Microsoft word - syllabus.doc

MARKETING STRATEGY
Fall 2005

Professor:
Class Times: Tuesday
Class Location: Purnell, Room 233A
Office Hours:
Office Location: 117 Alfred Lerner Hall
E-mail: [email protected]
Course Description
BUAD479 provides a capstone experience for marketing majors. As such, the course focuses on
devising marketing strategies for real-world business situations. Course discussions and mini-
lectures emphasize using marketing concepts and principles to clarify the issues facing marketing
decision makers and increase confidence in strategic decisions. Discussions also address how to be
persuasive in business situations. Course requirements simulate the high level of uncertainty inherent
in today’s competitive markets. Careful analysis, sound reasoning, and strong understandings of
marketing concepts will be needed to successfully complete course requirements.
Learning Objectives
The course relies heavily on case discussions and case analyses as well as a web-based
marketing strategy simulation. These experiential methods are intended to:
(1) Increase your tolerance for the uncertainty facing marketing decision makers, (2) Improve your ability to analyze marketing situations so that your strategic decisions are based on sound information and thoughtful reasoning, (3) Better your understanding of strategic decision making in marketing, especially as it relates to resource allocation and target marketing, (4) Provide you with experience in formulating successful marketing strategies that can be (5) Enhance your communications skills so that you can convey your ideas in a persuasive
Readings
I have prepared a packet of readings containing 7 business cases and 4 articles (all readings are
available in sealed media format; a reference list is provided at the end of this document). The
packet is available from Harvard Business School Publishing at a cost of $41.20. Go to the
website listed below to purchase the packet.
http://www.hbsp.com/relay.jhtml?name=cp&c=c42758
Larreche, Jean-Claude, Hubert Gatignon & Remi Triolet (2003). Markstrat Online Student Handbook. Cambridge, Mass: Minute Man Press.
The Markstrat book includes a unique number that will enable you to register for the marketing
strategy simulation. Go to the website listed below to purchase the book (hard copy and
electronic versions are available; both cost $50).

http://www.markstratonline.com/public/orders.shtml


NOTE: DO NOT buy a used Markstrat book. Each book comes with a unique license number
that is needed to register for the simulation and the numbers contained in used books may not
work.
You may also want to have a marketing principles or marketing strategy textbook as a handy
reference. Most of these books contain similar content and are readily substitutable. However, if
you are interested in purchasing such a book, but do not know which one to buy, I will be happy
to make a recommendation.
Requirements
This section details the requirements you will need to complete to earn credit for this course. All
elements listed herein are required.
Brief Biosketch (BB). The BB is intended to provide me with a brief biographical sketch of all
students enrolled in the course. It will also be used to help me learn your name. Therefore,
please submit a recent photograph with your BB (if you opt out of having your picture taken on
the first day of class). Your BB is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 6.
Failure to submit a BB will result in a 1000 point reduction in your final number of total points
earned for the course. I have attached my BB at the end of this document as an example; you
are free to design an alternative format and include any biographical information that you would
like to share with me. The BB should be typed, however.
Case Feedback. As a marketer, it is important to be able to critique the ideas and
recommendations of others. The case feedback requirement is intended to aid you in developing
this skill, while also offering presenters some useful feedback on their performances. Following
each case presentation, including your own, you will be asked to complete a brief survey
regarding the performance of the presenting group. One of the questions on the survey will ask
you to comment on the strongest aspect(s) of the presentation; an additional question will ask for
comments on the weakest aspect(s) of the presentation. The feedback you provide will be
evaluated on a 4-point scale: 3 = very useful, 2 = somewhat useful, 1= not very useful, and 0=
useless or no feedback offered). Your average feedback rating (across all presentations) will be
used to determine your grade for this requirement.
Case Presentation. Working with a group of 2-4 other students, you will be required to prepare
a 15-minute presentation addressing the general issue of “what should the focal organization in
the case do now?” Case presentations will be followed by a 10-minute question and answer
session during which your classmates and I will probe your recommendations and comment on
your team’s performance. Team selection and case assignments will occur in class on Tuesday,
September 6. Detailed requirements for the case presentations will also be distributed on 9/6.
Class Participation. The ultimate success of this course depends heavily on your engagement
with course material. Therefore, regular, meaningful participation in class discussions is
required. Failure to participate will result in a grade of zero for this requirement. Comments
made during discussions should be relevant and insightful; saying something just to have a
speech turn does not constitute meaningful participation. At the end of the semester, you will be
asked to submit a brief report of your participation (i.e., no more than 2 pages). The report
should include a summary of your attendance and participation. It should also indicate what
grade you believe you have earned for class participation and explain why you have earned it. A suggested format for the class participation reports is provided as the last page of this document. Marketing Math Assignment. You will be required to complete a brief assignment focusing on the performance of a few basic calculations pertinent to making strategic marketing decisions. As all marketers should be able to perform these basic calculations, the assignment is to be completed individually. The assignment will be distributed in class on Tuesday, September 13 and will be due no later than the beginning of class on Thursday, September 22. Markstrat. To gain hands-on experience in making strategic marketing decisions and observing their outcomes, a considerable portion of the course will be devoted to playing a comprehensive marketing strategy simulation game called Markstrat. Working with 2-3 other students in the class, you will be part of a team that will compete with three or four other teams for supremacy in two consumer products markets. One half of your grade for the simulation will be based on two strategy memos in which you will be required to explain and justify your long and short term marketing objectives and strategies. The other half of your grade for the simulation will be explicitly competitive. All teams will begin the game with identical competitive positions; grading will be based on your relative performance in the game. Detailed handouts relating to the marketing strategy memos, competitive grading, and simulation rules will be distributed in class no later than Thursday, October 20. Midterm Exam. The midterm exam will involve a mixture of multiple choice, short answer and short essay questions. The exam will focus on knowledge of key concepts and their application. It will also address various aspects of the Markstrat simulation, case analysis, and case presentations. Peer Evaluations. For the case presentation and Markstrat, you will be required to submit peer evaluations. The purpose of these evaluations is twofold: (1) identify and reward group members who make exceptional contributions to your team, and (2) identify and penalize group members who fail to make satisfactory contributions to your team. Primary responsibility for handling “free riders” will fall on the members of your group; I will intercede on the group’s behalf under extraordinary circumstances only. For the case presentation, peer evaluations will be due by 5:00pm on the day you give your case presentation; for Markstrat, peer evaluations will be due by 5:00pm on Tuesday, December 6. Failure to submit your peer evaluation by 5:00pm on the due date will result in the assessment of a late penalty (see below) against your individual grade. For your convenience, copies of the peer evaluation forms will be distributed in class no later than Tuesday, September 27. If you miss class on the day the forms are distributed, it will be your responsibility to obtain your forms from one of your group members. Written Case Analysis/Final Exam. The final exam will consist of a written case analysis. The analysis will be completed individually or with one other person. The final exam case(s) will be announced no later than Thursday, November 10 (and available for purchase and download via the HBS publishing website). Detailed requirements for the written analysis will be distributed and discussed in class no later than Thursday, November 17. Your written case analysis will be due by 5:00pm on Friday, December 9.
Grading
I believe very strongly that “A’s” and other high grades should be reserved for truly exceptional
performances. That is not to say that everyone cannot earn a grade of “A” on a given course
requirement. Rather, it is meant to indicate that earning an exceptionally high grade will require
standing out significantly from others and/or greatly exceeding my expectations. As a general
rule, if you perform at a satisfactory level (e.g., you demonstrate adequate mastery of course
material in completing all required elements and do so in a professional manner) then you will
earn a grade of 80 for a given requirement. Failing to perform at a satisfactory level on a course
requirement (e.g., due to poor writing, presenting exclusively from notes, failing to address
required elements, lack of thorough or thoughtful analysis, etc.) will earn a score of less than 80.
Exceptional insights, depth of analysis, creativity, writing quality, presentation skill, and
analytical thinking, as well as extraordinary contributions to class discussions will be rewarded
with grades higher than 80. (NOTE: There is no maximum grade for most of the course
requirements; in other words, most are not graded out of 100 per se. Thus, it is possible to earn a
grade higher than 100 by going above and beyond basic requirements and expectations).
The following weights will be applied to scores earned on course requirements (i.e., your scores
will be multiplied by these weights to determine the number of points earned for each
requirement, and then summed to yield your total points earned).
Requirement
% Final Grade
Final course grades will be assigned according to the following distribution of total points earned. Total Points
NOTE: I reserve the right to award grades higher than those determined by this scale, but will not lower grades for any reason. Any "curving" of grades will occur after the completion of all course requirements only.
Course Policies
Plagiarism. Unless explicitly noted by me in writing, all work submitted to fulfill course
requirements must be original work prepared solely for this course and have been completed
individually. Note: I will pursue and punish any and all violations of the University of
Delaware's Code of Conduct to the fullest extent possible.

Writing. All writing completed for the course, including e-mails, midterm exams, written case
analyses, and class participation reports, should be carefully proofread and free of grammatical
and typographical errors. When you borrow the ideas of others, you must cite your sources
(within the text and in a separate reference section). I reserve the right to penalize any and all
instances of poor writing and failure to appropriately cite sources even if writing quality and
source citation are not explicitly listed as grading criteria.
Late Work and Missed Exams. Unless otherwise noted, all course deliverables (e.g., written case
analysis) are due by the beginning of class on the date specified in the course schedule. Without
my prior approval (which must be obtained at least 24 hours prior to the due date) or a well-
documented medical excuse, late work is penalized at a proratable rate of 20 points per day that
it is late. Failure to meet a Markstrat deadline will result in the entry of suboptimal default
decisions for your team.
Class Notes. Most notes for this course will be generated via discussion. Therefore, I will not be
able to provide copies of class notes. One of the most important skills you can acquire as an aspiring
marketer is the ability to distinguish the important from the trivial. Therefore, you are solely
responsible for taking notes during mini-lectures and discussions. Students who notify me of an
excused absence prior to class and/or provide a well-documented medical excuse will be given
access to any notes that I do have; however, the notes will be available by appointment only.
Class Preparation. To facilitate discussions, I expect that all assigned readings will be carefully read
prior to class. If the entire class is unable or unwilling to participate, I will call on people at random
and note instances of poor preparedness for the determination of class participation grades.

Course Schedule
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the course will adhere to the schedule outlined below. In
fairness to students with very complex and demanding schedules, presentation dates and due
dates will be changed for extraordinary circumstances only.
Required Readings
Assignment Due
Thur, 10/27 Markstrat Practice & Cases
Readings:
1. Dolan, Robert J. (2000). “Note on Marketing Strategy,” HBSP #9-598-061.
2. Bonoma, Thomas V. & Thomas Kosnik (1989). “Learning by the Case Method in Marketing,” HBSP
3. Moon, Youngme and David Kiron (2002). “Vans: Skating on Air,” HBS Case #9-502-077. 4. Dolan, Robert J. (1998). “Note on Low-Tech Marketing Math,” HBSP #9-599-011. 5. Eisenmann, Thomas & Alastair Brown (2003). “Satellite Radio,” HBS Case #9-802-175. 6. Conger, Jay A. (2000). “The Necessary Art of Persuasion,” HBSP OnPoint #4258. 7. Frei, Frances X. (2004). “Celebrity Cruises, Inc. A Taste of Luxury,” HBS Case #9-603-096. 8. Narayandas, Das and Alison B. Wagonfeld (2004). “Kingsford Charcoal,” HBS Case #9-505-036. 9. Quelch, John, Anita Elberse, and Anna Harrington (2005). “The Passion of the Christ,” HBS Case #9- 10. Lassiter, Joseph B., and Dan Heath (2005). “Icebreaker,” HBS Case #9-806-006. 11. Wosinska, Marta and Youngme Moon (2005). “PROPECIA: Helping Make Hair Loss History,” HBS Brief Biosketch: Dan Freeman
Dan Freeman is Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Delaware. Professor Freeman holds a doctorate in Business Administration and an M.A. in Communication, both from the University of Arizona. He completed his undergraduate work at Grinnell College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Professor Freeman has taught a wide variety of courses, including Information Technology Applications in Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Introduction to Marketing, Being Persuasive in Business Situations, and Market Research and Profile Analysis (for New Ventures). In addition to considerable experience in teaching and conducting academic research projects, Professor Freeman has served as the Research Chair for the United Way of Greater Tucson’s Strategic Marketing Committee, Marketing Director for Animals Crusaders of Arizona, Public Relations Chair for CONTACT Delaware, and Faculty Advisor for the Lerner Venture Group. In these capacities, he has conducted a successful direct marketing campaign and also developed and completed focus group and survey-based research projects aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a first-ever advertising campaign, determining the desirability of organizational rebranding, and assessing market preferences for a large residential real estate development. Professor Freeman also possesses substantive expertise in consumer behavior and marketing strategy, as well as methodological expertise in qualitative methods (e.g., interviewing and focus groups) and quantitative methods (e.g., survey research, experimental design and analysis). When he is away from professional activities, Professor Freeman enjoys spending time with his two-year old son, Owen, his partner of 15 years, Jill, and their three dogs. Whenever possible, he also enjoys listening to music (especially reggae), playing golf, sailing, snorkeling, gambling, and watching sports. Suggested Format for Class Participation Report
(Please type your responses, single spacing is okay, 2 pages max.)

CLASS PARTICIPATION REPORT

Submitted by:
Total number of class sessions missed: _____
Reasons for absences: (optional)
Class participation score earned: _____ (out of 80 points possible)
Justification: (Please be as specific as possible)

I hereby certify that the information provided in this report is accurate to the best of my
recollection. I understand that any false representations made herein may subject me to a charge
of academic dishonesty.
Signature:_______________________________________ Date:_____________________

Source: http://www.buec.udel.edu/freemand/BUAD%20479%20syllabus.pdf