It is a project-based course with small firms affiliated with a social enterprise movement called Economy of Communion (EoC). Students working in small groups will conduct a consulting project on a selected aspect of marketing and the business model of one firm.

This course was designed for students interested in practice-oriented learning, and belongs to the pathway "Marketing for a Better World" in the MSc program in marketing. The course is conducted in collaboration with a consulting firm of WU alumnus, Dr. Markus Ressl (http://ressolutions.at/de/index.html).

After completion of this course, students should be able to:
Understand the concept of a social enterprise and its relevance to modern business and society;
Understand the impact of business model on business performance and on sustainable development in the global context;
Identify factors promoting or hindering responsible marketing managements;
Formulate marketing strategies to effectively promote responsible consumption and production.

In this course students develop the ability to conduct marketing research individually and as part of a team, through research design, data collection, analysis, synthesis, and reporting orally and in writing, both online and offline. Students will also be able to develop the following intellectual, professional and practical skills:
The ability to think critically and creatively;
The ability to organize, analyze, synthesize and critically appraise relevant theories, models, and viewpoints;
The ability to effectively search for information and knowledge;
Analyze and synthesize data, and apply them to solve problems and make decisions;
Decision-making skills;
Self-reflection and self-management.

Please note this is a "PI"(constant evaluation) -type course. Participants must be present during the first session (full attendance is absolutely required) and attend at least 80% of the remaining session hours to be able to complete this course.

In addition to interactive lectures and guest speaker's presentation, teaching and learning will take place through a variety of media and tools, including: case studies, groups discussions, and reflection. Most important, however, is that participants will learn about challenges of marketing management in a social enterprise conducing original empirical research. Data collection required for analysis of the selected firm includes a structured interview with the owner/manager of the firm, and analysis of the firm's documents.

There are three components of the final grade awarded for completing this course:

1. Active participation in class: 20%
2. Group project report: 50%
3. Group project presentation: 30%

Grading scheme:
100-90% excellent
89-80% good
79-70% satisfactory
69-60% sufficient
59-0% fail

Please note! In addition to the above scores, achieving a minimum of 60% on each graded component is required for successful completion of the course. For example, a student who received scores of 90% on the first 2 components, but did not contribute significantly to group projects (so called "free riding"), will still fail this course.

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The lecturer is available for consultation before and after each session, also online on MS Teams or Zoom for group consultation.