Course Descriptions - Marketing

MKT 431: Advanced Consumer Behavior

Marketing begins and ends with the consumer - from determining consumer needs to providing consumer satisfaction. Thus, an understanding of consumer behavior is critical in successfully managing the marketing function. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the study of consumer behavior. We will explore psychological, sociological, social psychological, and cultural perspectives and examine their usefulness for developing marketing strategies. Prerequisite: MKT 430.

MKT 432: Marketing Research

As the name suggests, this seminar focuses on research in marketing. Coverage includes the use of secondary research or market intelligence, the design of a research plan and data collection methodology, and emphasizes survey research. The analysis and interpretation of results, using SPSS, is a major aspect of the course. Students work in groups as consultants for area business firms to gain experience in initiating, designing, and completing a marketing research project. Please note: Where appropriate in a student's overall academic objectives and Plan of Study, it may be permissible for an MBA student to substitute MKT 432 for MQM 497. Prerequisite: MKT 430.

MKT 433: Advanced Integrated Marketing Communication

This course is designed to overview and experience the integrated marketing communication (IMC) planning process through a client project. In addition to exploring the IMC or promotional strategy planning process, students will gain experience in developing an IMC plan based on a thorough market/situation analysis for clients. Prerequisite: MKT 430 or equivalent.

MKT 438: International Marketing

The International Marketing course addresses strategic issues for marketing programs conducted on a multinational scale. The material covered includes such issues as evaluating opportunities in overseas markets and adapting strategies to specific national market needs and constraints. Prerequisite: MKT 430.

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MKT 439.05: Seminar in Selling and Sales Management

Both salespeople and sales managers are experiencing a fundamental shift from their traditional focus on the single exchange-transaction to a longer-term relationship focus. In the guise of such aphorisms as "total quality" and "relationship marketing," customer satisfaction and value-added selling have become the preferred means for creating a sustainable competitive advantage and achieving superior performance. Today, a firm's success is highly dependent upon that firm's ability to adjust its marketing strategies to fit the contingencies inherent to each customer interaction. As these relationship-building strategies are implemented at the sales force level, this shift to customer oriented business strategies underscores the importance of developing, understanding, and applying an updated and more contemporary set of selling and sales management principles and skills.

This course takes an active learning approach emphasizing a decision making perspective as it focuses on five interrelated and sequential processes, each of which influences sales force performance: (1) interpersonal communication and behavior; (2) the process of relationship oriented, consultative selling; (3) strategic sales program formulation; (4) sales program implementation; and (5) sales performance evaluation and control.

These course objectives are accomplished first through tracing the evolution and implications of the new paradigm of "Relationship Marketing." Using this understanding as a foundation, we compare and contrast various fashions of personal selling and build the participant's skill in applying the consultative technique of selling. Having sharpened our understanding of "what" a salesperson does, we transition to the concepts inherent in coaching and managing salespeople. Prerequisite: MKT 430.

MKT 439.06: Product Development Management

This course investigates the development and management of products and services. Topics in new product development include idea generation and screening, design, planning, and prototyping, and new product roll-out, as well as the development of marketing strategies and implementation plans for new products and services. Management of existing products and services is also covered with an emphasis on integration of new products and services into the product line. Additional topics include, but are not limited to quality management, management of innovation, and new product design and development team management. Prerequisite: MKT 430 or consent of instructor.