Università degli Studi di Parma

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Second cycle degree

TRADE MARKETING AND COMMERCIAL STRATEGIES

COD. 5007
WEBSITE
A.Y. 2016/2017
CLASS:
LM-77 - Classe delle lauree magistrali in Scienze economico-aziendali
Years of study: 2
Credits (CFU): 120
Mode of study: full-time
DEGREE COURSE WITH LOCALLY-REGULATED ENROLMENT

Places available: 180
of which 6 for Non-EU citizens, including 2 reserved to Chinese citizens

1st session
Places available: 110, including 2 reserved to Chinese citizens
Admission test application: from June 16th 2016 to July 15th 2016
Admission test: July 19th 2016, 09.00 h
Enrolment: from July 29th 2016 to September 30th 2016

2nd session
Places available: 70, of which 4 for Non-EU citizens
Admission test application: from September 1st 2016 to October 30th 2016
Admission test: November 8th 2016, 09.00 h
Enrolment: from November 17th, 2016 to January 8th, 2017

Further information

COURSE STRUCTURE DIAGRAM WITH CREDITS

Year of study: 1
Curriculum "CORSO GENERICO"

First semester

Second semester

Year of study: 2
Curriculum "CORSO GENERICO"

First semester

Second semester

Profile of the programme

In the last few years, marketing activities have been more characterised by a double configuration: Consumer Marketing and Trade Marketing. The former refers to consumer-oriented marketing strategies (linked to the final demand), while the latter refers to supply-side oriented marketing strategies (linked to the intermediate demand and commercial distribution).
In order to keep pace with the changing market structure, Trade Marketing strategies have become more and more relevant in the building processes involved in Marketing channels, especially due to:
- a growing importance of retail centres in industrial marketing processes;
- a gradual increase of the demand of commercial services;
- an evolution in distribution systems leading to a real Commercial Revolution;
- an increased level of commercial concentration in purchases and sales, with consequences on power relationships within the supply chain.
Such phenomena have lead to a growing demand of professionals knowing how to plan, manage and organise the commercial policies of the companies. For this reason, the Second Cycle Degree Course in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies (TRADE) aims at providing the specific competences for the management of the distribution issues for enhancing the quality of the companies’ market policies. The course, in its ten-year experience, has developed an integration between Trade Marketing competences and cutting-edge aspects of Consumer Marketing, by dedicating specific subjects to the themes of Neuromarketing, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Analysis. Accordingly, the Second Cycle Degree in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies has become the most specialised degree course in Italy for Marketing, with its twelve advanced disciplines.

The subjects offered by the degree course allow future graduates in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies to:
- enrich the basic knowledge background in Business and Economics, above all through a deeper understanding of market trends and the analysis of the relations between the companies and both customers and suppliers;
- develop advanced competences of applied comprehension, analytical and problem-solving skills, with specific reference to the companies’ market policies. Graduates will develop such competences under a wider perspective, by taking into account both Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B) contexts.
- build up a strong autonomy of judgement through the personal ability to re-elaborate the acquired knowledge to better manage complex market situations, including uncertain conditions and/or lack of information, and situations of conflict/ collaboration between companies within the vertical hierarchy of the chain;
- consolidate communication skills for the clear and unambiguous exchange of information and strategies, to both top managers and the company’s base, to both stakeholders and non-expert audience;
- improve learning ability through a multidisciplinary cultural orientation, aimed at creating marketing value in a chain network.
Graduates in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies can achieve roles or responsibility in a company administration board, especially as regards the company departments of Sales, Marketing, Buying and Analysis. More specifically, graduates in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies can obtain the following roles:
- In the Sales Department: Sales Manager (Commercial/Sales Manager), Key Account Manager, Area Manager, Trade Marketing Manager, Channel Manager, E-commerce manager, Export manager, Store manager.
- In the Marketing Department: Marketing manager, Brand manager, Product manager, Loyalty marketing manager, Merchandiser, Customer service manager, Media Planner and Manager.
- In the Purchase Department: Purchase Manager, Category manager, Supply chain manager, E-procurement manager.
- In the Analysis Department: Research manager, Market analyst, CRM expert, Trade Consultant, Expert Journalist.
The course is positively characterised by:
- the fact it is the first Second Cycle Degree Course in Marketing in Italy for the number of Marketing-related subjects, covering all the cutting-edge aspects of the discipline ( 12 Marketing-related subjects + 4 applied Marketing laboratories). No other Second Cycle Degree Course in Marketing has such a rich offer;
- innovative didactic methods applied in most subjects (workshops, group work, marketing games, role plays, contributions from experts and managers);
- innovative and up-to-date contents and subjects concerning the Marketing Area, as the professors of the course also conduct research in their fields of competence;
- a great number of students coming from other Italian regions (about 56%), for a richer and more stimulating context to study and work in;
- an international approach, including the possibility for excellent students with a good command of French to attend the second year of course at University Jean Moulin – Lyon 3 (Lyon, France) and obtain the Double Degree. Students with a good command of English can attend the Master in Marketing at Università di Pamukkale University (Turkey) and obtain a Double Degree. The planning of other Double Degree projects is currently in progress;
- an important placement support after graduation. The course organises tutorials on CV writing and job interviews, two meetings with companies every year (Placement Day in April/May and in October), an online platform where uploading CVs, Mentoring paths and support activities for developing entrepreneurial skills (Starting Up). The course also actively and directly recommend its graduates’ CVs to the different companies.

Admission requirements

The Course Council has set a limited number of enrolments, regulated at a local level.
Admission to the Second Cycle Degree Course in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies requires basic knowledge provided by the degree courses of classes L-18 (former 270/04) o 17 (former 509/99), as well as specific competences regarding the subject group SECS-P/08. In particular, graduates from degree classes L-18 (former 270/04) o 17 (former 509/99) must possess at least 9 credits in the subject group SECS-P/08.

Graduates from other degree classes can equally access to the course, provided that they already possess 27 credits distributed as follows:
- at least 9 credits from subject group SECS-P/08;
- at least 9 credits from one or more subject groups SECS-P/01, SECS-P/02, SECS-P/03, SECS-P/06 o SECS-P/12;
- at least 9 credits from one or more subject groups SECS-S/01, SECS-S/03, SECS-S/04, SECS-S/05 o SECS-S/06, M-PSI/01, M-PSI/03, M-PSI/05 e M-PSI/06, SPS/07, SPS/08.

In order to better guarantee the quality of the academic curriculum of graduates in Trade Marketing and their qualification for entering the world of work, admission to the course is regulated by an entrance test. Students who have not graduated yet can take the test as well, provided that they have all the requirements indicated.
Future applicants can fulfil their learning gaps and obtain the pre-requisites for the course during their first cycle degree course, by taking the necessary exams for obtaining the requested number of credits.
Future applicants are thus advised to contact the Coordinator of the Degree Course in order to get correct instructions on how to fulfil their gaps before the test and the most suitable exams to take for this objective. If future applicants already graduated in a first cycle degree course, they can enrol to the University (their first cycle degree University or the University of Parma) and fulfil their gaps through single additional exams. However, students cannot obtain more than 20 credits per academic year through single additional exams.

Dates, modalities, deadlines and any other information concerning the admission test and enrolment will be published on the website of the Department of Economics, at the following link: http://www.dipartimentoeconomia.unipr.it/it/offerta-formativ.

Key learning outcomes

The Second Cycle Degree Course in Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies (TRADE) aims at providing the specific competences for the management of the distribution issues for enhancing the quality of the industrial and commercial companies’ market policies, through an interdisciplinary approach connected to the entrepreneurial world.
Trade Marketing activities have become more and more relevant in horizontal and vertical marketing processes due to:
- a growing importance of retail centres in industrial marketing processes;
- a gradual increase of the demand of commercial services;
- an evolution in distribution systems leading to a real Commercial Revolution;
- an increased level of commercial concentration in purchases and sales, with consequences on power relationships within the supply chain.
Such phenomena have lead to a growing demand of professionals knowing how to plan, manage and organise the commercial policies of the companies. In particular, advanced expertise is requested in commercial strategies and channel relationships, as well as in the company departments of Sales, Marketing, Purchases and Analysis, as described in detail in this document.
The course structure is designed to offer an in-depth interdisciplinary and cultural preparation concerning industrial selling policies and distribution marketing strategies. Since prospective students must already possess an adequate knowledge background in Marketing, Economics and Business Management before admission, the subjects of the second cycle degree course are more focused on advanced, innovative, up-to-date and specialised contents and issues.
More specifically, the traditional business-economic disciplines are integrated with economic, statistical and legal insights, in order for students to develop specific competences and learn how to apply them in: retail and channel management (management of both bricks-and-mortar and online commercial companies), retail branding and image, economic scenarios for managers, law for marketing, development of retail institutions, consumer behaviour analysis, channel metrics (indicators of distribution channels performance), shopper marketing (intended as both "in store marketing" e "category management"), relational marketing (including the innovative subjects of “database and internet marketing" and "social media marketing), fashion marketing and design marketing. The course programme includes "neuroshopping" (as a reference to the innovative application of neurosciences to marketing) and the optional subject “social marketing”. Great importance is given to quantitative methods and data analysis for marketing, in order to provide future graduates with analytical competences and skills to master the companies’ most used multimedia devices for analysis and reporting.
The course offer is constantly enriched with optional activities completing the acquired expertise on Trade Marketing and Commercial Strategies and enhancing communicative, learning and autonomous judgment skills. More specifically, the latest optional subjects include: Sociology of Consumptions, Fashion and Design Marketing, Social Marketing and innovative laboratories such as Packaging Laboratory, Negotiation and Sales Laboratory, Crisis and Reputation Management Laboratory, Advanced Data Analysis Laboratory. In 2014-15, the course activated the Laboratory for preparing to the National Competition in Mediation and Negotiation, in partnership with the Arbitration Chamber in Milan (similar to ACAS) and with Geo Cam mediators. It is an innovative training activity which teaches participants how to mediate in negotiations, though the method of role-plays.

Students can also opt for subjects taught in English, so as to improve their linguistic skills. Such subjects include: Database and Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing (2nd year) Managerial economics and reporting, Economics of rural development. The adequacy of the subjects offered by the course is constantly updated in line with the scientific progress in marketing and trade marketing sectors, thanks to professors of the course who are also competent in such sectors. Students also have the opportunity to attend seminars, conferences, activities and example of case studies offered by the course in collaboration with market experts and operators.
For further details, please visit this link: http://www.trademarketingparma.com/faculty/faculty-i-manager/

Final examination, if any

The final examination includes a written thesis on a specific topic assigned to the student by a supervising professor, who also assists the student during his/her research. The thesis is the result of a theoretical and empirical investigation on the selected topic in coherence with the subject of competence of the supervisor.
Once approved by the supervisor, the thesis is presented by the candidate in front of a preliminary commission evaluating: the level of knowledge and comprehension of the selected topic; the candidate’s ability to understand and deal with specific problems regarding the selected topic; written and oral communicative skills; the level of autonomous judgment concerning the selected topic.
The judgement of the preliminary commission is then handed on to the final commission which also takes into account the whole career of the candidate and his/her performance during the final examination, according to the following criteria:
- the final commission can add up to 7,5 points (of which up to 6 points are given to the thesis) to the score assigned by the preliminary commission
- the final commission, after examining the candidate’s career documents from the Student Registry Office, can assign the points left for the number of exams passed with full marks and merit: 0 points for 1 exam; 0.5 points for 2 exams; 1 point for 3 to 4 exams; 1.5 points for 5 or more exams.
Honours and merits can be assigned to distinguished students for excellent curricula and thesis, upon request of the supervisor and approval of both the preliminary and the final commission. The final commission, however, can decide autonomously to assign honours and merits if the final sum of the average mark, the score for the career, the thesis and the number of full marks with merit is more than 110 out of 110.
Every year the professors of the course choose the best thesis works and publish their abstracts with the student’s name on the website of the course (http://www.trademarketingparma.com/category/tesi/) so as to be accessible to managers and specialised journalists collaborating for the degree course. These experts can then hand on the abstracts to the web pages of their scientific journals, such as Retail Watch (http://www.retailwatch.it/Homepage.aspx).
In the first semester of every academic year, the Degree Course organises a meeting for first-year and second-year students for Thesis Preparation. The meeting focuses on the importance of the thesis research work, the coherence in the choice of the topic, the definition of the main objectives and the methods to reach them, the identification of the core issue of the thesis and its possible solutions.
The meeting is also designed to guide the future graduates in their choice of the topic of the thesis among the different subjects proposed by the professors.
The materials and documents used for the meeting can be retrieved on the personal web pages of the professors of the course. The meeting is filmed and the video file is published online so as to be accessible to the students who did not attend the meeting.
By the end of 2014, the Department of Economics is supposed to implement the rule allowing students to write and present their thesis in English, after a professional linguistic revision (under the candidate’s responsibility) and the final approval of the supervisor.