GSBA-509a: MARKETING MANAGEMENT
1.5 Units – Term 2 – Fall 2015
Instructor: / Miriam BurgosOffice: / ACC 226 (Accounting Building, Room 226)
Office Hours: / By appointment, anytime Monday to Saturday
Phone: / (626) 627-3029 – cell – call or text anytime
Email: /
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The GSBA 509a curriculum will prepare students to:
§ Develop insightful, useful market analyses using the foundational 4Ps, 3Cs marketing framework that will be covered in class. Your understanding of this foundational model in marketing will be reinforced throughout the term via cases, lectures, and group activities.
§ Evaluate market dynamics in a variety of industries, organizations and business settings through situation analysis of the industry/market, competition, and customers;
§ Analyze primary and secondary research data to make sound marketing and business decisions;
§ Identify and define viable market segments and develop and introduce products/services that meet the needs of these segments with excellence, to increase customer and company value within a variety of industries, firms and types of customers in the global marketplace;
§ Recognize the importance of customer satisfaction, marketing performance metrics, effective salesforce management, and the impact of effective marketing on profitability;
§ Develop an effective Strategic Marketing Plan based on customer expectations of identified market segments combined with other goals and metrics such as your company’s internal Marketing ROI requirements; and
§ Formulate objectives and strategies that increase sales and profitability by identifying market opportunities that maximize customer and company value and that tie in with each of the 4Ps.
In general terms, the topics that will be covered in the course include:
§ Introduction to the Principles of Marketing
§ Customer Analysis
§ Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning
§ Product, Brand and Portfolio Management
§ Promotion – Integrated Marketing Communications and Social Media
§ Place or Distribution
§ Price
§ Brand Management and Expansion – real-world applications and examples
§ Customer Relationship Management
§ New Product Development Methodologies
§ Category Management
§ Portfolio Analysis (understanding how to evaluate your company’s product assortment, as well as your choice of categories in which to compete – and how these concepts can also apply in service industries)
§ Marketing in Emerging Markets
§ Managing Performance and Marketing Analytics
§ Digital Media and Mobile Marketing Strategies
§ Multi-Cultural Marketing, International Marketing, and Clustering
§ B2B vs. B2C Marketing – differences and similarities
§ Technology Marketing, such as DOOH – Digital Out-of-Home Advertising
GSBA 509a is also designed to enhance students’ team-building, problem-solving, critical thinking, leadership, and analytical skills to facilitate their ability to assess and resolve key marketing issues in a global marketplace.
The culmination of the course will consist of a project portfolio (which will involve revisiting and analyzing cases completed in 509a, as well as one entirely new case). The project portfolio will require you and your team to recall and apply the principles and techniques covered throughout the course.
**Please note that your instructor may make minor changes to the course schedule to accommodate speakers’ schedules, if necessary. In the event that changes are made, you will be notified in class and via Blackboard far in advance of the change, for your planning purposes.**
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVESThe learning outcomes of the course are to acquire the skills and knowledge to:
1. Utilize analytical marketing tools, combined with the 4Ps & 3C’s marketing model, to assess business problems, make more effective marketing recommendations, and successfully address the marketing challenges that business leaders face.
2. Develop and present sound, innovative, effective, and ethical strategies that address or resolve commonly-encountered marketing challenges in the global marketplace.
3. Formulate objectives and strategies that increase sales and profitability by identifying market opportunities that maximize customer and company value.
4. Assess and resolve key marketing issues, including potential ethical dilemmas, in a global-marketplace context using global leadership, team-building, problem-solving, critical thinking and analytical skills.
COURSE MATERIALS§ Course Reader of selected book chapters, articles, and cases. (Required)
§ Kotler, Philip, and Kevin L. Keller. Marketing management, 14th Edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 2012. ISBN# 978-0132102926
(Please note: there is a more recent edition of this book but the 14th edition is recommended for this class because purchasing it will be more economical, and using this edition will not compromise your understanding of fundamental marketing concepts. This textbook is required for our course.)
§ Selected HBR articles. Please see me for specific areas of interest. (Optional – provided by instructor upon request.)
COURSE METHODOLOGYA combination of assigned readings, in-class exercises, case analyses, and class discussions will be used to accomplish the learning objectives for this course. The main purpose of these activities will be to illustrate real-world applications of fundamental marketing concepts. Students will be challenged to apply their critical-thinking, analytical, problem-solving, and team-building skills. The project portfolio will be an opportunity for students to reflect on the work they have completed throughout the course. The course will push students to apply analytical tools and techniques to real-world scenarios to create data-driven solutions for the marketing challenges presented in class.
GRADINGThe following 1,000 point grading system will be used for the Marketing Management GSBA 509a course:
Topic / Percentage of Grade / Points / Due Date(See Class Schedule)
Class Participation / 5% / 50 / August 24th - October 7th
Case Study, choose 1 of 3 / 10% / 100 / 8/28, 9/2, or 9/30
Mid-Term Exam / 25% / 250 / Mon. 9/21
Project Portfolio / 30% / 300 / Friday, October 9th
Final Exam
/ 30% / 300 / Wednesday, October 14th, 8-11 am
Total / 100% / 1,000
The Marketing Department follows the grading policy of the Marshall Graduate School of Business. For this course, the grading standard is therefore an average of 3.3.
Final course letter grades will represent how you perform in the class relative to other students, i.e. your grade will be based on your performance and the target GPA of 3.3. Four items are considered when assigning final grades:
1. Your average weighted score as a percentage of the available points for all assignments (the points you
receive divided by the number of points possible).
2. The overall average percentage score within all cores.
3. Your ranking among all students in all cores.
4. Target course GPA of 3.3.
Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Please notify me in advance if you are unable to attend any class session whenever possible, so that we can make arrangements for you to catch up on the material you will miss. Discussions are an integral part of your learning experience in this course. The frequency and quality of your participation in and contribution to these discussions will have a direct and meaningful relationship to the short- and long-term benefits of the course.
LAPTOP OR OTHER COMMUNCIATION DEVICES POLICYTo maximize the richness of the learning experience, eliminate distractions and to demonstrate the utmost respect for all, you are expected to refrain from using laptops, smart phones, iPhones, iPads or any other electronic devices during class. There may (or may not) be some exceptions to this rule if the material we are covering on a particular day requires the use of a laptop. If that is the case, you will be notified in advance by your instructor. Otherwise, please refrain from the use of electronic devices in class as listed above.
For additional perspective on this expectation in our course, please refer to the abstract of a very interesting article recently published in Psychological Science at the following URL: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/25/6/1159
I can provide a copy of the full article if you would like to have it for your reference.
The article is titled “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking”, and it offers compelling evidence that longhand note-taking is highly beneficial to students’ cognitive processes, including (and especially) retention.
CLASS PREPARATIONClass participation is an extremely important part of the learning experience in this course. The degree of preparation by all students prior to each class session will have a direct impact on the quality of interaction among students during class discussions. Research has shown that in-class discussion and reflection about readings is essential to cognitive processes such as retention of material. I therefore expect every student to carefully review and prepare all cases and(or) readings prior to class discussion.
Additionally, a course that incorporates the frequent use of case analyses to illustrate the practical application of fundamental principles requires the students to carefully formulate data-driven recommendations and solutions prior to each class session. It follows that my expectation (and that of your classmates) will be that you arrive prepared for all classes and actively participate in and meaningfully contribute to class discussions.
Please be aware of the fact that “cold-calling” will take place to encourage active participation. In-class participation grading will be based on students’ demonstrated willingness to participate and the quality of the comments expressed, rather than quantity. While some students are far more comfortable than others with class participation, all students should make an effort to contribute meaningfully in every class.
Students will offer their opinions in group settings many times in their careers; thus, class participation serves to prepare students for this business experience.
The evaluation of in-class participation is based on the following criteria:
§ Relevance – Does the comment meaningfully relate to the subject at hand? Irrelevant or inappropriate comments can detract from the learning experience.
§ Responsiveness – Does the comment connect to what someone else has said?
§ Analysis – Is the reasoning employed consistent and logical? Has data from course materials, personal experience, or general knowledge been employed to support the assertions/findings?
§ Value – Does the contribution further the understanding of the issues at hand?
§ Clarity – Is the comment concise and understandable?
To underscore the importance of participation, 5% of the course grade or 50 of 1,000 points are allocated to class participation. Absences, tardiness and unprofessional conduct will result in the loss of participation credit.
I will assume the role of a discussion facilitator during class sessions, and I expect each of you to take the initiative to contribute meaningfully to our group discussions.
Please note that even if a class activity is “ungraded”, it still counts towards your overall participation score in this course. You will fill out peer evals for certain activities (more details to be provided in class), and your instructor will use the feedback provided on those peer evals to make a final decision about your participation score for certain activities.
CASE STUDIESCase studies offer an excellent opportunity for students to practice and strengthen their critical-thinking skills. They are also a great opportunity to apply concepts to real-world situations.
In this course, you will submit one case study (you choose one out of three). You will also read and “prepare” ungraded case studies, but your professor will give you more instructions in class about how to prepare for ungraded cases (a much more informal process compared to completion of the graded cases).
MID-TERM EXAMThe mid-term exam will be on Monday, September 21. It will cover key topics from sessions 1 - 8. Details on the content and format will be discussed in class. This exam represents 25 percent of the final grade or 250 out of 1,000 points.
PROJECT PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT (A TEAM PROJECT)The Project Portfolio is to be submitted via Blackboard by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9th (which is NOT a day when we have class). The Project Portfolio represents 30 percent of the final grade or 300 out of 1,000 points. A penalty of 10 percent per day will be assessed for late submissions. Additional handouts with detailed instructions regarding the Project Portfolio will be distributed in class and posted on Blackboard shortly after our first class session.
The Project Portfolio will be completed in teams. The Portfolio is intended to help you synthesize and retain the knowledge you have acquired via each of the cases we will cover in class, including the graded one, by having you revisit each case using prompts provided by your instructor. The final component of the Portfolio will be one entirely new case analysis that you will complete with your team. A detailed outline of what should be covered in your Portfolio, as well as the “entirely new” case, will be distributed via Blackboard and thoroughly explained in class later in the term.
The grade for this assignment may be influenced by each team member’s contributions. Please complete the peer evaluation form at the end of this syllabus and submit it hard copy, in class, on the day of our final exam (Oct. 14). Grades for individuals may be impacted based on this assessment. More detail about this policy will be explained in class.
FINAL EXAMThe final exam for this course will consist of questions on course concepts and their application. It will be cumulative. The final exam will be on Wednesday, October 14th from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. It constitutes 30 percent of the final grade or 300 out of 1,000 points.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITYUSC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include
the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be
submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own
academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students
are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, (www.usc.edu/scampus or http://scampus.usc.edu) contains the University Student Conduct
Code (see University Governance, Section 11.00), while the recommended sanctions are located in
Appendix A.
Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further
review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/. Failure to adhere to the academic conduct standards set forth by these guidelines and our programs will not be tolerated by the USC Marshall community and can lead to dismissal.