BU362: Building and Managing Products, Services, and Brands
Course Outline
Spring 2020
Course Objectives:
This case-oriented course applies the concepts provided in BU 352 to decision-making processes,
and brand development and management in marketing. The student is expected to develop both
written and oral communications skills necessary for problem solving in marketing contexts.
This course provides students with the opportunity to:
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develop the ability to identify and define marketing problems and key issues and to
understand their strategic importance;
develop skills in critical thinking and problem solving in diverse situations through
the application of marketing concepts and strategy;
develop quantitative analysis skills critical in marketing management roles;
develop an appreciation for the scope and diversity of the field of marketing.
To achieve these objectives the course uses a combination of cases, exercises and assignments. It is
assumed that you come prepared for each class. Your typical preparation entails reading and
performing preliminary analysis for cases or exercises before each class. You then contribute
insights, ideas and recommendations based on your preliminary analysis for in-class debate and
discussion. Your analysis will apply concepts from BU352 to real-world cases to identify problems
or opportunities and determine how to respond in a variety of dynamic market environments.
Prerequisite:
BU352
Required Course Materials:
1. Access to marketing concepts from BU352 via one or
more of (a) the BU352 textbook, (b) your notes from
BU352, (c) your long-term memory.
2. BU362 Course Package.
To purchase and download the BU362 course package:
1. Go to the Ivey Publishing website at www.iveycases.com
2. Log in to your existing account or click "Register" to create a new account and follow the
prompts to complete the registration. If registering, choose the "Student User" role.
Click on this link or copy into your browser:
https://www.iveycases.com/CoursepackView.aspx?id=26302
3. Click "Add to Cart".
4. You may choose to order in either print or digital format.
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To order the material in digital format, check "digital download" and click "OK".
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To order a printed copy for delivery, enter the print quantity required and click
"OK". Please note that shipping charges will apply.
5. Go to the Shopping Cart (located at the top of the page), click "Checkout", and complete
the checkout process.
6. When payment has been processed successfully, an Order Confirmation will be emailed
to you immediately and you will see the Order Confirmation screen.
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If you ordered digital copies: Click "Download your Digital Items" or go to "My
Orders" to access the file.
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If you ordered printed copies: Your order will be printed and shipped within 2 to 3
business days.
IMPORTANT: Access to downloadable files will expire 30 days from the order date, so be sure
to save a copy on your computer. The downloadable file is a PDF document that can be opened
using Adobe Reader.
This material is for your personal use only and is not to be shared or distributed in any
form.
Cases and exercises have been selected based on their relevance and utility to the learning process.
Your instructor will provide a week-by-week outline of topics and cases covered in this course.
Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier's Accessible Learning
Centre for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to
review the Calendar for information regarding all services available on campus. If you are
unsure what resources are appropriate for you or require any assistance with any type of
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academic
issues,
contact
the
http://www.wlu.ca/academicadvising.
Central
Academic
Advising
Office
at
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Tentative Teaching Schedule
Date
Topic/Case
11-May
Course Introduction & Group Formation
13-May
18-May
20-May
25-May
27-May
01-Jun
03-Jun
BU352 Review, The Student Guide to the Case Method
VICTORIA DAY
M.M. Lafleur: Market Segmentation and Targeting
M.M. Lafleur: Market Segmentation and Targeting
Marketing Analysis Toolkit
Damn Heels
Damn Heels
Flare Fragrances Company Inc: Analyzing Growth
Opportunities
Flare Fragrances Company Inc: Analyzing Growth
Opportunities
Prosper: Marketing Fit
Prosper: Marketing Fit
Gillette Takes a Stand: Toxic Masculinity and
#Thebestmencanbe (Case Groups 1 & 7, BOD Groups 5 & 11)
Intelligent Avionics: Breaking into the Inflight Entertainment
Industry (Case Groups 2 & 8, BOD Groups 6 & 12)
The Espresso Lane to Global Markets (Case Groups 3 & 9;
BOD Groups 1 & 7)
CANADA DAY - NO CLASS
Beyond Meat: Changing Customer Behaviour in Food
Consumption (Case Groups 4 & 10 ; BOD Groups 2 & 8)
TruEarth Healthy Foods: Market Research for a New Product
Introduction (Case Groups 5 & 11; BOD Groups 3 & 9)
Fody Foods: Eating Life to the fullest (Case Groups 6 & 12;
BOD Groups 4 & 10)
Receiver Coffee: Brewing up Wholesale Customers. Individual
Case Summary Due By 5:00 pm on July 14th for all sections.
08-Jun
10-Jun
15-Jun
17-Jun
22-Jun
24-Jun
29-Jun
01-Jul
06-Jul
08-Jul
13-Jul
15-Jul
20-22-Jul
27-Jul
29-Jul
04-Aug
05-Aug
Receiver Coffee(in-class discussion)
ICE Week
Muscle-RDX:
Five Guys: Developing a Promotional Strategy
Bald Baker
Bald Baker/Course Wrap-up & Exam Prep
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Evaluation
Your final grade for this course will be calculated as follows:
Class Contribution
Case Report & Presentation
Board of Directors
Integrated Case Exercise (ICE)
Case Summary
Final Exam
Bonus Marks (see pages 6-10)
15%
25%
5%
10%
10%
35%
3%
(Individual)
(Individual)
(Individual)
IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING BU362
1) In order to receive a passing grade in this course, you must receive 50% or higher on
individual work (i.e., the weighted mean across the three items marked above as
“Individual”).
2) All BBA students must participate in ICE. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of
two 3B core classes (BU 362, BU 395, BU 398) to participate in ICE. Any student not
participating in ICE will be graded out of 90% (e.g., students repeating a 3B core class).
Peer Evaluations
Please note that individual instructors may at their discretion conduct peer evaluations, the results
of which can be used to alter grades in the case of inequities in group work, resulting from, but not
limited to, inadequate contribution made by some group members.
Class Contribution - 15% (Individual)
The success of courses that leverage the case method is strongly determined by the quality of
discussion, which is driven principally by student preparation and participation.
Your class contribution grade will be greatly influenced by your analysis and preparation of
assigned cases. Your instructor may use discussion posts and/or conduct short, unannounced,
quizzes in some classes based on the contents of that day’s case and use the results in calculating
your class contribution grade.
To ensure that you receive credit for in-class contribution, make sure to attend all the virtual
sessions and contribute to the class discussion. Analytical insight, ability to relate case analysis to
theory, demonstration of preparedness, and verbal communication skills will be key performance
criteria. Quality of contribution is valued to a greater extent than frequency, although both are
important.
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Students are welcome and encouraged over the course of the term to see their instructor and find
out where they stand with respect to their contribution mark. The specific method used to
evaluate contribution is at the discretion of the instructor for each individual course section.
Group Case Report and Presentation - 25%
Each section will have up to 12 groups for this assignment. Group size will be determined by the
instructor. Each of the groups will be randomly assigned a group case.
The group case report should contain all of the necessary information for a comprehensive cases
analysis (e.g., problem/opportunity identification, situation assessment (qualitative and
quantitative), decision criteria, alternative strategic responses, option assessment (qualitative and
quantitative), and recommendation and implementation plan).
1)
The report should include a title page and an executive summary. The executive summary
should convincingly summarize the case and your recommended response to your “client”
(e.g. management of the firm described in the case). The executive summary MUST NOT
EXCEED 1 PAGE.
2)
The main body text of the report MUST NOT EXCEED 12 PAGES (excluding title page,
executive summary, table of contents and exhibits).
3)
Reports must be typewritten, double-spaced (except exhibits), with pages numbered. With the
exception of exhibits, font must be Microsoft Word default.
In order to receive a “top” grade, student(s) must submit a paper that is well organized, well
written, accurate, and complete in its analysis. Be clear, concise, and cohesive (e.g. strategic
response options should clearly fall from the situation assessment and decision criteria, etc.). Do
not regurgitate case facts. Case facts should be used when they directly lead to your added-value
analysis using marketing concepts (e.g., each case fact you mention should be interpreted to
answer the question “So what?”) “Top” case reports will contain no grammar, spelling, typing, or
formatting errors.
The groups assigned to a case will present their case response on the day indicated. Note: Unless
otherwise approved by the instructor, all group members must present. Each group will take
15 to 20 minutes to make their case orally (and with visual supports, e.g. slides). The goal of the
case presentation is to convince the Board of Directors (BOD) to accept your group’s
recommendations. After the group presentations, the BOD will ask questions based on both the
written report and the oral presentation. The role of the BOD is to critically evaluate and critique
the case solution using their knowledge of marketing theory and the case facts. Each presenting
group may also be asked to field questions from the other group and the class at-large.
Time is of the essence for presentations. Group case presentations will start precisely at the start
of class time.
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DEADLINES: Electronic copies of your written case response must be submitted by email to the
instructor and representatives of the Board of Directors 48 hours in advance of the
presentation time and day indicated on the course schedule. The written case response must also
be submitted to MyLS DropBox by the same deadline, and slides must be submitted before the
class starts; unless your instructor expressly indicates otherwise.
Due dates and times are firm. Late submission of any group case component will be penalized
heavily at the discretion of the instructor (excepting appropriate documented reasons for late
submission).
Board of Directors – 5%
When group case presentations are being made, other groups will be assigned the role of Board of
Directors (BOD). Their task is to act as the “client,” critiquing the report and presentation, and
asking clarifying and probing questions of the presenting group. Each BOD will be evaluated on the
quality of their analysis and preparation, as evidenced by their critiques, questions and comments.
The BOD must submit a critique of another group’s case report along with a list of at least one
question per BOD member.
The BOD critique must evaluate the group’s written report and discuss the strengths and
weaknesses on each of the following components: Executive Summary, Problem/Opportunity,
Analysis, Evaluation of Alternatives, Recommendation, Implementation, and Expected Results.
The BOD is encouraged to come up with more than one question per member to address the
possibility that the other BOD will come up with the same questions. Further, the BOD is welcome
to ask different questions after having listened to the presentation. In this case, the BOD will submit
to the instructor at the end of the class a list of the actual questions asked during the Q & A session.
In the absence of such a revised list, the questions sent previously via email will be the basis for the
BOD mark. Note: Unless otherwise permitted by the instructor, to receive credit for their
BOD submission, students must be present during the class.
DEADLINE: The BOD will submit their critique and questions to MyLS Dropbox folder by
8:00 am on the assigned BOD date. Due date and time is firm. Late submission of BOD
questions will be penalized heavily at the discretion of the instructor (excepting appropriate
documented reasons for late submission).
Individual Case Summary - 10% (Individual)
This assignment will consist of a summary response to one case. The case summary will address
the case in the following short form “What”, “Why” and “How” response structure (instead of
the traditional Case Analysis Framework used in class and in the group case response):
1) What strategic response do you recommend to address the main issues(s) in the case?
This section should clearly convey that you have identified the main issue(s) in the case.
2) Why do you recommend this response? In providing support for your recommendation,
you should demonstrate your ability to use the most relevant marketing concepts and
quantitative evidence that drives your response to the case’s major issue(s).
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3) How will your response be implemented? In summarizing your implementation plan
(target market, positioning, product, price, place, promotion and expected results) you
should make it clear that your plan is both actionable and realistic.
The contents of the case summary response MUST include a cover page and a 2 page doublespaced written response. The response must be type-written, with Microsoft Word default font
and margins. The response is expected to also include 1-3 pages of exhibits to accommodate any
figures or tables (qualitative and quantitative). There are no font or margin restrictions for the
exhibits, but ensure that these are legible (e.g. font sizes 10 point or greater are encouraged) and
attractive to a business audience (e.g. well-organized, well-formatted).
DEADLINE: An electronic copy of your individual case summary must be submitted to MyLS
DropBox by the date and time indicated in your course schedule.
Due date and time is firm. Late submission of the case summary will be penalized heavily at the
discretion of the instructor (excepting appropriate documented reasons for late submission).
Final Exam - 35% (Individual)
The final exam will cover the entire term’s content (i.e. case and exercise readings, in-class
discussions and exercises). The final exam entails the analysis of a case under the time pressure of a
single exam period. Students are expected to apply the language and concepts (both qualitative and
quantitative) learned across BU352 and BU362 in their response.
The exam will be available on MyLS at the date/time determined by the examination office. You
will be presented with a case similar to those experienced in the course. You can use Microsoft
Word and Excel to complete your final exam, but will need to submit a single word document to
MyLS Dropbox.
You are allowed to prepare one 8 ½” x 11” double-sided note sheet to use as an aid during the final
exam. Dedicated calculators are also allowed in the exam to facilitate the quantitative analysis
component of the exam. You are NOT allowed to use Internet or access documents, and are
not allowed to do any external research or communicate with other students during the exam.
More information will be provided by your instructor closer to the final exam,
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Research Participation Bonus Marks
You may receive up to three bonus marks for this course by participating in the Lazaridis School
Research Participation System (LS RPS). This system is designed to: (a) facilitate the research of
faculty and graduate students in Accounting, Marketing, and OB/HRM area groups; and (b)
enable undergraduate students taking Accounting, Marketing, and OB/HRM courses to gain an
appreciation for research and the research process by participating in actual research projects.
The system is administered at the following web site: https://wlu-ls.sona-systems.com/. On your
first visit, you should create a user ID and password. Once you’ve done this, you may sign up for
online studies. A maximum of 3 bonus marks are allowed (3% of course grade) for specific
participating courses. These marks may be earned from any combination of online studies and/or
journal article reviews. In-person (lab) studies are not currently possible and are not likely to be
available this term.
If you are unable or unwilling to participate in research studies and still wish to earn up to three
bonus marks, you can complete an alternative written assignment(s) for one or more of these
marks. Directions on how to pursue this option are provided below. You must still request an
account as a participant at https://wlu-ls.sona-systems.com/ if you are pursuing the research
participation alternative (journal article reviews). If you are taking more than one course that
is eligible for bonus marks (this information is available on the web site above) any bonus
mark(s) you earn in a given study can only be assigned to one course.
The deadline to participate in research studies or submit journal article reviews is 12:00
p.m. (noon) on the last day of classes of the Spring Term, August 5, 2020. No exceptions!
Any study or journal article review crediting will be updated on the above website by midnight
on August 10, 2020. The deadline for students wishing to reassign any bonus marks across
courses within the above website is 12:00 p.m. (noon) August 11, 2020. Please note that it is
the student’s responsibility to ensure the courses, sections and credit allocations are correct in the
LS RPS by this dea
dline- no exceptions will be made after.
Note that the maximum 3% bonus is contingent on the availability of research studies during the
term. We do not guarantee that students will be able to earn bonus marks totalling 3%
through research studies or journal article reviews. As in all courses, you should prioritize
earning 100% of your grade through mandatory course components.
Students should be aware that not coming to class to partake in LS RPS studies is
unacceptable.
Research Participation Alternative: Journal Article Reviews
If you are unable or unwilling to participate in research studies to earn bonus marks, we provide
an alternative means of earning up to 3% (3 points) of bonus marks. This alternative entails
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writing reviews of academic journal articles. To learn more about and/or participate in this
option, you must self-register for the MyLS course entitled Lazaridis School Research
Participation Alternative | Spring 2020 via the following steps:
Click the “Self-Registration” link near the top right of the page when you first log
into MyLS.
2.
Click “Lazaridis School Research Participation Alternative | Spring 2020”
(courses are listed alphabetically, so this one will be at the bottom of the list).
3.
Click “Register”, then click “Submit”, then click “Finish”.
4.
You should now see “Lazaridis School Research Participation Alternative | Spring
2020” in your list of courses.
1.
Directions on how to complete the reviews, format, and the submission process can be found
once you register for this course. Please contact the System Administrator at lsrps@wlu.ca if you
have any problems with registering for the course or about the research participation alternative
(article reviews) submission process.
Grade Reassessment and Make-Up Assignment Policy for Marketing Courses
A.
Procedure to request reassessment of any component of the grade in a Marketing course:
1. Requests for reassessment (other than of final grade) should be made within 48 hours of
the grade being released. For reassessment of final grade, follow University policy.
2. If the request for reassessment is due to grade miscalculation (e.g., addition error,
ungraded answer), bring this to the instructor's attention. If the instructor confirms the
error, the grade will be altered accordingly.
3. If the request is because the student believes a higher grade is deserved, then:
a. Return the original marked paper to the instructor, explain in writing exactly why
a higher grade may be warranted, and address any feedback already provided by
the instructor. A reassessment is warranted only if the student can point to specific
content that was under-graded. The following are not legitimate reasons to request
a reassessment:
i. Comparison with others in class ("Others wrote the same thing but got
higher points").
ii. Comparison across sections ("Other sections were given different
instructions/got higher grade"). It is only necessary that instructions and
grading be uniform within a section.
iii. Entitlement ("I worked really hard..."): We cannot see or evaluate your
input - only the output is graded.
iv. Future plans (grad school/scholarship/job requirements).
b. With any reassessment, the grade could go up, down, or stay the same. If the grade
changes, even if it decreases, this revised grade will hold. The instructor will
provide written feedback and return the original paper to the student.
c. If the student continues to dispute the grade, the reassessment will be passed on to
the course coordinator (or to another full-time faculty member if the course
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coordinator is also the instructor). If the student continues to dispute the grade, the
reassessment will be passed on to the marketing area coordinator. In every case,
the student must provide the written explanation previously submitted noting all
reasons for the request for continued reassessment.
d. If the student's concern is not resolved at the Marketing area level, they should
follow University policy as defined in the calendar.
B. Policy for make-up exams/assignments in a Marketing course:
1. Alternate midterm exam dates:
a. Alternate dates for midterm exams will be scheduled only in the following
situations – religious conflict, varsity athletics/sports conflict, academic conflict.
In these instances, please inform your instructor and contact the BBA office
within one week of the announcement of the test/exam date to schedule an
alternate date for the midterm.
b. While students may have other valid reasons for missing a midterm (e.g., health/
family emergencies, job interviews, non-varsity sports/athletics, competitions,
family events etc.), our limited resources make it impossible for a make-up
midterm to be scheduled. In such cases, in consultation with the student, the
instructor will add the weight of the midterm to either the final exam, other
individual assignments if appropriate, or to some combination of the two.
2. Request for additional work to compensate for inadequate overall grade or poor
performance on one of the components of evaluation will not be considered. No make-up
activity or assignment can be undertaken in order to improve your class contribution,
mid-term, projects, or any other evaluated course work.
Plagiarism
The university has a strict policy on academic misconduct. The university will levy sanctions on
students who are found to have committed, or have attempted to commit, acts of academic or
research misconduct. Students are expected to know what constitutes an academic offence, to
avoid committing such offences, and to take responsibility for their actions. For information on
categories of offences and types of penalty, please consult the Undergraduate Academic
Calendar.
As part of the policy towards detecting and eliminating plagiarism, course work submissions may
be required to be submitted both electronically to either the Dropbox in My Learning Space or
www.turnitin.com, both by the due date and time. All work submitted will be checked for
plagiarism against other student submissions, a database from previous years, and a variety of
Internet resources. Any student caught plagiarising will typically receive a mark of zero (0) on
the assignment and possibly an F grade in the course, as well as having the incident noted on
their permanent academic record at the university.
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Privacy Issues:
One important goal of this course is to offer a positive educational experience for the student
through lectures, in class debate, group work, presentations and assignments. During the course,
it may be necessary to divulge students’ names, ID numbers, marks or other personal information
to other members of the class. Every reasonable effort will be made to keep the personal
information of the student private and secure. The following measures have been put in place to
balance the requirements of the course with the need to protect personal information:
1. Exams and assignments will only be released to the student who submitted them. If a
student is uncomfortable with their name being called in class, he or she should contact
the instructor the day before the assignment is to be returned.
2. The individual circumstances or performance of a student will not be discussed before,
during or after class. A student wanting to review their performance or discuss personal
circumstances affecting their performance should make an appointment to speak to the
instructor in private during office hours.
3. Group work is a necessary component of this course. This will involve disclosure of some
personal information to other class members in order to assign topics, arrange groups,
submit, evaluate and return work. Enrolment in the course is deemed to be consent to
such necessary disclosure.
4. Class participation is a vital component of this course. This may involve the use of class
lists, name tags, in class discussion etc. If a student is uncomfortable with his or her name
being disclosed in these formats, he or she should bring this matter to the attention of the
instructor during the first week of class so that alternate arrangements can be made.
5. Student email will only be responded to if it is from the student’s WLU account. Students
should not contact the instructor from any other email.
6. The record of the student’s progress throughout the course will be maintained by the
instructor for a period of one year after completion of the course. Some instructor’s may
retain students’ records for a longer period of time.
If a student is concerned or needs to make special arrangements to accommodate specific privacy
issues, he or she must bring these matters to the attention of the instructor within the first week of
classes so that reasonable accommodations can be made or an alternate course can be selected by
the student.
Intellectual Property
The educational materials developed for this course, including, but not limited to, lecture notes
and slides, handout materials, examinations and assignments, and any materials posted to
MyLearningSpace, are the intellectual property of the course instructor. These materials have
been developed for student use only and they are not intended for wider dissemination and/or
communication outside of a given course. Posting or providing unauthorized audio, video, or
textual material of lecture content to third-party websites violates an instructor’s intellectual
property rights, and the Canadian Copyright Act. Recording lectures in any way is prohibited in
this course unless specific permission has been granted by the instructor. Failure to follow these
instructions may be in contravention of the university’s Code of Student Conduct and/or Code of
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Academic Conduct, and will result in appropriate penalties. Participation in this course
constitutes an agreement by all parties to abide by the relevant University Policies, and to respect
the intellectual property of others during and after their association with Wilfrid Laurier
University.
NOTE: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier’s Accessible Learning
Centre for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the
University Undergraduate Calendar for information regarding all services available on campus. If you
are unsure what resources are appropriate for you or require any assistance with any type of academic
issues, contact the Central Academic Advising Office at http://www.wlu.ca/academicadvising.
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