University of Central Florida

MAR 4804 (Section 1)

Marketing Strategy

Spring 2005

Professor: Axel Stock Teaching Assistant: Anders Fosse

Office: BA2 - 308 W e-mail: afosse@start.no

Office Hours: 9.30 – 10.30 am on Tuesdays

9.30 – 10.30 am on Wednesdays

and by appointment

Phone: (407)-823-1418

FAX: (407)-823-3891

e-mail: astock@bus.ucf.edu

Web: www.bus.ucf.edu/astock and via WebCT

Class: BA2-221, Tuesdays 10.30 am - 1.15 pm

Course Description and PurposeAfter taking courses in Principles of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research and Marketing Management you are ready to use this knowledge to formulate Marketing Strategy and make important Marketing decisions. In this course we use the case method of instruction. In case studies we are given the essential background information to understand the setting and nuances of a real Marketing issue. We then explore the problem and learn to develop strategies. This requires creative thinking, ability to crunch numbers, and of course critical decision making skills. Besides applying the theoretical concepts you have learned in marketing courses, the course teaches you how to work together in a team, manage deadline oriented projects and make impressive presentations. At the end of this course you should be ready to take on real world marketing challenges as a marketing professional. Course MaterialThe case packet for the class is available at the University bookstore. Please note that the case packet for this specific section (Section 1 & 2) is required.

Course PrerequisitesTo take MAR 4804, you must have completed MAR 3023, MAR 3503, MAR 3613, MAR 3391, MAR 3641 and MAR 4803.

Grading

There are three credit hours being awarded for MAR 4804.

Contribution Points

6 Quizzes* 240

Contribution to In-Class Discussion 150

Midterm Exam 210

2 Team presentations**

First presentation 100

Second presentation 125

Written Case Analysis** 175

Total 1000

There will be an optional extra credit assignment worth 5 points.* I will count the best 6 out of 7 quizzes taken.* *weighted by peer evaluationsGrades for this course will be assigned on the following scale:

A B C D F

900-1000 800-899 700-799 600-699 0-599

Make-up examsMake-up exams must be requested in writing and will require written medical proof. Do not take the course unless you can sit for the exams on the dates indicated below. The makeup exam for the midterm exam is scheduled at 9 am on March 3, 2005 (location TBA), unless otherwise arranged.

Class ParticipationYour class participation will be graded Your participation grades will depend on a) how often you contribute; b) the quality of your contribution; and finally, c) how well you listen to others and develop ideas collaboratively.It is important to understand that frequent participation in class is not as important as the quality of participation. That is, you should strive to make effective use of discussion time in class, through thoughtful, timely, and constructive participation. Students who miss a class will be given a zero for that day’s class participation.

Notes on Preparation for Case Discussions The case situations that will be discussed have been developed by careful research on actual situations in real companies. The case writer has attempted to describe enough of the background and details of the situation in order to give an understanding that provides an adequate basis for class discussion. Thorough preparation on the part of all class participants is essential to having a good class discussion. Reading the case is not enough. After an initial reading to get the broad pattern, go back and study the case thoroughly, developing your understanding of the problems confronting the individuals in the case. Make any notes you find helpful and mark up the case to facilitate structuring your understanding of the situation. Identify the major problems and key relationships. Conceive alternative solutions to the problem and identify the advantages and disadvantages of each. Do not be surprised if you feel that the case lacks some facts that you would like to have to make possible a better decision. Management decisions frequently must be made on the basis of only these facts which are on hand at the time the decision must be made, and frequently these facts are not as complete as might be desired. Remember that the ability to make effective decisions without all of the facts is an essential executive skill. Don't look for "the subject" of a case or expect to get "the answer" in class. Business situations are complex and frequently involve a series of interrelated problems. Likewise, there are usually a number of alternative possible solutions, each involving different degrees of risk, cost, and simplicity of execution. The opportunity to see the variety of ideas expressed by your colleagues, and to be exposed to the challenge of defending your ideas in the face of questions they may ask, provides the major part of the benefit from case discussions. Remember that the effectiveness of the case discussion is proportional to the thoroughness of preparations by the members of the class.

ProfessionalismProfessional behavior in your language and dealings with other members of the class is expected at all times. Attendance is mandatory. Please do not show up late for the class.

Team WorkThere is an emphasis on teamwork in this course. A well functioning group should be able to create several different perspectives, innovative ideas and powerful strategies. Members learn how to challenge each other constructively and collaborate. They also learn how to manage deadlines. However, it is important that every member of the group recognize some basic principles of working well in groups. Firstly, you need to pull your weight and do your fair share of work. Secondly, you have to respect other people’s point of view and be willing to listen and cooperate. Finally, one should be prepared for some stress and conflict when working in groups and learn how to best manage it in a way that is constructive and productive. It is essential that any problem in group working be brought to my attention as early as possible so that corrective action can be taken. A student who is not doing his or her fair share in the team may be subject to penalties such as downward revisions of letter grade or being awarded a failing grade in the course. The team members will also have an opportunity to evaluate the contribution of each team member to the team effort.

Policy on academic misconductUCF is committed to a policy of honesty in academics. Conduct compromising this policy may result in academic and/or disciplinary action. Cheating is a violation of student academic behavior standards. Any student who violates or knowingly helps another student violate academic behavior standards will be pursued through the Office of the Dean of Students at UCF. (Source: The Golden Rule Student Handbook).

Tentative Session Plan

COURSE INTRODUCTION

January 11 Course IntroductionOrientation LectureClass IntroductionTeam Formation

CASE ANALYSIS FUNDAMENTALS

January 18 Presentation 1: The Art of Decision Making and Strategic ThinkingIntroduction to Case Analysis

January 25 Case 1: Onsale Inc., Quiz 1

STRATEGY TOOLS AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

February 1 Presentation 2: Workshop on Strategy and Strategy ToolsMarketing Math I

February 8 Case 2: Biopure Corporation, Quiz 2

February 15 Presentation 3: Marketing Math IICase 3: Callaway Golf Corp., Quiz 3

February 22 Case 4: Nestle Refrigerated Foods: Contadina Pasta & Pizza, Quiz 4

March 1 Midterm Exam

Team Case presentations:

March 8 Case 5: IKEA invades America(Teams 1, 2, 3 present; Teams 4 -9 take Quiz)

March 15 Spring Break

March 22 Case 6: Brioni (Teams 4, 5, 6 present; Teams 1-3, 7-9 take Quiz)

March 29 Case 7: CVS: The Web Strategy(Teams 7, 8, 9 present; Teams 1-6 take Quiz)

April 5 Case 8: The New Beetle(Teams 1, 2, 3 present; other teams take Quiz*)

April 12 Case 9: Marketing at the Vanguard Group(Teams 4, 5, 6 present; other teams take Quiz*)

April 19 Case 10: XM Satellite Radio(Teams 7, 8, 9 present; other teams take Quiz*)

April 26 Extra Credit Assignment

WRITTEN CASE ANALYSIS:

Teams can choose one out of the cases 8 – 10 (except for the case they are presenting) for written case analysis. The written case analysis will be due on the day when the selected case is scheduled for presentation, at the beginning of the class session.

*Each team takes the quiz about the case for which they do not prepare a presentation or a case paper.

TEAM EVALUATIONS

Your name: ________________________

This evaluation is meant to include all aspects of team participation.

Please list each team member’s name (including yourself) and give each team member a score from 0 to 100 to indicate each person’s contribution to team performance in each of the cases.

Name Case presentation 1

Case presentation 2

Written Case

Explain the ratings you have assigned for each team member including yourself if any of your ratings are significantly different from 100. If you give one or more team members a significantly lower grade, you must explain your evaluation.Your evaluations are confidential and will not be shown to anyone. The individual’s score for the group assignments is the group’s score weighted by the peer evaluation scores. No upward adjustments of grades are possible.

The evaluation is due at the beginning of the class, April 19, 2004.NOTE: Your individual grade for all team papers and presentations may be adjusted according to the results of this peer evaluation. A team without a clear-cut rating pattern will generally see minimal changes. Typically, those individuals that perform clearly below average will see an impact on their grade. In extreme cases, however, a person who failed to contribute as a team member on a given assignment may receive no points for that assignment. Warning: I reserve the right to ignore or adjust peer evaluations where one individual was given a rating well below the others unless the team has attempted to deal with the situation. Poor communication is not the hallmark of either good business executives or teams. I expect that most problem situations will be brought to my attention well before this evaluation is due.