Professor Ted Levitt, Harvard Business School Emeritus

Marketing is no longer a department in the organization charged with a limited number of tasks. It is a company-wide undertaking. It drives the company’s vision, mission and strategic planning. Marketing includes decisions like who the company wants as its customers and how to interact; which of their needs to satisfy; what products and services to offer; what prices to set; what communications to send and receive; what channels of distribution to use; and what partnerships to develop.

Learning outcome
This EMBA course in marketing aims at giving the participant a comprehensive introduction to the field of marketing management and decision-making. Emphasis is placed on analytical tools and a pragmatic approach for making marketing decisions that maximize long term value for the company. The course integrates all main areas of marketing management, and relates marketing activities to other functional areas of the organization.

Acquired knowledge

· Understanding the role of Marketing Management and the company’s interaction with the market place

· Methods for uncovering and analyzing important issues and estimating future development

· Evaluating competitors and their competitive position.

· The importance of customer analysis and segmentation

· Setting objectives and goals

· Tailoring the marketing mix

Acquired skills

· Ability to develop and present a comprehensive market plan

Prerequisites


Compulsory reading
Books:
Kotler, Philip, Kevin Lane Keller. 2011. 14th ed. Pearson Prentice Hall

Recommended reading

Course outline
This course will introduce you to basic marketing problems and perspectives and the contexts in which they arise. It will help you to develop an ability to structure and analyze such problems, and provide the appropriate tools and concepts for solving them. Founded in the customer equity management tradition, the course will concentrate on marketing topics which will help the marketing manager to attract and keep the right profitable customers as a means to enhance the firm's share holder value.

Computer-based tools
Powerpoint, excel and word or equivalent.

Learning process and workload
This course will involve a combination of lectures, discussions, case analyses and presentations.

Students are expected to have read the text prior to each lecture and prepare for discussions in class where emphasis will be on comprehending and applying the knowledge. Each student will participate in a series of in-class active learning exercises making use of small group interaction. The student will be exposed to short cases and exercises that are intended to solidify the underlying marketing theory.

Each class session will be conducted in a highly interactive mode, where students are expected to actively participate and contribute with questions and examples from their own work experience.

Coursework requirements
Each group will be assigned a case during the first module. The team members are expected to prepare a market plan which they will present to the rest of the class. This will take place during the two last sessions of the course in the second module.

Examination
The student’s final grade is a composition of the following evaluation forms:
40% - classroom contribution (individual)
30% - group presentation (team)
30% - one written case report (team).

Examination code(s)
GRA 80481. The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Business Administration Program and all evaluations must be passed to obtain a certificate for the degree.

Examination support materials


Re-sit examination
Re-takes are only possible at the next time a course will be held. When course evaluation consists of class participation or process elements, the whole course must me re-evaluated when a student wants to retake a exam. Retake examinations entail an extra examination fee.

Additional information