MARK 301/D4 – INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING University of Alberta School of Business
Department of Marketing, Business Economics and Law
Fall Term 2020 Professor: Webb Dussome
Class Time: MWF 14-14:50 (Mountain Time) Office: BUS 1-29A
Telephone: (780) 492-0675
E-Mail: [email protected] (Mon.-Sat.) Pronouns: he/him
Website: https://eclass.srv.ualberta.ca/portal/
Office hours (via Zoom): MW: 13-13:45, TR: 11-12, or by appointment
COURSE MATERIALS
Required etextbook: Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, Bonifacio, Bureau (2018), Marketing: The Core, 5th Canadian Edition, McGraw Hill. Connect standalone (ebook & study resources).
Other required equipment: A webcam.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The objective of this course is to help you understand the basics of marketing, both as a management tool and as a force in society. What is marketing? What role does it play in modern organizations, both for-profit and not-for-profit? What makes for a good marketing strategy and what tactical tools bring such a strategy to life?
We will first learn to analyze and understand the marketing environment (market analysis), and then how to implement successful marketing strategies in such an environment (marketing strategy and tactics). At the end of the course, you will have developed the following specific knowledge:
1. Introduced to basic marketing concepts and familiarized with the everyday activities of marketing management.
2. Provided practice in assessing and solving marketing problems.
3. Provided a foundation for future marketing courses.
This course incorporates the Learning Goals of the BCom Program, and focuses in particular on Critical Thinking, Ethical Awareness, and Global Awareness.
CLASS PROCEDURES AND POLICIES:
The course will be taught using blended learning approaches. Approximately half of the classes will be done synchronous (i.e., “live”). Synchronous virtual classes will focus on applications of the course concepts through such tools as class discussion, activities, and cases. It will be assumed that students have already gained a basic understanding of the course material. Asynchronous (i.e., “non-live”) classes will be used for quizzes and will provide students with time to complete the assigned chapter readings and questions, and watch posted videos.
Learning Goals
This course incorporates the learning goals of the BCom Program, in particular Critical Thinking (and Problem Solving), Ethical Awareness, plus Written Communication Skills.
Grading:
Quizzes (10 total with weightings ranging from 3%-6%)
50%
Online Mini-Simulations (2 @10% each) 20%
Online Role Playing Assignment (2 @ 5% each)
10%
Completion of the textbook Sona Research Participation Credit
15%
5%
Quizzes – Students will be given 10 quizzes across the course of the term. The quizzes will assess an understanding of the material covered in the textbook, posted videos, and in-class activities.
The quizzes will assess Critical Thinking, Ethical Awareness, and Global Awareness. The quizzes will occur at the beginning of a regularly scheduled class. If students miss a quiz there will NOT be a make-up quiz opportunity.
The specific breakdown of the each quiz is indicated below:
Quiz 1 – Chapter 15 Company = 4%
Quiz 2 – Chapter 2 Market Environment = 4%
Quiz 3 – Chapters 3 Consumer Behavior and Chapter 5 B2B = 6%
Quiz 4 – Chapter 4 Market Research = 3%
Quiz 5 – Chapter 6 Segmenting Targeting and Positioning = 6%
Quiz 6 – Chapter 7 Product and Brands and Chapter 8 New Product Development = 6%
Quiz 7 – Chapter 9 Pricing = 6%
Quiz 8 – Chapter 10 Channels and Chapter 11 Retailing and Wholesaling = 6%
Quiz 9 – Chapter 12 MarketingCcommunication and Chapter 13 Digital Marketing = 6%
Quiz 10 – Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility Social Marketing = 3%
This course will use Proctorio, a remote proctoring solution designed to protect the integrity of the quizzes. Proctorio has been chosen for this course is to make education more equal, by giving each student an opportunity to earn the grades they deserve. Given the online nature of the course it is
imperative that we have a process in place to ensure academic integreity is not violated during independent assessments (i.e., quizzes).
Proctorio is a trusted platform for remote proctoring because of its commitment to student privacy. Proctorio uses single sign-on through our LMS and only I or approved individuals, here at the University, will have access to your exam data. Proctorio will never sell your data to third parties.
Proctorio only runs as an extension in your browser. This means that Proctorio works within a sandbox and has limited access to your computer system unlike traditionally installed software applications that have complete access to your computer’s hard drive, or other resources.
Proctorio will only run while you are taking your quiz. After your quiz ends, you may uninstall the extension by right-clicking on it, to bring you peace of mind. Just remember, you’ll need to reinstall the extension again before starting your next quiz. All student data is kept safe using zero-
knowledge encryption, meaning student data is scrambled and unreadable by anyone outside of our institution’s learning platform. Even Proctorio cannot see your exam data.
Before getting started on your first quiz, make sure to follow the instructions in Proctorio’s Quick Start Test Taker Guide for the extension. To verify your computer system meets the requirements, take the practice quiz. This will ensure that everything will run smoothly on the day of your first real quiz. If after reading the Quick Start Test Taker Guide if you have any trouble while using Proctorio, you can reach out to Proctorio support for troubleshooting. Proctorio support is available 24/7 and can assist in troubleshooting any extension related issues before, during and after your quiz. You can contact Proctorio support via email at [email protected] or by starting a live chat by clicking the Proctorio extension’s shield icon.
Online Marketing Mini-Simulations – Marketing Mini Sims puts students int the role of a Marketing Manager for a backpack manufacturing company. Through a series of 3D, business strategy games, students will put their marketing skills to the test to successfully launch a new product to the market. Students will complete two online mini-simulations during the course of the term. The grade for each simulation will be a weighted average of the students ability to answer questions prompted in the simulation and ability to achieve a focal goal(s) as identified in the simulation. Prior to completing the two assigned mini-simulations all students will be required to complete a practice simulation to familiarize themselves with the simulation interface and to gain an understanding of how the simulation functions. There will be no make-up opportunities or late submissions accepted. If students do not complete the assigned mini-simulation by the due date they will receive a zero. The simulations will assess Critical Thinking.
Online Role-Playing Application Based Assignments – Students will be required to think critically to solve real-world problems and apply skills learned in class. The assignments will involve multiple decision-making paths, like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” and allows students to see the impact of their decisions immediately. There are theory-based questions that have correct and incorrect answers, and there are also branching questions that allow you to make ideal, sub-ideal, and incorrect decisions based on the concepts you have learned. Each student’s particular path in the activity will depend on previous decisions. Students will complete two online role playing
assignments during the course of the term. There will be no make-up opportunities or late
submissions accepted. If students do not complete the assigned mini-simulation by the due date they will receive a zero. The role-playing application based assignments will assess Critical Thinking.
Completion of the Textbook – Students will be required to read highlighted sections of the
chapters in the etextbook and then answer computer generated questions PRIOR to attending the class that discusses the chapter topic. Understanding the material in the textbook is critical to being able to participate during Zoom meetings. The grade will be determined based on
completion of all the readings and questions across the term. For instance, if you complete a total of 90% or more of all the readings and mastery of questions prior to the classes that discuss the material you will receive the full 15% of your grade. The specific grade breakdown for readings and question mastery completion across the term is below.
90% or more total completion = 15%
70-89% total completion = 10%
50-69% total completion = 5%
less than 50% total completion = 0%
Sona Research Participation Credit
BACKGROUND
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 a number of research projects conducted by faculty at the School of Business. The purpose of this is two-fold: (1) to familiarize you with a number of 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 the course of 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 five lab sessions 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 sessions.
Partial credit will NOT be provided (e.g., for completing one credit).
Over the semester, various lab 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 that are bundled together.
The session location will be specified when you sign up; some sessions take place in the basement of the Business School (in either B-10 or B-06), and some sessions take place online.
At this time, we anticipate that the lab will be open for sessions in the fall, with appropriate precautions (e.g., sanitizing; limited capacity). Due to the pandemic, you will not be required to participate in studies in the lab (B-10 or B-06) if you do not feel comfortable doing so. We will ensure that sufficient numbers of online sessions are available, so that full credit can be achieved online. You are also welcome to complete a mix of online and in-lab sessions.
You will not receive credit for participation alone. At the end of each session, you will answer some questions about the 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; in order to get credit, you must provide a correct, reasonable, and good faith answer to the question. Credit will be awarded within 72 hours of the session.
Lab Policies
o 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.
o 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 site, you do NOT need to sign up. You will be automatically signed up on the first day of class, and you will receive an email at your UAlberta account with login instructions.
Please DO NOT create your own account.
** If you register after the first day of class, please contact IST with your name, CCID, and course section, and request a “MARK 301 Sona Research Participation” account. If you drop the course, please contact IST and request 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.**
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 accessing the Sona Research Participation website
o 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
o For example, 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). Note that credits are awarded at the discretion of the researcher managing each session, based on your answer to the final questions about the study.
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 of the research sessions. If you choose not to participate and wish to receive equivalent credit, you are asked to write a short paper. This paper will be structured so that it takes approximately the same amount of time as participating in the studies (i.e., 5 hours).
If you wish to pursue this option, please contact your instructor early in the semester for more details. If you choose to write the paper instead, it will be due on the last day of class.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY From:
http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806#Evaluation_Procedures_and_G rading_System
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. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/resources/policies-standards-and-codes-of-
conduct/code-of-student-behaviour) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.
Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
University Policy on Course Outlines From:
http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806#Evaluation_Procedures_and_G rading_System
Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar, at http://www.registrar.ualberta.ca/calendar/Regulations-and-Information/Academic- Regulation/23.4.html#23.4
Recording of Lectures
From: https://www.ualberta.ca/centre-for-teaching-and-learning/teaching-support/learning- environments/remote-teaching/implementation/zoom.html
Please note that class times for this course will be recorded. Recordings of this course will be used for the purposes of asynchronous learning, and will be disclosed to other students enrolled in this section of the class.
Students have the right to not participate in the recording and are advised to turn off their cameras and audio prior to recording; they can still participate through text-based chat. It is recommended that students remove all identifiable and personal belongings from the space in which they will be participating.
Recordings will be made available until the end of term, and stored on the Google Drive. Please direct any questions about this collection to the professor of this course (contact information is in this syllabus.
Student or instructor content, digital or otherwise, created and/or used within the context of the course is to be used solely for personal study, and is not to be used or distributed for any other purpose without prior written consent from the content author(s).
Attendance
From: http://calendar.ualberta.ca/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=806#Attendance Since presence at lectures, participation in classroom discussions and projects, and the
completion of assignments are important components of most courses, students will serve their interests best by regular attendance. Those who choose not to attend must assume whatever risks are involved. In connection to this students should review the following sections.
The University recognizes that occasionally life events occur that require a student to miss term work, term examinations, or final examinations. However, excused absences are not granted automatically and will be considered only for acceptable reasons such as incapacitating mental
and/or physical illness, severe domestic affliction, or for circumstances as described in the University's Discrimination, Harassment and Duty to Accommodate Policy (including religious belief). This policy is available on the University of Alberta Policies and Procedures Online (UAPPOL) website at https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca. A multi-faith calendar is available at www.registrarsoffice.ualberta.ca/Calendar/Academic-Schedule.aspx.
Unacceptable reasons include, but are not limited to personal events such as vacations,
weddings, or travel arrangements. When a student is absent without acceptable excuse, a final grade will be computed using a raw score of zero for the work missed. Any student who applies for or obtains an excused absence by making false statements will be liable under the Code of Student Behaviour. Students should consult their Faculty for detailed information and
requirements.
COURSE ORGANIZATION
The course begins with a broad introduction to marketing and marketing strategy—what marketing is, and its role and objectives. We will also discuss marketing as a force in society.
This will help to organize your thinking about marketing and will establish a framework for the course and the topics that follow. The course is divided into three large sections:
1) Understanding the marketing environment 2) Designing a marketing strategy
3) Implementing a marketing strategy Understanding the marketing environment
We will learn to analyze and assess the company, its competitors, its customers, and its other stakeholders (community), as well as the environment in which the company operates. We will learn how to analyze markets and the marketing environment, and how to use market research and information systems to understand consumers and identify marketing opportunities.
Designing a strategy
Once we understand how to analyze the marketing environment, we’ll look at the key elements of marketing strategy—segmentation/targeting and differentiation/positioning—and how these change to reflect different environments.
Implementing a marketing strategy
Finally, we will examine the “marketing mix”—the set of tactical tools marketers use to implement their strategies. These tools include product, pricing, distribution, and promotion.
COURSE SCHEDULE
The following schedule is provided as a general guideline. Depending on the flow of the course, it could change slightly, so students should keep current on in class activities.
Week 1: Course Overview and Chapter 1 (Marketing Fundamentals)
September 2: Online together (Zoom), plus chapter 1 reading and exercise completion (on your own).
September 4: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: Value Creation Through the Marketing Mix Week 2: Chapter 15 (Strategic Marketing Planning)
September 9: Practice Marketing Mini Simulation - ‘Planning and Marketing Mix’, plus chapter 15 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
September 11: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: Mountain Equipment Co-op Week 3: Chapter 2 (The Marketing Environment)
September 14: Quiz 1 (Chapter 15), plus Better Bean Role Playing September 16: Chapter 2 reading and exercise completion (on your own) September 18: Online together (Zoom).
Week 4: Chapters 3 and 5 (Consumer Behavior and B2B Marketing)
September 21: Quiz 2 (Chapter 2), plus chapters 3 and 5 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
September 23: Online together (Zoom) – Chapter 3
September 25: Online together (Zoom) – Chapter 5. Video Case: B2B Buyer-Seller Relationship Week 5: Chapter 4 (Market Research, Metrics, and Analytics)
September 28: Quiz 3 (Chapters 3 and 5), plus chapter 4 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
September 30: Online together (Zoom) October 2: Marketing Research Role Playing
Week 6: Chapter 6 (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning)
October 5: Quiz 4 (Chapter 4), plus chapter 6 reading and exercise completion (on your own) October 7: Online together (Zoom)
October 9: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: Zipcar
Week 7: Chapter 7 (Products and Brands) October 12: Thanksgiving Day (no class)
October 14: Quiz 5 (Chapter 6), plus chapter 7 reading and exercise completion (on your own) October 16: Online together (Zoom)
Week 8: Chapter 8 (New Product Development)
October 19: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: IKEA of Sweden
October 21: Mini-Simulation: Product Development, plus chapter 8 reading and exercise completion (on your own).
October 23: Online together (Zoom) Week 9: Chapter 9 (Pricing)
October 26: Quiz 6 (Chapters 7 and 8), plus chapter 9 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
October 28: Online together (Zoom)
October 30: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: Legal and Ethical Issues in Pricing Week 10: Chapters 10 and 11 (Marketing Channels and Supply Chain, Retailing and Wholesaling)
November 2: Quiz 7 (Chapter 9), plus chapters 10 and 11 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
November 4: Online together (Zoom) - chapter 10. Video Case: SmartWay: Transport Partnership
November 6: Online together (Zoom) – chapter 11 Week 11: Fall Reading Week
November 9-13: Fall Reading Week – no class Week 12: Chapter 12 (Marketing Communications) November 16: Quiz 8 (Chapters 10 and 11)
November 18: Chapter 12 reading and exercise completion (on your own) November 20: Online together (Zoom)
Week 13: Chapter 13 (Digital Marketing Communications)
November 23: Integrated Marketing Communications Mini-Simulation, plus Chapter 13 reading and exercise completion (on your own)
November 25: Online together (Zoom) November 27: Quiz 9 (Chapters 12 and 13)
Week 14: Ethics (p. 24/25), Corporate Social Responsibility (p. 15-17), Social Marketing November 30: Online together (Zoom). Video Case: Honey Nut Cheerios
December 2: Online together (Zoom) December 4: Quiz 10 (Week 14 content)
Week 15: Course Wrap Up, Summary and Conclusions December 7: Online together (Zoom)
