Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 1 BUSI 544 A Marketing Strategy Early Fall Session 15-M51 Monday, August 17 Saturday, October 10, 2015 Course Description Textbooks The course is organized around the marketing planning process to clearly delineate the relationship among marketing decisions. Marketing functions are examined through case analysis to successfully integrate all elements of the managerial process. The course presents concepts from a decisionmaking perspective rather than from a descriptive point of view. This approach reflects our emphasis on the marketing decisions that marketing professionals are most likely to confront in their careers. Additionally, because marketing managers are held accountable for profits as well as sales, budgetary considerations of marketing decisions will be discussed. Prerequisite: Graduate standing Proctored Exams: None Marketing Management. By Kotler. 14 th Edition. 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-210292-6 MBS Direct offers a Columbia College branded text, ISBN-13: 978-1-256-63953-4 Textbooks for the course may be ordered from MBS Direct. You can order online at http://direct.mbsbooks.com/columbia.htm (be sure to select Online Education rather than your home campus before selecting your class) by phone at 800-325-3252 For additional information about the bookstore, visit http://www.mbsbooks.com. Course Overview This course is designed to help you understand today s complex marketplace. In the past, traditional marketers operated on mass marketing principles, and building great sales forces. Bricks and mortar retailers consisted of large department stores, regional supermarkets and mom and pop stores. Today s marketplace is more complex. Savvy organizations recognize that a major revolution is taking place in marketing. Challenges to the marketplace come in the form of global competition and changing distribution due to the dynamic nature of technology. Changes in the way consumers and businesses purchase products have also made the landscape more complex. This course will help you formulate a system for thinking about planning for markets. This system involves researching the marketplace. It involves market segmenting and targeting, and positioning the organization or product in the marketplace, then formulating strategies and refining the marketing mix using a marketing plan.
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 2 Technology Requirements Participation in this course will require the basic technology for all online classes at Columbia College: A computer with reliable Internet access, a web browser, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office or another word processor such as Open Office. You can find more details about standard technical requirements for our courses on our site. Course Objectives To understand the marketing functions. To understand how to use resources available to satisfy the needs of customers and generate adequate levels of return. To learn how the integration of strategy formulation, planning, programming, and budgeting are essential for world-class organizations. To foster a systematic approach to marketing decision making, using traditional and technological approaches. To increase knowledge of the field of marketing, and its contribution to organizations. To develop skills/perspectives relating to analytical approach; communication skills; critical thinking; decision making; problem solving; and use of computer software. To understand the issues pertinent to the development and implementation of marketing strategies in both domestic and global markets and for application within a range of industry sectors. Measurable Learning Outcomes Evaluate the role of marketing in creating global business strategies. Explain the relationship of the marketing plan to the company s strategic plan and corporate objectives. Identify and discuss environmental forces which may impact marketing strategy. Identify and discuss the impact of consumer behavior on marketing strategy. Use market segmentation, targeting, and positioning strategies for effective marketing mixes for diverse target populations. Explain product development issues, the product life cycle, and be able to develop an effective product strategy. Evaluate pricing strategies and perceived value and discuss how price interacts with other marketing mix variables. Explain relationship marketing and explain how it can be used to develop effective marketing programs. Analyze market situations and develop plans for effective marketing strategies.
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 3 Grading Grading Scale GRADE POINTS PERCENT A 495-550 90-100 B 440-494 80-89 C 385-439 70-79 F 000-384 0-69 Grade Weights ASSIGNMENT POINTS PERCENT Discussions 75 14% Dropbox Assignments 100 18% Marketing Plan 150 27% Midterm Exam 100 18% Final Exam 125 23% TOTAL 550 100% Schedule of Due Dates WEEK ASSIGNMENT POINTS DUE DATE 1 Discussion 1 5 Wednesday Discussion 2 5 Sunday Dropbox Assignment 1 25 Sunday 2 Discussion 3 5 Wednesday Discussion 4 5 Sunday Dropbox Assignment 2 25 Sunday 3 Discussion 5 5 Wednesday Discussion 6 5 Sunday Dropbox Assignment 3 25 Sunday 4 Discussion 7 5 Wednesday Discussion 8 5 Sunday Midterm Exam (Chapters 1-9) 100 Sunday 5 Discussion 9 5 Wednesday Discussion 10 5 Sunday Marketing Plan (First Half) 75 Sunday 6 Discussion 11 5 Wednesday Discussion 12 5 Sunday Dropbox Assignment 4 25 Sunday 7 Discussion 13 5 Wednesday Discussion 14 5 Sunday Marketing Plan (Full Version) 75 Sunday
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 4 8 Discussion 15 5 Wednesday Assignment Overview Final Exam (Chapters 10-15, 17 and 20) 125 Saturday Reading Assignments: For best results, complete each week s assigned reading before participating in Discussion or other assigned work. Discussions: There will be 15 Discussion assignments each worth 5 points. You will be expected to respond to each discussion topic with an in-depth answer and must respond to a minimum of two other classmates prior to the deadline for each discussion topic, to receive full credit. The initial discussion answer and minimum of 2 responses to classmates for the first weekly topic are due by Wednesday, at midnight (CT) and the initial discussion answer and 2 responses for the second weekly topic are due by Sunday, at midnight (CT). All students must respond to discussion topics during the week they are assigned. No credit will be given for topic responses after the deadline; full credit will not be given if you do not engage others in discussion. Please see the Grading Criteria and Rubric in the Content area of the course. Dropbox Assignments: There are 4 Dropbox Assignments. Dropbox Assignments include specific topics from your readings or focus on videos in the Marketing Management Video Gallery, which can be accessed through the Content area of D2L. Dropbox Assignments should be saved in.doc format. Each Dropbox Assignment will have guidelines posted under the week they are due in the Content area of the course. It will be necessary to follow the Guidelines provided for each Dropbox Assignment. Put your name, the course number, assignment title and date on the upper left hand corner of every document. Spelling and grammar are graded so be sure to proof your work. Dropbox Assignments should be submitted to the appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of the course. Plagiarism Tutorial and Quiz: Prior to submitting your first Dropbox Assignment, you will need to complete the Plagiarism tutorial located in the Content area of D2L and the corresponding Plagiarism Quiz, located in the Quizzes area. Only then will you be able to submit Dropbox Assignment 1. Marketing Plan: Marketing strategy involves decision making. Through your text you will be exposed to concepts and tools useful in framing marketing decisions that will be utilized in the preparation of a marketing plan. You will prepare a marketing plan for a small business that includes defining the organization s business, mission and goals, identifies and frames organizational growth opportunities through a SWOT analysis, research direct and indirect competition, formulate an appropriate marketing strategy, budget marketing resources, develop actions (tactics) that will allow for the successful plan implementation and develop appropriate metrics to monitor and obtain feedback on the plan s success in reaching organizational goals. The plan will be due in two parts, the first half at the end of Week 5, and the full version at the end of Week 7. You will email me your marketing plan idea during Week 1 for approval. Full assignment descriptions and grading criteria will be available in the Content area of the course. Midterm Exam and Final Exam: There will be two exams, a Midterm and a Final Exam. The Midterm Exam covers chapters 1-9, and it is worth 100 points. The Final Exam covers chapters 10-15, 17 and 20, and it is worth 125 points. The exams can be accessed in the Quizzes area of the course. Each exam may include multiple choice, true and false, and essay questions. There is not a set time limit for either exam. As you work on each exam, you may save it and reopen it when you are ready to continue. It is important that you do not submit an exam until it is completed. Only one submission is allowed. You need to have read the chapters and studied the review before beginning an exam. There will be an outline available for each exam for study purposes, and there is a Discussion topic available prior to each exam to check on key concepts. You are allowed to use your books and notes on the exams, but need to have read the chapters and studied the review outline, as you will not have time to look up the answers for every question. The exams must be submitted within the dates and time indicated.
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 5 Course Schedule Week 1 Course Overview and Defining Marketing in the 21 st Century Read Chapters 1 and 2 and take a look at the marketing plan sample provided in your text beginning on page 60. This will provide you with an overview of what is entailed in the development of a marketing plan. Topic 1 - Introduce yourself in the "Introductions" topic in the Discussions area of the course. Please give us more than your name. Include your profession, hobbies, interest in marketing, and any other information that can help us get to know you, like family, pets, hobbies and past employment. Include photos if you want they can be pets, kids, or you! Also, include a company that you feel strongly about, either positively or negatively, as it relates to their marketing tactics. There is no right or wrong answer here! Topic 2 - Describe holistic marketing. Provide an overview of the core dimensions associated with holistic marketing. Include in your post new marketing realities related to major societal forces, and new consumer and company capabilities. In your opinion, why has holistic marketing replaced the more traditional marketing concepts of production, product, selling and marketing orientations? Plagiarism Tutorial and Quiz: Please review the Plagiarism Tutorial in the Content area of D2L and complete the corresponding Quiz in the Quizzes area. You must go through the Tutorial and complete the Quiz before you will be able to submit Dropbox Assignment 1. Dropbox Assignment 1: After reading Chapter 2, review the material on page 46 and 47 relating to Creative Innovative Marketing. Read The 12 Different Ways for Companies to Innovate (MIT Sloan Management Review, spring 2006). Proceed to Johnson & Johnson s website (www.jnj.com) and spend time gaining insight into their many divisions and product offerings. Choose 6 of the innovation dimensions and illustrate how the company has utilized each dimension by definition, and examples. Post your paper in the Week 1 Dropbox Assignment in the Content area of the course. Marketing Plan: Read the marketing plan outline beginning on page 60 in depth. Email me a brief description of a business for which you will be creating a marketing plan. See the Marketing Plan Assignment in the Content Area of the course for assignment details. Week 2 Capturing Market Insights through Market Information Collection and Forecasting Demand; Conducting Market Research through Research Planning Read Chapters 3 and 4. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 3 Good marketing and its management is built on collecting information and forecasting demand. Based on your marketing plan choice, determine what research you will need to conduct to assure that your marketing strategy is based on appropriate market
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 6 segments. 1. Analyze what is meant by a marketing intelligence system; 2. Research the Internet and provide an example of marketing intelligence site related to your marketing plan; why is it valuable to your marketing needs? 3. What are the major forces in the demographic, economic, sociocultural natural, technological and political environment that will impact your marketing strategy? 4. Review the video on the marketing company Crispin Porter + Bogusky as an aid in understanding the importance of understanding marketing intelligence and how to obtain it. Topic 4 Marketing research involves the ability to obtain information on a wide diversity of applications. Describe in depth the marketing research planning process and discuss the various forms of research instruments that can be used in obtaining qualitative and quantitative information necessary to obtain relevant data for an organization or company. Why does an organization measure marketing productivity and what metrics are used to market that productivity? Watch the video on Dunkin Donuts and answer the questions as noted under Content in Week Two. Dropbox Assignment 2: Consider Michael Porter s value chain (p. 34, Chapter 2) and the holistic marketing orientation (p. 36). Read the report Competitive Advantages and Strategic Information Systems published by the International Journal of Business and Management, (July 2010) by M. Hemmatfar, M. Saleki and M. Bayat. A link to the article is found in the Content Section under Week 2. How do the authors view the importance of Information Technology (IT) and Porter s value chain as it pertains to the development of competitive advantage? How would you structure a marketing plan for your organization to incorporate some of their concepts? Week 3 Creating Long Term Value Relationships, Analyzing Consumer and Business Markets Read Chapters 5, 6 and 7. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 5 - Consider the lifetime value of customers on p. 132-134. Why are businesses so concerned with Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)? Choose a business and show how you would go about developing a quantitative formulation that captures the concept. How would this business change if it totally embraced the customer equity concept and maximized CLV? Topic 6 - Chapter 7 discusses B2B marketing. Visit GE s Medical Systems Web site (www.gehealthcare.com). In context to the major points of this chapter, discuss how GE is addressing the needs of their hospital customers by the design of this Web site. Where and what is GE doing right, what is GE doing wrong, and where can GE improve? Based on Establishing Corporate Trust, Credibility, and Reputation, (page 203), does GE s website illustrate corporate credibility? Be specific in your examples. Dropbox Assignment 3: Review the following video on Harley Davidson and research the company on the Internet. How does Harley Davidson deliver value and customer satisfaction to its customers? How have they successfully forged their brand to create lifetime value to consumers? How does the company reach the soul of its customers and discuss how that image contributes to cultivate strong customer relationships. Find a minimum of three articles online related to the issues Harley Davidson faced as it related to its competition and how its strategy and brand equity has led to its continued value in the market. Be sure to look for its presence in social media and how it utilizes this marketing tool.
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 7 Week 4 Identifying Market Segments and Creating Brand Equity Read Chapters 8 and 9. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 7 Review the video on Proctor and Gamble. What does Proctor & Gamble consider the cornerstone of its success? How does P&G use the Internet to enhance its success? 2. Visit P&G s website and locate a minimum of three articles that discuss the current position of P&G in the market. Determine key effects that make them successful, their vulnerabilities, and how they should proceed in the future? What do you feel is the reason behind P&G s longevity? Topic 8 Review the video on American Express. Provide a brief summary of the video content and then answer the questions that are found in the Weekly Overview instructions under Week 2 in the Content area of the course. Midterm Exam: You may access the Midterm Exam in the Quizzes area of the course. The exam covers Chapters 1-9. The exam will feature true and false, multiple choice and essay questions. There is not a set time limit on the exam; however, essay answers are expected to be indepth and completely answer the question. The exam is worth 100 points and is open book and open note. You may work on the exam and save it and reopen it when you are ready to continue. It is important that you do not submit the exam until it is completed. Only one submission is allowed. You need to have read the chapters and studied the review. No late exams are accepted. The exam will be available to you on Thursday of Week 4 at 6PM and close on Sunday of Week 4 at 11:59PM (CT). Note that there is a discussion area set up for students to use as it relates to the review outline. This will remain open until 5:30PM on Thursday, the day the exam opens. Week 5 Crafting the Brand Position and Dealing with Competition Read Chapters 10 and 11. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 9 - In order to properly position its brand, a company must analyze points of parity and points of difference. Define points of parity (POP) and points of difference (POD) and indicate how a company chooses appropriate POPs and PODs. Review the Marketing Memo on page 287 and discuss the importance of the Bulls-eye as it relates to providing understanding of the brand s positioning in the organization. Topic 10 - Select an industry. Classify firms according to the four different roles they might play in Chapter 10: leader, challenger, follower, and nicher. Why do you consider each of the firms chosen as being in each specific role? Give examples for each company. Use information from chapter 11 to support your reasoning. Marketing Plan (First Half): The first phase (about one-half) of your marketing plan is due this week. Some of you might have more material and information in some sections than others or be at different levels of completion. I just want to make sure you are working on the project. Refer to the marketing plan instructions in the Content area of the course.
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 8 Week 6 Setting Product Strategy and Managing Services Read Chapters 12 and 13. (You might also want to skim Chapter 17. It is covered in week 8, but keep in mind that you may need to use a combination of advertising, sales promotional techniques, events, PR, direct marketing, and personal selling for your marketing plan.) Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 11 Read and discuss the Toyota case on p. 352. Discuss their successes, vulnerabilities and where you recommend they should go in the future based on your Internet research and critical thinking analysis. Include information related to product strategy in your discussion from the text backed by research from the web. Research a minimum of 3 articles in stating your case. Topic 12 Services are different from goods; however it is important that the marketer develop and produce designs that are specific to a particular service. Discuss the distinctive characteristics of services in depth, and give examples of each characteristic. Then review the video on AFLAC. After reviewing the video, research three articles on AFLAC that illustrate its strengths and current weaknesses in the market as it relates to its service delivery. Dropbox Assignment 4: Read the case of page 379 on Ritz Carlton. Research the company on the web and indicate how Ritz Carlton has been able to excel in customer service. Provide specific examples. Then discuss 3 reasons for Ritz Carlton s success, 3 of its current vulnerabilities and a minimum of 3 recommendations to enhance the high standards of excellence this hotel provides. Course Evaluations: Please evaluate the course. A link will be sent to your CougarMail that will allow you to access the evaluation. Week 7 Developing Pricing Strategies and Programs Read Chapter 14 and 15. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 13 - Think about the various pricing objectives described in Chapter 14. Determining your pricing objective is important to product positioning and in setting an appropriate price. In this discussion, give an example of a company that is using survival, profit maximization, market share maximization, maximum market skimming, and product quality leadership pricing. In addition to the company name and the product, briefly describe your reasoning as to why the product s price illustrates the firm s pricing objective. Use sources from the text to back up your reasoning. Topic 14 Review the video on Progressive Insurance. Provide a brief summary of the video content and then answer the questions that are found with topic instructions in the Weekly Overview under Week 6 in the Content area of the course. This paper will include a short summary of the video content, answers to assigned questions and conclude with the student s insights as it relates to the design and management of integrated marketing channels. Marketing Plan (Full Version): The finished full version of your marketing plan is due this week. Please submit it to the
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 9 appropriate folder in the Dropbox area of the course. Week 8 Designing and Managing Integrated Marketing Communications; Introducing New Product Offerings Final Exam: Read Chapter 17 and 20. Incorporate information from your chapter readings into your Topic 15 - Choose a major brand and visit their website. Also, research other forms of the brand s promotion and prepare an informal Communication Audit. You should be able to locate a minimum of three different promotions, and for some brands, many more. Who is the target market based on the communication? What message is being communicated? Are the promotions consistent in their message? Which of the communication forms are, in your opinion, the most effective and why? Look for a company that has developed a new product in the last 18 months. Discuss what type of new product has been introduced, and indicate how you feel the company arrived at the decision to launch a new product. Each student will need to use a different brand so you may wish to reserve your brand online right away in the "Brand Choice" discussion topic. You may access the Final Exam in the Quizzes area of the course. The exam covers Chapters 10-15, 17 and 20. The exam will feature true and false, multiple choice and essay questions. There is not a set time limit on the exam; however, essay answers are expected to be indepth and completely answer the question. The exam is worth 125 points and is open book and open note. You may work on the exam and save it and reopen it when you are ready to continue. It is important that you do not submit the exam until it is completed. Only one submission is allowed. You need to have read the chapters and studied the review. No late exams are accepted. The exam will be available to you on Wednesday of Week 8 at 6PM and close on Saturday of Week 8 (the last day of class), at 11:59PM CT. Note that there is a discussion area set up for students to use as it relates to the review outline. This will remain open until 5:30PM on Wednesday, the day the exam opens. Course Policies Student Conduct Plagiarism All Columbia College students, whether enrolled in a land-based or online course, are responsible for behaving in a manner consistent with Columbia College's Student Conduct Code and Acceptable Use Policy. Students violating these policies will be referred to the office of Student Affairs and/or the office of Academic Affairs for possible disciplinary action. The Student Code of Conduct and the Computer Use Policy for students can be found in the Columbia College Student Handbook. The Handbook is available online; you can also obtain a copy by calling the Student Affairs office (Campus Life) at 573-875-7400. The teacher maintains the right to manage a positive learning environment, and all students must adhere to the conventions of online etiquette. Your grade will be based in large part on the originality of your ideas and your written presentation of these ideas. Presenting the words, ideas, or expression of another in any form as your own is plagiarism. Students who fail to properly give credit for information contained in their written work (papers, journals, exams, etc.) are violating the intellectual property rights of the original author. For proper citation of the original authors, you should reference the appropriate publication manual for
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 10 your degree program or course (APA, MLA, etc.). Violations are taken seriously in higher education and may result in a failing grade on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, or dismissal from the College. Assignments must also be original work, whereby the majority of the work is not taken verbatim from other sources, even when properly cited. Citing sources is not a substitute for creating your own work by assimilating information and doing your own analysis, which is expected at the master's level. Refer to plagiarism guidelines, and the "Depth and Analytical Skills" portion of the rubric. Collaboration conducted between students without prior permission from the instructor is considered plagiarism and will be treated as such. Spouses and roommates taking the same course should be particularly careful. All required papers may be submitted for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers may be included in the Turnitin.com reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. This service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site. Non-Discrimination There will be no discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, veteran status, age, physical handicap, or marital status. Disability Services Students with documented disabilities who may need academic services for this course are required to register with the Coordinator for Disability Services at (573) 875-7626. Until the student has been cleared through the disability services office, accommodations do not have to be granted. If you are a student who has a documented disability, it is important for you to read the entire syllabus before enrolling in the course. The structure or the content of the course may make an accommodation not feasible. Online Participation You are expected to read the assigned texts and participate in the discussions and other course activities each week. Assignments should be posted by the due dates stated on the grading schedule in your syllabus. If an emergency arises that prevents you from participating in class, please let your instructor know as soon as possible. Attendance Policy Attendance for a week will be counted as having submitted a course assignment for which points have been earned during that week of the session or if the proctoring information has been submitted or the plagiarism quiz taken if there is no other assignment due that week. A class week is defined as the period of time between Monday and Sunday (except for Week 8, when the week and the course will end on Saturday at midnight). The course and system deadlines are all based on the Central Time Zone. Cougar E-mail All students are provided a CougarMail account when they enroll in classes at Columbia College. You are responsible for monitoring e-mail from that account for important messages from the College and from your instructor. You may forward your Cougar e-mail account to another account; however, the College cannot be held responsible for breaches in security or service interruptions with other e-mail providers. Students should use e-mail for private messages to the instructor and other students. The class discussions are for public messages so the class members can each see what others have to say about
Columbia College Online Campus P a g e 11 any given topic and respond. Late Assignment Policy An online class requires regular participation and a commitment to your instructor and your classmates to regularly engage in the reading, discussion and writing assignments. Although most of the online communication for this course is asynchronous, you must be able to commit to the schedule of work for the class for the next eight weeks. You must keep up with the schedule of reading and writing to successfully complete the class. Course Evaluation No credit is given for late discussion postings. No credit is given for late exams. All late (Dropbox) assignments are worth only 50% of the original potential points possible. Note: You have only one week to submit late (Dropbox) work; after one week, the assignment is worth zero points. You will have an opportunity to evaluate the course near the end of the session. A link will be sent to your CougarMail that will allow you to access the evaluation. Be assured that the evaluations are anonymous and that your instructor will not be able to see them until after final grades are submitted. Additional Resources Orientation for New Students This course is offered online, using course management software provided by Desire2Learn and Columbia College. The Student Manual provides details about taking an online course at Columbia College. You may also want to visit the course demonstration to view a sample course before this one opens. Technical Support If you have problems accessing the course or posting your assignments, contact your instructor, the Columbia College Helpdesk, or the D2L Helpdesk for assistance. Contact information is also available within the online course environment. CCHelpDesk@ccis.edu 800-231-2391 ex. 4357 helpdesk@desire2learn.com 877-325-7778 Online Tutoring Smarthinking is a free online tutoring service available to all Columbia College students. Smarthinking provides real-time online tutoring and homework help for Math, English, and Writing. Smarthinking also provides access to live tutorials in writing and math, as well as a full range of study resources, including writing manuals, sample problems, and study skills manuals. You can access the service from wherever you have a connection to the Internet. I encourage you to take advantage of this free service provided by the college. Access Smarthinking through CougarTrack under Students->Academics->Academic Resources.