University Catalog

BCOM 3360. EFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. 3 Hours.

Principles and practice of effective communication with business organizations. Students will be exposed to theories of persuasion, argumentation and advocacy. Techniques to achieve group compromise and conflict resolution are also emphasized. A business professionalism lab is required. The grade for this course requires the completion of both the lecture component and the professionalism lab. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours.

BCOM 4380. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS FOR BUSINESS. 3 Hours.

Students develop written and oral communication skills. Multiple individual professional writing projects will be produced and critiqued. Grammar, sentence structure, and word choice in the business setting will be developed. Students will deliver multiple oral presentations and learn their strategy, techniques, and tips for succinct communications. Non-verbal communication will be reviewed. Prerequisite: BCOM 3360; Senior status.

BCOM 5175. BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS. 1 Hour.

Course focuses on effective oral and written communication skills for business leaders. Discusses advanced techniques for improved business writing and presentation skills. Also stresses presentation media and computer graphics for reports and presentations.

BCOM 5375. ADVANCED BUSINESS COMMUNICATION THEORY & PRACTICE. 3 Hours.

Examines theories of effective oral and written communication for managers, including conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and others. Discusses techniques for improved research, report writing and presentation. Integrates presentation media and computer graphics for reports and presentations.

MARK 3321. PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Principles of marketing explores the theory and application of marketing concepts. The marketing variables of products, channels, prices, and promotion and how they relate to marketing decisions about assessing the marketing environment, segmentation, targeting, and positioning, new product introduction, managing brands, and social media marketing among others are discussed. Students learn these concepts through a mix of discussions, lectures, and assignments. Prerequisite: 30 credit hours.

MARK 3322. PROFESSIONAL SELLING. 3 Hours.

Presents sales principles and skills required by today's professional salesperson, with emphasis on the business-to-business selling environment. Students will enhance development of a variety of skills that will serve for a lifetime. These lifetime skills include the following: communication skills, critical thinking, building relationships with customers, and ethical decision making. Prerequisites: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better.

MARK 3323. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION / ADVERTISING. 3 Hours.

A managerial approach to coordinating all promotional activities including advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations/publicity, and internet marketing/social media, to produce a unified, market-focused message. Message development and media analysis/placement are examined within the context of the role each promotional tool plays in marketing strategy development. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with grade of C or better.

MARK 3324. CONSUMER BEHAVIOR. 3 Hours.

Examine how consumers decide and engage in the acquisition, consumption, and disposition of goods and services. In doing so, develop a better understanding of how a firm's marketing efforts can be optimally deployed to create value for consumers. Understand the role of consumer behavior in your life, business strategy, policy making, and society. Students will learn several internal and external influences of consumer behavior motivation, cognition, and learning. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better.

MARK 3332. PHILIANTHROPY, FUNDRAISING, AND PROFESSIONAL SELLING. 3 Hours.

Presents known and effective selling techniques required by today's development officers in their efforts to cultivate relationships with donors. Students will enhance skills that will serve for a lifetime, including communications skills, critical thinking, building donor relationships, and ethics-based decision making. Students will learn how to address the key differences between for-profit and non-profit organizations' view of their mission and bottom line focus. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better and junior standing.

MARK 3342. MARKETING AND PHILANTHROPIC STRATEGY. 3 Hours.

This course applies the principles of marketing to the promotion of philanthropic initiatives. Consumer behavior theories are used to explain why individuals and corporations give and help others. Precepts from strategic marketing are also applied as students learn how to design and implement a strategic giving program. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better and junior standing.

MARK 3370. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Go behind the scenes and discover the marketing side of social media. Learn how to manage your personal and professional brand online. Understand how organizations are utilizing social media platforms to engage in social listening, social media advertising, influencer marketing, social media marketing campaigns, and more. A conceptual foundation and practical approach for developing a social media plan and tracking social media metrics will be presented. Students will gain hands-on experience using social media strategically to achieve desired marketing goals through an immersive-learning simulation project. Students will also earn relevant online certifications to build their resume. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 grade of C or better.

MARK 4191. STUDIES IN MARKETING. 1 Hour.

Advanced studies, on an individual basis, in the various fields of marketing. Prerequisite: 90 credit hours and permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit with consent of department chair.

MARK 4291. STUDIES IN MARKETING. 2 Hours.

Advanced studies, on an individual basis, in the various fields of marketing. Prerequisite: 90 credit hours and permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit with consent of department chair.

MARK 4303. RETAIL MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Students are introduced to the world of retailing through the consumer's perspective and from a managerial viewpoint. Topics studied include types of retailers, consumer buying behavior, retail site locations, merchandising, store layout and design and customer service. Students gain practical knowledge through projects, retail site visits, and relevant case studies. Special attention is paid to the retail mix, multichannel retailing, and retail marketing strategies. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with grade of C or better.

MARK 4308. MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP OF THE SALES FORCE. 3 Hours.

This course covers topics ranging from strategic solutions to tactical sales. It focuses on sales management and leadership targeted toward implementation of complex sales solutions. The course concerns sales managers' roles of planning and executing go-to-market strategy. Hiring, motivation, decision-making, conflict/negotiation strategies, coaching, ethical decision making, and retaining a high-performance team are examined in an interpersonal context with a focus on expanding and retaining long-term profitable customer relations as vital to the impact on firm performance. Prerequisites: MARK 3321 and MARK 3322 with grades of C or better.

MARK 4310. DIGITAL MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Students will examine how organizations are adapting to new interactive digital strategies for online research, development of digital strategy, and implementation of marketing online. Topics include search engine optimization, online advertising, web analytics, social media, email marketing, web development, mobile marketing, and reputation management. Upon completion, students will be able to understand 1) how consumers utilize digital technology, 2) the impact of digital marketing on the decision-making process, and 3) how to integrate digital marketing and technology with existing marketing practices. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with grade of C or better.

MARK 4311. MARKETING RESEARCH. 3 Hours.

Designed to make students intelligent users of marketing research data. Students will explore the interrelationship between marketing research and marketing management for both the client and supplier. Upon completion of this course, students will understand methods for designing research projects, utilizing secondary data, generating primary data, sampling of human populations, questionnaire design, and data analysis. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better and BSTAT 3321.

MARK 4320. PRODUCT AND BRAND STRATEGY. 3 Hours.

This course is about understanding product and brand strategy adopted by firms, existing and new. We will begin the journey by understanding new product design and innovation with examples [including prototyping] and culminate in how new products become established brands through the product life cycle by way of strategic components such as price, distribution, packaging, promotion and brand extensions. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better.

MARK 4322. ADVANCED MARKETING MANAGEMENT AND STRATEGY. 3 Hours.

Advanced marketing management and strategy helps students look at marketing strategy in light of the strategy of the firm. It is helpful for students pursuing careers in marketing and management. Students will learn how to 1) develop marketing strategies for creating customers, 2) evaluate an organization's opportunities for creating customer value, 3) create a defensible position for the organization, and 4) evaluate competitive advantage in terms of financial value. Prerequisite: MARK 3321, MARK 3324 and MARK 4311 with grades of C or better, and 90 credit hours.

MARK 4325. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING. 3 Hours.

This class examines the impact of sociocultural, economic, technological, governmental, and demographic factors on the international marketing mix. Students will develop a culturally intelligent perspective of environmental factors that must be taken into consideration when formulating marketing strategies of businesses operating in the global marketplace. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better.

MARK 4331. SEMINAR IN MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Readings and discussion of special topics in marketing. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing and consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit with consent of department chair.

MARK 4335. MULTICULTURAL MARKETING. 3 Hours.

This course involves readings and discussion of topics related to multicultural marketing. The primary focus will be on how to apply the principles of marketing to identify and reach the growing ethnic subcultures in the U.S. population. Careful consideration will be given to the historical context and ethical implications of these marketing activities. Practical aspects of business development will also be emphasized. Prerequisite: MARK 3321 with a grade of C or better.

MARK 4391. STUDIES IN MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Advanced studies, on an individual basis, in the various fields of marketing. Prerequisite: 90 credit hours and permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit with consent of department chair.

MARK 4393. MARKETING INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

Practical training in marketing. Analysis of theory applied to real life situations. May be used as an advanced business elective only; graded on a pass/fail basis. No credit will be given for previous experience or activities. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Junior standing and consent of department internship advisor.

MARK 5142. ADVANCED TOPICS IN MARKETING RESEARCH. 1 Hour.

Presentation and analysis of cutting edge topics in marketing research.

MARK 5182. INDEPENDENT STUDIES IN MARKETING. 1 Hour.

Extensive analysis of a marketing topic.

MARK 5199. GRADUATE MARKETING INTERNSHIP. 1 Hour.

Practical training in marketing. Analysis of theory applied to real life situations. Course counts as an elective and has a pass/fail grade. No credit will be given for previous experience or activities. Prerequisite: Minimum nine graduate semester hours completed.

MARK 5282. INDEPENDENT STUDIES IN MARKETING. 2 Hours.

Extensive analysis of a marketing topic.

MARK 5299. GRADUATE MARKETING INTERNSHIP. 2 Hours.

Practical training in marketing. Analysis of theory applied to real life situations. Course counts as an elective and has a pass/fail grade. No credit will be given for previous experience or activities. Prerequisite: Minimum nine graduate semester hours completed.

MARK 5311. MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Survey of activities involved in marketing. Emphasis is on developing a managerial point of view in planning and evaluating marketing decisions of the firm. Analyzes decisions with respect to products, price, channel, and promotional variables and considers questions relating to cost efficiency, demand, social responsibility and regulations.

MARK 5320. BUYER BEHAVIOR. 3 Hours.

Marketing begins and ends with the customer. This course introduces students to the study of consumer behavior. It is taught from the perspective of a marketing consultant who requires knowledge of consumer behavior in order to create, implement, and evaluate effective marketing strategies for clients. The course examines many concepts and theories from the behavioral sciences and analyzes their value in crafting marketing strategies. The course combines lecture and discussion of research based literature, both of which are aimed at providing an in-depth understanding of customer marketplace behavior with a focus on application to consumption and marketing decision making situations.

MARK 5326. INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATION. 3 Hours.

A managerial approach to coordinating all promotional activities, including direct marketing, advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, publicity and packaging to produce a unified market-focused message. Message development, placement and timing are examined within the context of the role each type of promotion plays in marketing strategy development. Additional topics examined include media definition and analysis, the communication process, legal and ethical considerations, and budgeting. Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5327. RESEARCH FOR MARKETING DECISIONS. 3 Hours.

Overview of information needs of the marketing decision-maker. Emphasis on methods and techniques that may be employed for the collection and analysis of primary data. Major topics include design of research projects, generating primary data, questionnaire design, samplings for survey research, experimental design, controlling data collection, and data analysis.

MARK 5328. PRODUCT MANAGEMENT. 3 Hours.

Management of the firm's product or service offerings. Topics include new product development, new product screening, evaluation of existing products, product line and mix analysis, product abandonment decisions, the brand manager's role, the new product planning department, and others. Emphasis on the development of meaningful criteria for decision-making in the product area and on the development of information systems to suggest, screen, and monitor products. Prerequisite: MARK 5327.

MARK 5329. SALES AND SALES MANAGEMENT. 3 Hours.

Examines the skills required for successful personal selling and sales management in today's world, with emphasis on industrial markets. Discusses the links between business trends and the resulting need for new approaches to the sales management challenges of planning, implementing, and evaluating a sales program. Special topics include the strategic importance of the sales force, customer/supplier partnering, multi-function collaboration, technology's role in altering traditional customer-access channels, the organization of the sales function for profitability vs. revenue, and the development of effective major account strategies.

MARK 5330. SERVICES MARKETING MANAGEMENT. 3 Hours.

Examines conceptual frameworks and management practices particularly relevant to organizations in service industries, including health care, education, financial services, retailing, non-profit organizations, and others in which the core product is a service instead of a good. The course examines many concepts and theories from the service marketing industry and analyzes their value in crafting marketing strategies. Emphasis is on problem solving unique to these types of organizations. Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5331. INTERNATIONAL MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Management of marketing in international business. Includes marketing research, pricing, promotion, and distribution in the international environment. Examines marketing problems arising from various degrees of foreign involvement (exports, licensing, foreign subsidiaries). Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5332. BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Marketing strategies for businesses targeting other businesses. Included are frameworks for analysis of marketing opportunities. Business-to-business e-commerce is examined. Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5334. STRATEGIC INTERNET MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Through theoretical investigation, brainstorming, and case analysis, students develop the skills and strategies that are necessary for effective marketing via electronic media. With particular emphasis on Internet-based media, topics include developing an online corporate identity, online market research, interactive and database Web site strategies, creating and maintaining Web site content, proactive marketing tactics, analysis of Web site statistics, measuring online marketing results, and development of a strategic Internet marketing plan. Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5335. RETAILING, FRANCHISING, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. 3 Hours.

Course offers exposure to elements of retail management, franchising, and entrepreneurship, including planning, promotion, pricing, and merchandising. Prerequisite: MARK 5311.

MARK 5337. MARKETING ANALYTICS AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. 3 Hours.

Course focuses on the fundamental concepts of customer relationship management and application of analytics approaches to solve real world problems. The course covers topics including marketing data bases and computer-based research systems designed for the collection, storage, usage, and reporting of disaggregated data. Students will be instructed on how to increase customer profitability based on insights gained from customer data. Case studies and data analysis projects are utilized. Prerequisite: MARK 5311 or equivalent.

MARK 5338. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND QUALITATIVE RESEARCH. 3 Hours.

Examines the nature and cycle of the customer experience, employing qualitative and quantitative research techniques to develop a full understanding of the functional and emotional components in the relationship. Students will conduct some combination of observational research, intercept interviews, depth interviews, focus groups, feedback (text) analysis, and social media analysis. Discussions will cover the relative strength and value of research techniques, their role in understanding the customer experience, and utilization of multi-dimensional data in development of business strategy. Prerequisite: MARK 5327.

MARK 5340. MARKETING STRATEGY. 3 Hours.

A case course designed to give the student an opportunity to utilize the managerial and analytical tools that he or she has acquired. Uses case studies which require a realistic diagnosis of company problems, development of alternative courses of action, and the formulation of specific recommendations. Prerequisite: MARK 5311, MARK 5320 (or equivalent) and MARK 5327 (or equivalent).

MARK 5341. ADVANCED TOPICS IN MARKETING RESEARCH I. 3 Hours.

As the marketing research industry evolves the scale requirements for industry participants change. This course offers the student introduction to a variety of qualitative topics and includes hands-on experience with appropriate software. The pedagogy includes lectures and presentations from experts in each of the topics. Typical topics include: -text mining -neuro-marketing -focus groups -depth interviews -projective techniques. Prerequisite: Consent of Program Director.

MARK 5342. ADVANCED TOPICS IN MARKETING RESEARCH II. 3 Hours.

This companion course to MARK 5341 focuses on quantitative topics in marketing research. Typical topics include geographical information systems, non-parametric statistics, data mining, measurement issues and questionnaire design and neuro-marketing. Prerequisite: consent of Program Director.

MARK 5343. ADVANCED RESEARCH ANALYSIS I. 3 Hours.

Focuses on problems of data analysis in marketing research. Introduces the concept of multivariate data and emphasizes application of core statistical techniques including factor analysis, multiple regression, discriminant analysis and logistic regression. Also covered are cluster analysis and ratings based conjoint analysis. Application of statistical software is stressed including interpretation of statistical output. Prerequisite: MARK 5327 or permission of the MSMR Program Director.

MARK 5344. ADVANCED RESEARCH ANALYSIS II. 3 Hours.

Advanced Research Analysis II - Continues from MARK 5343 on problems of data analysis in marketing research. Advanced multivariate applications include MANOVA (Multivariate analysis of variance), multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis, choice based conjoint studies, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equations modeling. Application of appropriate statistical software is emphasized including the interpretation of statistical outputs. Prerequisite: MARK 5343.

MARK 5370. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING. 3 Hours.

The course studies social media as a tool for listening to engaging with customers and other significant audiences and for delivering marketing communications. Through interactive class projects students will learn best practices for managing social media channels and platforms. The course discusses examines the fundamentals for developing crafting a social media marketing plan and examines including metrics for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of social media campaigns. Ethical and legal issues related to privacy, security, content and crowdsourcing are also presented.

MARK 5382. INDEPENDENT STUDIES IN MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Extensive analysis of a marketing topic.

MARK 5396. MARKETING RESEARCH INTERNSHIP I. 3 Hours.

The internship involves part-time or full-time training and work experience in a company approved by the MSMR program advisor.

MARK 5397. MARKETING RESEARCH INTERNSHIP II. 3 Hours.

This is a continuation of Internship I and involves part-time or full-time work experience in a company approved by the MSMR program advisor. The student will be assigned primary responsibility for at least one marketing research project during Internship I or II. At the completion of the course, the student will present a research paper to the MSMR faculty.

MARK 5398. THESIS. 3 Hours.

Prerequisite: STAT 5325 and approval of Graduate Advisor.

MARK 5399. GRADUATE MARKETING INTERNSHIP. 3 Hours.

Practical training in marketing. Analysis of theory applied to real life situations. Course counts as an elective and has a pass/fail grade. No credit will be given for previous experience or activities. Prerequisite: Minimum nine graduate semester hours completed.

MARK 5698. THESIS. 6 Hours.

Prerequisite: STAT 5325 and approval of Graduate Advisor.

MARK 6302. CONSUMER BEHAVIOR I. 3 Hours.

Study of current thought and research underlying individual and group marketplace behavior. Theories from the behavioral sciences are applied to consumer behavior from descriptive, predictive and normative perspectives. Topics include consumer knowledge, attitude theory, persuasion, affect, and social influence. The course draws from the literature in marketing, psychology, and behavioral economics. The course will enable students to conceptualize, operationalize, and develop research ideas.

MARK 6303. CONSUMER BEHAVIOR II. 3 Hours.

This course complements the Consumer Behavior I doctoral seminar. Building on a portion of that seminar, the course focuses on a few topics (e.g. automaticity in consumer behavior, consumer choice processes) that have the following characteristics: 1) the topics are the subjects of emerging research in consumer behavior, 2) students can gain an in-depth understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of these topics, and 3) the materials are such that students can develop innovative research projects on marketing and consumer behavior related to the topics covered in the class. Prerequisite MARK 6302.

MARK 6305. MARKETING MODELS I. 3 Hours.

Study of basic models of market and consumer behavior with particular attention to the use of classical statistical methods such as ordinary and generalized least squares, factor analysis, discriminant analysis and correspondence analysis, cluster analysis, and canonical correlation. Applications include perceptual mapping, multiattribute modeling, conjoint analysis, and product planning models. Prerequisite: STAT 5325.

MARK 6310. MARKETING STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT. 3 Hours.

Examination of the latest research and thought in marketing and business strategy. Topics include marketing programming; product, price, promotion, and distribution decisions, marketing audits, and the design, implementation and evaluation of marketing strategies and tactics. An objective of the course is the development of innovative research ideas on marketing strategy related to the topics covered in the class.

MARK 6311. MARKETING STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT II. 3 Hours.

In increasingly global and competitive markets, sustainable competitive advantage takes on increasing importance. Further, in many industries, product differentiation no longer provides a decisive edge over competition. This course complements the Marketing Strategy and Management I doctoral seminar. Building on a portion of that seminar, the course focuses on a few topics (e.g. transformation of a product-centric organization to a customer centric organization, organizational change, organizational agility, and technology-enabled relationship management) that will allow students to examine areas of emerging research in marketing strategy, gain an in-depth understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the selected topics, and develop innovative research projects on marketing strategy related to the topics covered in the class. Prerequisite: MARK 6310.

MARK 6327. ADVANCED MARKETING RESEARCH METHODS. 3 Hours.

Major topics include design of research projects, generating primary data, questionnaire design, sampling for survey research, experimental design, controlling data collection, and data analysis. Coverage of scientific techniques for collecting and analyzing data; includes research paradigms, measurement, and design. Emphasis on theory and application of survey research including classical test theory, item response theory, sampling, questionnaire construction, validity and reliability assessment and data reduction.

MARK 6331. ADVANCED GLOBAL MARKETING THEORY. 3 Hours.

Examines the antecedents and consequences of global marketing. Includes the politics of global marketing, emerging global strategies, the latest concepts of market entry and development, and global marketing performance and evaluation.

MARK 6390. TOPICS IN MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Advanced doctoral level work in special topics in marketing. May be repeated when topics vary.

MARK 6392. INDEPENDENT STUDY IN MARKETING. 3 Hours.

Doctoral level analysis of marketing topic.