Syllabus: SQA - Higher Course Spec Business Management
Module: Management of Marketing
Lesson:Product
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Introduction
This article is aligned to the SQA Higher Business Management course, focusing on the unit Management of Marketing, specifically the Product element. Understanding the role of products within the marketing mix is crucial for helping students see how businesses compete, differentiate and sustain value. This topic supports learners in linking classroom theory to real-world business decisions, preparing them both for assessment and practical application.
Key Concepts
Students are expected to understand and apply these key concepts from the course:
Product Lifecycle: The stages of a product from introduction to decline, and strategies businesses use at each stage to extend product life.
Product Portfolio: How businesses manage a range of products, often using tools like the Boston Matrix to assess performance and make decisions.
Branding: The role of brand identity in product perception, customer loyalty, and competitive advantage.
Packaging and Design: How aesthetics and function influence consumer decision-making.
Product Development: The process of taking a product from concept through to launch, considering research, design, testing, and iteration.
Differentiation: What makes a product stand out from competitors in a saturated market.
These elements directly connect to the broader marketing mix and the decision-making involved in targeting and positioning a business offering.
Real-World Relevance
The product concept is easily illustrated with current examples. Take Apple’s iPhone strategy: regular new releases and design updates help extend the product lifecycle and maintain brand loyalty. Meanwhile, brands like Innocent Drinks use packaging and design to stand out in a crowded shelf space and tell a values-based story.
In retail, supermarkets like Tesco manage extensive product portfolios—from premium own-label to budget essentials—each tailored to different segments. And in consumer goods, Coca-Cola’s use of seasonal packaging (like personalised names) helps keep a mature product feeling fresh and relevant.
Bringing these examples into the classroom helps students recognise the strategic thinking behind everyday products they interact with.
How It’s Assessed
Assessment typically comes through structured exam questions which may include:
Short-answer and extended-response tasks.
Scenario-based analysis, where students apply their knowledge of the product element to a real or hypothetical business situation.
Command words like describe, explain, analyse, evaluate, and justify test students’ depth of understanding.
Students might be asked to evaluate a product portfolio strategy or suggest how a business could extend a product’s lifecycle. Using past paper extracts or creating mock product scenarios helps students get familiar with how to structure their responses.
Enterprise Skills Integration
The product topic is a natural space for integrating enterprise skills:
Problem-solving: Evaluating why a product is underperforming and proposing strategies.
Creativity: Designing packaging or branding for a new product concept.
Decision-making: Choosing which product in a portfolio to invest in or retire.
Data interpretation: Analysing sales trends to assess a product’s position in its lifecycle.
Activities like running a mock product pitch or completing a Boston Matrix exercise support critical thinking and commercial awareness.
Careers Links
This topic directly links to careers in:
Marketing (brand management, product marketing)
Retail and Buying (product selection, shelf layout)
Entrepreneurship (new product design and development)
Market Research (identifying gaps and testing concepts)
Design and Packaging (roles at the interface of creativity and commerciality)
It aligns well with Gatsby Benchmarks 4 (linking curriculum learning to careers) and 5 (encounters with employers). Guest speakers from local SMEs or product designers can make this unit particularly engaging.
Teaching Notes
Keep it visual: Use real product packaging, adverts, and lifecycle charts to anchor abstract concepts.
Build from the familiar: Start with products students know and love to spark curiosity and debate.
Model assessment tasks: Use structured scaffolds to help students approach evaluation questions with confidence.
Watch for confusion: Students can mix up lifecycle and portfolio concepts—be clear on the distinction and provide regular low-stakes quizzes to reinforce it.
Extension activities: Task students with creating their own product and mapping its lifecycle, or doing a product comparison using the Boston Matrix.
A plug-and-play lesson could involve a case study of a brand managing multiple products, followed by a group decision-making activity on where to invest marketing spend.
