Unit Outline

The increasing use of the Internet and other digital media by both business and consumers is having a significant effect on business globally. For consumers, information and communication technologies (ICT) provide more information, convenience, and a wider range of, and access to, product choices. For businesses, ICT provides new channels to market their products, new ways to build and establish value-creating relationships with their customers, as well as opportunities to expand into new markets. However, due to the rapid evolution of digital technologies, the businesses are increasingly confronted with the need to participate and manage their marketing mix in a real-time, ever-changing digital environment. Hence it is imperative for businesses to be able to take advantages of the digital technologies as a means to sharpen their competitive advantages and marketing strategies.

The focus of this unit is on developing students’ knowledge of digital and direct marketing as a strategic element of the marketing mix. It will develop students’ knowledge of key concepts, principles, and models needed to strategically manage digital and direct marketing in both B2B and B2C marketing contexts.

The unit will develop students’ knowledge of when and how to use the various methods of digital and direct marketing at different stages of marketing strategy. The unit will develop students’ knowledge and ability to creatively plan, effectively implement, and critically evaluate the performance of different digital and direct marketing strategies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Explain the key concepts and evaluate the methods of contemporary digital and direct marketing as applied to both B2B and B2C contexts
2.	Demonstrate cognitive knowledge of the skills required in identifying, analysing, assessing and implementing digital business and market opportunities.
3.	Design and evaluate a E-business and marketing plan for innovative and revolutionary digital business models.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

To Be Determined

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Case Study	Week 5	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Presentation	Week 7	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Plan	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Case Study

Task Description:

The digital business case analysis is a group assessment. The case analysis will assess students’ ability to analyse a relevant and contemporary digital business case, marshal their thoughts and ideas and communicate them via a written document. The aim of case study analysis is to apply theory to solve the digital business case and answer the case problems (or questions where applicable). The digital business case will be selected from a series of startups that had recently secured series A funding from venture capitals . The analysis should focus on critically analysing the business model, assessing its unique value proposition, revenue model and evaluating its market potential.
Students are required to support their solutions and answers analysis, interpretations, recommendations, arguments, and conclusions with appropriate referencing to academic literature. At least three peer-reviewed journal articles should be used in the solution/answers. Coursework from other universities or from non-academic websites, e.g. Wikipedia, should not be used as references.

Students are required to choose their group members and the week in which they wish to present (for assessment 2) and inform the lecturer of their choice through email by the end of week 3.

Each member of the group will also be required to submit a separate report (maximum 200 words) outlining their individual contributions to this group work. Failure to do so may result in your individual results for this assessment to be marked down by 70% compared to your other group members, or in rare cases, you may even receive “0” mark for not contributing to your group.

The assignment submission will contain a written word document of maximum 2500 words +/-10% (excluding references) to be uploaded to the ‘Dropbox’ in MyLO, along with each group member’s summary of contributions in a separate word document.

To make sure one group does not choose the same business model as another group, please use the discussion board on MyLO (Digital Business Presentations). Write the name of your chosen business in the Thread title. Make sure the business model you choose isn’t already taken by another group. Please do not include an “Executive summary” in the digital case study analysis.

Detailed assignment and submission instructions are available on MyLO.

Task Length:

Due Date:

Week 5

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and analyse the key/major issues.	LO1, LO2
2	Generate and evaluate alternative solutions to the issue	LO2, LO3
3	Recommend which solutions to implement	LO2, LO3
4	Apply relevant theories to the identification of issues and recommendation of solutions.	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 2: Presentation

Task Description:

The digital business presentation is a group assessment. The group members of each group will need to be consistent with the digital case analysis. Each group are required to present their findings from the first project- digital business case analysis. The presentations will take place in the workshops between Week 7 -9. Each week four groups will present their analysis (of the same case). The number of groups presenting each week may be modified depending on the number of students in the class.
The oral presentation should make effective use of visuals (e.g., power point). Please plan for a 15-minute presentation, followed by 5 – 10 minutes of questions from the audience.
The assignment submission will contain .two files to be uploaded to the ‘Dropbox’ in MyLO.:
A powerpoint that will be used in the presentation
A word document contains team member names AND student IDs
It is not necessary that all group members present to the class; rather, only one of the group members can present.
However, be mindful that answering questions is part of marking criteria, therefore ideally all members of the group should be present in order to address any potential questions from the audiences after the presentation.

Task Length:

15 minutes

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Identify and analyse the key/major issues in Electronic Marketing Strategy	LO1, LO2
2	Recommend solutions to the identified issues related to Electronic Marketing Strategy	LO2, LO3
3	Apply relevant e-marketing theory to the recommended solutions.	LO2, LO3

Assessment Task 3: Plan

Task Description:

The e-business plan and implementation is an individual assessment. This assignment is to develop a digital business and marketing plan for a new business that utilizes digital means as part of its core business model. This could include a website or mobile app, or a business operates on a third party commercial website (Alibaba, Taobao, Tmall, Amazon etc) or an internet specific business model. You must propose the new business model.

The students are encouraged to think beyond a simple ecommerce website that “sells something”, and think about a creative, realistic and compelling competitive advantage meeting a gap in the market. For example, if the students are not to contactproposing a consumer good retail model (e.g. a website that sells apparel), then I will expect a detailed description of your channel structure and how you intend to achieve competitive advantage through a superior supply and/or distribution system (or other advantage). The business model could be either focusing on the B2B or the B2C market.
The students should apply relevant concepts, theories, principles, models, and frameworks to conduct an analysis of the organisations’ current digital strategy in order to identify any problems and issues.

To do this task, students will use what they have learned throughout the semester (from the textbooks, lecture slides, workshops, and other learning resources) and integrate them with their existing knowledge of business and marketing to devise a digital business and marketing plan. In this digital plan, students will make sound managerial recommendations as to how to refine the current plan, or propose an entirely revamped plan. The document should also detail how to implement the recommended digital marketing plan and how to monitor its outcomes.

Students are required to support their analysis, interpretations, recommendations, arguments, and conclusions with appropriate referencing to academic literature. At least five (5) peer-reviewed journal articles should be used in the solution/answers. Coursework from other universities or from non-academic websites, e.g. Wikipedia, should not be used as references.

The assignment submission will contain a written word document of maximum 3000 words ± 10% (excluding references).

Please include an “Executive summary” in the E-business and Marketing plan.

Detailed assignment and submission instructions are available on MyLO.

Task Length:

3000 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Product description	LO1, LO2
2	Customer Analysis (Problem and Solution)	LO1, LO2
3	Market Segmentation	LO2, LO3
4	Positioning Strategy	LO1, LO2, LO3
5	Industry Analysis	LO2, LO3
6	Marketing Strategy	LO2, LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Stokes, R. 2018. eMarketing: The essential guide to marketing in a digital world, The Red & Yellow Creative School of Business, Cape Town, South Africa.

Coker, B. 2016. Going viral: The 9 secrets of irresistible marketing, Pearson, UK.