S Y L L A B U S
Marketing Management: MBA 606
Fall 2005
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
e-mail:
Office hours:
Dr. Mark Leach
Hilton #315
(310) 338-1896
mleach@lmu.edu
Tuesday & Thursday 12-1:30, 4:30-5:30, Wednesday 6-7
Text
Marketing Management. Philip Kotler. Prentice Hall.
Introduction
In Marketing Management we will emphasize the role of marketing and marketing management in society.
We will focuses on the effects of economic, social, cultural, technological, and legal changes in the
environment. In addition, basic controllable variables essential to marketing success will be examined
including market analysis, product development, pricing, distribution, and promotion. We will explore how
marketing guides business strategy, discovers and creates demand for products, and influences product
development.
Course Objectives
Upon successfully completing the course you should be able to:
1.
Identify and explain important concepts in marketing.
2.
Apply the important marketing concepts in business and non-business situations.
3.
Critically analyze decisions in business-to-business and consumer marketing.
4.
Analyze market opportunities - including conducting customer analyses, competitive analyses, and
industry analyses
5.
Explain the relationship of marketing to other business and social science disciplines.
Grading Procedure
Exams and activities will be graded according to the following percentages in the calculation of the course
grade:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Case assignments 25%
Marketing Audit
25%
25%
25%
100%
Grades
Case Assignments: Prior to the discussion of each case, everyone is required to turn in a 2 to 3 page case
write-up. In this write-up I am looking for FOUR things. First, clearly state the main problem that
the firm is facing. Second, conduct a SWOT analysis of the firm. Third, provide a course of action
that you believe the firm should take. Fourth, justify the action you suggest by providing the pros
and cons of your action relative to alternative actions.
Case write-ups are due at the beginning of class on the day the case is to be discussed. No late writeups will be accepted. If you must be absent from class, it is your responsibility to turn in the
applicable case write-up prior to class.
Exams: Exams will require the analysis of a case. An exam case will be given the week prior to the exam
date on the syllabus along with a set of case questions. Cases must be turned in to my office by class
time on the exam date stated in the syllabus. Exams should be typed and should not exceed 10
pages.
NO LATE EXAMS WILL BE ACCEPTED!
Marketing Audit: Everyone, in a group of FOUR, is required to conduct a marketing audit of a company.
This audit is described further on the last page of the syllabus. This project involves a paper and a
presentation. A group project grade will be computed as the average of the grade on the paper and
the presentation grade. Papers must be well organized using an interesting writing style that is
grammatically correct. Expect a severe grade reduction for poor grammar. There are no excuses for
late papers or being unprepared for presentations.
Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation are required for success in this course. Everyone
is expected to attend class regularly. Anyone who misses a class is responsible for what transpired
that day. It is your responsibility to contact a classmate to determine what you missed.
You are expected to do original work for all assignments. Students are responsible for their own conduct and
all cases of dishonesty will be reported to the proper university officials. Please do not put yourself in an
embarrassing or unfortunate situation.
Tentative Class Schedule
Week
Topic
Reading Assignment
August
31
Introduction to Marketing
1,2
September
7
Market Environment
CASE: Delissa in Japan
3
September
14
Relationship Marketing and Customer Retention
CASE: Dairyland Seed Company
Marketing Audit Group Membership - DUE
4,5
September
21
Consumer Behavior
CASE: Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc.
6,7
September
28
Organizational Buying Behavior
CASE: Compaq Computer Corporation: The Dell Challenge
Marketing Audit Company History – DUE
8,9
October
5
Product Life Cycle
CASE: Kirin Beer
10,11,12
October
12
EXAM 1 - DUE
October
19
Product Development
CASE: Tivo
13
October
26
Branding Issues
CASE: XM Satellite Radio
14
November
2
Pricing Issues
CASE: Porsche
15
November
9
Issues in Channels of Distribution
CASE: Research in Motion (i.e., Blackberry)
Marketing Audit Interview Dialogs – DUE
16,17
November
16
Promotion Issues
CASE: MAC
Marketing Audit Interview Dialogs – DUE
18,19,20
November
23
Marketing Audit Papers - DUE
November
30
Marketing Audit Presentations
December
7
Marketing Audit Presentations
December
14
EXAM 2 - DUE
Marketing Audit
The purpose of this project is to critically evaluate the marketing strategies of a specific company.
You must learn all you can about the company and the industry through published sources and through
conversations with knowledgeable persons. It is critical that you obtain cooperation from management within
the company you are auditing in order to interview its managers, employees, and customers. You must keep a
dialog record of all interviews (i.e., time, place, names or interviewers and interviewees, and the content of
the interview). This record will be included as an Appendix to the final paper.
You must submit the name of the company and a brief history by September 28th in class for approval. Late
submission of the company history or changing companies on a later day will result in a lower grade.
The completed paper should be turned in by class time, November 23rd. Late projects will not be accepted.
It is your responsibility to coordinate among your group members to complete your project by the due date.
Keep a copy of your paper and presentation for your own record. Papers will not be returned. The complete
paper should include 10 to 12 pages of content (double spaced, 11 or 12 pt. font). It should also include any
relevant material in Appendices, and a complete reference list.
The content of the paper should include these sub-titled sections:
I.
External and Internal Environment (Refer to chapters 3, 4)
1. Company history (up to 1 page)
2. Describe the markets, products & customers for this firm
3. Single out 2 trends in the environment that represent opportunities, and 2 trends that represent
threats to this specific company. Under each opportunity, suggest a positive action. For each
threat, suggest a defensive action.
4. Identify and compare the strengths and weaknesses of your company with its major
competitor(s).
II.
Target Market and Channel Relations
1. Identify the target customers. Is there more than one type of target customer? What
segmentation bases does the company use to identify its customers?
2. What is the form of the company’s channel relationships? Are there any e-commerce
relationships?
3. What does the company do to build relations with their customers and their suppliers?
III.
Promotional Strategy
1. What is the company’s overall communication / promotion strategy? What medium does it use
to advertise? How effective is advertising?
2. Does the company do trade shows? Evaluate their effectiveness?
3. Are personal selling and public relations important to this company? Describe and evaluate the
appropriateness of personal selling and public relations.
4. Suggest any promotional strategies that may help your company.
IV.
Conclusions
1. What have you learned from this company? Overall, what is the performance level of this
company? What are the important factors contributing to the success or failure of this specific
company?
2. What would you do differently (if anything)? What would you suggest to your company for
future action plans?