MSB101 Marketing Theory and Practice

Contents and structure

Strong theories lie at the heart of good scholarship - they let us understand facts of social life, they let us predict whether identical relationships will occur in the future if the conditions are identical. They help us tie up events in general frameworks that enable us to determine cause and effect, to explain the workings of society and behavior. Exposure to multitudes of theories developed, not just in marketing, but across different disciplines can help make studies of social life meaningful, useful, and exciting. The course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the philosophies, evolution, and significance of theories in scholarship, as well as exposure to theories that have been developed in marketing and other disciplines such as economics, management, psychology, and sociology. The course also gives insight into how to apply marketing theories in practices, like branding, communication and place marketing. 

Learning Outcome

Knowledge 

Upon completion of the course, the student should:  

• have advanced knowledge of foundational theories within marketing, and how these also can give practical implications. 
• have advanced knowledge of marketing theory concepts. 
• have specialized insight into several influential marketing thoughts and practices. 
• understand how theoretical and practical problems within marketing can be approached and analyzed through different theories.  

Skills 

Upon completion of the course, the student: 

• can analyze and deal critically with various theories within marketing and use them to structure and formulate scholarly arguments. 
• can deal critically with various sources of information in marketing and use them to engage in debate and constructive criticism in discussions. 
• can analyze marketing theories and work independently on practical and theoretical marketing problems. 
• understand how practical problems within marketing can be analyzed through different theories. 

General Competence 

Upon completion of the course, the student: 

• can apply his/her knowledge and skills in marketing in order to carry out advanced assignments in marketing.  
• can develop improved grasp of conceptual and analytical tools necessary to critically evaluate theoretical and practical contributions in marketing.  
• can communicate about theoretical and practical marketing issues with both specialists and the general public. 

Entry requirements

Admission to Master`s Programme in Business 

Recommended previous knowledge

Completed marketing course at undergraduate levels. 

Teaching methods

Readings of scientific articles will form the core of the course. Traditional lectures will be complemented by seminars, where case studies and readings of articles will be assigned and will form basis of discussions. Teams may be formed for authorship of a publishable research paper, which is a requisite submission at the end of the course. The seminars will provide hands on guidance on writing the research paper, as well as discuss and present progress. 

Compulsory learning activities

A group project aimed at authoring a research paper that may be sent to a conference or journal upon completion. The paper should take a critical look at "a" theory, or theories, and evolution thereof, the literature and applications that have grown out of it, and its contemporary validity.  

Presentations of paper proposals, and discussions on incremental progress on papers are mandatory during seminar sessions so ideas can be shared and new perspectives are learnt by all. The paper will be evaluated as passed/failed. Only students that pass the mandatory assignment can take the final exam in the course.   

Assessment

Evaluation will be a portifolio in two parts: 

• A co-authored (maximum of three, minimum two) research paper submission (60% of the final assessment).  
• Written examination - (40% of the final assessment). 4 hrs. 

Grading scale is A-F where F is fail. 

Students have to achieve a passing grade in both parts in order to get a final grade for the course. 

Examination support material

All wirtten and printed aids allowed

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