Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Marketing Management

The qualification offers the following horizontal and vertical articulation opportunities.

Horizontal Articulation

• Bachelor of Commerce Honours, Level 9.
• Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, Level 8.

Vertical Articulation

• Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) in Marketing Management, Level 9.
• Master of Commerce (M.Com) in Business Management (with specialisation in Marketing Management), Level 9.

An attempt has been made to compare the Bachelor of Commerce (B Com) Honours in Marketing qualification with the below-mentioned twelve international qualifications in terms of the range of competencies in the modules offered. It should be noted, however, that few countries offer a distinct fourth-year, postgraduate honours qualification. In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, Canada, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States of America (USA), Zimbabwe and elsewhere it is more common to find either three-year bachelor's degrees or four-year undergraduate qualifications, but with the descriptor 'honours' in the formal title of the Degree. In these countries, after the third or fourth year of undergraduate study, the learner can progress to a master's degree. Nevertheless, an attempt has been made to benchmark the curriculum of the B Com Honours in Marketing against the equivalent final-year curriculum of the following international universities.

The University of Sunderland in Kenya offers a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Business Management degree in which marketing strategy forms a key focus. Not only is marketing strategy addressed as a stand-alone module, but other strategic modules form part of the qualification, including strategic management, strategic management accounting and strategic management of human resources. Their qualification also includes a module on 'managing projects' underlining the importance of a practical, project-based approach to implementing marketing strategy. This insight suggests that a strategy module is important for the B Com Honours in Marketing, but that this module should not only provide the practical means for preparing and implementing strategy, but should also (a) link marketing strategy to the other functions within an organisation, (b) encourage the learner to draw on what he/she has learnt in previous years, and (c) attempt to make the module as practical as possible.

The Bachelor of Business Studies in marketing at the Africa University in Zimbabwe is a four-year qualification and includes strategic management as a core subject. Entrepreneurship is a further core subject in the qualification and this topic is evident in the offerings of other universities researched. It is recommended that the 'Strategic Marketing in Practice' module include a strong entrepreneurial theme throughout the module. The Africa University's qualification also includes a module on 'honours seminars' which addresses various contemporary topics that may differ from year to year. In addition, the qualification offers a range of electives from services marketing, through international marketing to direct marketing. The 'honours seminars' component is similar to the 'Contemporary Marketing Issues' module in the B Com Honours in Marketing qualification.

The Simon Page College of Marketing, in Kenya, offers a postgraduate diploma in professional marketing under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Their qualification has a focus on global marketing, entrepreneurship and digital communications. Strategy is a key component of each of these modules. Again, the entrepreneurship theme is seen as something one should take from their offerings, as is the need to have strategy at Honours Level.

The University of New Brunswick in Canada offers an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration degree with specialisation in marketing. In the core subject requirements, learners are required to be familiar with analytical tools, solve complex marketing problems, and come to grips with contemporary marketing issues. The focus of this qualification supports the proposal of including the 'Marketing Metrics' and 'Contemporary Marketing Issues' modules in the B Com Honours in Marketing qualification. A lesson that can be taken from this review is that the metrics module should also include a significant analytics component.

Lancaster University in England offers a four-year, undergraduate honours degree in marketing management. In the fourth year, strategic marketing forms a key component. The University suggests that "it is essential for learners to obtain a solid understanding of the various perspectives on strategy to ensure that marketing decisions are consistent with the company's strategic choices. This module will focus upon applying relevant concepts and theories to appropriate contemporary developments as well as feature case studies." This justification for strategic marketing is equally relevant to the 'Strategic Marketing in Practice' module in the B Com Honours in Marketing qualification.

The University of the West of Scotland offers a four-year, undergraduate honour's qualification in marketing. The fourth year focuses on a practical marketing consultancy project with a strategic focus and complementary modules are attached to the study requirements for a given year (these may change from year to year). This approach (also seen in other universities that change their offerings every few years) supports the inclusion of a 'Contemporary Marketing Issues' module in which current topics of relevance to marketing and society can be included and changed from year to year, keeping the module fresh and relevant.

Northwestern University in the USA offers a post-baccalaureate strategic marketing certificate. With the focus specifically on strategic marketing, they argue that: "Students learn to think strategically about marketing, from developing market-responsive products to branding to developing effective communication. The courses in this program blend theory and practice, drawing upon examples from recent and noteworthy marketing campaigns and market-leading products and services." The lesson here is the focus on integration of what has been learnt previously. The B Com Honours in Marketing should not repeat but build on prior learning.

The University of Westminster in the United Kingdom offers a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in marketing (three years). They have two modules in the final year on 'applying marketing concepts' and 'current themes in marketing', analogous to the proposed 'Contemporary Marketing Issues' module, providing further support for the inclusion of this module in the B Com Honours in Marketing qualification.

The University of the New South Wales in Australia offers the undergraduate honours-level module in 'Strategic Marketing Management'. Strategic Marketing Management is a capstone course that 'pulls together' what has been learned in earlier marketing courses and introduces marketing decision making and planning frameworks in the global environment: exploring strategy options; opportunity analysis; strategy setting and implementation. It also provides an opportunity to engage in a business simulation and to apply previous knowledge through case studies and projects. There is assumed knowledge in marketing prior to taking this course. This justification, combined with a similar justification of strategic marketing at Lancaster University, provides further support for the inclusion of marketing strategy in the honours offerings.

The MISR International University in Egypt offers a four-year bachelor's degree in marketing. In this qualification, strategic marketing plays a key role, with modules in marketing strategy, strategic brand management and strategic database marketing. Their emphasis on strategy supports the inclusion of a strategic marketing module in the B Com Honours in Marketing qualification. It is suggested that the qualification focus not only on the principles of strategic marketing, but also on the application of strategy in other areas of marketing, such as brand strategy, advertising strategy, digital strategy, innovation strategy, industrial strategy and more. Integration is key. The material also needs to be made as practical as possible.

In summary, there is clear evidence for the inclusion of strategic marketing in the proposed B Com Honours in Marketing qualification. This module should teach the skills for deriving and implementing practical strategic solutions for real world problems. At the same time, the contemporary marketing issues module enables several contemporary topics to be dealt with each year. These topics can be marketing related, society related and current. It is envisaged that these topics may change from year to year, depending what is happening in the world and how marketing is responding. Finally, it is crucial to measure, understand and find value from the history of the past (from the existing data) to better serve customers, society and the company. Measuring progress should be a key part of this exercise.