AD1FMM: The Fundamentals of Management and Marketing

Module code: AD1FMM

Module provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development

Credits: 20

Level: 4

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Julian Park, email: j.r.park@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Mr Akbar Karim, email: a.a.karim@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 18 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will introduce you to: 

• Key concepts of marketing and management and encourage you to critically relate these to contemporary practice. You will be exposed to traditional and contemporary approaches to marketing and management, such as strategic marketing and management, segmentation, targeting and positioning, the marketing mix, whilst introducing issues arising within marketing and management theory and practice which bring into question some of the foundational principles of the discipline. Within the lectures and readings, and through the analysis of case studies, the latest thinking within the marketing and management academy will be addressed. 
• A broad understanding of the economic, technological and social aspects of management, in the context of how different business operate. You will be introduced to the environment of management, the management process, and techniques available to and used by managers to plan and operate as a business. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Appreciate the relevance of basic business concepts (planning, organising, leadership and control), establish and compare alternative business objectives, understand how and why businesses plan and make decisions, apply the concepts of control, recognise the value of leadership and human resource management, and understand differences in organisational structures and behaviour. Moreover, understand the role of financial control and accounting as well as the importance of marketing to the attainment of organisational goals and the strategic management.
2. Summarise the foundational principles of marketing and apply these appropriately to a broad range of contexts. Analyse the role of frameworks in the development of marketing strategy and the drawing up of marketing plans. Evaluate approaches to segmentation and targeting. Apply reasoned arguments in the development of an appropriate and sustainable marketing mix.
3. Apply theoretical marketing and management knowledge to companies and their brands
4. Work effectively in groups/pairs to analyse the marketing and management components of case studies representing a variety of international contexts
5. Demonstrate analytical thinking – developing numeracy, literacy, reasoning and appraisal skills

Module content

Topics covered will include the following: 

• Concepts of marketing and consumer behaviour 
• The traditional and digital marketing environment 
• Strategic marketing: segmentation, targeting and (brand) positioning 
• Product management, pricing strategies, promotion and advertising, distribution and marketing channels 
• Managing change, managing a creative strategy and developing an innovative business plan 
• Decision-making processes in organisations, with reference to organisational theory and design 
• Financial control and accounting, globalisation and multinational management, and communication in organisations 
• Choosing a project topic, identifying a research question, writing and presenting a project research proposal, organising and undertaking research 
• Sourcing information - literature searching and data gathering 

Marketing and the role of management and their importance in a global environment will be discussed and terms such as globalisation are defined and explained within the classroom via case studies. In particular, emphasis is given to the discussion over how variations in the economic, political, cultural and social environment throughout the globe can have an impact to business operations and strategic development. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is delivered through 20 sessions comprising interactive lectures, videos, group-based discussions, in-class exercises and case studies. Cases will be assigned regularly for classroom discussion. Each student will prepare these cases before the sessions. A series of in class exercises will focus on the students’ characteristics, personalities and business acumen, and self-directed learning including debates. All students are expected to actively contribute to class discussions by answering questions, sharing examples and answering questions. 

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Weekly formative MCQ questions covering key material.

Reassessment

Additional costs