UNIVERSIDAD DE ESPECIALIDADES ESPIRITU SANTO
SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
INTERNATIONAL CAREERS PROGRAM
SYLLABUS
CLASS: Product Development
CODE: MKT380
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Microeconomics (ECO161) & Marketing Research Methods (MKT358)
PROFESSOR: John Murray
SCHEDULE: M – Th 19h25 - 20h45
CONTACT HOURS: 48
CLASSROOM:
F-22
BIMESTER: Winter 2006
HOURS OF HOMEWORK: 101
1. COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course exposes the student to the decision-making processes involved in product
development with emphasis on creating successful new products. The major types and
processes of product development methodology are presented from searching for a
competitive idea through creating, launching, monitoring, and adjusting new products.
Concepts, theories, and techniques are applied to case studies about successful innovations
and to individual student projects to help each student learn to use product development
principles. Regular class discussions and project presentations emphasize creative thinking,
problem solving, listening critically, communicating persuasively, and using analytical tools
to improve product development decisions and processes. Where possible, classroom
discussions will place special emphasis on developing and introducing new products to the
local marketplace and, where appropriate, other markets.
2. GENERAL METHODOLOGY
This is an advanced course for students who already have basic knowledge of
business and marketing, as well as basic comfort using the English language in business
settings. Although we will review some of those basic concepts, new material about product
development is the focus of this course. All students are expected to complete readings and
homework before each class so that they are prepared to present and support their ideas
about each day’s assignments. Most of the new material will be covered in class through
discussion, so it is more important in this course than in most other courses for you to listen
carefully and critically to classmates during each class period. This gives important practice
for the way you will give and receive much new information in meetings during your career.
Readings, class discussions, presentations, projects, lectures, case analyses, and
written examinations (midterm and final) will be the methods used in assigning the grade
earned by each student. All material covered in readings and homework assignments
(including portions not discussed in class sessions) and all material covered in class
discussions, case analyses, and presentations (including material not covered in readings) can
be included in the written examinations. It will not be possible to pass this course unless you
read all the assigned materials.
You are responsible for everything discussed and assigned in class sessions, even if
you are absent from a class session. If you must miss a class session, you are expected to
contact a classmate for updates. Students who keep current with reading and homework will
need less time to review for the written examinations.
3. CLASS SCHEDULE and WORKLOAD BREAKDOWN
DATE
CONTENT
HOMEWORK
9-Jan
Introduction
None
10-Jan New Product
Present a list of new products you
Examples
would like to propose
11-Jan How to Bring a
Study Innovating for Cash
New Product to
Market
12-Jan Application of
None – in-class reading and activity
Choosing How to
using Formula for the Future)
Bring a New
Product to Market
16-Jan
17-Jan
18-Jan
19-Jan
23-Jan
24-Jan
25-Jan
26-Jan
30-Jan
31-Jan
1-Feb
2-Feb
6-Feb
8 NP Success
Factors
Case Summary and
Update
Aligning Strategic
Opportunities
10 Success Factors
for Managing NP
Using the Business
Environment
Diagnostic Audit –
Tools to Assess NP
Performance
Competitive
Analysis of
Industries: Tools
and Theories
Generic
Competitive
Strategies
Creating a New
Product Strategy
New Product Risk
Management
Organizing and
Motivating for NP
Development
Review for midterm
exam
Midterm Exam
Study NPSS pp. 1-16
EVALUATION
Class discussion
Present and discuss
Class discussion
In small groups:
How should ExxonMobil bring new
chemical products to
market?
Class discussion
Prepare summary and update for one Oral presentation
assigned NPSS case
with optional written
notes given to the
professor
Study NPSS pp. 17-52; Starbuck’s
Case analysis and
discussion
Study MNP pp. 14-48; Philips
Case analysis and
discussion
Study NPSS pp. 53-87; Cellular
Case analyses and
One; Ault;
discussions
Study MNP pp. 49, 54-61, 84-93
Class discussion
Study Competitive Advantage of
Nations (CAN) pp. 33-68
Class discussion
Study Competitive Advantage (CA)
pp. 4-26; Apply tools and strategies
from CAN and CA to Calyx &
Corolla.
Study MNP pp. 104-141, 146;
Paragliders
Study MNP pp. 147-155; Gannett
Case analysis and
discussion
Study MNP pp. 202-203 and NPSS
pp. 127-161 Ford Taurus; Canon;
Write a 1-2 page memorandum to
persuade top management to fund
your new product development
project.; Study for midterm exam
Midterm exam
Case analysis and
discussion
Case analysis and
discussion
Case analyses and
discussions
Class discussion and
written (word
processed and
printed) letter or
memorandum
Written midterm
exam
7-Feb
8-Feb
9-Feb
13-Feb
14-Feb
15-Feb
16-Feb
20-Feb
21-Feb
22-Feb
23-Feb
1-Mar
2-Mar
Managing the PD
Process
Creating New
Product Ideas
Designing Products
from Concepts
NP ideas/designs
Gaining Market
Acceptance
Marketing New
Products
Study MNP pp. 160-191;
Broderbund; Marriott;
Study NPSS pp. 163-192; Sunfish;
Strollers
Study NPSS pp. 193-228; MCI;
Lever
Write product concept for project
Study NPSS pp. 89-125; Slim-Fast;
Glaxo Zantac
Write marketing plan for your
project. Body Shop
Monitoring the New Revise marketing plan & study
Product
NPSS pp. 267-297; MTV; Fuji;
Snapple
Refining the New
Study NPSS pp. 229-265
Product
Summary: Lessons Study NPSS pp. 299-318; Make a
from NP Success
table comparing NPSS lessons with
Stories
MNP success factors.
Presentations and
Critiques
Presentations and
Critiques
All readings and
class topics
Final Exam Review
Prepare project presentation
Written project report due
Case analyses and
discussions
Case analyses and
discussions
Case analyses and
discussions
Present concepts
Case analyses and
discussions
Case analysis and
discussion. Discuss
marketing plans.
Case analyses and
discussions. Revised
marketing plans.
Case analyses and
discussions
Written table.
Discuss how to
succeed in product
development.
Present, critique
Present, critique
Written report
Final Exam
Final Exam Review
Total Pages: 491 plus new product information, case update, and project research
4. EVALUATION
Grading:
0 – 100% possible 00 – 69.4% = Failure
In compliance with UEES policy, half of the grade in this course comes from the two
written examinations and the other half comes from the other graded activities (homework,
project, and participation).
Written Examinations
Both examinations will include a mix of question types because research has shown
that students with different strengths will excel in different types of questioning situations.
There will be a mix of essay, short answer, and objective (true/false, multiple choice, and/or
matching, etc.). Questions on the midterm can be about anything assigned or discussed in
class to date. It is your responsibility to contact classmates to know anything you missed due
to absence or inattentiveness. Questions on the final exam come most heavily from material
covered in the later half of the course, including your individual project work; however, some
material from before the midterm exam will be included on the final exam. The pre-midterm
material will be either material students answered poorly on the midterm exam or material
from the first part of the course that is especially important to the second half of the course.
Individual Project
Your individual project should present a plan for developing one new product and/or
service according to your agreement with me. In evaluating your work, I will check to see
how appropriately and creatively you have applied concepts and techniques covered in the
class. The new product development letter, the written product concept, and the written
revised marketing plan are three of the steps in completing your project. Feedback received
during the course about these three portions of your project should be incorporated in the
final written and oral project reports. This means the content of those three assignments
should be improved according to comments you receive in class and/or from me. Please put
these three original graded assignment papers at the back of your final report to help me
quickly check how well you incorporated my feedback into your final report.
Entrepreneurialism and creativity are two important aspects of successful product
development that this course strives to strengthen in students. For this reason, each student
must create her or his own format and content for the written and the oral reports within the
guidelines given in this section. In addition to material noted in the previous paragraph,
please include in the written report some market analysis showing why this new product or
service is needed, some relevant competitive analysis including a Porter 5 Forces diagram,
your strategy, an estimate of potential profitability reflecting your developmental cost
estimate, and some relevant aspect from each other major topic in the course schedule.
Evaluation of the written report will include consideration of how well you demonstrate your
ability to apply course concepts.
Oral reports will be given according to a schedule to be announced. The oral report
should be a very concise executive summary of your project. Visual aids can be used to save
time but be sure to have a backup plan in case technology fails. In addition to the content
itself, evaluation of the oral report will include consideration of presentation style,
professionalism, creativity, choice of content, and demonstration of effective application of
course concepts.
For the written report, please use font size 12 (or larger). There is no specific page
limit because your skill with writing in English will influence how concisely you can write;
however, it would be difficult to have an excellent report in less than 5 or more than 20
pages. The final work should be only your own work, and any other sources used must be
properly quoted, cited, and referenced to eliminate plagiarism. Confirmed plagiarism will be
referred to the appropriate University disciplinary body and will likely result in a failing
grade for the assignment and possibly for the entire course.
Class Participation
Please be considerate of your classmates by avoiding disruptions such as side
conversations and other noise or distractions. I reserve the right to dismiss any student from
class for the balance of the day for causing disruptions that interfere with classroom
discussion. Ongoing problems will be referred to the appropriate disciplinary body.
5. CLASSROOM POLICIES
1. It is your responsibility to know what is in this syllabus, to know what is communicated
to the class by email, to know what is in assigned readings whether or not they are discussed
in class, and to know what was discussed in all class sessions whether you attended them or
not. If you are absent or inattentive, it is your responsibility to ask a classmate what you
missed before attending the next class meeting. If you do not understand something, it is your
responsibility to ask for clarification.
2. This course follows the UEES attendance policy; therefore, it is possible to pass the
course with a maximum of six absences but the seventh absence results in failure of the
course. Partial absences, including late arrivals, early departures, and leaving during class
will count toward the six permitted absences.
3. Please do not talk in class when it is not your turn to speak. I will automatically
consider this inattentiveness and a disruption to the class. If you must communicate with
another person during class related to the topic of class discussion or due to a rare emergency,
please write the person a note to avoid making noise.
4. Students are expected to respect the thoughts, ideas, opinions, and contributions of
others and to be actively involved in all classes. Students should express disagreement
respectfully.
5. Cell phones must be silent during all class sessions. Cell phone use during class will
result in immediate expulsion from the classroom for the balance of the day. During
examinations, cell phones always must be silent and out of view of all students.
6. Any late work will receive reduced points or a zero depending on the situation.
7. If an examination or the project presentation must be missed, the student must make
arrangements promptly for substitute work. The professor reserves the right not to offer a
substitute. A substitute must be arranged by mutual agreement between the professor and the
student and must be completed no later than the end of the last class period. Because
substitute work detracts from normal class activities and/or creates unnecessary extra work
for the professor, substitute work will be more demanding and/or will offer reduced points
compared to work completed according to the class schedule. A substitute examination will
never be the same as the scheduled examination.
8. Academic dishonesty is unethical, unfair to others, and robs you of valuable learning
opportunities. Discovery of academic dishonesty will result in a zero for the graded activity
and can result in your failing the course and being reported to the UEES administration.
Examples of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to using or attempting to use
another person’s work for assignments, projects, or examinations; permitting another person
to use your work as their own; failing to credit quotes or ideas taken from others (Internet,
publications, speeches, etc.); seeking help through a cell phone during a class or examination;
using all or part of your own homework, paper, etc., for another class in this class without
permission and acknowledgement; etc. If you are not sure whether something is academic
dishonesty, it is your responsibility to ask the professor.
9. Food or beverage in the classroom must not bother anyone in the class in any way
(noise, smell, etc.) or create any mess that you do not clean up yourself.
10. This course is to benefit the students, not the professor. If you are not getting what you
need and want from this course, please let the professor know improvements you would like.
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
MAIN TEXTBOOKS:
1. New Product Success Stories: Lessons from Leading Innovators by Robert J. Thomas. NY:
John Wiley & Sons.
2. Managing New Products: The Power of Innovation, 2nd Edition (1992) by Thomas D.
Kuczmarski. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
3. The Competitive Advantage of Nations – With a New Introduction (1998) by Michael E.
Porter. NY: The Free Press.
4. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance (1985)
by Michael E. Porter. NY: The Free Press.
COMPLEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. To be sent to your email account: “Innovating for Cash” by James P. Andrew and
Harold L. Sirkin, Harvard Business Review, Sept. 2003, pages 76-83.
2. General and marketing publications available at http://www.marketingpower.com
and through EBSCO at http://www.uees.edu.ec/biblio/bienvenida.htm
3. Read in class: “Idea Makers - Formula for the Future: Exxon-Mobil’s Mike Dolan
Believes Chemicals are Everything” by Robert McGarvey, Continental Magazine,
Sept. 2005, pages 65-66.
NOTE: This syllabus is subject to revision and does not represent a contact between
the student and the instructor, or between the student and the University. The instructor
and/or the University reserve the right to make any reasonable changes.
7. TEACHER INFORMATION
NAME: John F. Murray, CPA
DEGREES: B.S. Industrial Management, Purdue University;
MBA, University of Chicago;
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
EMAIL: jmurray6834@yahoo.com
PHONE: 09 594 3169
DATE: 3 January 2006