1 Marketing 301 – Introduction to Marketing
Fall 2019 Section A1
Course Syllabus
Class Time: 09:00 – 09:50, MWF Class Location: BUS 2-9 Instructor: Utku Akkoç, PhD Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Mon-Wed-Fri, 08:30-
09:00 or by appointment
Website: eClass (Lecture slides and readings will be posted here)
Brief Course Description:
This course teaches the fundamental concepts involved in marketing products and services to customers both for profit and not-for-profit. Students are first taught how to understand the marketing environment (market analysis), and then how to implement successful marketing strategies in such an environment (marketing strategy). Students examine basic decisions made by businesses in the development, promotion, distribution and sale of goods and services.
Textbook:
Armstrong, Kotler, Trifts, Buchwitz (2017), Marketing: An Introduction, 6th Canadian Edition, Pearson Education Canada, ISBN – 978-0134695068.
Note: Some textbooks come with a web access code for MyMarketingLab which provides optional materials for self-study and review. However, MyMarketingLab is NOT a required component and I will not use it for course purposes.
Course Objectives:
My goal by the end of the semester is to familiarize you with basic marketing principles and demonstrate how they are applied in a business setting. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to…
• Demonstrate understanding of the interrelated components that create, sustain, and enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage for the firm.
2
• Apply a marketing management perspective to navigate problems that involve an understanding of segmentation, targeting, positioning, marketing mix elements, the external environment, and consumer behaviour.
• Describe and respond to the impact of changing technologies on a firm’s relationship with its customers (or anticipate and respond in the context of changing technologies).
• Demonstrate understanding of legal and ethical issues in marketing practices.
• Demonstrate teamwork skills appropriate to working in a business environment and make a professional presentation in class for peer and instructor review.
This course incorporates the following learning goals of the BCom Program:
Critical Thinking, Ethical Awareness, Oral Communication, and Teamwork.
Course Structure:
• Class Sessions: Class time will be used for a combination of lectures, class discussions, and group presentations. Being prepared prior to a meeting and contributing to discussions is essential in business life; nobody gets credit for being absent. Likewise, students are expected to keep up with the assigned reading material for each session and contribute to class discussions by actively participating. From time to time, students are going to be given brief assignments or asked to complete group activities in class.
• Team Work: Individual competency in marketing is important, but so is the ability to work in groups and accomplish tasks as a member of a team. The group project enables students to work in teams and gain a deeper understanding of a selected marketing topic.
Grading Components:
Exam I 20%
Exam II 20%
Final Exam 40%
Group Presentation 15%
Research participation Overall Course Grade
5%
100%
Exams:
The exams are designed to test your understanding of marketing principles and key concepts as well as your ability to apply them in various situations. There are two exams and a final exam. They all consist of multiple choice questions only and they are closed-book. Exams 1 and 2 are going to be completed in one class session (30- 35 questions; 50 minutes).
3 All questions will be based on lecture materials. Exam 1 is based on all material to the end of “Managing Marketing Information”. Exam 2 is based on material covered after Exam 1 to the end of “Pricing”.
The final exam is cumulative (60-70 questions, 120 minutes). Its details (time, location, etc.) will be posted on Bear Tracks later in the semester.
Presentation (15%):
Working in groups of 3, you are going to make a 7-8 minute presentation at the end of the semester. The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your understanding of marketing concepts by describing marketing decisions of a company. This assignment will 1) help you gain practice in making a presentation to a small audience (2) allow you to show your knowledge and thorough understanding of a specific marketing topic.
Each student pair will be randomly assigned to a presentation date (see the course schedule), and each date will have different themes (see the last page of the syllabus). The deadline for e-mailing me the names of your group members is September 16 (add-drop deadline). Your presentation will consist of analyzing a company with respect to their marketing strategy related to your assigned theme.
For example, if your assigned theme is distribution channels you can evaluate Samsung’s distribution network strategy, the rationale behind it, the effectiveness of the distribution implementation (i.e. business results), and alternative distribution strategies that the firm could pursue.
• What strategy does the company use? • Why do they use this strategy?
• Is this an effective strategy? • What other strategies could they use?
You can pick any company, but in selecting a suitable company you should consider your ability to answer all the above questions. Also, choosing a firm that you find interesting will make the process more fun. The deadline for e-mailing me your company choice is November 8. This rather late deadline is for giving you the opportunity to understand your assigned theme and make an informed company choice. Your presentation slides are due by e-mail at 8 pm the day before your presentation.
Your individual presentation mark is determined by me and partially by your classmates. I will evaluate your presentation in terms of your ability to answer the above four questions (80%) as well as your presentation style (20%). Your classmates will evaluate the presentation style component of your presentation.
As you will provide feedback to other presenters, your presentation attendance is critical. If you fail to attend at least three presentation sessions, your presentation mark will be docked 20%.
4 Finally, you will complete a short peer evaluation form at the end of the semester to assess the performance of your own group members. I reserve the right to reduce a student’s group project mark based on consistently poor peer evaluations.
Additional details about the group project can be found on eClass.
Research Participation (5%)
One of the key factors influencing both the national and international reputation of a university is the academic research that it produces. You will be given an
opportunity to participate in several research projects conducted by faculty at the School of Business. The purpose of this is two-fold: (1) to familiarize you with several procedures and methods used in academic research and (2) to provide you with an awareness of the types of research conducted by faculty members.
Confidentiality & Consent
All research projects conducted at the University of Alberta are carefully screened by an ethics committee to ensure they meet the University of Alberta’s ethical standards. Any information collected will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Further, all such research is premised on informed consent. This means that the person conducting the study must provide you with sufficient information to enable you to determine whether or not you wish to participate. For example, if a person were evaluating the impact of graphic violent imagery in advertising, they would be obliged to let you know the nature of the materials prior to you viewing them. Note that at any time during a session you have the right to discontinue participation without penalty. Further, even if you initially consent to participate, you may
choose to stop participation at any time without any loss. Using the above example, you might consent to participate, even after being told about the graphic imagery, but after viewing one image you may feel that you no longer wish to participate.
Research credits
Research credits are worth 5% of your final grade. In order to obtain the full 5%, you must participate in all five studies for credit throughout the course of the term.
In order to receive a grade for this component of the course you must complete ALL FIVE studies. Partial credit will NOT be provided (e.g. for
doing just four studies).
Over the semester, various study sessions will be posted on the Sona Research Participation website, and you may sign up for a time and date that works for you for each session. You must complete five of these sessions throughout the semester in order to get full credit. Sessions run for 45-50 minutes and are worth one credit each. Sessions may be comprised of several short studies. The session location will be specified when you sign up; most sessions take place in the basement of the Business School (in either B-10 or B-06).
5 You will not receive credit for participation alone. At the end of each session, you will complete an online form with some questions about the research studies in which you participated; information relevant to these questions will be provided during the session. For each session, credit will be awarded based on your answers to these questions. Answers are graded on a pass/fail basis. Credit will be awarded within 72 hours of the study session.
Lab Policies
• Arrive ON TIME for sessions. The lab doors will be closed when each session begins. If you are late, you will be unable to participate. You will have to sign up for another session.
• Make every attempt to show up for a session you have signed up for. We understand that sometimes you will need to cancel. However, if you sign up and consistently fail to show up for sessions, you will be barred from signing up for additional sessions.
Research Participation Website
o To gain access to the Sona Research Participation website, you do NOT need to sign up. You will be automatically signed up on or before
classes begin, and you will receive an email at your UAlberta account with login information.
Please DO NOT create your own account.
** If you register after the first day of classes, please contact IST with your name, CCID, and course section, and request a “Sona Research Participation”
account. If you drop the course, please email them to have your account removed. **
o You will log in using the UAlberta Log In button. If you are already logged in to UAlberta Log In, you will not have to enter your CCID and will automatically be logged in.
If you are not logged in to UAlberta Login, you will be prompted to enter your CCID and password.
o Once you have received your login instructions, you can sign up for sessions on the Sona Research Participation website: https://ualberta- business.sona-systems.com. You can also use this site to track the number of credits you have earned.
o You will receive notification emails to your UAlberta email when new sessions are posted;please keep an eye out for these.
**Regularly checking the Sona Research Participation website yourself is the best way to keep on top of which sessions are currently available.**
6 NOTE: sessions fill up quickly early in the semester. Don’t panic if you can’t sign up immediately—there will be enough sessions posted for everybody to get all five credits.
o There is a Sona Research Participation app, called “Sona Mobile” available for some smart phones. This app allows you to check or update your
scheduled sessions. You will need Alberta’s Sona link to use the app:
https://ualberta-business.sona-systems.com.
• If you have problems with the Sona Research Participation website please contact IST (online at https://ist.ualberta.ca/contact-us or via email at
[email protected]). Make sure you refer to “Sona Research Participation”
and “MARK 301” in the subject line of your communication.
If you have specific questions about a session or a study (e.g., if you have not received credit for a session you completed), do not contact IST. Please contact the researcher directly through Sona (there is an email link to contact the researcher on each session page).
Please note that this credit component of your grade pertains to research conducted by members of the Department of Marketing, Business Economics and Law. As such, you will not receive credit for research you participate in for other courses (e.g., psychology).
Alternatives
This research participation experience is intended to be educational. You are not required to participate in any research studies. If you choose not to participate in research and wish to receive equivalent credit, your instructor can assign you an alternate project, at their discretion. This alternate project will be structured so that it takes approximately the same amount of time (4-5 hours) as completing five research credits, and will be graded on a pass/fail basis (i.e. you either receive 0%
or 5%). If you wish to pursue this option, please discuss it directly with your instructor early in the semester. This alternative will no longer be available once you start participating in research studies.
7 Grade Distribution
The University of Alberta uses a letter grading system with a four-point scale of numerical equivalents for calculating grade point averages. Grade points reflect judgments of student achievement made by the instructor.
Final grades are regulated by the University of Alberta Grading Guidelines (GFC Policy Manual 61) and will be distributed as follows:
Grade General Description
Grade Detailed Description
A
Excellent Top 35% of
class (approximately)
A+
Outstanding grasp of concepts of course in addition to outstanding performance on examinations and papers. Outstanding written communication skills in both papers and examinations. Top 5% of class.
A
Excellent grasp of concepts of course in addition to excellent performance in exams and papers.
Excellent written communication skills in both papers and exams. Next top 5%-8% of class.
A- As in A above with some weaknesses in conceptual understanding or in written communications skills in papers and exams.
B
Good Next 45% of
students (approximately)
B+
Very good grasp of concepts of course in addition to very good performance on examinations and papers.
Very good written communication skills in both papers and examinations. Student may have outstanding abilities on one portion of the course, with weaknesses in some other areas.
B As in B+ above with more substantial weaknesses in one or more areas of the course.
B- As in B above with more marked weaknesses particularly in conceptual understanding.
C
Satisfactory Next 15% of
students (approximately)
C+
Satisfactory grasp of concepts of course in addition to satisfactory performance on examinations and papers. Acceptable communication skills in both papers and examinations. Student may have good abilities on one portion of the course, with major weaknesses in some other areas. Understanding may be good but the ability to communicate understanding is lacking.
C As in C+ above with more substantial weaknesses in one or more areas of the course. Usually an inability to adequately display understanding of concepts.
C- As in C above with more marked weaknesses particularly in the area of communication of understanding.
8 D
Poor Bottom 5%
(approximately)
D+
Minimally acceptable basic understanding of course concepts. Minimal ability to demonstrate understanding through exams or assignments. Could also include some major gaps in understanding.
D Minimal pass. Minimally acceptable understanding of course material and poor ability to communicate understanding.
F
Failure Not necessarily
anyone F
Failure to adequately grasp course material and/or failure to communicate a minimal level of understanding through exams or assignments.
Extra Credit: Class Participation (3%)
Class interaction is an essential component of learning. During our sessions, I am willing to give you opportunities to earn extra credit for your classroom
engagement and participation. While attendance to lectures is necessary, it is not sufficient; i.e. mere attendance does not earn you participation points. To earn extra credit for class participation, you are expected to answer questions, make thoughtful remarks and give relevant examples. In addition, your performance in group activity assignments will count towards participation credit.
After each session, the quality and quantity of your participation during the session will be assessed and you will receive a participation credit of 0 or 1. Your total participation mark will be based on the total number of participation credits you earn throughout the semester. You can expect to receive full extra credit (3%) if you receive a plus (+1) from all in class group activities. I recommend you speak out and participate actively to make up for the group activity credits you may miss.
Classroom Policy
To encourage an active and engaging environment in the classroom general courtesies are expected, and the following are NOT allowed (violations may affect your final mark):
• Use of laptops (except for note taking)
• Use of mobile phones (as it distracts everyone)
• Frequent tardiness, leaving the classroom early or during sessions (as it distracts your peers and presenters)
• Personal conversations (except for course related discussions) Late Work Policy:
No make-up midterm exams will be given for any reason. If you miss an exam, its weight will be added to the final exam. For example, if you miss Exam 1, the weight of your final exam becomes 60%. If you miss both exams, the weight of your final exam is going to be 80%.
There is NO make-up for missed in-class assignments or group presentations. If you do not make an in class activity submission or deliver your group presentation
9 on the assigned date, you get a zero. This is because 1) any missed group activity can be made up for in a later class by active participation 2) we do not have
another extra class for presentations at the end of the semester.
Academic Integrity:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.
Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating and plagiarism are serious forms of academic dishonesty at odds with the values of the University and will be dealt with severely.
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavior:
http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/CodesofConductandResidenceCommunityStand ards/CodeofStudentBehaviour.aspx
and avoid any behavior which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.
Cheating is any deceptive or dishonest practice relative to any part of this course.
Examples of cheating include but are not limited to the following behaviors or attempts to do so: copying another person’s work; obtaining unauthorized assistance of any kind; Usage of unauthorized materials or unauthorized communication during exams; having someone take an exam in your place.
Plagiarism is the use of someone else’s language, ideas, images or other original material without referencing the source. This also applies to materials posted online or other student works. You will need to rewrite text/materials in your own words and properly reference materials. Text copied verbatim need to appear in quotes and needs to be referenced.
Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. Policy about course outlines can be found in s.23.4 (2) of the University Calendar.
A final note:
Though this syllabus is necessarily formal, class sessions themselves need not be.
My goal is to make this course engaging and interesting for everyone. If you have any questions, concerns, or improvement suggestions about the course please do not hesitate to contact me. It will be unfair if there is a problem in the classroom, but nobody shares it with me. Constructive feedback in person or by email (please state the course name MARK 301 in the subject) is always welcome and I will respond to e-mails as soon as possible.
10 Class Schedule
Changes to this schedule can be made if needed and will be announced in advance.
Date Topic Notes
September 4 Class Introduction -
September 6 What is Marketing -
September 9 What is Marketing -
September 11 Strategic Planning -
September 13 Strategic Planning -
September 16 Sustainable Marketing Group names due
September 18 Sustainable Marketing -
September 20 Marketing Environment -
September 23 Marketing Environment -
September 25 Managing Marketing Information -
September 27 Managing Marketing Information -
September 30 Exam 1 -
October 2 Consumer and Business Buyer Behavior -
October 4 Consumer and Business Buyer Behavior -
October 7 Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning -
October 9 Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning -
October 11 Developing and Managing Products and Services -
October 14 Thanksgiving-No class -
October 16 Developing and Managing Products and Services -
October 18 Brand Strategy and Management -
October 21 Brand Strategy and Management -
October 23 Pricing -
October 25 Pricing -
October 28 Exam 2 -
October 30 Marketing Channels and Retailing -
November 1 Marketing Channels and Retailing -
November 4 Advertising and Public Relations -
November 6 Advertising and Public Relations -
November 8 Personal Selling and Sales Promotion Company choice due by e-mail
November 11-15 Reading Week -
November 18 Personal Selling and Sales Promotion - November 20 Direct, Online, Social Media and Mobile Marketing - November 22 Direct, Online, Social Media and Mobile Marketing -
November 25 Catch-up/Final Exam Review -
November 27 Presentations 1-5 -
November 29 Presentations 6-11 -
December 2 Presentations 12-16 -
December 4 Presentations 17-21 -
December 6 Presentations 22-26 -
TBD Final Exam Cumulative
11 PRESENTATIONS
Presentations Theme & Related Topic
1, 2, 3, 4 ,5 Sustainable Marketing, Social Responsibility and Ethics 6, 7, 8 Targeting and/or Positioning
9, 10, 11 Pricing
12, 13, 14, 15, 16 Marketing Channels or Retailing 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Advertising or Sales Promotions 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Online or Social Media Marketing
