Marketing 301 – Introduction to Marketing Fall 2020
Section D7 Course Syllabus
Class Time: 12:30 – 13:50, TueThu Instructor: Utku Akkoç, PhD
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: TueThu, 12:00-12:30 or email me and we’ll make an appointment Website: Eclass and Connect (chapter readings, quizzes and assignments will be
posted on Connect) COURSE MATERIALS
Required e-textbook: Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, Bonifacio, Bureau (2018), Marketing:
The Core, 5th Canadian Edition, McGraw Hill. Connect standalone (ebook & study resources).
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 assignments, and will provide students with time to complete the assigned chapter
readings and questions, and watch posted videos.
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
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 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.
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
Date Topic Notes
September 1 Course Overview / Introduction to Marketing (Chapter 1) Week 1 September 3 Course Overview / Introduction to Marketing (Chapter 1) Week 1
September 8 Strategic Planning (Chapter 15) Week 2
September 10 Strategic Planning Quiz Week 2
September 15 Environment (Chapter 2) Week 3
September 17 Environment Quiz Week 3
September 22 Consumer Behavior (Chapter 3) and B2B Marketing
(Chapter 5) Week 4
September 24 Consumer Behavior Simulation
Consumer Behavior and B2B Quiz Week 4
September 29 Market Research, Metrics and Analytics (Chapter 4) Week 5 October 1 Marketing Research Role Playing
Marketing Research Quiz Week 5
October 6 Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning (Chapter 6) Week 6 October 8 Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning (Chapter 6) Week 6 October 13 Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning Quiz Week 7
October 15 Products and Brands (Chapter 7) Week 7
October 20 New Product Development (Chapter 8) Week 8 October 22 Products and Branding Role Playing
Products, Brands and New Product Development Quiz
Week 8
October 27 Pricing (Chapter 9) Week 9
October 29 Pricing Quiz Week 9
November 3 Marketing Channels and Supply Chain (Chapter 10) Week 10
November 5 Retailing (Chapter 11) Week 10
November 9-13 Reading Week (No class) Week 11
November 17 Marketing Channels, Supply Chain and Retailing Quiz
Mini Simulation (Retail Strategy) Week 12 November 19 Marketing Communications (Chapter 12) Week 12
November 24 Digital Marketing (Chapter 13) Week 13
November 26 Marketing Communications and Digital Marketing Quiz Week 13 December 1 Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Marketing Week 14 December 3 Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Social
Marketing Quiz Week 14
Note this course outline may be revised as required.
