PSYCHOLOGY 550a,b -- PROSEMINARS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Instructor Prof. Ernest Greene
804 SGM 818.353.4051
Office hours to be arranged
Note to prospective program applicants: The 550a and 550b proseminars are offered in the fall and spring, respectively, and the following description of course design and requirements is from the Spring 2011 semester. Every effort is made to tailor the content to the backgrounds and career aspirations of the students who are enrolled, so what will be taught in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 will likely differ from what is described below.
General Overview
The Master’s in Human Behavior program is designed to prepare students for careers in communications, marketing, market research, and human resources. The proseminar is an introduction to the field. A major part of this course will be instruction related to assigned readings, in-class discussions of readings, and reports analyzing other text materials. We will focus on two areas that are of importance to businesses, public service organizations, and government agencies, these being marketing and management. Details on specific week-by-week assignments and grading are given below.
A second aspect of this course will have students contribute to a blog. This experience will teach basic principles of social media marketing, and the kind of teamwork that is essential for work in advertising, public relations, or in the marketing department of a company or public service organization. Contribution to the blog will also provide each student with certification of expertise that may be beneficial with respect to career options. To be assured of that blog entries demonstrate advanced mastery of the subject matter, entries will be vetted each week for quality of insight and sophistication of discourse.
Blog topics will include: social media, market research, consumer psychology, blog trending, marketing, advertising, media trending, Twitter/Facebook, public relations, human resources, higher education and thought leadership. In order to develop content, each student will be assigned a Google Alert that will provide links to news stories or other material whenone of the aforementioned key words has appeared on the Internet.
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Comments from individuals outside the MHB program will be encouraged, and will often provide the basis for reply as a blog entry.
A third source of instruction will be from lectures provided by senior professionals representing various commercial enterprises, a number of whom have offered an internship to our qualified MHB students. These individuals draw on real-world experiences in their successful business careers and thus provide insights that have practical value for every student in the MHB program. Some time will be reserved at the end of each talk so that speakers can provide personal career advice.
Course Structure
The class time from 1:00 – 2:00 is reserved for vetting of blog submissions. Each student is expected to provide a minimum of one post to the blog every three weeks.
Students bring suggested concepts and drafts of their potential post material for class discussion and editorial review. At each class meeting, these concepts, drafts, and final copy will be vetted by the class members. The postings will focus on concepts and issues relating to communication, marketing, market research, and human resources.
From 2:00 -3:15 we turn our attention to the readings that are assigned for that week. Some of the assigned reading are chapters in two well-respected textbooks, these being Kellogg on Marketing (by Alice Tybout & Bobby Calder) and Management (by Peter Drucker). Other readings are provided by case studies drawn from the Harvard Business Publishing collection. The textbook chapters and case studies cover basic principles of marketing and management as they are normally taught by business schools, and it is important to know these principles. However, a founding principle for the MHB program is that the major factor that determines success or failure in any commercial or non-commercial enterprise is the degree to which knowledge of human behavior has contributed to analysis and action. For the written and oral assignments described below, you will be asked to emphasize psychological and social concepts as a way to demonstrate the benefits of this expertise.
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Three case studies will be assigned each week, two that are relatively brief and one that is longer. A brief written report (1-2 pages) will be required for each of the shorter
case studies, and these are due at the beginning of the class session. The report should reference a concept discussed in the textbook that is especially pertinent to the case. You should also propose a psychological principle, or more broadly, a social science principle, that contributes to a deeper, more complete understanding or plan for action. When a plan for action is deduced from the scientific principle being proposed, a brief description of a practical research design that an organization might employ should be proposed to illustrate the utility of understanding the principle.
A majority of the period from 2:00-3:15 will be used for in-depth discussion of the third case study. Five class members will be chosen at random to serve as discussion leaders. To properly prepare for this role, each student should develop a minimum of five different aspects of the case studies for elaboration. The elaboration should address how
each illustrates or seemingly contradicts a major concept or process presented in the text readings for that week and how scientific principle of human behavior might be applied. The case studies that will be the subject of these discussions are especially long to help preclude a shortage of issues that might be brought to the table. Preparing a minimum of five topics assures that each discussion leader will have a different topic, thus avoiding redundancy. Additionally, this preparation assures that class members who are not chosen to be discussion leaders will have insights to contribute during the ongoing full class exploration of the subject.
The assigned chapters will provide material that is relevant to the discussion, and the discussion leader should include at least one point from those chapters. However, the major focus of the discussion should be on what psychological and/or social concepts are relevant to the case. If those concepts were included as part of the case study, the exploration can focus whether the matter should have been analyzed differently.
Issues and concepts that are offered as part of discussion can come from your life experiences as well as insights that spring from your undergraduate and graduate coursework. You will find, however, that your arguments have more impact if you can cite
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authoritative sources, or better yet, research findings. Therefore, as noted below, the points that you receive for your contribution will be partly determined by your ability to cite supporting opinion or evidence. Approximately 15 minutes will be dedicated to the topic that each discussion leader chooses.
This class has been scheduled on Friday afternoons because this is a time that best fits the schedule of senior professionals, which greatly increases their willingness to speak to the class. These talks are scheduled from 3:30 till 4:50 during each class period.
We have commitments for the following dates:
Jan 14: Fritz Friedman, Senior VP Worldwide Publicity, Sony Pictures Worldwide
Jan 21: Carrie Stojack, Managing Partner, Hall & Partners (a market research firm)
Feb 4: Kate Bristow, Chief Strategy Officer, M&C Saachi (advertising firm)
Feb 11: Nicole Goldman, VP Marketing and PR, The Jim Henson Company
Feb 18: Roxana Lissa, CEO, RL Public Relations
Feb 25: John Carlisle, Account Director, Ignited-LA (advertising firm)
Mar 4: Carol Baker, Director of Public Policy, First 5 LA (nonprofit)
The following have agreed to speak, but have not yet confirmed a date:
Grace MacAuthur, VP Human Resources, Mattel Corporation
Susan Sloan, VP Space Systems, Northrup-Grumman
Brian Kushnir, Executive VP, Added-Value (market research firm)
Karina B. Sterman, Partner, Ervin Cohen & Jessup (employment law expert)
Assigned Readings
For the assignments listed below, Case Studies A and B are for the written reports, and Case Study C is for in-class discussion.
Jan 14 Organizational Meeting
Read in Drucker: Introductory Chapters 1-3, and Part 1 (Management’s New Realities)
Case A: The New New HP in 2004
Case B: How BMW Is Diffusing the Demographic Time Bomb
Case C: Wawa: Building a New Business with an Established Firm
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Jan 21 Read in Kellogg: Forward, Preface, Ch 1 (Creating Customers and Shaping the Competitive Game), and Ch 2 (Identifying Market Segments and Selected Targets)
Case A: The Fashion Channel
Case B: Metabical: Positioning and Communications Strategy
Case C: HubSpot: Inbound Marketing and Web 2.0
Jan 28 Read in Drucker: Part II (Business Performance)
Case A: Evergreen Executive Education, LLC.
Case B: Musicjuice.net: The Challenge of Starting Up a New Internet Venture
Case C: Note on Portfolio Technique for Corporate Strategic Planning
Feb 4 Read in Kellogg: Ch 3 (Marketing Research and Understanding Consumers), Ch 4 (Developing a Compelling Brand Position), Ch 5 (Writing a Brand Positioning Statement and Translating It into Brand Design)
Case A: Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Case B: Saxonville Sausage Company
Case C: UnME Jeans: Branding in Web 2.0
Feb 11 Read in Drucker: Part III (Performance in Service Institutions)
Case A: Cancer Health Alliance of Metropolitan Chicago
Case B: Break It Down Again: Evaluating the Small Schools’ Reform
Case C: The Parent Academy: Family Engagement in Miami-Dade
Feb 18 Read in Kellogg: Ch 6 (Creating and Managing Brands), Ch 7 (making the Brand Come Alive within your Organization), Ch 8 (The Sandwich Strategy)
Case A: Atlantic Computer: A Bundle of Pricing Options
Case B: MedNet.com Confronts “Click-Through” Competition
Case C: TiVo in 2002: Consumer Behavior
Feb 25 Read in Drucker: Part IV (Productive Work and Achieving Worker)
Case A: Millway Fabrics Canada
Case B: Engstrom Autor Mirror Plant: Motivating in Good Times and Bad
Case C: DaimlerChrysler Knowledge Management System
Mar 4 Read in Kellogg: Ch 9 (Pricing for Profit), Ch 10 (Advertising Strategy), Ch 11 (Marketing Channel Design and Management)
Case A: Hanson Production: Pricing for Opening Day
Case B: The Advertising Council Earth Share Campaign
Case C: Online Music Distribution in a Post-Napster World
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Mar 11 Read in Drucker: Part V (Social Impacts and Social Responsibilities)
Case A: Walking the Dog: Putting Social Responsibility Into Action at White Dog
Case B: Global Corporate Social Responsibility vs. Local Legal Compliance
Case C: The Dannon Company: Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility
Mar 18 Spring Break – no class
Mar 25 Read in Kellogg: Ch 12 (Building a Winning Sales Force), Ch 13 (Marketing to Consumers at the Bottom of the Pyramid), Ch 14 (The New Influence of Social Media)
Case A: Sales Force Training at Arrow Electronics
Case B: The Virtue Matrix Reloaded
Case C: Molson Camada: Social Media Marketing
Apr 1 Read in Drucker: Part VI (The Manager’s Work and Jobs
Case A: Management Levels at Staples
Case B: Ions Consulting: The MP^2 Training Program
Case C: SAS Institute: A Different Approach to Incentives and People
Apr 8 Read in Kellogg: Ch 15 (From the Wheel to Twitter), Ch 16 (Brand-Led Innovation), Ch 17 (Managing Product Assortments)
Case A: The Path to a Spin-off -- Nortel Networks to NetActive
Case B: Manchester Products: A Brand Transition Challenge
Case C: Hasbro Games -- POX
Apr 15 Read in Drucker: Part VII (Managerial Skills)
Case A: Decision-Making and Leading Through Crisis
Case B: Toivonen Paper in the U.S.: Human Resource Implications
Case C: People Management Fiasco in Honda Motorcycles
Apr 22 Read in Kellogg: Ch 18 (Goal-Driven Marketing Research), Ch 19 (Aligning Sales and Marketing to Enhance Consumer Value and Drive Company Results), Ch 20 (Creating Superior Value by Managing the Marketing)
Case A: Shanghai Tang: The First Global Chinese Luxury Brand?
Case B: Authenticity: Is It Real or Is It Marketing?
Case C: The Coop: Market Research
Apr 29 Read in Drucker: Part VIII (Innovation and Entrepreneurship)
Case A: C.K. Yeung Worldwide Limited
Case B: Zensar: The Future of Vision Communities
Case C: New Profit Inc.: Governing the Nonprofit Enterprise
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Grading
A portion of your final grade will be based on the quality of your contributions to blog posts, the reliability with which you complete mutually agreed upon assignments, and your participation in discussing material that is being considered for posting. You will receive positive and negative points throughout the semester, with your standing in the class being made known to you by the end of the fifth and eleventh week. Your point total from performance on this aspect of the course will count toward 20% of the final grade.
Written case study reports will be awarded up to 2 points each for properly identifying and describing a relevant concept from the background chapters, and specifying how it applies to the case under consideration. Explicating a scientific psychological principle that could or should have been considered can earn up to 3 points more per report, providing up to 5 total points for each written assignment. The point total for these reports will count 30% of the final grade.
For in-class discussion of the third case study, the same criteria for earning points will be used. Each class member can earn up to 10 points per week for their contribution to discussion of these oral presentations. The point total from these oral analyses of the third case study each week will count toward 30% of the final grade.
Participation in relation to the senior professional’s invited presentation will also be scored, both with positive points for active questioning or contribution to discussion (up to 5 per session), and negative points for tardiness (-2) or absence (-5). Here you are given
the opportunity to transfer points that were earned from blog participation, written reports, and oral presentations. Thus if you have super-abundant totals for those graded activities, you can transfer some of the points to remedy any deficit in your speaker-participation score. The ability to transfer points obviates the need to request an “excused absence.” This point total contributes 20% to the final grade.
To be assured of a comprehensive and accurate record of in-class participation, by Tuesday following each class meeting, you should send a memo to Dr. Greene that provides a summary of what you contributed. This can be relatively brief – just sufficient to serve as a reminder of what was said or done in each of the class segments. Remember that you will be scored for the quality of your contribution to the blog project,
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case study discussions, and interaction with the speaker. A sentence or two should be sufficient to describe each.
Purchase ofTextbooks and Case Studies
Textbooks are available on-line or for purchase from a local store:
Kellogg on Marketing, by Alice Tybout and Bobby Calder, 2010 ISBN 978-0-470-58014-1 (hardback) or 978-0-470-87762-3 (ebk)
Management, by Peter Drucker, 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-125266-2
All the case studies are available for purchase from Harvard Business Publishing at the following link: You must complete a short registration process, after which you can purchase the course-pack that contains all the case studies.
Statement for Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approvedaccommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or toTA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Statement on Academic Integrity
USC 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 thatindividual work will be submitted unless
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otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligationsboth to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid usinganother’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by theseprinciples. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section11.00, 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