This page was last updated on 07/24/00.

Required Textbook:

William G. Nickels and Marian Burk Wood (1997), Marketing: Relationships, Quality, Value, New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Recommended Book:

William Strunk and E. B. White (1979), The Elements of Style, Third Edition, New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Co. (This is not required, but is an excellent little book for improving your writing skills.)

Course Description:

Why study marketing? Since marketing or marketing-like activities affect your life daily, including some ways that you may not have previously considered, this class should be very practical. We all purchase things. Some of us have tried to sell things. The United Way encourages us to donate to their worthy causes. The neighborhood kids set up a lemonade stand.

Marketing is about people. What do people want? Why do they want it? Where can they go to get it? How do others figure these things out? How do companies (or individuals) produce and deliver the things people want? In considering these types of questions it becomes obvious that people are vastly different. Because of this, marketing is a very diverse field. Are you interested in psychology? If so, you may be very interested in the amount of psychology applied in areas like consumer behavior and marketing management. Are you interested in finance, accounting, or statistics? Pricing is often a very important consideration in marketing strategy discussions. (However, we won’t be crunching too many numbers in this course.) Do you watch much TV? If so, you’ve been exposed to the wonderful world of advertising and promotion.

Marketing is also about money and business. In any organization, if no cash comes in, the front doors will eventually shut. Marketing is the function that joins the organization with its consumer. It finds out what the organization needs to do to please the consumer, it communicates its findings to other organization members, and it communicates to the consumer the resulting product or service that is offered.

This course won’t enable you to step into the role of Vice-President of Marketing at IBM. It will, however, help you gain an understanding of the broad topic of marketing in a way that will give you a good foundation for both future marketing classes and other business endeavors.

Course Objectives

MKT 300 is an introductory course in marketing. The course is designed to give you a survey of basic marketing principles used by businesses, non-business institutions, and society. The course provides an introduction to marketing terminology, practices, and strategies. After completing this course, students should be able to:

• Understand what the term "marketing" encompasses, to define the marketing concept, and to evaluate its influence on business and society.
• Discern how firms identify customer needs and derive strategies to meet those needs.
• Identify and analyze the various components of the "marketing mix."
• Develop an appreciation for "marketing-like" activities in all areas of life.
• Become better, more aware, and maybe less naive consumers and customers.
• Enjoy themselves while accomplishing all of the above.

Additionally, the course assignments are designed to continue to improve students’ verbal, written, and thinking skills in preparing them for positions in the business world.

Course Conduct:

Class will be a combination of instructor lectures, interactive class discussions, and in-class activities. You are expected to have read assigned material prior to class. Assignments are due at the beginning of class of the specified due date.

Class Attendance:

As is the case in most businesses, your attendance and promptness is expected. Coming to class late or leaving early is not acceptable behavior. A relatively large percentage of your grade will depend upon you being present during class. If you miss class for any reason, you will be responsible for any material covered, assignments given, or dates changed. Studies have shown that students who attend class regularly and participate fully find assignments and exams to be much easier and more meaningful, and (surprise!) tend to get better grades than those who do not attend class regularly.

Most in-class activities and discussions are designed in such a way that they cannot be "made up" outside of class. In rare instances, students may have to miss class for a valid, university-sanctioned reason (as specified in the BGSU student handbook). (In general, an absence is considered "official" when the student is: (a) participating in an approved field trip or other official BGSU activity (e.g., athletics, debate, music, theater arts); (b) confirmed under doctor’s orders; or (c) granted a leave of absence from BGSU for reasonable cause by his or her academic dean.) Except for medical emergencies, which will require proper documentation, all other absences must be approved by the instructor prior to the class session that will be missed. Alternative assignments will be given only for instructor-approved absences.

Late Work:

My experience with teaching university students suggests that, on average, 10 to 15 percent of the class will attempt to turn in assignments later than the time specified. Many reasons are given for late work (e.g., flat tires, printer problems, illness, oversleeping, etc.). No matter what the reason, the bottom line is that either (a) the work was completed and turned in when required or (b) the assignment was not completed and turned in when required.

As specified earlier, assignments are due in class at the beginning of class of the specified due date. There is NO PROVISION for late work on any assignment. I strongly suggest that you plan and schedule your work early (and not wait until the "last minute"). I also strongly recommend having backup systems in place so that you can have all work completed on schedule. Having your work completed on schedule is a key to early success in your business career. A major complaint of employers is that business faculty do not instill a responsibility in students to have work done on time. Thus, I would suggest that you start now to develop good work habits for meeting deadlines.

NOTE: Late submissions are not accepted. Partial credit will NOT be given for late work.

Course Requirements:

You will be required to participate in several different activities in this course. Your final grade is based on a portfolio of work which assesses your effort and excellence using a variety of learning methods. In particular, your grade in this class will be determined based upon the following components:

(A) Exams (4)                                                  480 points

(B) Marketing Project                                        80 points

(C) In-Class Participation/Activities/Quizzes       40 points

Total Points                                                     600 points

Students should keep track of their own points throughout the semester. A detailed break-down of each category is provided on the Point Portfolio page of the syllabus to help you monitor your progress. The tentative grading scale is the following:

540 - 600 points         (90%)      A

480 - 539 points         (80%)      B

420 - 479 points         (70%)      C

360 - 419 points         (60%)      D

0 - 359 points                             F

Course Components:

(A) Exams (120 points each)

Four exams will be given in this class. The exams will cover material from the textbook, active learning assignments, and in-class discussions. Due to copying and scheduling considerations, any request to change an exam time for a valid reason must be approved by the instructor at least two weeks in advance. All students will be expected to take the exam at the following scheduled times:

Exam 1     Thursday             July 13

Exam 2     Tuesday              July 25

Exam 3     Tuesday              August 1

Exam 4     Thursday            August 10

Students who do not take an exam at the scheduled time and have not made prior arrangements will be required to take an alternative (comprehensive) exam on Friday, August 11 at 9:30 a.m.  Generally speaking, makeup exams tend to be more difficult than the regularly scheduled exams.

As an advance warning, you will find that I do not spend a great deal of class time preparing you for exams.  You will be responsible for all class material covered in the textbook, lectures, videos.  I provide a set of review terms on the class web site, but it is not my intent to spend class time going through every concept on this list.  If you have specific questions before an exam, please see me during my office hours. 

I will do my best to return your exams to you within a couple of (class) days. I will not discuss individual exam scores or questions in the classroom. I will be happy to discuss questions on a particular student’s exam in my office, but will only discuss them after the student has submitted, in writing or via E-mail, a statement describing why the score on a particular question (or questions) should be re-evaluated. After the exam has been returned to the class, you will have three class days to turn in a written appeal if you disagree with my evaluation of a particular question or questions.

Exams will be returned in class once they have been graded, but I will collect them after they have been reviewed in class. Do NOT take exam material from class. If an exam or its answer sheet "leaves" either the class room or the testing room, the student will automatically receive a zero in place of any grade he/she might have scored. (This is to ensure all students in future semesters equivalent access to exam materials prior to tests.) You may review your exams on any day during my office hours or a scheduled appointment.

(B) Marketing Project (80 points)

During the semester you will be assigned to a team of five to six students. Each student in the team will be responsible for completing one of five assignments (listed below). Students in the team will decide among themselves who is going to do each assignment. By sharing responsibilities each student will, in effect, become the expert in the group on the topic he/she selects and will be expected to share this knowledge with the rest of the team (and possibly the class). The five assignments are listed next.

Marketing Watch. This assignment requires the student to find an article in the current business press that addresses marketing issues related to a topic discussed in class and provide an analysis of the article. Additional details of the assignment are provided in a separate handout.

Customer Loyalty Assignment. In this assignment you are to find a recent article in the business press that addresses specific reasons why customers have become loyal to a particular company. Additional details of the assignment are provided in a separate handout.

Marketing for Utilities. Much deregulation has been occurring with public utilities (e.g., telephone, gas, electric, cable, etc.) in recent years. As a result, utilities are no longer "the only game in town" and have had to think seriously about marketing activities. For this assignment you will be required to find an article in the current business press that addresses a marketing issues related to a utility company or industry. Additional details of the assignment are provided in a separate handout.

Packaging Consumption. For this assignment you will be asked to observe and record/list packaging materials for any and all products you consume over a specified period. This might include an empty cereal box, empty cans of green beans, cellophane from a new notebook, wrappers from Big Macs, etc. Additional details of the assignment are provided in a separate handout.

Advertisement Collection. You will be asked to collect and analyze three advertisements from competing products. One is to be what you consider an especially good ad (using your own criteria), the second is a poor ad, and the third is one that you find especially interesting, creative, intriguing, or unique. Additional details of the assignment are provided in a separate handout.

(C) In-Class Participation/Activities/Quizzes (up to 40 points)

Active Learning Assignments. From time to time we will have in-class active learning activities. For these activities teams will be assigned, and as a team you will be required to complete a particular activity. Active student participation in these assignments is essential to the learning process. Each active learning assignment is worth approximately points. You must be present in class on the day of the assignment in order to receive any credit for that assignment. Thus, if you are not present in class for a particular active learning assignment, you will receive 0 points. These activities may include mini-case analyses, exercises, "marketing consulting" projects, analyses of collected materials, or small group discussions. Your enthusiasm and cooperation in participating in these activities will assist in your understanding of the marketing topics we will cover.

Quizzes. Sometimes students need an incentive to prepare in advance for class (e.g., read the text book) and to show up for class on-time. Thus, from time to time, I may give unannounced quizzes (usually 2-5 points) on the assigned reading material. My intent is to encourage you to keep up on your reading assignments and to see if you are synthesizing the material. The most likely time for a quiz will be the beginning of class. If you are not in class at the time of the quiz, you will receive zero points.

Overall Contribution. To assist in your understanding of marketing issues you are encouraged to contribute to in-class discussions. Your participation and interaction with other students will be a major component of the class instruction. You are encouraged to bring in current issues/articles for class discussion. My experience suggests that your attendance, contribution to class discussions, enthusiastic participation in class activities, and willingness to volunteer opinions and ask questions will help your understanding of the material.

Other Important Information:

Success-oriented course. MKT 300 is a success-oriented course. My desire is that all students in the class would meet their individual learning (and grade) goals. However, this does not mean that you can avoid working hard in this class. What this does mean is that all students who do well in the class will be rewarded accordingly. That is, the grade distribution will not be adjusted to make sure it fits a bell-shaped curve--thus, you are not in direct competition with your classmates. Also, you will have a written assignment and some in-class activities to help you demonstrate your understanding of the material we cover in class.

Study time. Most college courses require that students spend a significant amount of time outside of class in individual study time. A general guideline is to spend two hours studying for every one hour spent in class. This means, on average, for this class approximately seven hours should be spent outside of class for each evening session. (This situation is intensified in summer school where we cover about two and a half week’s worth of material in one week.) Actual in-class meeting time is short in college courses because it is expected that students can and will work independently outside of class in order to meet the course requirements. My experience suggests that students who regularly spend the recommended amount of time in preparing for this class tend to do very well, assuming they make effective use of their time.

Class pace. Much time is allocated in this class for small group discussion and in-class activities. As a result, not as much time is spent in the traditional lecture format. In order to cover the course material, lectures are organized to cover the material at a fairly quick pace. It is therefore essential that you (a) keep up with the assigned readings, (b) budget your time wisely in order to complete all of your assignments, and (c) seek clarification on any material that you do not understand. If I start going too fast in my lectures, let me know. It is my desire that you understand the material.

Active Learning Activities. Active learning methods are frequently used in this class. This means that you will work together with other students to complete a number of in-class assignments. I will monitor the groups regularly to ensure they are on task, conflicts are being resolved, and so that no student in any group gets a free ride. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that energetic participation in active learning activities lead to higher grades, increased critical thinking skills, positive relationships, and deeper understanding. In addition, student evaluations of such classes show students enjoy the active role they play in the class, have fun in the process, learn more, take responsibility for their own learning and the learning of others, and develop meaningful friendships which encourage them in their studies and in their personal lives.

Flexibility. A tentative schedule for the entire semester is included in this syllabus. Although much thought was put into the course schedule and structure, activities are tentative and subject to change as necessary because of the availability of support materials and adaptation to specific needs of the class. Occasional departures from the schedule, such as additional readings, assignments, and activities, may be announced in class during the semester. Such announcements will take priority over the printed schedule. It is the student’s responsibility to be in class and keep up-to-date on whatever changes are made in the schedule.

Academic dishonesty. University policy indicates that cheating in any form (e.g., collaborating with fellow students on exams and individual assignments, or having access to unauthorized material) requires the instructor to fail the offender(s) for the course. If serious enough, any such situation will be handed over to university authorities for further action.

Classroom behavior. Some miscellaneous expectations that I (as the service provider) have of you (the customer) in the delivery of this educational "product" are:

(1) Do not hesitate to ask questions. If something is unclear to you, it probably means that several others have the same question. However, please ask me the questions or to slow down and repeat something, not your neighbor. In other words, no talking when I am talking. Likewise, no talking when a fellow student "has the floor."  This is not only common courtesy, but such talking annoys and distracts other students around you (as well as myself).

(2) Do not come to class late or leave early. Neither your fellow students nor I appreciate such disruptions. You expect me to be on time, and I expect the same behavior from you.

(3) Please do not wear hats or caps during class. I believe they are as inappropriate in this setting as they are in a church. (There are relatively few business situations where wearing a hat during a meeting in an office building is considered acceptable behavior.)