MMM170: Marketing for a Better, Sustainable World

Module code: MMM170

Module provider: Marketing and Reputation; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Gaye Bebek, email: g.bebek@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

Social and environmental issues and challenges have led to the growth of marketing tools being applied with a sustainable purpose. As a result, organisations and governments are gradually starting to use marketing techniques in order to influence stakeholder behaviour towards pro-sustainable outcomes. It is also increasingly recognised that sustainable marketing can be good for business, leading to competitive advantage, cost savings and brand enhancement. This module is designed to provide knowledge of the link between marketing and sustainability and how to evaluate and implement marketing strategies that promote sustainable products, services and behaviours. This includes the design of a marketing campaign focused on social/environmental issues, including selection of behavioural goals. This module also covers aspects related to the evaluation and monitoring of campaigns and their social and environmental impact.

The aim of this module is to understand the two-way link between marketing and sustainability. Specifically, it explores how marketing can be used to encourage more sustainable and responsible consumption and how sustainable marketing approaches can impact organisational performance. By the end of the module, students should be able to understand how private businesses, governments and charitable organisations can use marketing principles and techniques to influence behaviours for social and environmental good.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the marketing environment in relation to sustainability and the factors affecting it.
2. Identify and evaluate key approaches sustainable marketing, including concepts related to social purpose marketing and how to change behaviour for good.
3. Review sustainable marketing campaigns in different organisational contexts (private, public, non-for-profit).
4. Demonstrate the ability to develop a marketing campaign focused on social/environmental issues and evaluate its impact.

Module content

Topics include:  

• Social and environmental challenges and the role of marketing in sustainability. 
• Setting behaviour objectives: encouraging pro-social and pro-environmental behaviours and preventing harmful behaviour.  
• Segmentation and target audiences in sustainable marketing.  
• Developing and implementing marketing campaigns focused on social/environmental issues. 
• Evaluating social and environmental impact: monitoring and evaluation. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The above themes will be taught in 10, 2-hour lectures, supported by 6 hours of seminars. Each lecture will have required pre-reading and involve class discussion.

Study hours

At least 26 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative feedback will be provided via discussions in lectures, seminars and through discussion boards in blackboard.

Reassessment

Additional costs