Download Master Syllabus

DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY

Strategic Marketing ProblemsMKT619

MASTER SYLLABUS

Revised October 2007

Dr. Audrey Guskey, Author

MKT619 Strategic Marketing Problems Master Syllabus

I. COURSE HEADING

MKT619 – Strategic Marketing Problems Revision – October 2007

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is the final capstone course in the MBA marketing concentration. It is a review and integration of all marketing concepts, tools, and techniques. This course enables students to apply their acquired marketing knowledge and skills to actual business problems and opportunities. Utilizing the case study method, students will analyze marketing situations from a managerial perspective and suggest practical marketing strategies.

Prerequisite: MKT519 Marketing Management/Product Strategy

III. LEARNING GOALS

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Define strategic marketing and understand the concepts and tools involved in strategic marketing planning.

2. Understand marketing’s role in the organization and in society.

3. Analyze a case using SWOT analysis and the DECIDE process.

4. Create a strategic marketing plan.

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5. Evaluate competition and help an organization develop a competitive advantage.

6. Understand how to survive and excel using crisis management techniques if confronted with an organizational crisis.

7. Appreciate customer satisfaction and consumer excellence. Discuss the causes of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a service encounter. Within an organization, become a more effective service provider.

8. Recognize the importance of branding and its implications.

9. Value relationship marketing and the concept of a lifelong relationship with customers.

10.Understand current marketing theory.

11.Refine networking skills. Develop a personal marketing plan using the three step process to set goals, develop key contacts, and create scripts and labels. Select the personal marketing system that fits. Learn how to build a network of contacts and how to become an effective collaborator.

12. Improve as a professional speaker, and continue to develop communication skills to increase confidence and poise as a professional.

13.Develop leadership skills to prepare for mid to upper level marketing positions.

14.Apply marketing theory to actual work experiences and job responsibilities.

15.Foster a love of learning that encourages lifelong continuous learning in students.

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IV. OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of MKT619 Strategic Marketing Problems are to:

1. Help MBA students continue to build a knowledge base of basic marketing strategy development, concepts, and tools.

2. Guide MBA students in developing analytical skills to identify and solve strategic problems in the field of marketing.

3. Demonstrate to MBA students how to apply marketing principles to various marketing contexts.

4. Provide insights into the structuring and control of strategic programs.

5. Generate an excitement and enthusiasm about the marketing field which will help the student survive and excel in the corporate world and in the consumer marketplace.

6. Encourage MBAs to apply these marketing principles to job situations and marketplace activities.

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V. TOPIC OUTLINE

I. Strategic Marketing - 20 percent

A. The Role of Marketing in an Organization

B. Every Job is a Marketing Job & Everyone Within Any Organization is a Marketer

C. Strategic Marketing Plans

D. SWOT Analysis

E. How to Analyze a Case Study - DECIDE

F. Competition and a Competitive Advantage

II. Crisis Management – 15 percent

A. Contingency Plans

B. Reactive versus Proactive

C. Exemplary Organizations Which Survived a Crisis

III. Customer Satisfaction – 20 percent

A. Service Encounters - The Moment of Truth: Face to Face Interaction with Customers

B. The Causes of Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction in a Service Encounter

C. Ways to Become a More Effective Service Provider

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IV. Branding – 15 percent

A. Components of a Brand

B. Significance of a Brand to Consumers

C. How to Create a Brand

V. Relationship Marketing - 20 percent

A. Relationship Marketing - Building & Strengthening Bonds with Customers

B. How Individuals and Organizations Develop Relationships

C. Preventing Customer Defection

D. The Customer/Vendor Relationship

E. Discretionary Collaborative Behavior: Helpful Behaviors Buyers Perform for Sellers

F. Antecedents of Discretionary Collaborative Behavior

G. Collaborative Service Culture

VI. Current Marketing Theory and Trends – 10 percent

A. Special Topics Highlighting Recent Research

B. Strategic Marketing in the News

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VI. RECOMMENDED TEACHING PROCEDURE

The methods of teaching utilized in Strategic Marketing Problems are class discussions of case studies, group presentations of case analysis, and analysis of an actual marketing opportunity. The recommended perspective of the class is to have students assume the role of consultants. Past experience teaching this course has shown that students will bring to the class various career experiences and diverse educational backgrounds. The faculty member should draw out these experiences. The role of the instructor should be that of a moderator, facilitating and encouraging interaction. The synergy that results from this technique is very effective.

The first third of the semester is devoted to analyzing Harvard Business cases. One case is assigned per class period and the entire class discusses strategies and implications of that case.

For the second third of the semester, students will also be required to work in small groups on a case study. For each class, a different group will analyze a selected case study and present their recommendations to the class in written and oral form. After the presentation, other class members will ask questions regarding the decision and strategic ramifications which require the group to defend their position.

The last third of the semester will be devoted to the actual marketing problem. The sponsoring organization should meet with the students regularly to share their perspectives and information. Students will develop strategic recommendations for that organization and a design complete marketing plan that will capitalize on a particular opportunity or alleviate a threat. Students present a written executive report as well as a professional presentation to the executive board of the actual organization.

Students are responsible for reading and analyzing cases for each class as designated on the course outline. Students are expected to take a very active role in the discussion of case studies. Because the process of learning in this class is contingent upon the intensity of student discussions, students are strongly encouraged to share their interpretation and recommendations about the cases. Students are encouraged to share their personal work experiences and their accumulated knowledge with fellow students.

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The role of the instructor is that of a facilitator, guiding the discussion to the most effective issues, not leading it. The goal is to draw out the opinions of the class without biasing their decision process.

In this class, students learn the PROCESS of decision making. It should be made clear to students that it is not the final decision that is most critical, but the means by which that decision was derived. There are no right or wrong answers in case analysis. What is most important is the rationale as to why that decision was made.

One case should be assigned each class and each of these cases should be thoroughly analyzed. Harvard Business cases are recommended due to the complexity of these issues addressed and the quality of the cases. Providing a list of questions and issues the week before each case helps direct students’ line of thinking.

If the information is available, at the end of each class discussion, the instructor can share the action the company ultimately took and the class can discuss their impressions of the decision. Although the actions taken do not necessarily suggest the appropriate course of action (the class should know that there are no right or wrong answers), the class finds it interesting to see what decisions were made and the results of that decision.

The class should assume the role of a consulting team hired by the client. Students will collectively make a decision and present a strategic recommendation based on their interpretation of the case.

Small class size is preferred due to the significance of class interaction and discussion.

An actual business opportunity should be introduced to the class so students can develop a real strategic marketing plan.

VII. EVALUATION

The components of the course evaluation are as follows:

Class Participation 30%Group Analysis 30%Strategic Plan/Research Project 30%Student Engagement 10%

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VIII. TEXTBOOK AND REFERENCES

Harvard Marketing Management Cases:

“The Roger Smith”

“The Dimensions of Brand Equity for Nestle Crunch Bar, A Research Case”

“Patient Transfusion Services Lab of Central Blood Bank”

Other Cases:

“Tylenol: An Extra-Strength Headache”, Audrey Guskey

“Duquesne Shootings: A Test of the Spirit”, Audrey Guskey

“Relating to Peapod”

“eBay: Private Ordering for an Online Community”

Articles from the Harvard Business Review:

“Lessons in the Service Sector”, James Heskett

“My Week as a Room-Service Waiter at the Ritz”, Paul Hemp

“Hidden Minds”, Gerald Zaltman and Gardiner Morse

“Customer Intimacy and Other Value Disciplines”, Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema

“Delivering Excellent Service: Lessons from the Best Firms”, Robert C. Ford, Cherrill P. Heaton, and Stephen Brown

“Service Driven Service Companies”, Leonard A. Schlesinger and James L. Heskett

“Spend a Day in the Life of Your Customers”, Gouilart and Sturdivant

“Developing an Elevator Pitch for a New Venture”

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Other Articles:

“Creating a Collaborative Service Culture”, Robert Heckman and Audrey Guskey

“The Relationship Between Alumni and University: Toward a Theory of Discretionary Collaborative Behavior, Robert Heckman and Audrey Guskey

“Antecedents of Discretionary Collaborative Behavior in the Relationship Between University and Alumni", Audrey Guskey and Robert L. Heckman, in AMA Winter Educators' Conference Marketing Theory and Applications, 1995, p. 467-468

"Antecedents of Relationship Behaviors in Information System Outsourcing Agreements", Robert L. Heckman and Audrey Guskey-Federouch, in Relationship Marketing: Theory, Methods and Applications, Research Conference Proceedings, J. N. Sheth and A. Parvatiyar, eds., 1994

"When Buyers Help Sellers: Toward a Theory of Discretionary Collaborative Behaviors", A. Guskey-Federouch and R. L. Heckman, in Expanding Marketing Horizons into the 21st Century, Proceedings of Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, 1994, awarded best paper in track

“The Service Encounter: Dimensions of Favorable and Unfavorable Incidents”, M. J. Bitner, B. H. Booms, & M. S. Tetreault, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, No.1, January (1990), p. 71-84.

“Sources of Customer Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Information Technology Help Desks”, 1995, presentation at the International Conference on Information Systems, Robert Heckman & Audrey Guskey

Journals:

Business WeekJournal of Consumer ResearchJournal of MarketingMarketing NewsWall Street Journal

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IX. LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT

OBJECTIVES STUDENT LEARNING GOALS SUGGESTED MEASUREMENT

TECHNIQUES

1. Help MBA students continue to build a knowledge base of basic marketing strategy development, concepts, and tools.

Define strategic marketing and understand the concepts and tools involved in strategic marketing planning.

Understand marketing’s role in the organization and in society.

Evaluate competition and help an organization develop a competitive advantage.

Understand how to survive and excel using crisis management techniques if confronted with an organizational crisis.

Appreciate customer satisfaction and consumer excellence. Discuss the causes of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a service encounter. Within an organization, become a more effective service provider.

Recognize the importance of branding and its implications.

Value relationship marketing and the concept of a lifelong relationship with customers.

Understand current marketing theory.

Foster a love of learning that encourages lifelong continuous learning in students.

Class Participation

Group Analysis30%

Strategic Plan/Research Project

2. Guide MBA students in developing analytical skills to identify and solve strategic


Class Participation

Group Analysis

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problems in the field of marketing. Understand marketing’s role in the

organization and in society.

Analyze a case using SWOT analysis and the DECIDE process.

Create a strategic marketing plan.



Understand current marketing theory.

Develop leadership skills to prepare for mid to upper level marketing positions.

Apply marketing theory to actual work experiences and job responsibilities.

30%


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3. Demonstrate to MBA students how to apply marketing principles to various marketing contexts.





Appreciate customer satisfaction and consumer excellence. Discuss the causes of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction in a service encounter. Within an organization, become a more effective service provider.


Class Participation

Group Analysis


4. Provide insights into the structuring and control of strategic programs.


Understand marketing’s role in the organization and in society.




Understand how to survive and excel in an organizational crisis using crisis management techniques.

Group Analysis


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5. Generate an excitement and enthusiasm about the marketing field which will help the student survive and excel in the corporate world and in the consumer marketplace.

Refine networking skills. Develop a personal marketing plan using the three step process to set goals, develop key contacts, and create scripts and labels. Select the personal marketing system that fits. Learn how to build a network of contacts and how to become an effective collaborator.



Class Participation

Group Analysis30%


Student engagement: AMA events & AMA Speakers Series

6. Encourage MBAs to apply these marketing principles to job situations and marketplace activities.


Refine networking skills. Develop a personal marketing plan using the three step process to set goals, develop key contacts, and create scripts and labels. Select the personal marketing system that fits. Learn how to build a network of contacts and how to become an effective collaborator.

Improve as a professional speaker, and continue to develop communication skills to increase confidence and poise as a professional.

Develop leadership skills to prepare for mid to upper level marketing positions.



Class Participation

Group Analysis30%


Student engagement: AMA events & AMA Speakers Series

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