Acquire revelant experience during an in-company project!

The in-company project is the final stage of your masters programme in Marketing Management. You spend 2 to 4 months in a company to conduct a marketing audit and a market research project. This project challenges you to apply the theoretical concepts you have acquired during the programme to a real management problem.

You learn to work against deadlines, write management reports and make professional presentations. You work in teams of 2 to 6 students, and are assisted by a Vlerick professor and researcher who coach you throughout the entire project period. At the conclusion of the project, the quality and usability of your analysis and recommendations are assessed by a jury of both academics and business professionals.

• More info on the Marketing Audit

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  More info on the Marketing Audit

  For this project you will work in groups of 5 or 6 students. Every marketing-audit project is supervised by a professor and a scientific collaborator. Prof Dr Marion Debruyne holds overall supervision of the marketing audit projects. Katelijn Cornelis is responsible for the coordination of the final project.  Whilst carrying out your project, absolute discretion is a must. We will now give you more detailed instructions.

  The project marketing audit is actually an in-depth analysis of the complete marketing policy of a company. The analysis must result in concrete recommendations. The project allows you to get a taste of all the different aspects of marketing management.

  Content of the project

  The marketing audit consists of an in-depth analysis of:

  • the marketing environment: analysing the tendencies in the macro, meso and micro-environment is part of the marketing audit. It is not necessary to carry out a second market research though.
  • the marketing strategy: the marketing objectives and strategies are checked against the present and future marketing environment.
  • the marketing organisation and interfaces with other functions within the company: you will also check whether the organisation is fit to achieve the goals that have been defined and carry out the strategies that have been selected. Special attention needs to be given to the cooperation between the marketing department and the other company functions.
  • the marketing systems: marketing information, planning, controlling and product development systems and procedures will be closely investigated.
  • the marketing productivity: we will put special emphasis (1) on the profitability of products, segments, distribution points,… and (2) on the efficiency of the marketing activities.
  • the marketing functions: the audit is completed with an in-depth analysis of the product, price, publicity and promotion, sales and distribution policy.

  You will investigate each of those aspects by talking with the people of the company, but also with their clients, suppliers, the advertising agency and others. Eventually, all of this will result in concrete recommendations.

  You will find more information on marketing audits in Kotler and in the accompanying notes that will be distributed later.

  Practical approach

  The marketing audit project will be carried out in groups of 5 or 6 students. You may make up your own groups. The list of possible audits will be determined in advance by the Competence Centre.

  The presentation of the project in front of the members of the staff and the company's direction will take place in May.

  Consultancy

  Prof Dr Debruyne ensures general coordination of the projects. In the beginning of March there will be a briefing on the practical approach of the projects. Each group of students is supervised by a professor or by a senior collaborator. He or she will monitor the project and will, among other things, make sure that the timing and planning schedule is respected.

• Market Research Project

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  Market Research Project

  The project is very much on a line with the module "Market analysis". The problem is first of all identified by the staff of the Competence Centre Marketing. Each marketing research project is supervised by a professor and a scientific assistant. The overall supervision of the market research projects is entrusted with Prof Dr Marion Debruyne. Katelijn Cornelis is responsible for the coordination of the projects. When carrying out your research, you will strictly respect the deontological rules concerning professional market research.

  Content of the project

  The goal of the market research project is to tackle a problem that has been submitted by an enterprise or an organisation. The elaboration of the solution will contain an analytical part (research) and an action part (concrete recommendations). The research will be written down in a report that rests on two cornerstones:

  1. an executive summary (max. 10 p.)
  2. an extensive report including all the steps of the research.

  Practical approach

  The project will be carried out in compliance with the following guidelines:

  1. Staff will draw up a list in advance of all the projects that are allowed. That list will be communicated in December. The nature of the investigated problem will be roughly outlined by the company contact person and by the junior assistant. The collaborators of the Competence Centre Marketing will present the projects. Afterwards, a project will be assigned to every student, based on their own preference and their relevant prior know-how and skills. You will work on the project in groups of two, exceptionally three, students.

  2. The supervisor will set up the first meeting with the company.

  3. The further course of the project will totally depend on the nature of the project. Any suggestions of the students must be first discussed with the junior assistant.

  4. The final report must offer a full description of the research and it should contain the following elements:

  1. conclusions and recommendations with action plan
  2. problem description
  3. methodology
  4. stage of analysis

  The presentation will take place in June and will first and foremost deal with the potential practical use the company will be able to make of the study.

  5. Students work together as a TEAM. That implies that they will WORK TOGETHER and that they will meet on a regular basis.

  6. You will be very discrete concerning any matter connected with the research and the client. If you want to inform other people of the results of your research, you need explicit authorisation of the client and the department.

  Consultancy

  Prof Dr Debruyne ensures general coordination of the projects. In the beginning of March there will be a briefing on the practical approach of the projects. Each group of students is supervised by a professor or by a senior collaborator. He or she will monitor the project and will, among other things, make sure that the timing and planning schedule is respected.

A great experience for all parties involved

	“From March on, when the in-company projects started, we were already considered to be “young professionals”. For our marketing research project, we were given the great possibility to work in the European headquarters of the world’s leading lighting company. We had to deal with one of the priority issues on the company’s strategic agenda. We learned something new every day, and ended up much more experienced!” Piotr Podsiadlo (Poland), student M3 2004, Philips Lighting Russia
	“An invaluable learning experience, the in-company projects offers our students the opportunity to investigate a topic of their choice in more detail. The students of the Masters in Marketing Management carry out two marketing projects: a market research and a marketing audit. The fact that both projects are a real business problem that the company wants resolved makes it all the more challenging and rewarding for our students.” Marion Debruyne, Programme Director of the Masters in Marketing Management
	”What I appreciated even more than their academic background was the approach adopted by both the students and the School. I was amazed by their tremendous ability to assimilate data, summarise it, and then just get on with the job. In fact, the students acted as a sounding board for me. They acted as consultants, but without the consultancy fee!” Jos Nijns, CFO Real Software

In-company projects conducted in 2009: 

• Umicore
  From a monopoly position towards an emerging open market: analysing the added value of B2B marketing within a product-oriented company.
• L'oréal
  Stimulating the Retail Business for Professional Hair Products in the Belgian Market
• Brigestone Europe
  Identifying value proposition of a tyre service provider for truck fleets within the European market.