1st Trimester:

Name: Janet Stone
Location: Office 9.20, Level 9 Nexus Buidling, 10 Pultney Street
Telephone: 8313-2044  ( preferred contact by email)
Email: janet.stone@adelaide.edu.au
Course Website: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au

Consultation times: Directly after class or by appointment.

The marketing profession presently faces a number of demanding challenges brought about by a rapidly changing corporate environment and the consequent necessity for a greater participation by marketing executives in the strategic planning process. Increasingly, marketing strategy is being recognised for its central role in the development of organisational strategy and its vital contribution to organisational success.

As a capstone course in marketing, the broad objectives of the course are to provide an integrated approach to the study of marketing strategy and its broader role within the organisational planning process. Thus, it seeks to move beyond the more limited "managerial" marketing focus towards recognition of the broader influence of marketing in corporate planning and decision-making. Fundamental to this process is an understanding of the competitive environment and the development of a "sustainable competitive advantage". In this context, an awareness of the financial implications of marketing strategy decisions is important.

Moreover, this course recognises that, at its heart, marketing strategy development is a process of structured creativity. In addition, strategy is a craft of pulling together and applying a number of theories and models, and requires practice to master. As a consequence, a significant proportion of the course will be devoted to providing realistic experience with practice articles, cases, etc., (rather than rote lecture).

Further, the course seeks to provide students with some experience of the organisational context within which the discipline of marketing is practised by providing a blend of group and individual work in both theoretical and practical project areas.

This is a capstone course in marketing, and it is presumed that students will have a thorough knowledge in the following courses: Marketing Principles; Consumer Behaviour; Marketing Communications; Brand Management and Market Research.


Course Learning Objectives:

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

1. Understand key principles of marketing strategy
2. Explain marketing and strategy concepts and ideas in their own words
3. Think strategically about marketing issues and provide recommendations
4. Critically evaluate an organisation’s strategic approach
5. Apply key learning to a company’s strategic (marketing) efforts through detailed exploration
6. Prepare a professional, logical and coherent report in the form of a marketing plan
7. Deliver an oral presentation in a professional, engaging manner
8. Successfully work as a team
9. Develop an argument and express themselves clearly in both written and oral communication
10. Consider ethical issues

Due to the complexity of the subject, many texts can aid understanding. The main text is:

• Walker, O,. Gountas, J,. , Mavondo, F,. Mullins, J,. Marketing Strategy: A Decision-Focused Approach. McGraw-Hill, 2012 (or an earlier version). The key references (as recommended resources) are listed in 3.2, below.

• Students also need to purchase a license for the Markstrat computer simulation.   The Markstrat Simulation MUST BE PURCHASED BEFORE THE FIRST SESSION.  
  
  • To purchase a NEW MarkStrat Online Handbook with its own serial number (an old one will not work), go to: http://estore.stratxsimulations.com/

Details on registering will be posted on MyUni one (1) week before the first session. 

• Aaker, D.A., and Mills, M.K, Strategic Market Management, (Pacific Rim Edition): Brisbane, Wiley, 2005;
• Best, R., Market-Based Management – fourth edition, Pearson, 2005;
• Brown L., Competitive Marketing Strategy - second edition, Nelson ITP, 1997;
• Jain, S. Marketing Planning & Strategy – sixth edition, Thomson. 2004;
• Wee Chow Hou et al, Sun Tzu War & Management, Addison-Wesley, 1991
• A range of additional articles is also provided to add depth of understanding on the subject area and to provide information on the latest thinking within the discipline.

Periodicals:

• Asian Wall Street Journal;
• European Journal of Marketing;
• Fortune;
• Harvard Business Review;
• The Economist.
• Read also the Business Section of The Australian and The Age.

Additional case studies and articles will be distributed in class or via MyUni.

The course is run as a weekly Intensive Seminar.  There are 6 weekly seminars from 9:00am to 4:30pm, equating to 6 contact hours each week. The classes will be a mix betweeen discussion, class exercises and/or student presentations along with the presentation of a new topic by the lecturer.

Students in this course are expected to attend all classes throughout the trimester. Students will be expected to have reviewed the topic to be discussed and attempted any set questions/exercises prior to each seminar. There is a strong assumption that students will engage in seminar discussions in an informed way as class participation is a major aspect of the learning experience.

Students will be using Markstrat, a marketing simulation program and must be prepared to fully participate in a group in order to make ongoing strategic decisions.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students to devote a total of 48 hours per week to thier studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours for a three-unit course or 13 hours for a four-unit course, of private study outside of your regular clasess. Students in this course are expected to attend all classes througout the semester.

SCHEDULE

                      Topics                                                 Readings

Week 1	Introduction to strategy Corporate and Business strategy Markstrat introduction; Form Groups – group dynamics MarkStrat Practice decision (1) MarkStrat Decision (1)	Walker 1,2,3  (Best 2, Aaker and Mills 1,2) MarkStrat3
Week 2	Environment & Competitive Analysis  MarkStrat Decision (2,3) Student presentations	Walker 4,5 (Best 3,4,5)
Week 3	Segmentation & Positioning MarkStrat Decision (4,5,6) Student Presentations Marketing Plan Due	Walker 6,7 (Best 6,7)
Week 4	Strategies for new market entry Strategies for growth markets Markstrat Decision (7,8,9,10) Student presentations	Walker 8,9 (Best 6,7,11 Aaker and Mills 10))
Week 5	Strategies for mature and declining markets Strategies for new economies  Impementation and control Student Presentations	Walker 10,11,12,13 (Best 12, 13, 14, 15)
Week 6	Group Presentations

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Marketing Plan	Summative	Week 3	10%	1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Simulation Review and Long -term Recommendation Report	Summative	Week 6	Total 20% Includes: Written report 15%, Group presentation 5%	All
Markstrat (weighted ratio of Game Score)	Summative	Week 6	10%	All
Group Case Study Presentation and Participation	Summative	Weeks 2-5	Total 10% Includes:  Presentation 5%, Audience participation 5%	All
Final Exam	Summative	TBA	50%	1, 2. 3. 4. 9. 10

1. Criteria that will be used to assess student's work are available in course Assessment Detail.
2. To gain a pass for this course, a mark of at least 45% must be obtaied on the examination as well as a total of at least 50% overall. Students not achieving the minimum exam mark will be awarded no more than 49.
3. All assignments are to be lodged by the due date and time. A late assignment where no extension has been granted will be penalised by a reduction of 5% of the mark given for each day, or part of a day, that it is late.

1.  MARKETING PLAN 10%

Group assignment
Due Week 3 hard copy handed in during class, soft copy put through Turnitin no later than 12:00pm on the day of class
Written report 1500-2000 words

Each Markstrat company will produce a strategic marketing plan that will form the basis of the decisions to be made for periods 1 to 10. It is emphasised that the plan should have a longer-term perspective, which will guide the decision making to period 10 and beyond.

 The plan will contain:

• An internal and external analysis of past performance, competition, the markets, the environment and so on, resulting in a SWOT
• Objectives and strategic direction for individual brands
• Targets for ensuing periods
• Strategies for individual brands
• A brief rationale for making these decisions

2.  MARKSTRAT SIMULATION  10%

Group Assignment
Due for completion by Week 6

Students will participate in the computer-based marketing management and strategy simulation Markstrat Online.  It is a sophisticated marketing simulation that provides a challenging decision-making exercise in which complex strategic marketing decisions must be made within a competitive and realistic context.  Students will participate in their allocated group, and as a group, will manage their hypothetical firm in competition with other teams over the course of the program. 

The objective of this exercise is to place students into a realistic operating environment that requires the integration of complex strategy, makreting research, planning and decision-making.   Groups will be evaluated on the basis of their overall strategies and competitive results.  Groups are expected to be democratic and self-managing.  The decision rules of the game are detailed and extensive.  Thus, it is essential that each studen thas access to a copy of the student manual and makes continula reference to it.  The game requires decisions to be made simulating a specified number of years of operations.  Decisions will be made according to the program in this guide.  Decisions must be received by due dates/times.

Marks will be awarded based on the financial performance of each group in the simulation.  A weighted score based on your group's shareholder index compaared to other groups.  This score is a reflection of your understanding of the Markstrat world and also your Marketing Strategy over the assigned period.  the grade reflects your commitment to understanding the intricacies of Markstrat. 

3.  SIMULATION REVIEW AND LONG-TERM RECOMMENDATION REPORT  20%

Group Assignment
Due Week 6
20 minute Group verbal presentation 5%
Written report approximately 2500 words handed in immediately on completion of the presentation 15%
Soft copy of the report to be put through Turnitin no later than midnight on the evening before presentation date
over the management of their firm, and should include the following elements:

• Analysis of past performance
• Main strategies pursued
• Main adjustments made to changes in the environment
• Key points learned through past successes and failures
• Recommendations for the future

4.  CASE STUDY PRESENTATIONS AND PARTICIPATION  10%

Group Assignment
Due between Week 2-5 (Groups assigned a week)
Maximum 15 minutes
Provision of articles and presentation and the degree of discussion generated  5%
Quality of contribution by each audience member is graded for participation   5%

Students are expected to interact and engage in active discussion during class sessions.  At the end of every class a mark will be awarded based on the level of activity and contribution to class discussions.

It is also a requirement that student groups take it in turn to provide an up-to-date series of articles relating to marketing strategy for class discussion.  The nominated Markstrat group will present the related strategy issues and lead a class discussion.

5.  FINAL EXAM  50%

The format and exam apporach will be discussed in class. 

Assignments are to be submitted in stated in Assessment Detail.

Presentation of Assignments
· Please must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
· Please attach an ‘Assignment Cover Sheet’, which is signed and dated by you before submission.
· All group assignments must be attached to a ‘Group Assignment Cover Sheet’, which must be signed and dated by all group members before submission. All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.

Lecturers can refuse to accept assignments, which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.
 
Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details
A copy of the Postgraduate Programs: Communication Skills Guide will have been given to you at the beginning of your program. This guide will assist you structure your assignments. A copy of the guide can also be downloaded from
http://www.business.adelaide.edu.au/documents/CSG_MBA_2010_WEB_final.pdf  

This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and management reports, making oral presentations etc.
In preparing any written piece of assessment for your postgraduate studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present, and sometimes the source of the actual words you use, and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. (Further information on plagiarism is provided later in this course outline.)
The Harvard system is widely used in the Business School. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide.

Further assistance with referencing is available from the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors. The contact details are provided on page 6 of the Communication Skills Guide.

Late Assignment Submission
Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. Extensions will generally only be given for medical or other serious reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the lecturer in charge of the course before the due date. Each request will be assessed on its merits. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a 10% mark reduction for each day that it is late.

Return of Assignments
Lecturer’s aim to mark and return assignments to students within two (2) weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students are responsible for collecting their marked assignments from either their tutorials or lectures. If assignments aren’t collected after two (2) weeks, the assignments will be available at the Student Hub for two (2) weeks. The remaining assignments will only be posted out to the students, if the correct mailing addresses are on the assignments.