The aim of the course is to give students a thorough understanding of the current situation and potential role of societal marketing applied to the forestry sector. In the rapidly changing scenario of the global economy, an important new fact is that, in a market economy with sufficiently competitive and transparent markets, and with environmentally conscious citizens and consumers, organizations will be rewarded for their environmental and social achievements, while they will face constraints if they use environmentally and socially poor practices without taking into account stakeholders’ point of views and expectations. Due to this trend, which is influencing also the forestry sector’s companies and the forest products and services traders and users, the societal marketing is becoming a strategic instrument for business.
The course includes: (i) Basics about marketing, societal marketing and its related strategic planning (e.g. the marketing mix), segmentation and differentiation, competitive advantages and marketing positioning; (ii) General overview of market-based policies, instruments and initiatives for promoting and implementing environmental and social responsibility in forestry; (iii) Details about theory and procedures for forest certification, with a special focus on FSC and PEFC.
(iv) Case-studies and field visits are used to explain how different societal marketing instruments apply in practice and which are their main pros and cons.
- Docente: Secco Laura