Marketing with Psychology BSc Hons - 2021 Entry

Course Structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and others which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism. We divide academic study into two sections - Part 1 (Year 1) and Part 2 (Year 2, 3 and sometimes 4). For most programmes Part 1 requires you to study 120 credits spread over at least three modules which, depending upon your programme, will be drawn from one, two or three different academic subjects. A higher degree of specialisation then develops in subsequent years. For more information about our teaching methods at Lancaster please visit our Teaching and Learning section.

The following courses do not offer modules outside of the subject area due to the structured nature of the programmes: Architecture, Law, Physics, Engineering, Medicine, Sports and Exercise Science, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedicine and Biomedical Science.

Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research.

Year 1

Core

• Introduction to Marketing

  This year-long module is designed to give students a broad and critical introduction to the subject of marketing through a series of lectures and seminars. A comprehensive range of topics are taught at foundational level which you will then explore further in your second and final years. Subject areas that you will study include Understanding Markets, which examines how markets are created and sustained, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing Communications, Marketing Research and Innovation.

  Throughout the year, you will be asked to consider how theory works in practice, by examining your own experience of marketing as well as current stories from the press and marketing media. Assessment consists of coursework including an individual essay and a group-based business report, and a Summer exam which is largely essay-based. As part of your studies on this module, we will help you to develop all of the necessary academic skills to succeed in your first year at University and throughout your degree.

  In addition to your marketing studies, you will study two further subjects from across the University (subject to availability and timetabling). These may include other subjects in the Management School such as Organisation Work and Technology, or Entrepreneurship, but there are many others including marketing related subjects such as Design, Media and Cultural Studies and English Language that you can choose from. This flexibility allows you then to continue with one or more of these subjects in your second and final years, or you can choose to focus exclusively on marketing modules.

• Marketing Learning Community - First Year

  This module is all about personal development and is taken by all students in the Marketing department. It is designed to help you develop academic skills to support your studies at University, and employability skills to help you achieve your future career goals.

• Understanding Psychology

  The fundamental principles of psychology that underpin this degree will be introduced during this module: Developmental and Social Psychology, Brain and Behaviour, Cognitive Psychology, Individual Differences and Historical and Conceptual Issues.

  Through a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical classes, students will learn about the theories and findings in each of these areas. They will be taught about different research approaches, how to access and evaluate scientific journal articles, and how to construct arguments formally in essays.

  Students will be exposed to cutting-edge research conducted within the Psychology Department at Lancaster, with techniques such as virtual reality, developmental EEG, eye tracking, and behavioural measures.

Year 2

Core

• Cognitive Psychology

  Taught by internationally recognised researchers, this module concerns the study of mental processes; how people perceive, think, talk and behave. Students will explore the current issues, debates and approaches in the key areas of cognitive psychology: human memory, attention, language and perception under the guidance of lecturers who are experts and innovators in this field. Up to date theoretical debates and their evaluation in terms of conceptual coherence and empirical support will also be examined.

  By the end of the module, students will show a critical appreciation of research methods, approaches and outcomes in cognitive psychology; and will have written about a topic in cognitive psychology in an informed and reflective way.

• Consumer Behaviour

  The overall aim of this module is to develop an appreciation and understanding of consumer behaviour from both managers' and consumers' perspectives, building on current research in consumer behaviour and the social sciences generally. The lectures initially focus on consumers as individuals and then consider more closely the influence of our social experiences on behaviour. The workshops provide a chance to focus on a specialist topic within the field, focusing upon improving academic reading and analysis skills.

• Marketing Learning Community - Second Year

  This module runs alongside your academic studies to help you with academic and employability skills.

• Marketing Research

  This module introduces the key concepts and techniques in marketing research and the analysis of marketing problems. The main aim is to prepare you for future roles as marketing, product, brand and advertising managers by giving you the skills needed to commission, manage, interpret and use marketing information. It will also prepare you for practical market or advertising research projects conducted in your final year (e.g. MKTG310 & MKTG331). The module covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as how to run and manage research projects. For the quantitative part of the unit, you will be introduced to SPSS.

• Personality and Individual Differences

  This module introduces the key topics and debates relating to personality and individual differences. It blends learning the important theoretical questions with discussion of the research implications for practice at work and across society as a whole. Current views will be explored and placed within their historical context. Notions such as trait and type on psychological accounts of human behaviour will be critically evaluated.

  The theoretical and practical insights into psychometric testing and other methods for capturing individual differences in behaviour and performance will also be explored. The module further examines the impact of individual differences in particular areas, including cognition, thinking and development.

• Routes to Market

  This module provides students with knowledge and understanding about the various decisions, actors and actions involved in transforming the product from its raw state through to one desired by consumers, and to the mechanisms whereby brand owners work with retailers to ensure shoppers’ access to the product. This understanding is important to all marketers since it allows marketers to communicate with other areas of the organisation (such as manufacturing or logistics) over issues including new product launches, promotional initiatives and so on. A particular emphasis is placed on the retail end of the route to market and how brand owners coordinate with retail (possibly also wholesale) actors to ensure optimal product placement and communication at the point of purchase. The module therefore provides vital understanding and perspectives to equip you for entry level jobs in areas such as trade marketing, customer marketing, shopper marketing, category management and areas of retail. In many companies a career in brand management can only be accessed through graduate entry level jobs in these areas. The thinking is “if you can’t manage retail partners, you can’t manage brands”.

  Throughout the module attention is paid to the international contexts of routes to market, ethical questions in routes to market, modern techniques and shopping behaviour and ICT use in routes to market. Examples are drawn especially from product areas students are familiar with.

• Social Psychology

  Expanding on the knowledge gained in Part I, students will further develop their knowledge of theory and research in a number of core areas in this field. Starting with the history of social psychology, they will explore topics such as social beliefs and judgements, intergroup relations, and applying social psychology to everyday life.

  Lectures will cover contemporary and empirical developments in the key areas, and the accompanying seminar programme will help develop a range of academic skills in relation to social psychological subject matter including: use of technical language, integrating knowledge, analytic skills, argument construction and presentation.

Optional

• Advertising

  The overall aim of this course is to develop an appreciation and understanding of the fast-moving and multi-faceted world of advertising from both a theoretical and managerial perspective. This course will focus on advertising within the private sector and will cover a number of contemporary issues in advertising, including social and ethical issues, international advertising and advertising regulation. On completion of this course, students should be able to demonstrate a clear understanding of advertising theory, strategy and execution.

• Digital Marketing

  The module gives students a unique opportunity to engage with leading-edge industry-driven and academic questions driving digital marketing. The module aims to stimulate students’ thinking and understanding around such questions as: How can we create data-driven, effective digital marketing campaigns? How does the consumer decision-making journey change in a digital space? How does digital technology transform marketing strategy in a business-to-consumer and business-to-business context? Why do so many companies fail in managing cyber-risk despite having cybersecurity measures in place? Apart from engaging with academic perspectives, students will practice real-life integrated digital campaign planning using industry-leading global data from ComScore.

  An industry speaker will provide input to ensure that this remains an industry relevant module.

• Marketing Simulation

  The Marketing Simulation gives an integrated overview of the concepts, techniques and skills used in marketing management. This is done via a computer simulation exercise known as “Markstrat”. The objective of the course is to allow participants to develop skills in applying marketing knowledge, running an analysis and planning system, and dealing with the problems arising from working in groups and managing a business under conditions of uncertainty.

Year 3

Core

• Advanced Topics in Consumer Behaviour

  This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to critically review existing research and theory as it relates to a number of current consumer research specialist topics. The module provides students with the experience of applying and adapting existing theoretical frameworks to real consumer contexts and will enable a fuller engagement with the research interests of the marketing department staff. The module adopts a topic-based model; a typical syllabus would include self and identity in consumer behaviour, consumers & communications, theories of consumption, children as consumers, consumers & culture, consumer research applications in the public policy domain and consumers & ethics.

• Marketing Learning Community - Final year

  In the final year this module focusses primarily on perfecting your employability skills to get the graduate job you want.

Optional

• Brand Strategy

  This module will provide students with a managerial and critical understanding of how brand strategy must integrate and balance a variety of perspectives such as the social, symbolic, and material dimensions of contemporary consumer culture with the managerial and economic determinants of organisations. Students will master the language of brand strategy, discover how the brand function fits with the other functions of an organisation, and learn how this knowledge can be applied in the real marketplace contexts. We will also critically evaluate the role of branding in society and we will trace the history of “the modern brand”. A range of theories, concepts, strategies and practices designed to build, evolve and sustain brands will be addressed across a range of categories, product types and industries. Students will be encouraged to think for themselves about the possible future brands and the necessity of branding in a changing world.

• Business-to-Business Marketing

  In this module, we bring to the forefront the often less visible bust vast area of marketing to help you develop a more holistic understanding of how markets work and how they are created and shaped. We explore marketing concepts familiar to you as a marketer but broaden them by looking at the multiplicity of actors involved in marketing and in market making. Specifically, we unpack the activities in which organisations are involved and deploy to engage in markets. The module considers a range of contexts, such as markets of extreme contexts i.e. Base of the Pyramid, and critically discusses contemporary trends in B2B marketing practice and theory.

• Critical & Creative Communications

  The module concerns the communications strategies and techniques used by new social movements, brands and people. We will study a spectrum of tools and media of communications, such as lobbying, design, sustainable communications (and greenwashing). Students will use action learning to develop a campaign strategy and creative work for a major UK government campaign. We will examine how protesters and social activists use communications, and students will be encouraged to think critically about how communications shape societies and human values.

• Current Directions in Social Psychology

  In this module, students are encouraged to engage critically but constructively with social psychological research and theory. The topics covered reflect the lecturers' active research interests, and have recently included: the psychology of animal treatment, nostalgia and propaganda/advertising and social media.

  The module will enable students to be able to summarise the current state of knowledge on a given topic, and also be able to evaluate such knowledge, weighing its strengths and limitations, and tracing its implications. In particular, they will be encouraged to question the standard textbook treatment of social psychological topics.

• Global Marketing Management

  As marketing activities become more internationally focused, firms are increasingly looking for prospective employees with the knowledge and skills to address the new challenges and opportunities associated with globalisation. This module combines the latest research in the field of international marketing; providing insights, theories, concepts and tools that enable students to navigate the global market. Students will take part in interactive lectures and assessment-centred seminars to examine trends in global marketing management. The module will also pay special attention to emerging markets and the roles they play in invigorating marketing theories and practice.

• Marketing Research and Consultancy Project

  This module allows you to work in a team to negotiate, design, and deliver a market research project. The projects are live cases, usually for local companies or charitable organisations, in which you, working with your supervisors, have responsibility for all aspects of the project, including budget and final presentation. You will develop working practices, produce an agreed research project, undertake appropriate research, and produce a professional client presentation and report. This module has been redesigned to give final year students additional focused help with their quest to obtain good quality graduate employment.

• Strategic Marketing

  The module "Strategic Marketing" aims to equip students for a career in strategic marketing management in various industries, which may include among others fast moving consumer goods and retailing, automotive, consulting services or the luxury sector. It is essential for students to obtain a solid understanding of various perspectives on strategy and to develop the ability to evaluate, design and implement sustainable and profitable marketing strategy. The module combines a critical academic perspective on strategy research with applied and practicable models and frameworks essential to developing strong marketing plans. The module aims to stimulate the student's thinking around such questions as: Why do some products or services succeed and others fail? How do you design a profitable and sustainable marketing strategy? What are the challenges involved in developing and implementing marketing strategy? Is marketing strategy a planning framework or improvised practice?

• Strategic Negotiation : Making Sustainable Deals

  The key theme of this module is to learn how to negotiate and make sustainable business deals. Strategic negotiations are highly relevant in today’s interconnected business landscape. Companies need to negotiate with multiple stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, agencies, governments and authorities to be able to access the resources that they need. A strategic deal that companies would need is not a fixed entity but rather the outcome of long and time-consuming negotiations that affect further negotiations. The module will examine 1) the strategic challenges that companies face in their markets today, 2) the analytical tools that are needed to make sustainable business deals, 3) the biases and errors in deal-making 4) the various ways by which business deals are manifested and 5) the managerial implications of strategic negotiations.

• The Management of Marketing

  In this module, we explore how marketing activities are managed in businesses, organisations and markets. Our focus is on three levels- namely, individuals, organisations and market place. Our understandings of marketing management are to a large extent shaped by theories and evidence on consumer behaviour in various markets. With this module, we turn our attention to managers and how they should make sense of and take action towards creating values for consumers and clients, their own businesses and organisations, and society at large. We approach this management question from multiple theoretical perspectives- namely, organisational and institutional theory, behavioural sciences, and marketing. We critically review these perspectives to understand how they construct and study the tasks of judgement and decision-making for marketing managers. We then employ these perspectives to identify and evaluate the opportunities and challenges contemporary marketing managers face within businesses, organisations, markets and society. These relate to technological advances and innovation, globalisation and its discontents, the inclusivity and exclusivity of consumption, marketing ethics, sustainability and climate change.