Effective organizations, whether in the public, the private or non-profit sector, seek to attract and retain satisfied customers consistent with their mission and capacity. The course will emphasize the theory and practical skills associated with assessing customer interests, desires and needs; identifying organizational fit, and harnessing the organization’s capacity to respond. It will explore the relationship of marketing to other business functions and consider the challenges faced by organizations seeking to serve international and cross-cultural markets. Examples of how both young and mature organizations gain insight into consumer behavior, market services and engage in business-to-business marketing will be analyzed. Marketing for the e-business sector will be discussed, and students will be introduced to the role of marketing in new ventures, and learn cost-effective ways to do market research and leverage available resources in innovative ways to create new markets.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Develop marketing strategies for the local and global markets across the product life cycle.
2. Employ models, theories, and data analysis to critically examine factors that influence consumer and organizational decision-making and buying behavior.
3. Assess marketing challenges and opportunities paying particular attention to customers, pricing, distribution channels, communications, and product development.
4. Design and employ strategies for customer relationship-building and management with the goal of long-term retention customer retention.

Course Schedule and Topics

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week.

Week 1: Unit 1 – Developing a Marketing Strategy

Week 2: Unit 2 – Understanding Customer Behavior

Week 3: Unit 3 – Developing a Global Brand Strategy

Week 4: Unit 4 – Marketing Strategy over the Product Life Cycle; New Product Development

Week 5: Unit 5 – Pricing and Sales Promotion

Week 6: Unit 6 – Communications

Week 7: Unit 7 – Channels of Distribution

Week 8: Unit 8 – Customer Relationship Management

Learning Guide

The following is an outline of how this course will be conducted, with suggested best practices for students.

Unit 1: Developing a Marketing Strategy

• Introduce yourself in the Course Forum
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity

Unit 2: Understanding Customer Behavior

• Peer-assess Unit 1 Assignment
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete the Written Assignment
• Complete the Portfolio Activity

Unit 3: Developing a Global Brand Strategy

• Peer-assess Unit 2 Assignment
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity

Unit 4: Marketing Strategy over the Product Life Cycle; New Product Development

• Peer-assess Unit 3 Case Study
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity

Unit 5: Pricing and Sales Promotion

• Peer-assess Unit 4 Assignment
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Case Study
• Begin working on Group Activity
• Complete and submit your Portfolio Activity

Unit 6: Communications

• Peer-assess Unit 5 Case Study
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Continue working on the Group Assignment
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity

Unit 7: Channels of Distribution

• Peer-assess Unit 6 Assignment
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Written Assignment
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity
• Complete and submit the Group Activity

Unit 8: Customer Relationship Management

• Peer-assess Unit 7 Assignment
• Read through the Learning Guide and the Reading Assignment
• Complete the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum
• Respond to three of your fellow classmates’ posts in the Discussion Forum
• Complete and submit the Portfolio Activity