MBA and Sloan Elective Courses: Marketing
MKTG 340. Marketing Management: Advanced Application
This course is designed for students who have had prior exposure (either through previous coursework or work experience) to the marketing process and to the basic principles of marketing management. Students enrolled in the class are responsible for filling any gaps in the prerequisite material through review and self study. The main difference between MKTG 340 and the entry-level foundation course in marketing will be the emphasis on application; i.e., the integration and use of marketing tools and frameworks to address problems of practice in marketing. The course will consist of a small number of project modules, where students work in teams over several class sessions to solve a complex marketing problem. During each project module, students will spend in-class time discussing relevant frameworks and related cases, participating in panel discussions with industry experts and practicing managers, and presenting and critiquing recommendations. Possible project modules include: devise a marketing plan for a broad line of consumer products; redesign a customer loyalty program; develop an integrated marketing communications campaign for a new product launch; re-launch a brand; plan and execute a channel expansion strategy.
MKTG 343. Customer-Focused Product Marketing
The objective of this course is to understand customer preferences, perceptions, and behaviors for product and service marketing (and, to some extent, pricing decisions). A dominant paradigm in the course is to conceptualize customers as choosing among products and services based on product positioning on multiple attributes or features. Methods for measuring customers’ preference tradeoffs, perceptions, and trial and repeat purchase behaviors are emphasized. Topics include conjoint analysis (a set of methods to measure the values customers place on various product features and price); their use in determining benefit segments and in evaluating alternative product and pricing decisions; methods for measuring and understanding customer perceptions and brand equity; simulated and real test markets for predicting the likely success of new products; and customer adoption of new product categories.
MKTG 344. Marketing Research
This course is aimed at the manager who is the ultimate user of research and who is responsible for determining the scope and direction of research activities conducted on his/her behalf. The main objective is to help students recognize the role of systematic information gathering in providing sound decision guidance and to develop an appreciation for the potential contributions and limitations of market research data. Emphasis will be placed on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of marketing research and how they help managers in addressing substantive marketing problems such as: market segmentation, estimating market potential, forecasting market demand, developing advertising and pricing practices policies, and designing and positioning new products.
MKTG 347. Strategic Marketing Communication
This course is designed to sharpen students' grasp of the strategic and tactical avenues that lead to competitive advantages in the marketplace. The course will begin with a strong emphasis on marketing strategy and introduce students to powerful frameworks that will provide answers to questions such as: (1) If a brand is performing poorly in the marketplace, what are factors contributing to the poor performance? (2) What are the potential strategic options if one is thinking about generating organic growth? Since any good strategy needs to be followed up by effective tactics, the course will then segue into marketing communication tactics that will enable the firm effectively accomplish its strategic objectives. Here, the concepts and frameworks will only be applicable to traditional approaches (such as the use of television, print, and point-of-purchase promotions) but also to emergent approaches (such as the use of the internet, mobile media, etc.). Designed from the perspective of executives who are often involved in making strategic as well as tactical marketing decisions to solve contemporary business problems, this course is intended for students whose career plans include consulting and new business ventures (especially those that are related to emerging media), apart from those thinking of careers in marketing.
MKTG 356. Global and International Marketing
This course addresses the opportunities and challenges associated with the development and implementation of marketing strategy in international markets. It aims to develop frameworks and knowledge that will enable future managers to better formulate and effectively implement marketing plans in different regions of the world. Topics covered include global brand management at different stages of the product life cycle; analysis of various international market structures; market entry strategies in developed and emerging markets including country selection and marketing program design based on consumer, country and competitive analysis; international marketing mix strategies including the globally standardized versus locally adapted marketing program debate, product positioning, international channel selection and management, international pricing, and advertising and promotion strategies; marketing alliances; international retailing strategies; marketing leadership styles while pursuing global offensive and defensive strategies; and marketing organization and control including managing headquarter-subsidiary relationships.Case studies set in various regions of the world will sensitize future international managers to the diversities and similarities in culture and market structure extant. Integrative cases will be used to analyze the complex competitive game of strategy played by multinational corporations on the international chessboard.
MKTG 357. Brand Planning
Brand Planning is an advanced MBA reading seminar that addresses some of the basic branding decisions faced by companies. The main objective of the course is introduce you to the concepts, models and methods that will help address the challenges faced by brand stewards, brand managers and others in marketing-related positions. The course will rely on leveraging marketing theory, science and practice to understand and manage brands. Specifically, the objectives of this course are to shed insight on:
- Understanding the Brand: Determining brand positioning and value proposition
- Crafting the Brand: Planning and implementing brand marketing programs
- Building the Brand: Building consumer-brand relationships and measuring brand performance
- Managing the Brand: Growing and sustaining brand equity over time and across geographic boundaries
MKTG 363. Strategic Services Management
Service industries are increasingly dominating most advanced economies. Executives in service industries often report that the conventional business solutions designed for consumer-packaged goods are not always useful and relevant for managing services. This course will develop an appreciation for how managing service, and the unique challenges they face, differ in key respects from managing conventional marketing operations. Students preparing for entrepreneurship, management, or consulting careers will learn how service planning and implementation systems operate to create profitable and sustainable service offerings. We will explore particular challenges in the delivery of superior service, whether it is face-to-face or electronic, across several industries including financial institutions, high-tech businesses, hospitality, retailing and non-profit sector. The course will cover several issues such as, service analysis and design, capacity management, customer relationship management, service pricing, service recovery, and strategies for sustainable growth and innovation in the service environment.
MKTG 371. Pricing Strategy and Analysis
Pricing right is fundamental to a firm’s profitability in a competitive business environment. Yet firms in diverse industries implement ad-hoc rules and trial-and-error approaches to pricing that significantly reduce profits. This course will draw on analytic marketing techniques, marketing strategy, and microeconomic theory to describe practical approaches that are useful for optimal pricing decision-making. The main objective is to help students develop a systematic framework to think about, analyze and develop strategies for pricing right. Some of the questions we will address in the course include: How does a firm determine the price of a new product? How does a firm assess whether the current price is appropriate? What is value pricing? How does one implement it? What is price segmentation? A combination of cases, lectures, and empirical applications will be used in the class. The course is aimed at students who will, in their careers, be involved with formulating, analyzing and/or recommending pricing polices in the context of an integrated business strategy for the firm. Students with an understanding of marketing and microeconomic principles will benefit most from the course.
MKTG 375. Consumer Behavior
This course seeks to provide insight into consumer psychology and the means by which consumer behavior can be shaped or altered. The course has both theoretical and practical objectives in that it will: (1) review theoretical frameworks and research findings that are relevant to understanding consumer psychology, and (2) apply those frameworks and findings to show how they can be used to develop effective marketing techniques and tactics. Some of the issues addressed include: mechanisms of attitude formation and change, what determines attitude strength/brand commitment, how consumer involvement affects persuasion, what role mood and emotion play in consumer decision making, and how different advertising techniques work for different kinds of people. Each unit will explore theory, practice, and methods of analysis. This course is oriented towards individuals pursuing careers in marketing management, but its general focus and breadth of coverage make it appropriate to those pursuing numerous other careers as well.
MKTG 561. Channels Management
The design and management of channels of distribution are critical components of business strategy and key elements in organizing and implementing marketing strategy. The course aims to introduce frameworks and develop practical managerial learnings for effective design, implementation and management of channel networks. The course begins by identifying and discussing some fundamental decisions regarding design of channel structures and systems including selection of types of channel intermediaries, number of resellers to be used, targeted intensity of market coverage, desired channel length and breadth, and terms of contracts between channel members. The course also covers issues relating to the design and management of multiple and hybrid channels. The merits and demerits of various forms of resellers at each level of marketing channels are also evaluated. Types of channel members discussed include wholesalers, dealers, distributors and retailers. Franchise systems and the impact of electronic channels on channel structures are also covered. The second half of the course covers the relationship of channel management with other elements of the marketing mix, as well as the ongoing management and coordination of channels as markets evolve, including how channel conflict and channel power influence behavior of channel members and affect channel function and performance. Case studies exemplify how firms have grappled with the challenge of building channel cooperation and productivity, and developing working relationships among channel members over the channel life cycle in national and international markets. Some special types of channel structures prevalent in certain regions of the world will also be discussed.
