University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Bryan School of Business and Economics
MBA 706-51: Marketing Management
Spring 2011
This syllabus is subject to change as the semester progresses to accommodate
instructional and/or student needs.
Instructor: Nir Kshetri, Ph D
Graduate Assistant: TBA
Class Time: THU 2:00- 4:45 PM
Phone: 334-4530 (O), 209-2697 (Cell)
Fax: 334-5580
Email: nbkshetr@uncg.edu
Office hours: WED 2-3 PM
Classroom: BRYAN 205
Office location: 368 BRYAN
Required Text
Marketing: An Introduction, 10/E
Gary Armstrong
Philip Kotler
ISBN-10: 0136102433
ISBN-13: 9780136102434
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Copyright: 2011
Format: Paper; 648 pp
Published: 01/11/2010
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Prerequisites/Co-requisites:
None
Catalog Description:
Issues related to the marketing process, major trends and forces that are changing the
marketing landscape, marketing information, building and managing brands, marketing strategy
and roles of ethics in marketing.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of the course, students will be able to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Demonstrate an understanding of marketing and the marketing process.
Identify the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing landscape.
Locate, interpret, and evaluate marketing information for decision making.
Evaluate the obstacles and challenges in building and managing brands
Analyze the changes in marketing strategies during the product’s life cycle.
Evaluate the internal and external forces that influence an organization’s marketing
strategy.
7) Assess the attractiveness of a market segment.
8) Evaluate the roles of ethics in marketing activities.
9) Apply the tools and concepts learnt in the course to develop a customer-driven
marketing strategy and mix.
Teaching Methods and Assignments for Achieving Learning
Outcomes:
The course will be organized around short lectures, case analyses, in-class and online
discussions and case and paper presentations. Topics covered include:
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Marketing: Creating and Capturing Customer Value
Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships
Analyzing the Marketing Environment
Managing Marketing Information
Conducting Marketing Research
Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy: Creating Value for Target Customers
Products and Services
Brands
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New-Product Development and Life-Cycle Strategies
Pricing
Marketing Channels, Retailing and Wholesaling
Communicating Customer Value
Direct Marketing
E-commerce
Global Marketing
Marketing Ethics and Social Responsibility
Evaluation and Grading Policy
Online Participation and Contribution (200 points)
Blackboard is an important component of this course. You are expected to login regularly, read
other course participants’ posts and post to the discussion topics (at least ten posts are
required). The purpose of online discussions is to supplement the materials covered in class.
Your postings enhance and enrich not only your own learning but also that of your fellow course
participants. Please feel free to post anything that contributes to our learning of marketing.
Your posts are evaluated in terms of the following criteria:
a) Have you connected your discussion with materials from your textbook or those
discussed in the class?
b) Have you done additional research and included source(s) of your information?
c) Have you related some of your posts with current business related events?
d) Are your postings regularly throughout the semester?
e) Have you read other course participants’ posts?
f) Are your posts sufficiently long (at least two paragraphs)?
The last day for posting on the discussion board is April 26, 2011. Please copy all of your posts
in ONE word document and email me by this date. Make sure that each of your posts has the
date you posted on the blackboard.
Physical Attendance, Participation and Contribution (100 points)
I will take attendance at every class session. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to check
with another student to find out if any changes were made and to be prepared for such items
when you return to the next class.
You should complete all reading assignments and be prepared to discuss those assignments. It
is important that you participate in class discussions. However, please note that quality, not
quantity, is important in the discussion.
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In addition, the following factors will also be considered:
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Courtesy (cell phones/pagers off; absence of extensive side conversations)
Attentiveness (focus directed to the presenter, not distracting others)
Asking questions to groups presenting the cases
Providing comments and critiquing reading materials and cases.
Inclement Weather Policy: If we experience snow, sleet, etc., we will follow the University’s
decision as to holding class. Use your good judgment in such cases. If you do not feel you can
safely make it to class, do not come.
Exam 1 (100 points)
More details will be available on the Blackboard.
Exam 2 (100 points)
More details will be available on the Blackboard.
Exam 3 (200 points)
More details will be available on the Blackboard.
Individual assignment: 150 points
In this assignment, you are required to prepare a report which analyzes how social media have
changed the way organizations conduct marketing research. More details will be available on
the Blackboard.
Group Case Analysis and Presentation*: 150 point
Working in a group, you are required to analyze and present a case. Each group may plan on
spending up to 15-20 minutes for presentation, followed by a 5-10 minute question and answer
period. You will also submit a written analysis of the case to the instructor on the day of your
presentation (4-6-page double spaced).
While there is no one “correct” approach to organizing a written case analysis and
presentation, I expect you to adhere to the guidelines suggested in Roger A. Kerin, and R. A.
Peterson’s (2004), Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases and Comments (see pp. 60-61).
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I expect that each member of the class will prepare adequately to participate in the case
discussions. A tentative list of cases for group presentations is provided in the COURSE
SCHEDULE. Cases and presentation dates are assigned to you on first-come first-served basis.
*Each group member is also required to submit the “Peer evaluation form” no later than
the last day of the class.
Grading Scale:
Points possible for the various evaluation components are summarized below:
Component
Online Attendance, Participation and Contribution
Physical Attendance, Participation and Contribution
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Individual assignment
Group Case Analysis and Presentation
Total
Points possible
200
100
100
100
200
150
150
1,000
Scoring System for the Final Grade
The following scoring system will be used for the final grade.
Score
930 - 1000
890 – 929
850 – 889
Grade
A/A+
AB+
Score
810 – 849
760 – 809
710 – 759
Grade
B
BC+
Score
670 – 709
0 – 669
Grade
C
F
Tentative Course Schedule
Week
1 (13Jan)
Detail
 Course Overview
 Marketing: Creating and Capturing Customer
Value
 Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to
Build Customer Relationships
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Remarks
 Chapters 1-2
 This week’s class will be online
 Marketing: Creating and Capturing Customer
Value
 Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to
Build Customer Relationships
 Case assignment/group formation
 Analyzing the Marketing Environment
 Chapters 1-2
4 (3Feb)
 Managing Marketing Information to Gain
Customer Insights
 Chapter 4
5(10Feb)
 Understanding Consumer and Business Buyer
Behavior
 Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy: Creating
Value for Target Customers
 Chapters 5-6
6 (17Feb)
 Products, Services, and Brands: Building
Customer Value
 Developing New Products and Managing the
Product Life-Cycle
 Chapters 7-8
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
 Exam 2 online
7 (24Feb)

 Chapter 9
8 (17Mar)
 Marketing Channels: Delivering Customer Value
 Chapter 10
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
9 (24Mar)
 Retailing and Wholesaling
 Chapter 11
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
10 (31Mar)
 Communicating Customer Value: Advertising and
Public Relations/ Personal Selling and Sales
Promotion
 Chapters 12-13
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
11 (7Apr)
 Direct and Online Marketing: Building Direct
Customer Relationships
12 (14Apr)
 The Global Marketplace
 Chapter 14
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
 Chapter 15
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
13(21Apr)
 Sustainable Marketing: Social Responsibility and
Ethics
14 (28Apr)
 Social media and marketing
2 (20Jan)
3 (27Jan)
Pricing: Understanding and Capturing Customer
Value
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 Chapter 3
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
 Exam 1 online
 Chapter 16
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
 See the list of cases and articles
assigned for this week.
 Individual assignment due this week
 Exam 3 online
 This class will start at 3:30 p.m.
List of Cases and Articles
1. The Development of Market Orientation: A Consideration of Institutional Influence in
China (week 3)
2. The Evolution of the Chinese Online Gaming Industry (week 6)
3. BYD: A Chinese success story (week 6)
4. Cloud Computing in Developing Economies (week 6)
5. Sources of Cross-national Heterogeneity in E-retail Spending: Evidence from CountryLevel Data (week 8)
6. Drivers of the Development of the Retail Industry (week 9)
7. The economics of click fraud (week 10)
8. Drivers of Advertising Spending: Evidence from Cross-Country Analysis (week 10)
9. Barriers to Branding for Developing World-Based Firms and Some Mechanisms to
Overcome Them: A Conceptual Framework (week 11)
10. Barriers to E-Commerce and Competitive Business Models in Developing Countries: A
Case Study (week 11)
11. Teleradiology Solutions’ offshore radiology services (week 11)
12. Normative and Cognitive Institutions Affecting a Firm's E-Commerce Adoption (week 12)
13. Kaspersky Lab: From Russia with Anti-virus (week 12)
14. Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Global Competitiveness in the Clean Technology
Industry: A Framework and a Case Study (week 13)
15. The Economics of Social Media and Virtual Community (week 14)
16. Privacy and Security Aspects of Social Media: Institutional and Technological
Environment (week 14)
Academic Integrity Policy:
Students are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy on all assignments and
tests. The syllabus will provide a link to the complete description of the Academic
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Integrity Policy as found in the UNCG Graduate Bulletin.
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/
Attendance Policy:
Participation points are given to each class for attendance. To earn these points, you
must be in attendance when role is taken and stay for the entire period. Students who
miss class are expected to get the notes from missed lectures from their classmates,
and to request missed class handouts from the instructor.
Final Examination:
There will be no final proctored examination.
Additional Requirements:
Late Work Penalty
Assignments may not be submitted late. Exceptions will be granted only in rare
circumstances and be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Expectations of Students
Students in the Bryan School are also expected to adhere to the Student Code of
Conduct. Further details may be found at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/
and http://studentconduct.uncg.edu/policy/code/. The Bryan School has additional
expectations and guidelines for students to follow which can be found at
http://www.uncg.edu/bae/faculty_student_guidelines.pdf.
Expectations of Faculty
The Bryan School expects its faculty to conform to all existing UNCG codes and policies.
These are found at http://provost.uncg.edu/faculty/h_section4.asp In addition, the Bryan
School has expectations and guidelines for faculty to follow which can be found at
http://www.uncg.edu/bae/faculty_student_guidelines.pdf.
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Instructor Information
Nir Kshetri is Associate Professor at Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University
of North Carolina-Greensboro. Nir holds a Ph D in Business Administration from University of
Rhode Island; an M.B.A. from Banaras Hindu University (India); and an M. Sc. (Mathematics)
and an M. A. (Economics) from Tribhuvan University (Nepal). His undergraduate degrees are in
Civil Engineering and Mathematics/Physics from Tribhuvan University.
Nir is a research fellow at Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration Kobe University, Japan; and visiting professor at Bad Mergentheim Business School, BadenWuerttemberg, Germany as well as Transatlantik-Institut, Fachhochschule Ludwigshafen am
Rhein, Germany. Nir’s previously held positions include faculty member at Management
School, Kathmandu University (Nepal), visiting lecturer at Management School, Lancaster
University (U.K.) and visiting professor at European Business School in Paris, France. During
1997-99, Nir was a consultant and a trainer for the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of
the United Nations, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Agricultural Development Bank
of Nepal.
Nir is an Advisory Council member of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (20112015). He is a faculty senate member and have headed and served on a number of committees
in University of North Carolina—Greensboro. He also served as a Board Member of the
Communities in Schools of Greater Greensboro (2004-2007) and on International Business
Advisory Board, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal (2009). In 2010, Nir served as a jurist on
the Intelligent Community Forum.
Nir’s book Global Entrepreneurship: Environment and Strategy (Routledge: New York) is
forthcoming. He is also the author of The Global Cyber-crime Industry: Economic, Institutional
and Strategic Perspectives (Springer-Verlag: Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 2010)
(http://www.springer.com/business/media+management/book/978-3-642-11521-9) and The
Rapidly Transforming Chinese High Technology Industry and Market: Institutions, Ingredients,
Mechanisms and Modus Operandi (Caas Business School, City of London and Chandos
Publishing: Oxford, 2008) (http://www.amazon.com/Rapidly-Transforming-Chinese-HighTechnology-Industry/dp/1843344645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218228152&sr=8-1
). Nir’s works have also been published in journals such as Foreign Policy, European Journal of
Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, Third World Quarterly, Asia Pacific Journal of
Marketing and Logistics, Journal of International Management, Communications of the ACM,
IEEE Computer, IEEE Security and Privacy, IEEE Software, Electronic Markets, Small Business
Economics, Thunderbird International Business Review, Journal of International
Entrepreneurship, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, Baltic Journal of
Management, IT Professional, Journal of Health Organization and Management, Journal of
Developmental Entrepreneurship, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance,
Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Journal
of Technology Management in China, First Monday, Pacific Telecommunications Review,
Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics, Journal of Asia Pacific Business and International
Journal of Cases on Electronic Commerce. He has also contributed chapters to several books
including Outsourcing and Offshoring (Cambridge University Press, New York, 2010),
Handbook of Technology Management (Wiley, 2010), In the wave of M&A: Europe and Japan
(Kobe University, RIEB Center, Kobe, Japan, 2007), M-commerce in North America, Europe
and Asia-Pacific: Country Perspectives (Idea Group Publishing, 2006), Encyclopedia of
Information Science and Technology (Idea Group Publishing, 2005), Indian Telecom Industry Trends and Cases (The ICFAI University Press, 2005), The Internet Encyclopedia (John Wiley
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& Sons, 2004); Wireless Communications and Mobile Commerce (Idea Group Publishing,
2003); The Digital Challenges: Information Technology in the Development Context (Ashgate
Publishing, 2003); Architectural Issues of Web-enabled Electronic Business (Idea Group
Publishing, 2003), Internet Marketing (2nd edition, Stuttgart, Germany: Schaeffer-Poeschel,
2001).
Nir has presented over 100 research papers at various national and international
conferences held in Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic,
Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden,
Switzerland, Thailand, the Philippines, the U.S., Tunisia and Turkey. In December 2010, he was
invited to speak at the United Nations’ ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union)
Workshop on "Addressing security challenges on a global scale" in Geneva, Switzerland. He
has given invited talks at Harvard University, Cornell University, Duke University, Kobe
University, University of Maryland (College Park), University of Pretoria and Temple University.
In September 2010, Nir was a featured speaker at the Jamestown Business Association
meeting. He has also been invited for keynote talks and webinars by businesses. In 2008, the
Kauffman Foundation awarded him a grant to study Entrepreneurial Firms in OECD Economies.
Nir received Emerald Literati Network 2010 Award for Excellence for the article, "The
evolution of the Chinese online gaming industry," published in the Journal of Technology
Management in China. Nir was the winner of the 2008 Bryan School Teaching Excellence
Award. He was also a finalist in the 2009 UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award. Nir is also
a two time winner of the Pacific Telecommunication Council’s Meheroo Jussawalla Research
Paper Prize (2010 and 2008) and a finalist in the Management and Organization Review (MOR)
Best Paper Award in the China Goes Global Conference organized by the Harvard University
(October, 2008). Nir was also the runner up in the 2004 dissertation competition of the American
Marketing Association's Technology and Innovations Special Interest Group and the winner of
the 2001 Association of Consumer Research/Sheth Foundation dissertation award. He also won
the first place in the Pacific Telecommunication Council’s Essay competition in 2001 and
second place in the same competition in 2000. In May, 2006, the Information Resources
Management Association (IRMA) presented Nir with the Organization Service Award for the
Best Track Chair in the IRMA 2006 International Conference. Nir ranks 13th among the most
popular authors of the NetAcademy Universe.
Nir’s works have been featured in Foreign Policy’s Global Newsstand section (a
publication of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), East-West Center News and in
Providence Journal. He was pictured in the front page of Jamestown News on October 6, 2010.
He was also pictured in the front page of Global Perspective, a publication of the Fox School’s
Temple CIBER and Institute of Global Management Studies (Fall 2004). Nir has been quoted in
magazines and newspapers such as Telecommunications, The Business Journal of the Greater
Triad Area, Jamestown News, Greensboro News and Record, Jamestown News and High Point
Enterprise.
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