked. Seek any further clarification from the unit convenor.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Case Study Analysis 40% No Week 5
Strategic Marketing Project 30% No Week 6
Class Activities 30% No Week 10

Case Study Analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 22 hours
Due: Week 5
Weighting: 40%

 

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: 20 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 30%

 

15-20-minute presentation: approx. 15 slides per group.

 
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: 13 hours
Due: Week 10
Weighting: 30%

 

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

Please refer to the unit content on 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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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 2023.03 of the Handbook