MSc International Fashion Marketing

This unit will introduce you to the principles of international fashion marketing and how the fashion industry develops strategies in line with their target market in a global context. 

This unit aims to provide an in-depth critical insight into strategic marketing within the global fashion retailing industry, with a view to achieving competitive advantage through products and markets. It focuses on the significance of environmental auditing and introduces techniques which can be used by fashion organisations to capitalise on lucrative new opportunities. The identification and deployment of core competencies and capabilities through the implementation of marketing strategy, is pivotal to this unit. More specifically, this unit aims to:

1.Provide a critical appreciation of the scope and theoretical perspectives on strategic marketing

2.Examine contemporary strategic marketing in in the fashion and apparel industry

3.Relate the relevant theories of strategic marketing to current and future practice within the global fashion industry.

Brief Syllabus:

• Fundamental of marketing
   
• Marketing theory in action
   
• Contemporary marketing and emerging trends

Overall, the unit will build students’ skills in conducting strategic analysis and develop their understanding of the competitive challenges of a global market environment. In doing so it aims to provide a realistic experience in crafting business marketing strategy, reasoning carefully about strategic options, using critical analysis to make sound strategic decisions. Thus, it develops students’ powers of judgment, the ability to assess business risk, and improves the ability to create new and innovative marketing strategies for existing fashion companies.

A greater depth of the learning outcomes will be covered in the following sections:

• Knowledge and understanding
• Intellectual skills
• Practical skills
• Transferable skills and personal qualities

This unit makes use of a variety of learning and teaching processes including: lectures, problem-based learning, practical sessions; case studies, and discussions. Blackboard will be used to present lecture notes and supporting materials for the unit. The lectures with develop the theoretical subject knowledge, whilst the case studies and discussions will evaluate the importance and application of techniques, with practical sessions visualising these findings. Blackboard will also be utilised for assessment using Turnitin.

• Evaluate in-depth and advanced resources pertaining to the theoretical and practical understanding of strategic marketing, in the context of international fashion business
   
• Demonstrate professional and academic responsibility, integrity and ethical considerations in an international context

• Demonstrate high level cognitive skills of critical thinking, analysis and synthesis
   
• Synthesise ideas and knowledge pertaining to fashion marketing and evaluate a range of options to create solutions

• Find, evaluate, synthesise and use information from a variety of sources
   
• Express complex ideas and argument coherently in appropriate formats

Communicate complex ideas and arguments, in oral and written forms

Demonstrate a high level of professionalism, exercise initiative and show personal responsibility

Demonstrate independent learning ability to support their continued professional development

Written and verbal.

The online reading list should be consulted each week via Blackboard.  Texts here are indicative reading:

• Armstrong & Kotler (2014) Marketing: An Introduction, Prentice Hall
   
• Bruce, M., and Hines, T., (2000) Fashion Marketing. Butterworth Heineman.
   
• Cateora et al. (2016) International Marketing, McGraw-Hill
   
• Goworek & McGoldrick (2015) Retail Marketing Management: Principles and Practices, Pearson
   
• McGoldrick, P., (2002) Retail Marketing.
   
• Posner (2015) Marketing Fashion: Strategy, Branding and Promotion, Laurence King
   
• Varley et al. (2019) Fashion Management: A Strategic Approach, Red Globe Press (Macmillan HE).  This is a good text that students should consider purchasing to support their studies.