Marketing in a Digital Age and Corporate Social Responsibility (MK7040)

Learning outcomes applied in this assessment
1. develop a critical understanding of major concepts, frameworks, and methods in marketing
and corporate social responsibility, and assess their application in the business environment,
including brand value. (IC) (SID) (EID)
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2. examine the role digital marketing and media play in contemporary marketing and business
practice, and the social impact of these practices. (IC) (DP) (SID) (CID) (EID)
3. identify key issues and problems related to the lack of responsibility in the approach to
corporate business operations, and the risk that unethical corporate conducts poses for our
society. (IC) (SID) (CID) (CC) (UGB)
Thinking skills
4. critically evaluate marketing strategies, including digital marketing solutions - in different
business contexts, and address their implications including ethical issues, and reflect on the
significance of key historical events. (IC) (DP) (SID) (CID) (CC)
Subject-based practical skills
5. make strategic marketing decisions based on facts and market research; and to commission
marketing communication campaigns, including digital marketing solutions. (IC) (SID) (DP)
6. critically assess currently implemented corporate social responsibility solutions and recognise
the links between the adoption of certain solutions and the performance of business
operations. (IC) (SID) (CID) (CC)
Skills for life and work (general skills)
7. adopt a persuasive argumentation; and present it in verbal or written communication. (UGB)
(EID)
8. collect, analyse and synthesise data; and take a problem-solving approach to strategic
thinking, and creativity. (UGB) (IC)
Assessment guidelines
Produce a 3000-word marketing project report (+/- 10%) (excluding the list of references) which
offers students the ability to demonstrate their developing knowledge and application of the teaching
and learning material covered in weeks 1 to 5. It also encourages students to develop their thoughts
and perspectives on contemporary business issues, and be intellectually creative (underpinned by
credible resources).
Task
Students are required to produce a report (LO8/LO7) on the following case:
The role Cambridge Analytica played in the latest American presidential election and the Brexit
referendum in the UK.
Political marketing and the use of digital media in political campaigns is not new; however, the way
Cambridge Analytica used Facebook users’ data to target users with influential contents that can lead to
favourable results to the promoted parties was labelled unethical and illegal. Were developed of key
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players from SCL Group, the Republican Party establishment and Christopher Wylie the later whistleblower.
Micro-targeting methods were used as the company managed to acquire its dataset from social media
platforms. CA rise to prominence for high profile and right-wing causes is explained as a consequence
of successful test runs in the 2014 US mid-term elections. The impact of Cambridge Analytica is
described in terms of the two most controversial campaigns linked to the company with the BREXIT
referendum and the 2016 US Presidential Election, as well as the other company activities. Finally,
the company’s downfall is followed chronologically through several damning newspaper articles,
culminating in the public hearing of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in early April 2018.
You are requested to watch the video, provided in the material of this week (Facebook's role in
Brexit — and the threat to democracy | Carole Cadwalladr), research the case of Cambridge
Analytica and write a report that reflects on and answers the following questions.
Task 1
Stand in the shoes of CEO Alex Nix: What could have been done better BEFORE the scandal in
2017 and earlier? What could have been done better AFTER the scandal broke (early 2018)?
(Consider the following areas: marketing communication strategy and message, marketing
content and communication channels, corporate social responsibility and corporate
reputation, the impact on brand awareness and brand trust)
(LO1/ LO2 /LO3)
Task 2
Explain the work and service Cambridge Analytica provided Trump’s campaign. Apart from
the legal side, in your perspective, was it right for Cambridge Analytica to provide this work
for Trump? How do public goodwill/license to operate and data-driven technology companies
interrelate?
(LO4/LO5/LO6)
Task 3
Facebook continues to face major ethical and legal challenges. What challenges Facebook
brand is facing today? And what implications these challenges and the case of Cambridge
Analytica have for the future of Facebook from your perspective?
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(LO 6/LO 7)
Write a 3000-words report (10±) answering the above questions. Build clear arguments in
your answers. Strengthen these arguments with sufficient evidence from the case study, your
research into the market and the company and from the marketing and corporate social
responsibility literature as appropriate.
Well established media (e.g. BBC, Financial Times, New York Times, etc) may be used to develop
the context of the discussion, but the material used to underpin the research and analysis should be
from academic books and/or peer reviewed academic journals.
Report Format
What is a report?
A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular audience. Specific information and evidence
are presented, analysed and applied to a particular problem or issue. The information is presented in a
clearly structured format making use of sections and headings so that the information is easy to locate
and follow.
When you are asked to write a report, you will usually be given a report brief which provides you with
instructions and guidelines. The report brief may outline the purpose, audience and problem or issue
that your report must address, together with any specific requirements for format or structure. This
guide offers a general introduction to report writing.
What makes a good report?
Two of the reasons why reports are used as forms of written assessment are:
• to find out what you have learned from your reading, research or experience;
• to give you experience of an important skill that is widely used in the work place.
An effective report presents and analyses facts and evidence that are relevant to the specific problem
or issue of the report brief. All sources used should be acknowledged and referenced throughout, in
accordance with the preferred method of your department.
The style of writing in a report is usually less discursive than in an essay, with a more direct and
economic use of language. A well written report will demonstrate your ability to:
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• understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to its specifications;
• gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;
• structure material in a logical and coherent order;
• present your report in a consistent manner according to the instructions of the report brief;
• make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the evidence and analysis of the report;
• make thoughtful and practical recommendations where required.
The structure of a report
The main features of a report are described below to provide a general guide. These should be used in
conjunction with the instructions or guidelines provided by your department.