The Programme comprises of four key ‘courses’; there are three (3) compulsory/mandatory courses of study and one (1) option/elective course to choose, as follows:-

Compulsory/Mandatory:

• Marketing & Sales Management  
• Advertising & Public Relations
• Advanced Management & Administration Theory & Practice

PLUS one (1)** of:

• Retail Marketing Management & Customer Relations
• International Business & Trade 

(** both may be studied if you wish - ask the College for details)

Summarised details of each course comprising the Honours Diploma

 MARKETING & SALES MANAGEMENT

• The principles of selling and salesmanship - achieving sales, income, profit.
• Internal sales personnel and commercial travelling salespeople.
• The methods of selling: creating interest, giving demonstrations, making sales transactions.
• Types and categories of consumers, commercial and corporate buyers.
• Making ongoing sales, building customer relationships, generating and following up sales leads. 
• The principles of management: recruiting, training, remunerating, controlling and motivating sales personnel.
• Building effective sales teams, setting and monitoring sales targets, deciding upon sales areas.
• The organisation and control of sales teams, and the special issues regarding travelling salesmen.
• Market research: consumer research, market surveys, advertising research; their meanings, importance and the activities involved.
• Reasons for undertaking and the types of test marketing.
• Techniques and importance of sales forecasting.
• Planning, budgeting, budgetary control in sales and marketing, variances and their implications.
• Segmentation of markets, the role of brands, psychology in sales and marketing.
• Channels of distribution; which to choose, advantages and disadvantages; wholesale, retail, franchise. 
• Credit and setting terms, credit limits, control over credit customers.
• The types and purposes of different discounts allowed: trade, quantity, cash, others.
• Sales forecasting and planning in connection with the product life cycle (PLC). 
• Pricing strategies, factors in setting prices, the objectives of pricing.
• Direct and indirect advertising and publicity, media and their importance, sales promotion, roles and management of public relations; sales letters & literature, direct marketing.
• The Internet as a marketing and sales tool; website design, social media.
• The sales office, records, graphs, statistics, collection and analysis of data, computerised sales data.
• Export selling, international marketing, customs duties, researching overseas markets, expansion of markets and the customer-base.

ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

• Features and types of advertising; the aims and purposes of advertising.
• Importance of advertising to producers, vendors, consumers and the media.
• Markets, marketing, communication - advertising and the marketing mix.
• Types of advertisers: individuals, businesses, commercial, governmental, private, others.
• Advertising media: print, broadcast, direct-mail, transit, cinema, radio, television, others; websites.
• Speciality and point of sale advertising, their features.
• Advertising agencies: functions, organisations, staff, departments and the work performed in them, advertising executives and duties.
• Account groups, payments, revenues, fees, administering accounts, budgets, accounts, billing.
• Creating print, radio and television advertisements.
• Principles of media and advertising design, layout, printing processes.
• Creating direct-mail and point of sale materials.
• Copywriting: the work, technical and human aspects.
• Public relations theory and practice: definitions, objectives, programmes, techniques.
• Goodwill, public opinion, assessing and managing these aspects.
• PR departments and PR consultancies.
• PR managers, activities, relationships, traits, skills.
• The promotional mix and promotion campaign planning and operation.
• Planning and conducting sales promotion.
• Planning advertising campaigns, researching and implementing them.
• Measuring PR and advertising effectiveness.

ADVANCED MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION THEORY & PRACTICE

• The evolution of management theory, principles of management.
• The classical and early theorists; Fayol, Weber, Taylor, Mayo, scientific management, authority, discipline, modern developments.
• Organisational theory: objectives, categories, ownership, environmental factors and interaction.
• Open and closed systems theory.
• Coordination, cooperation, structure, control.
• Communication and communication theories and channels.
• Organisational structures, planning, growth and development, organisation charts.
• Systems and systems diagrams. 
• Duties and responsibilities of executives, delegation, responsibility.
• Mission, vision, values, MBWA.
• Motivational theory: human relations, social psychology; self-realisation, motivation-hygiene, expectancy theory. 
• The theories of Argyis, Maslow, McGregor, Likert, Herzberg, Vroom, Handy; intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
• Leadership theory: traits, style, contingency; theorists. 
• Building and developing workgroups, group behaviour, norms, cohesiveness.
• Managing change, creating and managing culture.
• Moss Kanter, learning organisations and entrepreneurship.
• Strategic management; the theories of Fayol, Chandler, Andrews, Ansoff, BCG, Porter, SWOT.
• Environmental and competitive barriers to entry, industrial competitiveness.
• Corporate objectives, policies, business ethics, social responsibilities.

PLUS Either**:

RETAIL MARKETING MANAGEMENT & CUSTOMER RELATIONS

• Scope and concepts of retail product management
• Products, retail product sectors, strategic project factors
• Retail product management: process and people
• Traditional and contemporary retail buying and purchasing
• Centralised, decentralised and international buying
• Category management, product category lifecycles
• Category management strategy and efficient customer response (ECR)
• Product range planning and selection
• Assortment (stocking) plans, consumer trends and new product development
• Brands and branding, concessions, price/value/specification criteria
• Managing the supply base, suppliers and sourcing
• Evaluating and monitoring suppliers, developing relationships
• Product quantity decisions and stock management
• Economic order quantity, stock management, forecasting, merchandising budgets
• Managing the response to sales, ordering and replenishment systems
• Allocating retail space to products - a planned framework
• Practical and customer considerations in space management and allocation
• Retail store and outlet design, materials, atmosphere, lighting, signs
• Store image, location, life-styling and strategic factors
• Visual merchandising, planning and positioning, product presentation
• Stores layout, displays, window displays, online merchandising
• Communicating the product offer, communication channels, advertising
• Promotional product planning, publicity, personal communications, packaging
• Evaluating retail product management performance
• Assessment of profitability, sales, productivity, cost reduction, negotiation, quality performance
• Ethical retailing and customers, sustainable and ethical product management and supply

OR: 

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & TRADE

• The reasons for conducting overseas business and trade; defining import and export; the aims and risks.
• International sales, production and make or buy decisions.
• International trade for smaller and medium sized companies; considering acquisitions and mergers. 
• Economic development, international companies and strategy.  
• Marketing: the marketing mix, marketing planning, market segmentation; product fit, promotions, SMART, SWOT. 
• Market research, social, political, legal and economic factors; competition analysis.
• Macro factors, communication and cultural factors. 
• Barriers to entry, import controls, licences; quality and safety; packaging and labelling.
• Routes to market; direct and indirect marketing: trading houses, agents, joint ventures, partners, mergers and acquisitions.  
• Business finance; fixed and variable costs, economies of scale, budgets, break-even analysis, accounting and financial checks and ratios.
• Export costing, pricing and global sales, incoterms.
• Contracts, the offer, terms and conditions, acceptance, breaches of contracts.
• Transport and logistics: the role of freight forwarders; containerisation, insurance, customs brokers. 
• Customs documentation and procedures, tariffs and bonded warehousing. 
• The bill of lading; types, variations and features.
• Methods of payment, bills of exchange, currency and exchange rates, letters of credit, pricing; awareness of fraud.
• Financing international trade; short, medium, long term options; forfait, factoring, leasing, premiums.
• Suppliers, partners, support organisations, export management companies, chambers of commerce.
• The export marketing plan, format and content, its importance.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FEE FOR THIS HONOURS GROUP DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

 Your CIC Fee includes:-

• Your enrolment/registration with Cambridge International College, and your own high-quality, professionally produced and illustrated comprehensive International CIC Core Study Publications for each of the four (4) ‘courses’ of study.
• CIC’s detailed, professional ‘Study & Training Guide’ with full instructions on how to study to achieve success and gain top results.  The Guide includes detailed advice on how to answer Tests and Examinations.
• Training Tests, Questions and Exercises (which can be used as ‘Past Papers/Questions’), and Recommended Answers for most of them.
• An Examination set for each of the 4 core courses; each Examination is sat under Invigilation/Supervision in your own area - full details, guidance and explanation of how your Examinations will be arranged and how Invigilation is conducted will be provided when you register.  Note, CIC arranges Examinations in over a hundred countries worldwide for thousands of Members every year; it is a flexible, straightforward process and will be arranged when YOU are ready to write your Examination.
• A prestigious Cambridge International College Diploma on successful completion of Study & Training and on passing the Examination for EACH of the 4 core courses, PLUS the International Honours Group Diploma when all 4 courses have been completed - this is a total of 5 awards - 4 individual Diplomas plus the Honours Diploma.
• Your personal page on CIC’s Member Services website with access to results, despatch details, advice and guidance, and more: www.cambridgeinternationalcollege.co.uk
• Regular information and news including: Newsletters with details of special offers and new Programs and much more; and Competition Forms; by email and post.
• Everything needed for your Study & Training success is included in the CIC Fee.

Additionally:

Further Study and Training Advice, and Assistance is available before, during and after CIC Study & Training; Members may ask CIC’s team of experienced Consultants for advice on further study and Programmes to improve career prospects and advancement. 

CIC’s experienced and helpful staff can assist with numerous special requests, such as reference/recommendation letters and transcripts, and more, by post and email.

• International Marketing Mastery of Management Graduate Diploma One year (flexible)
• Marketing Administration EBA: Executive Business Administration 3 years (flexible)
• Marketing Administration (BMA) Baccalaureate 2 years (flexible)
• International Business & Trade Diploma 12 months (flexible)
• Business Development Honours (Higher) Diploma 21 months (flexible)

This Honours Diploma Programme teaches a wide range of important marketing-based subjects and so it is the path to career success and good positions in a very wide range of business, management and administration posts in sales and marketing, advertising, PR and international marketing.  Also, covering advanced management and administration subjects including motivation, leadership and strategy, and more - the knowledge and ability to become a successful manager, administrator, executive and leader in business has been provided; CIC Members who have completed this Programme have gained high career success, recognition, promotion and better employment, improved salaries and benefits.  

The Programme also provides access to higher studies in marketing and related areas, as well as management and different specialisation areas; higher study includes CIC’s Baccalaureate and Executive Business Administration programmes, graduate degree level and other studies with CIC and other institutions worldwide.

There is a wide range of options for further study - see the "Related Courses" section for suggestions - which include other Honours Diplomas, ABA & Baccalaureate Programmes, and the 'Double Award' EBA & BBA Bachelor degree Programme.  You are welcome to ask the College for advice, and of course you can see details of these Programmes on this website.