SYLLABUS Digital Marketing and E-commerce (MKT 352) Section SF1, 1 September- 15 December 2010 Fall 2010, San Francisco Campus Wednesday, 4-6:50 p.m. Instructor: Blodwen Tarter, Ph.D. Phone: 415-442-6587 Email: btarter@ggu.edu Office hours by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES From the GGU Catalog: The nature of digital marketing and ecommerce is constantly evolving and key issues change rapidly. This course will examine timely concerns at the intersection of marketing and technology. The course emphasizes marketing but gives due attention to enabling technology and selected new media. Learn how internet marketing works, how ecommerce business models interact and how to integrate online and offline marketing. Topics include basic internet technology for marketers, buyer behavior online, online privacy and security issues, online branding, website design and customer interfaces, public policy for digital interaction, web analytics, online payments, electronic marketing techniques such as banner advertising, outbound email and paid search advertising. Analyze how integrated multi-channel marketing works and examine emerging electronic media. NOTE: This course was formerly called Advanced Marketing Issues in e-business PREREQUISITE: MKT 300 Marketing Management. Learning Objectives After successfully completing this course, students should be able to: - Define different types of e-commerce business models and identify examples of each model. - Describe the fundamental capabilities and marketing implications of enabling e-business technology including security and online payment systems. - Research and analyze the behavior and needs of buyers in the online environment and use that information to target customers and provide a satisfying e-commerce experience. - Describe and apply internet marketing techniques including branding in an online environment, banner and paid search advertising, outbound email, and website design. Position these techniques within the overall integrated marketing communications program. - Evaluate the quality of the user experience online and recommend improvements. - Investigate and explain differences between selected countries in internet access, usage, and e-commerce as a foundation for segmenting and targeting specific markets. - Describe selected public policy issues for internet marketing and e-commerce, critique existing approaches, and propose alternatives, if needed. - As a part of a team, collaboratively develop an internet marketing plan including strategy and tactics with measurable goals and evaluation measures. Students will also practice making presentations individually and as part of a group. CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR: I will check email and the CyberCampus class site regularly. I will usually respond to email within 24 hours during the week and within 48 hours on the weekend & holidays. Include MKT 352 in the subject line of any email about the course. Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 1 of 8
REQUIRED MATERIALS AND TOOLS TEXTBOOK: Kenneth C. Laudon and Carol Guercio Traver, E-Commerce: Business. Technology. Society. 6th edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010. Print edition ISBN 0-13-610057-0. E-text ISBN 0-13-610058-9 at http://www.coursesmart.com/0136100589/?a=1773944. OTHER: a) We will refer often to Michael Rappa s website Managing the Digital Enterprise at digitalenterprise.org/index.html. b) Additional required and recommended readings may be found in CyberCampus, via URLs listed in the weekly Agenda, or online through ECR, the GGU Library Electronic Course Reserves. c) The course requires use of CyberCampus, the World Wide Web, email with attachments, and the ability to write, open and read files in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. COURSE LOGISTICS AND NAVIGATION Class meets Wednesdays, for 16 weeks, 1 September- 15 December 2010 with final evaluations due by 17 December. Each week typically involves: 1) Reading from the textbook, cases, handouts, and material online. Readings and chapter quizzes should be completed prior to the class meeting. Visit CyberCampus regularly for lecture slides, the weekly Agenda, assignment details, and additional reading. 2) Lectures, a guest speaker, and/or student presentations (online or in class). 3) Discussion of current topics and cases (online or in class). 4) Preparing assignments. Submit written assignments via Dropbox by 4 pm Wednesday. 5) Posting Reflections online at the end of each weekly session. EVALUATION AND GRADING Participation 14% Chapter quizzes 6% Individual Assignments Business model assignment 5% Comparative website analysis 10% Social media marketing assignment 9% Public policy assignment 9% Global e-commerce assignment 5% Hot topic paper & presentation 12% Team Assignments Team project 30% Final paper and presentation 25% Team participation 5% Some required assignments will not receive individual grades. Failure to complete ungraded assignments will be reflected in a lower overall course grade. Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 2 of 8
As a graduate course, students should, on average, perform at a B level. The grade of B means you are meeting the basic expectations for this course. This is superior to the average work of an undergraduate. You study the material and understand it. You expand your understanding by using materials beyond the textbook. You participate constructively in all discussions, enhancing your learning and those of other students. Your written work is timely and well-written. (B-=80-82.9%, B=83-86.9%, B+=87-89.9%) Work that is superior to the average graduate student earns an A. Superior work has greater depth and application and is very well-written. A grade of A means the instructor considers your work excellent and of a distinguished professional caliber. (A-=90-92.9%, A=93-100%) Work that does not meet the basic expectations of a graduate student earns less than a B. While C is a passing grade, it indicates your work is of lower quality than expected for the graduate level and would not be acceptable in a professional setting. (C-=70-72.9%, C=73-76.9%, C+=77-79.9%; D-=60-62.9%, D=63-66.9%, D+=67-69.9%; F=<60%) PARTICIPATION Your participation is essential. Each student should contribute to our discussions and be professional in his or her contributions. Bring to bear the course material, relevant experience, your research and interests, as well as reflections upon others' contributions. Participation is evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. I expect comments, questions, and active, regular involvement in class and online discussions, team meetings, and exercises. Prepare by reading the material and completing the assignments prior to each discussion. Contributions are particularly valued when they demonstrate thorough analysis of the course material and assignments; contribute insight into current digital marketing practices; build upon others contributions; and are fact-based. Question, analyze, and expand don t just agree or disagree. Be sure to participate online as well as in class. Online Reflections and discussions count. Part of your grade will be based upon your classmates evaluation of your contribution to your team s work, including analysis, writing, presentation, and professional behavior. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS Effective writing helps clarify ideas and communicate those ideas to others. Be organized, clear, and succinct. Grammar, punctuation, style, and spelling count. Write in graduate-level American English that is appropriate to the business community. Papers will be graded on the following criteria: 1. Clear and thorough application of internet marketing and e-commerce concepts and principles (including material covered in the assigned reading, lectures, and discussions). 2. Demonstration of original, logical, strategic thinking including a complete analysis of facts, logical synthesis, and persuasive conclusion/recommendation. Address the specific requirements of the assignment. Support the analysis with specific examples or calculations. 3. Quality of research (depth, breadth, appropriateness) and proper acknowledgement, including complete citations of references using in-text notes, when appropriate. Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 3 of 8
4. Appropriate language and tone, accurate spelling, correct grammar, appropriate punctuation, and logical organization. You will not receive an A if your writing is awkward, contains significant grammatical or punctuation errors, or is disorganized. If you need assistance with writing the San Francisco Writing Center provides drop-in help and by appointment. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) is available for students online. Individual Written Assignments Reflections. At the end of each week, please reflect upon what we have covered in the justcompleted session. By Tuesday evening, please respond, online, to four questions: 1. What was new or thought-provoking from this session? 2. What was the most important thing you learned? 3. With what further questions were you left? 4. What could we do to enrich this session? In most cases, graded written assignments should be based upon substantial research from a variety of credible sources that go beyond what is available in the assigned readings and what is easily available on the internet. All sources should be appropriately identified and credited using the APA citation format. More details for assignments will be provided online in the weekly Agenda. Individual graded assignments will include: Hot topic paper. Investigate an approved topic of current interest in internet marketing or e- commerce, write a paper, and present the topic to the class. The proposal is due early in the term. The written paper is due in Week 12 and the presentations will take place Week 14. Business model. Describe an assigned type of business model, then find an example of a company utilizing this business model. Explain the customer value proposition, revenue model, the marketspace in which the company operates (including the competition), and any comparative advantages the company has. Assess whether this model is effective for the company, which will require that you understand the company s revenue and profitability. Use the provided worksheet. Website comparison. Analyze and compare 2 different websites in the same industry. Public policy. You will research an assigned public policy issue and take a position on it. Global e-commerce. Pick a country, other than the U.S. or those featured in the assigned reading, and investigate the current nature, scope, and penetration of the internet and e-commerce there. Identify any issues impacting e-commerce. What are the problems anssd opportunities? Illustrate your summary with facts and examples. Include an overview of the most common uses of the internet in the country, barriers to adoption, governmental or infrastructure constraints. Social network marketing. You will create (or enhance) a profile on a social network early in the term, then later report on the marketing techniques of this network and their effectiveness. Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 4 of 8
Team Project As part of a team, you will complete an in-depth project, due at the end of the term. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the concepts and techniques covered in the course and to apply these techniques. Preliminary papers will be required to assist you in completing your project. Your team will present the project to the class, using PowerPoint, and write a paper. I will assign teams early in the term. The number and size of teams depend upon course enrollment. Your perspective is that of a consultant retained to evaluate e-commerce and digital marketing opportunities for a company, including cross-channel promotion and revenue and profit increases. Analyze the company s existing internet marketing & e-commerce practices and that of its competition. Recommend changes for improvement and the continuation of existing excellent practices. Position your plan within the context of the company s overall marketing plan and justify all recommendations. Documented secondary research is required; primary research is encouraged. Each team member will receive the same grade for the project paper and presentation. Organize your team early in the course. Allocate the work equitably, agree upon methods of communication, determine dates for contributions, and honor your commitments to one another. Each group will establish a team contract stating expectations and norms and provide a copy to the instructor. Under extraordinary circumstances, a student who does not contribute equitably to the team effort will receive a lower grade for the project than the rest of the team. You will evaluate each team member's contribution to the team (5%) and I will incorporate your feedback into my final assessment of each student. If you fail to provide an assessment of your team members you will receive no credit (F) for team participation. Guidelines for Written Assignments Submit written assignments via Dropbox by 4 pm Wednesday. Use Microsoft Word for Windows or RTF format only (no PDFs). A page is the equivalent of a 1.5 line-spaced 8.5 x 11-inch paper with one-inch margins using 12-point type. Follow the page length guidelines for each assignment. All work should contain the student name(s) and email address(es), the course name and number, the date the assignment is submitted, and the name of the assignment. Assignments are due as noted in the syllabus and as amended in class, via email or CyberCampus.A penalty will be assessed for unexcused late assignments. If you have problems with due dates consult me prior to the due date. Upon occasion I may request that you rewrite an assignment. This is entirely at my discretion. Naming documents. For every assignment you submit, please begin the file name with your last name (or team name), followed by the name of the assignment. File name examples. Pay attention to this requirement!! -Your last name is Smith. You submit the Cusco case. EXAMPLE: Smith Cusco.doc -Your team s name is Peach. You submit the project proposal. EXAMPLE: Peach Proposal.doc Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 5 of 8
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: All Work Must Be Your Own Students must be honest in their academic work. Plagiarism and cheating are unacceptable and, if discovered, either will result in automatic failure. There are no extenuating circumstances. All assignments must represent original work developed by the student(s) for this class. Sources of primary and secondary information referenced must receive appropriate credit, using standard APA citation format. This includes direct quotations and paraphrased material. Word-for-word quotations should be enclosed within quotation marks or, if extensive, indented. Should you have any question how standards of academic integrity apply specifically to this course, please contact the instructor for clarification before taking any action about which you have questions. For a complete statement of Golden Gate University s Policy on Academic Honesty see www.ggu.edu/student_services/student_life/griffin_student_handbook/policy_academic_honesty For assistance on citing sources consult a printed handbook or http://www.ggu.edu/university_library/research_assistance/research_assistance_citing_sources. Students should use www.turnitin.com to assess papers for borrowed material and to help ensure appropriate acknowledgement of sources. The course ID and class password will be provided. ACCOMODATIONS If you require accommodations due to a disability, please notify the instructor and GGU s coordinator of disability services by 15 September 2010. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Blodwen Tarter has over 20 years of management experience in marketing, product and systems development, strategic planning, and operations management with an emphasis on financial services and information technology. Dr. Tarter holds a BA and MA from Stanford University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD from Golden Gate University. Her e-commerce experience includes developing the first website for Charles Schwab (a leading financial services firm), product development of online mortgage services; and marketing to businesses and to consumers via digital media such as paid search, banner advertising, and email. She is the chair of the Marketing and Public Relations department in the Ageno School of Business and an awardwinning case writer. Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 6 of 8
COURSE OUTLINE This schedule is subject to change. More details and additional reading may be provided in class, via email or online. Chapter readings refer to Laudon and Traver, E-Commerce: Business. Technology. Society. 6th edition. Online means post online on CyberCampus. Reflections posted online are due weekly after our class meeting. Complete the readings and chapter quizzes BEFORE class meeting each week. DATE TOPICS ASSIGNMENTS Week 1: Course overview. 1 Sept Introduction to internet marketing and e-commerce. Business models (begin). Read: Chapter 1, 2; Syllabus, Project Guidelines, online Course Home and Week 1. Business Models on the Web at digitalenterprise.org/models/models.html Navigating the Web digitalenterprise.org/navigation/nav.html Week 2: 8 Sept Week 3 15 Sept Week 4 22 Sept Week 5: 29 Sept Week 6: 6 October Week 7 13 October Week 8: 20 October Business models (continued) Research methods & library resources. Introduction to internet and WWW technology including security. Know your customer: Buyer behavior, segmentation, targeting. Marketing research. The customer experience: Web design, customer service, Quality of the online experience Online pricing and payment systems. Digital marketing: overview, the website, branding, banner ads, affiliate marketing, CRM Digital marketing: Paid search, search engine optimization (SEO), comparison shopping engines Digital marketing: email, RSS, podcasting, marketing with social media such as blogs, CRM Due: a) Personal data- in class or via Dropbox b) Get Acquainted online Read: Chapter 3, 5.0-5.4 Digital Automata at digitalenterprise.org/automata/automata.html Security at digitalenterprise.org/security/security.html Trust in CyberSpace at digitalenterprise.org/trust/trust.html Due: a) Hot Topic paper proposal & article summary b) Chapter 1, 2, 3 quiz Read: Chapter 6, especially 6.0-6.3, Due: a) Business model assignment b) Chapter 6 quiz Read: Chapter 4, including REI case; 7.3 Digital Design at http://digitalenterprise.org/design/design.html Due: a) Team contract b) Chapter 4 quiz Read: Chapter 5.5-5.9, review p. 406-412 Due: a) Website comparison b) Chapter 5 quiz Read: Review Chapter 6.4-6.6, 7 Due: Chapter 7 quiz Read: Review Chapter 7, material online Due: Team project update Read: Review Chapter 7, material online Due: Create (or enhance) social network profile Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 7 of 8
Week 9: 27 October Week 10: 3 November Week 11: 10 November Week 12: 17 November Week 13 24 November Week 14 1 December Class meets online Week 15 8 December Week 16 15 December Web analytics & marketing metrics Public policy: social, legal, ethical, political issues for e-commerce Global opportunities and issues Retailing (e-tailing) Disintermediation Channel conflict Services online Online content & digital media B2B e-commerce Social networks Auctions Portals Hot Topic presentations Conclusion and review. Begin project presentations, if needed. Final project presentations. Final evaluations. Read: Review Chapter 6.3, 7.2 Web Analytics at digitalenterprise.org/metrics/metrics.html Google Analytics Features and Product Tour http://www.google.com/analytics/features.html http://www.google.com/analytics/tour.html Read: Chapter 7.4, Chapter 8. Intellectual Property at digitalenterprise.org/ip/ip.html, Ethics at digitalenterprise.org/ethics/ethics.html, Data Privacy at digitalenterprise.org/privacy/privacy.html Due: a) Public policy assignment b) Chapter 8 quiz Read: Global Markets reading online Due: Global e-commerce assignment Read: Chapter 9, especially 9.0-9.3 Channel Conflict at digitalenterprise.org/channels/channel.html Due: Chapter 9 quiz Read: Chapter 9, especially 9.4-9.9, 10, 12 Due: a) Hot topic paper b) Chapter 10, 12 quiz Read: Chapter 11 Due: a) Project draft b) Chapter 11 quiz Read: Online presentations of Hot Topics Due: a) Online presentations of Hot Topics, respond to classmate questions online b) Analysis of social network marketing Read: No additional assigned reading this week. Due: a) Final project in-class presentation b) University course evaluations Due: a) Final paper due 15 December b) Instructor's course evaluation due 17 December c) Team evaluations due 17 December Syllabus Fall 2010 version 1.0 Page 8 of 8