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MKT 210 Marketing Principles

Instructor: Igor Makienko


IMPORTANT: This is a web-based course operating on a condensed schedule, with at least one proctored
examination (see the Semester at a Glance and Examinations sections for more information). This means that
it is shorter and may have more rigorous weekly requirements than a standard-length course. Due to the
dynamic nature of online courses, these details are subject to change. In order to ensure you have the most
recent information available regarding assignment details, course policies, and additional information, please
refer to the course site.

Table of Contents
The Exciting World of Marketing ................................................................................................................................................................ 2
This Semester at a Glance ............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Guiding Content Framework ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Organization Overview .................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Putting It All Together ............................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Course Content Overview ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Required Textbook and Materials .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Textbook ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Additional Materials ................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Downloads ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Accessibility of Required Materials ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Exam Materials.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
About the Instructor and Teaching Assistant........................................................................................................................................ 7
Igor MakienkoCourse Instructor ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Diana MamlievaTeaching Assistant................................................................................................................................................. 8
Who Is Online Learning? ................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Grading ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Marketing Plan Project ................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
What Goes in Each Section? .................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Submitting Your Marketing Plan ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Citing References ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Grading Criteria .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Selecting the Best Marketing Plan in Class ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Google Group Collaboration ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Logging In and Finding Your Group .................................................................................................................................................. 13
Using the Group ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 14
The Class Assignments ............................................................................................................................................................................ 15
Grading Criteria .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Weekly Application Exercises .................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Grading Criteria .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Quizzes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Final Examination ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Achieving Learning Goals ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Online Learning Policies .............................................................................................................................................................................. 19

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

The Exciting World of Marketing


Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. Marketing is the art of creating
genuine customer value. It is the art of helping your customers become better off. Philip Kotler
Marketing is a great tool to facilitate mutually beneficial exchanges between businesses and consumers. As any
tool, it can be misused by unethical marketers. As a result of encountering such marketers, the general public
has a mostly negative attitude towards marketing. But the tool cannot be responsible for such unethical
marketing practices. Fortunately there are a lot of marketing professionals who pursue ethical marketing, win
their customers, achieve their business goals, and enjoy customer loyalty and love.
After reading the Syllabus, please send you personal email address that youd like to use in the Google Groups (if
not the one on file at UNR) to Igor Makienko using the WebCampus messaging tool .
On each Monday, begin the module. Start early so you can do your assignments before they are due on Sunday
at 11:59 p.m.!
And dont forget, this course has an accelerated pace and is as much work as a face-to-face MKT 210. It is not
easier, as rumor has it. Because you are not meeting at school for three hours a week, you work at home for
those three plus the time youd read and study outside of class, for about five hours total a week. If you are not
prepared to give the course your best effort, you might reconsider your enrollment. I want you to succeed!

This Semester at a Glance


This course is NOT self-paced. You will have readings, a lecture, and assignments every week. All assignments
have a due date that is listed in the syllabus, the modules, and on the calendar. You may want to map out all of
the due dates in your personal planner at the beginning of the semester so that you can work to meet these
deadlines at a comfortable pace.
This is a suggested outline only. The instructor may change the topics or schedule as needed.
Week/Dates
Week 1:
September 511
Week 2:
September 1218
Week 3:
September 1925

Week 4:
September 26
October 2
Week 5:
October 39

Topic
Market Value Decisions:
Marketing and the Strategic
Marketing Planning Process
The Marketplace and Market
Research

Textbook Readings*
Chapters 1 & 2

Understanding Customers Value


Needs;
Segmentation, Targeting,
Positioning;
Customer Relationship Mgmt.
Product Development and
Intangible Products (services and
more)
Product Management Strategies
and Pricing Strategies

Chapters 5 & 7

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

Chapters 3 & 4

Chapters 8 & 10

Chapters 9 & 11

Assignments
Application Exercise 1
Scavenger Hunt
Quiz 1
Online Survey
Google Group Post 1
Quiz 2
Application Exercise 2
Google Group Post 2
Quiz 3

Application Exercise 3
Google Group Post 3
Quiz 4
Application Exercise 4
Google Group Post 4
Quiz 5

Week/Dates
Week 6:
October 1016
Week 7:
October 1723
Week 8:
October 2430

Week 9:
October 31
November 6
Week 10:
November 713

Topic
Communicate the Value
Proposition: Integrated Marketing
Communication (IMC) Strategies,
Part 1
Communicate the Value
Proposition: IMC Strategies, Part 2
(focus on Business Market)
Distribution Strategies

Textbook Readings*
Chapters 12 & 13

Assignments
Application Exercise 5
Google Group Post 5
Quiz 6

Chapters 6 & 14

Chapters 15 & 16

Individual Marketing Plan

Marketing Ethics

Online readings only

Week 11:
November 1418

Application Exercise 6
Google Group Post 6
Quiz 7
Guest Lecturer (video):
Dr. Dale Rogers
Application Exercise 7
Google Group Post 7
Quiz 8
Individual Marketing
Plan Due
Schedule Final Exam
Review Ethics in
previous readings
Application Exercise 8
Quiz 9

Proctored Final Exam

Note: assignments are due each week on Sunday by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) unless otherwise indicated.
Note: weekly quizzes will only be available between 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday of each
week (Pacific Time).
*Each week has additional links to online readings.

Guiding Content Framework


This figure is an overview of the marketing process and textbook organization (see chapter 1 in the book). This is
what marketers do to find, attract, and retain customers. First, marketers learn about the marketing environment
(both internally and externally to the company) and prepare a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats). They study markets and consumers via marketing research and set marketing
objectives. Then they design the 4 Psthe value proposition. This includes the product, price, promotion and
place (distribution/supply chain) in a way to satisfy customer needs and wants while achieving firms business
objectives. All along the way they evaluate the success of the marketing strategies and tactics.
By the end of this course, youll know how to do this too!

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

Organization Overview
Plan to spend at least five hours a week on this course to read, complete assignments, and participate in online
discussionsor consider taking this class at another time. Seriously. Online classes are designed to be
equivalent to offline classes, otherwise youd not get your education-moneys worth and wed not prepare you
for the next classes or your career. This online course is condensed into nine weeks of instruction, plus a week to
prepare the term project marketing plan and a week for studying and taking the final exam. The good news is
that this means youll be done with this course early!
Heres how it breaks downthere are fewer hours total for this class but you cant skip a class meeting like you
can in a face-to-face (F2F) class:
Task
Time spent in the classroom in a semester-long class + final exam

F2F
(14 weeks)
47 hours

Time spent out of class (reading, homework, projects, studying


for tests)
Total time in a semester

28 hours (2 hours
a week)
75 hours

MKT 210 online


(11 weeks)
3 hours (proctored
exam and quizzes)
55 hours (5 per
week)
58 hours

Be sure you can afford to spend five hours a week, or consider taking this class at another time.
This course is organized into nine learning modules, one per week. Each module contains:

An overview of key topics


A list of learning objectives and key terms and concepts. Most learning modules include more than one
book chapter.
Weekly module assignments:
a. Required reading from the textbook and chapter notes
b. Additional required material to read, view, or hear
c. Application exercise (seven of the nine weeks), using the weekly material for better
understanding (due by Sunday at midnight of the module week)
d. Contributions to your teams Google Group for building a marketing plan
e. A graded quiz (nine quizzes in total)

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

Putting It All Together

A cumulative final exam will assess your overall course learning.


A short marketing plan, individually done, will assess your application of the course material. Youll write
the plan based partially on information your team posted in the Google Group.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)


The Principles of Marketing course goals follow. Each learning module will have specific objectives to help you
reach these goals. All of these will be realized via the class activities.

Describe the fundamental marketing strategy concepts of segmenting, targeting, positioning, and
differentiation.
Be fluent with marketing terminology so you can hold your own in conversation with marketing
professionals.
Describe the core components of the marketing mixprice, product, place and promotionand
common approaches to setting each as part of marketing management.
Discuss marketing processes, strategies, and tactics that helped build such giants as McDonalds, CocaCola, and Google.
Recognize basic marketing research tools and basic factors that affect consumer buying behavior and
how they affect marketing.
Write a concise marketing plan for a product or service, integrating and applying the course concepts.
Describe many ethical dilemmas facing marketers today and have ideas about what is beneficial or
harmful to society.
Become competent with marketing math. Improve your skills: analytical abilities, technology skills,
critical thinking, and writing skills.
Make better decisions as a consumer, resulting in greater happiness for you and your family.

Course Content Overview


Weekly Module Overview
Weeks 12: Understanding Marketings Scope and Processes
Week 1: Make Marketing Value Decisions
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World of Marketing: Create and Deliver Value
Chapter 2: Strategic Market Planning: Take the Big Picture
Week 2: Understanding the Marketplace and Research
Chapter 3: Thrive in the Marketing Environment: The World Is Flat
Chapter 4: Marketing Research: Gather, Analyze, and Use Information
Appendix: Marketing Plan: The S&S Smoothie Company

Week 3: Understanding Consumers


Week 3: Understand Consumers Value Needs
Chapter 5: Consumer Behavior: How and Why We Buy
Chapter 7: Sharpen the Focus: Target Marketing Strategies and Customer Relationship Management

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

Weeks 410: Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy and Mix


Week 4: Create the Value Proposition, Part 1
Chapter 8: Create the Product
Chapter 10: Services and Other Intangibles: Marketing the Product That Isnt There
Week 5: Create the Value Proposition, Part 2
Chapter 9: Manage the Product
Chapter 11: Price the Product
Week 6: Communicate the Value Proposition, Part 1
Chapter 12: One-to-One to Many-to-Many: Traditional and New Media
Chapter 13: One-to-Many: Advertising, Public Relations, and Consumer Sales Promotion
Week 7: Communicate the Value Proposition, Part 2
Chapter 14: One-to-One: Trade Promotion, Direct Marketing, and Personal Selling
Week 8: Deliver the Value Proposition
Chapter 15: Deliver Value through Supply Chain Management, Channels of Distribution, and Logistics
Chapter 16: Retailing: Bricks and Clicks
Week 9: Apply Your Learning by Writing the Marketing Plan
Week 10: Marketing Ethics
Review previous readings on ethics and learn more online
Vote for the Best Marketing Plan and Study for the Final Exam

Week 11: Proctored Final Exam (material the entire course/cumulative


exam)

Required Textbook and Materials


Textbook
The required textbooks will be available for purchase online or at the Nevada Wolf Shop. Please note that you
must have acquired your texts prior to the first day of the course.
Solomon, Michael R., Greg W. Marshall, and Elnora W. Stuart. Marketing: Real People, Real Choices, 7th ed. Upper
Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall, 2011. ISBN-10: 013217684X; ISBN-13: 9780132176842.
NOTE: Although the most recent 8th edition is available, for this course we will be using 7th edition.

This book is also available in an electronic version that saves up to 50 percent of the cost (Im sorry that
textbooks are so expensive). You can annotate the online text with bookmarks and notes, but as with all
technology there are risks: if your computer or internet connection go down or the site has problems, you will be
unable to read the book at the time of your choice. Also, some students report that the online versions take too

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

long to download and flip through. If you want to save money and are able to read in advance to lower the
technology risk, visit www.coursesmart.com. Ive also noticed much less expensive used copies online.

Additional Materials
This course will utilize many other various resources and multimedia tools to enhance your learning experience.
Those resources will include:

Overview of key topics


Chapter notes and demonstrations
Additional readings or videos on other websites

Downloads
Internet Explorer will be required to view some of the course demonstrations. If you do not have that browser, it
can be downloaded here (I know, Firefox and maybe Google Chrome are better, but IE is the standard for
business):

Internet Explorer 11 downloads

Many of the course documents were created in Microsoft Office 2010. If you use an Apple computer or earlier
version of PC-based MS office, you can get an easy plug-in to read these files.

Accessibility of Required Materials


Please note that 365 Learning has made every effort to ensure that the required materials in our courses are
universally accessible. If you require specific accessibility accommodations it is your responsibility to review the
course material and contact 365 Learning and the Disability Resource Center at the start of the semester.

Exam Materials
Please note: Students living outside of a 100-mile radius from the University of Nevada, Reno must acquire
additional materials in order to complete the proctored exam(s). Please contact 365testing@unr.edu
immediately to learn more about the testing process and determine which materials are necessary.

About the Instructor and Teaching Assistant


Igor MakienkoCourse Instructor
Contact: WebCampus Conversations messaging tool
Igor Makienko is an associate professor of marketing in the College of Business where he
teaches a variety of marketing classes at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Dr. Makienko received Ph.D. degree in Business Administration and Masters degree in Mass
Communication from the Louisiana State University. He also holds Masters degrees in
Mechanical Engineering (Moscow Aviation Institute), Journalism (Moscow State University)
and International Economics (Russian Academy of Foreign Trade).
Dr. Makienko has extensive industry experience in advertising and marketing. He worked as
a media planner, marketing manager, and brand manager for well-known international companies.

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

His research focuses on behavioral pricing, advertising, international marketing, and marketing education.

Communication
Please send all messages to me using WebCampus messages so that they dont get lost in my huge volume of
e-mail. If youve not received a reply within twenty-four hours or have an urgent problem then feel free to e-mail
me at imakienko@unr.edu. It is helpful to indicate the nature of your communication and MKT 210 in the subject
line of all email to the UNR address so I can help you immediately.

Instructors Responsibilities
The instructors responsibilities in this course are to

provide course content that is timely, pertinent, and current;


provide time for students who need help with the course material;
provide clear instructions regarding assignments and expectations; and
be prepared to provide and consider feedback.

Diana MamlievaTeaching Assistant


Diana Mamlieva is the teaching assistant for this course. She currently works in retailing in San
Francisco. Prior to this, Diana worked at Harrahs in event management. I am excited about
having Diana assist because she took this MKT 210 course online at UNR, where she graduated as
a COBA senior scholar. She knows what the students are going through to learn this material.
Education: Bachelors of Science in Marketing University of Nevada, Reno: Spring 2011.

Who Is Online Learning?


Phone: (775) 784-4652 or 1-800-233-8928
Fax: (775) 784-1280
Email: 365@unr.edu
Office Hours: 7:00 a.m.5:00 p.m., MondayFriday
In addition to your instructor, you will have the support of Online Learning, which is one of the programs run by
365 Learning at the University of Nevada, Reno. Our team develops and maintains online courses and provides
the essential support students need during their online learning experience. While questions related to course
contentsuch as assignments and readingsshould be directed to your instructor, we are here to assist with
everything else. Questions about proctored testing, checking out loan items, or problems with your course site?
Please feel free to contact us.

Grading
Point Distribution
Assignments must be submitted by the deadlines: no late work is accepted in this class.
Assignment

Brief Description

Google Group
Posts

Seven posts to your assigned marketing-plan Google Group, to


help build the marketing plan for all team members. Deadlines
listed on the Google Group page.

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

% of
Grade
15

Points
(30+20*6)=150

Assignment

Brief Description

Weekly
Application
Exercises

Eight exercises to help you use and understand the important


material. The exercises range from logging television
commercials to marketing math problems. Each exercise should
take 12 hours, is worth 25 points, and must be completed by
Sunday at midnight.
Six-page, single-spaced marketing plan completed by each
student. Deadlines listed on the marketing-plan page.
A ten question quiz covering the content from the class,
readings, and any other material. Quizzes will be completed
between 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on
Sunday of each week.
An exam covering the content from the class, readings, and
weekly quizzes.

Individual
Marketing Plan
Weekly
Quizzes
(Online)
Final Exam
(Proctored)
TOTAL
Bonus Points
Marketing Plan
Bonus Points

Scavenger Hunt
Marketing-plan winning author = 50 points
Home-team members for winning author = 25 points each

% of
Grade
20

Points
(8*25)=200

20

200

18

(9*20)=180

27

270

100

1000
5
50

Students are required to take all proctored exams. Students cannot pass the class without passing at least
one proctored exam. (A passing grade is 60% or higher.) Please see the Proctored Exam Failure Policy for
more information. Students may not retake proctored exams under any circumstance.

Grade Scale
The overall course grade will be calculated using the following structure:
Letter
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF

Points
9301000+
900929
880899
830879
800829
780799
730779
700729
680699
630679
600629
599 or below

Percentage
93%+
9092.9%
8889.9%
8387.9%
8082.9%
7879.9%
7377.9%
7072.9%
6869.9%
6367.9%
6062.9%
<60%

Please note that the Proctored Exam Failure Policy supersedes the grade that appears in the gradebook,
which might indicate a passing score for the course. Regardless of what the calculated grade in the grade
book shows, if the final score on the proctored exam is less than 60%, a failing mark will be given for the
course.

Marketing Plan Project


You will be randomly assigned to a team of about seven students. Each member will contribute research and
ideas to your team Google Group for a marketing plan to introduce a new product of your teams choosing

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

within these industries: food/drink, toy/game, electronic device, or, restaurant/bar. If your team has a product
idea in a different industry, that is wonderful but you must obtain email approval for it.
What kinds of new products might you use for your plan? It should be something with easily identified
competition, such as a new MP3 player or type of candy bar but yours will have some new benefit that is
important to the market and lacking in the current products. Think about things that would make your life
easier, more interesting, or more fun as a student or consumer.
Based upon the collaborative content posted to your teams marketing-plan Google Group, you must prepare
your own marketing plan, working individually. This plan will be no more than six, single-spaced pages,
including references (eleven-point font, one-inch page margins). Refer to the fold out page in chapter 2 and
the marketing plan in the Appendix for guidance on various sections, but your plan is a bit different from these
examples so follow these instructions (a bit simpler). Your plan will include the following sections (note that each
section is covered in your weekly textbook readings):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.

Executive summary (write this last)


Current marketing situation analysis
o Market description
o Competitive review
SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats)
First year objectives and issues
Marketing strategy
o positioning
o product strategies
o pricing strategies
o marketing communication strategies
o distribution strategies (Supply Chain in the appendix)
Budgets
Controls (also called evaluation or performance metrics)

Download this template, then save as with your LastnameFirstname.docx. Ive included the grading rubric at
the end so that you can double check yourself to see if you have everything. You may delete it before submitting
if you like.

What Goes in Each Section?


Executive Summary
A couple of very short paragraphs that first introduce the product and its unique benefits/features. Then list the
competition and your products position. You might list one or two really important items from the SWOT
(optional-use it if it helps support the product idea). State the target market and objectives. Finally, summarize
the remaining marketing strategy in a few sentences (this is how youll achieve the objectives). Note that the
examples in sample plans I provided often do not provide a thorough enough summary and most students do
not get full credit because they omit some of the key criteria. An executive summary is for a busy CEO who
doesnt have time to read the entire plan, so it should really summarize it. Here is an example:
The Exito is an all new breed of e-reader that is coming to the market. The competition in this market consists of
the Kindle, the multifunctional iPad, and the Nook (May 2010). Unlike the other e-readers on the market, the
Exito will be taking advantage of note-taking capabilities as well as multiple applications, similar to the iPad, but
with a cheaper price tag. The target market that we are aiming for is specific to college students around 1525
years of age that are required to read numerous textbooks that dont come cheap. Our goal is to reach at least 8
percent of the total market in the first year. By obtaining this first goal, we will be able to keep a firm grip on the
market, with strong hopes of gaining more of the market in the future. In order to accomplish this, we plan on

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

10

grabbing awareness from consumers through the internet and college bookstores to minimize costs of
advertising (written by Jonathan Lujan).

Current Marketing Situation


Market description: Use segmentation variables from chapter 7 to identify and describe your target as
thoroughly as you can. Tell how many people are in your target market. The best place to find the number in
demographic or geographic groups is at www.census.gov (or through the UNR library database for census data).
You must also use Mintel database available online at the UNR library). Collect and post research about the
target market, do not simply make up the data. Address the five criteria for successful segmentation to justify the
market selection (measurable, sizable, etc.). Give a profile of a typical target market individual. This differs from
the target market description above, which is quantitative. Here you describe a typical individual in the target so
that you can communicate better with him/her.
Competitive review: Who is the competition for this product/service? Include any information you can such as
each major competitors four Ps, share of market, revenues, target markets, and competitive strengths and
weaknesses. This is concise but detailed research and analysis about competitors, fully referenced. Include the
size of the industry (dollar sales of all competitors) and industry trends. Note: you might try building a table with
this information because you only have six pages for your plan.

SWOT
The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing your product/service introduction. O and T should
be supported by data whenever possible (e.g., percent unemployed, not just that there is high unemployment).

First Year Objectives and Issues


At least three objectives in proper format (task, time frame, measurable). One should be a one year sales
objective (either in revenue or number of units to sell). Issues include any major roadblocks to the product
introductionthings management should take special caution to watch for and overcome.

Marketing Strategy
Positioning: One sentence statement, following the format of X product (your brand name) provides Y
competitive benefit for Z target user. Brief rationale (dont repeat much from previous sections).
Product: Define the attributes and functionality of your product, plus branding, labeling, and so forth. Describe
the core benefit to the target market and actual product: features, design, packaging, quality level (see figure
8.1).
Pricing: Present the price for your product/service and accompanying rationale. Describe the pricing method
you use and discuss customer value as well as costs, profits, and the competitors prices.
Marketing communication: Describe your goals in the target market, using the Hierarchy of Effects Stages
(Figure 12.5). For example, you might want to start by building awareness and then purchase, etc. Tell what tools
will you use to reach your market (advertising, PR, sales promotion, etc.online or in traditional media) and your
rationale about why you think this will help achieve your first year sales goals.
Distribution: Identify the distribution channel and give your rationale, naming a few specific retail outlets that
you think will want to carry the product (unless it is a restaurant or other service). Explain whether you are using
direct, indirect, or multi-channel marketing. Will you have a vertical marketing system (which type)? If you have a
service business, distribution will be mostly about the location and why youve selected it.

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

11

Budgets
Describe your budget for the first year. Make and clearly state assumptions for budgeting, such as marketing
costs will be 5 percent of sales.

Controls
(Also called evaluation or performance metrics) Tell how 1) youll measure whether or not the plan objectives
were met (e.g., monitoring sales to see if the dollar amount is reached), and 2) how youll know whether your
strategies contributed to the objectives (e.g., using click-through to measure an online ads success or a survey
to see if awareness levels were reached).

Submitting Your Marketing Plan


Submit your Marketing Plan as an attachment by Sunday of week 9 at 11:59 p.m.

Citing References
It is important that you properly cite each reference you use for your marketing plan or any application exercises
that use the material of others. Use in-text citations with full references at the paper end. An in-text citation
appears immediately after the information from an outside source, and looks like this (in bold): According to
Edelman, consumers trust each other more than they trust companies (Edelman 2012).
If you use words from the Google Group that were authored by someone else, it is plagiarism unless you
attribute it to them: Industry trends include consolidation (big companies purchasing smaller ones), new
packaging (Sara Smith 2012)
Use the APA style manual to be sure you use the entire reference, or you will lose points on your paper. Many
students simply list a web site address as the reference, but that is not correct. References are important so that
you give credit to the ideas of others and also so the reader can find the full article, if desired. I think that the best
source online is the APA style manual on the Purdue University web site. Learn how to do this correctly now and
it will save you lots of misery in later classes.
Important: Also recall that any text that is five words or longer and taken word-for-word from others must
appear in quotes or it is plagiarism.
Your submitted assignments and marketing plan will be automatically checked by a plagiarism program.

Grading Criteria
An outstanding marketing plan will show research depth and data support for ideas and will be packed with
numbers, both to quantify your assertions and to calculate pricing, budget, and other areas. It will be creative,
insightful, and well written. Your assumptions will be clearly stated, as will your sources of outside research
information. The plan will have a logical flow from situation to strategy and be very concise. Note that this is
YOUR individual grade so you may do additional research to supplement what your group members posted.
See the marketing plan template and grading rubric.

Selecting the Best Marketing Plan in Class


Based on my evaluations I will post the best plans from each group; then each student will read them all and
vote on the best in class. In case of a tie, the professor will select the winner.

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

12

Each team member of the winning plan will each receive 25 bonus points unless the majority of a team votes
for its own plan, in which case the plan will be disqualified. The author of the winning plan will receive a total of
50 bonus points!

Google Group Collaboration


Your term project in the class is to prepare a marketing plan (worth 20 percent of your grade). To do this, you
need content. The purpose of the Google Groups site is to collectively build a body of content that you then
synthesize into a marketing plan on an individual basis: Divide and conquer! You will also add your individual
research to fill any holes in the plan. Be sure to cite your research sources in any content so you can use them
later when you write the plan. When you write your plan, youll attribute anything you use from the group
content that is not your own work (referencing the author in parenthesis after the sentence).
Important!
We put you into a group using your regular, non-WebCampus email address. If you want to use an address that
is different from that on file in the UNR MyNevada system, email the course assistant in WebCampus with the
new email address AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BY MONDAY NIGHT OF WEEK 1. The email address we use to put you
in a group MUST be the same one you use to register and log into Google. If it is a different email address you
will not see your group. Note that you do NOT need a Gmail accountany email address will work.
If you log into Google and the group does not appear by Saturday of week 1, email the course assistant. It
is critical that you log into your private Google Group immediately, because you have a posting assignment in
week 2. If you are not familiar with Google Groups, the information below may help (email me if you still have
questions).

Logging In and Finding Your Group


1.
2.

If you dont have a Google account, visit www.google.com and register with your personal email
address (that you will use in this class) and a password. Keep track of your login and password. We will
invite you to join the group with this address.
Wait to receive your email that we have invited you into a Google Group. It will have the name 210 plus
some other word, such as 210marketing. The course assistant will do this in week 1 and you should
have the email by Friday or Saturday. If not, check your junk mail folder and please email us right away.
The email will contain a link to accept this invitation to the group and when you click on it, you will see
this image (but with your group name on it):

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

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3.

Click to visit the groups home pageyou will have to sign into Google before seeing it. Note also the
email address for the groupyou can email a post to that address or post directly on the group Web
page (example below).

4.

Edit your profile in the membership and email settings (see image below) by adding your first name to
the settings so people know who you are (both those in the group and us when grading). This is
important because some email addresses dont have names in them and we cant give you a grade if we
dont know who posted.

Note that after your first time into the group you can simply go to groups.google.com, sign in, and click
on My Groups to access your group.

Using the Group


1.

To post a new message, simply click on New Topic. You can also post by sending an email to the
group address (e.g., 210xyz@googlegroups.com). If you want to attach a document, you must email the
group with the attachment (cant post it directly in the group).

2.

After clicking on new topic, you will see the space to write your subject line and message, as below.
Simply hit post when you are finished.

3.

You can reply to someone elses message by opening the message (click on it) and then click on the
post reply button. Everyone in the group will get your posts and replies.

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The reason I want you to use Google instead of forming groups inside WebCampus is that you will find it
useful to learn for all future class group projects in the future (cut down on face-to-face team meetings!).

The Class Assignments


There are seven required message posts to your teams Google Group. Note that they follow the timing and
marketing-plan contents of the learning modules. Each weekly module application assignment contains
complete details about what to post and youll find information about the content in the chapter reading for
that week.
Important: be sure your contributions are identified, such as signing your email messages with your real name,
putting your real name in your Google profile, putting your name in the file name or in the documents, etc.
Please title each email post with a subject heading that summarizes your post. If you just hit reply to someone
elses message instead of starting a new post with your assignment it will be harder for us to find and grade.
If Google is down: Google is NEVER down, but occasionally there are technology glitches on the users end so
please start early and dont try to do your only post on Sunday night. IF you do experience a problem getting
into the group, you can email your post to me (Igor) prior to the deadline and Ill post it for you (one time offer
only to be sure you get the credit and your team gets the value from you). It will also help your grade if you post
early so that others can respond and you can have a discussion. In fact, some weeks require a brainstorming
discussion/more than one post.
Note: if you want to upload files in a more organized fashion, your team can use Google Docs/now Google
Drive: drive.google.com. You can access this feature using the same login and password. Then open a doc or
upload a file, check the box to the left of it, and then use the drop down menu share to allow access to your
team mates. Alternatively, you can set up a Dropbox account to share files but that requires downloading
software. If you do either of these, be sure to invite both the course assistant and me into the sharing. The easiest
way to share files is just to attach them to emails you send to the group but it does make it hard to find again if
there are lots of posts.
Also required: When posting as an email in Google Groups every week, use headings and subheadings. If you
write a huge long email with no paragraphs, just like youd write an email to a friend, it will be harder later to use
it for your plan, and also we cant promise to catch all the points you make when reading hundreds of posts each
week. Call them out for us to get the best grade.
Group Post Content
Get to know your
team and pick a
name.
Pick a product for
your team effort.
Competitive review

Brief Description
Introduce yourselves and agree on a name for your team.
Brainstorm product ideas that will be the basis of your
plan and describe the product as well as you can at this
point.

Post Due
Before the end
of week 2

Points
30

Collect and post research about competitors.

20

Current market
description
SWOT, first year
objectives and issues

Collect and post research about the people who will buy
your product.
Discuss your products strengths and weaknesses, and do
research to identify external opportunities and threats.
Create first year objectives and identify marketing issues.
Write a positioning statement for the product. Determine
the product and pricing strategies.
Select the marketing communication strategies.

Before the end


of week 3
Before the end
of week 4
Before the end
of week 5
Before the end
of week 6
Before the end
of week 7

20

Marketing strategy 1
Marketing strategy 2

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20

20

15

Group Post Content


Distribution,
budget and controls

Brief Description
Select the distribution strategies.
Determine your budget for the first year, and what
controls youll use. Make and clearly state assumptions for
budgeting, such as marketing costs will be 5 percent of
sales.

Post Due
Before the end
of week 8

Total points

Points
20

150

Grading Criteria
You must post an individual message at least once in your group for each of the required topics within the
specified dates. If you miss a week and post the following week, youll receive a zero (although you will still be
helping your team). Each week has different grading criteria for the posts. Sometimes you will be creative and
brainstorm, and sometimes you will post significant research, along with citations.
Note that there are grading rubrics for your posts. Check them out to see how well evaluate your work.

Weekly Application Exercises


Most weekly modules will include an application exercise, due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. Instructions for each
assignment will be provided in the individual learning modules. Here is the procedure:
1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Read the questions for each application exercise and review the grading criteria (provided as a rubric
within the assignment).
Download the template for the assignment (either a Word or Excel document). Put your name in the
header and save it as LastnameFirstnameX.doc (or .docx). The X refers to anything you want to put
after your name to help you identify it, such as the week number. You will lose one point for neglecting
to name your file this way. If you dont have MS Word, you can save as a PDF file.
Answer the questions on the template using single-spaced, eleven- or twelve-point font and one-inch
margins.
Be sure to stay within the page limit requirements for each assignment.
Dont change the template, but simply fill in by typing your answers. You may delete special
instructions on the template, if needed for more space.
Submit as an attachmentdo NOT paste it into the submission page.

If for some reason you are unable to accomplish a field exercise application, email me by Monday of the week it
is due for an alternative assignment. Also note that I am often not online Sunday night, so if you have questions,
please email me earlier in the week and dont wait until the last minute.
Week 1: Defining Marketing and the Marketing
Process
Week 2: The Marketplace and Market Research
Week 3: Understanding Customers and
Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning
Week 4: Product Development and Service
Strategies
Week 5: Product Management and Pricing Strategies
Week 6: Integrated Marketing Communication
Strategies, Part 1
Week 7: Integrated Marketing Communication
Strategies, Part 2
Week 8: Distribution Strategies

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

YOU as consumer
No exercise this week, but you will take a brief survey
Analysis and Positioning map from week 2 class
survey data
Evaluate service level at local service businesses
Pricing math exercise
Evaluate television advertising
A Social Media love story
Discover a supply chain

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Week 9: No content this week/prep your marketing plan


Analyze an ethical issue
Week 10: Marketing Ethics

Grading Criteria
Each application exercise is worth 25 points and will be evaluated according the grading rubric. I cannot accept
late assignments, so please start early in case you have a technical problem.

Quizzes
To determine your mastery level with course material, there will be nine quizzes, each covering a weekly section
of material (not cumulative). These mostly evaluate your learning of the textbook material; however, all assigned
readings and videos and the weekly application assignments are testable material. NOTE that all quizzes are
only open between 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:59 p.m. on Sunday (Pacific Time), at the end of the weekly
module. Each quiz has 10 questions and the time allowed varies between 15 and 20 minutes, depending upon
the quiz questions (you have more time if calculations are required). I apologize if this causes an inconvenience,
however, I cannot offer the quizzes at any additional times due to academic integrity issues.

Final Examination
The final exam is a proctored exam that covers material from the entire course. It will consist of objective
(multiple-choice, fill-in) and short-essay questions, as specified in the study guide. Some questions will require
you to calculate the answers to marketing math problems. You will have 90 minutes to complete this exam.
Students are required to take all proctored exams. Students cannot pass the class without passing at least
one proctored exam. (A passing grade is 60% or higher.) Please see the Proctored Exam Failure Policy for
more information.

Requirements
Rigorous testing policies and procedures are required of an accredited university; therefore, exams must always
be administered in a proctored/supervised, educational setting. Refer to the modules for scheduled exam dates.
Early/late exams are not permitted. Failure to take your exam within the specified date range will result in a zero
for the exam and/or failure of the course.
If you live within a 100-mile radius of the University of Nevada, Reno, you will test in person at the 365 Learning
testing room. Please see Scheduling an Appointment with 365 Learning for instructions for how to schedule
your exam appointment. Students are required to make an appointment with 365 Learning at least two
weeks in advance through an online appointment scheduler. Waiting until the week of the exam may result in
no testing appointments being available.
If you live outside of a 100-mile radius from the University of Nevada, Reno, please contact 365testing@unr.edu
for testing options immediately.
Please note: If you require DRC accommodations for your exam and have not already contacted 365 Learning
and the DRC, then please do so immediately. Click here for more information.
Failure to schedule exams in a timely manner could mean that you are unable to complete your test during the
assigned dates, and you will be assigned a grade of 0 for the exam.
You will be charged a $60 expedite fee if you request testing accommodations (outside of scheduled dates,
out-of-100-mile radius accommodations, or DRC accommodations) less than two weeks before testing date.

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Please contact 365testing@unr.edu to discuss accommodations immediately.

Achieving Learning Goals


The following table shows how each assignment in this class will help you to achieve the overall course learning
goals.
Cognitive Learning Goals (Goal #)
Describe the fundamental marketing
strategy concepts of segmenting,
targeting, positioning and
differentiation. Be fluent with marketing
terminology. (goal 1)
Describe the core components of the
marketing mixprice, product, place
and promotionand common
approaches to setting each as part of
marketing management. Discuss
marketing processes, strategies, and
tactics that helped build such giants as
McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and Google.
(goal 2)
Recognize basic marketing research
tools and basic factors that affect
consumer buying behavior and how
they affect marketing. (goal 3)
Describe ethical dilemmas in marketing
and ways to resolve them (goal 5)
Skill-Based Learning Goals (Goal #)
Cognitive material integration (goal 4)
Write a marketing plan (goal 4)
Marketing math (goal 6)
Analytical, creative, and critical thinking
(goal 7)
Written communication (goal 7)
Be a better consumer (goal 8)

Igor Makienko MKT 210 Fall 2016

Read

Contribute
Group

App.
Assign.

Mkt.
Plan

Read

App.
Assign.

Contribute
Group

Exams

Mkt.
Plan

Exams

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Online Learning Policies

State Authorization for Distance Education


Technical Requirements
Proctored/Supervised Examinations
Proctored Exam Failure Policy
Testing Accommodations
Academic Honesty
Late Work Policy
Equal Access
Civility and Class Conduct
Netiquette
Incomplete Policy
Course Changes
Outside Resources
Course Materials Copyright
Statement on Audio and Video Recording
APA Style Resources
MLA Style Resources

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