This postgraduate unit introduces key marketing concepts that help to unravel the complexities of buyer behaviour in wide range of markets (consumers, commercial, government, and institutions). Such knowledge is essential for understanding how marketing works, in both 'business to consumer' (B2C) and 'business to business' (B2B) situations, and for recognising the strategies and tactics that organisations can use to influence their clients (customers). Understanding the customer is fundamental to effective marketing and this unit explains how to evaluate buyer behaviour using theories from relevant disciplines, including marketing, psychology and sociology. Through this process the unit highlights the distinctive characteristics of B2B and B2C markets. Students apply their newly acquired understanding of customer behaviour to strategy development and the selection of appropriate market segments, as well as tailoring the marketing mix (product, price, promotion, place and people) to maximise appeal to these carefully targeted customers.
PRESCRIBED TEXT - PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING