1. PREAMBLE

1.1 These regulations shall be read in conjunction with the Faculty of Commerce Regulations and the General Regulations

1.2 The degree will be awarded to candidates who have successfully completed the programme and passed the examinations in accordance with regulations set below.

2. AIM

The particular focus of the M.Com Marketing Strategy is to enable the manager to operate at a strategic level and manage effectively within a complex and uncertain environment.

3. OBJECTIVES

The specific targets of the M.Com Marketing Strategy are to: enable students to gain a broad understanding of the managerial techniques of decision making, enrich the students’ development and managerial prospects through learning within the context of their own experience, their current and future needs and the needs of their market and society and underline the importance and significance of increased managerial effectiveness and competence and understand the strategic approach.

4. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should normally have a good honours degree (first or upper second) in Marketing, Business Management or their equivalents or an appropriate professional qualification (e.g. IMM, CIM).

5. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Registration will take place in accordance with the arrangements prescribed each semester through the registrar’s Office. A student’s registration shall not be confirmed until she/he has fulfilled the requirements for payment of fees. A student registered for a module is expected to attend classes prescribed de each module. The programme shall not commence with fewer than ten students. The programme shall be studied over a period of at least three (3) semesters.

6. PROVISION FOR PROGRESSION

The student is expected to write formal examination at the end of each semester. To be admitted to the examination the candidate must have written all assignments and tests given for the module during the semester. A candidate who fails two modules at the end of the level one may apply repeat and will retain credits for the modules passed and will retain credits for the modules passed. Continuous assessment shall account for 40% of the overall assessment, while the formal examination will account for 60% of the overall assessment.

7. NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS

Results shall be published in accordance with the provision of Section 13 of the General Regulations.

 PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

9. MODULE SYNOPSES

MMRK701 MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES

The aim of this module is to identify the strategic dimensions of marketing communications and to develop a thorough understanding of the role of marketing communications in panning. It will help students appreciate the role of corporate identity and image as well as examine the objectives of corporate communications and the strategies and tactics to achieve them.

MMRK702 E-MARKETING STRATEGIES

The module analyses the increasing role of the internet and related technologies in pure internet and traditional industries. It further looks at how students can design their own websites and manage its functions to enhance the organization’s competitiveness.

MMRK703 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS

Here the student is prepared for a leadership role within organisations through an exploration of the importance of social and moral values in business and management. This exploration takes place at a number of levels. At an organisational level, we look the critical at the role of Board of Directors in shaping and defining of corporate conduct.Finally, at the level of individual, we look at the sorts of dilemmas you are likely to face in seeking to balance and integrate the often conflicting demands of personal and professional life.

MMRK704 CORPORATE STRATEGY

The module deals with the process of formulating and implementing strategy in modern business enterprises. Cases discussions and class debates challenge students both to develop verbal and interpersonal skills they must have to communicate effectively in the business world, and to analyse markets and to select strategies that allow firms to archive superior long-term performance.

MMRK705 STRATEGIC QUALITY MANAGEMENT

The module defines the key concepts in quality management and further identifies the quality phases. It also explores how excellence in organisation and delivery of unparallel service can be achieved through people, re-engineering and benchmarking. Costs of non-conformance to quality, costs of quality and quality perceptions will be studied.

MMRK706 ADVANCED SERVICE MARKETING

The module aims to provide students with a sound knowledge of the nature and special characteristics of services as well as how to manage service quality, productivity and staff. It explains how to position a service organisation and brand including the services marketing mix. It examines the special issues concerning the marketing of services and reflects the particular characteristics of services and the importance of services to a firm. Emphasis is given on the barrier that divide the perception of service quality from customer expectations and to understand the critical that customers use when forming expectations.

MMRK707 INTERNATIONAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

The aim of this module is to enable students to acquire expertise in applying marketing strategies in countries other than their own and thereby to acquire practice in dealing with international market situations. It promotes an understanding of factors determining the extent to which standardization in strategy implementation is appropriate for success in international markets. It demonstrates the major differences between national and multinational marketing planning and enables students to understand the range of tasks in international marketing strategy.

MMRK708 STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP MARKETING

The module identifies the need to market products and services to both internal and external customers. It describes and examines ways of developing and maintaining customer relationships. Nano and mega relationships are studied and how they can be used to close the `quality gap’ between what customers expect and what they get.Relationship-based marketing and resulting long-term retention of customer’s attention leads to significantly improve financial and market performance. Relationship marketing represents a new opportunity for organisations to gain a competitive advantage.

MMRK809 MARKETING STRATEGY

This module prepares the student to identify and apply appropriate marketing strategies in the dynamic operational environment in order to gain the desired competitive advantage. The marketing mix strategies will be studied and applied to extensive case studies based on real-life situations.

MMRK814 DISSERTATION

The programme finishes with a supervised dissertation of not less than 15 000 words. This allows the student to explore in-depth subjects of specific interest to her/him and her/his employer. The choice is completely free, limited only by the availability of qualified supervisors. The main requirements of the project are that it should engage with a problem of practical marketing management concern.