Marketing, Society and Sustainability (MKTG90049)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
Overview
| Availability | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject explores the role of marketing and consumption in a world facing significant social and environmental challenges. What is the role of marketing and marketers in climate change, digital privacy, or the obesity crisis? Does marketing actually improve consumers’ wellbeing? Many ‘ethical’ consumers now integrate their concern for society and the environment into their purchasing decisions. And many ‘ethical’ brands now promote their social and/or environmental credentials. So, can we market and consume our way out of these crises? This subject will address the criticisms of marketing’s role in sustainability issues, and then equip students with the strategic and ethical direction to respond proactively to the opportunities these challenges provide.
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this marketing subject, students should be able to:
- Appreciate the variety of social, political and economic forces affecting marketing organisations at the global and local level
- Identify and analyse current public issues in the interplay between marketing and society, such as advertising to children, junk food, materialism and climate change
- Critically evaluate the debates around the ethical, social and sustainability responsibilities of marketers
- Identify the different sustainability frameworks for engaging in those debates; and understand how marketers can respond to calls for ethical, social and sustainability responsibility
- Apply the above learning to real world cases and situations
Generic skills
On successful completion of this subject, students should have improved the following generic skills:
- Critical thinking about societal and sustainability issues in marketing settings
- Oral and written communication
- Problem solving and collaborative learning
- Synthesis of data and other information
Last updated: 25 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Generic understanding of climate science and other ethical, social and environmental issues related to business and marketing
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 25 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Class participation
| Throughout the teaching period | 10% |
Individual essay
| From Week 4 to Week 5 | 20% |
Group project: written report (groups of 3-4)
| From Week 9 to Week 12 | 30% |
Group project: oral presentation (groups of 3-4)
| From Week 9 to Week 12 | 10% |
End of semester exam
| End of the teaching period | 30% |
Last updated: 25 March 2025
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Coordinator Daiane Scaraboto Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36hrs (one 3-hour seminar per week) Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 3 March 2025 to 1 June 2025 Last self-enrol date 14 March 2025 Census date 31 March 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 9 May 2025 Assessment period ends 27 June 2025 Semester 1 contact information
Prof Daiane Scaraboto dscaraboto@unimelb.edu.au
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Last updated: 25 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Master of Digital Marketing Course Master of Management (Marketing)
Last updated: 25 March 2025