Curriculum: Master of Science in Marketing

Explores the role of marketing research in marketing management. Students do hands-on assignments to develop their understanding of methods for designing and implementing marketing research projects, including collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data pertinent to solving marketing problems. Developing experience in key aspects of marketing research is stressed.

Consumer behavior is the study of human responses to products, services, and the marketing of these products and services. The topic is of critical importance to managers because the focus on the consumer is the key contribution of marketing to business practice; other business functions (e.g.,finance, accounting, production) ignore the consumer. Managers who really understand the consumer develop better products and services, and also market their products and services more effectively.

This course is designed to provide MS/MBA students with a broad, practical overview of ethical issues in marketing. Drawing from moral philosophy and cognitive psychology, students will acquire and refine analytical and managerial decision-making skills through the application of ethical principles to moral dilemmas represented in case examples. The primary emphasis of this course is on managerial decision-making. A central theme of this course is that good decisions are informed by a thorough understanding of the subjective biases to which individual human judgments and group decisions are prone.

This course aims to develop a conceptual framework for strategic planning and introduce a handful of analytical tools. Importantly, strategy involves wrestling with knotty problems and testing solutions in a group context. Therefore, we develop descriptive familiarity and some analytical prowess around real problems and develop vital points of reference we can utilize in future, analogous circumstances. We analyze marketing cases that pivot on substantial, contemporary issues involving branding, market selection, business definition, program development and management, among others.

At UC's College of Business, the MS/Marketing Capstone faculty supervisor solicits proposals for projects from organizations (for-profit and not-for-profit) based on participating students' general areas of interest. After the project proposals are previewed and rated by students, the faculty supervisor assigns each student to a project for a five-month learning experience in which students address real marketing problems provided by various client organizations. The scope of these projects centers on any of the following: marketing planning, marketing research,branding and brand architecture initiatives, distribution or channel assessment/ alignment, customer relationship management (CRM) strategies and implementation, analysis of potential marketing initiatives, marketing for non-profits, healthcare marketing, new product development initiatives, and sports marketing. The prime objective of this course is to produce a "win-win"situation for students and clients: these assignments should prove to be valuable "real-world" learning experiences for students, and it is expected that each student will provide a valued output for the client organization.

This course focuses on how to create value and growth through innovation in new and existing markets. Students will learn the skills of innovation and how to apply those skills within the context of a marketing strategy framework. Students will apply innovation methods across the entire marketing management continuum including strategy, segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the 4P's. The course will be taught using interactive workshop methods and techniques throughout. Students will first experience these facilitation techniques while learning innovation.They will then learn and practice these techniques so that they can apply them routinely throughout their graduate experience and beyond.

The course is designed to enable the student to increase his/her understanding and competence in professional selling through a combination of discussions, exercises, role playing, and a simulated sales presentation. The course will also help students understand the role of professional selling within the context of the marketing and promotional mix of the firm, and guide students in their understanding of the principles of professional selling.

The class focuses on the method, theory, and practice of consumer research designed to uncover consumer insights. The goal of the class is to learn the skills necessary to plan and execute a qualitative research project that will lead to actionable consumer insights. Students will complete a project and may be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Examining the strategic decisions and tactical elements of managing a product throughout its lifecycle.

Students will study the process of market analysis, customer needs assessment, new product concept development, and market launch strategy.

This course introduces design thinking as a business problem solving approach. It overviews design thinking techniques and has hands on practice applying these to classic business challenges. It fosters creativity and teamwork in the increasingly ambiguous business world in which today's business leaders must compete.

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to elements of advertising and promotion.The course is designed from the perspective of managers who will need to make decisions about marketing communications programs. Topics covered include: setting objectives, positioning, target audience selection, creative strategy, media strategy, advertising research and evaluation. The marketing communications program is seen as one part of the overall marketing mix. The material covered in the course is relevant for all types of organizations (large, small, public, or private).

Social influence refers to the attempt of one party to gain compliance from another party. It is a universal feature of human existence and widely practiced by sellers. This course will examine principles of social influence and their applications in marketing. Based on noted psychologist Robert B. Cialdini's authoritative book "Influence: Science and Practice" students will learn the psychological secrets underlying powerful persuasion techniques used by advertisers, sales professionals, direct marketers, politicians, religious cults, and others.

This course explores use of digital technologies as they are used for the marketing, selling, and the distribution of goods and services. New developments unfold rapidly in this arena, hence course content changes as appropriate. The goal is to develop an understanding of the opportunities and limitations of digital tools for marketing and how these tools support marketing strategy.

This course will explore a range of issues related to the strategic management of Brands including an overview of Brands and Brand Management, brand equity/brand positioning, designing and implementing Brand strategies, and managing Brand Equities across geographic boundaries. Emphasis will be on applying the Strategic Brand Management theory to practical application/case studies. The class will focus on Strategic Brand Management principles which are relevant across a wide range of Branding situations (consumable and non-consumable products, services, retail outlets,people, organizations, places, and even ideas like a political or social cause).

In the 50s and 60s Marketing was perceived to be largely a Sales function. As Marketing permeated the way it has, in the past twenty years, the Sales function has merely become a component of Marketing. It is considered an integrative component of Marketing since it is the one that translates plans/programs into results/revenues. It converts the potential into actual. As a focal point, Sales Management is considered indispensable particularly to those who wish to develop a marketing career. Sales people benefit first, from the implementation of the marketing programs to achieve goals and, second, from the exposure to the "customer"- the market. So, therefore, experience in Sales is essential not only for better understanding the market and the various tools of marketing but also for developing a solid background necessary for climbing up the latter to the corporate executive ranks.

This course gives an overview of the retailing industry with an emphasis on the cutting edge strategies, technologies and success stories by major retailers originating in the U.S. and beyond. The course introduces retailing from both theoretical and managerial perspectives, with a special emphasis on the most current developments in the industry. Major topics covered include the basic principles of retailing, retailing research,winning strategies of successful retailers (including use of store atmospherics, customer service, CRM and technology) and their success stories, as well as the rampant globalization of the retailing industry.

To influence consumers’ decisions, marketers first need to understand how those decisions are made. Such decisions would be quite easy to understand if we assume consumers (1) are perfectly accurate information processors, and (2) always choose options that maximize their happiness. In this course, you will learn how and why both of these assumptions are rarely true. Specifically, we will look at how things like risk and uncertainty, heuristics and biases, feelings and emotions, contextual factors, and even our evolutionary history lead consumers to both systematically deviate from traditional notions of rationality, and even define new ways in which we think about rationality itself.

This course explores the use of digital marketing – the integrated use of demand generation digital platforms and multiple social channels – to create digital conversations that enable brands to send the right message, to the right person, at the right time. A digital conversation is a sequence of communications, or "touch points," that nurture a prospect through each of the marketing funnel stages. It is the execution of the brand’s storytelling in a digital format, addressing the prospect's “moment that matter” in each funnel stage, and progressively profiling the prospect to optimize content delivery. The goal is to quickly connect with the prospect, reduce the time it takes to convert them to customers, and create long term loyalty.

Digital Marketing Analytics refers to the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data associated with digital marketing touch points such as web sites, mobile sites, email, and mobile apps to improve the customer experience and drive desired outcomes. Digital marketing analytics has become an integral part of core business strategies and maintaining a competitive edge. Digital marketing analytics can help the manager determine how to best spend marketing resources.

There is an increased need for marketing managers to measure and justify marketing spending to CEO’s, CFO’s, Management Consultants and Investors. Companies are increasingly cautious about marketing spending due to the economy and the continued fragmentation of marketing channels, and the increasing importance of word of mouth. These changes make marketing resource allocation decisions much more complex. In addition, the increasing availability of data (“Big Data”) and techniques for dealing with it (i.e., machine learning, computational mathematics) has made assessing marketing performance more feasible. This course focuses on providing you with tools and approaches to gauge the impact of marketing actions – short and long term. More specifically, it provides an overview of currently available marketing metrics, how to determine the most appropriate marketing measures (Key Performance Indices-KPI) for a specific company, and whether that data is available or needs to be created, and how to construct a marketing measurement system or dashboard to enable return on marketing investment (ROMI). Students who will benefit from this course include those interested in current or anticipated positions in the following: • Marketing at either the firm or business line level • Planning and strategic planning, • Operating positions for a business line or firm • Entrepreneurs launching new businesses

A company's most important asset may be its reputation. A powerful way to enhance that reputation is by supporting a relevant and meaningful cause, one that aligns well to the company's brands and to the customers it serves. Marketing for Social Change is all about how to use marketing to further a worthy cause. A well-designed cause marketing program has many benefits. First is financial. As with any marketing campaign, cause marketing will boost the bottom line. Consider one of the first cause marketing programs ever - the American Express campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty. Because of that campaign, the company saw the use of their credit card increase by 28%. New applications for the American Express card rose by 17%. Cause marketing is an effective way to build a brand. Numerous studies have shown that consumers have more favorable attitudes towards those brands that are tied to a cause than those that are not. Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is a good example. Cause marketing also enhances a company’s reputation. Take Johnson & Johnson, for example. It’s one of the most respected companies in the world. In 2002, it started The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future. It was designed to address a critical shortage of nurses in the United States by raising awareness and attracting young people to the profession. Nursing applications increased 62% over the next ten years. Cause marketing makes people feel good, and that generates goodwill. Look at Macy’s, for example. Since 1924, the company sponsors the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. It’s the world’s largest parade, and it’s broadcast all over the world. Whether you shop at Macy’s or not, this event just builds a sense of goodness and fun for everyone. A company's employees also benefit. Studies show that more than 75% of employees consider a company’s commitment to social issues when deciding where to work. A great cause marketing program attracts top talent, and it helps retain that talent. Employees feel proud and are more motivated when they work for a company that supports a cause. Of course, the final reason cause marketing is important is - the cause itself! A well-executed cause marketing campaign is a great way to make the world a better place.

This course explores selected and timely topics in depth. Focus of this course will publicized prior to each offering.

This course explores selected and timely topics in depth. Focus of this course will publicized prior to each offering.

This course provides an introduction as well as hands-on experience in data visualization. It introduces students to design principles for creating meaningful displays of quantitative and qualitative data to facilitate managerial decision-making.

This is a course on the use of computer tools for data management and analysis. The focus is on a few popular data management and statistical software packages such as SQL, SAS, SPSS, S Plus, R, and JMP although others may be considered. Data management and manipulation techniques including queries in SQL will be covered. Elementary analyses may include measures of location and spread, correlation, detection of outliers, table creation, graphical displays, comparison of groups, as well as specialized analyses.

This course covers the fundamental concepts of applied data analysis methods. Various aspects of linear and logistic regression models are introduced, with emphasis on real data applications. Students are required to analyze data using major statistical software packages. BANA 7038 should not be taken for credit by MS-Business Analytics students.

This course provides an introduction to Design as strategic problem-setting and problem-solving activities within a service/social system levels approach. Students will explore methods of design thinking that apply to all design disciplines including integrated product development, strategy development, translational research, and other methods of design practice that apply across disciplines and be able to apply these to the identification and analysis of key problems with the creation of innovative design opportunities.

This course provides an introduction to the subject matter of design research: mixed-methods exploratory and explanatory research designed to identify new problems and structure a domain, and the relationship of these to a systematic investigation that aims to produce generalizable knowledge. Students will explore qualitative and quantitative research methods including: literature reviews, interviews, surveys, case studies, pilot studies, needs analysis, card sorting, task analysis, focus groups, ethnographic field studies, and action research, and be able to employ these appropriately.

This course provides an introduction to diverse design topics and the role of history, theory and criticism in design as well as an introduction to the requirements and expectations of the graduate design thesis project, identifying possible themes for thesis project development. Students will understand key design theories, the importance of both product - design making, and process - design thinking. Students will understand and cultivate a commitment to excellence in the context of an introduction to the School of Design faculty. Students will conduct literature review and learn to articulate personal interest areas with theoretical rigor. Students will be guided in writing their inquiries following conventions for academic writing and present organized inquiries into legible and actionable outcomes.

Twelve day study tour/seminar conducted in coordination with a selected partner institution. Activities will including lectures from local experts and faculty, company and governmental agency visits, and cultural activities. Students will complete two assignments upon return to UC. The first assessment will be a cultural journal. Students will complete 8 journal entries of 2-3 pages each. The second assignment is to develop a business plan for entry into the market of the selected country.

Eight to nine day program conducted in coordination with our partner university in Chile: Universidad del Desarrollo-Santiago. You will attend seven class session at UC prior to departure that will focus on basic background information on business, politics, economics, and travel logistics. In Chile the focus will be on start-up businesses, innovation, and existing Chilean and multinational businesses. The program will include meetings with entrepreneurs, managers of Chilean and multi-national business, and classrooms session on local business. Assignments will be project-based and tailored to your specific company visits.

Eight to ten day program conducted with one of our French partner business schools (University of Bordeaux IAE, Toulouse Business School, or Audencia School of Management). The program focus is customized and varies by location. The Bordeaux program focuses on financial and market risk management in the wine industry. The Toulouse program focuses on the aircraft manufacturing industry (Airbus is headquartered in Toulouse). The Audencia program has focused on innovation. Each program includes company visits, classroom lectures by academic and industry experts, and cultural activities. Programs may include some time in Paris. Each program also focuses on cross-cultural management, international marketing, and international finance issues. Assignments are project based and are specific to the companies, industries and places that you visit.

This course will focus on providing students with a foundation in knowledge and analytical skills to understand management in the global business context of the 21st century. We will examine the concept of national culture as it applies to management practice and we will examine sample cultures from several key business environments. We will focus on Brazil, Russia, India and China as these four countries represent a diverse landscape of opportunities in developing economies. Moreover, many of the basic concepts and lessons (although not the specifics of the cultures) apply universally.

Designed for Graduate Business students to assist them in their job search. Covers such topics as your elevator speech, practice interviewing, resume construction and salary negotiations.

Entrepreneurship: New Venture Creation" focuses on the total enterprise creation process: all the functions, activities and actions associated with perceiving, clarifying, and refining opportunities, crafting a business plan, and creating organizations to pursue your entrepreneurial objectives. This course seeks to help students develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to be effective as entrepreneurs or members of entrepreneurial teams.While our primary focus will be on independent ventures, the knowledge, skills, and capabilities gained here should be relevant to those involved in creating new ventures within the context of established corporations, public or private, although corporate venturing will not be the primary focus.