MARKETNG 3510 - Contemporary Issues in Marketing

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2022

This course is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of some of the main theoretical and research perspectives that have contributed to the academic knowledge in marketing. Consideration will be given to some of the important debates to which theorising about these different perspectives has given rise with the implications of these for both research and practice explored. Furthermore, the course intends to familiarise students with reading academic publications in marketing, developing their ability to critically analyse and evaluate such publications. Throughout the course, students are exposed to a wide range or methodologies used in business research as well as develop the ability to assess the validity of findings described in the scholarly literature.

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Course Details

Course Code	MARKETNG 3510
Course	Contemporary Issues in Marketing
Coordinating Unit	Marketing
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assessment	Seminar discussion, Group Project and final exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Rebecca Dolan

Course Coordinator: Dr Dean Wilkie

Location: Room 10.11, Nexus 10
Telephone: 8313 7112
Email: dean.wilkie@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

This course is taught in weekly 3 hour Seminars.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to;

• Critically analyse and evaluate marketing publications (LO1);
• Assess the validity of findings and implications described in scholarly literature (LO2);
• Identify conceptual issues and questions within academic research and apply meaningful theories to explain conceptual gaps (LO3);
• Effectively communicate personal analysis and evaluation of seminal contemporary marketing issues (LO4);

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.	LO1
Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.	LO2, LO3, LO4
Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.	LO2, LO3
Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.	LO2, LO3
Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.	LO1, LO2, LO3

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course is delivered in seminar form, typically 3 hours long. Students are expected to read specified journal articles and contribute to the discussion in each seminar (see Assessment 1). The presenting lecturer will provide a list of recommended readings. Students are expected to come along to each session prepared to summarise, and comment on their understanding of, what they have read for the session. Given this requirement, the course is limited to 20 students who have demonstrated a strong understanding of, and passion for marketing demonstrated through previous marketing course results.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours of private study outside of your regular classes. Students in this course are expected to attend all seminars throughout the semester

Learning Activities Summary

Contemporary Issues in Marketing is essentially a reading-based course. As such, the unit requires significant interaction between students and presenters. Using concepts and methods from Problem-Based Learning, students will take turns to prepare, and present for discussion, a list of key points or critical issues raised by the readings for that session. By doing this, students are essentially co-creating the unit delivery.

Lecture Schedule

Week	Lecture	Presenter	Papers
Week 1	What is Theory? Why is it Important? Developing a Conceptual Framework Using Brand Authenticity	Dr Dean Wilkie	TBC
Week 2	Conducting a literature review and a research presentation on "Smartphone Apps and Millennials’ Engagement with Retirement Saving"	Janin Hentzen	TBC
Week 3	The evolving landscape of marketing technology and digital advertising opportunities	Dr Rebecca Dolan	TBC
Week 4	Choice and their effects on Well-being and other post-decisional outcomes	Dr Alex Belli	TBC
Week 5	Marketing for social change: Diversity and Brand Transparency	Amelie Burgess and Kate Sansome	TBC
Week 6	Wine Marketing (TBC)	Ass Prof. Armando Corsi	TBC
Week 7	Social Media Influencers and Cancel Culture	Dr Dean Wilkie	TBC
Week 8	Consumer Financial Decision Making	Prof. Arvid Hoffmann	TBC
	Mid-semester break
Week 9	Topic TBC	TBC	TBC
Week 10	Topic TBC	TBC	TBC
Week 11	Project presentations		TBC
Week 12	Project presentations
Week 13	What’s Next.... Discussing the Opportunities for Further Advanced Studies

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

The assessment components are as follows:

Assessment	Due Date and time	Weighting	Related Learning Outcomes
Seminar Discussion	All seminars	30%	LO 1, LO 2, LO 3, LO 4
Individual Project	Due the 5th of November (One week after presentations)	30%	LO 1, LO 2, LO 3, LO 4
Exam	TBD	40%	LO 1, LO 2, LO 3,LO 4

Assessment Related Requirements

Students who fail to attend a seminar will be awarded a Zero (0) discussion mark for that seminar, apart from some cases of exceptional circumstances. Students who are absent from more than 3 seminars will have their final result withheld until a decision is made by the Program Coordinator.

Assessment Detail

(1) Seminar Discussion 30%

A mark for participation will be awarded based on the student’s contribution to the class discussions, along with evidence of preparation for these discussions. The aim is for the students to be able to distinguish between useful and less-useful articles for the purpose of building knowledge and understanding of a particular topic. The final seminar discussion mark will be determined at the end of the course, through a process of consultation with all course presenters, who will record the level of contribution from each student.

Students are advised to answer the following questions prior to class. This will enable them to make more insightful contributions to the discussion:

• What are the main arguments put forward in the article?

• On which assumptions are these arguments based?

• What are the epistemological foundations (paradigm) of the article?

• What is the article’s contribution to knowledge in its field of literature?

• How do you assess the quality of the article’s theoretical framework?

• How do you assess the quality of evidence provided for the article’s main arguments? (strengths & weaknesses of the empirical setup, data collection, and methodology)?

• How do you assess the practical implications of the article? Would it help anyone make a business decision? What do managers have to do different tomorrow based on the article findings?

• What are the overall strengths of the article? Why?

• What can be done to improve its quality?

• What don’t you like about the article?

• Is this one of the best/worst articles you have read? What score out of 10 do you give?

(2) Individual Project 30%

Your task is to provide a written conceptual paper on a marketing topic of your choice. It is likely that the readings from the lecture topics will inform your choice of a conceptual paper topic. Moreover, it is likely that the range of theories addressed in the articles throughout the semester will help inform your own choice of a relevant supporting theory for your paper.

Your goal is to make a conceptual contribution to the scholarly marketing literature to advance current knowledge in your chosen area. This is a research assignment and you will consult and critically review the relevant extant marketing literature whilst developing your conceptual paper.

The purpose of this task is fourfold:

• First, to identify a conceptual question that is both important and interesting to address, based on your command of seminal and contemporary literature relevant to your chosen marketing topic.

• Second, to integrate a meaningful theory which helps explain the conceptual gaps or assumptions that you will challenge as a result of your literature review in seeking to address your conceptual question.

• Third, to develop a conceptual model diagram with a series of related conceptual propositions which explains the resolution to your conceptual question.

• Fourth, to identify and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of your conceptual model.

You will be required to submit a short proposal for your conceptual paper topic at the end of Week 8. The format of this proposal will be provided on the course MyUni site.

The conceptual paper will be 3000 words maximum. Further requirements for the conceptual paper, including formatting and layout, will be discussed in class.

(3) Final Examination 40%
The final exam will assess the overall knowledge gained by students in this course as related to the lecture topics. The requirements of the final exam are to be discussed in class.

An example question; Hoffman (2017) stated “Social media is founded on the expensive, wasteful delusion that people want to have 'conversations' with brands, read and share 'content' about brands, co-create with brands, and several other flavours of childish nonsense”. Using your knowledge from the week 3 readings, including how and why consumers engage with brands online, explain the significance of this statement. Do you agree with the statement? Why or why not?

Submission

Please submit assignments to the Course Coordinator (Dr. Dean Wilkie).

Assignment Guidelines for Referencing
Referencing is critical to any assignment or report. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. Please make use of the Journal of Marketing’s system of referencing, which can be selected from EndNote referencing system. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can also be found at: http://www.marketingjournals.org/jm/ms_stylespecs.php

Return of Assignments and Feedback
Assignments will be returned to students within 2 weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students must not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course without prior approval from the Course-Coordinator.
Late Assignment Submission
Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. A late assignment will be penalised by a 5% mark reduction for each day that it is late.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator