Vietnam National University – HCMC International University
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COURSE SYLLABUS BA003IU Principles of Marketing
Note: The outline with specific venue and time, and updated learning
materials for the current semester will be provided to the enrolled students by the lecturer 1. COURSE STAFF Lecturer:
Nguyen Tran Nguyen Khai, MSc Room: BA003IU
VNU – International University Principles of Marketing
School of Business Administration Telephone: 0975336353 E-mail: ntnkhai@hcmiu.edu.vn
Consultation hours: Friday morning (Please make appointment by dropping an email in advance)
Teaching Assistant: TBA Room: TBA Telephone: TBA E-mail: TBA Consultation Hours: TBA 2. COURSE INFORMATION 1
22.1 Teaching times and Locations 3 Lecture:
Tuesday Afternoon – 13.15 – 17.05 – A1.201
Friday Afternoon – 13.15 – 17.05 – A4.201 1 22.2 Units of Credit 3
This course is worth 3 credits.
2.3 Parallel teaching in the course
There is no parallel teaching involved in this course.
2.4 Relationship of this course to others
2.5 Approach to learning and teaching
Employing the interactive learning and problem-based teaching approach, this course
emphasizes the interaction between lecturers and students. The lecture materials will be
uploaded in Blackboard to help the students to preview the materials and to concentrate on
listening and critical thinking during the lecture. This will help students to interact with the
lecturer during the classroom. The sessions for presentations and discussions comprise
company case studies as well as answering some theoretical and conceptual questions,
which help the students to see how the concepts are applied in the real international
business context. Students will present the case to the class and discuss with the peers. 2 BA003IU
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3. COURSE AIMS AND OUTCOMES 3.1 Course Aims
National markets are now in a period characterized by ‘exchange relationships’ where the
principal focus is on sets of integrated activities geared to serve the interests of the customer
first. The role of the marketer, therefore, is to facilitate exchange transactions in an
increasingly challenging environment.
This justifies the development of an understanding of the micro and macro dimensions of
the wider environment as the participant works through the learning activities of this course.
Marketers are expected to be receptive to shifts in customer preferences, attitudes, and
loyalties to a brand or a product. There is equally a genuine interest in the capacity of
markets (consumers) to engage or respond to demand for innovation in product or service characteristics.
At the same time developing a coherent marketing plan depends upon a range of skills,
insights, and methodologies, but the focus of your endeavors must be crystal clear.
Planning a marketing program can be enormously demanding, so the development process
has to be managed and kept in the realm of the achievable. The purpose of this course is to
introduce students to the concepts of Marketing at the same time as giving them an insight
to their strategic implications.
3.2 Student Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
• Recognize the roles of marketing in business activities
• Understand basic marketing concepts such as customer behavior, segmentation,
marketing research, marketing mix… and the principles used in developing marketing programs in a firm.
• Overview and analyze the processes, problems and activities associated with the
planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas,
goods and services to create exchanges.
• Conduct a professional marketing plan
3.3 Teaching Strategies
The learning system in this course consists of lectures and scheduled
presentations/discussions. Lectures elaborate the appropriate theoretical content in the
textbook and readings. Classes provide a more detailed and refined analysis of both
concepts and applied materials. Classes are strongly oriented towards interactive discussion
of the text and cases. In order to gain the most from the lectures and class activities, the
assigned text/reading should be read before the lecture to participate in the discussions. 3 BA003IU
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After first lecture, students are required to form a group of 5 which will do the assignments together during the course.
4. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT 4.1 Workload
It is expected that the students will spend at least six hours per week studying this course.
This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, and
attending classes. In periods where they need to complete assignments or prepare for
examinations, the workload may be greater. 4.2 Attendance
Regular and punctual attendance at lectures and seminars is expected in this course.
University regulations indicate that if students attend less than eighty per cent of scheduled
classes they may be refused final assessment. Exemptions may only be made on medical grounds.
4.3 General Conduct and Behavior
The students are expected to conduct themselves with consideration and respect for the
needs of the fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes
with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students
will be asked to leave the class. More information on student conduct is available at the university webpage. 4.4 Keeping informed
The students should take note of all announcements made in lectures or on the course’s
Blackboard. From time to time, the university will send important announcements to their
university e-mail addresses without providing a paper copy. The students will be deemed
to have received this information. 5. LEARNING ASSESSMENT 5.1 Formal Requirements
In order to pass this course, the students must:
• achieve a composite mark of at least 50; AND
• make a satisfactory attempt at all assessment tasks (see below). 5.2 Assessment Details Quizzes 10% Group project 20% 4 BA003IU
VNU – International University Principles of Marketing
School of Business Administration Mid-Term Exam 30% Final Exam 40% Total 100%
5.3 Midterm and final exams
The final exam dates will be centrally scheduled by the university. Details will be given during the semester
5.4 In-class project: Marketing plan of a company
Rationale: Each group of 4 students is required to undertake a marketing plan of a
company in any sector that they like. The analysis should be submitted in report format.
Submission requirements:
a. Written Report – The report should be of no less than 5,000 words excluding
footnotes, figures, tables, and references. Variances on this guideline will have a
negative impact on the marks awarded. The report should be submitted one copy
of the group report as a single pdf file submitted electronically and one hard copy.
Group number, members and company name must be included in all
correspondence and must appear on the cover of the report. Word counts must
appear on the cover of the report.
The selected main body text size of the report should be 12 point, 1.5 spaced. The
contents page will need to be annotated with regarding to who covered each section.
Report submission date: Tuesday, 02 August 2022
b. Presentation – Each group should make a presentation to introduce and explain
further about their marketing plan. The presentation is limited to 15 minutes and
the Q&A session lasts for 5 minutes (if needed)
Presentation date: Tuesday, 26 July 2022 c. Note:
- Late work will be penalized at the rate of 25 percentage points per week day.
- Students must keep copies of all work submitted. Briefing detail:
You should take the role of ‘marketing analysts’ in marketing department of a company to
provide a marketing plan for your company. Your marketing plan should show the critical
analysis of your group as well as the suggested marketing plan (with justification how can
you expect it succeed in the future). The contents of your marketing plan could be followed 5 BA003IU
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by the samples as in table 2.2 (page 79) of chapter 2 in textbook. However, it is encouraged
to design your own structure as long as it shows your critically analytical skills.
You should, where appropriate, employ analytical tools to assist in the explanation and
communication of the information.
The company will be selected by the group, but should normally conform to the following criteria:
• Students should have access to the company accounts and information; the
company will therefore normally be publicly listed.
• Students should be able to identify and gain access to materials from secondary
research only. You are not allowed to approach the companies directly or contact them in any other way.
• Materials should be of a ‘corporate’ or ‘strategic’ nature rather than of an
‘operational’ nature so as to allow for appropriate levels of analysis to take place.
• Your analysis should strike a balance between description and analysis (i. e. the
application of concepts learned from the lectures and text). The correct use of
marketing terminology is essential.
Each group will be required to email a “Company Registration” to the following email
address: ntnkhai@hcmiu.edu.vn. The email should clearly state the following information:
Company Name, Names of group members, Email contact (one please). Group and
companies must be registered by the end of Tuesday, 05 July 2022. Failure to do so will result in a 5% penalty.
If there are problems with regard to the way that the group is working and the contribution
(academic and in terms of time, communication, attending meetings etc.) then the group
should discuss these with the lecturer. If an individual or individuals are not seen to be
making an appropriate contribution then it may be necessary to remove individuals from
the group and assign them an individual assignment which would normally consist of a report of 5,000 words.
Whereas some initial explanation and description of the company and sector might be
required, you should not merely be content to describe, rather, as the title indicates, you
should be able to provide an analytical insight into the company, its markets and the
surrounding environment etc. You are encouraged to access, use and, most importantly,
apply the academic theory covered in the syllabus.
Disputes within the groups:
All students within the group will normally receive the same mark for the report. In the
case of particular students not fulfilling their contribution; however, the lecturers should
be notified in writing by other members of the group when problems arise. Any action
taken as a result of these latter circumstances will only be considered prior to the
presentation and the submission date of the report. Appeals for marks to be differently 6 BA003IU
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distributed will not be entertained after the submission of the assignment as in submitting
the assignment students are agreeing that contributions within the group have been fair.
5.6 Class attendance and participation
A minimum attendance of 80 percent is compulsory. Marks will be deducted for absence
(2.5% per section). However, 100% class attendance does not automatically guarantee you
full marks for this assessment component. Marks are to be earned up as a result of the ideas
you bring in to the discussion in class. Ideas should be backed with relevant academic
theory and students are expected to think critically about the issues discussed during class and peer presentations.
5.7 Special Consideration
Request for special consideration (for final examination only) must be made to the Office
of Academic Affairs within one week after the examination. General policy and
information on special consideration can be found at the Office of Academic Affairs.
6. ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own (definition
proposed by the University of Newcastle). Students are also reminded that careful time
management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism is
poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting, and
the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items. The university regards
plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct, and has very strict rules regarding plagiarism.1 7. STUDENT RESOURCES 7.1 Course Resources
Please note that it is very important to gain familiarity with the subject matter in the
readings and cases prior to attendance in classes. Textbook:
- Kotler, P., and Armstrong, G., 2014. Principles of Marketing (15th Edition; Global
Edition). Prentice Hall
Additional materials provided in Blackboard
The lecturer will attempt to make lecture notes and additional reading available on
Blackboard. However this is not an automatic entitlement for students doing this subject.
Note that this is not a distance learning course, and you are expected to attend lectures and
1 This is adapted with kind permission from the University of New South Wales. 7 BA003IU
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take notes. This way, you will get the additional benefit of class interaction and demonstration.
7.2 Other Resources, Support and Information 1
2Additional learning assistance is available for students in this course and will be made
available in Blackboard. Academic journal articles are available through connections via
the VNU - Central Library. Recommended articles will be duly informed to the students. 3 48. COURSE SCHEDULE Week Topic Activities 1
- Course introduction and explanation Chapter 1 -
Marketing: Creating and capturing customer value 2
- Analyzing the marketing environment Chapter 3 3
- Managing Marketing Information to gain Chapter 4 customer insights 4
- Consumer markets and consumer buyer behavior Chapter 5 5
- Business markets and business buyer behavior Chapter 6 6
- Customer-driven marketing strategy: Creating Chapter 7 value for target customers 7
- Products, services, and brands: Building customer Chapter 8 value 8
- Products, services, and brands: Building customer Chapter 8 value (cont.) Mid-tem Exam 9
- Pricing: Understanding and capturing customer Chapter 10 - 11 value – additional considerations 10
- Pricing: Understanding and capturing customer Chapter 10 - 11 value
– additional considerations (cont.) 11
- Marketing channels: Delivering customer value Chapter 12 12
- Communicating customer value: Integrated Chapter 14 marketing communications strategy 13
- Advertising and Public Relations Chapter 15 14 - Personal selling and sales promotion Chapter 16 15 - Course revision, Q&A for report, Exam tips Final Exam
Appendix 1: Report Format
The marketing report is a specific piece of written work designed to communicate in a
marketing context and should really have the following sections; 8 BA003IU
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• A cover page, title for the piece of work, who has done it who is it for.
• An Executive Summary, this is similar to an abstract and should be a summary of
all that went into the piece of work, including its conclusions. It should be possible
for somebody to just read this and to be able to go away with a good understanding
about what the work was about and what was found out.
Contents page List of figures List of tables Abbreviations used Introduction
Body of the report, it is here that you actually say what you are going to say. You
will have to determine the structure here.
Conclusions Recommendations References (Harvard referencing style)
Any Appendices- remember that appendices and need to be relevant. They are not
simply a dumping ground of surplus material to make the report look bigger.
In terms of the size of the report, font sizes and other aspects of presentation for this
particular exercise you should look to your assignment brief.
Measurement of word count includes all words from and including the introduction, to and
including the conclusion and recommendations, not including words in figures and tables. 9 BA003IU
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Appendix 2: Suggested Contents of a Marketing Plan 10