MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Business Division
Syllabus
Principles of Marketing
(ONLINE)
BMK 201
Instructor: Daniel F. Viens
3 Credits
SUMMER 2009
Having moved beyond the novelty and frenzy of entering another century, we can objectively examine what a new era is likely to mean for business and marketing. Some developments of the 20th century will continue unabated, For example, the internationalization of business, reflected in the expansion of the European Union, increasing privatization in China and the growth of truly global corporation, is becoming the norm. Virtually all industries and careers now have an international dimension. Technology has been an important component of business process since the Industrial Revolution. The pace of technological advances have increased markedly. Two developments in communications, cellular phone and the internet are highly visible.
Regardless of whether YOU intend to work in a business, for the government, or in a nonprofit organization, the concepts, strategies, and techniques of effective marketing are relevant. Although we may not be able to anticipate every development, it is clear that important changes are occurring and they will make marketing more challenging, dynamic and exciting.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An overview of the multifaceted discipline of marketing in a service-oriented economy. Consideration is given to market segmentation, target markets, consumer and industrial markets. Emphasis is place upon developing a marketing mix, including product planning; pricing; the role of distribution; and promotional strategies.
Prerequisite: Placement in English 101 or permission of instructor.
COMMON CORE OBJECTIVES
In today’s competitive environment, employers expect you to have a skill set when you graduate. Hiring and promotion decisions are based in large part upon:
· Excellent written and oral communication skills
· Excellent critical thinking and problem solving skills
· Excellent teamwork and team building skills
· An ability to understand the viewpoint of others
· Excellent listening skills
This course is designed to help you improve your skills in these areas while gaining knowledge of the principles of marketing in our economic system and in the global marketplace.
It is the goal of the Business Division for each student of the introductory marketing course to develop an understanding of basic marketing principles and practices. The following common course objectives are intended to achieve this:
Define marketing and identify the key concepts of marketing in a free enterprise system;
· Understand the environmental factors that affect a marketing organization and the impact it has upon society;
· Describe the two market segments: business/industrial and consumer markets;
· Discuss the international environment and the global market;
· Understand the marketer’s need for information technology;
· Analyze career opportunities in the field of marketing;
· Develop the Marketing Mix:
· Identify products/services/ideas and their development process;
· Understand the importance of establishing a fair-market price;
· Develop a distribution structure, including wholesaling and retailing;
· Identify the elements of the promotional mix;
It is expected that exposure to the common core objectives will enable students to develop an understanding of marketing principles; become a marketing decision-maker; and, be an educated consumer. An instructor has the academic freedom to determine how he/she will incorporate the common core objectives into his/her course.
COURSE RESOURCES:
Required Textbook and Internet Links
Marketing: The Core, Kerin-Hartley-Rudelus, McGraw Hill – Irwin, Coast Learning Systems, 3nd Edition
Our textbook is probably the finest marketing book published. We will work almost entirely from the text, making reference to various graphs, charts and case problems. Each student must have the textbook.
Although you will be reading each chapter as a separate unit of study, try to relate it to the entire marketing process. By linking the content of each chapter to other units of study, you will begin to appreciate that marketing is a tapestry with many threads that run parallel to and across one another.
Access to the internet is required!
http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073381063/student_view0/index.html
Additional Resources:
Readings:
A student is expected to be aware of current trends in marketing and business throughout our nation and the world. This will require you to read daily newspapers and weekly magazine publications. Current events will be incorporated into each class session. You are expected to contribute meaningfully to all discussions.
Internet Activities:
Internet access is required. Middlesex Community College provides computer facilities that include access to the internet and Microsoft Office software. Students will need to have an ID number to access college computer facilities and the library’s Electronic Library holdings. You will be required to search for information on the World Wide Web. Suggested search engines include:
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
www.lycos.com
www.dogpile.com
www.gotto.com
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed
Online Library Catalog:
All students should have a Library Card. You will be able to search the Middlesex Community College Library catalog for holdings as well as those of the other community colleges by visiting:
http://libris.mxcc.commnet.edu
The Jean Burr Smith Library Homepage site enables you to access a wealth of useful databases. The site:
http://www.mxcc.commnet.edu/library/index.shtml
Computers:
Middlesex Community College or the college or university that you are taking this course from provides computer facilities that include access to the Internet an access to Microsoft Office application software products. Microsoft Word 2003 is recommended and a high speed internet connection is recommended.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Assignments:
ALL your assignments are online.
Class Format and Sessions:
My overall goal is to assist you in successfully achieving your objectives for this online class. Thorough preparation for class, constructive participation in class discussions and engagement in case problems is essential to achieving the professor’s and the students’ goals. Class sessions will be devoted to reviewing assigned reading material, key concepts and marketing principles as they apply to the individual units of study. Important material, not always presented in the textbook, will be incorporated into the discussions. Experiential application problems will be introduced to enable students to understand “how things work”.
Learning is a social process that occurs through interpersonal interaction between others. You must cooperate and communicate, in and outside the classroom in order to construct a shared understanding and knowledge of marketing principles. I will seek to foster an atmosphere conducive to learning. Such an environment requires preparedness, honesty, maturity and courtesy from both parties.
Assignments:
You will be expected to submit assignments NO LATER than a week after the assignment is due, except for the last week of the course I will check your work and award you appropriate credit for work submitted. All assignments must be clearly identified and dated, prepared in complete sentence form and be of a college-level quality that you are proud to put your name to. Students must maintain a “copy” of all assignments. You may not be able to submit any LATE assignments. Please inform me if you are having any issues.
Attendance Policy Regarding Quizzes, Tests and Exams
There is NO MAKE-UP of a scheduled EXAM unless PRIOR arrangements have been made with the instructor. After the EXAM is removed from the website, there will be NO opportunity to take a make-up. There are NO EXCEPTIONS!
COURSE ASSESSMENT:
Instruction, assignments and case problems, quizzes, tests and exams are developed to provide each student with an opportunity to develop a skill set necessary for success in marketing. Constant reference is made to current business and industry standards with real-life applications and exercises. Additional assignments and case problems are presented to encourage student interaction and collaborative learning amongst students. Students will work in group settings as well as learn independently.
The final outcome assessment measures a student’s individual performance including: attendance and participation; case work and written assignments; additional readings; quizzes, tests and a final examination (where applicable). A final grade will be assigned according to the proscribed policy.
Assessment / Grading
Profile (10 Points)
Please send me a copy of your Profile. Profile form available in the assignment section. Also, in the DISCUSSION BOARD introduce yourself.
Chapter Video/Cases (120 Points) DISCUSSION BOARD
You will receive 10 points for SUCCESSFULLY completing the assigned case study for that week. In order to receive FULL credit you must comment on another classmate’s submission. You DO NOT need to access the video in order to complete the case. In selected weeks a case has NOT been assigned. You can eliminate ONE case throughout the course. The total points for cases takes the elimination of ONE case into consideration.
Chapter APPLYING MARKETING KNOWLEDGE Assignments (95 points)
You will receive 5 points for successfully completed the assigned questions for each chapter. responses need to be in paragraph form.
Target Market Paper* (15 Points)
Write a 3 – 4 page paper on a selected target market. Answer the question: What should marketers know about the future of ONE of the following target markets. Select One: Aging Population, Women, Hispanic, Gay, Religious Right, Muslim. Due NO LATER THAN: 7/30/09.
.
Candy Project* (20 Points)
Develop a NEW candy product and a promotional plan for that product. Project requirements will be made available.
Final Exam* (25 Points)
50 multiple choice questions based on marketing vocabulary. You will have 60 minutes to complete. The FINAL will be available online staring on Saturday, August 1 and will close at 6PM on Thursday, August 6, 2009.
* Required in order to receive credit for the course.
BONUS POINTS: Throughout the semester I will ask you questions that relate to Marketing and are current. These questions will be posted in the ANNOUNCEMENT section. You will have 48 hours to respond. Bonus points will be worth between 3 – 5 points.
Grades:
Final grades will be determined by applying the percentages listed above to the work submitted. A student should retain all assignments for the semester. In the event that a student disagrees with the grade he/she earned, the student must produce all work to support the contention that a grade was incorrectly awarded. If the student is unable to produce all work, the instructor’s grade book will be considered accurate.
A = 256 - 285
B = 228 - 255
C = 200 - 227
D = 172 – 199
F = < 171
(Pluses and minuses will be assigned.)
Note: You MUST complete the TERM PROJECT and take the FINAL EXAM in order to successfully complete the course.
COLLEGE POLICIES:
All policies are presented in the College Catalog.
Withdrawal:
If for any reason, a student is unable to complete the course, he/she must follow the college policy and officially withdraw from the course. Appropriate forms are available at the Records Office. A grade of “W” will be recorded for all withdrawals. If a student does not withdraw, he/she will be awarded the letter grade earned. Once a grade is officially recorded with the Registrar, the grade will NOT be changed at a later date. There will be NO exceptions to this policy.
Incomplete:
An Incomplete is a temporary grade assigned when course work is missing and the student agrees to complete the course requirements. An Incomplete will be given only for work unfinished because of illness, accident or other unavoidable absence and when the instructor determines that the student has a reasonable chance of successfully completing the required work.
A student will be issued an Incomplete ONLY if he/she makes direct contact with the instructor, prior to Final Exam Week and a written description of the work to be completed is signed by the student. A student will have ten weeks to make up an Incomplete. If the work is not completed within that period of time, the “I” will convert to an appropriate letter grade.
ADA Accommodations:
Students with physical or learning disabilities who may require accommodations are encouraged to contact the Counseling Office. After disclosing the nature of the disability, students are urged to discuss their needs with individual instructors. This should be done at the beginning of each semester. Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate college officials, will provide assistance and/or accommodations only to those students who have completed this process.
Plagiarism and Academic Honesty:
At Middlesex Community College, we expect the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ Proscribed Conduct Policy in Section 5.2.1 of the Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual. This Policy prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism and other proscribed activities. Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s idea(s) or phrase(s) and representing that/those idea(s) as your own, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Both plagiarism and cheating are grounds for a student’s immediate dismissal from the college.
CONTACT AND COMMUNICATION:
All students must use the email address in BlackBoard for communication with instructor.
If for some special reason you need to get a hold of me, feel free to use this email address: DFViens@comcast.net
EXPECTATIONS:
A key to success in the classroom is behavior which replicates the values and work ethic of those successfully employed in marketing organizations. Therefore, the expectations in this class correspond to what is expected of employees “in marketing related careers”.
It is the professor’s personal belief that each student has the right to effective teaching and fair evaluation. This requires that an instructor be prepared for each class session. In turn, the professor has a right to fairness from each student. This requires a commitment from each student, honesty, and proper preparation for each class session.
The Professor’s Responsibilities to Students:
· I will be prepared for each class session.
· I will treat each student with dignity and respect.
· I will be accessible to all students and will assist them in finding appropriate tutorial assistance.
· I will make all assignments meaningful, clear and concise.
· I will grade and all assignments in a timely fashion.
The Professor’s Expectations of Students or Students’ Responsibilities to the Course:
· You must prepare for each class session (complete all reading and assignments.)
· You must treat others with respect.
· You must conduct yourself in an appropriate businesslike manner.
· You must be honest with yourself and others.
Your grade for this online course will reflect the time and effort that YOU put forward. You will succeed by setting goals for yourself. Hard work, time and effort will enable you to achieve your goals. Establish a routine of preparing for each class session and seek help, when and if needed. Together, we will not only meet, but exceed expectations.
Studies indicate that students taking online courses need to be organized and have a high level of self-motivation. Prior to the start of the semester, become very familiar with how BlackBoard navigates. As the semester begins, set realistic goals. Organize yourself and your schedule. Keep up to date with all readings and assignments. Establish priorities and utilize your time wisely. Communicate with others and Remember; YOUR Future will be Whatever YOU Desire It to Be! Good luck in your efforts!