MKT 462-01 STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE SPRING 2008 ALG 102, W 6:00-8:50

Dave Blanchette Office: Alger 216 401-456-9549 dblanchette@ric.edu http://www.ric.edu/dblanchette Office Hours: or by appointment M 2:00-4:00 T 1:00-5:00 W 2:00-4:00, 5:30-6:00 Th 2:00-5:00 F 1:00-5:00

Course Description This is the capstone course in marketing designed to integrate the marketing functions with the strategy concepts of planning, implementation, and control. The objective of the course is to enhance skills in strategic thinking in marketing and developing and presenting marketing plans. This will specifically require forming objectives, situation (SWOT) analysis, market research and forecasting, target market selection, market mix strategy formation, marketing tactics development, and control procedure formulation, as well as developing professional, logical, creative, and effective communications (written and oral). Required Texts: Markstrat Online (Hardcopy) Paperback or e-copy: 115 pages Authors: Jean-Claude Larrch, Hubert Gatignon and Rmi Triolet Publisher: StratX International ISBN: 0-9743063-0-4 The Markstrat Online book is mandatory and must be purchased new so that a valid registration number for the simulation may be used. Marketing Strategy: A Decision Focused Approach, 5th Ed. Orville C Walker, John Mullins, Harper W Boyd, Jr. Softcover, 368 pages 2006, ISBN-13 9780072961904 The strategy text may be new or used. Most of the exams will be based on this book.

Course Learning Objectives

1.
2.

Conceptualize complex issues into professional-level written and oral communication outputs
Understand and apply quantitative and statistical methods to understand, analyze, and solve business-related problems Understand and apply contemporary technologies in developing and producing deliverables Engage in metacognitive behaviors Understand basic and important concepts in strategic marketing

3. 4. 5.

Course Procedure and Requirements A computer simulation augments this experientially focused course. Lectures provide insight into marketing strategy theory and concepts. The class will divide into 5 groups of @ four members per firm. The task of each student and firm is to learn marketing strategies and tactics, apply them to the development of a marketing plan, and effectively compete in the simulation. 3 Exams Strategic Marketing Plans Markstrat Simulation Performance Oral Presentation Evaluations/Participation 100% 45% 15% 25% 10% 5%

One-half of your grade involves group participation; it is critical that you pull your weight and contribute meaningfully to that group. You cannot complete or pass this class unless you do so.

Course Procedure and Requirements (Continued)

Exams: There will be four exams, the highest three of which will be worth 15% each of the final course grade, for a total of 45%. Exams are primarily essay format There will be no make-up exams. Three of the four exams will be essay exams largely from the strategic marketing text with some outside material presented in class. Often, the essay questions will link the text concepts to the simulation. The fourth exam will be fill-in-the-blank on the simulation student handbook. The purpose of this exam is to insure a good working knowledge of the simulation before play begins.
Marketing Plan: The strategic marketing plan is worth 15% of the course grade. Elements will be submitted in two stages, each @10 pages long. The initial draft will be worth 5%, and the final report will be worth 10%. The expectation is that the final report will be better than the draft, so while the initial draft may be resubmitted with little or minor revision for the final report, this would likely result in a lower grade. All members are initially assigned the same grade, i.e., the grade for the paper, for the plan submissions, but these grades may then vary for each individual depending upon the groups evaluation of each members contributions. Simulation: Performance in the simulation will be worth 25% of the course grade. All groups start in identical or essentially identical starting positions, with the initial stock price index equal for all groups. There will be eight simulation rounds, or periods. The group will receive a grade according to the team's final stock price ranking. As with the marketing plan submissions, individual scores may vary according to their group contributions as determined by their peer evaluations. Stock Price Ranking 1st 100 25.0 2nd 92 23.0 3rd 84 21.0 4th 76 19.0 5th 68 17.0

Grade Course Points

Information regarding registering for and getting started with Markstrat, the Group Evaluation Form, and Questions for Exams 1, 3, and 4 may be found in News on the course home page.

Course Procedure and Requirements (Cont.) Oral Presentation: An oral (group) report will be worth 10% of the course grade. This final report, given on the last meeting of the class, represents a summary, analysis, and recommendation for future actions for your markstrat company. In essence, the presentation is an update of the strategic marketing plan that would guide future management if the simulation were to continue. A written report is not required. Evaluations/Participation: Students are responsible for regularly reporting on group activities as well as evaluating group member performance. While most points are gained for simply submitting the group evaluations in a timely and thoughtful manner, contributions to class discussions and activities are also considered in this component, worth a total of 5% of the course grade. Policies: Attendance: Not recorded. Extra Credit: Not available. Honor: Cheating, plagiarism, and other unethical acts will not be tolerated and are subject to penalties consistent with college policy. Grading: Pluses and minuses will be used for final grades, e. g., 70.00-72.99 = C-; 73.00-76.99 = C; 77.00-79.99 = C+. Final grades may deviate from the numerical average due to the instructor's subjective assessment of performance. Any materials sent electronically must receive an acknowledgement of receipt from the instructor to be considered submitted. All class components and policies are subject to change. STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN The strategic marketing plan is an important document. It is intended to guide the efforts of your firm as you compete in the Markstrat Simulation as a profit center. You may need to revise your strategies to reflect unanticipated changes in the competitive environment or consumer demand. Without this plan you are implementing tactics without direction. It is a key to success in the simulated Markstrat Marketplace. Devise it with that in mind and use it. Be specific and quantify objectives, policies, time frames, and decision rules as much as possible. An example format will be provided in class, and Chapters 3 and 5 of the simulation handbook as well as section two of the strategy book may be helpful. Feel free to use whatever resources are available to you short of plagiarism. You are to submit a draft, worth 5%, and a final plan, worth 10%.

Links to the lecture PowerPoints and the Markstrat Online Home may be found on the Course Home Page

SCHEDULE

DATE
January 23

TOPIC
Course Introduction; Markstrat Firms Organized Introduction to Marketing Strategy Introduction to Analysis Marketing Plans Corporate Strategy Business Strategy Exam I Introduction to Markstrat Simulation Markstrat Installation Markstrat Operations and Strategy

ASSIGNMENT
--Chapter 1 (WBML) Notes

30

Ch. 12, 303-309 (WBML) Chapter 2 (WBML) Ch. 3 (WBML) Ch. 1-3, 12 (WBML), Notes Chapters 1-3 (MM) Appendix Chapter 4-7 (MM) Strategy Draft Due Chapters 1-7 (MM) Notes

February

13

20

Exam II Analytical Thinking

27

Period 1 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Feb. 25 Understanding & Measuring Mkt Opportunities Chapters 4, 5 (WBML) Marketing Plan Due, Group Evaluation Form Due Period 2 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Mar. 3 Targeting Attractive Market Segments Chapter 6 (WBML)

March

Spring Break March 10-14

SCHEDULE (cont.)

DATE
March 12

TOPIC
Spring Break-No Class

ASSIGNMENT
---

19

Period 3 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Mar.17 Differentiation and Positioning Chapter 7 (WBML) Period 4 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Mar. 24 Exam III Chapters 4-7 (WBML) Strategies for New Market Entries Chapter 8 (WBML) Period 5 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Mar. 31 Strategies for Growth Markets Ch. 9 (WBML) Period 6 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Apr. 7 Strategies for Mature and Declining Markets Ch. 10 (WBML) Period 7 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Apr. 14 Strategies for the New Economy Chapter 11 (WBML) Learning Outcomes Assessment --Period 8 Markstrat Decisions Due by 11:59 pm Mon. Apr. 21 Chapters 8-11 (WBML) Markstrat Review Group Evaluation Form Due Oral Presentations, Debriefing

26

April

16

23

Exam IV

30

Group Evaluation Form Due

There is no final exam for the course