Marketing 4540: Business Marketing
Distance Learning

Course Syllabus – Spring, 2013

Professor: Dr. Ellen Bolman Pullins
Office: 3051 Stranahan Hall (mailbox in ST 3007)
Phone: 419/530-4273
FAX: 419/530-4610
Email: Ellen.Pullins@utoledo.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdsays 9:00-11:30

Objectives - What you should know/do at the end of the course:

1. You will be able to discuss the differences between business and consumer marketing.
2. You will demonstrate an understanding of the strategic process as it relates to business marketing.
3. You will be able to conduct an industry analysis on an industry that markets to businesses.
4. You will be able to make decisions and apply concepts to real world situations.

Course Materials:

Dwyer and Tanner, Business Marketing, Selected Readings (full book can be used if preferred: 4th edition)

Videos, powerpoint notes, and other material on the Blackboard site

Criteria and Assignments:

Quizzes (5 at 10 points each) 50 points
Company Analysis Project (4 Reports at 25 points each) 100 points
Company Analysis Final Posted Project 50 points
Exercises 75 points • Posted personal profile, group sign up • Exercises 1-5 • Comments on other students’ projects • Peer Evaluation
Professionalism (discussion questions, other communication, responsiveness/quality, conferences, peer assessment) 25 points

Grading Scale:

Course grades will be assigned based on total points accumulated on the components listed above as follows:
|92% and higher = A |70-77.9% = C |
|90-91.9% = A- |70-71.9% = C- |
|88-89.9% = B+ |68-69.9% = D+ |
|82-87.9% = B |62-67.9% = D |
|80-81.9% = B- |60-61.9% = D- |
|78-79.9% = C+ |less than 60% = F |

Company Analysis Project Guidelines

This is a significant project that will be done in groups of five. You will select a business-to-business oriented company from those offered up as potential projects this semester. You will complete four reports on the company that will give you a relatively encompassing environmental analysis of the firm, and then combine the four reports into a final project.

To select group members, you should be reading the material that others are posting about themselves and thinking about the companies available. You should sign up on the discussion boards for one of the companies. Groups will begin at 5 members per … based on total class enrollment, I might allow a sixth member to join later. Please refer to class schedule for due dates on posting your personal profile and group project selection.

Report #1: 2 – 5 page business report that identifies and analyzes: • General Company/History • Basic Strategy Company Employs • Company Competitive Advantages • Company Financials • Reference List (APA format)

Report #2: 2 – 5 page business report that identifies and analyzes: • Product Market Your Firm Competes in • Porter’s Five Forces Analysis (include competitive intensity) o Provide Market Share o Overall Demand Forecast for the Industry the Company is Competing in • Market Structure/Competitive Dynamics • Competitive Trends • Reference List (APA format)

Report #3: 2 – 5 page business report that identifies and analyzes: • Segmentation Scheme for industyr • Segments your Company Serves • Contact Segmentation/Marketing Communications • Trends in Customer Needs, Values, Usage • Reference List (APA format)

Report #4: 2 - 5 page business report that identifies: • Supply Chain (visual and description) • Balance of Power/Sources of Channel Power • External Trends o E-commerce/Technology o Regulation/New Laws o Environment, Political, Social Trends that Impact Business • Reference List (APA format)

Final Report: 10-20 page business report that: • Assembles earlier four reports in an organized way • Corrects any errors from earlier reports • Adds a SWOT as a summary of the whole report • Consolidates Reference Lists (APA format)
General Hints for Analysis Project

1. Check out the video in the library help section (project help) and check out materials posted there. These resources are customized for this project and will help you. Go to the library’s website as soon as you sign up. Go to OhioLink – Databases by Subject– Business. Choose Business & Company Resource Center (Gale) and search by company (i.e. Owens Corning). When you get search results, click on the first company entry. The profiles should give a list of NAICS Codes. The first entry should be the primary code. You may also want to check Mergent online in a similar manner.

2. Check Business Source Complete for information on published trade articles on your industry and company. Look through about the past 2 years. You should also look through other databases, such as Lexis Nexis Academic Universe, which will let you compare companies to find competitors and see legal issues.

3. Conduct a full search of the past two years’ Fortune, Forbes, Business Week and Wall Street Journal. Fill in as much of the search as possible. Use your WSJ online search mechanism.

4. Use the various on-line information searches at the business library to identify other sources. Some of these can be accessed through databases, others are in the reference room of the library (other public libraries will also have these).

5. Since you are working as a group, it’s important you work together. If there is a problem, tell me. We will try to correct it. The sooner we can address it the better.

6. When in doubt about your writing skills, go to the University Writing Center. Many students struggle with correct citation format … get help if needed.

7. Overall format must be of a professional report that you could use with clients or on a job interview.

8. All references must be cited consistently using the American Psychological Association style (Author 2005). Be consistent throughout. Watch the video & review supporting materials from the library (posted on project help). You can obtain and follow a style guide from the library.

9. Assignments are submitted through SafeAssign … which will detect plagerized materials so please be very cognizant of rules related to this.

Exercises:

Exercises will use short answer and short essay questions, and be applied in nature. They will ask you to apply material. Questions will be applied in nature and require that you THINK, apply and use critical analysis skills. Exercises will need to be completed and submitted before the due date noted on the course schedule.

Professionalism:

Professionalism will be based on my subjective assessment of the quality of input to discussion questions, your frequency of log in, response to instructor’s communications, timeliness, and overall professionalism of materials submitted (including discussion boards, online chat, conferences, email etc.).

Quizzes:
Brief five question quizzes will be given periodically to assure powerpoint, reading, and videos are reviewed.

Conferences:

You are required to attend one conference session with your group and the professor, other times available as needed. This can be held on campus or via tele-conference or a combination. Conferences will impact your professionalism grade.

Course Schedule:

|WEEK OF COURSE |MATERIAL TO STUDY / COMPLETE |ASSIGNMENTS DUE (all assignments are due by 9 pm Friday unless |
| | |otherwise stated.) |
|Week 1: Week of 1/7 |Read Before You Get Started and Course Syllabus |Email Instructor |
| |Watch Video 1: Introduction |Post Personal Profile on discussion board |
|OPTIONAL Meeting |MEET & GREET with the Professor & Classmates. Instructor will provide |Attend one of the following two times in ST-N 4170: Tue. 1/8 |
| |Pizza. |5:00-5:30 pm or Thur. 1/10 11:30 am - 12:00 |
|Week 2: Week of 1/14 |Read Chapter 1 |Select Group / Company Choice. There will be a group sign |
| |Review Course Module 1 |up/discussion board to sign up for group projects by Company. |
| | |Groups must be final by end of week so you must sign up by Wed. |
| | |at 5:00 pm. |
|Week 3: Week of 1/21 |Read Chapter 2 |Take Quiz 1 |
| |Review Project Help Library Materials | |
| |Listen to audio interview on relationships | |
|Week 4: Week of 1/28 |Read Chapter 5 |Submit Exercise 1 |
| |Review Course Module 2 | |
|Week 5: Week of 2/4 |Read Chapter 6 |Contribute to Discussion Question 1* |
| |REQ’D CONFERENCES WITH PROFESSOR |Email to schedule live/or tele-conference with Professor and |
| | |group no later than 2/13 |
|Week 6: Week of 2/11 |Watch Video 2: B2B Strategy Interview |Take Quiz 2 |
| |Review Project Help APA citing |Groups Submit Co. Analysis Report 1 |
|Week 7: Week of 2/18 |Review Course Module 3 |Submit Exercise 2 |
| |Watch Video 3: Competitive Analysis | |
|Week 8: Week of 2/25 |Read Chapter 10 |Contribute to Discussion Question 2* |
| |Watch Video 4: Branding Interview |Take Quiz 3 |
|Week of 3/4 |SPRING BREAK! | |
|Week 9: Week of 3/11 |Review Course Module 4 |Groups Submit Co. Analysis Report 2 |
| | |Submit Exercise 3 |
|Week 10: Week of 3/18 |Watch Video 5: Customer Analysis |Contribute to Discussion Question 3* |
| |Read Chapter 14 |Email to schedule live/tele-conference with Professor and group, |
| |OPT’L CONFERENCES WITH PROFESSOR |as needed. |
|Week 11: Week of 3/25 |Watch Video 6: Value |Take Quiz 4 |
| | |Groups Submit Co. Analysis Report 3 |
|Week 12: Week of 4/1 |Watch Video 7: Controls/ Channel Analysis |Contribute to Discussion Question 4* |
|Week 13: Week of 4/8 |Read Chapter 13 |Submit Exercise 4 |
| |Study Course Module 5 |Take Quiz 5 |
|Week 14: Week of 4/15 |Watch Video 8: Sales Channels |Contribute to Discussion Question 5* |
| | |Groups Submit Co. Analysis Report 4 |
|Week 15: Week of 4/22 |Review Course Module 6 |Post Complete Project to Discussion Board |
| |Watch Video 9: Ethics |Submit Exercise 5 |
|Finals Week |Complete Course & Peer Evaluation / Review Projects |Comment on every other project |
| | |Submit Peer Evaluation |

*It is expected that contribution to discussion questions will occur more than once during the course of a week. Students should contribute early and then read through others responses and contribute again later in the week. Failure to do so will result in not receiving full points. Quality will also play a role.