Duration
Number of credits
| Master in sales management (120 ECTS) (en alternance) | 24 crédits |
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Work placements for the Master Sales Management work-study programme take place in the first year (M1) (Work Placement 1) and the second year (M2) (Work Placement 2). This course outline refers to the second work placement.
This course is therefore intended for students who have already completed Work Placement 1 during the M1 in the company with whom they have signed a Work Placement agreement.
There are a number of objectives of this work placement, largely consisting of the pragmatic application of the theoretical skills acquired in the various courses and in the production of the "Master Thesis", MT, according to the methodology defined during Work Placement 1.
This and related activities will be kept in a training log book.
Each student will continue to be monitored by an academic work placement supervisor who will verify, through activities throughout the year, the student's understanding of the above aspects.
For aspects relating to their thesis, they will also be followed by a promoter of the MT.
Supervision of students in the work-study course involves at least two meetings between the student, the supervisor, the tutor and the promoter of the MT at various key moments. Other meetings may be scheduled at the request of the student or the tutor in the company.
In January, a mandatory meeting, including a presentation, will be scheduled by the student, who will invite the tutor in the company, the academic supervisor and the promoter of the MT. The purpose is to review the progress of the project in the company in light of the development plan of the MT submitted at the end of November. During this meeting, the student will orally present the outline of their development plan.
The academic supervisor, the company tutor and the promoter of the MT will evaluate how the work is progressing and make recommendations to the student on how to continue their research and study plan.
In June, an oral defence of the work-study course work placement will be organised in the presence of the company tutor and the academic supervisor. The purpose is to give an overall assessment of the student's work based on their final work placement report.
The teaching staff is composed of an academic advisor: Thierry Pironet (HEC-ULiège), Sandrine Wouters, a coordinator from the work placement programme (HEC-ULiège) and a team of academic supervisors from the partner universities.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
- Be able to describe the products and services offered by a company and define its value proposition in a competitive context. Be able to describe the competition and the position of the company, the segments aimed at and the target market. Be able to give a critical opinion on these elements.
- Be able to explain the pricing policy used and be able to calculate the cost of the products and services provided by the company. Be able to constructively criticise the company's pricing and cost policy.
- Be able to describe and quantify the distribution networks used by the company and be able to explain why these are used and others are not. Be able to describe the order taking process from prospecting through to taking orders in the different networks. Be able to give a critical opinion on the distribution strategy.
- Be able to describe all the regulatory and legal constraints that the company faces. Be able to explain all documents related to the products and services offered. Have a critical opinion on the documentation.
- Be able to analyse international, multicultural, societal, ethical and environmental issues and the risks associated with them.
- Be able to describe the company's information system and in particular the use of social networks. Be able to define a digital strategy for business relations.
- Be able to describe and define the performance indicators of the company and the sales department in particular. Be able to connect the strategy to these indicators.
- Be able to identify one or more areas for improvement in the operating processes of the company's sales department.
- Be able to present your work in writing and orally with professional presentation materials.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Work Placement 1 is a prerequisite.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The work placement essentially consists of participating in the company's activities during working days according to the schedule provided in the calendar.
- For January, a presentation is organised by the student with the company tutor, the academic supervisor and the promoter of the MT being invited.
- Reminder. If it does not take place in January, a meeting will be scheduled in February with the promoter of the MT and the student to finalise the objectives of the deliverable, i.e. the final dissertation. The company may be invited to this meeting.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Work placement and continuous assessment
Organisational adjustments related to the current health context
Instructions will be provided in due time according to effective constraints.
Yellow: Classroom
Orange: Remote on-line
Recommended or required readings
Master in Sales Management
Assessment methods and criteria
Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.
Throughout their work placement, students are monitored and evaluated jointly by the academic supervisor and the tutor in the company.
The purpose of the evaluation is to measure, on the basis of observations of the student's behaviour and the tasks and missions they have carried out, the quality of their learning and work, and the acquisition of skills and knowledge.
The evaluation of the student's activities includes three evaluative approaches to best reflect the student's work placement:
1) Evaluation by the tutor in the company: work placement logbook
The work placement logbook enables the student's behaviour within the company to be assessed as well as the quality of their services by means of an evaluation grid containing the criteria (formative evaluation) provided in the internship logbook.
This evaluation grid is primarily formative and aims to:
- identify the strengths and weaknesses of the student's work placement, in order to make them aware of support structures for the remainder of their work experience, the progress made and the areas to be improved; - define, after consultation with the student, the steps and means to be implemented to progress in the work placement.
The evaluation grids are submitted at key points during the academic year and are taken into account when awarding the final grade for the work placement. They account for 30% of the final grade.
2) Evaluation by the academic supervisor: audit and work placement report
Writing the overall review of the host company and the work placement reports allow the academic supervisor to evaluate the student's involvement in their work placement, as well as their capacity for critical analysis. These reports account for 40% of the final grade for the work placement.
3) Oral evaluation
The final evaluation of the work placement is the subject of an oral presentation by the student, before a jury composed of the Masters coordinator, the tutor in the company and the academic supervisor. The oral defence accounts for 30% of the final grade.
Assessment criteria will focus on evaluation of the following competencies:
- Ability to analyse, summarise and critically think about the audit of the company's sales department;
- Ability to detect areas of improvement for the company and related arguments in order to define potential avenues for the dissertation;
- Ability to conduct a review of relevant and in-depth literature;
- Ability to define a rigorous work methodology following a scientific approach in order to prepare the final dissertation.
- Ability to integrate into a professional environment within the host company.
For the second session, all documents must be updated and represented.
Work placement(s)
The work placement will take place from September to May according to the schedule and will include approximately 95 days of work placement.
Organizational remarks
See schedule on the platform
Reports, presentations and documents can be given in English or French after agreement with the company tutor and academic supervisor.
Contacts
HEC-Liège Academic Manager
Lecturer Thierry Pironet
(Logistics - Production Management)
e-mail: thierry.pironet@uliege.be
HEC-Liège
Bâtiment N1 Rue Louvrex, 14, Bureau 328
B-4000 LIEGE
Internship Coordinator
Sandrine Wouters
e-mail: sandrine.wouters@uliege.be