Professional Certificate in Marketing

Course Overview

Understand the role of marketing in business recognising its development and its implications for the organisation.  Utilise marketing research to improve customer communications and analyse and interpret written, visual and graphical data.  Distinguish between the types of organisation within the public, private and voluntary sectors, understand their objectives and the influences upon them.  Recognise the importance of primary and secondary market research data.

Pre-requisites

• Hold any general Bachelors or Masters degree
• Hold a CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing (Level 2 or 3)
• Have an NVQ or SVQ Level 3 (equivalent to NGF Level 3)
• Have an NVQ or SVQ Level 4 in any other subject (UK – equivalent to NGF Level 4 and above)
• Hold an international baccalaureate (equivalent to NQF Level 3 and above) or a pass of the entry test onto Level 4

Qualification

CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing

Support and benefits

• Gain insight into the whole spectrum of marketing activity at grassroots level
• Gain a professional marketing qualification to boost your career prospects                  
• Tips on best marketing practice from industry professionals
• Access to a dedicated ICS course mentor to support and motivate you throughout

Course Code

V09

Hours of study

12 months / 360 hours

Technical requirements and fees

Registration and assessment fees are additional to the course fees.

Key topics

• Marketing Essentials

Explore how marketing has evolved and consider the importance of market orientation in creating customer value. Examine the stages in the marketing planning process. Study the key elements of the internal and external marketing environment. Consider the characteristics and applications of each element of the marketing mix.

• Assessing the Marketing Environment

Examine the nature and scope of the internal marketing environment. Consider the objectives of different types of organisations, as well as the challenges they face. Discover how various factors can affect a market oriented organisation. Consider the implications for organisations pursuing both economic and environmental sustainability.

• Marketing Information and Research

Explore information requirements for marketing decision making. Discover how to establish an effective customer database. Examine the process of selecting a marketing research supplier. Assess the appropriateness of different research methodologies to meet different research situations.

• Stakeholder Marketing

Consider the impact of organisational stakeholders on marketing activities. Discover how the marketing mix can be effectively co-ordinated to support internal and external stakeholder relationships. Explore methods of measuring the success of both marketing mix and communications activities.

Outline

During your course you will complete eight written assessments provided by ICS. These assessments will fully prepare you for the four CIM assessments detailed below.

Assessment Breakdown

• Assessment 1: an exam that will test your understanding of the Marketing Essentials module
• Assessment 2: an exam that will test your understanding of the Assessing the Marketing Environment module
• Assessment 3: a written assignment that will test your understanding of the Marketing Information and Research module
• Assessment 4: a written assignment that will test your understanding of the Stakeholder Marketing module

Note

The exams for Assessments 1 and 2 will be sat at your local authorised testing centre while your assignments are submitted to ICS, who will forward them to the CIM for marking.