CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY

SYLLABUS

BA 366: Global Marketing

Professor/Office Location/Hours

Wilson Zehr

School of Management, Cent 205

O: 503.493.6203

C: 503.789.2676

wzehr@cu-portland.edu

Office Hours: after class or by appointment

Course Credit

3 credit hours

Course Location and Meeting Times

Fall Term: Aug 27, 2008 – Dec 12, 2008

Mon/Wed/Fri: 9:30 – 10:20

LH 322

Course Description

This course examines the political, economic and cultural environment of global markets. It provides the tools needed to assess global opportunities, and develop and implement global marketing strategies.

Required Text/Materials

Global Marketing, 5th Edition, Keegan and Green, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008 (ISBN-13: 978-0-13-175434-8)

Selected articles and readings assigned during the semester

Selected websites and online resources

Topics Covered

· Political and economic issues

· Organizing for global marketing

· The dynamic nature of the global environment

· Culture and its impact on customer and managerial styles

· Distribution channel and communication issues

· Special considerations for marketing research

Grading Policies

The goal in every class is for students to demonstrate mastery of the material studied. Students must demonstrate this mastery through class participation, graded projects/cases, and exams.

This class does not impose any quotas on A’s, B’s, C’s, or any other letter grade. If every student delivers “A” quality work, and demonstrates “A” level comprehension of the topics studied, then every student will get an A. Of course, the same goes for the opposite extreme.

In general, 94% to 96% is considered the mid-point for an A; 84% to 86% is considered the mid-point for a B; 74% to 76% is considered the mid-point for a C; 64% to 66% is considered the mid-point for a D; anything less than 60% is a failing grade. Scores above the mid-point for a letter grade will receive a “plus” – to the extent allowed by the University; scores below the mid-point for a letter grade will receive a “minus”.

The Professor reserves the right to “curve” graded assignments based on overall class results and the level of difficulty.

In some circumstances extra credit projects may be available. Please check with the Professor if you wish to participate in extra credit assignments.

Total: 100%

Tests (2 @ 25% each) 50%

Graded projects/cases 35%

Participation/Attendance 15%

Class Participation

An important part of effective mastery of this subject is active involvement in class discussion of the assigned readings and cases. In particular, come to class ready to discuss the material that is assigned. Your insights during class discussion aid others in the learning process. Demonstration of insight and understanding are strongly rewarded. Remember, you should always have sound reasoning behind your judgments and conclusions. Your participation grade will be based on the quantity and quality of your participation. However, “contributions” are not equivalent to just attending class, cracking jokes, or just talking in class.

In preparation for classes where a case discussion is on the agenda each student will be required to submit a one page summary of the case (single spaced, single sided). This is not a group assignment and each individual must do their own work. The document should include (1) a “concise” summary of the scenario under consideration, (2) a bullet list of the relevant factors to be considered, and (3) a recommendation or conclusion based on these key factors. All papers submitted must contain a name, class number, assignment title, and date – papers submitted without a name and date will receive a grade of zero.

Exams

There will be two cumulative in–class exams based on the text book, slides, class discussions, and assigned readings. The exam will include a combination of multiple–choice and short essay questions based on a scenario provided or drawing from course studies. The purpose of the exams is to test your comprehension of the material and your ability to apply concepts to situations. The mid-term will cover “all” class material covered through 10/10/08. The final exam will include up to 30% of the mid-term material, but will focus primarily on new material presented after 10/10/08.

There will be no make–up exams unless you have a valid reason for missing the exam and prior approval from the Professor. Failure to take an exam will result in a failing grade for that exam.

Case Analysis

A case is based on material gathered about a real organization. Not all the information provided in a case is relevant to the problem being solved; sifting through the case to find the relevant pieces is part of the challenge. In addition, in many cases the information will not be complete. In reality, most business decisions are made without perfect or complete information. The business leader must make sound decisions based on critical analysis using the best information available. Read the case well – more than once. Make a decision. Support it with facts and analysis. Make reasonable assumptions where required.

Get to the point. A common tactic is to write pages and pages on a topic hoping to cover something, anything really, that will resonate with the Professor and win points. In the business world people are busy, attention spans are short, and you will have a narrow window in which to make your point. If you don’t then people will stop listening – maybe for good!

Be concise. Do not ramble. Get down to facts quickly. Summarize with bullets if required. Make it easy for the reader to understand your conclusion and critical points without reading 6 pages of kitchen sink. The analysis should definitely be there for those who want to dig deeper. However, your work in business will carry far more weight if you save time and get to the point.

Do not use terms such as “I think”, “I guess”, or “in my opinion”. If the case has been done properly then it will flow to a defensible solution naturally without the need for wild leaps of faith based on an uneducated guess.

With that said, there is an important role for intuition (“educated” guesses) in making critical business decisions. Quite often we take calculated risks based on the “gut feeling” of experts within an organization. However, the use of this technique really depends on the magnitude of the decision, the time available, ultimate accountability, and the other information at our disposal. We will talk more about the role of intuition in class, but it should not play a significant role in formal cases submitted – we are looking for conclusions based on fact/reasonable assumptions.

Class Activity/Assignments

			Mon	Wed	Fri
Week 1	Aug 25 – Aug 31	overview	no class	intro	case prep
Week 2	Sep 01 – Sep 07	chapter 1	holiday	lecture	lecture
Week 3	Sep 08 – Sep 14	chapter 2	lecture	lecture	case
Week 4	Sep 15 – Sep 20	chapter 3	lecture	lecture	case
Week 5	Sep 22 – Sep 28	chapter 4	lecture	lecture	case
Week 6	Sep 29 – Oct 05	chapter 5	lecture	lecture	case
Week 7	Oct 06 – Oct 12	chapter 7	lecture	lecture	case
Week 8	Oct 13 – Oct 19	mid-terms	catch-up	review	exam
Week 9	Oct 20 – Oct 26	chapter 12	results	lecture	lecture
Week 10	Oct 27 – Nov 02	chapter 8-9	lecture	lecture	case
Week 11	Nov 03 – Nov 09	chapter 10-11	lecture	lecture	case
Week 12	Nov 10 – Nov 16	chapter 13-14	lecture	lecture	case
Week 13	Nov 17 – Nov 23	chapter 15-16	lecture	lecture	case
Week 14	Nov 24 – Nov 30	Thanksgiving	no class	no class	no class
Week 15	Dec 01 – Dec 07	finals prep	catch-up	review	no class
Week 16	Dec 08 – Dec 12	finals week	Final
			11:00 - 12:50

The schedule above is a guideline only. We will make adjustments based on our progress during the semester, refined learning objectives, and the availability of outside experts who can help guide our discussion. The exercises shown above will be announced in class. If the student is not in class when they are assigned they will need to contact the Professor (email or phone) or locate a classmate who is willing to share the assignment with them. The student is responsible for making sure that assignments are completed on time.

Concordia University Code of Academic Integrity

As part of Concordia’s goal to prepare students to be professionals for the transformation of society, students are expected to pursue their studies with integrity and character. Students must agree to the Statement of Academic Integrity below in order to attend this class.

“As a member of the Concordia University community, I will neither engage in fraudulent or unauthorized behaviors in the presentation or completion of my work nor will I provide unauthorized assistance to others.”

Other Class Policies

Students should make every effort to notify the instructor of circumstances that will affect attendance and completion of required graded assignments and tests. Late assignments will only be accepted with prior approval from the instructor. All late assignments or make-up tests must be completed within one week of the original due date and will receive an automatic deduction of one letter grade.

You are all future business leaders who will represent this University when you graduate. As such, we have high expectations for the materials that you submit. All written assignments MUST BE submitted typed, single spaced, using proper grammar and spelling. Assignments that do not adhere to this format will be penalized one full letter grade.

Concordia University is a Christian institution supporting quality values and ethical standards, in and outside the classroom. Show courtesy toward other students and instructors. Don’t interrupt or be disruptive. Lead by example. If you have concerns about the class, class content, or any student behaviors please bring it to the attention of the Professor immediately – directly after class is best.

If you participate in extra-curricular activities that will require absence from class during the term, provide your instructor with an activity schedule at the beginning of the term, and then send an email reminder before each class session that you will miss. Assignments are due before you leave on your trip. Exercises that were assigned and due while you were on an athletic trip can be submitted when you return.

Cell phones may not be used in class (not even for SMS or IM). Cell phones must be turned off and stored out of sight during class. Students may use laptop computers in class, but only for taking notes or actively participating in class activity. Beyond this, laptop computers may not be used to browse the Internet, send email, play games/movies, or otherwise engage in activities that disrupt the learning process. Any student who violates this policy will be asked to leave and will receive a 0 for class participation on that day. This same policy also applies to iPods, game systems, or any other distracting electronic device.

Plagiarism or cheating of any kind will result in an “F” grade for the assignment.

Eating is not allowed in class unless you bring enough for everyone.

Ask permission to bring a guest to class or to use a tape recorder.