Introduction to Marketing (5 cr)

Objectives (course unit)

This course is an introduction to business marketing. It introduces basic marketing concepts and theories and studies how marketing relates to consumer behavior and management of a firm.

After completing the course, the students will be able to:

Create value for customers by understanding their buying behavior.
Analyze external environment that influences marketing decisions.
Analyze and demonstrate knowledge of customer-oriented marketing mix.
Use marketing terminology in simple marketing related business cases.
Describe the basic requirements for a successful multicultural team

Content (course unit)

What role do marketers play in a firm?
What is the modern marketing concept all about?
What are the basic tools of successful marketing?
Is it possible to conduct sustainable and ethical marketing?

Exam schedules

Individual exams in September and November
Group work deadline: December

Evaluation methods and criteria

1) Participation in the class: 1/3 of the overall grade
2) Two Individual exams 1/3 of the overall grade.
3) Group case study at the end of the course: 1/3 of the overall grade

Assessment scale

0-5

Teaching methods

- Interactive lecture
- Group work
- Case studies
- Exercises

Learning materials

Course book: "Essentials of Marketing" by Jim Blythe (4th edition, 2008)

Student workload

Lectures 3 hours a week, individual work 4 hours a week

Content scheduling

Part 1: August-early November: Getting to know the basics of marketing with the help of literature, lectures and case studies
Part 2: November-December: Working in small groups to prepare an analysis of a company's marketing actitivities

Completion alternatives

There are no alternative ways to pass the entire course. It will be possible to repeat the individual exam on additional exam dates later.

Practical training and working life cooperation

On the second half of the course the students should familiarise themselves and write a group work on a real, existing company of their choise.

Further information

The course will start on the last week of August.
This course requires a substantial amount of self-study in between the lecture times.

Assessment criteria - satisfactory (1-2) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Student has achieved the objectives of the course sufficiently. Student understands the basic principles of marketing. Student recognizes and is able to explain and use the basic concepts and models of marketing. Student is passive in class and/or has not completed the class tasks regularly.

Assessment criteria - good (3-4) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Student has achieved the objectives of the course well although the skills and competences need further development. Student is able to explain and apply the concepts of marketing well. The grade of the group work is 3-4. Student is quite active in class and has completed the class tasks most of the time.

Assessment criteria - excellent (5) (Not in use, Look at the Assessment criteria above)

Student has achieved the objectives of the course excellently. The student masters the concepts and models of marketing in an excellent manner. Student is able to conduct fluent and reasoned analysis and has good capabilities to apply the learning. The grade of the group work is 4-5 and the individual exercises and the participation inthe class are grade 5. Student is active in class and has completed the all the class tasks.