Syllabus Information

1.1. Introduction

The subject “Principles of Marketing” belongs to the module “Marketing and Market Research”. The subject is of an introductory nature directed at establishing the fundamentals of marketing. Specifically, it deals with basic concepts, instruments and decisions related to the marketing field. In addition, the goal is to prepare the students for acquiring a deeper knowledge of the discipline in the subsequent marketing subjects of the degree. The subject is divided into two main parts: the first part deals with the basic concepts of Marketing and the consumer’s buying behaviour; the second part is focused on the key variables and marketing actions.

1.2. Recommendations to take this course

The subject Principles of Marketing is available on the Anillo Digital Docente (ADD) of the Universidad de Zaragoza https://moodle2.unizar.es/add/. This platform contains the materials and information about the contents of the course. The students can get the access keys and passwords for the ADD from the Secretary of the Faculty.

The subject is of an introductory nature directed at establishing the fundamentals of marketing; therefore, there are no prerequisites for taking this course. Students are strongly recommended to attend the lectures, to carry out the continuous work and to study on a regular basis, to make the most of the classes.

1.3. Context and importance of this course in the degree

“Principles of Marketing” aims at providing the students with the fundamental knowledge and concepts of the marketing discipline, which subsequently will be developed in depth in the specific subjects within this area.

1.4. Activities and key dates

The starting day is established by the Universidad de Zaragoza in its official calendar. The specific dates regarding the key activities of the subject will also be arranged according to the official calendar.

The students will be informed about the key activities through the subject’s program. The activities and key dates will be communicated via the e-learning platform (ADD) of the Universidad de Zaragoza: bb.unizar.es. The subject will consist of one theoretical and one practical session per week.

The practical sessions will consist of teamwork, troubleshooting, practice with real cases, and commenting on and discussing readings and/or news. These activities will be announced beforehand, giving the students enough time to work on them.

The seminars and tutorials will be scheduled according to the official calendar of the faculty.

2.1. Learning goals

The student, in order to pass this subject, must demonstrate the following results...

1. Understand and explain the concept of marketing, its scope, functions and importance within organisations.
2. Identify, differentiate and assess strategic marketing orientations, as well as new trends in marketing.
3. Describe the buyer’s decision-making process and analyse the influence of various factors that affect the consumer’s buying behaviour.
4. Identify, analyse and assess the main decisions of the company regarding the marketing-mix instruments: product, price, place and promotion.
5. Carry out, individually or in groups, activities and projects related to the contents of the subject. The students are required to implement a correct planning of these activities and projects in order to attain their goals and to optimise time resources.
6. Communicate, both oral and written, knowledge, ideas and outcomes of the activities and projects carried out.

All the aforementioned will be carried out according to the proper ethics and professionality standards, as well as on the base on respect and democratic values.

2.2. Importance of learning goals

These days, both profit and non-profit organisations need to be oriented towards their customers, to be aware of their needs and desires, in order to succeed in the market. In addition, following a marketing perspective, companies must design a marketing-mix plan taking into account all the factors that are under their control: product, price, place and promotion

3.1. Aims of the course

The aim of this subject is to introduce and habituate the students to the basic concepts, instruments and decisions related to marketing. To do this, the commercial activities of the company will be analysed, stressing the marketing tools that favour the efficacy and efficiency of these commercial activities.

3.2. Competences

Specific competences:

• Knowing the operations of all the functional areas of any company or organisation and having the skills to perform any task within these areas.
• Issuing reports about specific market situations, industries, organisations, companies and their functional areas.

Transversal competences:

• Problem-solving capability. 
• Ability to analyse and synthesise.
• Decision-making capability.
• Communication skills, both oral and written, stressing their ability to reason.
• Ability to work in groups.
• Ability to put theoretical concepts into practice.

4.1. Assessment tasks (description of tasks, marking system and assessment criteria)

The students must show that they have achieved the expected learning results through the following evaluation activities

The assessment of the subject for the two official sittings will be based on a GLOBAL evaluation system. This system consists of two parts through which the student must prove that he or she has achieved the expected learning results:

PART 1) Final written test (A) which will be scheduled according to the official calendar. The test will consist of theoretical, practical and a mix of theory and practice questions about the contents addressed in the syllabus of the subject. The test will make up 70% of the global mark (7 points). To pass the subject, the student is required to obtain a minimum of 2 points out of 7 in this part

PART 2) will make up 30% of the global mark (3 points). The student can choose one of the following options:

-       Final written test (B) which will be scheduled according to the official calendar. The test will consist of theoretical, practical and a mix of theory and practice questions about the contents addressed in the syllabus of the subject. The test will make up 50% of the global mark (5 points). In this case, the final mark of the student will be the sum of the marks obtained in the two final written tests, (part A) and (part B).

-       The student will carry out a work in a team of maximum of 5 people. This team of students will choose an interesting and real topic (company, good/service) and will hand in a dossier where the most important theoretical concepts of each unit will be put into practice. The team of students will also produce a video about one of the main concepts taught in the subject. The practical sessions will be used to guide the students in the development of both the dossier and the video. The last two weeks of the semester will devoted to the students’ oral presentation and discussion of the main results of their work (dossier + video). These practical activities will make up 30% (3 points) of the global mark. In order for this mark to be considered in the assessment, the student has to pass an individual course related to the use of information sources. This course will be taught during the semester by the UZ Library service.

This work will allow the student to be excused from the final written test (B). In this case, the global mark will be the sum of the mark obtained in the final written test (part A) and the mark obtained in the practical work.

However, if the student decides to do the final written test (part B), it will be considered that s/he is renouncing the mark obtained in the practical work.

Assessment criteria:

The written tests will include: theoretical questions in which knowledge of the basic concepts will be evaluated; a mix of theory and practice questions in which the student’s ability to put the theoretical knowledge into practice will be evaluated. The tests may consist of both open-ended and close-ended questions and will require the student’s knowledge of the contents and a mastery of the competences of the subject.

Furthermore, the degree of accuracy in the answers will be taken into consideration in both the written tests and the practical work. The absence of formal errors and the clarity and the structure of the presentation of the results will also be taken into account.

5.1. Methodological overview

The learning process designed for this subject is based on the combination of theoretical lectures, teamwork, problem-solving activities and case studies, as well as the discussion of texts and papers.

5.2. Learning tasks

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The syllabus of the subject, which is intended to help the student to achieve the expected learning outcomes, is composed of the following activities...

1. Participative theoretical lectures (30 hours): introduce the theoretical concepts together with real examples which facilitate the comprehension and application of these concepts. These lectures will deal with the following topics:

­          Introduction to marketing

­          Introduction to the consumer’s buying behaviour

­          Product-related decisions

­          Price-related decisions

­          Place-related decisions

­          Promotion-related decisions

2.- Practical sessions or troubleshooting and presentation of real problems and cases (25 hours), elaboration and presentation of projects, discussion of current and emerging topics, essays and interactive activities. All these activities will be carried out both inside and outside the classroom, individually or in groups.

3.- Tutorials and/or seminars (5 hours): the professors will supervise the projects carried out by the students, clarify their doubts about the theoretical and/or practical contents of the subject, and propose specific tasks in which the theoretical concepts will be put into practice

4.- Student’s independent work (87.5 hours): this includes the study of the theoretical and practical contents, the resolution of practical exercises, the development of individual and/or in-group activities, the search for and analysis of information, among others.

5.- Evaluation activities (2.5 hours).

5.3. Syllabus

UNIT 1 – ESSENTIALS OF MARKETING

1.1.- Introduction. What is marketing and what is not?

1.2.- Marketing responsibilities and basic marketing concepts

1.3.- Strategic marketing orientations

1.4.- Market orientation and new marketing trends

UNIT 2 – ESSENTIALS OF BUYER BEHAVIOUR

2.1.- The concept and relevance of the consumer’s behaviour

2.2.- Drivers of the consumer’s buying behaviour

2.3.- The consumer’s buying decision process

2.4.- The rights and social movements of consumers

UNIT 3 – PRODUCT

3.1.- What is a product from the marketing perspective? Concept and classifications

3.2.- Product portfolio management

3.3.- Product development

3.4.- Product life cycle

UNIT 4 – PRICE

4.1.- The concept and relevance of price

4.2.- Price as a marketing tool

4.3.- Pricing techniques

4.4.- Pricing strategies

UNIT 5 – PLACE

5.1.- Retailing: concept and functions

5.2.- Types and functions of channel members

5.3.- Retailing strategies

5.4.- Franchising

5.5.- In-store marketing

UNIT 6 – PROMOTION AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

6.1.- The concept of promotion and marketing communications

6.2.- Marketing communications’ tools

6.3.- The marketing communications’ process

6.4.- The effective communication process

5.4. Course planning and calendar

The planning and timetable of the lectures and practical classes will be announced at the beginning of the academic year.

The timetable of the assessment activities and the delivery of the projects will be communicated via the e-learning platform (ADD) of the Universidad de Zaragoza.

5.5. Bibliography and recommended resources