Identified Competency Focus Areas and Selected Courses

for National Exit Examination

Program: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Marketing Management

Compiled By:

Dr. Worku Alemu (Hawassa University)

Yonas Admasu (Dire Dawa University)

September, 2022
Hawassa, Ethiopia
 Table of Contents

1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................1

2. The Main Objectives of Exit Examination..................................................................................2

3. Significance of the national exit exam document........................................................................3

4. Graduate profile...........................................................................................................................3

5. Competences and Learning Outcomes........................................................................................4

5.1. Competences.........................................................................................................................4

5.2 Learning Outcomes................................................................................................................6

6. Categorizing Courses of the Program into Themes.....................................................................7

7. Courses to be Included in the Exit Examination.........................................................................8

8. Conclusion.................................................................................................................................10

Appendix........................................................................................................................................11
1. Introduction

In this severe competition era, where consumers’ test and preferences are dramatically changing
and wide variety of alternative products are available in the market, doing business and survival
is difficult. This situation forcing business organization to give due emphasis towards consumer
centered business and building intimate relationship with customers and relevant stakeholders,
having exposure to relevant information through information technology and internet, fast
decision making, and capabilities to reach wider areas and with new challenges such as cutthroat
competition. As such, it is critically important to create such business capabilities like efficient
and strategic marketing in order to succeed in the business world of the 21st century.

Growth in the volume of output and change in the structure of production, as essential features of
economic development, make specialization and exchange (marketing) important part of the
overall socioeconomic activity across societies. Whereas production of goods and services
remains one of the basic economic activities of individuals, it is dysfunctional without the
distribution of such products from their place of production to the place of consumption where
income is generated so that production could be continued. As such, whether products are
distributed to consumers through their producers or middlemen, the success of individuals or
business organizations involved in production activities depends not only on their production
performance but also on their marketing performance.

Successful marketing performance, in turn, needs its own philosophy of handling the marketing
process starting from analyzing the marketing environments to making strategic plans and their
implementation. Given the mix of threats and unprecedented opportunities unveiled by
globalization and technological advancement experienced in recent times, the role of marketing
to the success and survival of organizations is getting even more crucial for businesses both in
the developed and developing countries. And, more than any time else, it seems that it is a high
time for respective marketing departments of business to get afresh in their reaction to such new
national and global business environments.

Ethiopia, a country in the process of economic transformation, with growing private sector
economic participation, offers the best example of situations where knowledge of scientific
1
marketing management to marketing managers of various business entities is extremely
necessary for the respective business to cope up with the emerging challenges, by tapering the
otherwise opportunities. As the practice of marketing management has entered into the era in
which it is both a science and art, developing inspired and skillful marketing managers should be
better approached through formal education systems where they can be well versed with the
theoretical and empirical experiences of the day.

To achieve the desired national objectives and produce a graduate that fit for the current market,
competency based evaluation of a student become crucial. It is important to check and ensure
whether the students have captured the required knowledge, skill and attitude set for the program
in their learning process. As per the directives of the government, the Ministry of Education has
been working on a strategy to implement national exit examination for undergraduate programs
beginning from the 2015 E.C (2022/23 G.C).

Implementing national exit examination for marketing management program graduates will have
a great implication in producing competent citizens in knowledge, skill, and attitude which make
a better understanding of how the market generally works and more importantly how to affect
the market through different marketing principles, concepts and strategies in a way that the
society desires. Hence, this exit exam documentation is prepared to guide the nationally
organized exit exam for marketing management program graduates starting from the academic
year of 2015.

2. The Main Objectives of Exit Examination

This national exit exam is designed to achieve the following objectives:

To Ensure that marketing first-degree graduates meet the graduate profile of the
curriculum;
To produce skilled and competent manpower to local, national and international market;
To create conducive environment for stakeholders for their proper engagement in
graduates’ competency assessment;
To assess marketing students' educational achievement in the courses in their major area
of program study

2
3. Significance of the national exit exam document
It is believed that the national exit exam documentation have the following significance

To introduce the importance of providing national exit examination for marketing

management students as a graduation criteria
To set competencies that helps to assess the basic skills, knowledge and attitude of
graduating students,
Based on identified competencies to systematically identify the core courses which will
be included the exit exam, and
To realize standardization of higher education programs and to be able to meet minimum
quality standards across all programs.

4. Graduate profile
Graduates of B.A. degree in Marketing Management have the opportunity to go to a wide range
of marketing and business careers in the commercial, public and voluntary sectors. As a
marketing Management, each graduate will be able to:

Provide an understanding of the context, nature, role and significance of marketing

activities as undertaken by marketing managers in a range of organizations by analyze
basic marketing and management issues
Apply basic economic and accounting principles in marketing related decision making.
Identify key issues, write up, and present resultant marketing plan
Formulate marketing strategies, prepare budgets, and develop implementation plans
Analyze and interpret statistical data by using relevant quantitative models for marketing
decision making
Identify and analyze the nature of customers’ behavior and develop marketing program
that are relevant to the needs and wants of customers
Design appropriate marketing mix strategies for successful marketing of agricultural
products
Know the nature of the global marketing environment and its influences on foreign
marketing operations
Identify and evaluate global marketing opportunities and feasible target markets for
domestically produced products in global market places.
Analyze the channel system and design appropriate channels for the product distribution
Conduct marketing research to generate information that is useful for marketing problem
solving.

3
 Apply the marketing concepts, theories and tools in different social organizations.
Apply marketing concepts and tools in online marketing program
Recruit, train and manage sales forces of an organization
Apply the marketing concepts, theories and tools in different service organizations
Analyze and manage sales activities
Develop and manage product and brand program, promotional plan, and Formulate,
implement and evaluate marketing strategies
Identify tourism potentials of Ethiopia and apply marketing mix strategies to the tourism
industry
Organize and manage events
Manage effective business negotiations

5. Competences and Learning Outcomes

5.1. Competences

As described above, the competency of students will be measured by national exit examination
as of 2012 E.C academic year at the end of completion of marketing management courses with a
great emphasis on students’ knowledge, skill, and attitude to ensure whether the students are well
equipped with relevant competencies that demanded by the market. The details of the
competency are presented here below by categorizing knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Table 5.1 Expected Competencies

Areas of
Expected Competencies to be achieved
Competency
Knowledge
Graduates will be able to
 Understand marketing principles, concept and tools
 Understanding of marketing concepts, marketing environment
marketing mix applies to real world situations
 Understand techniques of designing product, price, distribution channel
and promotion.
 Understand marketing relationship between marketing and the
marketing environment
 Know about market segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies
 Understand the nature of marketing communication tools to develop an

4
 Areas of
Expected Competencies to be achieved
Competency
effective promotional program
 Realize the major attributes of a product as per the needs and wants of
customers
 Know about effective brand strategies for consumer and business goods
 Understand the essential abilities required to manage sales activities and sales
force
 Understand how to Design and manage marketing channel systems that
enhance efficient flow of products
 Realize how to Manage sales function
 Understand the international marketing environment and develop appropriate
strategies to satisfy customers and win international competition
 Realize the international marketing environment and international marketing
activities
 Understand import and export practices
 Recognize about the marketing environment and develop appropriate strategies

Skills  Identifying customers need and wants (customer orientation)

 Apply marketing mix’s strategies
 Apply communication skill to create awareness about the product
 Building good relationship with the customers and other stakeholders
(CRM and PRM)
 Develop business plan and business proposals.
 Analyzing or examining the marketing environment of the firm
 Instruct in universities and higher training institutions.
 Apply creativity skill (skill required to develop new product, service or
improvement in existing product or service.
 Apply Listening skills (paying attention to the feedback or comments of
customers
 Appling analytical and critical thinking (reviewing marketing campaign
and identify what could be improved in the future)
 Appling Technical marketing skills (writing and sending mass email and
communications
 Apply Transferable marketing skill
 Appling marketing strategies,
 Apply basic economic and accounting principles in marketing related
decision making.
 Analyse and interpret statistical data by using relevant quantitative

5
 Areas of
Expected Competencies to be achieved
Competency
models for marketing decision making
 Design appropriate marketing mix strategies for successful marketing of
agricultural products
 Make ethical decisions with respect to marketing activities.
 Promote social well-being through developing and implementing
appropriate marketing principles

 Good customer handling and treatment (support service)

Attitudes  Criticize private and/or public matters and being rational attitude toward
them;
 Appreciate working with others (marketing and other professionals);
and
 Suggest other marketing professionals and ready to support the state and
communities.

5.2 Learning Outcomes

After completing those courses presented on the mentioned themes, graduating students will be
able to:

To develop the themes of marketing management as a process function and people

management activity with respect to the four strategic elements of marketing its
product, pricing strategy, distribution system and promotional activities.
To develop the students’ abilities to apply their marketing knowledge and skills in their
special field.
To familiarize students with the concepts and principles of marketing and the
significance of different forces that influence the marketing effort.
Identify the basic features of human development
Gain insight in to the behaviors and mental processes.
Get familiar with various disciplines in psychology
Grasp the factors that shape the buying behavior of consumers
Examine the nature of marketing communication tools to develop an effective
promotional program
Determine the major attributes of a product as per the needs and wants of customers
Formulate effective brand strategies for consumer and business goods
Examine the unique characteristics of service to develop an effective marketing
program

6
 Determine appropriate marketing mix elements for tourism industry
Design strategies to tackle problems in the service sector
Solve social problems by applying marketing principles and techniques
Apply marketing mix elements at business marketing, E-marketing and international
marketing
Acquire the essential abilities required to manage sales activities and sales force
Design and manage marketing channel systems that enhance efficient flow of products
Manage sales function
Examine international marketing environment
Execute international marketing activities
Handle import and export practices
Analyze the marketing environment and develop appropriate strategies
To gain an understanding of the theories and concepts underlying E-commerce
To apply E-commerce theory and concepts to what E-marketers are doing in "the real
world"
To improve familiarity with current challenges and issues in E-commerce
Analyze business issues, problems and opportunities in E-commerce.
Explain the key terms, definitions, and concepts used in the study of business markets
Understand industrial buyers, evaluate product quality and system selling
Complete a project that demonstrates both your working knowledge and analytical
skills in assessing the industrial buying decision-making process
Appreciate how the buying center operates in the business markets and how different
members are composed to it
Analyze the trends in businesses/industries buying behavior and their impacts to the
marketing of an actual product or service

6. Categorizing Courses of the Program into Themes

National Exit Examination for marketing management program for undergraduate students’
competency has five themes. These are Fundamentals of Marketing, Promotion & Brand
Management, Services and E-Marketing Management, Sales and Channel Management,
and Strategic and International Marketing. Accordingly, for national exit examination
documentation the themes in marketing management program summarized in the table here
below.

Table 6.1 List of Themes that considered in the exit exam

7
 S.No. List of Themes that considered in the exit exam Cr.hrs

1 Fundamentals of marketing 7

2 Promotion and brand management 9

3 Service and E-marketing 6

4 Sales and channel management 7

5 Strategic and international marketing 10

7. Courses to be Included in the Exit Examination

This document has been compiled with five themes and twelve (12) courses for exit
examination to achieve the competencies level which expected from each graduate of the
program. According to the direction suggested by the head of quality and competency
improvement desk (at MoE), during the preparation of this document, there was a general
consensus that a specific program should consider a total of 10-15 lists of courses. In marketing
management BA degree program, there are number of core courses that are provided to the
students however the most important courses are clearly selected in this document. Hence, this
exit examination document identified twelve (12) core marketing courses which delivered at
different semesters and academic calendars.

8
Table 7.1 List of Themes and courses to be Included in the Exit Examination

Course
S. No List of Themes List of courses Cr.hr
Code

Principles of Marketing MKTM2011 4

Fundamentals of
1 Consumer Behaviour MKTM2012 3
Marketing
Total 7
Integrated Marketing Communication MKTM2031 3
Product & Brand Management MKTM4031 3
2 Promotion & Brand
Management Event Management MKTM3032 3
Total 9
Services Marketing MKTM3041 3
Services and E-
3 E-Marketing MKTM3023 3
Marketing
Total 6
Marketing Channel &Logistics MKTM4051 3
Sales & Channel Management
4
Management Sales Management MKTM2052 4
Total 7
Strategic Marketing Management MKTM4073 4
Strategic &
International Marketing MKTM4071 3
5 International
Business Marketing MKTM4061 3
Marketing
Total 10

9
8. Conclusion

The main purpose of the program is equipping students with Knowledge, skill of marketing
concepts and good business attitudes. Students on this program should get an exciting
opportunity to combine business knowledge with professional expertise and develop the
confidence to look forward to a career to understand, create, communicate, and deliver value and
satisfaction to customers. It provides a broad overview of all the marketing activities involved
and familiarizing students to the processes and practices of management more specifically, the
module of the program provides students with an understanding of marketing concepts,
marketing environment marketing mix applies to real world situations, realize service marketing,
event management, import export policy and procedure, and international marketing.
The national exit exam is going to deliver for the graduate students to ensure that the graduates
met the graduate profile set in the curriculum, produce skilled and competent manpower to local,
national and international market, create conducive environment for stakeholders for their proper
engagement in graduates’ competency assessment and assess students' educational achievement
in the courses in their core marketing areas of program study. Hence, the thematic area (five
themes) and core marketing courses (twelve courses) are selected in consideration of achieving
the main purpose of national exit exam. The chosen courses are core courses of the program and
good enough to represent the overall courses provided under the program and properly measure
whether graduates can fit for the market.

10
Appendix

Module Name, Course Names and course Codes

No. Major Module Module Courses clustered COURSE CR.hr ECTS
Name Code under the modules CODE
1 Fundamentals of Mktm-M01 1. Principles of MKTM2011 4 6
Marketing Marketing
2. Consumer MKTM2012 3 5
Behavior
2 Marketing Mktm-M02 1. Marketing MKTM3021 3 5
Research & Research
Information 2. Marketing MKTM3022 3 5
System Information System
3. E-Marketing MKTM3023 3 5
3 Promotion & Mktm-M03 1. Integrated MKTM2031 3 5
Brand Marketing
Management Communication
2. Product & Brand MKTM4031 3 5
Management
3. Event MKTM3032 3 5
Management
4. Business MKTM2033 3 5
Communication
4 Services and Mktm-M04 1. Services Marketing MKTM3041 3 5
Social Marketing 2. Tourism & MKTM3042 3 5
Hospitality Marketing
3. Social Marketing MKTM3043 3 5
5 Sales & Channel Mktm-M05 1. Marketing Channel MKTM4051 3 5
Management &Logistics
Management
2. Sales Management MKTM2052 4 6

3. Negotiation MKTM4052 3 5
Management
4. Retails Management MKTM2055 3 5
6 Agricultural & Mktm-M06 1. Agricultural & MKTM4062 3 5
Business commodity Marketing
Marketing 2. Business MKTM4061 3 5
Marketing
7 Strategic & Mktm-M07 1. Strategic MKTM4073 4 6
International Marketing Management
Marketing 2. International MKTM4071 3 5
Marketing
3. Import Export MKTM4072 3 5
Policy and Procedure

11
8 Apprenticeship Mktm-M08 1. Apprenticeship in MKTM4081 3 5
and Senior Essay Marketing
in Marketing 2. Senior Essay in MKTM4082 3 5
Marketing
No. Supportive Module Courses clustered CORSE CR.hr ECTS
Module Name Code under the modules CODE
9 Fundamentals of Mgmt-M09 1. Introduction to MGMT 3 5
Management Management 1061
2. Organizational MGMT 3 5
Behavior 2082
10 Advanced Mgmt –M10 1. Project MGMT 3 5
Business Management 3102
Management 2.Risk Management & MGMT 3 5
Insurance 2024
3. Operations MGMT4122 4 6
Management
Quantitative Mgmt 11 1. Business MGMT 3 5
11 Methods and Mathematics 3112
Statistics 2. Managerial Stat 3113 3 5
Statistics
12 Business law Blaw 12 1. Business Law BLAW2123 3 5
13 Economics Econ-13 1. Micro Economics ECON2132 3 5
14 Accounting AcFn-14 1. Fundamentals of ACFN3142 3 5
Accounting I
2. Fundamentals of ACFN3143 3 5
Accounting II
3. Financial AcFn3041 3 5
Management
15 Basic Computer Bais 16 2. Introduction to ICT CoSc 2162 3 5
Skill
No. Common Module Module Courses clustered CORSE CR.hr ECTS
Name Code under the modules CODE
16 Mathematics for Math1012 Mathematics for social Math 1012 3 5
Science Science
17 Critical Thinking LoCT1011 Critical Thinking LoCT1012 3 5
18 Physical Fitness SpSc1011 Physical Fitness SpSc1011
19 General Psyc1011 General Psychology Psyc1011 3 5
Psychology
20 Inclusiveness SNIE1012 Inclusiveness SNIE 1012 2 4
21 Geography of GeES1011 Geography of GeES1011 3 5
Ethiopian and the Ethiopian and the Horn
Horn
22 Communicative FLen 1011 Communicative FLen 1011 3 5
English Language English Language
Skills I Skills I
23 Communicative FLen 1012 Communicative FLen 1012 3 5
English Language English Language

12
 Skills II Skills II
24 Economics Econ1011 Economics Econ 1011 3 5
25 Introduction to EmTe1012 Introduction to EmTe1012 3 5
Emerging Emerging Technologies
Technologies
26 Entrepreneurship MGMT101 Entrepreneurship MGMT1012 3 5
2
27 Social Anth1012 Social Anthropology Anth1012 2 4
Anthropology
28 Moral and Civic MCiE1012 Moral and Civic MCiE1012 2 4
Education Education
29 Global Trends GlTr1012 Global Trends GlTr1012 2 4

Total Core Courses ( Cr.Hr./ ECTS) 72 118

Total Supportive Courses (Cr.Hr./ ECTS) 40 66
Total Common Courses (Cr.Hr./ ECTS) 35 61
Grand Total for the Program ( Cr.Hr./ECTS) 147 247

13