1. Critically evaluate strategic marketing planning and competitive positioning approaches, and their relationship with corporate responsibility, reputation, and societal impact.

Knowledge and Understanding

2. Apply strategic marketing and corporate responsibility principles to analyse complex organisational challenges and develop informed, practical solutions

Application and Problem Solving

3. Draw defensible conclusions about ethical dilemmas, stakeholder expectations, and reputational risk through rigorous, evidence‑based engagement with secondary research, recognising implications for professional practice. Reflect on any personal knowledge gaps

Research Skills, Reflection

4. Communicate persuasive, well-structured strategic arguments and recommendations, using appropriate academic and professional conventions.

Communication, Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

Assessment 1 Strategic Marketing and Corporate Responsibility Plan (Individual)

Produce an evidence-based strategic marketing plan for a chosen organisation or approved scenario. The plan must integrate competitive positioning, corporate responsibility, ethical decision-making, and reputational risk. Strategic choices must be justified using appropriate theory, credible secondary research, and relevant analytical frameworks.

Your plan should present:

clear strategic and marketing objectives

a coherent, evidence-based strategy

implementation and resource considerations

suitable measures for evaluation and control

Assessment Options (students to choose one)

To complete this assessment, you may follow either of the two options below. Both options are assessed using the same criteria and must address all required elements listed above.

Option 1 — Existing Organisation

Develop a strategic marketing plan for an existing organisation. Your plan should evaluate the organisation’s competitive environment, brand positioning, stakeholder expectations, and responsibility challenges, leading to justified strategic recommendations. Your plan should evaluate:

the strategic opportunity you are addressing (e.g., a market opportunity, stakeholder need, growth area, or responsibility challenge)

the organisation’s competitive positioning within the market

implications for stakeholders, ethical considerations and reputational impact

how your proposed strategy supports and strengthens the organisation’s overall brand and corporate strategy

Reflect critically on gaps and biases in your knowledge and skills relating to your own future employment within the digital marketing sector.

Optional 2 — Entrepreneurial Route

Develop a strategic marketing plan for a new sub-brand, product/service line, or brand extension within an existing organisation. Your plan should evaluate:

the strategic opportunity for the proposed sub-brand/ or otherwise

the competitive positioning within the market

implications for stakeholders, ethical practice and reputational impact

how the sub-brand complements or strengthens the parent brand’s broader strategy

Reflect critically on gaps and biases in your knowledge and skills relating to your own future employment within the digital marketing sector.

Assessment 2 Academic Poster plus Narrated Voiceover/Presentation 10 mins narration (Individual)

This assessment builds directly on Assessment 1. Using the same organisation, scenario and evidence base, you will produce a digital academic poster accompanied by a narrated voiceover or recorded presentation. Alongside the poster, you must provide a recorded narrated voiceover or presentation (10 mins) in which you explain and expand on the poster content. The narration should guide the viewer through the poster, clarify your analysis and demonstrate professional judgement in a manner appropriate for a senior or decision-making audience. You may use a university supported platform such as Adobe, PowerPoint. Please ensure the assessment brief specifies this for the time of study

The purpose of this assessment is to assess your ability to synthesise, visualise and verbally communicate complex strategic marketing insight for a professional audience.

You will identify one significant issue relating to corporate responsibility and brand or organisational reputation that emerged from your strategic marketing plan. This issue should be clearly defined and justified.

The narrated academic poster will:

Present a critical analysis of the selected issue

Evaluate the implications for key stakeholders

Communicate evidence-based and justified recommendations for responsible strategic action and or communication

Alongside the poster, you must provide a recorded narrated voiceover or presentation in which you explain and expand on the poster content. The narration should guide the viewer through the poster, clarify your analysis and demonstrate professional judgement in a manner appropriate for a senior or decision-making audience. You may use a university supported platform such as Adobe, PowerPoint. Please ensure the assessment brief specifies this for the time of study.

The academic poster must:

Adhere to appropriate academic conventions, including accurate citation and referencing

Demonstrate effective visual design and structure

Be supported by a clear, well-paced and professionally delivered narration that communicates complex ideas succinctly and coherently

The narrated element is an integral part of the assessment and will be assessed alongside the visual poster.

This module equips students with the knowledge and skills to design, evaluate and communicate strategic marketing and brand management decisions that balance competitiveness, ethics and corporate responsibility. You will explore core marketing principles including segmentation, targeting, positioning, the Marketing Mix and the SOSTAC framework, developing the ability to structure and justify strategic plans. Brand theory is central, encompassing the Brand Equity Model, Brand Resonance Model, Brand Value Chain, brand storytelling, positioning, and the creation of value and reputation in complex stakeholder environments.

Ethical reasoning underpins decision-making. You will examine deontological and teleological frameworks (including utilitarianism and egoism), professional codes of practice, and relevant legislation and regulation, supporting analysis of ethical dilemmas and reputational risk. Stakeholder management is explored using the Stakeholder Matrix and Salience Model, helping you understand power, legitimacy and urgency in decision-making. Market and product entry theory is applied to ensure proposed sub-brands or new products are strategically grounded.

Through interactive lectures, workshops, research-informed tasks and collaborative discussions, you will develop practical and analytical skills that underpin the module assessments, whether working with an existing organisation or creating a new sub-brand.

Core Learning Sessions / Activities:

Strategic marketing principles: STP, Marketing Mix (7Ps), SOSTAC

Brand theory: Brand Equity Model, Brand Resonance Model, Brand Value Chain, storytelling, positioning

Strategic planning: setting objectives, developing strategy, implementation, evaluation

Ethical frameworks: deontology, teleology (utilitarianism, egoism), professional codes, legislation, regulation

Stakeholder analysis: Stakeholder Matrix, Salience Model, managing competing interests and reputational impact

Reputational risk and responsible brand communication

Secondary research and evidence-based strategic decision-making

Market entry theory and application for entrepreneurial sub-brand

Workshop-based practical application of frameworks, models and tools

Communicating strategic recommendations for diverse audiences

How can brands win market share while staying ethical, responsible and trusted?

In this module, you’ll explore how strategic marketing decisions shape corporate reputation and societal impact. You’ll evaluate strategic frameworks alongside corporate responsibility, ethics and stakeholder expectations, using real-world cases to develop evidence-based recommendations. You’ll produce a strategic marketing plan and create an academic poster that communicates a key responsibility and reputation issue drawn from your plan. This module strengthens your critical judgement and prepares you for roles in strategic marketing, brand management and corporate responsibility.

Interactive and Concept-Led Lectures

You will be introduced to core strategic marketing and brand management concepts through short, focused lecture inputs. These will explore competitive positioning, the marketing mix, SOSTAC planning, brand identity models, stakeholder theory, ethics and corporate responsibility. Real-world cases will help you apply concepts to current organisational challenges.

Applied Strategic Workshops

Workshops will allow you to practise using strategic tools such as SWOT/TOWS, perceptual mapping, stakeholder analysis, risk assessment, brand values exploration, and SOSTAC planning stages. You will work through practical tasks to develop clear objectives, strategy options and implementation plans for both the existing-organisation and entrepreneurship pathways.

Research-Informed Learning

You will complete guided tasks that strengthen your ability to conduct credible secondary research, evaluate ethical dilemmas, analyse stakeholder expectations and assess reputational impacts. Activities will help you link market insight and evidence to strategic decision-making and justify your recommended approach.

Collaborative and Discussion-Based Learning

Group discussions, peer review exercises and problem-solving activities will help you explore multiple perspectives on responsible strategy, stakeholder tensions and brand reputation. These activities support your ability to think critically, articulate strategic arguments and evaluate alternative strategic options.

Reflective and Feedback-Oriented Learning

You will receive regular verbal and formative written feedback through workshop outputs, peer critique, and draft discussion opportunities. Short reflection prompts will help you assess your development, understand how your ideas are progressing, and connect learning across brand, strategy and responsibility to strengthen your final assessments.

Beverland, M.B. and Cankurtaran, P. (2024)
Brand management: co-creating meaningful brands. London: SAGE Publishing.
Available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/brand-management/book284766

Phillips, D.M. (2023)
Marketing strategy and management. London: SAGE Publishing.
Available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/marketing-strategy-management/book278489

Selnes, F. and Lanseng, E.J. (2024)
Marketing management. London: SAGE Publishing.
Available at: https://collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/marketing-management-1-285375

Zarantonello, L. and Andreini, D. (eds.) (2026)
The SAGE handbook of brand management. London: SAGE Publishing.
Available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/the-sage-handbook-of-brand-management/book289737

Westwood, J. (2022)
Marketing planning and strategy. London: SAGE Publishing.
Available at: https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/marketing-planning-strategy/book276813

Lecture slides and supporting materials

Weekly workshop briefs and tasks

Assessment briefs and marking criteria

Recorded lecture summaries or narrated content

Formative feedback and exemplars where applicable

Links to library resources and databases