Undergraduate Course: Financial Services Marketing (BUST10033)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The financial services sector has undergone a dramatic process of change initiated by new competition, sophisticated consumer demand, technological opportunities and regulatory developments. As electronic methods replace people and physical documentary activities, the definitions of financial services too are changing. The course Financial Services Marketing provides an opportunity to examine and make sense of this rapidly evolving sector and critically evaluate the role and power of marketing management in this context. |
| Course description |
This course aims to build knowledge of marketing strategies used in the financial services sector and to advance understanding of real-time challenges in this industry. On completion of the course, students should be able to critically evaluate different marketing initiatives for financial services and to design such strategies at different stages of the marketing process. Students will also have a deeper appreciation of the challenges facing financial services consumers in decision-making. To achieve this, the course guides students through the financial services marketing environment, key elements of the financial services marketing mix, understanding decision-making and managing customer relationships.
Syllabus
Introduction to financial services marketing
The financial services sector and financial services marketing environment
The financial services consumer and financial decision-making
Financial literacy, capability and inclusion
The role of technology in financial services
The role of trust and relationships
Pricing and price-based competition
Developing and managing the financial services offering
Moral and ethical issues in financial services marketing practice
Alternatives to conventional banking models
Student Learning Experience
Overall, the course aims to provide students not only with in-depth, subject-specific knowledge of the topics covered, but also with enhanced abilities to evaluate marketing in action in the context of financial services and to question, challenge and critique the actions of financial institutions in a mature and reasoned way. The way in which the course is designed and delivered can improve general learning and study skills, in particular the application of acquired knowledge to a real life practical scenario, thus preparing students for work-related learning.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Marketing (BUST08004)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Years 3 & 4. Business Studies Honours Entry. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students must have at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. This MUST INCLUDE at least one Marketing course at intermediate level. This course cannot be taken alongside BUST08004 Marketing. We will only consider University/College level courses.
|
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2022/23, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Overall assessment will be based upon:
- Continuous assessment 100%
a) Individual assignment (20%)
b) Group project (70% report including 20% peer evaluation) (70%)
c) Individual Reflection (10%)
Total 100%
The individual assignment accounts for 20% of the final grade. It comprises a short piece of individual written work (maximum 1,500 words excluding references). Details of the individual assignment will be given at the start of the course.
The course project accounts for 70% of the final grade. A maximum of 70 marks will be obtained from the group research report grade (of which 20% will be moderated through the peer evaluation process). Details of the research project will be outlined further at the start of the course.
The Individual Reflection accounts for 10% of the final grade. |
| Feedback |
Individual/ group feedback on your coursework, together with individual marks, will be available on Learn.
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and critically discuss the differences between services and product marketing.
- Understand and discuss the market environment of financial services.
- Understand and discuss the challenges facing financial consumers in financial decision-making.
- Critically evaluate marketing initiatives for financial services.
- Design strategies with respect to markting mix elements.
|
Reading List
The course uses one core book. All relevant chapters are available in Learn.
The Routledge Companion to Financial Services Marketing, 2015, Tina Harrison and Hooman Estelami (Eds.), ISBN: 978041582914-4.
Additional core reading (where relevant) is provided on a week-by-week basis.
All relevant reading is provided in Learn. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills
Students will develop analytical skills such as:
- The ability to apply concepts and theories to real life financial services marketing;
- The ability to critically evaluate financial services marketing activity;
- The ability to appraise financial services marketing strategies and make suggestions for improvement;
- The ability to use introspection as an analytical tool
Subject Specific Skills
Students will gain:
- The ability to understand and evaluate the marketing environment for financial services;
-The ability to recognise and respond to challenges in the marketing of financial services;
- The ability to make recommendations to overcome and avoid specific financial services challenges and threats.
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- Be able to work individually and in a team;
- Be able to communicate and exchange ideas in oral and written formats
- Be able to analyse visual content and financial services marketing strategies. |
| Keywords | FSM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Tina Harrison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3820
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Chrysanthi Manidou
Tel: (0131 6) 50 3826
Email: |
|
|
University Homepage