09511 - Marketing

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand and use the main variables, theories, and fundamental applications of marketing management.
Having grasped some key theories, by the end of the course the student will be able to apply them to real-world business and market contexts—measuring customer satisfaction, analyzing and segmenting the market, developing a marketing plan, and defining distribution strategies thanks to their knowledge of both national and international distribution structures.
Group work is encouraged throughout the course to ensure that students acquire the ability to work in teams and conduct research on assigned topics, as well as to develop communication skills through business presentations.

Course contents

• Marketing research and customer knowledge
• Market segmentation and targeting
• Creating value through branding
• Creating and managing value through products
• Creating value through pricing decisions
• Distribution: delivering value to the customer
• Integrated marketing communication 1: mass communication tools
• Integrated marketing communication 2: direct communication tools
• Digital marketing
• Business cases: Intersport and Cleopatra
• Marketing exercises and models using Excel
• Supplementary digital materials with additional examples, business cases, videos, and articles

Since teaching benefits from interactivity, students are encouraged to bring examples and cases to stimulate discussion.

Readings/Bibliography

The program includes, in addition to classroom lectures, (1) printed materials and (2) digital materials.

1) Textbook – required reading (to be studied in full):

IMPORTANT NOTE: THE 2024 EDITION IS DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS ONES

Title: "Corso di Marketing – SECOND EDITION (2024), Corso di Marketing - SECONDA EDIZIONE (2024), per il Corso di Laurea in Economia Aziendale dell'Università di Bologna"
ISBN: 979-82-190-0799-6

To keep the price affordable, the textbook was created last year (when the instructor was teaching in the Corso di Laurea in Economia Aziendale, hence the title) by McGraw-Hill as a condensed edition, focused only on the chapters covered in the Marketing course. It was compiled from two separate books, which may also be purchased individually:

a) "Fondamenti di Marketing", by Fahy, Jobber, Poggesi, Mingione, Second Edition, 2024, McGraw-Hill.
ISBN: 978-88-386-5779-5
The relevant chapters for the course are: chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 13.

b) "Marketing. L'eserciziario", by Lorenzini B. and Manaresi A., 2023, McGraw-Hill.
ISBN: 978-88-386-1206-0
All chapters are included in the course. The essential Excel files are also available for download.

2) Digital materials, also required reading, will be made available during the course through the University of Bologna’s online platform:   virtuale.unibo.it 

Teaching methods

Lectures, business presentations by managers, discussion of business cases, and computer-based marketing models.

Assessment methods

The evaluation is based exclusively on a written exam, held in person, according to the following timeline:

1. Midterm exam: A first written test will take place halfway through the course (late October–early November), consisting of open-ended questions and lasting approximately 50–60 minutes.

2. Final exam: A second written test will take place at the end of the course (first session in December, second session in January–February). It also consists of open-ended questions and lasts approximately 50–60 minutes.

   • 2a) For students who passed the midterm, the final exam will cover only the second part of the course.

   • 2b) For students who did not pass or did not take the midterm, the final exam will cover the entire course program.

From the third exam session onward (i.e. from the session in late May/early June to the one in September), a single comprehensive written exam covering the entire course content will be administered (approx. 50–60 minutes in duration).

Students who still have the exam pending from previous academic years are required to prepare based on the current year's program, and may only take the comprehensive final exam, not the partial tests.

The aim of both the midterm and final exam is to assess the achievement of the following learning objectives:

• In-depth knowledge of marketing concepts discussed in lectures, case studies, and presentations by business professionals.

• Ability to apply these tools to analyze business management and marketing phenomena.

• Ability to use the outputs of marketing models to interpret business situations and support decision-making processes.

If the student chooses to be assessed via the two partial tests, both are graded on a 30-point scale. The second test may be taken only if the student has passed the midterm with a minimum score of 18/30. If the student also passes the second test with at least 18/30, the final grade (recorded in the official exam system) will be the arithmetic average of the two partial grades, and will constitute the final result of the exam.

If the student opts for a single comprehensive exam, covering both parts of the course, only one final grade will be assigned (also on a 30-point scale).

Registration for exams must be completed through the University’s electronic board via the AlmaEsami system, within the official deadlines. Students who encounter technical problems during registration must promptly notify the course administration before the closing date of the registration list. The instructor may allow students to take the exam if the issue was technical and not due to student negligence.

The final grade will be recorded in the AlmaEsami system. Students may review their graded exams and ask for clarifications on the date specified by the instructor, which is published along with the exam results. Alternative appointments to review the exam are allowed only in exceptional cases and with valid justification. The final grade can be recorded without the student being physically present.

Graduating students who pass the exam and need early grade registration for administrative purposes are asked to promptly notify the instructor by email immediately after taking the exam.

As stated above, the exam is written and graded on a 30-point scale. In addition to questions on marketing methods ("theory questions"), students will be required to complete exercises and case studies demonstrating their ability to apply tools learned in class to real-world business situations, test specific hypotheses, and interpret the results obtained.

No supporting materials (e.g., textbooks, notes, digital or online tools) are allowed during the exam.
Class attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.

Given the educational importance of applying marketing concepts to real business cases, students are strongly discouraged from attending classes unprepared. It is expected that students read the recommended business cases before class to engage effectively in discussions.

Teaching tools

The digital materials, which are mandatory for study, are available on the university’s official online platform designated for this purpose.

Office hours

See the website of Angelo Manaresi