MBA Program Course Descriptions

MKTG6110 - Marketing Management (Course Syllabus)

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.

MKTG6120 - Dynamic Mktg Strategy (Course Syllabus)

Building upon Marketing 611, the goal of this course is to develop skills in formulating and implementing marketing strategies for brands and businesses. The course will focus on issues such as the selection of which businesses and segments to compete in, how to allocate resources across businesses, segments, and elements of the marketing mix, as well as other significant strategic issues facing today's managers in a dynamic competitive environment. A central theme of the course is that the answer to these strategic problems varies over time depending on the stage of the product life cycle at which marketing decisions are being made. As such, the PLC serves as the central organizing vehicle of the course. We will explore such issues as how to design optimal strategies for the launch of new products and services that arise during the introductory phase, how to maximize the acceleration of revenue during the growth phase, how to sustain and extend profitability during the mature phase, and how to manage a business during the inevitable decline phase.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG6130 - Stratgic Mktg Simulation (Course Syllabus)

Building upon Marketing 611, Marketing 613 is an intensive immersion course designed to develop skills in formulating and implementing marketing strategies for brands and businesses. The central activity will be participation in a realistic integrative product management simulation named SABRE. In SABRE, students will form management teams that oversee all critical aspects of modern product management: the design and marketing of new products, advertising budgeting and design, sales force sizing and allocation, and production planning. As in the real world, teams will compete for profitability, and the success that each team has in achieving this goal will be a major driver of the class assessment. The SABRE simulation is used to convey the two foci of learning in the course: the changing nature of strategic problems and their optimal solutions as industries progress through the product life cycle, and exposure to the latest analytic tools for solving these problems. Specifically, SABRE management teams will receive training in both how to make optimal use of marketing research information to reduce uncertainty in product design and positioning, as well as decision support models to guide resource allocation.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7110 - Consumer Behavior (Course Syllabus)

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, and customer satisfaction). The goal is to provide you with a set of approaches and concepts to consider when faced with a decision involving understanding customer responses to marketing actions.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7120 - Data & Anlz For Mktg Dec (Course Syllabus)

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of data-driven marketing, including topics from marketing research and analytics. It examines the many different sources of data available to marketers, including data from customer transactions, surveys, pricing, advertising, and A/B testing, and how to use those data to guide decision-making. Through real-world applications from various industries, including hands-on analyses using modern data analysis tools, students will learn how to formulate marketing problems as testable hypotheses, systematically gather data, and apply statistical tools to yield actionable marketing insights.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND STAT 6130

MKTG7250 - Principles of Retailing (Course Syllabus)

This course is a cross-functional overview of retailing – from types of retailers to current trends and strategies. The objective is to familiarize students with the retail business model in its various forms – from pure store-based retailers, to digital natives, and everything in-between. Topics will include structures & organizational models, channels & formats, real estate & locations, marketing & customer relationship management, the full merchandising cycle (planning & buying to display & pricing), and operations & technology. This knowledge will be fundamental to careers working for retailers themselves (e-commerce or omnichannel), but also in consulting to retailers, in banking or investing in the retail sector, or even starting a brand or retail concept. Those seeking more depth in product design & development, buying, planning, pricing, and visual merchandising should consider taking Retail Merchandising (MKTG 8060). Those seeking more depth in sourcing, distribution, fulfillment, and store/site operations should consider taking Retail Supply Chain Management (OIDD 6970).

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)

MKTG7270 - Mktg and Electronic Comm (Course Syllabus)

The effect of the Internet and related technologies on business and social institutions is more profound than that of any prior invention, including the printing press and the internal combustion engine. Furthermore, marketing plays a key role in shaping the modern consumption-led economies fueled by these technologies. MKTG 7270 provides a research-based and framework-driven approach to understanding digital marketing and electronic commerce. The course is organized into two sections and utilizes relevant theory, empirical analysis, and practical examples, to develop the key learning points. Guest speakers will participate as well, as appropriate.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7330 - Mktg For Social Impact (Course Syllabus)

Private and public sector firms increasingly use marketing strategies to engage their customers and stakeholders around social impact. To do so, managers need to understand how best to engage and influence customers to behave in ways that have positive social effects. This course focuses on the strategies for changing the behavior of a target segment of consumers on key issues in the public interest (e.g., health behaviors, energy efficiency, poverty reduction, fund-raising for social causes). How managers partner with organizations (e.g., non-profits, government) to achieve social impact will also be explored.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7340 - Creativity (Course Syllabus)

The ability to solve problems creatively and generate change is a recognized standard of success and plays an important role in gaining a competitive advantage in many areas of business management. This course is designed to teach students several creative problem solving methodologies that complement other managerial tools acquired in undergraduate and graduate studies. The course offers students the opportunity to learn how to solve problems, identify opportunities, and generate those elusive ideas that potentially generate enormous benefits to organizations. The objectives of this course are to enhance the students' (a) creativity, (b) ability to innovate and (c) ability to identify, recruit, develop, manage, retain, and collaborate with creative people. The course includes: 1. A review of the literature on creativity, creative people, innovation, and design as well as the leadership and management of creative people and innovation. 2. Hands on learning of approaches for generating creative ideas. Students will have the opportunity of implementing the techniques studied in class. 3. Applications of creativity 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, organizational design, negotiations, and other management challenges. 4. Integration - Both via individual assignments and a group project in which interdisciplinary teams of students generate a creative product/service/customer

MKTG7370 - Neuroscience for Bus Decisions (Course Syllabus)

This course provides an overview of contemporary brain science and its applications to business. Students are first rapidly introduced to the basic anatomy and physiology of the brain and become familiar with important techniques for measuring and manipulating brain function. The course then surveys major findings in neuroscience with applications to business, including vision, attention and advertising; valuation and marketing; decision making; learning, innovation and creativity; social influence, team-building, and leadership; and discussion of the ethical, legal, and societal implications of applying neuroscience to business. Applications to business, education, sports, law, and policy are discussed throughout.

MKTG7380 - Consumer Neuroscience (Course Syllabus)

How can studying the brain improve our understanding of consumer behavior? While neuroscience made tremendous strides throughout the past few decades, rarely were meaningful applications developed outside of medicine. Recently, however, breakthroughs in measurement and computation have accelerated brain science, and created an array of opportunities in business and technology. Currently, applications to marketing research and product development are experiencing explosive growth that has been met with both excitement and skepticism. This mini course provides an overview of the neuroscience behind and the potential for these developments. Topics will range from well-known and widely used applications, from eye-tracking measures in the lab and the field, to emerging methods and measures such as mobile technologies, face-reading, and neural predictors of market response. This course is self-contained and has no prerequisites. However, students with some background in business, economics, psychology, and/or neuroscience are likely to find some of the material covered in this course complementary to their existing knowledge. Much of the foundational work in consumer neuroscience and neuroeconomics involves laboratory experiments. Accordingly, we will read and discuss several experimental papers and the craft of designing an experiment will occasionally be discussed. However, we will not dedicate significant time to the methodology of experimental design and analysis. As will become clear as the course progresses, “consumer neuroscience" can be used to study almost any aspect of consumer behavior.

MKTG7390 - Visual Marketing (Course Syllabus)

As consumers, we are constantly exposed to advertisements and experience visual messages from product packages in stores, retail displays, and products already owned. In essence, visual marketing collateral is omnipresent and is an essential part of corporate visual identity, strategy, branding, and communication. Some of this falls to creative graphic design, but advertising, design, and marketing can also be significantly enhanced by knowledge of how visual information and its presentation context can be optimized to deliver desirable and advantageous messages and experiences. This course will emphasize how to measure, interpret, and optimize visual marketing. This course will use lectures, discussions, exercises and a group project, to help students understand the underlying processes that influence our visual perception and visual cognition. Students will learn about the theoretical processes and models that influence, attention and visual fluency. Students will also be exposed to eye-tracking instruments that help measure eye movement. Finally, we will explore how visual stimuli can influence consumer memory, persuasion, and choice. We will examine practical applications in marketing, advertising, packaging, retail, and design contexts.

MKTG7410 - Entrepreneurial Mktg (Course Syllabus)

This course focuses on the real life marketing challenges involved in launching an entrepreneurial venture. The primary goal of the course will to provide a roadmap for students seeking to actively engage as entrepreneurs, investors or managers in the startup culture. Many of the entrepreneurial marketing principles studied in this course will be equally applicable to mid-size and larger companies seeking new approaches to drive top-line growth. The course will address how start-ups, early growth stage and more mature companies have used entrepreneurial marketing as an essential competitive weapon to grow their businesses by gaining customers, driving revenue, acquiring funding and recruiting A-level employees, advisors and directors. Students will form teams and select an idea/concept for an entrepreneurial venture, and by the conclusion of the course will have developed a fully fleshed out and testable marketing plan. Preferably, the selected venture will be one that one or more members of the team would consider implementing, should their plan prove feasible.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130) AND MKTG 7120

MKTG7470 - Mktg Strgy Tech Platform (Course Syllabus)

This course focuses on the unique aspects of creating effective marketing and management strategies for technology-intensive on-line and off-line businesses. It addresses the effective competitive marketing strategies for winning in markets which are powered by technology: specifically, how firms create value for customers and how they can integrate technology in delivering a better consumer experience. While competitive marketing strategy is important for all managers, this course will be particularly useful to students who are planning to accept a position in leading technology companies, and marketing firms in which technology is likely to play an important role. In addition, the course will provide value to those who expect to work in consulting or investing in technology industries, and must analyze firm strategies.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7520 - Marketing Analytics (Course Syllabus)

Companies are currently spending millions of dollars on data-gathering initiatives, but few are successfully capitalizing on all this data to generate revenue and increase profit. Converting data into increased business performance requires the ability to extract insights from data through analytics. This course covers the three pillars of analytics – descriptive, predictive and prescriptive – within the marketing context. Descriptive Analytics examines different types of data and how they can be visualized, ultimately helping you communicate your findings and strengthen your team’s or organization’s decision making. Predictive Analytics explores the use of data for forecasting. You will learn to utilize various tools, including regression analysis, to estimate relationships among variables and predict future behavior. Prescriptive Analytics takes you through the final step — formulating concrete recommendations. These recommendations can be directed toward a variety of marketing actions, including pricing and social-platform outreach. Students will be exposed to several methods such as linear regression, logistic regression, multinomial regression, machine learning methods (e.g., neural networks and random forests). We will learn how to employ these methods for such managerial decisions as demand forecasting, pricing, and valuing customers. Overall, you will develop a data analytics mindset, learn new tools, and understand how to convert numbers into actionable insights.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130) AND STAT 6130

MKTG7540 - Pricing Policy (Course Syllabus)

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.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)

MKTG7600 - Antitrust and Big Tech (Course Syllabus)

This course considers the role of antitrust law in facilitating and policing the business strategies of dominant firms and joint enterprises. We will examine technology-driven firms such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Uber, and Microsoft, as well as disrupted industries such as the digital music industry. In each case, we will consider how firms adapted their strategies to rapidly changing technological environments and ask whether antitrust law served to promote or to hinder innovation and competitive development. Course coverage will range over all portions of the business economy in which competition and innovation are important, but emphasizing markets that have a significant technological component. We will also study a series of classic business cases in technology rich markets, including the American Can Company, Standard Oil, and DuPont. We will pay special attention to the role of intellectual property rights in fostering both individual and collaborative innovation.

MKTG7680 - Contagious (Course Syllabus)

Why do some products catch on and achieve huge popularity while others fail? Why do some services and apps spread like wildfire while others languish? And what makes certain ideas stick while others fail? This course looks at these and other topics as it examines why things catch on. Marketers want their product to be popular, organizations want their initiatives to catch on, and entrepreneurs want their ideas to stick. Building on research from psychology, sociology, marketing, and economics, the course explores characteristics of products, services, and ideas that lead them to catch on, what makes ideas stick, and how social dynamics shape success. We’ll talk about viral marketing, growth strategies, the role of social media, and influencers. Whether you have a product, service, or idea you want to catch on, or just want to better understand social epidemics, this course will shed light on what drives success.

MKTG7700 - Dgtl Social & E-Com Mktg (Course Syllabus)

MKTG 7700 explores the digital marketing environment from both a consumer and business perspective. The course provides an overview of various online business models and delves into digital advertising and social media marketing techniques and technologies. A mixture of case studies, guest speakers and assignments, including one that uses real advertising data, translates theory into practice. It is recommended that students enrolling in the course be comfortable using Excel and are knowledgeable in applying regression analysis techniques. Students who would prefer a less technical course may wish to take MKTG 7270, Digital Marketing and Electronic Commerce, a half cu course offered by the department.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG7710 - Models For Mktg Strategy (Course Syllabus)

The course develops students’ skills in using analytics to make better marketing decisions. Compared to other courses in marketing analytics, the focus is less on ‘what is happening?’ or ‘what will happen?’ and more on ‘what should we do?’ I.e., the course moves beyond descriptive and predictive analytics into prescriptive analytics. It covers a variety of topics, models and tools: (1) Marketing mix modeling & optimization, (2) Choice modeling, choice-based conjoint analysis & market simulators, (3) Modeling churn & maximizing customer lifetime value, and (4) Quantifying causal effects in marketing. The course requires familiarity with Excel and linear regression from the very first day, but is otherwise self-contained. Lectures are organized around a mini-case or illustrate the model/technique at hand through one or more real-life applications.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)

MKTG7750 - Managing Customer Value (Course Syllabus)

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-customer 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.

MKTG7760 - Appl Prob Models Mktg (Course Syllabus)

This course will expose students to the theoretical and empirical "building blocks" that will allow them to construct, estimate, and interpret powerful models of consumer behavior. Over the years, researchers and practitioners have used these models for a wide variety of applications, such as new product sales, forecasting, analyses of media usage, and targeted marketing programs. Other disciplines have seen equally broad utilization of these techniques. 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.

MKTG7770 - Marketing Strategy (Course Syllabus)

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.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)

MKTG7780 - Strategic Brand Mgmt (Course Syllabus)

Which brands make you happy? Apple? Amazon? Starbucks? Everlane? Soulcycle? Sweetgreen? What draws you into these brands? How do companies create compelling brand experiences? How could you cultivate a well-loved brand? This course explores such questions with the goal of identifying the ingredients for building an inspired brand. The course is created for students interested in building a brand 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, and a final project. 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.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)

MKTG7790 - AI in Our Lives (Course Syllabus)

This course takes a behavioral perspective on the topic of autonomous technology, such as Artificial Intelligence. It reviews new insights to help companies thrive in the dawning age of smart machines. The emerging behavioral science of autonomous technology helps us understand barriers to consumer adoption and how to design captivating AI experiences. Moreover, we discuss how to improve managerial decision-making with data and algorithms. This is a non-technical course. No coding or data science skills are required. The course uses a blend of pedagogical approaches, including interactive lectures, workshops, guest lectures, and case discussions, to bridge two perspectives. On one side, we acknowledge the tremendous value that autonomous technology can provide to firms and individual consumers. In many ways, automation defines progress. On the other side, we examine emerging risks for consumers in an AI-driven economy. The main theoretical lens will be offered by psychology, but we will also examine ideas from economics, management, history, statistics, computer science, art, sociology, and philosophy. The application contexts will focus on marketing. While also relevant to other disciplines (e.g., operations, innovation), the course is therefore especially suitable for students interested in a career in marketing (e.g., product management, customer experience management).

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 and MKTG 6120 or MKTG 6130

MKTG8060 - Retail Merchandising (Course Syllabus)

As a follow-on to Principles of Retailing (MKTG 7250), this course delves more deeply into both the fundamentals and recent trends in the end-to-end retail merchandising process. The objective is to familiarize students with both the theory and practice of planning, buying, designing, pricing, and displaying merchandise to consumers. This knowledge will be fundamental to careers working for retailers themselves (e-commerce or omnichannel), but also in consulting to retailers, in banking or investing in the retail sector, or even starting their a brand or retail concept. Those seeking more depth in sourcing, distribution, fulfillment, and store/site operations should consider taking Retail Supply Chain Management (OIDD 6970).

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 OR MKTG 7250

MKTG8090 - Experiments for Business Dec (Course Syllabus)

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 the 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.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110

MKTG8500 - Special Topics (Course Syllabus)

CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE: How can studying the brain improve our understanding of consumer behavior? While neuroscience made tremendous strides throughout the 20th century, rarely were meaningful applications developed outside of medicine. Recently, however, breakthroughs in measurement and computation have accelerated brain science and created a dizzying array of opportunities in business and technology. Currently, applications to marketing research and product development are experiencing explosive growth that has been met with both excitement and skepticism. This mini-course provides an overview of the neuroscience behind and the potential for these developments. Topics will range from well-known and widely used applications, such as eye-tracking measures in the lab and field, to emerging methods and measures, such as mobile technologies, face-reading algorithms, and neural predictors of marketing response. The course will also discuss applications in branding and product development, including wearable physiological devices and apps, sensory branding for foods and fragrances, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and neuroscience-based products designed to enhance cognitive functions. These applications stem from many subfields of cognitive neuroscience, including attention, emotion, memory, and decision making. This course is self-contained and has no prerequisites. However, students with some background in business, economics, psychology, and/or neuroscience are likely to find the material covered in this course complementary to their existing knowledge.

MKTG8520 - Special Topics (Course Syllabus)

MARKETING ANALYTICS: Companies are currently spending millions of dollars on data-gathering initiatives - but few are sucessfully capitalizing on all this data to generate revenue and increase profit. Moving from collecting data to analysis to profitable results requires the ability to forecast and develop a business rationale based on identified data patterns. Marketing Analytics will cover the three pillars of analytics - descriptive, predictive and prescriptive. Descriptive Analytics examines different types of data and how they can be visualized, ultimately helping you leverage your findings and strengthen your decision making. Predictive Analytics explores the potential uses of data once collected and interpreted. You will learn to utilize different tools, such as regression analysis, and estimate relationships among variables to predict future behavior. Prescriptive Analytics takes you through the final step - formulating concrete recommendations. These recommendations can be directed toward a variety of efforts including pricing and social-platform outreach.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND STAT 6130

MKTG8550 - Special Topics: AI In Our Live (Course Syllabus)

“AI in Our Lives: The Behavioral Science of Autonomous Technology” (or “AI in Our Lives” for short) takes a behavioral perspective on the topic of autonomous technology, such as Artificial Intelligence. It reviews new behavioral insights to help companies thrive in the dawning age of smart machines. We focus on both the behavior of consumers and how managers should make decisions about consumers. Related to the former, the emerging behavioral science of autonomous technology helps us understand barriers to consumer adoption and how to design captivating AI experiences. Related to the latter, we discuss how to improve decision-making with data and algorithms. This is a non-technical course. No coding or data science skills are required. The course uses interdisciplinary materials and a blend of pedagogical approaches, including interactive lectures, workshops, guest lectures, and case discussions. In addition to its many substantive insights, the course offers moments of reflection to help you understand how technology is changing our lives, and how each of us can help effect positive change in the world. The course bridges two perspectives. On one side, we acknowledge the tremendous value that autonomous technology can provide to firms and individual consumers. In many ways, automation defines progress. On the other side, we examine emerging risks for consumers in an AI-driven economy. The main theoretical lens will be offered by psychology, but we will also examine ideas from economics, management, history, statistics, computer science, art, sociology, and philosophy. The application contexts will be focused on marketing. While also relevant to other disciplines (e.g., operations, IT, innovation, or general management), this course is therefore especially suitable for students interested in a career in marketing (e.g., product management, brand management, service design, and customer experience management). The ultimate goal of the course is to help ensure that the amazing technologies currently being developed bring about positive change. The course will strive to achieve that by tackling the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG9 (Innovation), SDG8 (Economic growth), SDG3 (Health and wellbeing), SDG10 (Reduced inequality), and SDG12 (Responsible consumption and production). The course complements the research activities of the new Wharton Human-Centered Technology Initiative.

MKTG8900 - Advanced Study Project (Course Syllabus)

ADVANCED STUDY PROJECT (GENERAL): The principal objectives of this course are to provide opportunities for undertaking an in-depth study of a marketing problem and to develop the students' skills in evaluating research and designing marketing strategies for a variety of management situations. Selected projects can touch on any aspect of marketing as long as this entails the elements of problem structuring, data collection, data analysis, and report preparation. The course entails a considerable amount of independent work. (Strict library-type research is not appropriate) Class sessions are used to monitor progress on the project and provide suggestions for the research design and data analysis. The last portion of the course often includes an oral presentation by each group to the rest of the class and project sponsors. Along with marketing, the projects integrate other elements of management such as finance, production, research and development, and human resources.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND MKTG 7250

MKTG8950 - Global Business Week (Course Syllabus)

GLOBAL BUSINESS WEEK: MKTG 895 is one in an array of Global Business Week (GBW) study tour courses offered by various departments across Wharton. Each of the GBW courses offered in a term, will entail travel to a different part of the world and address a different element of economic driver for a country or industry. A faculty member will drive the topic and curriculum associated with a study tour to a region of the world where the study of a topic will provide insights and clarity available only by being in country. In country lectures from the lead faculty and area experts in industry, academia and government will form much of the basis of class time. In addition, students will experience relevant company and cultural settings where they will again hear from industry experts. Each course will require an individual student paper, a participation component, and a pre-travel or in-country set of assignments. See course syllabus for details. CUSTOMER CENTRICITY AT THE LEADING EDGE OF ANALYTICS AND TECHNOLOGY: LEARNING FROM SCANDINAVIA. Instructor: Peter Fader. The concept of "customer centricity," i.e., that not all customers are created equal, is gaining credibility and traction. More and more firms are coming to the realization that understanding and leveraging the behavioral differences across customers can potentially be more sustainably profitable than more conventional product- centric thinking that continues to dominate today's business landscape. At the heart of this transformation are three critical ingredients data, analytics, and technology. Using customer data at a granular level allows firms greater visibility into customer interactions, their use of social media, biometrics, and geolocation as tools to enhance business models and even create new ones. It allows a firm to be deliberate about which customers to go after and what kinds of services to provide them. For many, the key to profitable growth lies in successfully harnessing and developing the tools, organizational structures, and corporate cultures that create and enhance these capabilities.

MKTG8960 - Global Modular Course (Course Syllabus)

Open to MBA, Executive MBA and, in some instances, Undergraduate students, these modular courses are intended to provide unique educational experiences to students in a regional context that has particular resonance with the topic. Taught around the globe, the modular courses help us enrich the curriculum and research on our own campuses in Philadelphia and San Francisco.

MKTG8970 - Advanced Study (Course Syllabus)

The luxury industry has been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with some estimates suggesting a contraction of over 20%. Some of the changes in consumer behavior directly affected luxury in the short-term, but these changes in behavior may eventually revert to past history when the pandemic is over. Examples of these include the drop in tourism travel, work from home trends, reduced traffic to physical retail and malls, and the reduction of festive social activities (e.g., weddings). Other trends affected many industries and are likely to fundamentally change consumer behavior long-term: (1) net zero retail now, (2) digital by design, (3) thoughtful experience, (4) re-localization and (5) lead with purpose. This course explores the special challenges that are faced by luxury brands as they try to navigate rapidly evolving shopping behaviors in both the online and offline environments. In this course we will articulate the key principles for successful luxury branding & experiences and focus on the challenges and opportunities that luxury brands face. Although we will have some traditional lecture/discussion classes, the course is primarily experiential. We will explore luxury broadly across many product categories. We will learn from what we see on location, but we will also critically assess how companies are coping with the challenges of the post-covid retailing environment.

MKTG8990 - Independent Study (Course Syllabus)

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 substitutions will only be approved prior to the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites: MKTG 6110 AND (MKTG 6120 OR MKTG 6130)