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MKT 2210 A01 – FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKETING Summer Day – May 2016

Instructor

Name: Subramanian Sivaramakrishnan Phone: 204-474-8437 Email: subbu.s@umanitoba.ca Office: 316 Drake (this is in the Dean’s Office area; please report to Receptionist upon arrival) Office Hours: Mon/Thu 2.30-4.00 pm, or by appointment

Importance of this course

This is the first marketing course that business undergraduates take and is a required course at all business schools – with good reason. Marketing forms the backbone of most organizations. It is also the major contact point of organizations with their customers. Anytime we buy a coffee at Starbucks, test drive a Honda, fly Air Canada, see a Donate Blood ad, or use our VISA card to buy furniture at IKEA, we are directly or indirectly in contact with the marketing department of those organizations. It is through ‘marketing’ that organizations develop, price, distribute, and promote their goods, services, or ideas. While good marketing decisions can make an organization successful, bad ones can destroy it. Therefore, it is important that business professionals, regardless of their specialty area, have a strong understanding of marketing.

Course Objectives

This course is designed to give you a broad brushstroke introduction to the theory and practice of marketing. It will give you enough knowledge to understand the world of marketing, from both the business and consumer perspectives. From an academic standpoint, it will provide you with the foundation to comprehend material in any other marketing courses you may take. The major objectives of this course are to:

1. Help you understand the importance and role of marketing in business. 2. Introduce you to the basic concepts and terminology of marketing. 3. Develop your decision-making abilities through discussion of marketing case studies. 4. Develop your teamwork skills through a group assignment.

See Appendix A for more details.

Textbook

Marketing: The Core, 4th Canadian Edition, by Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, Clements, and Bonifacio, 2015, McGraw-Hill Ryerson (Course Connect code required).

Course Connect (CC) is the online learning tool that accompanies the textbook. When you buy the CC access code, it comes with access to the e-version of the complete textbook. The code can be

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purchased in person at the Bookstore or online via the bookstore portal. There is also a hard copy version that comes with a CC access code.

Once you have the CC access code, please register in the course via this link. Detailed instructions can be found in the UM Learn for this course. Once registered, you will have access to the e-book and the assigned CC homework.

To avoid information overload, we won’t cover the entire book in class. We will concentrate on the most important aspects instead. However, I strongly urge you to read parts of the book we don’t cover in class.

Course Format

This course will use the ‘flipped classroom’ concept. That is, you will be expected read the chapter material for that day’s class and come prepared to engage in class discussions. It is through active class discussions that you will learn most of the marketing in this course, not via lectures from me. Lectures will be reserved only for summarizing the theoretical take-away from the discussions.

The assignments you will see when you log in to the course on CC are intended to help you read up on relevant material before the class.

You will also do one assignment (outside of CC) that will help you understand how organizations do their marketing.

You are encouraged to participate actively in class, because it improves your communication abilities and helps you learn the material vicariously from your classmates’ questions, comments, and responses to questions. The course has a class participation grade to reward you for your contribution to the class discussions.

UM Learn

PowerPoint files, other class-related files, and grades will be posted on UM Learn (formerly D2L). Moreover, any announcements outside of class will be sent by e-mail from UM Learn. Please check your mail regularly. Saying you haven’t checked your UofM e-mail account in a while is not an acceptable excuse if you miss any important announcements.

Assessment of Learning

Too bad life is full of exams of different sorts, uh? There will be 6 components to the grading:

Midterm Exam (May 12; class time) - 25 % Final Exam (May 27; 6-8 pm) - 25 % Course Connect assignments (by specified due dates) - 20 % Marketing Mix Analysis Assignment (group work; due May 30) - 15 % Class Participation - 10 % Research Participation (consult schedule posted on UM Learn) - 5 %

Exams: The exams will be a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, roughly 50% each. The exams could be based on anything that was discussed in class and content of CC assignments.

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Assignments:

a. Please consult the Course Connect assignment schedule posted on UM Learn. As you will see from the schedule, 10% of the Course Connect grade is for your performance on the online quizzes. Another 10% is for simply completing the online exercises. In the performance-graded category, there are 14 assignment sets that you can work on; the best 10 will count toward your grade. In the completion-graded category also, you have 14 assignment sets, of which you can complete any 10 for the grade (preferably all 14). That is, in each category you have the option to miss 4 days’ assignments or do poorly on them. Therefore, there will be no make-up opportunities in case you miss or do poorly on an assignment, no matter the reason. This includes reasons such as any technological issues you may have in accessing the CC website or assignment on a particular day.

IMPORTANT: You should work on the CC assignments individually. Seeking help from or collaborating with anyone, including comparing answers, constitutes academic dishonesty. As you may be aware, the penalties are severe. Don’t risk it! See Appendix D.

b. The Marketing Mix Analysis assignment involves your analyzing the marketing mix of an organization of your choice (see Appendix B). This is a group assignment. Although it is group work, each member’s grade will be adjusted to reflect individual contribution through a confidential peer evaluation at the end of the term. Late submissions of the assignment will be penalized @ 2% for each day’s delay or part thereof.

Class Participation: You will be graded based on the quality (and to a lesser extent, quantity) of your contribution to the class discussions. Doing the CC exercises and reading the textbook before coming to class will help you greatly in this regard. Missing class will hurt your class participation grade although you may have participated actively during the other sessions. Likewise, attendance by itself will not earn you any points. It is important that you attend regularly and participate actively in class discussions to get a good grade.

Research Participation: All sections of MKT 2210 have a research participation component. Some professors or graduate students will be conducting marketing research studies in which you can participate for credit. There will be two such studies during the term. Participating in both will get you an automatic 5% (2.5 marks per study). Please note that the 5% earned by participating in these studies is not extra credit, but is part of the 100% for the course. Please see the attached Undergraduate Marketing Subject Pool Program sheet (Appendix B) for more details.

Grading Scale: The following letter-grading scheme will be used to determine the course grade:

Of all the students who get 50% or over in the course:

the top 5% of the class will get an A+

next 10% will get an A

next 20% will get a B+

next 20% will get a B

next 20% will get a C+

next 20% will get a C

next 5% will get a D

Getting less than 50% in the course will result in an F grade.

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These grades are based on the above curve, regardless of how many marks you get. That is, you may get 87% in the course and possibly get only a B if you were not in the top 35%. Likewise, you may get 70% and possibly get an A if you are in the top 15%.

Make-up Exam Policy

If you have to miss the mid-term exam for medical reasons, you should inform me by phone at 204-474-8437 before the exam has begun (call or leave a voice mail) and subsequently provide a doctor’s note. Informing me after the exam is not sufficient. In some cases, I may call the doctor’s office to verify the validity of the doctor’s note. If your absence is for an official university-related reason (e.g., academic conference or inter-university competition), the professor or coach organizing the visit will have to inform me before the exam. Make-ups will not be given for any other reason. I do not guarantee that the difficulty level of the makeup exam will be the same as the one the rest of the class got.

DO NOT make travel plans before the Final Exam. I will not give a make-up because you booked your ticket for a date earlier than the scheduled final exam. Missing a final exam will require you to formally apply for a deferred exam.

Business Discipline

An important part of business education is learning business etiquette. Therefore, we will follow some simple rules as if you were in a business setting.

a. Turn off your cellphone or set it to silent mode. Absolutely no texting. Would you text if you were in an important business meeting?

b. Don’t walk in and out when the class is in progress…unless it’s a washroom emergency! c. You are welcome to use a laptop or tablet for taking notes. If you are using a laptop, please sit

in the last row. Otherwise, it tends to distract those sitting behind you. Practice self-control—don’t browse the Internet or check your e-mail in class. You may be interested in reading this article.

d. No matter how boring the class or how tired you are, don’t sleep. You will be in many long, boring meetings at work, but you cannot afford to fall asleep there. So, start practicing to act interested now!

Important Dates to Remember

Mid-term Exam - May 12 VW deadline - May 18 Victoria Day (no class) - May 23 Final Exam (6-8 pm) - May 27 Marketing Mix Analysis Assignment due - May 30

Some Info About the Instructor

I’m Associate Dean at the Asper School and Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and an MBA. After my Master’s, I worked in marketing information systems before going to Penn State for a Ph.D. in marketing.

Courses I have taught include Fundamentals of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Marketing Management, and International Marketing. I have also taught courses in the US, Spain,

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Singapore, Taiwan, and India. I have co-authored a Marketing Management and a Marketing Research textbook.

My research is in the area of consumer behavior. Some of my recent publications have appeared in the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, and Journal of Product & Brand Management.

My hobbies include photography, badminton, cricket, and singing.

“The objective of marketing is to make selling unnecessary.” - Peter Drucker

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APPENDIX A

AACSB Assurance of Learning Goals and Objectives.

The Asper School of Business is proudly accredited by AACSB. Accreditation requires a process of continuous

improvement of the School and our students. Part of “student improvement” is ensuring that students graduate

with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in their careers. To do so, the Asper School has set the

learning goals and objectives listed below for the Undergraduate Program. The checked goal(s) and

objective(s) will be addressed in this course and done so by means of the items listed next to the checkmark.

Goals and Objective in the Undergraduate Program

Goals and

Objectives

Addressed

in this

Course

Course Item(s)

Relevant to these Goals

and

Objectives

1 Quantitative Reasoning

A. Determine which quantitative analysis

technique is appropriate for solving a

specific problem.

(Limited) Chapter 9 (Pricing)

discussion/case study

B. Use the appropriate quantitative method in a

technically correct way to solve a business

problem.

(Limited) Chapter 9 (Pricing)

discussion/case study

C. Analyze quantitative output and arrive at a

conclusion.

(Limited)Chapter 9 (Pricing)

discussion/case study

2 Written Communication

A. Use correct English grammar and

mechanics in their written work.

B. Communicate in a coherent and logical

manner

(Limited)Marketing Analysis

Assignment and exams

C. Present ideas in a clear and organized

fashion.

(Limited)Marketing Analysis

Assignment and exams

3 Ethical Thinking

A. Identify ethical issues in a problem or case

situation Throughout course

B. Identify the stakeholders in the situation. Throughout course

C. Analyze the consequences of alternatives

from an ethical standpoint. Throughout course

D. Discuss the ethical implications of the

decision. Throughout course

4 Core Business Knowledge Entire course

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APPENDIX B

Marketing Mix Analysis Assignment Guidelines 1. This is a detailed analysis of an organization’s marketing.

2. To be done in groups as assigned.

3. Typed report. No minimum or maximum length restrictions. As a general guideline, if your report has less than 6 double-spaced pages, you probably don’t have enough in it.

4. Pick any organization that is headquartered in Winnipeg (most marketing mix decisions are made in the Head Office, not in branch offices).

5. Each group should have a unique organization. Overlaps will be removed based on a coin toss.

6. The firm can be marketing a good, service, or idea. Can be a B2C or B2B organization. Can be a for-profit, non-profit, or not-for-profit organization.

7. Can be any size, but should be a legally registered organization; therefore, a teenager who mows lawns for pocket money doesn’t count as one!

8. Submit to UM Learn Dropbox ‘Assignment Submissions’ folder. Only one group member should upload your group’s submission.

9. Submit as a Word file. Name the file as “MKT2210–Group X.docx” (where X is your group number). Submit entire report as one file.

10. Make sure all group members’ names are listed on the title page. Details of what is expected in the assignment For the chosen organization, make contact with the VP-Marketing or the equivalent person who oversees the marketing for the organization. Try to speak to more than one top-management person if possible. Speaking to personnel who are lower in the organizational hierarchy will often get you a “I don’t make the decisions and so don’t know.” type of response to your questions pertaining to its marketing. If it’s a small business, it may or may not have someone exclusively in charge of marketing. If it doesn’t, you may contact the owner/CEO. Note that small businesses often lack organized marketing effort and may not be ideal organizations for the purpose of this assignment. Discuss the following with your contact person(s) at the organization and then write your report:

whether the firm is marketing a good, service, idea, or a combination of these

whether it is marketing a B2C or B2B product, or both.

the competition that the firm has (brand competition and indirect competition)

the firm's target segment(s) and the variables it has used for segmenting the market in arriving at those targets

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the product positioning the firm attempts and how successful it has been at achieving its desired positioning among its target markets

whether the organization monitors its product positioning image. If yes, how and how often it monitors.

its market targeting strategy (mass, segment, niche or individualized.)

the marketing mix of the company:

a. number of different product lines the firm has and how the choice of product lines was made

b. types of brands it has (manufacturer’s, private label, family, individual, etc.) and why

c. the pricing strategy the firm uses for each product (with details of how they arrive at their prices; this will require probing because companies often will not want to divulge this information)

d. the distribution channel(s) it uses

e. distribution intensity – exclusive, selective, or intensive

f. what are the approximate margin percentages given to members of the distribution channel?

g. the promotion mix it uses -- advertising, sales promotion, and personal selling – the promotion budget and how that budget is set and allocated among the promotion mix components

h. does the company do push or pull promotion?

i. where does the company advertise and how it chooses its advertising media?

j. what kinds of sales promotion does it do?

k. how are the sales force allocated to customers and/or sales territories? Format of the Document 1. Cover Page: The title “Analysis of the Marketing of <organization name>”, followed by

group members’ names. Do not copy-and-paste the logo of the organization, as the report is from you, not from the organization. (1 page)

2. Introduction: A brief background of the organization (their business, location, history, etc.) (1 page max)

3. Your point(s)-of-contact within the organization, i.e., who did you get the information from, along with details of how you got the information (face-to-face meetings, videoconferencing, e-mails, etc.). Include any printed sources of information also. (as long as required)

4. Your analysis of the organization’s marketing: This is the main body of the report. Include all the bullet-points listed above in your analysis. (as many pages as required, but be brief and

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to-the-point) 5. SWOT Analysis: List the marketing-related Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and

Threats you see for the organization based on the information you have collected. Restrict your SWOT Analysis to the marketing aspects of the organization. (2 pages max)

6. Reflection: What did you learn from this exercise. List what you learned about marketing that you did not know prior to this exercise (2 pages max)

7. Bibliography: List all sources of information with detailed citation in APA format (refer to http://www.apastyle.org). (as long as required)

Some advice on getting an organization for this assignment

Mention the Asper School of Business name when you make contact with organizations. It

gives you credibility. Moreover, most Winnipeg organizations have quite some respect for the Asper School.

Having a personal contact at an organization will help.

Emphasize that you are a student doing this for a class project. Most managers are empathetic to such students, because they were in the same position at one time.

Have a backup organization. If you find the one you are talking to is unwilling to divulge much information or doesn't seem to do much marketing, move to your backup organization quickly. Delaying this decision will result in not leaving much time to complete the assignment.

Confidentiality: When you make contact with organizations, assure them of confidentiality of information. Doing so will also make it more likely they will agree to share their marketing strategy information with you. When organizations share information, they expect confidentiality. Live up to it. You, I, and the university can get into considerable legal trouble if you violate the confidentiality the organization expects from you. Sharing with your friends, family, or on social media the information you get from the organization is prohibited and is unethical.

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APPENDIX C

Undergraduate Subject Pool Program - Summer

Overview

All students in Fundamentals of Marketing (MKT 2210) have the opportunity to participate in

two research studies during the term for credit. These research studies may involve participating

in marketing experiments, completing a questionnaire, and/or a computer simulation.

Participation in all 2 research studies earns you the full 5% component of your course

grade. Participating in only 1 study will earn you a proportional grade. Note that the 5% is

part of the 100% for the course and is not extra credit. You may participate in each study

only once.

Benefits of the Program

This program is designed to give students a glimpse into how marketing theory is developed by

participating in marketing research studies. Fundamentals of Marketing (MKT 2210) is an

introduction to the knowledge base of marketing generated in part by such studies conducted in

universities and businesses around the world. This program will help students understand how

such research is conducted here in the Asper School of Business.

Through participation in academic research studies, students also increase the value of their

degrees. Reputations of universities are based to a large extent on the quality of the research

conducted by their faculty. By participating in these studies, you are helping your professors

publish in scholarly journals, consequently improving the reputation of the university from

which you earned your degree.

Procedure

You will be notified via email and in class prior to each study so that you may sign up to

participate (you will have to sign up separately for each of the two studies). Each study will last a

maximum of an hour and multiple sessions will be offered for each of these. The sign-ups will

take place online via the following link: http://manitoba.subjectpoolonline.com/Manitoba/

For each study, please sign-up for a session in which you will participate. The Behavioural

Research Committee keeps track of your participation and will notify your instructor of your

participation at the end of the term. If you have any questions, please email the coordinator at

mktg_research@umanitoba.ca.

At the end of the study session, you will be debriefed, i.e., you will be informed as to what was

being studied in each study. This debriefing will allow you to see how marketing theory is

developed through academic research.

If you find yourself unable or are unwilling to participate in a particular study, please inform the

coordinator at mktg_research@umanitoba.ca that you would like to participate in the alternative

assignment option (see details below). You will need to choose this option prior to the

completion of the study in which you will not participate. This choice cannot be made

retroactively if you miss a study. There will be no makeup studies.

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Alternative Assignment in lieu of participating in research studies

In the case of a student not wishing to participate in a research study or being unable to attend

the scheduled sessions, the following option is offered as an alternative assignment. This

alternative assignment is designed to take approximately one hour of time, the same time that

would be spent if you were participating in the research program.

Students are to find one research article in any of the following journals published in the last 2

years:

Journal of Consumer Research

Journal of Consumer Psychology

Journal of Advertising

Journal of Public Policy and Marketing

Students will be required to read the article and submit a short one page summary of the main

findings to mktg_research@umanitoba.ca. Credit will be given to the student as if they

participated in the research study.

Any questions about the assignment or suggestions for articles should be directed to

mktg_research@umanitoba.ca

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APPENDIX D

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY I. H. Asper School of Business

It is critical to the reputation of the Asper School of Business and of our degrees that everyone associated with our faculty behave with the highest academic integrity. As the faculty that helps create business and government leaders, we have a special obligation to ensure that our ethical standards are beyond reproach. Any dishonesty in our academic transactions violates this trust. The University of Manitoba General Calendar addresses the issue of academic dishonesty under the heading “Plagiarism and Cheating.” Specifically, acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

using the exact words of a published or unpublished author without quotation marks and without referencing the source of these words

duplicating a table, graph or diagram, in whole or in part, without referencing the source paraphrasing the conceptual framework, research design, interpretation, or any other

ideas of another person, whether written or verbal (e.g., personal communications, ideas from a verbal presentation) without referencing the source

copying the answers of another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment providing answers to another student in any test, examination, or take-home assignment taking any unauthorized materials into an examination or term test (crib notes) impersonating another student or allowing another person to impersonate oneself for the

purpose of submitting academic work or writing any test or examination stealing or mutilating library materials accessing test prior to the time and date of the sitting changing name or answer(s) on a test after that test has been graded and returned submitting the same paper or portions thereof for more than one assignment, without

discussions with the instructors involved Group Projects and Group Work

Many courses in the Asper School of Business require group projects. Students should be aware that group projects are subject to the same rules regarding academic dishonesty. Because of the unique nature of group projects, all group members should exercise special care to ensure that the group project does not violate the policy on Academic Integrity. Should a violation occur, group members are jointly accountable unless the violation can be attributed to a specific individual(s).

Some courses, while not requiring group projects, encourage students to work together in groups (or at least do not prohibit it) before submitting individual assignments. Students are encouraged to discuss this issue as it relates to academic integrity with their instructor to avoid violating this policy.

In the Asper School of Business, all suspected cases of academic dishonesty are reported to the Dean's office in order to ensure consistency of treatment.

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TYPICAL PENALTIES AT THE ASPER SCHOOL FOR ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

Ignorance of what constitutes academic dishonesty (e.g., when and how to cite sources) is no excuse. Therefore, make sure you read and understand the attached ‘Academic Integrity: What You Need to Know’ sheet. In case of the student being from another Faculty, the student’s home faculty often matches the suspension and/or adds penalties beyond the Asper School’s.

F-DISC on transcript indicates the F is for disciplinary reasons.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY PENALTY

Cheating on exam (copying from or providing answers to another student)

F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Possession of unauthorized material during exam (e.g., cheat notes)

F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Altering answer on returned exam and asking for re-grading

F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Plagiarism on assignment F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Submitting paper bought online F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Inappropriate Collaboration (collaborating with individuals not explicitly authorized by instructor)

F-DISC in course Suspension from taking Asper courses for 1 year Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Group member had knowledge of inappropriate collaboration or plagiarism and played along

F-DISC in course Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Signing Attendance Sheet for classmate

F-DISC in course Notation of academic dishonesty in transcript

Impersonation on exam Expulsion from University of Manitoba