MBA Program, Spring 2000 Courses

MBA

Program Info
· Marketing Major
· Dual Major
· Non-Majors

Course Info
· Descriptions
· Fall 2005
· Spring 2006

MBA Orientation Presentation for Fall Classes

For more information or to request admission application forms, see Wharton MBA Programs.

Page last updated:
August 18, 2005

MBA Program - Course Descriptions

Note: Current syllabi (PDF format) for courses are available only to Wharton users through SPIKE.

MKTG 621
MARKETING MANAGEMENT (Program Design- 1/2 semester)
Faculty: Hoch, Hutchinson, Raju, and Ward
Description: See description in Core section.
Format: Case studies, lectures, and class discussions.
Requirements: Graded components include a mid-term case write-up (done by learning teams), a final exam (case study-based, done individually, approximately 3 hours), and class participation (based on quality of contribution class case discussions).
Prerequisites: None

MKTG 622
MARKETING MANAGEMENT (Strategy - 1/2 semester)
Faculty: Bell, Drèze, Meyer, Reibstein
Description: See description in Core section.
Format: A computer simulation, case studies, lectures, and assigned readings are used.
Requirements: Regular class attendance, computer simulation reports, and final exam. A significant portion of the student's grade is based on quality of contribution to class case discussions.
Prerequisites: Marketing 621

MKTG 655/OPIM 655 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
INTEGRATING MARKETING AND OPERATIONS
Faculty: Cachon and Hoch
Description: See Operations and Information Management OPIM 655
Format: Lectures, cases, and group presentations
Prerequisites: MKTG 621/MKTG 622 and either OPIM 622/623 or OPIM 656, or permission of instructor.

MKTG 751 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
(Not offered every year)
SALES FORCE MANAGEMENT
Faculty: DiBenedetto
Description: Students who take this course will: learn the basic functions of sales force management as well as theories and concepts about appropriately managing that function; become familiar with some recent research in sales management that underlies the theories and concepts; and be able to apply the research, theories, and concepts to practical situations. The course is concerned with how to manage a sales force rather than with how to sell, with the objective of maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the firm's revenue-generating arm. The emphasis is on business-to-business (rather than consumer) sales force management. Topics covered include salesperson effectiveness, deployment, motivation, organizational design, compensation, and evaluation.
Format: Lectures and discussion of cases and readings, including recent research.
Requirements: Course participation and exam.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 concurrently.

MKTG 753 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
NEW PRODUCT MANAGEMENT
Faculty: Adams, McNealy, Meyer
Description: The course's primary focus is on new product/service decisions and development processes. The course provides a comprehensive analytical coverage of the various product decisions, critical discussion of the research needed as input to the decisions, and the contributions of management and behavioral sciences to the development process. The course covers the following areas: the role of new products in marketing and corporate management; basic product policy concepts—product life cycle, product positioning, and product portfolio; and new product development testing, management, and launching.
Format: Group presentation of the application of the various concepts, findings, and approaches to a specific product or service of the group's choice; case discussion and lecture.
Requirements: Class participation and class presentations, a short written assignment, and a group assignment.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 concurrently; completion of MKTG 756 is helpful.

MKTG 754 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
PRICING POLICY
Faculty: Raju, Zhang
Description: The course provides a systematic presentation of the factors to be considered when setting price, and shows how pricing alternatives are developed. Analytical methods are developed and new approaches are explored for solving pricing decisions.
Format: Lecture and discussion.
Requirements: Homework and a final exam.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 concurrently; OPIM 621 and STAT 621 are recommended.

MKTG 755 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT
Faculty: Adams, Schmittlein, Williams
Description: The primary objective of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to analyze, design, and evaluate various advertising decisions. The course focuses on the concepts, theory, models, and findings from marketing, marketing research, communication research, and management science that are relevant to the design and evaluation of advertising. The specific topics covered in this course include advertising as a communications process, research for advertising strategy development, determining the advertising budget, the role of the advertising agency, message design, message/copy evaluation, media strategy, media selection models, evaluating advertising effectiveness, and evaluating the advertising campaign.
Format: Class discussion and presentation centered around the various steps in the development of an advertising campaign.
Requirements: Schmittlein: Active participation in class and case discussions; one individual or team presentation; one written assignment; and either an advertising plan for a new product or a written in-class exam. Williams: Active participation in class and case discussions; two individual written assignments; and an advertising plan for a new product
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 concurrently.

MKTG 756
MARKETING RESEARCH
Faculty: Bradlow, Eliashberg, Iacobucci
Description: The objective of the course is to provide a rigorous experience in marketing research methods. The course is aimed at the manager, who is the ultimate user of the research and is responsible for determining the major scope and direction of research activities. Techniques of data collection, evaluation of alternative sources of information, and methods of evaluating data and presenting the results are covered. The course should help managers recognize the role of systematic information gathering and analysis in making marketing decisions. The course also deals with how to define information needs; the use of test marketing procedures; forms of analysis applicable to marketing research information; and the role of models in decision making.
Format: Lecture, discussion, and cases.
Prerequisites: MKTG 621/MKTG 622; STAT 621 is strongly recommended.

MKTG 759 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
CHANNEL MANAGEMENT
Faculty: Wadhwa
Description: This course presents concepts and analytical tools necessary to manage distribution channels. We will view channels both as value delivery systems and as interorganizational systems. The course is organized around three themes: designing a go-to-market approach and channel structure, coordinating the channel participants, and changing channels. Specific topics include going direct vs. indirect, incorporating the Internet into hybrid systems, e-commerce and value integration,, franchising, channel conflict, legal issues regarding channel policies, category management, and efficient consumer response (ECR) initiatives.
Format: Lecture, case discussion, small group project.
Requirements: Class participation, case memos, small group project.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622 or being completed concurrently.
Materials: Coursepack.

MKTG 760
LAW OF MARKETING AND ANTITRUST
(Not offered every year)
Faculty: Swaine
Description: See Legal Studies, LGST 805.

MKTG 771
MODELS FOR MARKETING STRATEGY
Faculty: Eliashberg
Description: The purposes of the course are to help participants become better managers by giving them better tools for analyzing marketing decision problems; to acquaint participants with and help them to understand different types of models that have been used to aid marketing decisions; to give participants critical skills for evaluating new marketing models about which they may read in the literature and to enable them to read the literature; to help participants understand marketing problems more clearly by analyzing them quantitatively; and to produce managers who will not be taken advantage of by some quantitative consultants.
Format: Evaluating marketing models papers; practicing with state-of-the-art computer-based models and software; building marketing models; case solutions and discussions of modeling applications; group presentations of model-based marketing strategy.
Requirements: Short papers and exercises, computer-based case analyses and presentations, group assignments and class participation.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622, calculus, and basic statistical analysis, including regression.

MKTG 773
CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR
Faculty: Niedermeier, Reed
Description: Marketing begins and ends with the customer, from determining customers' needs and wants to providing customer satisfaction and maintaining customer relationships. This course examines the basic concepts and principles in customer behavior with the goal of understanding how these ideas can be used in marketing decision making. The class will consist of a mix of lectures, discussions, cases, assignments, project work and exams. Topics covered include customer psychological processes (e.g., motivation, perception, attitudes, decision-making) and their impact on marketing (e.g., segmentation, branding, customer satisfaction). The goal is to provide you with a set of approaches and concepts to consider when faced with a decision involving understanding customer responses to marketing actions.
Format: Lectures and discussion, case analyses, presentations.
Requirements: Exams, assignments, project, and class participation.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622.

MKTG 774
FORECASTING METHODS FOR MARKETING
Faculty: Armstrong
Description: Better forecasting can lead to better short-term and long-term planning and, in turn, to better decision-making. Forecasting Methods for Marketing examines judgmental forecasting methods such as prediction markets, analogies, intentions, and expectations. The course also examines quantitative methods such as extrapolation and econometric, with the latter as especially useful for assessing the effects of changes in key variables such as pricing or advertising. These methods can be used to forecast consumer behavior, market share, and sales (for production and inventory control). They can also be used to forecast actions by competitors, governments, unions, and retailers. Recently developed methods have been shown to substantially improve accuracy and to provide better assessments of risk.

MKTG 776x (New Course 2003-2004)
APPLIED PROBABILITY MODELS IN MARKETING (1 cu)
Faculty: Fader
Description: This course will expose students to the theoretical and empirical “building blocks” that will allow them to develop and implement powerful models of customer behavior. Over the years, researchers and practitioners have used these methods for a wide variety of applications, such as new product sales forecasting, analyses of media usage, customer valuation, and targeted marketing programs. These same techniques are also very useful for other types of business (and non-business) problems. The course will be entirely lecture-based with a strong emphasis on real-time problem solving. Most sessions will feature sophisticated numerical investigations using Microsoft Excel. Much of the material is highly technical. Students must have a high comfort level with basic integral calculus, and recent exposure to a formal course in probability/statistics would be helpful (but not required).

MKTG 777
MARKETING STRATEGY
Faculty: Bell, Day, Van den Bulte, Wind
Description: This course views marketing as both a general management responsibility and an orientation of an organization that helps one to create, capture and sustain customer value. The focus is on the business unit and its network of channels, customer relationships, and alliances. Specifically, the course attempts to help develop knowledge and skills in the application of advanced marketing frameworks, concepts, and methods for making strategic choices at the business level.
Format: Case, lecture, group projects, and class discussion.
Requirements: The requirements vary by instrutor. Check the instructor's syllabus.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621/MKTG 622; this course may be taken only in the second year.

MKTG 781 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING
Faculty: Tersigni
Description: This course focuses on the key marketing concepts and methods relevant for entrepreneurs. In particular, it covers the marketing elements of new venture initiation (including a business plan), as well as marketing decisions for small and growing organizations. Topics include product/service design, assessment of market potential, creation of successful distribution relationships, and new product pricing. In contrast to the product development course, the emphasis here is on a new startup business rather than a new offering from an existing business. Topics covered in this course also include low-budget or no-budget market research, successful strategic alternatives for small business, alternatives to high-cost advertising (e.g., direct marketing, alternative media, and personal selling), segmentation, and targeted marketing. Students will prepare a marketing plan for an entrepreneurial organization of their choice, possibly for a new venture they are considering.
Format: Case, lecture, class discussions.
Requirements: Development of an organizational marketing plan for a entrepreneurial venture; readings; class discussion.
Prerequisites: MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently; MKTG 756 concurrently; students are discouraged from taking this course and MKTG 753 unless with permission of an MBA advisor. Cross-listed with undergraduate course MKTG 281.

MKTG 782 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
MULTINATIONAL MARKETING
Faculty: Ward
Description: The main purpose of this course is to explore the substantive issues, information sources, and cultural sensitivities required to develop an effective international strategy and associated market plan. Since the international environment changes so quickly, we will no doubt have occasion to discuss current events. Central to the course is a group project involving the development of a marketing plan for a product of service or your choice to be marketed in at least two countries.
Format: Cases, lectures, discussions.
Requirements: Readings, development of a marketing plan.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently. Cross-listed with undergraduate course MKTG 282.

MKTG 786 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
(Not offered every year)
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING
Faculty: Ward
Description: This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to develop an understanding of the process by which industrial and other institutional buyers' needs are identified and met. Following an examination of the setting in which business-to-business marketing takes place (i.e., market and system characteristics), the course focuses on the managerial process of identifying and evaluating industrial marketing opportunities and strategy decisions to effectively serve industrial markets.
Format: Lecture and cases.
Requirements: Active participation in discussion of cases and selected readings; brief written analysis of three or four cases; final exam.
Prerequisites: MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently; cross-listed with undergraduate course, MKTG 286

MKTG 789 (.5 cu - 1/2 semester)
MARKETING METHODS AND APPLICATIONS: STRATEGY CONSULTING SKILLS
Faculty: Wadhwa
Description: This course introduces students to the structured problem-solving and communication skills that are required for strategy consulting. These skills are broadly applicable across business functions and industries, and besides their relevance to consulting, will be valuable to entrepreneurs and managers in the strategy, business development and marketing planning aspects of their work. The course is organized around the phases of a typical consulting engagement: problem definition, problem structuring, data gathering & analysis, recommendations development & presentation. Students will get to learn and practice specific consulting tools and principles associated with each of these five phases, such as issue trees, hypothesis-driven problem-solving, interview guides, pyramid structure and storylines. The course emphasizes hands-on practice and real-time feedback. Formal discussion of consulting tools and skills will be supplemented by mini-cases and consulting cases based on real-life engagements.
Format: Cases, lectures, class participation.
Requirements: Short assignments, business consulting project, cases, and presentations.
Prerequisites: MKTG 621; MKTG 622. Cross-listed with undergraduate course MKTG 289.

MKTG 890
ADVANCED STUDY PROJECT (ASP) IN MARKETING
(Group Projects)
Faculty: Staff
Description: The principal objectives of this course are to provide opportunities for undertaking an in-depth study of a marketing problem and to develop the students' skills in evaluating research and designing marketing strategies for a variety of management situations. Selected projects can touch on any aspect of marketing as long as this entails the elements of problem structuring, data collection, data analysis, and report preparation. (Strict library-type research is not appropriate.) The course entails a considerable amount of independent work. Class sessions are used to monitor progress on the project and provide suggestions for the research design and data analysis. The last portion of the course often includes an oral presentation by each group to the rest of the class and project sponsors.
There are a number of ASP projects which involve practicums in multinational marketing in partnership with MBA students in Israel, Canada, Chile, and Mexico (see below). The output of the project is an implementable business plan which helps a real company to enter or improve its position in a foreign market. Some projects help foreign companies increase exports to the U.S., while others help U.S. companies increase their exports to a foreign country. Along with marketing, the projects integrate other elements of management such as finance, production, research and development, and human resources. See the Marketing Department for a current list of opportunities.
Format: Mainly individual group meetings with the instructor.
Requirements: Written presentation and possibly an oral presentation.
Prerequisites: MKTG 890 is taken in the fourth semester, after MKTG 621/622 and MKTG 756 have been completed. By application only. Students must apply in the fall semester for spring admittance.

MKTG 890
GLOBAL CONSULTING PRACTICUM (GCP)
Includes Dosberg-Wharton-Recanati Partnership, Israel partnership.
Wharton-Universidad Adolfo Ibaņez Partnership, Chile partnership
Wharton-Indian School of Business (ISB) Partnership, India Partnership
Wharton - Universidad del Pacifico, Peru partnership
Visit the GCP website
Faculty: Lodish, Staff
Description: The Global Consulting Practicum (GCP) is a cross-functional, globally-oriented program designed to educate MBA students in the problems of international business and the skills of consulting. It provides an experience in which students apply the concepts, tools, and paradigms they learn in their classes to real business problems. The GCP integrates several management disciplines, including marketing, operations, accounting, finance and general management. Through an on-going consulting practicum course, students are encouraged to develop their skills in many important dimensions including: leadership and human resources, team work, international, cultural and economic diversity, language, and negotiation. Wharton students work in teams with students from other globally-known business schools (The Recanati School of Tel Aviv University in Israel; Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chilé; the Indian School of Business (ISB) in India, and Universidad del Pacìfico in Perú, which serves as home-base to projects with other Andean partners) and with the senior management of their clients to help those companies enter or improve their position in the USA. The students must research, analyze, develop, and defend detailed operational strategies, plans, and tactics to meet the needs of their global clients. In particular, these sections provide Wharton students with first-hand experience in researching and developing a real marketing plan for Israeli/Chiléan/Indian/Perúvian (Andean) companies who wish to successfully enter or improve their position in the U.S. market. The students work in teams of five, each team representing one of the participating partner country companies. The spring semester begins w/ travel to the partner country to meet the partner team and the client in person, and ends with a detailed tactical strategic marketing plan designed for launching their products. This plan is prepared in writing and presented orally by the team during a week-long seminar at the end of the semester. During the semester the team will participate in faculty-supervised weekly team meetings, engage in original market research, state-of the art data analysis, focus groups traveling to trade shows, surveys, business meetings with potential product users, marketing intermediaries in the field, teleconferences with the partner teams, and face-to-face meetings with partner teams and participating clients. Specific guidelines must be followed in preparation for this final report. Acceptance to this course is by application only. Students must apply during the fall semester for spring participation.

MKTG 890
Managing Emerging Technologies
Faculty: Paul J. H. Schoemaker
Description: This mini-course (beginning of Fall) is a requirement for students who received a Ford Fellowship through Wharton's Mack Center for Technological Innovation. The focus will be on helping award recipients complete their research projects in a grounded fashion using current theories, methods and tools for managing emerging technologies. Other second year MBA students may enroll as well and would be expected to treat it as an independent study colloquium. The course will be structure around the book Wharton on Managing Emerging Technologies, eds: G. Day and P. Schoemaker, Wiley 2000. Wharton Students: For further details on this mini-course and the Mack Center's Ford Fellowship program, see the syllabus on SPIKE.

MKTG 891 (2 terms, 2 credit units)
THESIS
(Individual Project)
Faculty: Staff
Description: MKTG 891-I and MKTG 891-II Preparation of a thesis under individual supervision of a faculty member. The student selects the thesis topic. Written approval of the student's topic and acceptance of the student as an advisee must be obtained from a faculty member before the student can elect the two-term thesis options.

MKTG 893 (.5 cu ) (New course in 2003-2004)
RETAILING
Faculty: Hoch, Cody
Description: This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the retailing industry. Primary focus will be on the customer-facing activities of retailers, including assortment planning, private-label development and the management of in-store operations, and the back-door activities (forecasting and supply chain management) that support customer interaction. In addition, current issues facing retailers, such as customer relationship management, industry consolidation, and supplier relations, will be explored. The course will also survey topics in finance, operations, information technology, and real estate as they relate to retailing.
Format: Lecture and discussion, cases analyses, and guest speakers.
Requirements: Regular attendance, case discussion, assignments, and exams.
Prerequisites: MKTG 621 and MKTG 622, or permission of instructor.
Materials: Course pack and textbook.

MKTG 894
SPECIAL TOPICS: ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS MARKETING (1 cu)
Faculty: Cohen, DiGisi
Description: The Entertainment and Sports industry has become the United States’ second largest export product and has grown to nearly $500 billion in worldwide revenues. Coupled with its global economic significance, the excitement, glamour and competitiveness of show business arouses intrigue like no other industry. The focus of this new course is two-fold: to provide students with a framework for understanding the unique dynamics, structure, delivery systems, and marketing and promotional strategies that shape the Entertainment and Sports industries; and to examine how organizations who do not deliver entertainment as a core product, leverage sports and entertainment properties to advance separate and distinct marketing objectives. The course is divided into six topics: Business Models and Industry Structure; Television; Media and Public Relations; Corporate Sponsorships, Promotions and Event Marketing; Talent; and Licensing and Merchandising.
Format: Lecture, class discussion, and guest speakers
Requirements: Three one-page papers and one team project
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621 and MKTG 622

MKTG 895 Media and Entertainment Field Projects
Project Descriptions for Fall 2004 (PDF)
Faculty: Gayton
Description: M&E Field Projects is a full credit experiential learning course comprised of high visibility, team projects in the media and entertainment industries, integrated with an individualized mentor program and select guest speaker give-and-take classroom discussions.
Format: Most classes will consist of individual team meetings to discuss field projects, guest speaker give-and-take discussions, and any other related questions. Students should be versed in the latest news and events by reading the industry trades regularly. Publications, like The Myers Report, Variety and Billboard, are usually provided to students at a discount or on a free trial basis.
Requirements: The focal point of the course is a team project that provides students hands-on, high visibility experience in the media and entertainment industries.
Prerequisites: Completion of MKTG 621; MKTG 622 concurrently.

MKTG 896
SPECIAL TOPICS: RETAIL MERCHANDISING
Faculty: Werner
Description: This course provides a detailed introduction to the role of merchandising at various retailers, including apparel and other softlines businesses, grocery stores, mass-merchandisers and “category killers”. Selected topics may include:

Product development
Line planning
Sourcing
Product lifecycle
Forecasting
Planning and allocation
Pricing and markdowns
Vendor relations

Format:
Requirements:
Prerequisite: Marketing 893-Principles of Retailing is prerequisite for enrollment.
Materials: Possible textbook and/or course pack.

MKTG 897
SPECIAL TOPICS: RETAIL DESIGNSCAPE
Faculty: Klimchuk
Description: The course will use design as the medium to link consumer need to retail. This will include basic design elements, such as space, form and color, as well as retail-specific topics like point-of-purchase displays. Both macro and micro elements of retail design will be explored, including issues from mall development to individual customer transactions. Selected topics may include:

Principles of design
Environmental design
Store design – macro and micro (e.g., traffic patterns, adjacencies, lighting, layout, merchandising, branding)
Graphic arts (e.g., signage)
Visual merchandising
Comparison of shopping venues
Role of consumer behavior and psychology as drivers for design and architecture
Design of virtual retailing channels (e.g., online and catalog)

Format:
Requirements:
Prerequisite: Marketing 225-Principles of Retailing is prerequisite for enrollment.
Materials: Possible textbook and/or course pack.

MKTG 899
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Faculty: Staff
Description: A student contemplating an independent study project must first find a faculty member who agrees to supervise and approve the student's written proposal as an independent study (MKTG 899). If a student wishes the proposed work to be used to meet the ASP requirement, he/she should then submit the approved proposal to the MBA advisor who will determine if it is an appropriate substitute. Such substitution will only be approved prior to the beginning of the semester.