Introduction to theories, concepts and findings drawn from behavioral sciences currently used by managers to understand, respond and/or change consumer behavior characterized by dynamic adjustments. Review of literature on perception, learning, motivation, attitude formation and change. Behavioral models and their application in marketing and managerial decision making process.
Important considerations in the measurement and management of brand strategies. A consumer-centric approach to identifying the ingredients for building and managing inspired brands. Analyses of theory and practice. Interactive studies with guest speakers and practitioners: cases, workshops and projects.
The role of research in solving managerial problems and making better decisions; various functions under business intelligence and their interrelated nature. Analysis and transformation of data for use in strategic decision making. Development of managerial skills in planning, conducting, communicating, reporting and evaluating research projects and technical skills in analyzing data. Use of research results to understand the constantly changing business world.
The elements and management of marketing channels. Effective and efficient design and orchestration of differentiated customer experience systems transmitting input from points of creation to points of consumption. Structured strategic framework for both initial customer experience system design and its ongoing management.
The global marketing environment: global markets, networks and competition. Foreign market entry strategies and internationalization. Development and implementation of global marketing programs. Development of perspectives in globalization for a sustainable world.
Basic concepts of personal selling and sales management. The link between the determinants of sales performance and the activities involved in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling a successful sales force. Key sales problems in strategy management, talent management, and customer/opportunity management. Customer partnering principles for creating and sustaining value to customers and their businesses.
Basic components of an effective advertising campaign. Methods of planning preparing, placing and evaluating an advertising message. Advertising terminology. Current advertising issues in traditional and new media. Global advertising challenges. Stages of “traditional” advertising campaign. Target selection, consumer insight development, formulation of an effective brand position, execution, and evaluation of effectiveness. The new “non-traditional” social media-based approaches. The shifting balance between consumers, brands, and other stakeholder. New dynamics and expectations in B-to-C markets.
Introduction to pricing on strategic, conceptual, and tactical levels. The interdisciplinary nature of pricing focusing on marketing, economics, and psychology. A systematic process for addressing pricing issues, problems, and opportunities in different environments. Innovative price setting mechanisms with the help of several case reviews and discussions.
Basic skills in quantitative modeling. Managerial decision models to complex business problems. The uses of analytical techniques including optimization, Monte Carlo simulation, and decision trees via Excel commands, tools and add-ins. Analyses of business problems in operations, finance and marketing as illustrative examples and their economic interpretation.
Cross-functional process of developing new products (services). The key points of contact with marketing, operations, finance, organizational policy, and strategic planning. Different stages of product development, from idea generation to market testing. Idea selection and the process of making them a reality. Best-practice strategies, frameworks, conceptual tools, and types of marketing research. Application of ideas and methods in the evaluation of a specific product concept.
The service dominant logic in marketing. The service consumption process. Service strategies for value creation and co-creation. Quality dimensions, sources and models in the service context. An integrative view of the service marketing mix management. Satisfaction, loyalty and trust in customer relationships. Service failures, service recovery and complaint management for effective customer experience enhancement.
Contemporary topics and issues in marketing.
Structures for directing and controlling organizations. Rules and procedures for decision-making. Distribution of rights and responsibilities among stakeholders, including the board, managers, shareholders. Maximization of the long-term financial value of a corporation. Fair and rational management of stakeholder interests. Legal, moral and ethical issues in organizations.
Disciplined and structured approach to innovation. Various innovation methods, types, requirements and barriers. Introduction to Design Thinking. Identification of needs, observation, problem definition, ideation, prototyping and testing.
