Syllabus for Markets and Marketing

Decisions and guidelines

Master's Programme in Business and Management - specialisation Marketing.

Learning outcomes

Ideas about markets and marketing have a long and exciting tradition. This course has two primary ambitions: (1) to develop the depth and scope of the students’ knowledge on marketing theory and (2) to allow the students to reflect on this knowledge in practice. After completing this course, the students will:

• have gained a broader and more enhanced knowledge of marketing as a discipline (subject)
• have developed a deeper understanding of variations in perspectives associated with different marketing theories
• have demonstrated insights into the fundamental premises behind various theories
• have developed an ability to overview the historical development of marketing theory
• have reflected upon and applied their acquired theoretical knowledge in practice
• be able to distinguish and argue for differences in marketing theories in terms of fundamental premises
• be able to compare and classify different marketing theories in a historical and developmental perspective
• be able to evaluate different marketing theories’ relevance in practice.

Content

The course aims at allowing its students to form an overview of marketing theories and how they have evolved over time. Central to this overview is how some fundamental premises have affected the development of marketing ideas. The course follows a general framework with four themes (i.e., economic or behavioural marketing theories, in combination with non-interactive or interactive theories) that can be used to understand, discuss and develop knowledge on varying theoretical approaches within the topic of marketing. The course draws heavily on studying different marketing theories to be able to analyse how the subject has co-evolved with society and has also to made it possible to understand the status of the topic of marketing today.

Instruction

The course relies on an extensive selection of works to depict the development of marketing theories over time. This means that the requirement of the students’ ability to digest substantive amounts of scientific texts is particularly high in this course. To support the learning process, the course uses a combination of lectures, seminars and online discussions as well as cases. A requirement, apart from assimilating the course literature, is that the students bring experiences from earlier courses or practice into the discussions. The course is taught in English.

Assessment

The student will get one single grade, equivalent to 7,5 credits.

The examination of this course includes active participation in class as well as written and oral assignments. Examination includes both individual and team work elements. The grade for the entire course is based on an assessment of all parts of the examination.

Grading criteria are presented in the study guide provided at the beginning of the course. The following grades will be used: pass with distinction (VG), pass (G), and fail (U). Examinations handed in late will not be assessed except under special circumstances. Any remaining supplemental work must be completed and handed in by the deadline specified in the study guide. Otherwise the entire course (all examinations included) must be retaken during subsequent course sections, pending availability of a place in the course.

Uppsala University does not accept cheating or plagiarism. Suspected incidents of cheating or plagiarism are reported to the Disciplinary Committee of the University, which may issue a formal warning to the student or suspend the student from studies for a designated period.

NOTE: Only completed courses can count toward a degree.