IIE Marketing Management - Distance

Course details

Successful marketing today ensures survival in an increasingly competitive environment and a dynamic approach to marketing marks the success of leading companies worldwide.

This short learning programme (SLP) emphasises the development of skills required to analyse and solve marketing challenges. Based on recognised theoretical principles, it focuses on practical Strategic Marketing applications. This enables students to put their learning into practice immediately - and maintain their critically important competitive edge.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Those requiring skills necessary to analyse and solve marketing challenges to achieve a strategic advantage.
• Those wishing to broaden their career expertise from sales to marketing and enhance their earning potential.
• Graduates wanting to add a recognised job-related programme to their CV to enable them to enter the marketing sphere.
• Owners of small businesses who recognise the importance of marketing for the success of their businesses in the global context.
• Anyone wishing to function effectively in the marketing environment.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

Students should meet the following requirements:

• Be proficient in English.
• Preferably have three to four years work experience.
• Must be able to engage in self-directed study.

WHAT IS THE BENIFIT OF DISTANCE STUDIES

The distance delivery mode provides the student with the opportunity to study in the comfort of their home and to plan the study workload according to their individual pace.

The study material, which has been carefully designed with distance students' needs in mind, entails the following:

• A module guide designed to lead the student through the textbook. It includes questions and answers for practice and revision.
• An online learning portal, containing interactive, media rich activities for students to engage with in order to deepen their understanding of the subject matter.
• An online tutor who maintains the human experience of the learning process.

Students will be provided with the added value of face to face sessions. These sessions are highly recommended, as they provide the opportunity for rich discussion and conceptual explanation and to meet fellow students with whom to network. Students who attend face to face sessions are more likely to be motivated and to remain committed to their studies. However, should students not be able to attend any face to face sessions, the module guide, textbook and online facilitation will provide the necessary support for student success.

PROGRAMME MATERIAL

• The short learning programme fee includes all programme material, which becomes the property of the student. This material constitutes a valuable source of ongoing reference.

PROGRAMME EVALUATION

• Students will be required to complete tests, assignments and an examination.

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

This SLP:

• Aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to create and implement creative marketing strategies.
• Enables students to familiarise themselves with the mechanics of the various frameworks and processes in use today.
• Equips students to apply marketing principles in a practical and profitable way.
• Assists students to manage information flowing in from an increasingly complex and ever changing environment.

Product Strategy

• Definition of the term "product".
• The core, tangible and intangible levels at which the product should be described.
• Various marketing decisions made about a product during the course of its development and growth, including branding, packaging and design.
• How new product ideas are generated, screened and evaluated.
• The strategic implications of the new product launch.
• Managing products through the life cycle from introduction to maturity to decline.
• Implications of the marketing mix at each stage.

Pricing Strategy

• Pricing objectives.
• The influence that price setting has on a business and non-profit organisation.
• Decisions that need to be made when changing prices as a result of either a competitive reaction or the result of a determined strategy.
• Pricing tactics and tools in common use.

Distribution Strategy

• The concept of a marketing channel and the various roles, risks and responsibilities of each "player" within the channel.
• The evolution and dynamics of various types of channels and tactics used in the management of these channels.
• The physical, logistical and distribution issues involved in the moving of goods from place of supply to place of consumption.
• Marketing channel decisions.

Promotional Strategy

• Advertising, Sales Promotion, Personal Selling and Public Relations are the main tools which an organisation can use to communicate its offerings and promises to the market.
• An in-depth look at the effective use of the main tools to achieve the right marketing communication blend.
• The communication model and its applications.

Advertising and Promotions

• The process of planning a campaign and setting objectives.
• Deciding on the media and message approach and measuring outputs.
• Tactics and best practices in the Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Management domains and their integration into a cohesive Marketing Communication strategy. 

Customer Relationship Management

• Customer service and customer service driven marketing strategies as key issues in South Africa and internationally.
• The role of Customer Relationship Management in achieving differentiation in the market place.
• Customer service quality and the principles of customer service: measurement, service recovery and achieving customer service effectiveness.

reating Competitive Advantage

• Competitor analysis and competitive strategies.

Strategy Development

• Identification of different strategies and how to present these ideas as business plans.
• The role of marketing in the solution process.
• The development of marketing action plans.

CERTIFICATION

• Marketing Management is a SLP that is certified by The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). Varsity College is an educational brand of The IIE.
• Students enrolled for this SLP can apply, on successful completion, to be exempt, based on recognition of prior learning, from the equivalent full qualification module when registering for The IIE BCom degree (exempt from Marketing Management 1a and 1b). All SLPs available through The Business School at Varsity College have been specifically designed for working adults. These SLPs differ from The IIE's full qualifications available through Varsity College which are registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Before registration students must ensure that the programme selected best suits their individual learning and workplace objectives.