MBA Program
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» Spring 2012
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For more information or to request admission application forms, see Wharton MBA Programs.
|
MBA Program - Course Descriptions |
| MKTG 621 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Marketing Management |
| Description: This course addresses how to design and implement the best combination of marketing efforts to carry out a firm's strategy in its target markets. Specifically, this course seeks to develop the student's (1) understanding of how the firm can benefit by creating and delivering value to its customers, and stakeholders, and (2) skills in applying the analytical concepts and tools of marketing to such decisions as segmentation and targeting, branding, pricing, distribution, and promotion. The course uses lectures and case discussions, case write-ups, student presentations, and a comprehensive final examination to achieve these objectives. |
| Format: Lectures, case analyses, class discussions, and final exam |
| Prerequisite: None. |
| Materials: Course book with cases and other materials. |
| Syllabus (2009C) |
| MKTG 622 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Marketing Management |
| Description: In common with Marketing 621, the primary objective of this course is to introduce you to the concepts and theories underlying marketing decision making. Marketing 622 builds upon Marketing 621 with a stronger emphasis on the strategic considerations that drive and integrate the decisions made for each element of the marketing mix. Principal topics include resource allocation, market entry/exit decisions, and competitive analysis. In addition to a mix of cases and lectures, the course relies on a comprehensive computer simulation game that helps highlight these issues and provides the class with a rich set of realistic examples for discussion and analysis. This game allows students to appreciate the real power and value of marketing concepts, develop a disciplined approach to the analysis of marketing situations, and to further enhance their abilities to communicate and interact with peers in solving problems. |
| Format: A computer simulation, case studies, lectures, and assigned readings are used. |
| Requirements: Regular class attendance, computer simulation reports, and final exam. A significant portion of the student's grade is based on quality of contribution to class case discussions. |
| Prerequisite: Marketing 621 |
| Materials: Course pack |
| MKTG 655 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Integrating Marketing and Operations |
| Description: This course examines how organizations can develop and leverage excellence in process management. The first module focuses on operations strategy. In these classes, students examine what constitutes an operations strategy and how organizations can create value by managing complexity, uncertainty, and product development. In the second half of the course, students discuss recent developments in both manufacturing and service industries, specifically, examining initiatives in quality, lean manufacturing and enterprise-wide planning systems. The course is recommended for those interested in consulting or operations careers, as well as students with an engineering background who wish to develop a better understanding of managing production processes. |
| Format: Lectures, cases, and group presentations. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621/MKTG 622 and either OPIM 622/623 or OPIM 656, or permission of instructor. |
|
| MKTG 668 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Monetizing Emerging Interactive Media |
| Description: Technology has created a completely new and ever-changing marketing and media economy. Hundreds of millions of interactive media users have migrated to various digital platforms and spend hours a day engaged in media behaviors that barely existed a short time ago. Hundreds of millions of marketing dollars have followed, usually in search of one-to-one marketing on global scale. But few standards exist in buying and selling of emerging media, and traditional marketing concepts like ROI and POP are pulled in directions as varied as the platforms. Additionally, with every emerging platform and every new user connection, one critical question persists: how is it monetized? This class will examine the business of emerging platforms and, through case studies, class speakers and real world examples, examine how digital currency is taking control of the business conversation. By the end of this class, students will be expected to answer the monetization question across a variety of emerging media platforms. |
| Format: Lecture, discussion |
| Requirements: Attendance and participation, papers, quizzes, business model analysis report |
| Prerequisite: None |
| Materials: Course pack |
| Syllabus (2009C) |
|
| MKTG 669 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Special Topics: Applied Experimentation for Business Decision Making |
| Description: In the past decade, massive shifts in how companies interact with their customers have suddenly made field experiments an economically feasible way to learn about a variety of business questions such as what types of promotions are most effective, what products should be stocked at a store, how e-mail promotions should be designed, how sales staff should be compensated, etc. Many marketers engaged in online retailing, direct-marketing, online advertising, media management, etc. are rapidly embracing a “test and learn” philosophy and a number of platforms such as Google Website Optimizer, have been developed to facilitate rigorous field experiments in the online environment. Just as with the quality revolution in manufacturing during the 1980s and 1990s, the rapid rise of the “test and learn” philosophy in marketing has created a huge demand for those who can design, field, and analyze marketing experiments. Through this course, you will learn and practice a wide range of critical skills, from the statistical methods used to design and analyze experiments to the management and strategy required to execute an experiment and act on the results. Although our cases and examples will focus on marketing problems, the material covered can be applied in a number of other domains particularly operations, management and product design. |
| Format: Lectures and homework exercises on statistical methods with case discussions, readings and guest lecturers |
| Requirements: Homework, case write-ups, mid-term and final exam, class participation. |
| Prerequisite: This course is ideal for students with a solid background in statistics that covers hypothesis testing, ANOVA, and multiple regression (STAT 101, STAT 431, STAT 621 or equivalent). Statistical material is motivated by concrete examples from marketing, so some experience with marketing (MKTG 621/622), online testing or marketing research (MKTG 756) may also be helpful, but is not necessary. Students from engineering, business, math, and science are all encouraged to enroll. |
| Materials: Text, Software, Course Pack |
|
| MKTG 728 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Contagious: How Products, Ideas and Behaviors Catch On |
| Description: Why do some products catch on and achieve huge popularity while others fail? Why do some behaviors spread like wildfire while others languish? How do certain ideas seem to stick in memory while others disappear the minute you hear them? More broadly, what factors lead to trends, social contagion, and social epidemics? Interactive media, word of mouth, and viral marketing are important issues for companies, brands, and organizations and this course looks at these and other topics as it examines how products, ideas, and behaviors catch on and become popular. Marketers want their product to be popular, organizations want their social change initiative to catch on, and entrepreneurs want their ideas to stick. Along the way, the course will touch on four main aspects: 1.Characteristics of products, ideas, and behaviors that lead them to be successful 2. Aspects of individual psychology that influence what things are successful 3. Interpersonal processes, or how interactions between individuals drive success 4.Social networks, or how patterns of social ties influence success |
| Format: Lecture, class discussion, cases |
| Requirements: Class participation, written assignments, team project |
| Prerequisite: Marketing Research (MKTG756) and Consumer Behavior (MKTG773) are recommended but not required. |
| Materials: Course Pack |
| Syllabus (2010C) |
|
| MKTG 729 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Special Topics - Interactive Marketing: Marketing in the Age of the Empowered Consumer |
| Description: The objective of the course is to enhance students' understanding of marketing strategy when empowered consumers are in control. The increased importance of empowered consumers, who are taking over the control in designing customized and personalized products, in determining the price they want to pay (e.g. priceline.com) and in promoting and distributing the products and services to other customers, is changing the traditional approaches to marketing. The emerging new marketing paradigm is best learned through hands-on experience in experimenting with innovative marketing strategies that recognize that the control is in the hands of the consumer. This project course, in cooperation with organizations that are committed to experiment with these new approaches, will provide the students a combination of the latest concepts, findings, and methods and the opportunity to apply these to real projects for real clients. |
| Format: Lectures, guest speakers |
| Requirements: Class participation, group project, written assignments |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 and MKTG622 or permission of the instructor |
| Syllabus (2011C) |
|
| MKTG 732 ( Full-semester - 1.0 cu ) |
| New Product Development |
| Description: The development of new products (goods or services) is an intensively cross-functional process. This course examines that process from the marketing perspective and identifies the key points of contact with operations, finance, organizational policy, and strategic planning. Although an overview of the entire process is provided in the course, special emphasis is placed on the evaluation of concepts early in the process. Thus, this course is very much concerned with ideas and how to select the best ideas and make them a reality. The main objectives of the course are (1) to familiarize students with the strategies, frameworks, conceptual tools, and types of marketing research that are considered best practices in the development of new products and
(2) to give students the opportunity to apply these ideas and methods in the evaluation of a specific product concept, customizing the learning experience to their own needs and interests. MKTG 732 is an expanded version of the mini-course on this topic (MKTG 753). The added time allows for (1) increased depth for the topics normally covered in MKTG 753 (especially in the area of marketing research methods for NPD), (2) the addition of more topics (such as social implications of innovation and new product portfolio management), (3) increased depth for the term project, and (4) guest speakers. It is recommended for students who are considering careers (1) in product management, (2) that involve the evaluation of new products and the ability of companies to produce successful new products, or (3) that focus on developing scientific or artistic ideas in to commercially viable goods and services. Also, the course will meet once a week for 3 hours. Typically, there are two sessions with a break in the middle. One session is lecture; one session is discussion or an in-class event (e.g., guest speaker, simulation game, student presentations, etc.) NOTE: Students cannot take both MKTG753 and MKTG732 for credit. |
| Format: Lecture, discussion, guest speakers, simulations, student presentations |
| Requirements: Class Participation, Assignments, Take-home Exams, group term project |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 or equivalent or consent of instructor |
| Materials: Course pack available through Study.net |
|
| MKTG 733 ( Mini-semester - 0.5 cu ) |
| The Social Impact of Marketing |
| Description: This course explores the ways in which the marketing actions of firms can have an impact on society (positive or negative). Of particular interest are the actions that are central to the main products and services delivered by the firm (e.g., the development of products and brands, pricing, advertising, and distribution). There is also a focus on how the consideration of social issues can be integrated into broader marketing strategies and how companies, pro-social organizations, and government agencies can develop joint strategies (e.g., cause-related marketing) and credible metrics and reporting practices for assessing social impact. The course proceeds in two phases. The first phase covers important background material, such as definitions of social impact, the aggregate marketing system and how it affects society, relationships to branding and marketing strategy, different approaches to measuring social impact, and how to conduct thorough social impact analyses of specific companies, products, and the marketing actions that support them. The second phase is a "drill down" into four problem areas: impact on the environment, impact on health and well-being (physical and mental), impact on culture (including innovation and creativity), and impact on poverty and economic development. In each area, we will identify marketing-related social issues and assess current knowledge and controversies surrounding those issues. In addition to lectures, cases, and guest speakers, students will conduct analyses of social impact and present their findings in class. |
| Format: Lectures, class discussion, simulations, student presentations, and guest speakers. |
| Requirements: Participation, individual assignments, team papers and individual or team essay |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 |
| Materials: Course pack, web cafe downloads, wiki-textbook. |
|
| MKTG 751 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Sales Force Management |
| Description: Students who take this course will: learn the basic functions of sales force management as well as theories and concepts about appropriately managing that function; become familiar with some recent research in sales management that underlies the theories and concepts; and be able to apply the research, theories, and concepts to practical situations. The course is concerned with how to manage a sales force rather than with how to sell, with the objective of maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm's revenue-generating arm. The emphasis is on business-to-business (rather than consumer) sales force management. Topics covered include salesperson effectiveness, deployment, motivation, organizational design, compensation, and evaluation. |
| Format: Lectures and discussion of cases and readings, including recent research. |
| Requirements: Course participation and exam. |
| Prerequisite: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 concurrently. |
|
| MKTG 753 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| New Product Management |
| Description: The development of new products (goods or services) is an intensively cross-functional process. This course examines that process from the marketing perspective and identifies the key points of contact with operations, finance, organizational policy, and strategic planning. Thus, this course is very much concerned with ideas and how to select the best ideas and make them a reality. The main objectives of the course are (1) to familiarize students with the strategies, frameworks, conceptual tools, and types of marketing research that are considered best practices in the development of new products and (2) to give students the opportunity to apply some of these ideas and methods in the evaluation of a specific product concept, customizing the learning experience to their own needs and interests. |
| Format: May include group presentations, case discussions, lectures, simulations, and guest speakers. Varies by instructor. Please see syllabus. |
| Requirements: Typically includes class participation, take home exam and team projects, but can vary with instructor. Please see syllabus. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621 |
| Materials: Course pack |
| Syllabus (2011C) |
|
| MKTG 754 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Pricing Policy |
| Description: The course provides a systematic presentation of the factors to be considered when setting price, and shows how pricing alternatives are developed. Analytical methods are developed and new approaches are explored for solving pricing decisions. |
| Format: Lecture and discussion. |
| Requirements: Zhang: Homework assignments Raju: Homework and final exam. |
| Prerequisite: Completion of MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently; OPIM 621 and STAT 621 are recommended. |
| Materials: Textbook and course pack |
|
| MKTG 755 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Advertising Management |
| Description: The primary objective of this course is to provide the students with an opportunity to learn and apply the core theories, strategies, principles and practices of effective advertising management. The course utilizes theory, marketing and communications research, and significant management experience that are relevant to the design, evaluation and management of advertising. The specific topics covered in the course include consumer segmentation and target selection, consumer motivation and insight, developing a powerful communications strategy and advertising idea, evaluating and optimizing advertising execution, and developing a targeted and effective consumer connections and media plan. |
| Format: Class discussion, cases, and presentation centered around the core subjects of the advertising development process. |
| Requirements: Malcom: Active participation in class and case discussions; one/two individual assignments, one group written case evaluation and one group developed advertising and connection/media plan for a new or existing product. |
| Prerequisite: Completion of MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently. |
| Materials: Texts and course pack |
| Syllabus (2011C) |
|
| MKTG 756 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Marketing Research |
| Description: Marketing is important to any company that faces competition, and marketing research is the way companies obtain customer insights. This course provides a rigorous experience in marketing research methods (e.g., conjoint analysis, perceptual maps, etc.), and frameworks to guide when which technique is most useful. The course is aimed at managers, whose decision making is enhanced through marketing research, which transforms “data” into “information.” The manager is the ultimate user of marketing research and is responsible for determining its scope and direction. Techniques of data collection, evaluation of alternative sources of information, methods for analyzing data and presenting the results are covered. |
| Format: Lecture, discussion, and cases. |
| Requirements: Check individual instructor's syllabus. Typically requirements include attendance, assignments, case write-ups and exams. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently; STAT 621 is strongly recommended. |
| Materials: Course Pack |
|
| MKTG 759 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Channel Management |
| Description: This course presents concepts and analytical tools necessary to manage distribution channels. We will view channels both as value delivery systems and as interorganizational systems. The course is organized around three themes: designing a go-to-market approach and channel structure, coordinating the channel participants, and changing channels. Specific topics include going direct vs. indirect, incorporating the Internet into hybrid systems, e-commerce and value migration, franchising, channel conflict, legal issues regarding channel policies, category management and efficient consumer response (ECR) initiatives. |
| Format: Lecture, case discussion, small group project. |
| Requirements: Class participation, case memos, small group project. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently. |
| Materials: Coursepack. |
|
| MKTG 760 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Law Of Marketing and Antitrust |
| Description: The course explores the legal aspects of marketing strategy. The first half considers relevant antitrust doctrine and policy: mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures; pricing strategy (e.g., price fixing, exchanging price information, predatory pricing, and discriminatory pricing); marketing channel strategy (e.g., resale price maintenance, territorial and customer restrictions, exclusive dealing, refusals to deal, etc.); and limits on market dominance. The second half considers issues the intellectual property dimension (including federal patent, copyright, and trademark law), as well as federal and state laws pertaining to trade secrets, unfair competition, and consumer protection. The focus is primarily on U.S. law, but the challenges posed by diverse domestic, foreign, and international regimes will also be emphasized. The course is useful to students contemplating employment in the field of marketing, and to students interested in anticipating legal constraints on competitive strategies. Most broadly, the course should be of interest to anyone desiring to understand the legal and public policy issues relating to the government regulation of business. |
|
| MKTG 768 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| SPECIAL TOPICS: Services Marketing |
| Description: The service sector in the global economy is going through a revolution and accounts for an increasingly dominant proportion of the gross domestic product and employment base of developed and growing economies. This course is designed to focus on the unique marketing and strategic problems faced by service firms and the service arms of manufacturing firms. The overall learning objective is to understand the strategic initiatives that are necessary to build world-class services. In order to achieve this objective an attempt will be made to: (i) develop an understanding of the strategic differences between marketing goods and marketing services, (ii) identify and capitalize on the sources of competitive advantage in services (iii) appreciate the cross-functional nature of the service delivery process (iv) build an overarching model of strategic service management (v) build strategic models for e-services The course is highly interdisciplinary in flavor. It deals with broad-based strategies both for core services as well as professional services. It is designed to demonstrate how familiar elements of the marketing mix need to dovetail with operating strategies, information systems, and human resource policies in order to deliver lasting value to both internal and external customers. The course has a liberal sprinkling of some of the most important issues faced by service managers today, including (i) globalization of service (ii) leveraging technology to better serve the customer, (iii) customer satisfaction and service quality, and (v) emerging e-services. The course is appropriate for all management students, especially those who aspire to be connected with the core or professional service sector, consulting, the service-centric manufacturing sector, and e-services.
|
| Format: Mix of lecture and case discussion sessions. |
| Requirements: Tentatively, the course grade will be based on class participation (25%), one case write-up (20%), and two group projects (55%). |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 |
| Materials: Course pack and textbook |
| Syllabus (2011A) |
|
| MKTG 771 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Models for Marketing Strategy |
| Description: The purposes of the course are to help participants become better managers by acquainting and helping them to understand different types of models that have been used to aid marketing decisions; have them apply various tools developed for analyzing marketing decision problems; give participants critical skills for evaluating new marketing models about which they may read in the literature; help participants understand marketing problems more clearly by analyzing them quantitatively; and produce managers who will not be taken advantage of by some quantitative consultants. The course is not only about models. It also covers modeling needs in a number of industries. In particular, it addresses the packaged goods, pharmaceutical and movie industries. |
| Format: Evaluating marketing models; practicing with computer-based models and software; building marketing models; discussing case studies that describe modeling applications; group presentations of model-based marketing strategy. |
| Requirements: Individual assignments, computer-based case analyses and presentations, term paper, group assignments, and class participation. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622, calculus, and basic statistical analysis, including regression. |
| Materials: Textbook |
| Syllabus (2008C) |
|
| MKTG 773 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Customer Behavior |
| Description: Marketing begins and ends with the customer, from determining customers’ needs and wants to providing customer satisfaction and maintaining customer relationships. This course examines the basic concepts and principles in customer behavior with the goal of understanding how these ideas can be used in marketing decision making. The class will consist of a mix of lectures, discussions, cases, assignments, project work and exams. Topics covered include customer psychological processes (e.g., motivation, perception, attitudes, decision-making) and their impact on marketing (e.g., segmentation, branding, customer satisfaction). The goal is to provide a set of approaches and concepts to consider when faced with a decision involving understanding customer responses to marketing actions. |
| Format: Lectures and discussion, case analyses, presentations. |
| Requirements: Exams, assignments, project, and class participation. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622. |
| Materials: Course pack and textbook |
|
| MKTG 775 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Managing the Value of Customer Relationships |
| Description: As the concept of CRM becomes common parlance for every marketing executive, it is useful to take a step back to better understand the various different behaviors that underlie the development of successful CRM systems. These “behaviors” include customer-level decisions, firm actions, and the delicate but complex interplay between the two. Accordingly this course is comprised of four main modules. We start with the discussion of customer profitability – focusing on the concepts of “customer lifetime value” and “customer equity.” We will examine how to measure long-run customer profitability in both business-to-consumer and business-to business environments, and the uses of these measures as major components assessing overall firm valuation. Second, we move to the value that the firm provides to its customers – better understanding the true nature of customer satisfaction and its non-trivial relationship with firm profitability. Third, we examine each of the three main components of the firm’s management of its customer base: customer acquisition, development, and retention – and the complex resource allocation task that must be balanced across them. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of various tactical and organizational aspects of customer relationship management. |
| Format: Lecture and discussion |
| Requirements: Class participation, assignments, exam |
| Prerequisite: None |
|
| MKTG 776 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Applied Probability Models in Marketing |
| Description: This course will expose students to the theoretical and empirical “building blocks” that will allow them to develop and implement powerful models of customer behavior. Over the years, researchers and practitioners have used these methods for a wide variety of applications, such as new product sales forecasting, analyses of media usage, customer valuation, and targeted marketing programs. These same techniques are also very useful for other types of business (and non-business) problems. The course will be entirely lecture-based with a strong emphasis on real-time problem solving. Most sessions will feature sophisticated numerical investigations using Microsoft Excel. Much of the material is highly technical. Students must have a high comfort level with basic integral calculus, and recent exposure to a formal course in probability/statistics would be helpful (but is not required). |
| Format: Lecture, real-time problem solving |
| Requirements: Attendance and class participation, individual assignments and papers |
| Prerequisite: A high comfort level with basic integral calculus and recent exposure to a formal course in probability and statistics is strongly recommended |
| Materials: None |
| Syllabus |
|
| MKTG 777 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Marketing Strategy |
| Description: This course views marketing as both a general management responsibility and an orientation of an organization that helps one to create, capture and sustain customer value. The focus is on the business unit and its network of channels, customer relationships, and alliances. Specifically, the course attempts to help develop knowledge and skills in the application of advanced marketing frameworks, concepts, and methods for making strategic choices at the business level. |
| Format: The format varies by instructor. Check the syllabi. Most, though, use case, lecture, group projects, and class discussion. |
| Requirements: The requirements vary by instructor. Check the syllabi. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622; this course may be taken only in the second year. |
| Materials: Course pack and textbook |
|
| MKTG 778 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Stategic Brand Management |
| Description: Which brands make you happy? Apple? Starbucks? The Daily Show? Google? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a brand that makes consumers happy? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand, where brand is defined as “a reputation” – departing from traditional perspectives of brand. The course is created for students interested in building their own brands and/or immersing themselves in the enhancement of an existing brand, and it is comprised of lectures, cases, guest speakers, discussions, in and out of class exercises, all of which culminate in a brand audit group project that students will present in the final class session. Broadly, the course will be divided into four parts: 1) Understanding Brand, 2) Crafting Brand, 3) Measuring Brand, and 4) Managing Brand. The course will provide students with an appreciation of the role of branding and (taking a consumer-centric approach) will augment students’ ability to think creatively and critically about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining inspired brands. |
| Format: Lectures, cases, discussions, exercises, and a group project |
| Requirements: Regular attendance, case discussions, several individual and team assignments, and a brand audit group project |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 and 622 |
| Materials: Course pack |
|
| MKTG 781 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Entrepreneurial Marketing |
| Description: This course focuses on the key marketing concepts and methods relevant for entrepreneurs. In particular, it covers the marketing elements of new venture initiation (including a business plan), as well as marketing decisions for small and growing organizations. Topics include product/service design, assessment of market potential, creation of successful distribution relationships, and new product pricing. In contrast to the product development course, the emphasis here is on a new startup business rather than a new offering from an existing business. Topics covered in this course also include low-budget or no-budget market research, successful strategic alternatives for small business, alternatives to high-cost advertising (e.g., direct marketing, alternative media, and personal selling), segmentation, and targeted marketing. Students will prepare a marketing plan for an entrepreneurial organization of their choice, possibly for a new venture they are considering |
| Format: Case, lecture, class discussions. |
| Requirements: Development of an organizational marketing plan for a entrepreneurial venture, readings and class discussion. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently; MKTG 756 concurrently; students are discouraged from taking this course and MKTG 753 unless with permission of an MBA advisor. |
|
| MKTG 782 ( Mini-semester - .5 ) |
| Multinational Marketing |
| Description: Global marketing is an extremely demanding discipline but, from a career standpoint, one which is both challenging and rewarding. Inherent to the success of any global marketing professional, yet many times overlooked and/or underappreciated, is the critical nature of human understanding and relationships in business planning and execution. This is especially relevant in today’s business environment when you consider the dual multinational company imperative of continued revenue and profit growth in mature markets and successfully expanding into new growth and emerging markets. This course assumes an understanding of marketing principles and some exposure to and appreciation of the global environment. The objective of the course is to provide an understanding of how the global environment (particularly cultural diversity) affects the application of marketing principles and business practice on a global basis and the competencies necessary to be a successful global manager. |
| Format: Cases, lectures, discussions. |
| Requirements: Class Participation, Individual or team project, exam and/or assignment |
| Prerequisite: Completion of MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently. |
| Materials: Textbook and course pack. |
| Syllabus (2008C) |
|
| MKTG 792 ( Mini-semester - 0.5 cu ) |
| SPECIAL TOPICS: Visual Aesthetics and Style in Retail Merchandising |
| Description: This course is a visual and practical approach to understanding global styles and it involves readings, active participation in the creation of lifestyle boards, brand books, exercises to develop all the senses and the development of a total style concept. Students will be exposed to the Whitaker Lifestyle Segmentation of the Global Consumer system and will learn: • How to anticipate and predict consumers needs and their style evolution. • How to identify new retail opportunities. • How to create innovative retail concepts and brands. • How to merchandise the appropriate products for a specific lifestyle. • How to develop your intuition and creative power. In addition, students will critically evaluate this style segmentation system and compare it to other segmentation approaches This course is relevant for students interested in developing their intuition and creativity. The topics of this course are a foundation for anyone working in any area of the retail industry: marketing, merchandising, visual merchandising, store design, planning, advertising, etc. |
| Format: Lecture plus experiential learning |
| Prerequisite: None |
|
| MKTG 793 ( Mini-semester - 0.5 ) |
| Retailing |
| Description: This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the retailing industry. Primary focus will be on the customer-facing activities of retailers, including assortment planning, private-label development and the management of in-store operations, and the back-door activities (forecasting and supply chain management) that support customer interaction. In addition. current issues facing retailers, such as customer relationship management, industry consolidation and supplier relations, will be explored. The course will also survey topics in finance, operations, information technology and real estate as they relate to retail. |
| Format: Lecture and discussion, cases analyses, and guest speakers. |
| Requirements: Regular attendance, case discussion, assignments, and exams. |
| Prerequisite: MKTG 621 & MKTG 622 or permission of instructor. |
| Materials: Coursepack and textbook. |
|
| MKTG 890 ( Full-semester - 1.0 to 1.5 ) |
| Advanced Study Project (ASP) |
| Description: There are two different Advanced Study Projects currently being offered through the department by (1) Global Consulting Practicum (GCP) and (2) The Mack Center for Technological Innovation
Mack Center Ford Fellowship - 0.5 cu Over a decade ago, the Ford Motor Company made a generous gift to the Wharton School to encourage MBA students to study the special management challenges surrounding emerging technologies. The Mack Center provides support for research projects each academic year on topics related to technological innovation, the emergence of new technology-based industries, and critical issues and challenges facing these technologies, markets and industries. Any first year MBA student, or small team may apply for these fellowships which includes enrollment in this advanced study course, and providing a report on their project. Prerequisite: Please visit the website for The Mack Center for Technological Innovation for additional information about the Ford Fellowship. GCP Advanced Study Project - 1.5 cu The GCP is a cross-functional, globally-oriented program designed to educate MBA students in the problems of international business and the skills of consulting. It provides an experience in which students apply the concepts, tools, and paradigms they learn in their classes to real business problems. The GCP integrates several management disciplines, including marketing, operations, accounting, finance and general management. Students are encouraged to develop their skills in many important dimensions including: leadership and human resources, teamwork, cultural and economic diversity, language, and negotiation. Global teams, comprised of 4-6 Wharton MBA students with 4-6 MBA students from other leading international business schools, work with the top managers of their international client firms under the guidance of faculty from both schools. Wharton students’ experience in this course is highly focused on their particular global project team and client. Each project typically supports a client's efforts to enter or enhance their position in the North American market. This course is project-based and meets during Quarters III and IV with some work during Quarter II. The Spring semester begins with travel to the partner country over Winter Break to meet the partner team and the client in person, and ends with a detailed tactical strategic marketing plan designed for launching their products/services. This plan is prepared in writing and presented orally by the team during a week-long seminar at the end of the semester referred to as May Colloquium. During the semester the team will participate in faculty and teaching assistant-supervised weekly team meetings (typically Tuesdays from 4:30pm – 7:30pm), a “Devil’s Advocate” session in February, and engage in original market research, state-of-the-art data analysis, focus groups, traveling to trade shows, surveys, business meetings with potential product users, marketing intermediaries in the field as well as video and teleconferencee with partner teams and participating clients. |
| Format: Mainly individual group meetings with the instructor. |
| Requirements: Written presentation and possibly an oral presentation. |
| Prerequisite: Acceptance to this course is by application only. Students must apply and be interviewed in September for Spring participation. For additional information visit the GCP website at: www.whartongcp.org |
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| MKTG 891 ( Full-semester - 2 ) |
| Thesis |
| Description: MKTG 891-I and MKTG 891-II (two terms; two credit units). Preparation of a thesis under individual supervision of a faculty member. The student selects the thesis topic. Written approval of the student’s topic and acceptance of the student as an advisee must be obtained from a faculty member before the student can elect the two-term thesis option. |
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| MKTG 892 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Creativity |
| Description: The objective of this course is to enhance the students' creativity, ability to innovate, and ability to identify, recruit, develop, manage, retain, and collaborate with creative people. The course includes: (1) Interaction with creative guest lecturers from diverse fields. (2) A review of the literature on creativity, creative people, innovation, and design as well as the leadership and management of creative people and innovation. (3) Hands on learning of approaches for generating creative new products/services and business ideas. (4) Application of creativity tools to selected management domains – Approaches to the generation of creative options are not limited to the development of products and services or businesses, but can be applied to all areas of management, business, and life. The purpose of these sessions is to explore the applications of creative approaches to marketing, advertising, cost reduction efforts, M&A and strategic alliances, organizational design, and management challenges. Given the current global financial crisis and economic recession, much of the applications are going to focus on what corporations (and public policy decision makers) should do to creatively address their challenges. (5) Integration – Both via individual assignments and a group project in which interdisciplinary teams of students generate a creative product/ service/ business/strategy. |
| Format: Lecture, class discussion, guest speakers |
| Requirements: Team and individual projects, class participation |
| Prerequisite: None |
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| MKTG 893 ( Mini-semester - 0.5 ) |
| ADVANCED STUDY: Marketing in Emerging Economies |
| Description: India and China add up to half of the world’s population. Each presents its own challenges and opportunities. US and European MNC’s have been in both countries for many years but emerging market MNC’s are becoming stronger and in many cases overtaking US and European companies despite their strong brands and know-how.
“Marketing to the Indian Consumer” will provide a careful understanding of: The course will focus on the following industries: consumer packaged goods, mobile phones, financial services (insurance and banking), healthcare, sports and entertainment, and transportation. The course will involve case studies from local and international companies, guest lectures, and visits to consumer homes to observe their tastes, habits, and preferences. “Marketing to the Chinese Consumer” will provide students with a critical understanding of the Chinese consumer, distribution channels, pricing environment, branding and competitive dynamics so as to enhance their ability to market to the Chinese consumer successfully. The course will consist of a combination of lectures, case studies, presentations by industry experts, and a short evening field trip.
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| Requirements: Grading criteria: Class Participation, and Group or Individual Paper |
| Materials: Course pack in study.net |
| Syllabus (2010C) |
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| MKTG 896 ( Mini-semester - 0.5 ) |
| Retail Merchandising |
| Description: This course provides a detailed introduction to the role of merchandising at various retailers, including apparel and other softlines businesses, grocery stores, mass-merchandisers and "catagory killers". Selected topics may include product development, line planning, sourcing, product lifecycle, forecasting, planning and allocation, pricing and markdowns, vendor relations |
| Prerequisite: MKTG621 or MKTG793 |
| Syllabus (2008C) |
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| MKTG 897 ( Mini-semester - 0.75 ) |
| Necessity and Experimentation: Lessons from Israeli Innovation |
| Description: Individuals and organizations originate, survive, adopt, improve, grow and sustain themselves through innovation in many guises. The cliché, “necessity is the mother of invention” rings true, but it presumes that individuals and organizations know necessity when they see it. Innovators see gaps, inefficiencies, failures, wastes and lost opportunities (for feeding the body as well as the soul), but are committed to finding solutions through the creation and application of something new or the synthesis and integration of what is already known. And then experiment. And then commercialize. And then experiment again. The State of Israel is itself the product of innovation in the face of relentless necessity. Israel is a peculiar mix of scarce physical and natural resources, limited financial reach, and a diverse population disproportionately over-represented across the full range of scientific and artistic talents. Israelis have found ways to innovate in response to necessity across all social and commercial dimensions – not just “high technology.” Finance, media, agriculture, food, wine, healthcare, education, disaster response, military and security strategies are all arenas of innovation; peace will require innovation. The demographics, history and geo-political dynamics of Israel are unique, but there are numerous lessons from the Israeli experience of innovation that can be applied to regional economic growth, human resource development, effective use of capital, management of technological resources, and fostering an innovative culture and organization. Course Objectives: Participants in this course will take-away: • A working knowledge of the principles of innovation management • Insight into several sectors of the Israeli economy, such as media, bio-med, info-tech, clean-tech, and how innovation contributes to growth and competitiveness • An understanding of how Israeli companies, universities and other organizations build, manage and reward innovation • How Israeli entrepreneurs and venture capitalist identify opportunities, capture potential solutions and build new enterprises • Approaches to applying the Israeli experience to other countries, regions and companies • An insider’s view of the challenges to innovative companies in Israel and a hands-on role in addressing these challenges through the course deliverable |
| Format: The course format will include readings (to be completed before the start of the course), lectures, guest speakers and panels, interactive case discussions, and company visits. |
| Syllabus (2010C) |
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| MKTG 898 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Forecasting Methods for Marketing |
| Description: Better forecasting can lead to better short-term and long-term planning and, in turn, to better decision-making. Forecasting Methods for Marketing examines judgmental forecasting methods such as prediction markets, structured analogies, simulated interactions, intentions, and expectations. The course also examines quantitative methods such as extrapolation and econometric, with the latter as especially useful for assessing the effects of changes in key variables such as pricing or advertising. These methods can be used to forecast consumer behavior, market share, and sales (for production and inventory control). They can also be used to forecast actions by competitors, unions, and retailers. We will examin such topics as: how to predict success of CEO's, presidential elections, terorism and climate change. Recently developed methods have been shown to substantially improve accuracy and to provide better assessments of risk. |
| Format: Lectures, discussions, cases |
| Requirements: Final exam |
| Prerequisite: None |
| Materials: Course pack, book |
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| MKTG 899 ( Full-semester - 1.0 ) |
| Independent Study |
| Description: A student contemplating an independent study project must first find a faculty member who agrees to supervise and approve the student’s written proposal as an independent study (MKTG 899). If a student wishes the proposed work to be used to meet the ASP requirement, he/she should then submit the approved proposal to the MBA adviser who will determine if it is an appropriate substitute. Such substitution will only be approved prior to the beginning of the semester. |
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