Qualification - Advanced Certificate In Applied Management (Marketing)

Learn to be a Marketing Manager

• Study both Management and Marketing
• Self paced, start anytime.
• Study from anywhere -no wasted time traveling to classes

MARKETING is often confused with selling however SELLING is only part of the whole marketing process. 

Marketing involves every aspect of getting the product or service from the supplier to the consumer (apart from the actual service or product itself). ie. marketing includes advertising, promotions, packaging, distribution, sales and after sales services.

This course provides a sound foundation for a career in marketing.

• If you plan to start your own business and marketing i point; this could be an ideal starting point.
• If you are working in sales and want to enhance your chances to advance in your career, this again could be an ideal pathway to improve future prospects.

Course Structure
Course contents are as follows:

• CORE STUDIES - four units of compulsory subjects for all students. ie: Office Practices, Management, Business Operations and Marketing Foundations.
• PROJECT - a management in the workplace project of 200 hrs involving approved work experience in a small business.The project specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.
• ELECTIVE STUDIES - stream units for the development of knowledge in a chosen specialisation or industry sector. ie. Sales Management, Advertising & Promotions, and Marketing Systems.

   
  

CORE UNITS

1. Office Practices
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc.

2.Business Operations
Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

3.Management
Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.

4. Marketing
Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling.

STREAM UNITS

1. Sales Management

This course contains nine lessons, as follows:

1.    Developing Sales Concepts

Goods & services, ways of managing sales, developing a sales concept, planning ahead, understanding selling, understanding buyers, steps in the sales order, increasing sales

2.    Developing Sales Relationships   Sales methods, presentation & the selling personality (personality traits of a salesperson), communication skills and conversational selling

3.   Sales Ethics  The law and ethics, social issues, pricing, deceit, high pressure sales, poor quality products, predetermined obsolescence, the impact of marketing and selling on society, public responses to modern marketing trends (eg. consumerism, environmentalism), enlightened marketing

4.   Building Product Knowledge   Good & bad features (considering factors such as make/trade name; model; purpose or use; how & where it is manufactured; materials used; wholesale/retail price; guarantees; warranty; spare parts availability; service costs); knowing the competition.

5.   Developing a Customer Strategy   Types of buyers, buyer motivation, difficult buyers, key rules for every salesperson

6.   Presentation Strategy Options   Planning and locating your displays for best results); shop layout; trade displays;

7.   Closing a Sale   Difficulties with closing a sale & ways to overcome them; importance of a personal approach;

8.    Managing Yourself   Time management; territory management; record management; sales records; stress management

9.   Managing a Sales Team  Strategies for building quality partnerships.

2.Advertising and Promotions

The course contains ten lessons, outlined below:

1.  Analysing the Market

2.  Target Marketing

3.  Display and Display Techniques

4.  Advertising and Promotions Strategy

5.  New Product Development

6.  Sales Techniques – General

7.  Writing Advertisement

8.  Electronic Marketing -Telephone & Email

9.  Direct Mailing

10.  Exhibitions & Shows

3. Marketing Systems

The course is divided into 10 lessons. Here is some of what each lesson covers:

1.  Marketing Systems    What makes up a marketing system, types of marketing systems, competition and monopoly, oligopoly, globalisation, internet marketing, supply systems, logistics networks, etc.

2.  Retailing Systems and Strategies    Procedures, stages & concepts, Scope and types of retail systems (eg. mail order, chain stores, farm & factory shops, Franchises, Telephone selling etc).

3.  Wholesale Systems and Strategies   Cooperatives, Agencies, Regulated Systems, Marketing Boards, Agricultural marketing, 

4.  Product Presentation and Packaging    Packaging, Labelling, Display, Signage, Merchandising & shop layout, Core, tangible and augmented product, Product mix, etc

5.  Negotiation Skills    Selling in different marketing environments require different approaches, varying factors (eg. culture).

6.  Marketing Organisations    Distribution Enterprises, Marketing Agents, Advertising Agencies, Market Research Organisations, Sales organisations, etc., Marketing tasks, Marketing strategies, Value adding etc.

7.  International Marketing I    Agencies, Partnerships, Joint ventures, Overseas branches, Degrees of export marketing, Pitfalls, The global marketplace, etc

8.  International Marketing II   Differences between different countries.

9.  Analysing the Market   Studying trends and staying current, Advertising cost benefit, Problem of excessive success, etc

10. The Market Mix   Mission statements; Strategic planning; Target‑profit planning; Marketing systems audit, etc

INDUSTRY PROJECT

This is normally done after completing all of the other modules. It is intewnded as a "learning experience" that brings a perspecive and element of reality to the Modules you have studied. The school is very flexible in terms of how you achieve this requirement, and can negotiate to approve virtually any situation which can be seen as "learning through involvement in real life situations that have a relevance to your studies"

Some of the options, for example might be:

Option 1. Work Experience

This involves working in a job that has relevance to what you have been studying. For some students this may be a job they already have. (In some instances, credit may be even granted for work prior to studies). In other instances, this may be either paid or voluntary work which is found and undertaken after completing the other modules. Proof must be provided, and normally this is done by submitting one or more references or statements from an employer. It may also be satisfied by a discussion between the employer and the school in person or on the phone. The must be an indication that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Option 2. Project

This project may be based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During a project, students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

Other Options

Workplace learning hours may also be satisfied through attending or being involved with meetings conducted by industry bodies such as professional associations; or attending seminars which are attended by industry professionals. Any opportunity for observation and networking may be seen as a valid option.

Modules

Note that each module in the Qualification - Advanced Certificate In Applied Management (Marketing) is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.

How to Plan a Business

• Starting your business
• Expanding your business
• Developing new products
• Obtaining finance
• Making management decisions
• Maintaining control

The business plan is a guide to your business, which allows the reader to understand the culture, vision, goals and objectives of the new venture. A good business plan will also instruct you as you go into it.  

Understanding the risks and problems that you might encounter in running your business – will hopefully allow you to deal with them before they happen.   A business plan will also invite you to look at the ways in which you may acquire capital and how to run your business successfully into the future.

The specific activity could be the business operations of a sole trader or of a global conglomerate, it may also refer to the business as a whole or as a department, and it can apply to a business venture, charity or not-for-profit organisation.

The future period might be the first six months of a new business, five years in the life of an existing company or the entire duration of a project. Usually, there is a detailed focus on the next 12 months, which is set against a more general plan for the next three to five years.

A business plan precisely defines your business, identifies your goals, and serves as your firm's resume. The basic components include a current and pro forma balance sheet, an income statement, and a cash flow analysis. It helps you allocate resources properly, handle unforeseen complications, and make good business decisions.

Because it provides specific and organized information about your company and how you will repay borrowed money, a good business plan is a crucial part of any loan application. Additionally, it informs sales personnel, suppliers, and others about your operations and goals.

It is simply a written document that describes the future path of a business. A good business plan explains the business concept, summarizes the objectives of the business, identifies the resources (both in terms of money and people) that will be needed by the business, describes how those resources will be obtained, and tells the reader why the business will succeed.

A good business plan will help you identify your customers, market area, pricing strategies, financial and operational goals.  By completing a business plan you will better understand your competitive advantages, new opportunities, current weaknesses and longer-term objectives for the business.

Some benefits of producing a business plan include:

• The process of preparing a business plan will force you to think about your business, research some options, recognize opportunities and risks, and test some of your assumptions
• Will help you identify the cash needs of your business 
• Can be used to raise funds from banks and from investors 
• Can be used to tell employees, investors and others about your plans and strategies 
• Provides a benchmark against which to compare the progress and performance of your business.

The business plan represents a unique opportunity for you to think through all aspects of organising and operating a business; provides a facility for examining the consequences of different strategies and for determining what resources are needed to launch or expand your business.  Prior to start up, the business plan helps owners/managers fully understand the nature of the venture being undertaken, and assists them in deciding if the business will be viable, or if new direction should be taken.

Business plans are used for many purposes. Essentially, they should include:

• A formal expression of the planning process
• A request for funding
• A framework for approval
• A tool for operational business management