MNM3709/101/3/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/3/2024

Strategic Marketing
MNM3709

Semester 1 and 2

Department of Marketing and Retail

Management

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and make
sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module website,
MNM3709-2024-S1/S2, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

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CONTENTS
Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
2 OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 3
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................3
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 4
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 5
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 5
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 5
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 5
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 5
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 5
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 6
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 7
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................ 7
7. STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 8
8. ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 9
8.1 Assessment criteria....................................................................................................................... 9
8.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 9
8.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 10
8.4 Submission of assessments........................................................................................................ 10
8.4.1 Types of assessment/s and descriptions ................................................................................. 11
8.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 12
8.6 Final Mark ................................................................................................................................... 12
9. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 13
9.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 13
9.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 13
10. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 14
11. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 14
12. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 14

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Dear Student

1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Strategic Marketing.

This module is intended for all existing and future marketing practitioners who need to gain
knowledge on marketing management at strategic level in an organisation. Skills in marketing
at strategic level are becoming increasingly important, especially given the turbulent times in
the current global market. Issues such as increasing deregulation, the fragmentation of
markets, the diverse nature of the African market environment, the rapid rate of technological
changes and the increasing pressures on marketers make skills in strategic marketing an
absolute priority. There is a need for the development of competencies in the area of
strategic marketing to ensure that these crucial skills are successfully integrated into your
marketing activities at your place of work. Because this is a fully online continuous
assessment module, you will need to use myUnisa, our online/virtual campus to study and
complete the learning activities for this course. You should visit the module site for MNM3709
on myUnisa frequently. The site for your module is MNM3709-24-S1 for semester 1 and
MNM3709-24-S2 for semester 2

As indicated above. This module is offered online which means that all information is
available to you via the myUnisa platform. This is an online system that is used to administer,
document and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look
out for information from your lecturer, as well as other Unisa platforms, to determine how to
access the virtual myUnisa module site. You can use this link to claim your login details:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Claim-UNISA-Login.

Information on the tools that will be available for you to engage with your lecturer and fellow
students will also be communicated via various platforms.

We wish you every success with your studies!

2. OVERVIEWS

2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to enable you to gain insight into the nature of strategic
marketing. The field of strategic marketing is extremely dynamic and challenging and its study
will enable you to familiarise yourself with the ways in which a business pursues its objectives in
a changing and highly competitive market. Strategic marketing encompasses what you have
learnt about marketing and the four main phases that are considered the thrust of a strategic
marketing strategy: (1) strategic analysis, (2) market strategies, (3) strategic planning and (4)
strategy evaluation and control.

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This module will be delivered by means of myUnisa and the Internet and I will interact with you
on myUnisa and via e-mail (myLife) as needed.

2.2 Outcomes

For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:

Specific outcome 1: You should be able to demonstrate integrated knowledge of the central
areas of strategic marketing, including an understanding of and an ability to apply and evaluate
the key terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories.
Specific outcome 2: You should be able to demonstrate an ability to identify, analyse,
evaluate, critically reflect on and address complex problems, You should also be able to apply
evidence-based solutions and theory-driven arguments for a situational analysis, and analyse
the microenvironment, the market, the customers, the competitors and the internal environment.
Specific outcome 3: You should be able to demonstrate an ability to develop the strategic
marketing planning process through information gathering and demonstrate how this process
leads to the development of marketing strategies, and ultimately the marketing plan.

Specific outcome 4: You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of a range of

methods of enquiry in a field, as well as their implementation. You should also be able to assess
the suitability of specific investigations as an integral part of the strategic marketing process and
their contribution to ensuring that the planned marketing strategies are implemented effectively
and efficiently.

Specific outcome 5: You should be able to demonstrate an understanding of knowledge as

contested and an ability to evaluate types of knowledge and explanations typical within the area
of strategic marketing.

3. CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the University has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels and, as a
result of this, you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy
implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your
modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a
responsive way, within the framework of transformation.

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4. LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer

The primary lecturer for this module is Ms E Ndlovu:

Address: Nkoana Simon Radipere Building, Muckleneuk Campus

Telephone: 012 433 4884
E-mail: endlove@unisa.ac.za

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Marketing and Retail Management

E-mail:marketing@unisa.ac.za

4.3 University

Administrative inquiries concerning fees, receipt of assignments, examination dates etc. should
be directed to the relevant administrative departments as indicated below.
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Communication with the administrative departments of the University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this subject,
please consult the booklet, Study @ Unisa, which you received with your study material.
This booklet contains information on how to contact the University (for example, to whom
you can write for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and
details of the times certain facilities are open). Always have your student number at hand
when you contact the University. Please note that all administrative enquiries should be
directed to the following:
Student admissions and registrations study-info@unisa.ac.za
Student assessment administration for assignments Assign@unisa.ac.za
Student assessment administration for assignment Exam@unisa.ac.za/
examadmission@unisa.ac.za
Dispatch: Study material despatch@unisa.ac.za
Finance finan@unisa.ac.za
ICT (myUnisa & myLIfe) MyUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za
MyLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

5. RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

The tutorial matter for this module consists of the following:

• Wiid, JA & Cant, MC. 2020. Strategic marketing. 3rd ed. Cape Town: Juta.
• Niewenhuizen, C. 2020. Business cases: from SA companies. Cape Town: Juta.

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Prescribed books can be obtained from the University's official booksellers, see a list of official
booksellers and their addresses in Study @ Unisa booklet. If you have difficulty in locating your
book(s) at these booksellers, please contact the Prescribed Books Section at 012 429 4152 or
e-mail vospresc@unisa.ac.za.

5.2 Recommended book(s)

There are no recommended books for this module.

5.3 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has created
numerous library guides, available at: http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides :

• For brief information on the library, go to:

https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance
• For more detailed library information, go to:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions, visit:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-support
• For library training for undergraduate students, visit:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Training
• Lending Services:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-special-
needs
• Library Technology Support:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools:
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases:
https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services:
Lib-help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature Search Service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

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6. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Study @ Unisa is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: mymodules22@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

You can access and view short videos on topics, such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessment
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link:

https://dtls-qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the University, and will remain the official primary e-mail address
on record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is
also true in the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open
distance and e-learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It
is a mega university, and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully
online learning. It is for this reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students
additional/extended support, to help them seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning
journey, with little difficulty and few barriers. We therefore offer a specialised student support
programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time – this is Unisa’s First-Year
Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful information
about services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following FYE
services are currently offered:

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Email Support
FYE Website fye@unisa.ac.za

www.unisa.ac.za/FYE

FYE1500
Post
Registration myUnisa; Study
Orientation Referrals to Skills; Academic &
other support Digital Literacies;
services i.e. etc
Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication from the
Student Retention Unit (SRU), please check your myLife e-mail inbox regularly.

7. STUDY PLAN
Below is a study plan that we propose you use to work through the study material. It is,
however, merely a broad guideline and you may adapt it to fit your own particular time schedule.
Please see the Study @ Unisa brochure for general time management and planning skills.

Learning unit number and topic Date to start

Textbook chapter linked to unit
Sem 1 Sem 2
LEARNING UNIT 1: Overview of CHAPTER 1: Overview of strategic 8 Feb 19 Jul
strategic marketing marketing
LEARNING UNIT 2: Analysis of the CHAPTER 2: Analysis of the external 13 Feb 24 Jul
external marketing or business marketing or business environment
environment
LEARNING UNIT 3: Customer CHAPTER 3: Customer analysis 18 Feb 29 Jul
analysis
LEARNING UNIT 4: Market analysis CHAPTER 4: Market analysis 23 Feb 4 Aug
LEARNING UNIT 5: Analysing CHAPTER 5: Analysing competitors 28 Feb 10 Aug
competitors
LEARNING UNIT 6: Analysing the CHAPTER 6: Internal environmental 6 Mar 14 Aug
internal environment analysis
LEARNING UNIT 7: Sustainable CHAPTER 8: Sustainable 11 Mar 24 Aug
competitive advantage competitive advantage

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LEARNING UNIT 8: Market CHAPTER 10: Market strategies 20 Mar 14 Sept

strategies in the product life cycle
LEARNING UNIT 9: Competitive
market strategies
LEARNING UNIT 10: Selecting
strategy, implementation and control
CHAPTER 11: Product life cycle and
branding strategies
CHAPTER 12: Competitive market 7 Apr 17 Sept
strategies
CHAPTER 16: Selecting the 12 Apr 23 Sept
strategies for the way forward
CHAPTER 17: Strategy
implementation and control

8. ASSESSMENT
8.1 Assessment criteria

MNM3709 is a “continuous assessment module” and therefore does not make use of a final
summative examination. Instead, for this module, all of your assignments will contribute towards
your final result. Each of the assignments contributes a certain percentage (indicated as a
weight) towards the final result, so you are able to manage your own learning throughout the
semester. The benefits of continuous assessment include:

• You will not have to complete a final exam for this module.

• You will not be in a stressful examination hall with hundreds of other students.

• During the semester you will have a good idea of what your final result will be

• Each of the assignments during the semester will ensure that you work though all of the
study material.

• Continuous assessment modules do not have a supplementary opportunity, so monitor

your progress carefully to ensure that you pass the module on the first attempt!

There will be a number of assignments for this module all contributing towards your final
mark. All assignments are online assignments, which you will complete on myUnisa. Pay
attention to the assessment criteria for each assignment as these criteria will help you to
understand what is required of you.

8.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit four (4) assessments.

• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made available
to you via the myModules site for your module.

• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments, are available on the
myModules site for this module.

• All four assignments are compulsory (i.e. all four MUST be submitted as a requirement
to pass) and will contribute to your year mark.
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• Your assignments will comprise of a combination of written (essay) questions and online
Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs).

• There will be no examination for this module, as this is a continuous assessment module,
there is also no supplementary opportunity.

8.3 Assessment due dates

• The due dates for the assignments are not included in this tutorial letter.

• The due dates for the assignment/s will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing
page for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon
registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates for
the submission of the assessments.

• No extension for the submission of the assessments will be granted.

8.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will be online. We
use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus offers students access to the myModules site, where learning
material will be available online and where assessments should be completed. This is an
online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational material to
students and support engagement between academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2024 button on myUnisa website to access the MNM3709-24-S1/S2 site for
this module.

• The University undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information for you.

• When you access the MNM3709-24-S1/S2 site, you will see a welcome message posted
by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will find various links to study material,
discussion forums and assessments. Some assessments may be multiple-choice
assessments, others maybe tests, written assessments or forum discussions, and so on.
All assessments must be completed in the assessment shells available on the respective
module platforms.

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• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment (Assessment 01, Assessment
02, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you. When the
assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time available to
you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter (Tutorial Letter 101)
and are made available online only. You must therefore access the quiz on the module site
and complete it online.

• It is not advisable to use a cellphone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students, who use a cellphone, find it
difficult to navigate the quiz tool on the small screen and often struggle to navigate
between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cellphones are
more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all possible,
please do not use a cellphone for this type of assessment.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell, on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the module that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double check
that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be allocated
for incorrectly submitted assessments.

8.4.1 Types of assessment/s and descriptions

All assessment/s are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory, or elective.

Elective assessment/s

Elective assessments are part of a group of assessments where you can ‘elect’ to do one or
more of the assessments in the group and the highest mark will count towards your year mark.
Consult your myUnisa module site for details about how many of the elective assignments will
be considered for the final mark. You will receive 0% for any of the elective assessments that
you do not submit.

Mandatory assessment/s

All mandatory assessments always contribute to your year mark according to the weighting
indicated in section 8.5. If you fail to submit a mandatory assessment, then you will receive 0%.
Compulsory Assessment

Compulsory assessments MUST be submitted in order for you to complete the module. If you
do not submit a compulsory assessment, then you will not meet the minimum requirements for
the module and you will fail. You will therefore have to reregister for the module in the next
semester.

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Optional assessment/s

Optional assessments are designed to help you with the study material and will benefit your
learning, but they do not contribute to your year mark.

8.5 The assessments

As indicated in section 8.2, you need to complete at least four (4) assessments (one from each
of the groups A, B, C and D). Although there are five (5) assessment opportunities, only four (4)
will contribute toward your final mark. The highest marks obtained from group A (Assignment 1
and 2) will be used. The combined weighted total of your assessment marks during the
semester must be 50% or higher for you to pass the module.

Group Number Weight Type of assessment

A 01 10% Online assessment (continuous assessment) + Elective online

assessment
02

B 03 20% Written

C 04 30% Written

D 05 40% Written

Elective assessments have been included in this module for two main reasons:
• It could accommodate students who have missed an assignment because of illness or any
other special circumstances that prevented them from submitting the assignment; and
• It will afford students an opportunity to improve their final mark and possibly assist with
progression.

Since continuous assessment modules do not include opportunities for supplementary

examinations or Aegrotats, electives (assignment groups A and B) are included that could be
used for resubmission purposes.

8.6 Final Mark

The marks obtained for all four compulsory assignments, contribute 100% towards your final
mark. There is no formal examination for this module and no supplementary opportunity. It is
your responsibility to monitor your progress throughout the semester. If you feel that your year
mark is not good enough, contact your lecturer before the next assignment so that you can
improve your performance. The combined weighted averages of your assignment marks must
be 50% or higher for you to pass the module.

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For example:

Assignment name Assignment contribution to final mark (weight) Your mark

Assignment mark 01 10% 60%

Assignment mark 02 20% 80%

Assignment mark 03 30% 50%

Assignment mark 04 40% 40%

Group Number Weight Mark obtained Contributions towards

the final mark

A 01 10% 40% -

02 60% (60% x 0.10) = 6%

B 03 20% 80% (80% x 0.20) = 16%

C 04 30% 50% (50% x 0.30) = 15%

D 05 40% 40% (40% x 0.40) =16%

Final mark 53%

9. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
9.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a serious form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic
dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source, without acknowledging the source
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information
• Paraphrasing, without acknowledging the original source of the information.
• Copying from/using AI (Artificial Intelligence)- generated content is also plagiarism.
9.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files

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• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating)
For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

10. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact me, Ms. E. Ndlovu (endlove@unisa.ac.za) to discuss
the assistance that you need.

11. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The Study @ Unisa booklet contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information.

12. IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.

Remember that the module requires you to work at your studies – the more you do, the more
you will get out of your studies. We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the
learning material and trust that you will complete the module successfully.

Enjoy the journey!

Ms E Ndlovu

DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING AND RETAIL MANAGEMENT

©
Unisa 2024

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