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MARK 468 – RETAIL AND CHANNEL MANAGEMENT
Professor: Dr. John W. Pracejus Office: 2-32K Business Building
Office Phone: 780-492-2023 E-mail: [email protected]
COURSE OVERVIEW & LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course is designed to provide an intensive introduction to retail marketing management.
Emphasis will be placed on the application of the theoretical concepts to practical marketing situations.
This course incorporates the Learning Goals of the Bachelor of Commerce Program, in particular Critical Thinking, Oral Communication, Teamwork and Written Communications. At the end of the course you will have developed the following course specific skills or knowledge:
1. You should understand the current and evolving nature of the retail marketplace, as well as the role of retail marketing in the overall business landscape.
2. You should be able to assess retail businesses and analyze their value propositions.
3. You should be able to identify, appraise, and formulate retail strategies that result in profitable performance.
Throughout the course, it is expected that you will make an extra effort to visit physical and electronic stores and to pay close attention to ongoing developments in retailing.
METHOD OF EVALUATION
Final grading in this class is based on individual student achievement of the course and program outcomes. These outcomes are measured by the following assessments:
Learning Outcome Assessment % Grade Due Date
Critical Thinking, Written Communications
Mid-term #1 25% Feb. 10th , 2020
Critical Thinking, Written Communications
Mid-term #2 25% March 30th , 2020
Critical Thinking, Teamwork
Final Group Project See Course
Schedule (below)
Oral Communication Presentation 20%
Written Communications Written Report 30% April 8th, 2019
Overall 100%
***Late assignments will be decreased by 10% for each day late.
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For more information on the University of Alberta’s Assessment and Grading Policy please see:
https://policiesonline.ualberta.ca/PoliciesProcedures/Pages/DispPol.aspx?PID=101
SUGGESTED READING
Levy, Michael, Barton A. Weitz, Dean Watson and Michael Madore (2017) Retail Management, 5th Canadian Edition. Toronto, Ontario: McGraw Hill Education.
REQUIRED READINGS
Up-to-date readings will be posted on the course web page throughout the term with an expected date for discussion. Please read these prior to the class discussion, and note that they may be covered on the midterms.
APPOINTMENTS
I do not have set office hours. However, I do strive to be available to any student who wants to speak with me. I ask that you send me a short e-mail ([email protected]) that outlines your questions/concerns and allows us to arrange a convenient time to meet. It helps me be fully prepared to give you appropriate feedback and advice, and it makes for a much more productive interaction.
EXPECTATIONS
You are expected to be fully engaged in the entire learning process. This means devoting time and energy to preparation before class, listening to others during class discussions and engaging in class discussions. Using your computer during class for personal activities such as
reading/writing email, writing letters, surfing the Web, playing games, etc. is also distracting and counterproductive.
GUEST SPEAKERS & FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Guest speakers are an integral part of learning in this course. Each guest has been chosen for his or her unique ability to contribute to our learning. It is important that you make every effort to attend these lectures and to actively engage our guests in discussion. Material from the guest speakers may be covered on the mid-terms. Please be kind and courteous to our guests.
Feedback on these lectures and speakers is appreciated – all such correspondence will be treated confidentially and should be addressed directly to Dr. Pracejus.
IN-CLASS DISCUSSION
A valuable classroom experience requires rigorous preparation and high-quality class discussion.
You are expected to attend guest speakers’ presentations, including your peers’ final project presentations, and to be prepared with relevant questions and comments.
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FINAL GROUP PROJECT & PRESENTATION
This group project is designed to provide you with an opportunity to examine retail marketing management in practice. You will be required to spend some time observing a retail operation, analyzing its customers’ behavior, and reverse engineering the store’s retail value proposition.
For the presentation, students are expected to provide an overview of the project that touches on these same areas, but focuses on and highlights the most interesting findings.
More details on this project will be provided in class on Jan. 22nd. This includes the detailed marking rubric. We will also be forming groups on this day, so if you will be absent please contact the instructor. The written project should be less than 3500 words with maximum of 5 pages of exhibits.
AUDIO OR VIDEO RECORDING
Audio or video recording of lectures, labs, seminars or any other teaching environment by students is allowed only with the prior written consent of the instructor or as a part of an
approved accommodation plan. Recorded material 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 instructor.
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 Behavior (online at
https://www.ualberta.ca/governance/resources/policies-standards-and-codes-of-conduct/code-of- student-behaviour ) and avoid any behavior that 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.
All factual information taken from other sources (books, web pages, papers, etc.) must be referenced in submitted work. Please consult the calendar for information regarding these behaviours. Additional information can be found at: https://www.ualberta.ca/current- students/academic-resources/academic-integrity/cheating
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Date Topic
Week 1 Jan 6-10
Course Introduction
Course Requirements & Expectations
Introduction and types of retailers
Buyer behaviour
o READING: Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2 Jan 13-17
Retail Assortment (Dr. Paul Messenger)
Assortment, depth and breadth o READING: Chapter 3
o GUEST SPEAKER: Isaac Watson VP Product Development and Retail Experience - Fire and Flower
Week 3 Jan 20-24
Market and Location Strategy
Strategy and site selection
Traffic analysis
o READING: Chapters 4 and 5 o JAN 22 – Finalize groups!!!
o GUEST SPEAKER Jesse Robbins Vice President, Analytics & Reporting HeadCount Corporation
Week 4 Jan 27-31
Design and layout
Space management and atmospherics and global perspectives o READING: Chapter 6 and 7
o GUEST SPEAKER: Laura Smyth, Director, Tiffany’s
Week 5
Feb 3-7 International and Financial Strategy
Culture and cross-border considerations; Quantitative analysis o READING: Chapter 8 and 9
Week 6 Feb 10-14
Information systems
Flow and system design
o Mid-term 1 Monday Feb 10th
o GUEST SPEAKER: Lyle Waldren Director of Sales (Alberta) Saputo Inc.
o CLASS IS CANCELLED ON FRIDAY, FEB 14th
READING WEEK – February 17th to 21st
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Date Topic
Week 7 Feb 24-28
Merchandise Management and Buying Strategies
Forecasting, inventory, sourcing, vendors and planning o READING: Chapters 10 and 11
o GUEST SPEAKER: Rob Bennett, EVP, ATB Financial
Week 8 March 2-6
Pricing Strategy
Maximize profits and sales
o READING: Chapter 12
o GUEST SPEAKER:Ziad Kaddoura,
Week 9 Mar 9-13
Customer Loyalty
CRM & Service Standards o READING: Chapter 14
o GUEST SPEAKER: Blair Cameron, President, AirMiles
Week 10 Mar 16-20
Retail Communications (Rory Waisman lecture on Monday)
Advertising & promotions in retail o READING: Chapter 15
o GUEST SPEAKER: Cindy Gange-Harris, Store Leader, Apple West Edmonton
Week 11 Mar 23-27
Human Resources and Retail Supplier Relations
Staffing & promotion
o Guest Speaker Wednesday – Scott Stewart, Sr. Market Director, Pepsico Food
o READING: Chapter 13 March 30 Mid Term 2
April 1-8 Group Presentations!