| Unit name | Social Media Marketing: the good, the bad and the ugly |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIMM0064 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Emma Slade |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Economics, Finance and Management |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
In this unit, you will develop a critical understanding of the latest evolutions in social media and relevant applications that may be part of an organisation’s integrated marketing strategy. The unit examines the potential usefulness of various social media applications for organisations and seeks to help students form critical consulting capabilities on optimised use of social media. Key issues in the implementation of social media applications are critically discussed and they are considered as part of an integrated digital marketing strategy.
This is a fast-changing field and students are encouraged to contribute by bringing in class examples of latest developments or trends they have noticed.
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
LO 1: Examine the principles and applications of social media marketing as well as the importance of being able to apply these in the context of an organisation.
LO 2: Critically evaluate the importance of various social media applications in building organisation’s marketing strategy considering relevant ethical concerns.
LO 3: Evaluate and apply appropriate techniques and tactics in the context of social media marketing.
LO 4: Recommend robust social media marketing tactics to optimise effectiveness of organisations’ integrated marketing communications.
The learning process will be based on a combination of flipped learning style sessions with seminar style tutorials involving in-class discussion of each topic followed by critical review of selected academic journal papers. This unit will make use of case studies, problem solving activities, discussions (both structured and unstructured) and the evaluation of online and documentary resources. Given your level of organisational experience there will be an emphasis on shared knowledge, developed in dialogue and based on practice. For those less acquainted with practice issues more emphasis will be placed on research, case studies and other problem-solving activities. Some of these sessions may be hosted by guest lecturers from industry or other academic institutions.
You will be expected and directed to read from a range of sources including academic journals. You will interact and communicate within group activities enhancing practical leadership skills, including team, negotiating and influencing skills. You will work autonomously as well as interactively within group exercises.
The unit structure offers 30 contact hours in total. The remaining 170 learning hours will be spent in independent study and in the preparation of assessment.
The unit is assessed by two assessments of equal weighting (50%). Assessment 1 is an open book 2-hour in-class assessment (case study) (ILO1, 2).
Assessment 2 is a piece of coursework on a topic related to the use of social media networking applications. This work will be carried out on an individual basis and should be of no more than 2,500-words long (ILO2, 3, 4).
Core Texts for this Unit
Roberts, M., Barker, M., Zahay, D., Bormann, N., & Barker, D. (2016). Social media marketing: A strategic approach. 2nd Ed., South-Western College Pub.
Recommended Reading
Dahl, S. (2015). Social media marketing: Theories and applications. Sage.
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2014). Social media marketing. Sage.
Heinze, A., Fletcher, G., & Rashid, T. (Eds.). (2016). Digital and Social Media Marketing: A Results-driven Approach. Taylor & Francis.
Academic & Practitioner Journals
Journal of Interactive Marketing
Technological Forecasting and Social Change
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
MIS Quarterly
Journal of Management Information Systems
European Journal of Information Systems
Computers in Human Behavior
Information and Management
