Business Administration Department
Summer
I 2006
BA340 MARKETING PRINCIPLES
Mon.
Weds. 6-9:10 pm
Dr. Geoffrey Lantos Secretary:
Mrs.
Office: 219D Duffy
Academic Center 508.565.1463
Email: Glantos@stonehill.edu jpick@stonehill.edu
Website:http://faculty.stonehill.edu/glantos.index.htm Duffy 217
Office Phone:
508.565.1205
Cellphone:
508.369-4324
Fax:
508.565.1444
Campus
Mail: Box D-55
Office
Hours: Summers
are flextime I am in the office most
weekdays and will be happy to
meet with you either by appointment or on an informal drop-in
basis.
Textbook:
Pride, William M, and Ferrell, O.C., Marketing
13th ed.,
COURSE DESCRIPTION
"Explores the role marketing plays
within firms and within society.
Describes fundamental principles and methods underlying the national and
international system of providing goods and services for consumers and business
users in the profit and nonprofit sectors.
Studies the tasks and decisions facing marketing managers in planning,
implementing, and controlling marketing programs, and the ethical implications
of those decisions." -
This course provides a general
introduction to the principles and practices of the marketing system, i.e., the
institutions involved in the creation, distribution, and sale of goods and
services. BA 340 studies the role
marketing plays within firms, the business system, and society.
For marketing majors, this course will
provide a foundation for further marketing coursework. For non-marketing majors, the course will
help you understand what marketing encompasses and how it relates to other business
functions, to customers, and to society.
It should help you become a better consumer and businessperson and to
understand how marketing operates within the larger social and economic
environments.
Marketing Principles covers the following
general areas: an overview of the marketing system; the strategic marketing
planning process; the marketing environment, with an emphasis on knowledge of
marketing research and buyer behavior for understanding that environment;
selection of a target market (customer group) to serve; product, price,
placement, and promotion decisions (the "4 P's" or “marketing mix”);
and extensions of the marketing concept to international, services, and
not-for-profit situations. Throughout
the course we will also view marketing from a societal perspective and discuss
marketing ethics.
In this course you will:
1. Learn
about marketing concepts, functions and institutions.
2. Identify
the nature and scope of the specific tasks and decisions facing marketing
managers.
3. Recognize
the environmental constraints existing in both domestic and international
markets that govern how marketing decisions are made, and determine the
implications of these constraints for management. Special emphasis is placed here on using
marketing research to understand buyer behavior.
4. Discover
how to specify information inputs needed for marketing decisions, and to apply
and interpret results from available research approaches for obtaining this
information.
5. Learn
to analyze the nature and extent of demand and the characteristics of market
segments (targeted customer groups), and to specify market segments as
potential opportunities.
6. Understand
how to describe, develop, and analyze alternative marketing strategies, i.e.,
decisions with respect to product offerings and their pricing, distribution
(placement), and promotion (all in view of target markets’ characteristics as
well as of the environmental constraints).
7. Become
aware of societal, ethical, and legal constraints on the marketing function.
Since this is an introductory marketing
course, designed to provide an overview of the marketing function, a large part
of it is descriptive: background
theoretical concepts and issues are presented and discussed. However, since marketing management is an
applied discipline, the course is also application
oriented: written assignments require
application of concepts; textbook discussion questions will be discussed, video
case studies will be analyzed in class; and a guest speaker from the "real
world" will be invited. To make
this course relevant to students from all majors, emphasis will be on
integration of the marketing function with all areas in the organization and on
application of marketing concepts to life in general. Consequently, Marketing Principles will serve
the needs of students desiring only a basic overview of marketing as a part of
their general education in business administration, as well as providing a
strong foundation for those students wishing to pursue the study of marketing
beyond a general survey-level course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
In order to meet these student needs, the
goals of this course are that you:
1. Gain
an understanding of marketing's role in the economic system;
2. Acquire
a basic understanding of marketing's theoretical concepts, principles, decision
rules, and issues;
3. Obtain
insight into the current practice of developing and implementing marketing
strategy;
4.
Gain experience in defining marketing
problems and in applying problem-solving techniques to strategic marketing
management situations;
5.
Learn to become a more informed consumer;
6. Develop
your written communication skills and ability to think and write critically and
creatively;
7. Improve
your oral communication skills and ability to orally defend your ideas;
8. Build
your analytical abilities; and
9.
Integrate your Christian faith with learning (optional but encouraged).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
You will achieve the first four objectives by carefully reading and studying the textbook; attending class, participating in classroom discussions, and reviewing and reflecting on what you learn from the assigned readings and the classroom; and completing one or two brief written assignments or a term paper. The fifth goal will be realized by participating in classroom analysis of short video cases from the textbook. Completing written assignments will fulfill the sixth objective, and participating in classroom discussions and optional participation in a classroom debate (in lieu of written assignments) will achieve the seventh goal. Analyzing video case studies will fulfill the eighth objective. Finally, you will attain the final goal if you elect to participate in opening class devotions and participate with me in evaluating course material from a Christian worldview as informed by the Scriptures. The brief written assignments, debate, and term paper assignments are detailed in separate handouts.
CLASSROOM FORMAT
Classroom sessions will involve a variety of teaching and learning techniques. Much of this time will be devoted to lecture on and discussion of material relating to the assigned reading. I will present the topics in a supplemental (to the textbook) and illustrative manner (using transparencies, videotapes, audiotapes, pass-arounds, Website visitations, etc.), and these presentations will be integrated with classroom discussions.
Just as you expect me to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned topic(s) for the day, I expect you to come to class prepared to participate in discussion because active learning is more productive than passive learning. In order to get ready for active classroom involvement, you are expected to read the assigned material prior to attending class so that you are better able to raise insightful questions, to answer my questions, and to intelligently contribute to class discussions. This effort leads to increased involvement and, therefore, long-term understanding. Passive learning is the result of reading and studying the textbook and classroom notes one or two nights before the exam. This minimal effort only leads to memorizing and short-term results.
Informal discussions of the written assignments and assigned end-of-chapter discussion questions will be included as time permits. Audio-visual presentations (DVDs, videotapes, audiotapes, pass-around materials, product props, and Web site visits) will be used to illustrate applications of marketing strategies and to provide further catalysts for classroom discussions. A practitioner guest speaker will be visiting to make the theoretical material "come alive." Another marketing professor will be speaking to give you broader exposure to different academic perspectives. Classroom discussion of textbook and video case studies will be used to help strengthen your decision-making skills. Debates on controversial marketing topics will be held if enough students are interested in participating.
STUDENT EVALUATION
You will decide within certain parameters
what your workload will be and how you will be evaluated.
Standard student evaluation will be based
on performance on each of the course requirements in the following
heaviest-workload standard grading plan:
REQUIREMENT DATE(S) OF COMPLETION RELATIVE IMPORTANCE*
(1) Exams
Exam #1 June
5 15-25%
Exam #2 June
19 15-25%
Final Exam June
28 25-35%
(2) Written Assignments
or Debate. Group #1 – 6/2, 6/14 14-26% (7-13% each)
a. Two written Group #2 – 6/5, 6/19
assignments Group
#3 – 6/7, 6/21
Group
#4 – 6/7, 6/26
Group #5 – 6/12, 6/26
OR OR
b. One classroom Debate Proposal – 6/2 14-26%
debate Debate dates to be arranged
for
second half of the
semester.
OR OR
c. Optional term Paper Proposal – 6/2 24-36% (with 10 percentage
paper Progress Report #1
– 6/12 point weight
Progress
Report #2 – 6/21 deducted from
another
Final
Paper – 6/26
course requirement
with lowest grade)
(3) Classroom Each class session 6-14%
participation 100%
and
attendance
* This is “choose-your-weight”
grading. You will choose your own weight
for each course requirement within the ranges shown. For instance, you can count the first exam as
low as 15%, as high as 25%, or any percentage point in between (e.g.,
19%). Percentages must add up to 100%. You
must let me know your individualized grading plan by May 31.
You may also choose one of the following
three nonstandard contract grading options, each of which
evaluates you in one or two (instead of all three) areas:
Option 1:Tests only:
Exam #1 - 24-34%
Exam #2 – 24-34%
Exam #3 – 37-47%
Option 2: Tests plus
one of the second course requirement options:
(1) Exam #1 – 17-27%
Exam #2 – 17-27%
Exam #3 – 28-38%
(2) a. Two written assignments -
17-29% (8 to 14% each)
OR
b. Classroom debate – 17-29%
OR
c. Optional term paper – 27-39% (with 10%
weight deducted from another course requirement
with your lowest grade)
(3) Option
3: Tests plus classroom participation
Exam #1 – 20-30%
Exam #2 – 20-30%
Exam #3 – 32-42%
Classroom participation – 9-17%
If you choose
one of these nonstandard grading options you must let me know by 5/31—the date
weights are also turned in.
GRADING POLICY
The formal grading system serves two
purposes - motivation and evaluation.
Criteria used in grading performance on the above course requirements
include mastery of course material, oral and written expression skills,
originality/creativity, and problem-solving ability.
Examinations
Tests will be based primarily on material covered in classroom lectures/discussions, including videos, guest speakers, and conceptual information (not factual information such as names and dates) from case discussions. Secondarily, exams will cover assigned readings from the textbook and articles. There is much more material in your textbook and related assignments than is possible to cover and develop in detail in class. Our class discussions will touch on and further extend only some of the most important issues. Although tests will place more emphasis on topics that are covered in both the readings and class, exams will also encompass the core material and key concepts from your assigned reading and end-of-chapter questions not discussed in class. Pay special attention to learning objectives, important terms, and discussion & review questions for each assigned chapter. You should integrate lectures, class discussions, and assigned readings to best prepare for examinations.
Each examination will consist of a format emphasizing applications of concepts learned and including: 1) multiple choice questions, 2) short definitions/explanations and examples of concepts, 3) conceptual/descriptive short answer questions, and 4) problem-solving short-answer questions. See the exam template handout and sample practice exams on my website. All exams remain in my office after being graded and reviewed in class, but feel free to stop by and review/discuss them with me.
The first two tests will each focus on
material from the particular section of the course just covered. The final examination will primarily
concentrate on material covered in the third section of the course
(approximately two-thirds) but will also include material from the first two
sections of the course (approximately one third).
I strongly recommend that any student who
earns a test score below 75 on the first (or any other) exam see me within a
week of getting that test back for a private tutorial session. This will help us diagnose why you did
poorly, set goals for the next exam, and determine study strategies to help you
improve your grade for that next exam
No make-up examinations will be
administered except under unusual circumstances. If something prevents you from attending an
exam or from turning in an assignment on time, you should notify me, and we can
make alternative arrangements BEFORE
the exam or class period during which the assignment is due. I will accept a written medical excuse or
compelling reasons, such as illness or death in the immediate family, as
legitimate reasons for missing an exam or assignment and will then allow you to
take a makeup exam or turn in a paper late.
However, outside activities or more than one exam in a day are not
acceptable excuses for missing an exam or turning in an assignment late. (Please plan accordingly.) If I am not contacted in advance, where
possible, I will reserve the right to assign a failing grade for the exam
missed.
If class is cancelled on a scheduled exam
day, I will give the exam the next scheduled class day.
Classroom Participation
Class sessions should be treated as
scheduled business meetings: come prepared to participate in class
activities. I reserve the right to hold
a pop quiz at any time the class as a whole appears unprepared for class. Pop quiz grades, if necessary, will be factored
in as part of your three exam grades. If
you stay attentive and act prepared for the day’s activities, no pop quiz
grades will be necessary.
It is vitally important that you play an
active role in the learning process. As
a result, your participation in class discussions will be encouraged, expected,
and rewarded (quality, not just quantity!).
The "4 P's" of student involvement in class are: 1)
preparation (read the assigned material), 2) presence (attend class), 3)
promptness (don't be late and disrupt class), and 4) participation (get
actively involved).
Specifically, classroom participation
grading will be based upon:
(a)
Volunteering answers to my questions (and/or being called upon by me to answer
my questions);
(b)
Asking questions of me that indicate awareness of and interest in the topic
under lecture/discussion and/or asking questions that challenge my and other
students’ thinking;
(c)
Participating in discussions of lecture material, end-of-chapter questions,
video cases, written assignments, videos, and other classroom materials;
(d)
Relating your own relevant personal experiences, examples, and insights
regarding the discussion topic;
(e)
Being able to spot an occasional "red flag", i.e., a statement or
conclusion I present which contradicts the assigned reading;
(f)
Participating as an audience member during debates (if held); and
(g)
Attendance.
Always remember that it is okay to be
wrong when you participate, but it is not
okay to not participate! I value your
efforts equally with the "correctness" of your thoughts.
In addition to your voluntary
participation, I will frequently "cold call" on quiet students (even
those who have opted not to be graded n class participation). . Please
keep in mind there is a difference between not being prepared to respond and
simply wishing to be less verbal.
Students who show a pattern of not being prepared will be downgraded
more than those who are habitually quiet.
After each class period I will grade you
on a one-to-six scale for your daily participation: 1=100, 2=90, 3=80, 4=70,
5=60, 6=50. Criteria I will consider in
evaluating your classroom performance include: preparation (content mastery),
communication skills, interaction (constructive criticism and building on and
reacting to others' ideas), creativity (generation of insights and
applications), and attitude (enthusiasm and interest).
Although I recognize that some students
are naturally shy and/or reluctant to speak out in a classroom situation, it is
important that such individuals overcome these characteristics and actively
participate in class, since oral communication and ability and willingness to
participate in discussions and to respond extemporaneously to questions are
vital in the business world as well as in life.
Thus, shyness and/or reluctance to speak out will not be accepted as excuses for poor oral classroom
participation. If you are reserved and
have trouble speaking up in class, see me.
We can develop some ways for you to participate. For example, for assigned chapters you could
hand in, in writing, any one or combination of the following: definitions of
“Important Terms,” answers to “Discussion and Review Questions,” and/or answers
to the video case discussion questions.
Regarding attendance, since the success of this course depends in part upon active participation by class members, you must be regularly present to participate in the classroom discussions. Attending class reflects your personal commitment to learning and your willingness to participate in and contribute to your own and your classmates' development of good marketing skills. Therefore, attendance will be taken. Two unexcused absences during the course of the semester are reasonable and will not count against your classroom participation grade. Each additional missed class will lower your final classroom participation grade by three points. A medically-excused absence, in writing, does not count as a missed class. You may miss a limited number of classes due to varsity sports obligations. However, work-related absences (e.g. business trips, working extra hours, etc.) do ordinarily count as missed classes unless your supervisor provides me with a compelling written reason. If you miss a class, you are responsible to get notes (find an attentive and generous classmate who will allow you to copy notes—mine are undecipherable), important announcements, handouts, etc. If you are unavoidably late to a class, you should notify me immediately after class so that you may be marked late instead of absent. Chronic tardiness will result in a lower class participation grade.
Written Papers
Requirements for written papers are as
follows:
1. All written material MUST be typed
(double-spaced, one-inch margins, 8-1/2" x 11" white paper).
2. The name of the paper, your student
identification number for this course (no names please—student numbers will be
assigned), course name and number plus section letter (A, B, etc.), and the
professor’s name should appear on the cover page.
3. Papers received after the due date will
be penalized 5 points (out of 100 points) for each weekday that they are late, unless (a) prior arrangements have been
made with me (including taking an incomplete for the semester) or (b) unusual
circumstances arise. In such situations,
the grade on the late assignment might be adjusted downward, depending on the
circumstances. If you are absent from
class when the assignment is due or if you are turning in your paper late, you
may either e-mail me your paper (in MS-Word format), fax it to me, or drop it
off at my office by 3 p.m.
4. If you have a writing problem or if
English is not your native language, please come see me so we can work on such
problems. I am available during office
hours or by appointment to discuss and review outlines or drafts of your
assignments. You may also seek
assistance from the professional tutor in the
5. See your Holt Handbook for help with formats.
6.
Other more detailed requirements are
explained in separate handouts for each assignment.
You will have an optional opportunity to
revise your written applications assignment if you wish, being given one week
after receiving your graded paper to improve it according to my suggestions on
each of the grading criteria. You are to
hand in both the original graded paper and the revision. I will then average the grade of the original
and the revision together. For instance,
a paper that earns a 70 the first time and a 90 on the revision would receive
an 80. (Note: I usually return papers
during the class following the class in which they were handed in.)
Course Grade
All work evaluated will receive a
numerical grade. Final course letter
grades will be assigned to the following schedule:
Letter/
Grade Definition Percent
4.0 A Outstanding 95-100
3.7 A- 90-94
3.3 B+
87-89
3.0 B
2.7 B- 80-82
2.3 C+
77-79
2.0 C
Satisfactory 73-76
1.7 C-
70-72
1.0 D
Passing but 60-69
unsatisfactory
0.0 F Failure < 60
N.B. The letter/definition column is defined in
the College Catalogue. For instance a
"B" is considered a superior grade, not just a good grade.
Final numerical scores will be a weighted
average of individual numerical grades.
There will be no curves on
individual course exams or on other graded course projects. At the completion of the course, the course
average will be computed for the class as a whole. If this average is less than 75, the
difference between 75 and the class average will be added to each student's
course average. If this average is
greater than 75, no adjustment will
be made.
In fairness to all students, no individual will be allowed an
opportunity to do additional work for extra credit in the course to make up for
poor grades, missed exams, or other problems.
Consequently, you should plan your study needs and time well in advance
in order to earn the grade you wish when the standard opportunities are
available. There is a sufficient volume
of material in this course for you to make up points should you do poorly in a
given area.
However, I will add points to your
lowest-weighted grading requirement for the following contributions to
classroom materials, if I consider
them useful:
·
New product or package sample (2 points)
·
Interesting advertisement (1 point)
·
Very interesting examples of a concept
discussed in class or in the textbook (1 2 point)
·
Videotape on a marketing issue (e.g.
segments of “Primetime,” "20/20," "60 Minutes,"
"Nightline," “Dateline,” or other newsmagazine TV shows) (cost
reimbursement plus 2 points)
·
Interesting article on marketing (1
point),
·
Interesting or informative website (1
point)
·
Sponsor ("Today's class is brought
to you by...") (1 point)
·
Corridor conversation question (1 point)
·
Great unanswered question—goofy or
serious (1 point)
·
Test question and answer (1 point)
·
Recommending a guest speaker (marketing
professional) who agrees to speak to a class or the
Marketing/Management Association (3
points)
·
Making a brief presentation of a current article on marketing to the
class (including relating the article to topics in this course) and leading any
discussion which might follow (2 to 4 points)
·
Doing a "show and tell"
presentation (bring to class and briefly discuss and relate to this course an
object, such as a "hot" product, clever product, great advertisement,
ridiculous advertisement, "my smartest purchase," a write-up or
drawing of your best product idea, clever sales promotion, etc.) (2 to 4
points).
·
Attending an educational event on or off
campus (2 points)
(Limit
of one each of these “goodies” per customer.)
Another possible way to improve your grade
is to purchase some “grade insurance.”
You can do this by handing in one or more of the above extra credit
options and specify that it is to be used for “grade insurance” rather than for
“extra credit” on your lowest-weighted requirement. The value of each item will then be worth
one-tenth what it is above, and this value will be added to your final grade if you need insurance. For example, a new product or package sample
would be worth .2 point added to your final grade (rather than 2 points tacked
onto your lowest weighted requirement).
You may “buy” up to one (1.0) full point’s worth of grade insurance. This will be applied only if, at the end of
the semester, you are a “borderline case”—i.e., you almost earned a higher
grade, but not quite. (Don’t you hate it when that happens?) For example, a student with an 86.6 earns a
B+ with rounding (to an 87) while a student with an 86.4 (rounds down to an 86)
only earns a B. But, with grade
insurance, this 86.4 could be as high as 87.4, a B+. This eliminates the “but-I was-so-close”
excuse at the end of the semester for students with such borderline
grades.
Some hints on how to earn a good grade in this course, based on previous years' student evaluations:
·
Keep up to date on reading assignments
(many students like to outline it) and exercises.
·
Attend class regularly, take good notes,
review and learn those notes within the next day or two (i.e., don't cram for
exams at the last minute), and actively participate in class.
·
Read the assigned reading thoroughly,
outline the chapters, and know the important terms at the end of assigned
chapters (learn them, don’t memorize them).
·
Do the end-of-chapter questions.
·
Study in advance and thoroughly for
exams, using the class lecture/discussion outline, attending review sessions,
printing out the sample exams from the professor’s website and working on them
throughout the semester, and attending review sessions.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
You are expected to maintain the highest
standards of academic honesty in all aspects of your work.
The College Catalogue defines academic dishonesty as follows:
a. Plagiarism: The presentation of another's
work as if it were one's own, failing to acknowledge or document the source
(requires source citations).
b.
Cheating: Giving or receiving, or
attempting to give or receive, unauthorized assistance or
information in an assignment or
examination.
c. Fabricating data
d. Submitting the same assignment in two or
more courses without prior permission of the respective instructors.
e. Employing another person to write a paper
or sit for an examination.
Cheating outside the classroom can
include sharing work of another student without letting that be acknowledged,
copying words out of a book without proper citation, doing less than one’s
share in a group project, using a single paper for more than one class,
falsifying a bibliography, writing a paper for someone else, borrowing another’s
paper, and turning in a paper purchased from a commercial firm or website. If you have any questions on such ethical
issues, please see me.
I work under the assumption that my students are honest. However, if you are caught violating these standards of academic honesty, I will give you a zero (not just an F) for the assignment. This would significantly lower your numerical course average. If it happens a second time, you will fail the course. I don't anticipate any problems here. Honesty pays in the long run.
PROBLEMS
If you are having any difficulties, personal or academic, that
are interfering with your course performance, please come see me. If we cannot work out a solution in terms of
improving your performance, I will assist you to see that you get whatever kind
of assistance you may need. But, please,
talk to me when the problem first starts affecting your work, not at the end of the course as an
explanation for poor course performance.
Please consider me as a resource and
mentor. I will be happy to meet with you
at any time during office hours, by appointment, or on a drop-in basis (if I’m
not tied up) to get to know you and to discuss career or personal goals,
academic or personal issues, or anything else you want to talk about. Always feel free to “let me know if I can
help you.”
You should also know that
FINAL NOTES
1. Student feedback is essential for course
improvement. I encourage continuous
teaching evaluation. At any time during
the semester you may orally or anonymously (e.g., via campus mail at Box D-55,
or slip a note in the metal basket on my office door) give me an evaluation of
my performance. This evaluation could
include the following headings: 1) Things that I like; 2) Things that I dislike;
and 3) Suggestions for improvements.
2. Above all, this course is intended to
give you a basis for understanding marketing, but let's have some fun learning it. Please come to class prepared to discuss the
topics and to share your experiences, observations, and knowledge. Marketing surrounds you, so be thinking about
this subject as you read newspapers and magazines, watch TV commercials, go
shopping, try new products, interact with salespeople, etc.
COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
The topics covered progress from the
general to the specific and proceed according to the strategic marketing
planning process. They do not
necessarily follow the order of topics included in the textbook.
The course begins with an overview of the field of marketing, of marketing strategy, and of the marketing environment. Then, methodologies for gathering environmental information (especially marketing research) are covered. An especially important part of the marketing environment, buyer behavior, is emphasized. Next are covered a major application of doing research and understanding customer behavior: target marketing (selecting potential buyers to serve). Following this are investigated each of the tactical elements of marketing decision tools, i.e., the marketing mix: product, pricing, distribution, (placement), and promotion. Finally, the course concludes with some miscellaneous "special" topics which involve extensions of marketing outside its traditional domains and which were not previously treated in depth.
Any changes in the following schedule will
be announced in class. Current
supplemental materials might be issued, as they become available, for optional
reading.
INTRODUCTION TO AND OVERVIEW
OF STRATEGIC MARKETING
1 M 5/22 Introduction to BA 340: Course
Structure & Requirements
Course Syllabus, assignments, and handouts
1 M 5/22 The Nature and Scope of Marketing
W 5/24 Read: Chapter 1 (all chapter assignments
are from Pride
& Ferrell)
Read:
Lantos, Geoffrey P., "The True Marketing Concept is Based on the
Biblical Philosophy of Life" (all
articles are in handout packet)
Read
and be prepared to discuss (henceforth abbreviated