Marketing Practice (MSc)

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Glossary of Terms

Year 1 (90 Credits)

RequiredMK5145: Applied Marketing Project

MK5145: Applied Marketing Project

12 months long | Credits: 15

The objective of this project is to challenge students to learn how to become experts on a nominated topic which reflects an emerging trend in the practice of Marketing. This is achieved by challenging students to increase their knowledge and develop applied skills in a nominated topic. They then use this knowledge and skills to develop and deliver a strategy that will bring value to an assigned company and/or company of their choice. The Applied Marketing Project will be a comprehensive assignment which aims to allow students to apply theories, models and tools studied during their MSc programme to real-life marketing challenges.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop an appropriate research approach which demonstrates an ability to keep up to date with the practice of marketing in a digital world by gaining an in-depth understanding of a nominated topic using both academic and industry literature.
2. Critically evaluate the implications of the nominated topic, from strategic and implementation perspectives, as it relates to the practice of Marketing in a student’s host company in the short and/or medium and/or long term.
3. Apply effective decision making to the ethical and socially responsible practice of marketing, for the public good.
4. Communicate findings, their implications and innovative marketing ideas in an appropriate, professional and succinct manner, both orally and in writing, pitched at a student’s host company.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂
  
•  MAURA O'CONNELL 🖂
  

RequiredMK5122: Inbound Marketing Strategy

MK5122: Inbound Marketing Strategy

Semester 1 | Credits: 5

Inbound marketing is used by both global and small businesses alike. Inbound marketing is a means of engaging a target audience, driving quality lead growth and ultimately improving profitability. Central to inbound marketing are three primary actions (Attract, Convert and Delight) which businesses must take in order to get more website visitors, leads, customers, and promoters. Included in this methodology are the tactics, tools and technology which companies typically use to accomplish these goals.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Assess the Inbound Flywheel Methodology and how it helps businesses attract, engage and delight customers.
2. Recognise the importance of buyer personas in relation to a company’s marketing and segmentation efforts, and how to leverage them as part of an inbound marketing strategy.
3. Devise how to naturally attract inbound traffic and how to convert, close, and delight prospects and customers over time.
4. Develop and measure an inbound marketing strategy to grow leads and sales through the integration of marketing and sales, technology and automation.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂
  

Reading List

1. "Inbound Marketing, Revised and Updated: Attract, Engage and Delight Customers Online" by Brian Halligan, Dharmesh Shah.
   Publisher: Wiley

RequiredMK5150: Website Strategy & Management

MK5150: Website Strategy & Management

Semester 1 | Credits: 5

Having empathy with customers and creating customer experiences which delight are key competitive differentiators. A website for most businesses is their most important marketing platform and sales channel. This module covers both website strategy development based on design thinking principles and discovery research, and tactical quick wins for optimising the website experience based on customer empathy. Students will learn best practices and principles of problem solving, collaboration, usability, feasibility and project management for delivering a brand-enhancing intuitive website.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Prepare a customer journey map assessing pain points and opportunities for enhancing customer experience.
2. Establish how websites are rendered and how to measure the performance of a website.
3. Assess the Business Case Development Framework and how it can be used to assess the feasibility of a new website, or website feature.
4. Assess how to maximise on page optimisation opportunities and technical SEO issues that impede a website from ranking higher.
5. Compose a website project plan.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂
  

RequiredMK5149: Marketing Practice for Sustainable Value

MK5149: Marketing Practice for Sustainable Value

Semester 1 | Credits: 5

This module prepares students to start professional placements and careers as potential future generators of sustainable value for business and society at large. Delivered during the first week of the academic year, the intensive sprint nature of this module is designed to help students get up to speed on key professional skills they will develop throughout the year. Students will come to appreciate why these skills are so important for them and why they are so highly valued by employers. This will be achieved through sharing of highly focused and relevant content combined with interactive activities and reflective practice to enhance and embed understanding.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. An understanding of the scope of marketing practice.
2. An appreciation for Marketing’s role in achieving sustainable value.
3. The fundamentals of key professional skills valued by employers.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂
  

RequiredMK586: Marketing Placement

MK586: Marketing Placement

12 months long | Credits: 45

There is strong evidence to suggest that placements and work experience are extremely valuable to students, both in terms of their academic performance in their chose profession and enhancing their employability. In the MSc Marketing Practice we recognise that every student is different. So getting the ‘fit’ right between the student and the host company for placements is a priority for us. This is made possible by the broad range of companies who apply to take students from this programme every year, from tech start-ups to multi-nationals, across every conceivable sector. Students have the opportunity to seek a general marketing role in a company or a placement where they can focus on the area of marketing of their choice including digital marketing, brand management, marketing analytics, and inside sales, As placements are paid, employers regard students on this programme as real employees and expect them to bring value. So you are guaranteed to be challenged and supported simultaneously as you gain practical marketing experience. From the start we encourage students to look within in order to acknowledge who they truly are, what they like to do, what makes them happy, what they are really good at, what they would like to be really good at and to acknowledge their values, desires and ambitions. And then we actively help students to seek and secure a position in a company where they will thrive and grow, both personally and as a Marketing Professional, over a 37 week paid professional placement.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise the importance of networking, collaborating, persuading and negotiating with colleagues and bosses in the workplace, whilst providing evidence of applying effective problem-solving and decision-making skills to the practice of marketing in a global context.
2. Demonstrate an ability to excel in the workplace through ongoing reflection (daily/weekly activity logs) and analysis of your own performance (Mid-Placement Review).
3. Progressively develop your own unique Professional Skills Profile, demonstrating essential Graduate Attributes and technical skills.
4. Learn how to package, and provide evidence of, your experience and achievements; to create a CV that makes you stand out from the crowd; and how to engage successfully in job-search and recruitment processes.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂
  

RequiredMK5152: Research Insights for Marketing Decision Making

MK5152: Research Insights for Marketing Decision Making

Semester 2 | Credits: 5

Organisations operate in a dynamic marketplace - competition, consumers and customers, technology, media and market forces redefine industries every day. This module introduces students to the role insight driven decision-making can play in ensuring organisations continue to add value and compete effectively. This interactive and problem-based module will equip students with knowledge of how and when to implement a systematic research process whilst developing skills in critical thinking, robust methodological design and data analysis. On completion of this module students will have developed the ability to align organisational decision making challenges with a robust problem focused research agenda.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the role of research driven insights in marketing strategy development.
2. Distinguish between primary and secondary research and their role in marketing strategy formation and decision making.
3. Develop SMART primary and secondary research objectives to support rigorous inquiry.
4. Design and implement qualitative and quantitative research methods.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  SINEAD DUANE 🖂
  

RequiredMK5144: Digital Metrics & Analytics

MK5144: Digital Metrics & Analytics

Semester 2 | Credits: 5

Digital Marketers need to be able to look at more than just impressions and clicks to drive better decisions and return on investment. Digital Marketers need to know what happens after a person clicks on an ad and understand what, if any, value that provides to a business. This module focuses on the digital metrics, KPIs and analytics used to measure and track the performance of marketing campaigns. The more insight that can be gained from metrics and analytics, alongside the generation and automation of reports to track trends in behaviour and sales, the more informed the decisions a company can make when allocating where, when and how much, or little, to invest in digital marketing spend.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Illustrate how data and digital marketing analytics have evolved to impact business organization, the marketing function, consumer/brand relationships and digital marketing.
2. Understand the types of data and how it is used.
3. Understand the process and recognize the advantages and pitfalls when deploying the elements of the Marketing Analytics Process (MAP).
4. Be familiar with most common digital marketing metrics and data analysis instruments.
5. Apply the Marketing Analytics Process (MAP) for digital marketing analytics.
6. Understand and analyse data from digital marketing channels including paid, earned, and owned media.
7. Report and present analysed digital marketing data according to best practices.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  SINEAD DUANE 🖂
  

RequiredMK5151: Digital Sales & Marketing Alignment

MK5151: Digital Sales & Marketing Alignment

Semester 2 | Credits: 5

The aim of the “Digital Sales & Marketing Alignment” module is to enable students to understand the business impact Sales and Marketing can have when they work together, both on customer behaviour and on the efficacy/ROI of Sales and Marketing Departments. This module examines the fundamentals of how Sales and Marketing together drive the bottom line in a business which starts with ‘nailing your niche’ customer, then introducing strategies to acquire, retain and grow your customer base. The module will not only look at where Sales and Marketing fit into the customer journey but the entire customer journey itself, as well as how a company creates the best environment to ensure customers and employees thrive. The “Digital Sales & Marketing Alignment” module will provide practical advice, from real world examples, which sales and marketing professionals need to harness technology for better results whilst contributing to a positive company culture.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes

1. Recognise the importance of focus in business and ‘nailing a niche’.
2. Develop an understanding of the business impact and importance of Sales & Marketing working together.
3. Analyse how the traditional Sales Organisation structure is undergoing a significant revolution.
4. Evaluate the stages of Sales & Marketing funnels and how to manage pipelines to achieve results.
5. Assess the importance of reviewing the customer experience and evaluate the role of a developed customer strategy.

Assessments

• Continuous Assessment (100%)

Teachers

•  MARY GREANEY 🖂
  
•  ANN T. WALSH 🖂