Managerial Marketing Cases
M&L 4203
Fall Semester 2012
Tuesdays 12:45 – 2:05 p.m.
Professor Leslie M. Fine, PhD
550 Fisher Hall
Office Hours: anytime by appointment
Fine_5@fisher.osu.edu (E-mail is the best way to reach me)
Objective: The purpose of this course is to make you competent and confident to analyze and
solve a variety of marketing problems. This takes practice…lots of practice! This course uses
business cases to give you experience in analyzing a variety of marketing problems, and
using data to justify appropriate marketing solutions. The cases present information about
businesses at a particular point in time, and your job is to recommend strategies the
businesses must pursue to continue to move forward. You will be evaluated on your ability to
understand the problem, the underlying causes and to justify the solutions to the marketing
problem.
PLEASE NOTE:
You are all consumers, and therefore you have implicit theories about how marketing
works (or doesn’t work). These theories might be true for you, but are not an
adequate basis for strategic decision making in an organization unless you are the
organization’s only customer! You are probably not the target audience for most
organizations we will study, so you have to be careful to avoid thinking that what
YOU want is what the actual target audience wants. However, I do hope that learning
more about how marketing works will help you to be a better consumer, and to more
effectively evaluate organizations who desire your business.
Course Materials: Packet of cases, available from Uniprint.
Academic Standards:
Each student should carefully review the Code of Student Conduct, which is available at
http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/resource_csc.asp. Pay particular attention to the Academic
Misconduct section. Any instances of suspected academic misconduct will be handled in
accordance with section 3335-23-05: Initiation and investigation of code violations.
Ignorance of this code is NOT an excuse for violations.
Attendance:
I do not take attendance, but being in class is necessary if you are to perform well on the final
exam. If you cannot attend regularly, you should not plan to take this course this quarter. If
you have competing interests that require you to be out of class, you should be prepared to
accept any consequences of your absence. Emergencies or extreme circumstances should be
discussed with the instructor and with your team with as much advance notice as possible.
Evaluation:
Team Homework Assignments: 7@ 10 points:
70 points
Each team will submit 7 homework assignments. The assignments are listed in the
course syllabus. The homework assignments will help you to be prepared for class so that
you can effectively participate in and learn from the class meetings.
Final Exam:
30 points
A comprehensive final exam will be administered on-line during a time window
which will include the last class session. Details about the exam will be shared in class and
on Carmen later in the quarter.
Peer Evaluations:
A student’s grade will be reduced when the peer evaluations, administered at the end
of the course, consistently show that the student was not an effective contributor to the
group’s efforts. The severity of the reduction will be based on the consistency and magnitude
of the peer evaluations. Consistent and very poor peer evaluations will result in a greater
reduction than less consistent or less harsh peer evaluations. Peer evaluations are confidential
but not anonymous.
Working in teams is a reality of the workplace and learning to work in teams is an
important part of your training here at Fisher. At work you do not choose your colleagues,
and you must produce required outcomes in any team to which you are assigned. That is also
true in this course. You will not choose your teams, but you are expected to contribute in an
effective way to the team because that is a requirement of the course.
General Grading Information:
There are no “do-overs” or extra credit. The course is demanding but you are expected to
provide the highest quality deliverables on the first attempt. If you don’t have time to do it
right the first time, how can you possibly make time to do it again? Your grade on any
assignment serves a diagnostic role – poor quality outcomes will receive poor grades.
Grading Scale:
94 – 100
91 - 93
88 – 90
84 – 87
81 – 83
78 – 80
A
AB+
B
BC+
74 – 77
71 – 73
68 – 70
64 – 67
61 – 63
60 and below
C
CD+
D
DE
General Course Guidelines:
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Please let me know if you are a client of Student Disability Services and need
accommodations to make the learning environment more effective.
You are responsible for everything that takes place in class, whether you are present
or not. Please do not call or e-mail the instructor to ask what you will miss on any
class day. The syllabus contains all relevant information. If you are absent you should
speak with a colleague about sharing notes or insights that you missed.
Class is far more interesting and enlightening when everyone is prepared, and when
everyone participates.
Team work is an important part of the learning model and is an important part of most
work environments.
If you must be late to class, or to leave early, please enter as unobtrusively as
possible. This behavior is not encouraged, however.
Turn off your electronic devices…music devices, phones, blackberries, etc. Do not
wear ear phones in class. Do not take calls in class. Do not send or receive text
messages during class. You may use iPads or laptops for note-taking, but if I see that
you are doing anything other than class work I will require you to shut it down.
E-mail is the most effective way to reach me. In your e-mail subject line, please use
the words "Marketing Student" so I know the message is from a student.
Have fun!
What you can expect of the instructor:
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Timely feedback on graded assignments.
Class is conducted in an organized fashion, instructor is prepared and class will begin
on time and end on time.
Timely response to e-mail.
Changes to the syllabus or to normal routine will occur only for very compelling
reasons.
Differences of opinion will be treated with respect – independent thinking based on
solid evidence is encouraged.
All attempts will be made to create a class that is challenging and interesting.
Course Schedule: Cases (in italics) should be read and analyzed prior to each
class meeting
Date
Meeting 1: August 28
Meeting 2: September 4
Meeting 3: September 11
Meeting 4: September 18
Meeting 5: September 25
Meeting 6: October 2
Meeting 7: October 9
Meeting 8: October 16
Tasks
Course Introduction, review of syllabus
A review of useful business analysis tools
(SWOT, 5 Forces, Marketing attractiveness/competitive
advantage, Strategy Canvas)
Team Assignments
Rapid Rewards at Southwest Airlines
HBSP Case: 9-602-065
Trial Homework (not to be submitted): Calculate 1) the
number of passengers per employee and 2) the number of
employees per aircraft for Southwest and its competitors.
Why is this data relevant to the key problem in the case?
Assignment to Teams
Team Meetings
The Fashion Channel
HBSP Case #2075
Homework 1 due: Each team must complete the spreadsheet
in Exhibit 4 of the case (page 11).
Rosewood Hotels and Resorts: Branding to Increase
Customer Profitability and Lifetime Value
HBSP Case #2087
Homework 2 due: Each team must complete the top part of
the spreadsheet, covering 2003, in Exhibit 8 (calculate the
Average Guest Retention Rate and Average Gross Profit Per
Guest). You do not have to complete the 0-6 year NPV
calculation – we will discuss in class, though.
Atlantic Computer: A Bundle of Pricing Options
HBS Product # 2078
Homework 3 Due: Each team must submit a spreadsheet (or
sheets) showing the calculations of selling price for each
pricing option described on Page 6 of the case, plus the
expected revenues of each option.
XM Satellite Radio (A)
HBS Case 9-504-009
Part 1:
Homework 4 Due: Each team must submit a spreadsheet
showing the calculation of the retail selling price of XM
enabled radios based on cost to manufacture and margins
demanded by manufacturers and retailers.
XM Satellite Radio (A)
Part 2:
Class Discussion: Be prepared to make recommendations for
channel partners, target audiences and whether or not to
Meeting 9: October 23
Meeting 10: October 30
Meeting 11: November 6
Meeting 12: November
13
November 20
Meeting 13: November
27
Meeting 14: December 4
launch XM with advertising.
Corona Beer (A)
HBSP Case 9-502-023
Part 1:
Homework 5 Due: Each team must submit a spreadsheet
which shows the relative effectiveness (case sales) of the
advertising expenditures of Corona vs. Heineken.
Corona Beer (A)
Part 2:
Class Discussion: Be prepared to make recommendations for
which audiences to target, and which consumption
experiences (on premise or off premise) should be the focus
of promotions.
Executive Health Group
HBS case 9-599-048
Homework 6 Due: Each team must submit a spreadsheet
which calculates 1) the average number of exams provided
by EHS’s largest (top 15%) corporate accounts and 2) a
comparison of the cost per exam of spending on new client
acquisition versus spending on retaining clients.
Centra software
HBS Case #9-502-009
Homework 7 Due: Create a spreadsheet that compares the
efficiency and effectiveness of telesales reps versus field
reps.
NO CLASS MEETING: ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY
Saxonville Sausage
HBS Product #2088
Class Discussion: How do you make a decision about where
and how to launch the Italian sausage when the data isn’t
entirely clear?
Comprehensive final exam, covering all cases and class
discussion, administered on-line. Details to be announced
during the quarter.
Note: All homework is due by NOON on the appropriate date to the Carmen drop box.
Each team must submit ONE entry. Make sure your homework is correct and complete
before you submit it to Carmen to avoid multiple entries. Each member of the team will
receive the same grade for the homework. Late submissions will be penalized. Don’t be
late!
Every student must take the on-line exam during the assigned time period (usually 24
hours). If there are EXTREME circumstances that make this impossible, please discuss
with the instructor as far in advance as possible. I will not make exceptions for travel,
job interviews, etc. as the exam window will include the regularly scheduled class time
when each of you is expected to be available.
Homework Instructions:
Each team will complete 7 homework assignments. The homework assignments are due at
NOON. Please check the syllabus for the specific due dates for each assignment. Late
homework will be penalized. No homework will be accepted once class begins. So don’t be
late!
You will complete your homework as a team. Yes, this process puts a burden on you to have
to work with your team almost continuously during the quarter. However, you should be able
to manage your time and efforts so that most, if not all, of your work can be done virtually.
Each person on the team receives the same grade on the homework. Team peer evaluations
administered at the end of the class will be used to identify people who did not contribute
effectively. Peer evaluations can lower grades substantially. Be a good team member. It is
not a suggestion, it is the expectation of the course.
Each homework requires you to perform a quantitative analysis. These analyses do not
require complex mathematics. The point of the analysis is not to give you practice in math –
no one wants or needs that – the point is to help you learn how to take basic data and analyze
it for the INFORMATION that it can provide to help solve a problem. This is a challenge
you will face daily in your work life, and practicing to become competent will give you an
edge at work.
Each homework assignment is worth 10 points. You will receive the full 10 points if your
analysis is complete and essentially correct (we can disagree on subtle points that could be
resolved with discussion, but your base logic must be consistent with the case facts and you
can’t “make up” data). If the analysis uses data incorrectly, or is not complete, then points
will be deducted accordingly. There is no re-do of homework assignments. We will discuss
the analysis in class, and therefore we will be providing solutions during the discussions,
making a re-do completely irrelevant.
If you cannot commit to a full semester of attention to this homework schedule, please take
the class during another semester when you can devote the necessary time to the course.
General Instructions: Analyzing a Case to Determine the Strategy
A case is a set of facts in search of a solution (strategy = directions for action).
In class, we will discuss what we have learned about the organization by doing the
homework, and will then expand the discussion to actually help the organization develop a
strategy to solve the problem it is facing. In most cases, the organization has to act; doing
nothing is rarely an option in these cases. Also, you can’t dodge the situation by a
recommendation of “do more research.” The organization must move forward with the
information at hand. Seldom do organizations have all the information they would like to
have before making tough decisions.
You must use only the facts of the case and knowledge of marketing tools and concepts to
solve the problem and create a strategy. Outside research on the organizations discussed in
the cases is not allowed. You may conduct relevant research on marketing terms and
concepts, and you should feel free to consult your texts and readings from prior marketing
courses, as long as these do not refer to the organizations specifically.
You cannot consider what you know about the organization today. What the organization
“actually” did is not relevant. You do not know whether or not the outcomes would have
been better (or worse) had the organization chosen a different strategy. Please do not
complain that the case is out of date or not relevant because it is not written for today’s
competitive environment. The lessons of the case are always relevant. Basic causes of
business success and failure do not change appreciably through time – and you must be
familiar with those causes.
Sometimes the dilemma in the case is stated in a straight-forward manner, and sometimes
you have to infer the dilemma or decision from the information you have. You need to help
the organization move forward. To successfully develop a strategy, you must consider and
analyze the following issues which we will discuss in class:
1. What is the key marketing problem in the case? Why did the problem occur?
2. In order to solve the problem, you must then conduct the following analysis:
A. What are the organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses? How can the
organization use its strengths to move forward? How can the organization mitigate or avoid
its weaknesses? Which customers or customer groups value the organization’s strengths the
most?
B. What threats does the organization face from the external environment (customers,
competitors, channel members, technology trends, government actions, interest groups, etc.)?
Going forward, how can the organization remove or avoid these threats?
C. What opportunities can the organization exploit? What strengths will help the
organization to successfully exploit these opportunities?
3. What facts and data from the case can be used to further specify strengths, weaknesses,
threats and opportunities?
4. Using your conclusions from your analysis of the situation and the data, which alternatives
are realistic for this organization? What choices does the organization have?
5. Use the information and the data to justify the specific marketing recommendation(s) from
among the alternatives that is most likely to help the organization move forward. Why is this
(are these) recommendation(s) the best course of action? Defend your choices. What will
happen if the organization does NOT move forward?
6. Provide as much detail on implementation as you can given the facts you have available.
Also important: YOU are not the target audience for most of businesses described in these
cases. What you would prefer, or what you think is best, is seldom (if ever) an acceptable
solution. Also, you may know someone who works for the organizations we will study. That
person’s knowledge or opinion is only useful to you ONLY if that person was the chief
marketing strategist at the time the case was written.