Timetables

Full-time study (two semesters + Summer and Winter School)

Part-time study (four semesters + Summer and Winter School) (2012/2013)

* Availability of the International Consulting Project is dependent on demand.

Students accepted during the second intake will start class in Semester Two.

Units of study

Contemporary Consumer Insights

In this unit you will learn how to generate valuable consumer insights that will assist you to successfully operate in contemporary markets. To achieve this objective we will examine the latest research, frameworks and tools that convincingly suggest that today's marketplaces are increasingly complex, being characterized by dynamic interrelationships between popular culture, market structures, ideologies and consumer orientations. We will also identify and apply best-practice qualitative research techniques (video-ethnography, archetype elicitation) to investigate contemporary consumers and generate insights intended to inspire significant marketing innovations. The unit's most immediate relevance is to managers wishing to foster greater creativity and innovation within marketing-oriented groups.

Evaluating Marketing Performance

An essential practice in marketing is assessing the effects of marketing strategies on business performance. Increasingly, companies are recognising marketing as a strategic board-level function directly responsible for wealth creation. Marketers should be equipped with tools to analyse and effectively communicate the value of marketing, using the evidence of marketing metrics underpinning business performance. This unit will introduce you to the marketing metrics responsible for commercial success. Key measures will be explained and applied to a wide range of business examples using a case-study approach. The unit provides an overview of marketing metrics and how they relate to business performance, providing you with opportunities to apply key concepts to practical business situations.

Innovative Marketing Strategies

This unit is about developing and managing innovative competitive marketing strategies. It not only combines concepts, frameworks and tools from across the marketing discipline, it also transcends the traditional boundaries of the discipline itself (as the modern marketer often must), drawing on materials from strategic management, entrepreneurship and finance. The central focus is on strategy development and how its management can create superior and sustainable value for both customers and shareholders, by introducing a long-term perspective.

Integrated Marketing Communications

This unit provides an overview of theory and practice in the fast-changing area of marketing communications. Communicating effectively and efficiently with stakeholders has become more challenging, especially with the advent of new media. This unit is designed to help plan and deliver an integrated communication strategy using the main channels: advertising, public relations, promotions, internet and other new media. Special attention will be paid to measuring results, as marketing professionals are accountable for their programs and strategies.

Internal Marketing

This unit considers the role of internal marketing in motivating employees towards implementing marketing strategies. Although the principles of marketing used internally within an organisation are similar to those used externally, frequently a fresh approach is required when addressing practical issues. This unit presents current thinking and research on the topic of internal marketing and explains how it can be used to assist with implementing marketing strategy. The course will be taught mainly through practical case studies, providing opportunities to analyse how internal marketing is used within leading organisations.

Marketing in the Global Economy

The dynamic nature of global markets makes international marketing a challenging topic to study. Competitive forces transcend national boundaries so that every company is touched to some extent by the impact of the global market. This unit considers international marketing from a wide range of perspectives and includes issues that affect large multinationals as well as smaller international and national players. Marketing concepts are addressed through current case studies with a focus on examples drawn from the Asia-Pacific region.

Marketing Research for Decision Makers

Understanding and using marketing information is an essential task for marketing decision makers. However, despite very large amounts of qualitative and quantitative data being available from both primary and secondary sources, concerns exist about its quality and about how to combine these different sources into a useful stream of information that helps decision makers make better decisions throughout the product lifecycle. The marketing planning cycle will be used as the basic structure of this unit, to explore how data can be turned into actionable marketing information. You will learn how to assess information requirements, plan data collection and assess data quality. You will then learn advanced analytical techniques and, critically, evaluate how these types of data can be used together.

Regulatory Environment and Ethics

In today's highly competitive and uncertain business environment, it is critical for marketing professionals to have a clear understanding of marketing issues and the potential effects of regulatory and ethical factors. Marketing programs and strategies have a greater chance of success if they are developed with an awareness of regulatory and ethical guidelines. This unit considers the regulatory and ethical environment of the marketing of goods and services, with particular reference to product development and management, pricing, promotion and distribution. It also investigates issues and implications of new media. Topics include marketing regulation in the digital environment and other technologies used in the promotion and sale of products and services.

Australian Consulting Project (Part A & B)

This is a capstone project, providing an opportunity to use learning gained during the program. The project requires the application of analytical tools and project management skills to a marketing issue within an Australian company of your choice. The unit will include sessions that introduce project management and consulting skills - critical when designing and selling marketing projects within an organisation. One-to-one supervisory sessions will provide guidance on the project during the session. You will design your own project and conduct independent research in a company that offers an interesting marketing issue. Examples of topics include: product development and launch; developing a new marketing strategy; entering a new market segment; or implementing a new marketing initiative, such as CRM. The deliverable will be a written report, along with a presentation to the client organisation and your supervisor. You will be assessed on problem identification, analysis, creative and actionable solutions, client-management skills and persuasive presentation.

International Consulting Project (Part A & B)*

This is a capstone unit, requiring the application of skills and tools acquired during the program. In today's increasingly global business environment it has become essential for managers to understand international marketing business forces. This unit of study will provide you with this crucial knowledge. You'll take a study trip to a selected country to learn first hand about the business and consumer environments there, and will complete a project related to that context. The trip will include visits to local business operations, presentations from local business and government executives, and interactions with a variety of individuals who can provide important insights.

Some possible projects are: a market analysis to determine the potential of a particular product or service that could be exported to the target country; a production feasibility study to examine the possibility of manufacturing a particular good there; or an analysis of the competition in a particular industry in the target country.

* Availability of the International Consulting Project is dependent on demand.

Duration

The Master of Marketing can be completed in one year of intensive full-time study, including the usual two semesters as well as a session each of Summer and Winter School.

Alternatively, it may be completed over two years of part-time study.

Both options require evening lectures as well as some intensive study weekends.

For more information on the Master of Marketing program please contact: mmktg@econ.usyd.edu.au