BUSI 520 – Marketing Management

Professor’s notes*
As of July 5, 2007

Note: All content is based on the professor’s opinion and may vary from
professor to professor and student to student. All content may be changed
without notice. This information is provided to provide an analysis, but is not
binding in any form.

From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very

demanding), how would you rate the overall level of difficulty of this course?

Level of demand = 8
This course requires: a major group analysis, which requires reading and external
research each week; 2 exams, and weekly individual/group discussion board postings.
This course should be taken with other courses within an 8-week format with less
level of difficulty.

From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very

demanding), how would you rate the level of reading requirements in this
course?

Level of demand = 9
Students are responsible for reading 3-4, 20-25 page chapters each week. The
chapters are packed with information, with which the students must learn, apply and
become comfortable.

From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very

demanding), how would you rate the level of lecture requirements in this course?

Level of demand = 2

The course contains no video lectures, however, students are responsible for the
lecture notes that are provided as an outline of the textbook.

From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very

demanding), how would you rate the level of online exam requirements in this
course?

Level of demand = 9
The course has 2 online tests (the midterm and final). Although they are open book
and open notes, students are responsible for all material found in the book. Questions
are mostly application oriented, thus requiring students to fully understand concepts.
From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very
demanding), how would you rate the level of discussion board requirements in
this course?

Level of Demand = 6

In weeks 2 and 4 students will research (through the online library and text) and
respond to discussion board questions with responses of 400-500 words each. In
addition, students are required, in these weeks, to respond with 400-500 word
responses, to the postings of 2 other students. A good grasp of the topic is required.
References and citations must follow APA format.

In weeks 1-8, students will review and respond to the course discussion board and the
team discussion board so as to add value to the discussion; answer questions and
discuss topics with their classmates.

From a Scale of 1-10 (1=low demands; 5= moderate demands; 10 = very

demanding), how would you rate the level of the written paper requirements in
this course?

Level of Demand = 10

Additional Comments:

The course requires a major, 20-30 page team marketing analysis with outside
research. The paper must be written in APA format, with proper formatting, in-text
citations and academic references. Successful completion of this analysis also
requires routine, frequent and substantive communication with team members such
that a logical, “puzzle-like” analysis is created. Students who have not previously
written a research paper or have been out of academics for many years, will be
challenged with this assignment. The research for and writing of the paper should
take place over several weeks; it is not an assignment that can be completed in one
weekend.

This course moves quickly, therefore students should expect to be very busy for the
duration of the course. There are assignments due each week.
 Syllabus

LIBERTY UNIVERSITY DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

BUSI 520
STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT

TEXTBOOK
Kotler, P & Keller, K. (2003). Marketing Management (12th ed.) Prentice Hall (ISBN
0-13-145757-8)

In addition, the required writing style for all assignments is APA.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to provide the MBA student with a working knowledge of the
steps involved in the analytical and decision-making processes involved in
formulating, implementing, and controlling a strategic marketing program for a
product market entry. In addition, this course covers topics such as 1) relationships
among corporate, business level and tactical strategies, 2) relationships between
marketing strategy and the internal/external operating environments of an
organization, and 3) relationships between marketing and other functional areas of the
organization. This course also explores the influences of technology on business-to-
business (B to B) and consumer-to-business (C to B) markets.

Marketing Management is the strategic use of a firm’s resources to take advantage of

and create marketing opportunities. The global environment will be emphasized as
students learn to analyze markets and develop and implement marketing plans that
will deliver solutions to the market segments targeted.

I. RATIONALE

Marketing today is operating in a profoundly different world than it did

even twenty years ago. Today, corporations may be held responsible for
the impacts of their products at every stage from R&D through
distribution and consumer use and final product disposal. This course
directly supports AIMS 1-10 of Liberty University’s Statement of
Purpose. No marketer can consistently operate effectively of efficiently
without a thorough understanding and wise application of the principles of
sound marketing strategy. Such knowledge and ability is essential to
survival in tomorrow’s business world. It should also be anticipated that
 several topics presented in this course are also included in other courses.
Such redundancy is planned and desirable for mastery of the material.

II. PREREQUISITES

Acceptance or conditional acceptance to the MBA Program.

III. MATERIALS

Kotler, P. & Keller, K. (2003). Marketing Management (12th ed.) Prentice

Hall (ISBN 0-13-145757-8). Note, the 11th edition of this text is very
different from the 12th edition. Thus, the 12th edition is required. In
addition, the required writing style for all assignments is APA.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES/REQUIREMENTS

This course is based on the integration of five major perspectives:

foundational concepts, information technologies, business applications,
development processes, and management challenges.

1.0 Through textbook reading and 2 discussion board questions, students

will discuss salient marketing management scenarios and apply
textbook content so as to:
1.1 Understand the role of consumer information in designing
and delivering superior value.
1.2 Describe the impact of branding in designing and delivering
superior value.
2.0 Thorough a continuous group, written marketing analysis, students
will demonstrate the ability to collectively evaluate an organization’s
situational environment and conduct a substantive marketing analysis
to include analysis of: the market environment, consumer market,
competition, market segments, positioning, product and branding,
services, pricing, promotion, and evaluation.
3.0 Through a group, written marketing analysis, students will
demonstrate understanding and application of the concept of
Marketing Myopia.
4.0 By virtue of an open-book, multiple choice, individual test, students
will demonstrate conceptual understanding and application of
Marketing Management by correctly responding to questions on: 1)
the scope of marketing management, and 2) analyzing marketing
opportunities.
5.0 By virtue of an open-book, multiple choice, individual test, students
will demonstrate conceptual understanding and application of
Marketing Management by correctly responding to questions on: 1)
 developing marketing strategies; 2) shaping the marketing offering;
and, 3) managing and delivering marketing programs.

V. COURSE OBJECTIVES

A. To examine the concept of marketing management, how it has evolved

over time, and its role in delivering value to a target customer.
B. To understand and synthesize the range of decisions implicit in
strategic marketing management and planning, and to develop skill in
using a variety of analytical frameworks for making such decisions.
C. To develop skills in planning a variety of marketing management
tools, ranging from new product entry strategy to international product
life cycle management and strategy.
D. To compare and contrast the major approaches to organizing for
effective strategic marketing and in implementing the market planning
process.

VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Your grade will be determined by your performance in the following

activities. All assignments are due as noted in the COURSE CHART. Late
assignments will be penalized 10 raw points (e.g., if the assignment is worth
75 points, a late penalty would show as 65/75 points) if submitted within 24
hours of the due date. However, if an assignment ages beyond 24 hours of its
due date, it will not be accepted and a grade of 0 will be recorded. Keep in
mind, most of the assignments in this course involve others. A late
submission on your part results in hardship on others.

A. Reading assignments will include chapters 1-22 in the textbook and a

review of self-selected scholarly journal articles from the business related
databases (LexisNexis, Academic Search Premier (EBSCO Host)) available
online via the LU library. Students are required to use the online databases
listed above in this course. Once on the LU webpage, log into Blackboard. At
the next screen, click on “Library Research”, then “Off Campus Access to
Databases”. On the next screen, click on “Journals” and at the next screen
several databases will appear including Academic Search Premier (EBSCO
Host) and Lexis-Nexus. (Note, some folks find it easier to access the LU
library by using Internet Explorer.)

B. Learning modules are located in the Course Content area of Blackboard.

Each learning module includes: reading assignments, discussion board
questions, outlines of chapters, all learning assignments, and the due dates of
each assignment. Students are expected to keep up with the due dates, and
must complete each module completely before moving to the next module.
Work completed out of order will not be accepted. Regarding the chapter
outlines, it is expected that students will use them for detailed note taking on
each chapter.

C. Discussion Board Essays. Modules 1 and 2 contain discussion board

essays, which are designed to assess higher-level critical thinking skills such
as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Students are required to: 1) post an
original response to discussion assignments on the discussion board, and 2)
respond to the postings of two others. The purpose of the discussion questions
is to provide each student with an opportunity to examine real-life marketing
management scenarios from the perspective of the marketing manager
(e.g., not a consumer perspective). The original posting and each of the
postings to two others shall be 400-500 words. As a clarification, the original
posting = 400-500 words, post to one other 400-500 words and the post to
second other 400-500 words. In addition, the original posting and each of
the postings to two others will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1) Declaring and supporting a position on one side of the DB statement as it

is stated (please, no neutral positions). (20 point reduction if missing).
2) Presence of a logical and structured argument that demonstrates graduate
level writing skills and incorporates quotes or paraphrased material from the
text and an external article (hint: use of the text, and **external research is
required). (20 point reduction if the argument lacks logic or structure; 20
point reduction if the text or external source is missing).
3) Clarity, conciseness, concreteness, completeness and correctness. (3 point
reduction for each instance)
4) Well formed discussion from the perspective of the marketing manager.
(20 point reduction if unclear or missing).
5) Correct grammar and mechanics (including appropriate use of APA in-text
citations and references) (3 point reduction for each error).

In the posting to two others, student responses will be evaluated on the criteria
above, and also on the professional treatment and reflection of the views of
others. In addition, students are expected to: 1) take a position of
agreement/disagreement; 2) demonstrate understanding of the original
author’s points by drawing comparisons to his/her post, and 3) reflect and
comment on the content of the argument offered by the original author rather
than addressing inaccuracies in APA, grammar, or pointing out errors. Keep in
mind, the goal is to reflect on the original author’s work, not reproduce his/her
work, or your original post.

(** In building your position, include content from the text and at least
one additional source. The additional source must be 1) an article
retrieved from any of the Business related data bases on the LU library,
or 2) a scholarly article from a scholarly management or marketing
journal, or 2) a graduate level marketing strategy, marketing
management text. Note, a text used in an undergraduate marketing
course is not an appropriate source. In addition, articles from the internet
(e.g., corporate, government or general websites), or articles from sources
such as NetMBA.com, articles.com, etc. are not scholarly sources.

When posting your discussion board responses, create them in a Word

document, copy and post them directly to the discussion board rather than
posting as an attachment. Some students are unable to open attachments. To
avoid the loss of formatting, use Internet Explorer rather than Fire Fox. If,
however, your post looses its formatting, simply signal this at the bottom of
the post and explain precisely what was lost from your original post.

Grading of discussion board essays that are submitted by the due date will
occur within 5 business days of the due date noted in the course chart. On
the original post, students will receive either: 1) a reflective post from the
instructor in the DB area, or 2) a summary response. In instances where
students don’t receive full credit for their postings, direct feedback to the
student will be given in private by email. Most often, this feedback will
contain individual and specific feedback to the individual. In the case where
there are patterns in errors among the work of the majority of the class, these
may be shared via a collective email (no mention of student identity, of
course) with the entire class.

D. Tests: There will be 2 tests. Individual effort, objective tests are designed
to assess comprehension and application of concepts covered in the assigned
textbook readings. Both tests are open book; however, they are designed to
assess your understanding and application (not recognition) of the text
material. Therefore, many of the questions will require considerable analysis
on your part. The questions for each student’s test are presented one at a time
and randomized, with no one test looking like the other. Printing or saving of
the test (outside the test area) or communicating with others about the test
content is not permitted. Evidence of any of these activities will result in a
grade penalty of 0 for the test, without exception.

Your tests are administered by BLACKBOARD and each test will be

available for a period of 54 clock hours, beginning at 6:00 pm on the
Thursday prior to the due date of the test. The due dates for both tests are
midnight, EST on the 4th and 8th Saturdays of the course. Check the Course
Chart for the exact date. For the purpose of both tests, midnight is “midnight
between Saturday and Sunday.” (As a reminder, Bb runs on EST. Thus, it
is your responsibility to keep up with time frames so as to know when the
test is available in your local time.) The test locks permanently at the due
time/date. If you are in the test at that time, it will lock. Once a test is
opened, you may save your responses, and return to the test for a later
completion. There is no time limit on the test completion once the test is
opened. However, a completion time of more than one hour can result in your
system timing out due to interface conflicts between some browsers and the
LU site. The result of a time-out will automatically lock the test up, and erase
your answers, which ARE NOT recoverable. In this instance, email the faculty
member to reset the test. Your lockout will be cleared within 4 hours.
However, you will be required to resubmit your answers. Once the test closes,
no student will be able to access the test. A study guide for each test is
available in the learning activities section of Modules 2 and 4.

See the COURSE CHART in the “About Your Course” area of Bb for test due
dates and chapters covered.

E. Group Assignment -The Marketing Management Analysis is designed to

demonstrate group skill in conducting an academically rigorous and quality
collaborative learning research project at the MBA-level. This project is
explained, in full, under Course Content on Blackboard. Your group
interaction and management skills are critical to the successful completion of
this assignment. Therefore, review the “Working in Groups - Group
Management” Document in the Group Tips link located in the Course Content
area of Bb before attempting the group assignment. This document, along
with this syllabus outlines expectations and guidelines for groups. (Note: there
is a Pre-Group assignment required for completion in the “Working in Groups
–Group Management” document.)

Grading of the group assignment will be based, in part, on the degree to which
the marketing analysis is thorough, theoretically and practically correct, and
logical. The final project shall: 1) follow the required format; 2) be free of
errors in logic; 3) include significant external research, and; 4) demonstrate
MBA-level writing and analysis skills. Though a group grade is awarded, an
individual student may not receive 100% of the team grade if he/she fails to
substantively and routinely participate on a weekly basis, via the group
discussion board, in the group project. Should a student be absent, for any
reason, and be unable to participate in a given week, the team must be
notified. Periodic “group check” postings are required of all group members
and will be conducted during weeks 2, 4 and 6 (as outlined in the “Working
in Groups - Group Management” document).

It is expected that all group members will substantively and routinely

(weekly) participate in the conceiving, organizing and creation of the project.
Students who fail to participate each week on a substantive basis on the
project will receive a minimum grade penalty of 20 points, and a maximum
penalty of removal from the group to complete the group project alone, at my
discretion. There is no exception to this policy. (For a clear delineation of how
individual contribution is monitored, see the “Working in Groups” document
on Bb.)
Groups in BUSI520 are self-managed. How they operate, communicate,
collaborate, resolve conflicts and complete assignments is up to the group.
Groups are both responsible and accountable for solving their conflicts and for
collaborative completion of the project. The procedure for resolving conflicts
is noted in the “Working in Groups- Group Management” document.

In 2005, Liberty launched the Assignment Manager, a substitute for the

Digital Drop Box. The group project is submitted through the
“View/Complete Assignments” on Bb. If this is new to you, a tutorial is
available on the Student Blackboard Home Page.

F. Course Communication
One of the most important aspects of an on-line course is the protocol for
communication from the faculty member. Students should expect the
following:

Communication with the faculty: This course site is comprehensive in content.

That is, most student questions can be answered after reviewing the
documents contained on this site. If questions remain, address them via email
to the faculty member. In your email, include your course and section
number (e.g., BUSI520_S0X_TX) in the Re: space. Students can expect a
response within 36 hours for routine questions (e.g., clarification, short-
answer questions). If however, student inquiries require the faculty to
research, consult with a third party, or analyze an issue, students should
expect responses within 72 hours. The faculty member will check email twice
daily – at 3:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. In the unusual circumstance of a time
critical issue, students should send an urgent/priority email to the faculty
member (make sure you mark the email accordingly). In this instance, the
email is easily identifiable, and the student can expect a response within 24
hours.

Email Communication: Students are expected to be thorough, concise, and

polite in the delivery of emails. The use of email has created a new way of
communicating in sentence fragments, sound bites, and in a tone that most
would not accept in face-to-face communication. Be mindful of this when
communicating by email with other students and faculty. Also, keep in mind
that only Liberty University email addresses will be used as they are an
integral part of the Bb communication system.

Announcements on Blackboard: The faculty member will post announcements

on Blackboard with frequency. Students can expect announcements every
Monday (by 5:00 p.m.), and as needed. It is the responsibility of every
student to KEEP up with the announcements, and to read and understand
them when received. Please foster the habit of checking the
announcements every day.
VII. EVALUATION AND GRADING

A. Weight Percentage
Points

Discussion Board Questions – 2 60.00% 600

Original Response Total (each 225 points)

Response to Two Others Total (each 75 points)
Test 1 10.00% 100
Test 2 10.00% 100
Group Marketing Management Analysis 20.00% 200

Total 100%
1000

B. Scale (based on points)

(900-1000) = A; (800 – 899)=B; (700-799) = C; (600 – 699) = D; 599 and

BELOW = F

Keep in mind, the final course grade is based on points, not percentages. The grade
book on Bb keeps a running total of your points earned. This is the column to watch
as it will be the column from which your final grade will be determined. As you
complete assignments, this total should increase. For example, suppose at the end of
the class, this column shows as 895 points. Since the course is based on 1000 points,
this means you earned 895 points. This should not be interpreted as a grade of 89.5%.

When your grades are recorded for actual assignments, they will show as percentages.
This is done for your convenience. However, behind every percentage, there is a
“point value”. So, if you earn 90% on an assignment that is worth 225 points, this
means you earned 90% of 225 points, which is 202.5 points. Again, the points, not the
percentages contribute to the final grade.
 COURSE CHART
Note: This chart provides a layout for all assignments for BUSI520. Grading criteria
and explanations for these assignments are outlined in the syllabus. The learning
module located in the Course Content area of Blackboard provides specific direction
and access to all learning assignments.

MODULE CHAPTERS WEEKS LEARNING ASSIGNMENTS Percentage

See Note: OUTCOMES These “learning activities”
Course there are are located within each
Content 2 weeks “Module” under Course
on Bb per Content.
module

1 1–5 1 1.1, 2.0 and 3.0 DB 1 22.50

2
DB 1 Responses 7.50
TOTAL 29.50

Note: The Pre-group assignment

is due week 1, and a consensus
post due week 2. In addition, the
Week 2 group check is due week
2 (see the Group Management
Document).

2 6-11 3 1.2, 2.0 - 4.0 DB 2 22.50

4
DB 2 Responses 7.50
Test 1 (Modules 1 & 2) 10.00
TOTAL 39.50
Note:Week 4 group check is due.

3 12-16 5 1.3, 2.0 and 3.0 Note: Week 6 group check is due.
6 Time to make solid stride on the
group project!

4 17-22 7 2.0, 3.0 and 5.0

8 20.00
Group Project (Due
Wednesday,of week 8) 10.00
Test 2 (Modules 3&4; due 30.00
week 8)
TOTAL

TOTAL 100