Chatham University
Proposal for a New Course
Undergraduate Programs Committee/Graduate Programs Committee/Continuing Education Governing Council
Person making the proposal:
3/123/13
Department/Program:
Alice Julier
Food Studies
Proposed course title:
(maximum twenty-five
characters, including spaces)
Formal catalogue description:
(50 word limit: present tense,
third person objective, either all
sentence fragments or all
complete sentences but not a
combination):
New Product Development
This course will explore the new product development process from
ideation to market. Students will study the methodologies and
practices of product development in a traditional Consumer
Packaged Good firm and apply modified methods to manage the
new product development process for a start-up local distiller. Over
the course of an academic year, students will develop and bring to
market a liqueur to be sold by Pittsburgh Distilling Co.
Course level and number:
(must be assigned by Registrar before the course proposal
is submitted)
FST 6XX
Fall
Term in which course is proposed to be offered:
Frequency and proposed scheduling of new course:
(one time only, annually, every other year, summer,
evening and weekend)
Prerequisites:
FST 531 or permission of instructor
(if any)
Credits to be offered:
Every fall
Grade option (A,A-,B+,B,B-,C+,C,F,P,NG,I,W,UW):
Enrollment limit:
1
Category most
applicable to this
new course
(Programs) to be
served:
Letter grade
15
Traditional, as generally offered in corresponding departments in other colleges
X Relatively new, now being widely established
Not yet offered in many (or any) other colleges
Anticipated audience (i.e. traditional , Gateway, Continuing Education,
graduate) Certificate students
Course is part of a sequence related to sustainable business and food
production
Course rationale: (Why
is this course needed?)
How does the proposed
course fit into the liberal
arts curriculum of the
University? How does it
interface with the
general education
requirements?
Form #2B
It does not
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010
If the proposed course is added, will
No
another course be dropped? If so,
state the name(s) and number(s) of
the course(s) to be eliminated and the
effect of its (their) removal upon the
department’s or program’s
curriculum. Cite the advantages to
the student of the added course.
Has this course been proposed or passed at the undergraduate level?
Yes
No
X
Has this course been proposed or passed at the graduate level?
Yes
No
X
Will this course count toward fulfillment of an undergraduate
proficiency or general education requirement?
Yes
No
X
If yes, which one?
Evaluation:
(If this course is proposed as a
300/700 level course, please explain
the requirement that will distinguish
this course as a graduate course)
Attach evidences of
planning:






Course requirements are graduate level research projects.
Brief outline or syllabus of the course
Suggested texts, reading list, or bibliography
Methods to be used in evaluating student achievement
Problems foreseen in proposed course staffing
Will additional library resources be required or are current holdings
adequate?
Other problems or comments
Program Director Name:
Program Director Signature:
Date:
Dean Signature:
Date:
Alice Julier
Dean Name:
David Hassenzahl
Undergraduate Programs Committee Action:
Date:
Graduate Programs Committee Action:
Date:
Continuing Education Governing Council Action:
Date:
School of Sustainability and the Environment Committee Action:
Date:
Submit form to Dean and Committee Chair
Date referred for Catalogue Copy:
Form #2B
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010
Chatham University Master of Arts in Food Studies
FST 6XX
Fall 2013
Course Title: New Product Development
Instructor: Meredith Grelli, MBA
Contact Info: meredith@wiglewhiskey.com
Class: Class will meet at Chatham one day a week and at Wigle the next
Office Hours: TBD
Overview
The development of new products is one of the most important drivers of growth in food
companies. Typically it also represents the largest expenditures of resources and risk a
corporation undertakes. For food firms, successful NPD is often the difference between growth
and decline.
Course Description
This course will explore the new product development process from ideation to market.
Students will study the methodologies and practices of product development in a traditional
Consumer Packaged Good firm and apply modified methods to manage the new product
development process for a start-up local distiller. Over the course of an academic year,
students will develop and bring to market a liqueur to be sold by Pittsburgh Distilling Co.
Class Expectations
Presentation skills are fundamental to this instruction. Students should expect to present in
nearly every class. Attendance is required and grades will be affected by unexcused absences.
Each section of class will have a research activity and students will be asked to present their
findings. Each activity will be worth 20% of the grade totally 80%. An additional 20% will be
for a final paper summarizing the semester’s activities.
Grade Scale
Your total points will be assigned a letter grade based on the following scale:
A
=
100 - 94
A=
93 - 90
B+
=
89 - 87
B
=
86 - 84
B=
83 - 80
F
=
79 - 0
Please note that the graduate school requires a grade of B- or higher for the course to count
towards your degree completion. See Chatham Course Catalogue for more information.
Course Objectives
 To understand the NPD process within both a traditional CPG as well as in a start up
food firm and then to apply this knowledge to the development of a spirit.
Form #2B
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010


To gain hands-on knowledge of production building out of previous coursework on
fermentation
To develop research skills related to creating and marketing a food product
Learning Outcomes (Food Studies Goals)
 Experiential learning: Graduates will form a direct relationship with the subject matter
– the production of food – by participating in a wide variety of practical and applied
situations. Mastery of technique, while significant in its own right, will connected back
to intellectual growth by evaluating its benefit to specific communities and by
incorporating the experience into project outcomes.
 Communicative competence: Graduates will demonstrate ability to use history, ethics,
culture, and empirical data to document and evaluate food systems through oral,
written, and multi-modal means of representation.
 Technical competence in food production: Students will gain basic experience in
growing, producing, and cooking food. From soil testing to knife skills, graduates will
grasp the specific material competencies related to agriculture and cooking.
Tentative Class Outline
Week 1: Introduction
To Wigle:
Start up Background/Legislation/Mission & Vision
To Corporate Models:
Start-up structures & growth models
Slow cycle vs Fast cycle firms
Traditional CPG vs New Food firms
To Spirits, Liqueurs:
Federal Definition
History
Readings:
Hoskisson, R, et al Competing for Advantage
Federal Type Classification for Liqueurs
Task: Attend Public tour of Wigle, if not already done so
Week 2: Innovation
Readings:
Drucker P. “Business, because of its purpose, has just two functions, & only two: MARKETING
& INNOVATION. Marketing & Innovation make money. Everything else is a cost” and
“Innovation as a Discipline”
Cooper, R. 2011 Winning at New Products : Creating Value Through Innovation. Basic Books
Stewart, A 2013 Drunken Botanist
The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks
Algonquin
Books up to page 107
Documentary Excerpts from El Bulli, Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Discussion:
Task:
Form #2B
Incremental vs. Fundamental innovation
Establish Goals, Mission, Vision of New Product
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010
In Class Presentation: Walk thru Grocery or Liquor store—identify innovation in food or drink—
what forms does it come in? How does it compare to innovation in the tech field. How about in
food service? Think through Packaging, Varieties, Cross-aisle,
Week 3: Idea Formulation
Discussion: Lead User Method Consumer & Market Trends
Readings:
Arnold, E and Wallendorf, M Market-Oriented Ethnography: Interpretation Building and
Marketing Strategy Formulation, Journal of Marketing Research 1994
Shunshil, S, et al 1999 Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observations, Interviews, and
Questionaires
Brown, A “Making Brainstorming More Effective: Reccomendations from an Associative
Memory Perspective,
Stewart, A Drunken Botanist up to p 227
Additional readings on food trends, botanicals, and flavorings TBD
Task: SWOT Analysis and Brainstorming
Speaker: Erika Joyner on liqueurs with tasting
Week 4: Idea Screens
Discussion: Target audience, Developing Insight, RTB, Communication
In Class Presentation:
 Use Lead User, Consumer & Market Trends, and/or Ethnographic Discovery
coupled with SWOT analysis to present:
o competitive liqueur products –history/ flavor profile/
ingredients/production methodology/distribution/pricing/
packaging/marketplace and critical response
o trends in cocktail culture, spirits, food, wine or beer
o habits and preferences of lead users
o ethnographic findings
Task: In Class Brainstorm
Readings: Finish Drunken Botanist
Week 5: Developing Concepts
How to write a concept, How to identify and verbalize insights, Pricing considerations, costing,
margins, consumer willingness to pay
Speaker: Consumer and Category Insights at HJ Heinz Co
Task: Develop survey for idea screens on survey monkey and collect data for presentation
In Class Presentation:
Present survey results, recommend which idea screens we move forward with
Form #2B
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010
Week 6: Preparation: Taking Concepts to Taste Panels
Quantitative Survey, Qualitative Discussion Structure, Blind tastings structure
Assignment for Discussion: Example Concept Questionnaire from Industry
In Class Presentation: Proposed Quantitative, Qualitative, & Tasting Structure for Taste Panel 1
Week 7: Taste Panels at Wigle
Week 8: Review Concept Scores & Feedback/Letting Go
Size of Prize, Opportunity Costs, Bad Drivers
Readings: Case Study: A Story of Not Letting Go, Failed New Product Launch at National CPG
In Class Presentation: Analysis of concept testing, Recommended steps forward, Improvements
for next time & immediate tinctures to develop
Week 9: Beta development
Tinctures, best practices in development process, controls, how we’ll taste
Readings:
Kate, K.T. and Laird, S (excerpt on botanicals in foods) The Commercial Use of Biodiversity:
Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit -Sharing
Schilter, B, et al. Guidance for the safety assessment of botanicals and botanical preparations
for use in food and food supplements Food and Chemical Toxicity, Vol 41, No, 12 2003
Gruenwald, J. Novel botanical ingredients for beverages Clinicals in Dermatology Volume 27,
Issue 2, March–April 2009, Pages 210–216 (SEE FULL ISSUE: Neutraceuticals: Part II)
In Class Presentation: Present which botanicals to move forward with in tinctures.
Week 10: Creative Briefs & Costing, Feasibility Supply Chain Analysis
Writing briefs that effectively guide the packaging process; Regulatory Considerations
In Class Presentation: Present completed tinctures and propose steps forward
Week 11: Presentation to Agency & Taste Panel 2 Structure
Plumb Media
Week 12: Taste Panel 2—Tincture blinds at Wigle
Week 13: Taste Panel Results Review
Tinctures
In Class Presentation—each group presents results and go forward plan
Chatham Policies
Form #2B
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010
Enrollment: Every student enrolled at Chatham accepts the responsibility to attend all required
class meetings. To obtain the fullest benefit from their courses, students must participate fully.
This implies attending regularly, engaging in course activity, completing work on time, and
making up work missed because of an emergency absence. It is the student’s responsibility to
let the course instructor know within the drop-add period if he or she will have to miss class
for religious reasons, athletics, or other.
Chatham University Honor Code: Chatham University students pledge to maintain the Honor
Code, which states in part: “Honor is that principle by which we at Chatham form our code of
living, working, and studying together. The standards of honor at Chatham require that all
students act with intellectual independence, personal integrity, honesty in all relationships, and
consideration for the rights and well being of others.” Information about the Honor Code is
available in the Student Handbook.
Cheating and Plagiarism: Cheating is defined as the attempt, successful or not, to give or obtain
aid and/or information by illicit means in meeting any academic requirements, including
examinations. Plagiarism is defined as the use, without proper acknowledgement, of the ideas,
phrases, sentences, or larger units of discourse from another writer or speaker.
Disability Statement: Chatham University is committed to providing an environment that
ensures that no individual is discriminated against on the basis of her/his disability. Students
with disabilities, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and who
need special academic accommodations, should notify the assistant dean of the PACE Center as
soon as possible. The PACE Center will work with students and the course instructor to
coordinate and monitor the provision of reasonable academic accommodations.
Non-Registered Students Policy: In accordance with University policy, only officially registered
students may attend this class and all other classes offered at the University after the drop/add
period. Please confer with your academic advisor if you need assistance with the registration
process or you need additional information.
Form #2B
Proposal for a New Course
June 2010