Case-Oriented Syllabus
Course Background and Syllabus for a Case/Lecture-Oriented Course
Background: Case Analysis and Case Selection
If you choose to focus on cases and lectures in the course, selecting the appropriate
case(s) is(are) important. Recency, popularity, relevance to the topic, availability of
teaching notes, as well as other supplements such as video and computer software aids,
should be considered. Appropriately chosen, cases not only stimulate the mind but also
create an in-depth feel for the application of the course material. The Kotler/Keller text
will create sensitivity and awareness for what is critical and important in the case, and the
case will reinforce concepts presented in the text. Cases call for a decision and very often
with less than perfect information concerning the problem, the environment, the actors,
and the consequences of various actions. As such, the case nurtures management skills
although the text and the other application-oriented tools discussed above can diffuse
perspective and technical knowledge. There are a number of articles that discuss methods
for using the case study approach. The following are suggested:
1. “Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told,” (Harvard Note 9-451-005). This article argues
for the beneficial effect the case method has on both teachers and students and
suggests the proper role of the instructor as a leader of the group.
2. “Learning by the Case Method,” (Harvard Note 9-376-241). This article, prepared
for executive education, identifies the issues to be confronted in the course of
reaching a decision. It also provides useful guidelines for individual analysis of a
case method teaching generally.
3. “Teaching and the Case Method,” (9-387-001), by Roland Christensen. A very
useful textbook and instructor’s guide (5-387-010), available through the Harvard
Business School. This book includes text, cases, and readings for classes and
seminars.
The Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) Web site (www.hbsp.com) will
provide you with listings of current marketing and marketing management cases, and
related materials. HBSP also can package the selected cases to accompany the text. This
can also be accomplished by visiting the Pearson Custom Publishing Business Web site
at www.pearsoncustom.com.
Sample Case Analysis
An example of a case analysis follows, that can be utilized early in the course to provide
a basis for written cases and class case discussions. If you choose to use cases in the
course an example is the O’Hanlon Candy Company that is a medium-size candy
company located in the Midwest. In the past two years, its sales and profits have barely
held their own. Top management feels that the trouble lies with the sales force because
that they do not “work hard or smart enough.” To correct the problem, management plans
to introduce a new incentive-compensation system and hire a trainer to educate the sales
force in modern merchandising and selling techniques. Before doing this, however, they
49
Case-Oriented Syllabus
decide to hire a marketing consultant to carry out a marketing audit. The auditor
interviews managers, customers, sales representatives and dealers, and examines various
sets of data.
The auditor’s findings are as follows:





The company’s product line consists primarily of 18 products, mostly candy bars.
Its two leading brands are mature and account for 76 percent of the company’s
total sales. The company has looked at the fast-developing markets of chocolate
snacks but has not made any moves yet.
The company recently researched its customer profile. Its products appeal
especially to lower-income and older people. Respondents who were asked to
assess O’Brien’s chocolate products in relation to competitors’ products described
them as “average quality and old-fashioned.”
O’Brien sells its products to candy jobbers and large supermarkets. Its sales force
calls on many of the small retailers reached by the candy jobbers, to fortify
displays and provide ideas; its sales force also calls on many small retailers not
covered by jobbers. O’Brien enjoys good penetration of small retailing, though
not in all segments, such as the fast-growing restaurant areas. Its major approach
to intermediaries is a “sell-in” strategy discount, exclusive contracts, and stock
financing. At the same time, O’Brien has not adequately penetrated the massmerchandise chains. Its competitors rely more heavily on mass-consumer
advertising and in-store merchandising and are more successful with the mass
merchandisers.
O’Brien’s marketing budget is set at 15 percent of its total sales, compared with
competitors’ budgets of close to 20 percent. Most of the marketing budget
supports the sales force, and the remainder supports advertising. Consumer
promotions are very limited. The advertising budget is spent primarily in reminder
advertising for the company’s two leading products. New products are not
developed often, and when they are, they are introduced to retailers via a push
strategy.
The marketing organization is headed by a sales vice-president. Reporting to the
sales VP is the sales manager, the market research manager, and the advertising
manager. Having come up from the ranks, the sales VP is partial to sales-force
activities and pays less attention to the other marketing functions. The sales force
is assigned to territories headed by area managers.
The marketing auditor concluded that O’Brien’s problems would not be solved by actions
taken to improve its sales force. If you were the auditor, what short-term and long-term
recommendations would you make to O’Brien’s top management?
50
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Short-term recommendations:






Examine the current product line and weed out marginal performers with limited
growth potential.
Shift some marketing expenditures from supporting mature products to supporting
new products.
Shift the marketing-mix emphasis from direct selling to national advertising,
especially for new products.
Conduct a market-profile study of the fastest growing segments of the candy
market and develop a plan to break into these areas.
Instruct the sales force to drop some of the smaller outlets and not to take orders
for under 20 items. Also, cut out the duplication efforts of sales reps and jobbers
calling on the same accounts.
Initiate sales-training programs and an improved compensation plan.
Medium to long-term recommendations.









Hire an experienced marketing VP from the outside.
Set formal and operational marketing objectives.
Introduce the product manager concept into the organization.
Initiate effective new-product development programs.
Develop strong brand names.
Find ways to market its brands to chain stores more effectively.
Increase the level of marketing expenditures to 20 percent of sales.
Reorganize the selling function by specializing sales reps by distribution
channels.
Set sales objectives and base sales compensation on gross profit performance.
Note: This analysis is designed to help students recognize some of the
marketing and sales management relationships that can occur in case and
applied situations. If students apply the type of thinking utilized in this
example, they should be able to improve their approaches to this and
other marketing cases and related contemporary business analysis
settings.
You might suggest that prior to each class students should take a few moments to think
about the topics covered in each related chapter, using an approach similar to that utilized
in this case. Based on this, they can spend 10 to 15 minutes writing down how the case
concepts, theories, and applications integrate and complement what she/he has learned.
Ask them to be as specific as possible with their analytical notes, bring those notes to
class and be prepared to discuss how they have integrated the specific ideas covered in
51
Case-Oriented Syllabus
the text, lectures, and discussions, based on the O’Hanlon case and the auditor’s
comments.
In addition, this case and the apparent questions bring up an important point because it
may appear that the questions and issues are somewhat vague and lack focus. This is
intentional, because that is the way things operate in the real world. In previous cases and
casework, students likely focused on a specific topic. Here, however, it is up to them to
choose a specific focus, reflect on it, show how it relates to what they have already
learned or experienced, and examine how they can apply it in the future.
MBA students tend to value this exercise. It gives them a chance to discover relationships
between what they read and hear and what they experience at work or in internships.
After a few weeks of using this approach, they should be able to identify with the course
material and begin to comment on how “good the text is,” that they are actually reading
the text, and that there is a reason why this and other courses are in the business program.
Sometimes, the hardest part of the instructor’s job is to cut off the opening class
discussion and move on to new material.
This exercise is more difficult for undergraduates because they have had little practical
business experience. This activity, however, can still be valuable if you ask the students
to apply the concepts to their part-time work experiences, campus clubs, or other applied
experiences.
Note to Instructor: It would be useful to bring this case and/or the analysis back into the
course occasionally. For example, if students deal with the question occasionally it
provides an effective way for them to recall and review prior materials, filter it, and
discover new applications.
52
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Harvard Business School Publishing Case Map
Marketing Management, 12th edition
Case Title
Source,
Number,
Length,
Teaching
Note
Geographical and
Case Decision Issue
Industry Setting,
Company Size, Time
Frame
Chapter 1: Defining Marketing for the 21st Century
Marketing James HBS
Patterson
#9-505-029
18p
TN #5-505033
New York,
book publishing,
$120 million revenues,
5 employees,
2004
CBS Evening
News
New York,
television,
1,000 employees,
2000
HBS
#898-086
32p
Intuit QuickBooks HBS
#501-054
15p
California,
software,
1999
Can a successful novelist use directto-consumer marketing to grow his
brand? Considers whether book clubs
can be used to build systematically
buzz for his new releases. Is it time for
a shift to direct mail and one-to-one
marketing, or is fame in the book
business necessarily won in the
limelight of publicity and broadcast
marketing? Illustrates the strengths
and weaknesses of a demand chain
view of a marketing channel and to
show the difference between the view
of a market that surveys can generate
and the view that a panel can
generate.
The CBS Evening News looks for
options to grow its franchise.
Intuit QuickBooks, a successful
product with a strong brand and an
85% share of retail sales, faces
market growth expectations in a
mature, slowing market segment.
Providing value-added online services
to complement the desktop software
was an attractive solution, but should
the firm build them in-house or
acquire them through partnerships?
This case explores the issues related
to capturing value.
53
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Sendwine.com
HBS
#800-211
23p
TN #801-198
Arrow Electronics HBS
#598-022
21p
TN #500-111
Massachusetts,
Internet retailing,
46 employees,
1999
North America,
electronic parts,
8,000 employees,
1997
How should Sendwine.com spend the
venture capital money it attracted?
Should the company consolidate its
niche position in wine gift giving? Or
should it aggressively expand into
new gift-giving categories under the
“Send.com" name?
Deals with the issue of cross-selling
and managing a portfolio of products
and services in business markets.
Management must decide whether to
pursue an opportunity to sell its
products through a new e-commerce
site, which could threaten the viability
of its overall business model.
Chapter 2: Developing Marketing Strategies and Plans
XM Satellite Radio HBS
(B)
#9-504-065
8p
TN #5-504082
Radio,
2002
ScreamingMedia, HBS
Inc.
#801-371
26p
New York, NY,
computer-related
services,
236 employees,
2000
Edmunds.com
Los Angeles,
auto,
2000
HBS
#701-025
22p
54
XM Radio has beaten its rival, Sirius,
to market and has become the first
source for satellite
radio. Its
performance has revealed that the
market for this product is not exactly
what the company might have
thought. Provides data that allows
students to rethink the initial strategy
in light of this fact. Allows the class to
view the problem from the perspective
of the industry leader. Teaching
Purpose: To examine business model
selection, new product launches
strategy, pricing, and market strategy.
ScreamingMedia, a provider of
content syndication and services,
must shift its customer base away
from Internet start-ups toward more
established firms to ensure future
profitability. Students must develop a
new market strategy and action plan
for the firm, outlining steps necessary
to achieve strategic goals: sales
retraining, development of new
products and services, and changing
the organizational structure.
Edmund's began in 1966 as a
publisher of new and used vehicle
guides and grew into one of the
leading third-party automotive Web
sites. This case explores how
Edmunds.com gained a competitive
edge using strategic partnerships and
alliances, as well as careful product
positioning
and
strategy
implementation.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Matching Dell
Oscar Mayer:
Strategic
Marketing
Planning
Citibank:
Launching the
Credit Card in
Asia Pacific (A)
Hurricane Island
Outward Bound
School
HBS
#799-158
31p
TN #700-084
Global,
personal computers,
Fortune 500,
1998
This case describes the evolution of
the personal computer industry, Dell's
"Direct
Model"
for
computer
manufacturing,
marketing,
and
distribution, and efforts by competitors
to match its strategy. Students must
formulate strategic plans of action for
Dell and its various rivals.
HBS
United States,
The marketing director of Oscar
#597-051
food,
Mayer faces a series of strategic
14p
1995
marketing
options
regarding
TN #597-052
established and new products,
including
budget
and
capacity
allocation decisions.
HBS
Singapore,
Consumer
Bank
pondered
the
#9-595-026 banking,
possibilities of launching a credit card
25p
$200 million revenues, in the Asia Pacific Region. Support
TN # 5-595- 1989
was only because of the opportunity
104
to expand the bank's customer base
from the limited branch expansion
allowed by local law. Students make a
decision, and if a "go" decision is
made, they work out a comprehensive
launch plan. Teaching Purpose: To
expose students to services marketing
and, more importantly, the notion of
acquisition cost and lifetime value of a
customer.
Also
introduces
international marketing issues.
HBS
Maine,
Hurricane Island Outward Bound is a
#588-019
education,
small, nonprofit school that helped
19p
1986
pioneer experiential education in the
TN #589-049
United States. Students take the role
of the school's new marketing
manager, who is preparing his first
marketing plan for the organization.
Faced with a tight marketing budget,
students must choose among several
marketing programs by evaluating
their past performance and further
potential.
55
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter 3: Gathering Information and Scanning the Environment
IKEA Invades
America
HBS
#9-504-094
13p
United States and
Sweden,
retail furniture,
$12.2 billion revenues,
70,000 employees,
2002
Global Climate
Change and BP
Amoco
HBS
#700-106
24p
Global,
energy,
1997–2000
In 2002, the IKEA Group is the world's
top furniture retailer, with 154 stores
worldwide. In the United States, IKEA
operates 14 stores, all of which have
been enormously popular despite their
self-service
requirements.
The
company's goal is to have 50 stores in
the United States by 2013. Explores
various options for managing this
growth strategy. Teaching Purpose:
To explore several nontraditional
positioning strategies, specifically,
how a company was able to fashion
together a unique—a heretofore
unheard of—combination of benefits
that ultimately ended up creating a
distinctive brand experience for
American
consumers.
Also,
to
illustrate the advantages associated
with establishing a market position
that is highly differentiated from the
competition.
BP Amoco is the world's third-largest
oil firm. Its CEO, Sir John Browne,
broke with industry colleagues in 1997
when he publicly declared that global
climate change was a serious problem
and pledged BP to play a significant
role in the search for solutions.
Royal Dutch/Shell HBS
in Transition (A) #300-039
31p
London England,
oil,
100,000 employees,
1997
The company is considering whether,
as part of its transformation effort, to
begin public reporting
on its
environmental and social as well as
financial performance.
Ciba Consumer
HBS
Pharmaceuticals' #795-043
Acutrim:
20p
Challenges and
Opportunities in
Today's Diet
Industry
United States,
OTC drugs,
1994
Ciba Geigy has to decide what to do
with its Acutrim appetite suppressant
in view of the changing market for
such products.
AES Global
Values
India,
power,
1994
Members of the development team for
the AES Corp.'s power plant project in
India must decide what plant
technology to specify in their
application
for
techno-economic
clearance from the government of
India's Central Electric Authority.
HBS
#399-136
21p
56
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter 4: Conducting Marketing Research and Forecasting Demand
IKEA Invades
America
HBS
#9-504-094
13p
United States and
Sweden,
retail furniture,
$12.2 billion revenues,
70,000 employees,
2002
Juice Guys (A)
HBS
#800-122
27p
United States,
food and beverage,
10 employees,
1999
Talbot’s: A
Classic
HBS
#500-082
23p
Massachusetts,
retailing, 1997–1999
Talbot’s has recently recovered from a
disastrous 1997 that saw warnings fall
from $1.91 per share to $0.18 per
share after the company tried to
attract younger customers, what went
wrong, and the actions taken to
recover. By the end of 1999, the
company has reestablished itself and
faces several growth opportunities
and must decide on the best course of
action. Illustrates the challenges of
repositioning a store concept.
Omnitel Pronto
Italia
HBS
#501-002
24p
Italy,
telecommunication,
572 employees,
1996
Describes the situation faced by
Omnitel soon after launching its
mobile telecommunication services in
Italy in December 1995. Omnitel has
to decide whether to attack a new
segment with a new service plan to
improve on past performance.
Daryl Buckmeister, CEO of The
Chicken Coop, must decide whether
to invest in market research, how
The Coop: Market HBS
Research
#599-113
14p
United States,
quick service
restaurant,
57
In 2002, the IKEA Group is the world's
top furniture retailer, with 154 stores
worldwide. In the United States, IKEA
operates 14 stores, all of which have
been enormously popular despite their
self-service
requirements.
The
company's goal is to have 50 stores in
the United States by 2013. Explores
various options for managing this
growth strategy. Teaching Purpose:
To explore several nontraditional
positioning strategies, specifically,
how a company was able to fashion
together a unique—a heretofore
unheard of—combination of benefits
that ultimately ended up creating a
distinctive brand experience for
American
consumers.
Also,
to
illustrate the advantages associated
with establishing a market position
that is highly differentiated from the
competition.
Asks, who are the customers for a
new beverage product, what are their
desires as customers for this product,
and what are their desires when
ordering this product from a local
specialty store location?
Case-Oriented Syllabus
1995
much money to spend, and which
programs to fund.
Optical Distortion, HBS
California-Oregon,
Inc. (A)
#575-072
1974
10p
TN #577-161
Classic case about a startup offering
contact lenses for chickens in the egg
production industry. The marketing
vice president must make certain
decisions to complete his marketing
plan.
Chapter 5: Creating Customer Value, Satisfaction, and Loyalty
Hilton Honors
Worldwide:
Loyalty Wars
HBS
California
#501-010
lodging/hotels,
19p
1999
TN #501-059
Alloy.com:
Marketing to
Generation Y
HBS
#500-048
14p
TN #F501043
New York,
clothing/retailing,
100 employees,
1999
Eastman Kodak
HBS
United States,
Co.: Funtime Film #594-111
photography,
5p
Fortune 500, 1994
TN#597-080
Citibank:
Launching the
Credit Card in
Asia Pacific (A)
HBS
#595-026
25p
TN #5601043
Singapore,
banking,
1989
A Measure of
Delight: The
Pursuit of Quality
at AT&T Universal
Card Services (A)
HBS
#694-047
23p
TN
#696-073
Jacksonville, FL,
credit cards,
2,700 employees,
1989
58
Hilton Hotels regards the frequent
guest program as the industry's most
important marketing tool, directing
marketing efforts at the heavy user.
What should Hilton do when a
competitor ups the ante? The case
illustrates the economics of loyalty
marketing.
Alloy.com retails clothing to teens by
catalog; it uses a Web site to convert
prospects and build community. As a
result, the firm has the economics of a
direct marketer and the market
capitalization of an Internet start-up.
Top management must decide
whether to partner with AOL or
continue with the current mix of
customer acquisition methods.
Eastman
Kodak
has
suffered
significant declines in film market
share at the hands of lower-priced
branded producers and private label
products. The case presents Kodak's
proposal to launch a new, economy
brand of film to combat these rivals.
Citibank's Asia Pacific Consumer
Bank is considering launching a credit
card in the Asia Pacific region.
Students must make a decision, and if
a "go" decision is made, they must
work out a comprehensive launch
plan. The case introduces the
concepts of acquisition cost and
lifetime value of a customer.
Dedicated to improving service quality
and customer satisfaction, Chief
Quality Officer Rob Davis and his
Quality Team have designed and put
into place an unusual measurement
and compensation system based on
more than 100 performance measures
Case-Oriented Syllabus
monitored and communicated daily.
Chapter 6: Analyzing Consumer Markets
Clust.com: Dream HBS
More and Pay
#501-047
Less
16p
Paris, France,
Internet,
40 employees,
2000
The company had to decide whether
to focus on group-buying and good
deals versus consumer creation and
exclusives.
TiVo
San Jose, CA,
TV services,
181 employees,
2000
TiVo is a digital video recorder that
allows viewers to watch what they
want, when they want to watch it.
Fourteen months into the launch,
sales are very disappointing. Brodie
Keast, VP of marketing and sales,
wants
to
combine
a
catchy
communications campaign, product
bundling with satellite television
receivers, aggressive pricing, and
sales support, in order to boost
demand for the new category. One
important goal is to position TiVo as a
strong brand before the entry of big
player Microsoft. TiVo is confronted
with the difficulty of selling a new and
complex electronics product that is
meant to change consumer habits
radically. The case can be used to
explore issues such as marketing a
radically new product; changing
consumer habits, privacy, consumer
control,
and
permission-based
advertising; relevance of targeting
early
adopter;
creative
communications strategy for a small
first-mover; integrated marketing plan;
and television and the advertising
industry.
HBS
#501-038
16p
TN #501-057
59
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Microsoft
CarPoint
HBS
#898-280
31p
PROPECIA:
HBS
Helping Make Hair #9-505-035
Loss History
19p
Seattle, WA,
computers,
1998
United States,
pharmaceuticals,
$20 billion revenues,
70,000 employees,
1997
60
CarPoint.com was Microsoft's Webbased entry into online automobile
retailing. While CarPoint could not
"sell" or deliver any cars, it could shift
much
of
consumer
search,
comparison, and decision-making,
including pricing, from the physical
platform of the traditional car dealer to
the virtual world of the Web. This shift
in buying behavior from marketplace
to marketspace was significant in its
implications for consumers and
dealers; it gave consumers a wealth
of information that they previously did
not have, while it challenged dealers
to change their approaches to these
newly empowered and better informed
consumers. CarPoint, however, was a
late entrant, and it faced competition
from
category
first-movers
AutoByTel.com, AutoWeb.com, and
AutoVantage.com. As a result, the
case deals with larger issues of
channel and consumer behavior
change, as well as tactical issues
pertaining to competitive positioning in
a competitive market both online and
off-line.
In late 1997, Tom Casola, brand
manager for PROPECIA, is debating
the best approach to market this
breakthrough drug for hair loss.
Although drugs have traditionally been
marketed to physicians, recent
regulatory changes have made
marketing directly to consumers more
feasible. The regulations, however,
require that side effects be listed if the
ad mentions both brand name and the
indication. The protagonist must now
make some key decisions: 1) whether
the ads contain brand name,
indication, or both; 2) how to set the
appropriate expectation for the
product's performance; and 3) how
much support is needed through
physician
marketing.
Teaching
Purpose: To explore the effectiveness
of various marketing strategies in
settings where the decision makers
are not the end users of the product.
Also, to explore challenges in
marketing products where quality
depends strongly on how they are
used.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Heineken N.V.:
Global Branding
and Advertising
HBS
#596-015
13p
TN #598-080
Ciba Consumer
HBS
Pharmaceuticals' #795-043
Acutrim:
20p
Challenges and
Opportunities in
Today's Diet
Industry
Amsterdam/
Netherlands,
beer,
1994
Heineken managers are evaluating
the results of the research projects
designed to identify the values of the
Heineken brand and to translate these
into effective advertising messages.
United States,
OTC drugs,
1994
Ciba Geigy has to decide what to do
with its Acutrim appetite suppressant
in view of the changing market for
such products.
Chapter 7: Analyzing Business Markets
VerticalNet
HBS
#500-041
25p
TN #501-060
United States,
Internet,
7,300 employees,
1999
Arrow Electronics HBS
#598-022
21p
TN #500-111
North America,
electronic parts,
8,000 employees,
1997
Becton Dickinson
and Company:
VACUTAINER
Systems Division
(Condensed)
United States,
pharmaceuticals,
500 employees,
1985
HBS
#592-037
17p
TN #595-084
Optical Distortion, HBS
California-Oregon,
Inc. (A)
#575-072
1974
10p
TN #577-161
61
VerticalNet, a leading creator of
targeted business-to-business vertical
trade communities on the Internet, is
trying to expand its model to facilitate
e-commerce as well. Mark Walsh, the
CEO of VerticalNet, has to decide
how far he can extend the firm's
business model without adversely
affecting his current franchise.
Deals with the issue of cross-selling
and managing a portfolio of products
and services in business markets.
Management must decide whether to
pursue an opportunity to sell its
products through a new e-commerce
site that could threaten the viability of
its overall business model.
Becton Dickinson, a phenomenally
successful company with an 80%
market share in the blood collection
needles and syringes market, faces a
change in the customer-buying
environment
(cost
containment
pressures at hospitals).
Classic case about a startup offering
contact lenses for chickens in the egg
production industry. The marketing
vice president must make certain
decisions to complete his marketing
plan.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter 8: Identifying Market Segments and Targets
Granny's Goodies, HBS
Inc.
#500-049
21p
Marketing promotional The young entrepreneurs of Granny's
material, 1999
Goodies, Inc., a corporate gift
package specialist, face the challenge
of finding ways to create consistent
revenue streams and reduce sales
costs. Outside of a few long-term
contracts, the two founders have had
to work very hard for each sale. Using
extensive customer information that
the firm has diligently collected over
the previous two years, students need
to develop a plan that covers market
selection,
product
policy,
and
relationship management strategy for
the firm. Enables student to use
customer data to segment market,
design appropriate products to meet
the needs of each segment, and
design go-to-market strategies for
each segment.
Vistakon: 1 Day
Acuvue
Disposable
Contact Lenses
United States,
healthcare,
2,500 employees,
1994
HBS
#596-087
26p
Eastman Kodak
HBS
Co.: Funtime Film #594-111
5p
TN#597-080
Dell Computer
Corporation
United States,
photography,
Fortune 500,
1994
HBS
Global,
#596-058
personal computers,
23p
1994
TN #596-098
62
Gary Kunkle, president of Vistakon,
was presented with the test market
results for an addition to the firm's
product line, 1 Day Acuvue, the
world's first daily disposable contact
lens. Kunkle must evaluate the risks
associated with commencing an
immediate launch with an unproven
strategy as opposed to extending the
test market.
Eastman
Kodak
has
suffered
significant declines in film market
share at the hands of lower-priced
branded producers and private label
products. The case presents Kodak's
proposal to launch a new, economy
brand of film to combat these rivals.
Dell is faced with a set of decisions on
the product markets it needs to serve
in order to sustain its growth profitably
into the future.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Marketing James HBS
Patterson
#9-505-029
18p
TN #5-505033
Citibank:
Launching the
Credit Card in
Asia Pacific (A)
HBS
#9-595-026
25p
TN # 5-595104
Raymond James
Financial
HBS
#9-504-027
24p
TN # 5-504083
New York,
book publishing,
$120 million revenues,
5 employees,
2004
Can a successful novelist use directto-consumer marketing to grow his
brand? Considers whether book clubs
can be used to build systematically
buzz for his new releases. Is it time for
a shift to direct mail and one-to-one
marketing, or is fame in the book
business necessarily won in the
limelight of publicity and broadcast
marketing? Illustrates the strengths
and weaknesses of a demand chain
view of a marketing channel and to
show the difference between the view
of a market that surveys can generate
and the view that a panel can
generate.
Singapore, banking,
Consumer
Bank
pondered
the
$200 million revenues, possibilities of launching a credit card
1989
in the Asia Pacific Region. Support
was only because of the opportunity
to expand the bank's customer base
from the limited branch expansion
allowed by local law. Students make a
decision, and if a "go" decision is
made, they work out a comprehensive
launch plan. Teaching Purpose: To
expose students to services marketing
and, more importantly, the notion of
acquisition cost and lifetime value of a
customer.
Also
introduces
international marketing issues.
United States,
Raymond James Financial (RJF)
financial services,
currently sells financial services
7,000 employees,
through two channels. It is considering
2002
adding a third in the "middle" of the
other two. The current strategy has
one channel with employees and
another with independent contractors.
The new proposal would create a
"quasi" employee who would have
some of the benefits of being an
employee, but enjoy a lot more
freedom than a traditional employee in
running his or her own business
enjoys. Students must decide how
many different services the firm
should offer, how targeted the firm
should be, how the firm ensures the
right people select the right offering,
and which sales people should sell in
which model. Offers opportunity to
apply marketing principles to a human
resources problem and discuss how
test markets differ between business
and consumer marketing and between
63
Case-Oriented Syllabus
products and services.
Chapter 9: Creating Brand Equity
Monster.com
HBS
#801-145
26p
Maynard, MA,
online job site,
2000
Jeff Taylor, founder and CEO of
Monster.com, ponders how his online
site, the leading career site on the
Web, can continue its dominance
(60% share in 1999) and growth on
the Internet. Monster.com had just
launched a nationwide branding
campaign on television and entered a
four-year deal with AOL.
Net.Genesis, Inc.
HBS
#500-009
18p
TN #500-033
United States,
Internet software,
70 employees,
1999
Snapple
HBS
#599-126
17p
TN #500-033
New York,
beverages,
500 employees,
1972–1997
Aladdin
Knowledge
Systems
HBS
#598-018
19p
TN #598-071
Israel, Germany,
United States,
software piracy,
80 employees,
1996
Net.Genesis needs to plan a strategy
for the developing Internet market. In
particular, it is creating the category of
e-business intelligence and striving to
be the brand leader in it.
Tells the story of Snapple's rise and
fall and poses the question, "Can it
recover?" Snapple went from local to
national success and was poised to
go international when the founders
sold out to Quaker. The brand proved
harder to manage than Quaker
anticipated, and in 1997 was sold for
a fraction of its acquisition price. The
case presents factors accounting for
the growth and decline and provides a
qualitative study of the brand.
Following
an
acquisition,
the
management team has to determine
whether and how to integrate the
worldwide marketing, sales, and
distribution
of
the
firm's
two
overlapping software security product
lines.
Chapter 10: Crafting the Brand Positioning
ABS Global
HBS
#9-504-053
18p
TN # 5-504076
Global, 2003
64
ABS Global is considering an
acquisition in Australia. Efficient
production
and
distribution
is
becoming more difficult as it becomes
global. Yet trade restrictions and local
preferences for its product, bull
semen, dictate that ABS come up with
a new way to conceptualize its go-tomarket strategy. Teaching Purpose:
To illustrate the strains of going global
for a small company.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Launching the
HBS
BMW Z3 Roadster #9-597-002
25p
TN #5-500025
BET.com
auto industry, 2002
HBS
Washington, DC,
#800-283
Internet,
26p
1999–2000
TN #801-196
65
James McDowell, vice president of
marketing at BMW North America,
Inc.,
must
design
Phase
II
communication strategies for the
launch of the new BMW Z3 Roadster.
The program follows an "out-of-thebox" pre-launch campaign centered
on the placement of the product in the
November 1996 James Bond hit
movie, GoldenEye, including other
"non-traditional" elements such as a
product appearance on Jay Leno's
Tonight Show, an offering of a Bond
Edition Roadster in the Neiman
Marcus Christmas catalog, and largescale public relations activities.
McDowell
must
assess
the
effectiveness of the pre-launch
activities and design marketing tactics
that can sustain product excitement
until product availability in March.
Stimulates creative ideas concerning
new
product
launch
planning.
Encourages a point of view regarding
the role of cross-promotions and
movie product placements within the
marketing mix and in the context of a
new product launch. It structures
thinking about "a new marketing
paradigm" that does not rely on
television advertising.
Black Entertainment Television, a
leading
cable
programmer,
is
launching BET.com, an Internet portal
targeted toward African-Americans.
This case examines the challenges
facing BET management as it defines
its service offerings and target
customer segments in a fast-moving,
highly
competitive
environment.
BET.com faces two decisions: 1)
whether to bundle Internet access
service with its ethnic portal; and 2)
whether to strictly target AfricanAmericans or also pursue the "urban
market,”
a
young,
cross-racial
segment that is part of the core
audience
for
BET's
cable
programming.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Autobytel.com
HBS
#500-015
21p
TN #500-076
Irvine, CA,
Internet, automotive,
200 employees,
1999
Autobytel
enjoys
first-mover
advantage in the Internet new car
buying space. According to a number
of metrics, it is the online leader in this
category. However, a number of
competitors have emerged, raising
questions about the long-term viability
of Autobytel's purchase referral
model. In addition, Autobytel is
struggling to accelerate revenue
growth.
Juice Guys (A)
HBS
#800-122
27p
United States,
food and beverage,
10 employees,
1999
Asks, who are the customers for a
new beverage product, what are their
desires as customers for this product,
and what are their desires when
ordering this product from a local
specialty store location?
The Brita
Products Co.
HBS
United states,
#500-024
packaged goods,
18p
1989-1999
TN #501-067
MedSim
HBS
#599-020
22p
Global, medical,
25 employees,
1998
Microsoft
CarPoint
HBS
#898-280
31p
Seattle, WA,
computers,
1998
Sear, Roebuck
and Co.
Stanford GSB United States,
#M278 24p retail,
335,000 employees,
1993
66
Clorox's Brita skillfully exploited a tide
of water safety concerns, growing a
home water filtration business from
inception to a 15% U.S. household
penetration in 10 years. As the period
of increasing returns seems to be
drawing to a close, management must
use its legacy, an installed base, and
strong brand equity to take the
business forward into a less friendly
environment.
An Israeli high-tech start-up has
developed an innovative simulator
that makes possible non-patient
training in medical ultrasound. It now
must choose a strategy for growth.
CarPoint.com was Microsoft's Webbased entry into online automobile
retailing. The case deals with larger
issues of channel and consumer
behavior change as well as tactical
issues pertaining to competitive
positioning in a competitive market
both online and off-line.
Arthur Martinez, the new CEO of
Sears Merchandise Group, must
decide how to turn around Sears'
slumping retail sales performance.
After decades of dominance, Sears
had lost its top retailing position to
Wal-Mart. Martinez must determine
whether Sears should expand its most
successful product lines, switch to
higher-margin lines, or tout its
strength as the last true one-stopshopping department store.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Sharp Corp.:
Technology
Strategy
HBS
#793-064
26p
TN #794-025
Japan,
consumer electronics,
large company,
41,800 employees,
1992
Teaches the evolution of the
corporate strategy of Sharp Corp.,
Japan Sharp Corp., a second-tier
assembler of TV sets and home
appliances, gradually and consistently
improved performance by developing
expertise
in
electronic
device
technologies to develop innovative
end products.
Chapter 11: Dealing with Competition
eBay, Inc.
HBS
#700-007
27p
San Jose, CA,
e-commerce,
300 employees,
1999
eBay was the world's largest and most
popular
person-to-person
trading
community on the Internet. However,
in
early
1999,
Amazon.com
announced that it was entering the
online auction arena. What should
eBay do in the light of the entry of its
most recent and serious competitor to
date?
Robert Mondavi:
Competitive
Strategy
HBS
#799-125
23p
Global,
wine,
1,100 employees,
1999
Describes the competitive situation
facing Robert Mondavi, the leading
premium California winery. Mondavi
has to cope with growing domestic
competition as well as market share
growth by wineries from Chile and
Australia.
Matching Dell
HBS
#799-158
31p
TN #700-084
Global,
personal computers,
Fortune 500,
1998
This case describes the evolution of
the personal computer industry, Dell's
"Direct
Model"
for
computer
manufacturing,
marketing,
and
distribution, and efforts by competitors
to match its strategy. Students must
formulate strategic plans of action for
Dell and its various rivals.
Skil Corp.
HBS
United States,
#389-005
power tools,
20p
1979
TN #389-021
67
This classic case focuses on the Skil
Corp., In 1979 it was the third-largest
U.S. competitor, in the U.S. portable
electric power tool market. Skil,
acquired by Emerson Electric in 1979,
faced intense competition from Black
& Decker and emerging foreign
competitors.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter 12: Setting Product Strategy
Microsoft:
Launching the
Smart Watch
HBS
#9-504-004
20p
United States,
computers,
Fortune 500 company,
50,000 employees,
2003
Microsoft is on the verge of launching
its Smart Watch technology that will
allow specially designed watches to
receive up-to-date information of
sports, business, traffic, news, etc.
The questions revolve around launch
strategy
and
likely
consumer
adoption. Is this the next big thing for
Microsoft or is it a waste of money
and resources? Focuses on product
design, positioning, and launch issues
for an innovative new product. In
particular, has Microsoft included the
right combination of features to turn
this from a "cool" gadget to a truly
useful consumer device? If so, how
does it position this product to a
potentially skeptical consumer base?
XM Satellite Radio HBS
(B)
#9-504-065
8p
TN #5-504082
Radio, 2002
Circle
HBS
Gastroenterology #9-304-052
Products (A)
21p
United States,
medical devices,
700 employees,
2000–2003
XM Radio has beaten its rival, Sirius,
to market and has become the first
source for satellite
radio. Its
performance has revealed that the
market for this product is not exactly
what the company might have
thought. Provides data that allows
students to rethink the initial strategy
in light of this fact. Allows the class to
view the problem from the perspective
of the industry leader. Teaching
Purpose: To examine business model
selection,
new
product
launch
strategy, pricing, and market strategy.
A new, minimally invasive medical
device has achieved only one-third of
its budget. Was the problem one of
marketing
strategy,
sales,
reimbursement, and/or clinical trials?
Teaching Purpose: To examine
medical devices sales and marketing.
68
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter 13: Designing and Managing Services
Real Madrid Club HBS
de Futbol
#9-504-063
24p
Spain,
sports,
850 employees,
2004
IBM On Demand
Community
Global, computers,
315,000 employees,
2003
HBS
#9-504-103
15p
TN # 5-505028
Gateway: Moving HBS
Beyond the Box #601-038
18p
San Diego, CA,
computers, 21,000
employees, 2000
Four Seasons
Hotels and
Resorts
HBS
#800-385
26p
TN #801-048
Canada,
hotels and resorts,
2,000 employees,
2000
RadioShack
HBS
#500-081
24p
TN #500-106
United States,
consumer electronics
retailing,
2000
69
In June 2004, Plorentino Perez, a
well-known Spanish businessman,
was elected president of Real Madrid,
one of the world's top soccer clubs. In
his campaign, Perez had promised to
turn around the club's finances, bring
in world-class talent, and extend the
club's brand around the world through
multiple channels. As re-election
looms
four
years
later,
his
management
team
reflects
on
initiatives to date and challenges
ahead as described in the case. Also
describes the soccer industry and the
trends transforming it. Teaching
Purpose: To evaluate Real Madrid's
brand management strategy and to
consider the risks and opportunities
involved. Also, to recommit a strategy
for the future expansion of the brand
worldwide.
The vice-president of IBM Corporate
Community Relations is developing
the launch program for IBM On
Demand Community, a suite of 140
technology tools designed to enable
IBM employees to assist nonprofit
community organizations and schools
worldwide. Teaching Purpose: To
examine social marketing tools.
Gateway must balance the cost
efficiencies of its direct channels with
its increased ability to sell in its
physical channels. This challenge
occurs while Gateway is trying to
move away from dependence on PC
revenue streams to the PC solutions
revenue stream that includes Internet
access, computer training, content,
financing, and other related activities.
This case explores how a leading
service firm delivers high tech/high
tough, including its progressive
human resource strategy.
Outlines
the
transformation
of
RadioShack from a parts and
accessories business to a provider of
high bandwidth Internet access. Is this
new retail strategy viable?
Case-Oriented Syllabus
First USA and
HBS
Internet Marketing #500-043
20p
Delaware,
financial services,
10,000 employees,
1999
Xerox Corp.: The
Customer
Satisfaction
Program
United States,
copiers/office
equipment,
Fortune 500,
1990
HBS
#591-055
23p
TN #593-027
Explores First USA's decision to use
the Internet for acquiring customers.
The case highlights issues related to
marketing on the Internet and tradeoffs involved in allocating resources in
online versus off-line marketing
options.
This classic case focuses on
analyzing the strategic role of Xerox's
customer satisfaction program. To
increase customer satisfaction, top
management believes that the firm
should offer a service guarantee.
What type of guarantee would work
best?
Chapter 14: Developing Pricing Strategies and Programs
IBM On Demand
Community
HBS
#9-504-103
15p
TN # 5-505028
Global,
computers,
315,000 employees,
2003
Coca-Cola's New
Vending Machine
(A): Pricing to
Capture Value, or
Not
HBS
#9-500-068
9p
TN #5-501086
Global,
soft drinks,
30,000 employees,
1999
InPart
HBS
#898-213
24p
Silicon Valley, CA,
CAD software,
30 employees,
1997–1998
Omnitel Pronto
Italia
HBS
#501-002
24p
Italy,
telecommunication,
572 employees,
1996
70
The vice-president of IBM Corporate
Community Relations is developing
the launch program for IBM On
Demand Community, a suite of 140
technology tools designed to enable
IBM employees to assist nonprofit
community organizations and schools
worldwide. Teaching Purpose: To
examine social marketing tools.
Chairman and CEO M. Douglas
Investor stumbles when he tells a
Brazilian news magazine about a new
Coke vending machine that can
automatically raise prices in hot
weather. Reaction around the world is
swift and negative. Teaching Purpose:
Allows exploration of value pricing,
fairness, price discrimination, brand
equity, new product development,
communications,
and
marketing
strategy in a global setting.
The case examines issues involving
the organization of the sales force and
the pricing of the product.
Describes the situation faced by
Omnitel soon after launching its
mobile telecommunication services in
Italy in December 1995. Omnitel has
to decide whether to attack a new
segment with a new service plan to
improve on past performance.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Vistakon: 1 Day
Acuvue
Disposable
Contact Lenses
HBS
#596-087
26p
United States,
healthcare,
2,500 employees,
1994
Becton Dickinson
and Company:
VACUTAINER
Systems Division
(Condensed)
HBS
#592-037
17p
TN #595-084
United States,
pharmaceuticals,
500 employees,
1985
Cumberland Metal
Industries:
Engineered
Products Division
1980
HBS
#580-104
16p
TN #585-115
United States,
construction
equipment,
1980
Gary Kunkle, president of Vistakon,
was presented with the test market
results for an addition to the firm's
product line, 1 Day Acuvue, the
world's first daily disposable contact
lens. Kunkle must evaluate the risks
associated with commencing an
immediate launch with an unproven
strategy as opposed to extending the
test market.
Becton Dickinson, a phenomenally
successful company with an 80%
market share in the blood collection
needles and syringes market, faces a
change in the customer buying
environment
(cost
containment
pressures at hospitals).
The classic case on value pricing.
Cumberland Metal Industries has
developed a new product to help
contractors drive piles faster, and
must decide how to price it.
Chapter 15: Designing and Managing Value Networks and Channels
RealNetworks
Rhapsody
HBS
#9-804-142
22p
Seattle, WA,
multimedia/Internet,
744 employees,
2004
71
Examines RealNetwork's (Real's)
strategy for the rapidly emerging
online music market. In contrast to
rivals who sell individual copies of
songs, Real offers online music on a
subscription basis. For a $10 monthly
fee, subscribers to Real Rhapsody
service have unlimited rights to
stream all songs form a 600,000-title
library to any PC and can burn CD
copies of these songs for 79 cents
apiece.
Real
faces
significant
marketing challenges in persuading
consumers to "rent" rather than own
their music. The company must
decide which channel partners—
broadband
access
providers,
consumer electronics retailers, PC
manufacturers, or portals—are best
equipped to help sell its services.
Finally, Real must determine how to
differentiate its services from those
soon to be offered by a glut of new
competitors poised to enter the online
music market, including Wal-Mart,
Viacom, Sony, Dell, and Microsoft.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
CVS: The Web
Strategy
HBS
New England, drug
#500-008
retailing
16p
TN #
501-064
MedSim
HBS
#599-020
22p
Arrow Electronics HBS
#598-022
21p
TN
#500-111
Goodyear: The
HBS
Aquatred Launch #500-039
(Condensed)
13p
TN
#500-044
How should America's second-largest
pharmacy chain respond to the
challenge from online drugstores?
What threat does the Web pose to
bricks-and-mortar
distribution
of
prescription drugs and the other items
that make up 50% of a drugstore's
sales? This case describes the
purchase of Soma.com by CVS and
its integration into the corporation.
Global,
An Israeli high-tech, start-up has
medical,
developed an innovative simulator
25 employees,
that makes possible non-patient
1998
training in medical ultrasound. It now
must choose a strategy for growth.
North America,
Deals with the issue of cross-selling
electronic parts,
and managing a portfolio of products
8,000 employees,
and services in business markets.
1997
Management must decide whether to
pursue an opportunity to sell its
products through a new e-commerce
site, which could threaten the viability
of its overall business model.
Akron, OH,
Goodyear is planning to launch an
tires,
innovative new tire in a price-sensitive
Fortune 500 company, and highly competitive category. The
1992
case deals with channel conflicts and
management issues arising in mature
product categories.
MathSoft, Inc. (A) HBS
#593-094
25p
United States,
software,
small company,
1989
Becton Dickinson HBS #592and Company:
037 17p
VACUTAINER
TN #595-084
Systems Division
(Condensed)
United States,
pharmaceuticals,
500 employees,
1985
CEO David Blohm had to decide how
to allocate its marketing and sales
resources to different channels in the
face of a sales decline that threatened
the company's viability.
Becton Dickinson, a phenomenally
successful company with an 80%
market share in the blood collection
needles and syringes market, faces a
change in the customer buying
environment
(cost
containment
pressures at hospitals).
Chapter 16: Managing Retailing, Wholesaling, and Logistics
7_Eleven, Inc.
HBS
#9- Japan, United States,
504-057 30p retail,
$10 billion revenues,
2003
72
Can
7-Eleven
(United
States)
replicate the successful experience of
7-Eleven (Japan) in selling fresh foods
through
convenience
stores?
Describes the Japanese system, both
logistical and store, and shows the
steps the U.S. company is taking to
try to achieve the same success.
Teaching Purpose: To discuss the
future distribution of prepared foods.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
RadioShack
HBS
#500-081
24p
TN #500-106
United States,
consumer electronics
retailing,
2000
Staples.com
HBS
#800-305
10p
TN # 800-012
Massachusetts,
office supplies
retailing,
46,000 employees,
2000
Eddie Bauer, Inc. HBS
Washington State,
#500-034
apparel,
15p
1999
TN #500-077
Costco
Companies, Inc.
HBS
#599-041
21p
TN #599-088
United States,
retail/membership
clubs,
55,000 employees,
1998
Wal-Mart Stores,
Inc.
HBS
#794-024
21p
TN #395-225
United States,
retail,
444,000 employees,
1994
Body Shop
International
HBS
#392-032
19p
TN #395-148
United Kingdom,
retailing,
2,000 employees,
1991
73
Outlines
the
transformation
of
RadioShack from a parts and
accessories business to a provider of
high bandwidth Internet access. Is this
new retail strategy viable?
Staples.com is the online unit of the
U.S. office supplies retailing chain
Staples, faces a range of strategic
and organizational issues as it
accelerates its growth. Should it
pursue
only
existing
Staples
customers, or consumers who do not
shop in Staples stores? How quickly
should it add services to its product
offering? Which operating functions
should be shared between the online
units and the core business?
Eddie Bauer has decided to
coordinate its merchandising strategy
(price, selection) across stores and
catalog. But now with e-commerce, is
this still sensible?
Costco Companies, a major player in
the wholesale club industry, has
developed a new class of membership
that offers discounted services in
exchange for a higher annual fee.
How should the new membership be
marketed, to whom, and how much
should be spent on the effort? What
are the potential risks and benefits for
Costco?
The classic case focuses on the
evolution of Wal-Mart's remarkably
successful discount operations and
the company's attempts to diversify
into other businesses. Wal-Mart has
advantages over its competitors in
areas such as distribution, information
technology, and merchandising. How
sustainable are these advantages?
What are the threats to Wal-Mart's
continued success?
This classic case describes the start
up and rapid growth of Body Shop
International. After profiling founder
Anita Roddick, the case describes her
anti-mainstream approach to building
her highly successful business (no
advertising, simple packaging, nontraditional R&D). Can the business
survive as Roddick steps back?
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Chapter
17:
Designing
Communications
yesmail.com
HBS
#500-092
15p
TN #501-028
and
Managing
Chicago, IL,
Internet/advertising,
71 employees,
1999
Bronner Slosberg HBS
Humphrey
#598-136
22p
TN #598-141
United States,
direct marketing/
advertising,
700 employees,
1998
Hunter Business HBS
Group: TeamTBA #500-030
16p
Milwaukee,
direct marketing,
30 employees,
1994
Heineken N.V.:
Global Branding
and Advertising
HBS
Amsterdam/
#596-015
Netherlands,
13p
beer, 1994
TN #598-080
74
Integrated
Marketing
Yesmail sends clients' promotional email messages to targeted consumers
who said "yes" when asked whether
they wished to receive promotional
offers in certain categories of interest.
The company's CEO must decide how
best to build a large membership base
quickly. The case highlights trends in
marketing communications, with a
focus on permission marketing.
Bronner Slosberg Humphrey has
succeeded by providing integrated
direct marketing solutions for major
service companies such as AT&T,
American Express, and FedEx. A new
CEO takes over from the company's
founder and is wondering how to grow
the company. Options include selling
individual services and/or opening
global offices.
The Hunter Business Group (HBG) is
a direct marketing consulting firm
specializing in reorganizing the sales
and marketing efforts of industrial
firms. The firm uses integrated
customer contact technologies (e.g.,
field sales, telephone, and mail), and
believes
that
a
seller's
communications
provide
genuine
value to a customer. This case
highlights HBG's implementation of its
approach for Sar Oil's tire, battery,
and accessory (TBA) business that
has been facing declining market
share and profitability in the face of
ever-increasing competition.
Heineken managers are evaluating
the results of the research projects
designed to identify the values of the
Heineken brand and to translate these
into effective advertising messages.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Cunard Line Ltd.:
Managing
Integrated
Marketing
Communications
HBS
United States,
#594-046
cruise lines,
25p
1992
TN #595-028
Cunard, the world's oldest luxury line
company, is confronted with several
key issues involving its marketing and
marketing communications strategy.
One concerns the balance between
image/positioning advertising and
short-term
promotional
advertising/communications on behalf
of each Cunard ship (i.e., pull versus
push communications). Related to this
is the overall mix of marketing
communications
tools
used
by
Cunard—media advertising, direct
marketing, etc.
Chapter 18: Managing Mass Communications:
Promotion, Events, and Public Relations
Cape Wind
HBS
#9-504-055
16p
Massachusetts,
energy,
start-up,
10 employees,
2003
75
Advertising,
Sales
Cape Wind has proposed placing a
170-tower wind farm, with each tower
more than 400-feet tall, in Nantucket
Sound. Not surprisingly, public
reaction is mixed. Some view the wind
farm as clean, renewable energy.
Others view it as an eyesore and a
desecration of a valued public
resource. Other attempts at wind
farms in the United States have run
into similar resistance. Although the
public can agree that wind power is a
good idea, no one wants a wind farm
in their community. How can firms
overcome this type of resistance to
change? Teaching Purpose: To focus
on the positioning and packaging of a
controversial product proposal and to
explore the nature of consumer
resistance to change (e.g., the devil
you know versus the devil you don't).
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Cofidis
HBS
#501-055
19p
TN #501-084
France,
consumer credit,
1,452 employees,
2000
Autobytel.com
HBS
#500-015
21p
TN #500-076
Irvine, CA,
Internet, automotive,
200 employees,
1999
Bronner Slosberg HBS
Humphrey
#598-136
22p
TN #598-141
United States,
direct marketing/
advertising,
700 employees,
1998
76
An offspring of French catalog
marketer 3 Suisses, and a popular
sponsor of Tour de France, Cofidis
sells consumer credit over the phone,
defying conventional banking with a
product policy and a communication
strategy that perfectly fits the
company's
comparative
(dis)advantages. This case describes:
1) Cofidis' product and value
proposition;
2)
the
evolving
competitive context and cultural
complexity of the European credit
market; 3) the adaptive marketing
strategy of the company, which
evolved from bundling with the 3
Suisses catalog, to direct mail, to print
advertising in TV guides, to bicycling
sponsorship, 4) the results of the
strategy; and 5) the challenge and
opportunities posed by the Internet.
Based on the lessons of the past, can
we advise Michel Guillois, CEO of
Cofidis, on the best way for him to
preserve Cofidis' competitive edge?
Autobytel
enjoys
first-mover
advantage in the Internet new car
buying space. According to a number
of metrics, it is the online leader in this
category. However, a number of
competitors have emerged, raising
questions about the long-term viability
of Autobytel's purchase referral
model. In addition, Autobytel is
struggling to accelerate revenue
growth.
Bronner Slosberg Humphrey has
succeeded by providing integrated
direct marketing solutions for major
service companies such as AT&T,
American Express, and FedEx. A new
CEO takes over from the company's
founder and is wondering how to grow
the company. Options include selling
individual services and/or opening
global offices.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Dewar's (A) Brand HBS
Repositioning in #596-076
the 1990s
29p
United States,
distilled spirits,
400 employees,
1993–1995
Intel's Pentium:
When the Chips
are Down (A)
HBS
United States,
#595-058
computer chips,
3p
1994
TN #595-089
Heineken N.V.:
Global Branding
and Advertising
HBS
#596-015
13p
TN #598-080
Amsterdam/
Netherlands,
beer,
1994
Vistakon: 1 Day
Acuvue
Disposable
Contact Lenses
HBS
#596-087
26p
United States,
healthcare,
2,500 employees,
1994
77
Dewar's, the U.S. leader in the Scotch
category with a 15% market share,
faced a declining market among
traditional consumers of distilled
spirits. Given the growing societal,
legal, and regulatory opposition to
drinking in the United States, the
marketing options were limited. In
addition, drinking preferences had
shifted away from distilled spirits to
lighter, lower alcohol beverages like
wine, wine coolers, and beer. In early
1993,
Dewar's
U.S.
importer,
Schieffelin
and
Somerset,
in
cooperation
with
the
brand's
longstanding advertising agency, Leo
Burnett, began to explore the
opportunities for repositioning Dewar's
to younger adults. Repositioning
Dewar's was a necessity for the brand
to remain viable in the long term. The
brand manager faces the decision of
planning
the
strategy
for
a
repositioning
or
"recruitment"
campaign for the brand.
Intel, the largest-selling manufacturer
of microprocessor computer chips,
finds itself in a brand-threatening
situation when a flaw is revealed in its
top-of-the-line Pentium chip. The story
is front-page news for weeks. The
company invested tens of millions of
dollars in advertising its branded
Pentium chip as a high-quality
component via the campaign slogan
"Intel Inside.” Issues include salience
of the problem, when Intel knew of the
problem, how it was revealed, and
what actions should be undertaken.
Heineken managers are evaluating
the results of the research projects
designed to identify the values of the
Heineken brand and to translate these
into effective advertising messages.
Gary Kunkle, president of Vistakon,
was presented with the test market
results for an addition to the firm's
product line, 1 Day Acuvue, the
world's first daily disposable contact
lens. Kunkle must evaluate the risks
associated with commencing an
immediate launch with an unproven
strategy as opposed to extending the
test market.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Hunter Business HBS
Group: TeamTBA #500-030
16p
Milwaukee,
direct marketing,
30 employees,
1994
The Hunter Business Group (HBG) is
a direct marketing consulting firm
specializing in reorganizing the sales
and marketing efforts of industrial
firms. The firm uses integrated
customer contact technologies (e.g.,
field sales, telephone, and mail), and
believes
that
a
seller's
communications
provide
genuine
value to a customer. This case
highlights HBG's implementation of its
approach for Sar Oil's tire, battery,
and accessory (TBA) business that
has been facing declining market
share and profitability in the face of
ever-increasing competition.
Calyx & Corolla
HBS
#592-035
31p
TN #596-116
United States,
new firm, mail order
flowers,
1991
Calyx and Corolla has successfully
penetrated the retail flower industry,
shipping cut flowers via FedEx directly
from growers to consumers. Now it
has to decide how to grow.
Warner-Lambert
Ireland: Niconil
HBS
Ireland,
#593-008
pharmaceuticals,
16p
1989
TN #594-062
The company's launch of "the patch"
was impending. Declan Dixon must
decide on a sales forecast, pricing,
and an advertising strategy for the
launch.
Chapter 19: Managing Personal Communications: Direct Marketing and
Personal Selling
Centra Software
HBS
#502-009
17p
United States,
software,
$23 million revenues,
2001
78
Centra is a pioneer in software
eLearning. It is debating how to
modify its go-to-market strategy,
adding telesales to improve sales
force productivity. At the same time,
its
market
is
evolving,
and
management thinks it may be about to
"cross the chasm" in Geoffery Moore's
terminology. Should it "fish where the
fish are biting" or should it concentrate
on the enterprise customer and
exclude
small
and
mid-size
corporations? If a shakeout is coming,
how can Centra ensure that it either
survives or is acquired by one of the
survivors? Teaching Purpose: Design
of go-to-market strategy, how to
manage conflict between field sales
and telephone sales, how to manage
rapid growth markets, and competition
between best-of-breed collaborators
and single-source vendors.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
InPart
HBS
#898-213
24p
Silicon Valley, CA,
CAD software,
30 employees,
1997–1998
Howard, Shea &
Chan Asset
Management (A)
HBS
#597-021
13p
United States,
investment
management,
midsize company,
28 employees, 1996
Hewlett-Packard - HBS
Computer
#500-064
Systems
23p
Organization:
Selling to
Enterprise
Customers
Computers,
high technology,
Fortune 500,
1996
Stacey Lawson, HBS 1996, started a
CAD parts representations database
company to help designers and
engineers with the design process.
The company has completed its
product and is starting to sell the
product. Teaching Purpose: To
introduce students to issues of sales
force
organization
and
pricing
decisions.
A
medium-sized
investment
management firm is attempting to
decide whether to try to grow and if
so, how. The case focuses on the
development of a growth strategy and
a sales strategy for the firm.
HP's current customer management
approach, though successful, involved
structural changes that forced a deeprooted overhaul of HP's traditional
regional sales approach. The new
recommendations would necessitate
another round of drastic changes in
the way HP manages relationships
with its large enterprise customers.
Chapter 20: Introducing New Market Offerings
Abgenix and the
XenoMouse
HBS
#501-061
14p
Pepcid AC (A)
HBS
Racing to the OTC #500-073
Market
15p
Oscar Mayer:
Strategic
Marketing
Planning
HBS
#597-051
14p
TN #597-052
California,
biotechnology,
150 employees,
2000
Pennsylvania,
pharmaceuticals,
Fortune 500,
1995
United States,
food,
1995
79
In early 2000, Abgenix's cancer drug
has performed well in animal testing
and is moving to early-stage human
testing. The firm must decide whether
to sell the product development
program to a large pharmaceutical
company or to enter into a joint
venture to push the product ahead.
Pepcid management must decide
whether to risk all in a race to be first
in the over-the-counter market with a
new heartburn remedy.
The marketing director of Oscar
Mayer faces a series of strategic
marketing
options
regarding
established and new products,
including
budget
and
capacity
allocation decisions.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Vistakon: 1 Day
Acuvue
Disposable
Contact Lenses
HBS
#596-087
26p
Colgate-Palmolive
Company: The
Precision
Toothbrush
HBS
United States,
#593-064
consumer products,
24p
1992
TN #595-025
United States,
healthcare,
2,500 employees,
1994
Gary Kunkle, president of Vistakon,
was presented with the test market
results for an addition to the firm's
product line, 1 Day Acuvue, the
world's first daily disposable contact
lens. Kunkle must evaluate the risks
associated with commencing an
immediate launch with an unproven
strategy as opposed to extending the
test market.
Brand manager Susan Steinberg has
to develop a marketing mix and pro
forma profit-and-loss in preparation for
the launch of a new and superior
toothbrush.
Chapter 21: Tapping into Global Markets
Kikkoman Corp.:
Consumer
Focused
Innovation
HBS
#9-504-067
35p
Hewlett-Packard's HBS
Home Products
#501-053
Division in
17p
Europe-1996–2000
Supermercados
Disco: Regional
Strategy
Japan, United States,
Global,
4,200 employees,
2003
Europe,
computers,
2000
HBS
South America,
#599-127
retailing,
24p
1998
TN #598-081
80
In May 2003, the president and CEO
of Kikkoman Corp. sat in his Tokyo
office weighing various options for
strengthening the company's longterm growth. Kikkoman was the
world's largest producer of soy sauce,
largely due to its pioneering role since
the 1950s as the leading promoter of
the product, particularly in non-Asian
markets. But times had changed. The
domestic Japanese market was
saturated, competition had increased,
and Kikkoman needed to think of
innovative ways to increase revenue.
Teaching Purpose: To examine
adaptation versus standardization of
international marketing strategies as
well as product positioning.
By the end of 2000, Hewlett-Packard's
Home Products Division (HPD) had
been selling its Pavilion line of PCs in
Europe for almost five years. During
that time, HPD had entered and exited
Germany, struggled in France and the
United Kingdom, and significantly
reorganized its European operations
twice. Students must evaluate how
well the firm is prepared by 2001 to
compete in the European home PC
market.
The Disco supermarket chain has
pursued a successful local niche
strategy in Argentina to compete with
multinational chains. Now, Disco
considers options for expanding its
regional strength.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Vietnam: Market
Entry Decisions
HBS
#597-020
13p
TN #598-081
Vietnam,
adhesives/athletic
footwear/toys,
1996
Three U.S. multinationals must decide
whether to enter the Vietnam market
and, if so, how.
Gillette Indonesia HBS
Indonesia,
#597-009
consumer products,
15p
1996
TN # 598-086
The country manager of Gillette
Indonesia is reviewing his 1996
marketing plan and considering
whether
the
pace
of
market
development and mix of product sales
can be impacted by the level and type
of Gillette expenditures in the market.
Mary Kay
HBS
Japan/China,
Cosmetics: Asian #594-023
cosmetics,
Market Entry
35p
1993
TN #595-073
Executives at Mary Kay cosmetics are
evaluating opportunities to enter the
Japanese and/or Chinese markets.
The comparative opportunities must
be assessed and guidelines for entry
strategies must be determined.
Samsung
Electronics Co.:
Global Marketing
Operations
Samsung's global marketing director
is assessing how to build the global
brand reputation of the company
further and upgrade the company's
worldwide brand image. Teaching
Purpose: To show how to build a
global brand.
HBS
#9-504-051
32p
TN #5-505022
Korea,
consumer electronics,
30,000 employees,
2003
Chapter 22: Managing a Holistic Marketing Organization
WingspanBank.
com (A)
HBS
#600-035
21p
Wells Fargo
Online Financial
Services (A)
HBS
California,
#198-146
banking,
18p
1997
TN #199-058
Jeanne Lewis at
Staples, Inc. (A)
(Abridged)
HBS
#400-065
14p
Wilmington, DE,
financial services,
1999
Boston,
office supplies,
30,000 employees,
1997
81
Describes
the
new
product
development
process
for
WingspanBank.com, an Internet-only
financial services infomediary created
by a team from Bank One's First USA
division.
Describes how Wells Fargo, the
industry leader in electronic banking,
implemented a Balanced Scorecard in
its online financial services group
(OFS) to track and measure
performance.
Staples' new senior vice president of
marketing, Jeanne Lewis, must
determine
how
the
marketing
department can most effectively and
efficiently help the company maintain
its competitive edge in an increasingly
competitive and complex market.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
Cunard Line Ltd.:
Managing
Integrated
Marketing
Communications
HBS
United States,
#594-046
cruise lines,
25p
1992
TN #595-028
AT&T's
HBS
Transmission
#9-604-098
Systems Business 15p
Unit (A)
TN #5-604102
New Jersey,
communications
services,
309,000 employees,
1989–1994
82
Cunard, the world's oldest luxury line
company, is confronted with several
key issues involving its marketing and
marketing communications strategy.
One concerns the balance between
image/positioning advertising and
short-term
promotional
advertising/communications on behalf
of each Cunard ship (i.e., pull versus
push communications). Related to this
is the overall mix of marketing
communications
tools
used
by
Cunard—media advertising, direct
marketing, etc.
The newly appointed director of the
project dedicated to reducing product
development
time
for
AT&T's
Transmission Systems Business Unit
(TSBU) is trying to decide how best to
sustain momentum of its Achieving
Process Excellence (APEX) teams.
During the prior three years, APEX
teams helped reduce TSBUs product
interval 50% —an accomplishment
that contributed to TSBUs receiving
the Malcolm Baldridge National
Quality Award. Now motivation and
expectations
for
continued
improvement are high. Describes the
launching of APEX, its evolution, and
the current challenges facing the
product development organization.
Details support a discussion of the
elements required to launch and
sustain an improvement program,
including
metrics,
goal setting,
management's
role,
and
methodological
approaches
for
problem solving. Teaching Purpose:
To examine the challenges of
launching, developing, and sustaining
an improvement program within the
context of a product development
organization, while illustrating a
successful evolutionary approach.
Case-Oriented Syllabus
MARKETING MANAGEMENT
FALL SEMESTER
Instructor:
E-mail:
Web site:
Campus:
OFFICE HOURS
Or by Appointment at Either Location
Course Credits: 3 (Three)
Class:
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Marketing Management, 12th edition, by Kotler/Keller, Prentice-Hall 2006, ISBN 013-145757-8 and The Marketing Plan Handbook with Marketing Plan Pro, by Wood,
Prentice-Hall 2005, 0-13-164149-2
COURSE PREREQUISITES:
COURSE PERSPECTIVE
The course focuses on formulating and implementing marketing management strategies
and policies, a task undertaken in most companies at the strategic business unit level. The
marketing management process is important at all levels of the organization, regardless of
the title applied to the activity. Typically, it is called corporate marketing, strategic
marketing, or marketing management. For our purposes they all involve essentially the
same process, even though the actors and activities may differ. The course will provide
you with a systematic framework for understanding marketing management and strategy.
Accordingly, the course emphasizes the following:




Primary and changing perspectives on marketing management in the New
Economy.
The impact of interactive media on marketing management.
Applied marketing management and strategy, domestic, and global.
An international focus in developing marketing management and strategy.
83
Case-Oriented Syllabus
The course is intended for:


Marketing concentration students who wish to deepen their understanding of
marketing management in a strategy-planning context.
Non-marketing concentration students who desire a course in marketing strategy,
with a management and planning orientation.
COURSE GOALS
To further disseminate and develop the knowledge and skills in the essential aspects of
marketing management, marketing strategy, and emerging New Economy marketing
applications, with a focus on the development and execution of programs, audits, and
plans.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is concerned with the development, evaluation, and implementation of
marketing management in complex environments. The course deals primarily with an indepth analysis of a variety of concepts, theories, facts, analytical procedures, techniques,
and models. The course addresses strategic issues such as:








What business should we be in?
What are our long-term objectives?
What is our sustainable marketing competitive advantage?
Should we diversify?
How should marketing resources be allocated?
What marketing opportunities and threats do we face?
What are our marketing organizational strengths and weaknesses?
What are our marketing strategic alternatives?
To ensure that students have a solid foundation of the fundamental marketing decisionmaking tools and management of all of the elements of the marketing plan.
Through this in-depth semester-long project, students will be provided the opportunity to
apply those marketing planning and decision-making skills. We will be building upon
these principles throughout this course especially those principles that you have learned
in Marketing MAR XXX.
84
Case-Oriented Syllabus
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
To become familiar with the range of decisions implicit in strategic marketing
management and planning. In addition, to develop skill in using a variety of analytical
frameworks for making such decisions. To develop an understanding of how markets
contrast in terms of:


Their “enduring characteristics.”
Their stage of development and how the nature of competition in such markets is
impacted.
To develop skills in planning a variety of marketing management tools, ranging from new
product entry strategy to international market product life cycle management and
strategy.
To develop skill in organizing more effective strategic marketing and in implementing
the market planning process.
COURSE STRUCTURE
1. Lecture/Case-Based Semester
An effective way to help students learn about marketing management is the reading
of and analysis of actual marketing cases. This syllabus marries key cases to the
chapter material and provides students with an opportunity for an in-depth
examination(s) of problems facing marketing managers today.
The class will be divided into team (5 student’s maximum per group) each group will
be responsible for submitting an analysis of the case (s) assigned for each chapter.
See the attached schedule for when the specific information is due to me.
Students must follow the case analysis written submission format contained in this
syllabus.
2. Chapter Material Exams
In addition to the case submissions, we will have two exams (see schedule). Students
are responsible for all of the material covered from the textbook, lectures, outside
speakers, and any videos/DVDs shown.
3. Class Periods: # 1–# 6: Here we will begin to define marketing for the 21st century
and discuss cases pertaining to each chapter of the text. Individual case submissions
(# 1 and # 2) will be due.
85
Case-Oriented Syllabus
4. Class Periods: # 7–# 10: We will continue with our examination of the marketing
management process; exam # 1 will be conducted at the end of class period # 10
covering Chapters 1 through 10 inclusive. The third individually submitted case
analysis is due.
5. Class Periods: # 11–# 13: Will follow the same lecture/case discussion format as the
classes above; the fourth individual case analysis is due in class period # 13.
6. Class Periods: # 14–# 15: Same as above, first “team” submission of their case
analysis is due in period # 15.
7. Class Periods: # 16–# 22: Same format as above, second team case analysis is due
on the class period # 18; third team case analysis is due on the meeting # 21. We will
have a final exam on meeting # 22 covering Chapters 11 through 22 inclusive.
METHOD OF INSTRUCTION
The course is highly interactive between the class and the instructor. Through case
studies/presentations, problems, and specific company client activities, students will have
the opportunity to use the concepts, ideas, and strategies presented in class. Problemsolving sessions occur in both individual (primarily) and team (occasionally) settings.
This upper level undergraduate course will incorporate a lecture and case analysis based
approach to marketing management. The textbook used in this course will be used as a
reference point for the discussion(s) of the marketing management topics found in the
cases. Students are encouraged to read and inculcate the major principles found in the
textbook.
STUDENT ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Attend class and prepare for the class by reading the material before the scheduled
class period. In my classes, I do not have an attendance policy. My lectures
feature numerous practical and real life examples of the course principles in
action that show how marketers use these concepts in everyday marketing.
Missing a lecture may impede your ability to understand fully the concepts and
principles covered. I suggest that you use a “buddy” system to ensure that if you
miss a class that you get the appropriate notes from the lecture and please do not
ask me to repeat a missed lecture for your benefit.
2. Understand that all of the material presented during the class lectures may be
incorporated into exams, quizzes, or other forms of evaluating student
performance. You are responsible to ensure that you take appropriate notes of the
class lectures, so when and if materials from the lectures appear on an exam, you
have studied the correct material. My policy is that I do not give extra credit
86
Case-Oriented Syllabus
assignments. You should make every effort to achieve your desired grade by
performance on the course grading criteria.
3. Understand that all written assignments are due at the time of the class in which
they pertain and at no other time. I cannot accept late papers and I cannot accept
e-mail submission of papers for any reason.
 All written work is to be printed with double-spaced type using Times
New Roman 12 point font with 1-inch margins on all four sides and a
separate cover page identifying the student and the course and section
number.
4. In all of my classes/subjects there will contain some degree of business math.
Certain upper level courses involve heavy concentration of marketing math,
financial analysis, and managerial accounting principles depending upon the
course. If you feel that you are unprepared in these areas, you should seek out
additional resources before enrolling in one of my classes.
5. Your role and responsibility includes a desire to learn and contribute to the
learning experience for the group by actively participating in class discussions
and exercises. I exercise the right to call on any student at any time for class
participation and to judge your preparedness for the class.
6. You should arrive at class meetings on time to avoid disrupting the class. Cell
phones, pagers, or PDAs should be turned off before entering the classroom. No
unauthorized guests, including children, are allowed during class. Working on
assignments from other courses or studying for other exams, reading outside
materials unrelated to the course, talking with fellow students during lectures,
sleeping in class, and any other disruptive behavior(s) is(are) not permitted.
7. I will consider make up exams, quizzes, or other evaluative material only under
extraordinary circumstances (e.g., validated personal or family illness,
emergencies, etc.). I must be notified promptly (within 24 hours) if a personal
emergency arises. Initial notification may be by phone (including voice mail
messages), but must be followed-up with written notification (including faxes and
e-mail messages). Any request for such must be made in writing. The makeup
date will be as soon as possible after the original due date.

Please note that personal trips, vacations, etc. (regardless of how long they
have been planned) do not qualify as extraordinary circumstances. This
especially applies to your holiday travel plans.
8. In the event that the University cancels a class date on which an exam was
scheduled, the exam will be administered on the class date immediately
following the canceled class date.
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
9. On the subject of grading, please note that grades are non-negotiable and final
grades can only be changed to correct calculation or input errors. If you have any
questions as to the validity of a grade this must be brought to my attention within
two (2) weeks of the day/date the grade is posted.
10. To ensure compliance with the University’s policy on academic performance,
during examination periods, once one student completes his/her exam, no
additional student(s) will be allowed to enter the classroom to take the exam.

Cell phones, calculator watches, and/or PDAs cannot be used as
calculators during exams. Students must have a separate business
calculator.
11. Note that occasionally, changes in the schedule of the course, or in the
assignments, are announced during class. It is your responsibility to ensure that
you have received all of the changes and you will still be responsible for this
information.
12. The University is committed to a policy of honesty in academics. Conduct, which
compromises a breach of this policy, may result in academic and/or disciplinary
action. Cheating is a violation of student academic behavior standards. Any
student who violates or knowingly helps another student violate academic
behavior standards will be pursued through the Office of the Dean of the College
of Business Administration and through the Dean of Students at ____________.
Please note that the sharing of information with other class members or with other
sections of the course is considered cheating.
13. I will make all the necessary accommodations for class members with disabilities.
Those students who require or who wish to request special accommodations are
encouraged to contact the instructor after the first class of the semester and
Student Disability Services immediately.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE INSTRUCTOR
1. The instructor will present the material in a professional and organized manner
using class time effectively in a way that will facilitate learning.
2. The instructor will conduct all evaluations of students in a fair and non-partial
manner.
3. The instructor will fully explain the expectations of performance, clearly describe
the course objectives, and clearly communicate all criteria for assignments.
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
4. The instructor will facilitate and maximize each students learning of the course
material and will stimulate students’ interest in learning the material—it is my job
to ensure that you learn the material to the best of your ability.
5. The instructor will be available to answer students’ concerns, issues, questions, or
commentary either in person during office hours, via e-mail, or through
appointments.
6. The instructor will always demonstrate respect and concern for the students.
EVALUATION
Overview: The final grade will be based on the following: Four (4) individual case
analyses, three (3) team-prepared case analysis, two (2) exams, and participation:
Class Participation: There will be case reading discussions and analyses. You will be
expected to respond orally to questions. Responses will be graded on a five (5) point
scale, ranging from highly analytical (from a content perspective) to clear lack of
knowledge of the material.
Exams # 1 and # 2 (the final exam) will consist of: 50–75 multiple choice, true/false,
essay, and short answer questions. You will need a Brown Scantron and a University ID
card or drivers license.
The weightings for the individual components are as follows:
1) Exam # 1 @ 50 points
2) Exam # 2 @ 50 points
3) Four (4) Individually Submitted Cases
(50 points each)
(due at time stated in schedule)
4) Three (3) Team Presented Case Analysis
(50 points each)
5) Class participation
50 points
50 points
200 points
150 points
150 points
Total:
600 points
Grading for this course is as follows:
Numerical Grade Letter Equivalent Numerical Grade Letter Equivalent
570 – 600 points
A
390 – 419 points
C
540 – 569 points
A-
360 – 389 points
C-
510 – 539 points
B+
330 – 359 points
D+
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
480 – 509 points
B
300 – 329 points
D
450 – 479 points
B-
270 – 299 points
D-
420 – 449 points
C+
Below 270 points
F
NOTE: Grades of C- or lower do not count toward a Business Degree.
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
EVALUATION FORM FOR CASE PRESENTATION
Situation Assessment: __________ (10 possible points)
Synopsis and evaluation of current situation. Be diagnostic, do not merely restate material
in case. Assess relevant environmental information, market, and competitors. What are
the firm’s objectives? Are they financially sound? Provide quantitative assessments, if
applicable. What are firm’s strengths and weaknesses? Distinctive competency(ies)? Are
assumptions and opinions held by management realistic?
Defining Problem/Decision Area: ____________ (10 possible points)
Don’t confuse symptoms with problems: think of problems as causes and symptoms as
effects. Sales decline may be the result of low sales force morale, and thus high turnover
rates. These may be due to an inadequate compensation plan, caused by low profit
margins, in turn the result of incorrect pricing, and an outmoded distribution system. The
decision area must address the cause and not the solution.
Identification and Evaluation of Alternatives: ____________ (10 possible points)
Prepare a list of feasible alternatives. Refine the list. Is the alternative feasible, given
financial, productive, marketing, and managerial constraints? Use information from the
situation assessment. Will the alternative address the identified problem?
Recommended Course of Action: ____________ (10 possible points)
Recommend steps to take to solve the problem. State the main reason(s) for your choice.
Be specific in your recommendation and address the issue of who should do what and
when.
Use of and Interpretation of Data: ____________ (5 possible points)
Applicable in situation assessment, evaluation of alternatives, and recommendation.
Quality and Effectiveness of Presentation: ____________ (5 possible points)
Effective communication of materials to class, professionalism of written work, correct
use of trademark symbols, punctuation, spelling, and grammar usage.
Total:
50 (total points)
There is no “minimum” or “maximum” length of your case analysis. It should be
sufficient for an exhaustive analysis of the case and completely examine the sections
above. Comments/scores on each area will be written on the cover page of the
student’s report and than returned to the student before the next case is due.
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
WHY THE CASE STUDY APPROACH
The case study process brings theories, concepts, and facts to a stage of application and
implementation. Each case is different because each organization in each situation is
different, but you will learn to appreciate and analyze the problems faced by many
different companies and to understand how managers have tried to deal with them.
Two things are inherent in the use of cases in education. One is that you have to think!
Doing case studies is not an exercise in memorization. There is no place to look up
answers and there is no one right answer. Instead, you have to read between the lines,
assimilate, and synthesize various pieces of information, apply concepts and theories, and
project all this into a realistic situation. This takes a lot of thinking!
It also takes time! You cannot read a case a few hours before class and expect to offer
good analysis and solutions. Top executives cannot do it and you cannot as well.
Although good intuition is a great skill, if you have it, it still has to be based upon a
thorough analysis and synthesis of concepts and applied facts. It also requires that you
fully understand the financial numbers of the case. In case analysis, “number crunching”
is “the key" to a successful case analysis. Students should be comfortable in using
financial and mathematical analysis techniques and ratios in preparing for a case.
The second inherent factor in using case studies is the interaction with others. Although
much can be learned from the information that is in a case and from the cognitive process
in analyzing the case, the ultimate test will come in being able to articulate and explicate
this process.
The other part of interaction, which many of us too often forget, is called listening. You
should listen and reply to others rather than ignore their points of view for yours. In
addition, you should ask questions of others and of the instructor. Voltaire said, “Judge of
man not by his answers, but by his questions.” Good executives listen and ask questions
before making important decisions.
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
MARKETING MANAGEMENT
FALL SEMESTER
Class
Period
/Date
1
Read
Chapter
Chapter Topic
Assignment Due
Beginning of Class
1
Defining Marketing for the Read case: Marketing James
21st Century
Patterson, HBS # 9-505-029
2
2
Developing
Marketing Read case: XM Satellite Radio
Strategies and Plans
(B), HBS # 9-504-065; first
individual case analysis due
3
3
Gathering Information and Read case: Ciba Consumer
Scanning the Environment Pharmaceuticals’
Acutrim:
Challenges and Opportunities in
Today’s Diet Industry, HBS #
795-043
4
4
5
5
Conducting
Marketing
Research and Forecasting
Demand
Creating Customer Value,
Satisfaction, and Loyalty
6
6
Analyzing
Markets
Consumer Read case: TiVo, HBS # 501038; second individual case
analysis due
7
7
Analyzing
Markets
Business Read case: VerticalNet, HBS #
500-041; Exam # 1 on Chapters 1
–7 inclusive
8
8
Identifying
Market Read case: Vistakon: 1 Day
Segments and Targets
Acuvue
Disposable
Contact
Lenses; HBS # 596-087; third
individual case analysis due
9
9
Creating Brand Equity
93
Read case: Juice Guys (A), HBS
# 800-122
Read case: Hilton Honors
Worldwide: Loyalty Wars, HBS #
501-010
Read case: Snapple, HBS # 599126
Case-Oriented Syllabus
10
10
Crafting
the
Positioning
Brand Read case: Launching the BMW
Z3 Roadster, HBS # 9-597-002;
third individual case analysis due
EXAM # 1 Chapters 1–10
inclusive
11
11
Dealing with Competition
Read case: eBay, Inc., HBS #
700-007
12
12
Setting Product Strategy
Read case: Microsoft: Launching
the Smart Watch, HBS # 9-504004
13
13
Designing and Managing Read case: Real Madrid Club de
Services
Futbol, HBS # 9-504-063; fourth
individual case analysis due
14
14
Developing
Pricing Read case: IBM on Demand
Strategies and Programs
Community, HBS # 9-504-103
15
15
Designing and Managing Read
case:
RealNetworks
Value
Networks
and Rhapsody, HBS # 9-804-142;
Channels
first “team” case analysis due
16
16
Managing
Retailing, Read case: RadioShack, HBS #
Wholesaling, and Logistics 500-081
17
17
Designing and Managing Read case: Cunard Line Ltd.:
Integrated
Marketing Managing Integrated Marketing
Communications
Communications, HBS # 594-046
18
18
19
19
20
20
Managing
Mass
Communications:
Advertising,
Sales
Promotion, Events, and
Public Relations
Managing
Personal
Communications: Direct
Marketing and Personal
Selling
Introducing New Market
Offerings
21
21
Tapping
Markets
into
Read case: Cofidis, HBS # 501055; second “team” case analysis
due
Read case: Centra Software, HBS
# 502-009
Read case: Abgenix and the
XenoMouse, HBS # 501-061
Global Read case: Kikkoman Corp.:
Consumer Focused Innovation,
HBS # 9-504-067; third “team”
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Case-Oriented Syllabus
case analysis due
22
22
Managing
a
Holistic Read case: AT&T’s Transmission
Marketing Organization
Systems Business Unit (A), HBS
Final Exam Chapters # 9-604-098
11–22 inclusive
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