MKT - Marketing

COM7500 Persuasive Business Presentations
(Formerly MOB7502)
1.5 Credits

If you have taken and passed MOB7502, you cannot register for COM7500, as these two courses are equivalent

Managers and entrepreneurs need effective presentation skills to persuade key audiences, such as employees and team members, investors, and prospective clients. A successful presentation depends on delivery and non-verbal factors as well as careful preparation and a logical organization of ideas.

In this workshop format class, you will deliver four or five formal presentations, which we will video record to help you evaluate your technique. We will also give you some opportunities for impromptu speaking. Topics may include: rocket pitch to investors, B2B sales presentation, strategic recommendation to senior management, and a technical financial or data-driven presentation. Students are encouraged to use material from other courses or from your work context. We will also cover creating effective visuals and interacting with your visuals to tell a compelling story. The focus will be on providing extensive and constructive feedback and coaching you on assessing and improving your own capabilities.

Prerequisites: None

COM7501 Strategic Writing for Managers
(Formerly MOB7501)
1.5 Credits
 

If you have taken and passed MOB7501, you cannot register for COM7501, as these two courses are equivalent

This course helps students become more efficient and effective writers of strategic professional communications. Cases, readings, and assignments illustrate challenging communication problems that demand readable, succinct, substantive, and persuasive writing. Assignments may range in applications to as internal formal and informal communications, and external communication such as media and public relations, client relations, and social media. Class activities involve extensive peer review and editing of students' own writing.

Prerequisites: None

COM7503 Communicating and Collaborating in Virtual Teams

3 Elective Credits

In this fully online course, students will learn how to successfully collaborate and communicate in virtual teams. Students will begin by reading and discussing course readings on organizational and global communication; virtual communication; and theoretical frameworks of the use of AI technologies in order to build a working knowledge of current collaboration technologies and effective communication in different contexts. Using this knowledge as a backdrop, students will explore and analyze the impact that these technologies have on business and communication. Students will apply their communication knowledge to a practical experience with existing virtual collaboration tools through shorter group assignments, guest speakers, interviews with remote workers, and a longer writing and oral presentation final project.

During the course, students will be expected to hold virtual class and group meetings, use and evaluate collaboration and project management tools, reflect on their virtual communication and leadership experiences, lead weekly remote group work, and write a final professional research report analyzing the communicative and collaborative effectiveness of state-of-the-art technology used in today’s corporate environment.

In this revamped offering, our Babson students will be paired with Nord University (Norway) students for half of the Spring semester to engage in an exciting VE/COIL project. VE/COIL, which stands for Virtual Exchange/Collaborative Online International Learning, is an emerging global exchange opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate across institutions.  Students will complete a consulting project for Yara International, a Norwegian company. In this project, students from Babson will partner with Nord University students virtually in a true global experiential learning environment.

Prerequisites: None

MBA7504 Systems Dynamics in Business, Society and the Environment
3 Elective Credits

Whether within multifunctional businesses we manage, or across extended global enterprises so critical to our venture’s success, or the societies in which we live, or the planet and its environment that sustains us, a common feature is the prevalence of systems of interrelated, interacting, or interdependent actors, choices, actions, flows, and stocks forming a complex whole. Examples of systems range from (1) operations on the manufacturing floor to service operations to global supply chains, (2) the diffusion of technological innovations and contagious diseases, (3) the playing out of network effects and multi-sided platforms, (3) the functioning of markets and commodity and business cycles, (4) living populations and their dependence on each other and resource availability, (5) social media and the functioning of societies; and (6) the VUCAH (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and hyperconnected) nature of the world we live in. In a very basis way, that is just the way the world is: webs within webs of systems.

How do we make sense of such interconnected systems? How do we learn to express this sense-making in the form of clear narratives and maps and schematics that tell the complete, interconnected story? And, having done so, how do we model and analyze the systems’ dynamics – how the systems might play out over time? This, so we are better prepared for intended and unintended consequences, system resilience or fragility, and far-far-away butterfly effects and we are more effective in terms of decision-making, problem-solving, and policy-making and implementation.

Learning in the course is very hands-on: as with any “studio” course, we will work on exercises in class; there will be an individual exercise where learners will take a real problem, “build” a system model, and simulate the dynamics of the same using a dedicated simulation software package or Excel; and students will be working in teams on a complex real-world problem (for example, “global warming”) and learn how to map the “system” and explore its dynamics.

Prerequisites: Completed 12 credits of core requirements

MBA7570 Science, Technology and the Enterprise -- Foundation

3 Credits

This, the foundation course for the _Science, Technology, and the Enterprise_ MBA intensity track, is motivated by the increasing application of science and technology in many facets of business -- operations, processes, products, big data, and even management -- in enterprises of all types and regardless of scale, industry vertical, and commercial orientation. Shying away from the particulars of science and technology, the course addresses the distinctive perspectives, knowledge, competencies, and ethos critical to leading and managing science- and technology-intensive businesses and enterprises. The course is structured around four themes -- science and technology acquisition, development, and management; the enterprise and its ecosystem; plate techtonics, disruptive change, and enterprise transformation; and science/technology choice and human, social, and environmental consequence. Drawing on the disciplines of science and technology management, organizational development, strategy, public policy, and social change, the course uses contemporary topics and study materials for context. Student learning is reinforced by in-the-first-person visits by managers and leaders of science- and technology-intensive enterprises.

Prerequisites: Full-time MBA students should have completed all their core courses; part-time and Blended Learning students should have completed a majority of their core courses

MKT6110 Marketing Management

MSEL Course

1.5 Credits

A competitive advantage in today’s world requires a unique blending of internal capabilities and external partners so as to achieve a profitable customer orientation. This course will enable students to understand and utilize resources to craft a value proposition that will entice and satisfy the many demands of the marketplace. An understanding of both upstream and downstream activities will offer students an inside look at the nature of successful innovation that leads to marketplace success.

MKT6300 Marketing Analytics
3 Credits

The objective of this course is to demonstrate the benefits of using a systematic and analytical approach to marketing decision-making, and to help develop your skills and confidence in doing such analyses. Analytical approaches enable (a) the identification of alternative marketing options and actions, (b) the calibration of opportunity costs associated with each option, and (c) the choice of one or more options with the greatest likelihood of achieving the business goals. By completing this course, students will be better able to make the case for marketing expenditures (based on ROI) that companies are increasingly asking of their executives. This course integrates marketing concepts with practice, emphasizes _learning by doing_, and provides students software tools to help them apply marketing concepts to real decision situations.

MKT6600 Growth Marketing
1.5 Credits (MSAEL core)

This course will help managers find and grow new marketing opportunities driven by customer behavior and insights data. Growth marketing is defined as intelligent, data-driven marketing for the purpose of adding revenue to the bottom line of your business. Students will learn how to apply growth marketing techniques to experiment with different channels and optimize the sales funnel, adjusting their tests incrementally to determine how to best optimize their marketing spend. Techniques include A/B Testing, Cross-channel marketing, Customer life-cycle analysis, and strategic content planning.

Prerequisites: MOB6600 and EPS6600

MKT7200 Marketing

2 Credits

This course provides frameworks and analytical techniques that the enterprise should use to develop a discerning sense of the market and to engage the market in a way that distinctive value is created for and delivered to the customers.

MKT7500 Social Media and Advertising Strategy
(Formerly Marketing Communications)
3 Elective Credits

How do customers learn about or build the desire to pick one product or service from another? The answer is social media and advertising. Making a great product or providing superior service is not enough if no one knows about it. IN the 21st century, traditional advertising strategies are not enough. Now companies need to have social media strategy at the center of their advertising planning. You should take this course if you want to learn how to effectively communicate about your product or service to your target segment(s) across social media platforms and how to coordinate your overall advertising strategy.

Examines the nature and role of social media platforms and advertising strategies, focusing on the goals and uses of advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing, in achieving the communications objectives of marketing. This course first explores online consumer behavior and microtargeting, then discusses content and creative strategy planning. The course will then examine how to apply these strategies to various social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others along with integrating with traditional media. Students will be involved in determining the promotional budget, creating a message strategy, planning the social media mix, targeting communications to select market segments, executing the promotion program, and measuring overall effectiveness.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

MKT7506 Marketing Analytics
3 Elective Credits

The objective of this course is to demonstrate the benefits of using a systematic and analytical approach to marketing decision-making, and to help develop your skills and confidence in doing such analyses. Analytical approaches enable (a) the identification of alternative marketing options and actions, (b) the calibration of opportunity costs associated with each option, and (c) the choice of one or more options with the greatest likelihood of achieving the business goals. By completing this course, students will be better able to make the case for marketing expenditures (based on ROI) that companies are increasingly asking of their executives. This course integrates marketing concepts with practice, emphasizes _learning by doing, and provides students software tools to help them apply marketing concepts to real decision situations.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 OR MKT7800

MKT7540 Retailing Strategy
(Formerly Retailing Management)

Retailing Management Retailers lie at the end of the supply chain. They interface with the ultimate consumer as well as with suppliers. Retailers make investments in real estate and solicit funds from the investment community. Importantly, most of the major retailers in the United States are involved in multichannel strategies that involve communicating with their customers over the Internet and through social media. As a result, this course should appeal to students with varied interests: retailing management, suppliers to retailers (or any business selling inventory), entrepreneurs, retail services, real estate, IT e-commerce, and finance. The objective of the course is to familiarize students with all of the major decisions retailers make, e.g., developing strategies, buying, financing, locating stores. The course is designed around experiential learning exercises and cases.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800 or equivalent core

MKT7542 Digital Marketing
3 Elective Credits

This course is designed to serve as both a survey and an applied approach to the field of digital marketing. In this course, we will approach digital marketing from three lenses: owned, paid, and earned media. Owned Media are the digital assets and brand image the firm manages (e.g., websites, social media, blogs, etc.). Paid Media are what the firm pays for to reach consumers using tools such as display ads, email marketing, and search marketing. Earned Media are what the firm gains through customer and community activity (e.g., e-word of mouth, communities, etc.) throughout the Internet. The course will present current trends and strategies on how to use and integrate these three media as well as build basic technical skills needed in the digital space (e.g., adwords advertising, SEO, etc.) Upon completion of the course, students will have an understanding of how to apply various marketing models and strategy to develop a strong digital presence using a variety of marketing content and digital tools. In addition to articles and book chapters to inform our thinking, we will also use case studies, professional certifications, and an online simulation to build a solid base in digital marketing.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

MKT7550 Consumer Behavior
3 Credits

In-depth analysis of factors that affect purchase decisions in the marketplace. Applies behavioral and social science concepts to the study of buyer behavior. Focuses on the use of knowledge of buyer behavior in marketing decisions. Emphasizes theory, application, and ultimate consumer and organizational buyer behavior. Special attention given to exploring and evaluating buyer behavior research, the role of models in explaining behavior, influence of buyer behavior on development of marketing programs, and issues of consumer protection as they affect marketing strategy.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

MKT7555 Marketing High-Tech Products

Building on the students' knowledge of the marketing fundamentals, the course focuses on the special challenges of marketing high-technology products in dynamic, uncertain, and hyperconnected markets and ecosystem contexts. The course is structured around three modules: bringing new high-technology products to market, managing product maturity, and transitioning from one product generation to the next. While the focus of the course is “high technology” in the general sense, the reading materials - cases, notes, and articles - are drawn from the computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, telecommunications, and life-sciences industries.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

MKT7571 Sales in Action
(Formerly Building and Leading Effective Sales Force)

3 Credits

This course focuses on the management of sales force (i.e., salespeople, business development executives, and customer relationship staff). The course explores the resources (e.g., people, information, and technology) used by firms to initiate and develop long term customer relationships. Given the vital role of sales in several organizations, the course will expose students to the strategic and tactical means with which firms create, control, nurture, and motivate the sales force.

This course complements MBA 9502 (Customer Acquisition and Persuasion). Whereas MBA 9502 focuses on the development of skills needed to excel in selling, this course addresses the leadership roles of Sales Managers, Sales Directors, Chief Revenue Officers, and Sales VPs.
Topics covered typically include sales force structure/sizing, territory design, recruitment/selection, coaching and training, motivation (leadership, compensation, sales contests, and quota management), and performance management.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800

MKT7572 Brand Management
3 Credits

Brand Management is an advanced marketing course that will prepare students to lead a brand- centered marketing team in the consumer products/services arena. Branding and marketing decisions are usually made in a context of imperfect information, decision models that combine analysis with judgment, and a marketplace that is fast-changing. The emphasis in the course is to explore _what every brand/product manager needs to know_ to operate successfully in this real-world environment. The concept of _brand equity_ is the unique aspect of this course versus other marketing classes and will be a unifying theme throughout. Understanding how to build strong brands is the strategic imperative of the course.

This class will first cover the role market research plays in helping make informed brand decisions. Next, the course will explore key branding concepts and frameworks that lead to effective management of these brands. Finally, the course concludes with applying these key strategic branding concepts to the more tactical aspects of executing a brand's marketing efforts. In this final section of the course, we will devote 4 classes to building brands in the Web 2.0 world.
In addition, given the course's focus on _what every brand/product manager needs to know_, 4-5 contemporary branding experts in key fields, such as branding law and digital/social media, as well as senior marketing executives, will be guests in class, adding their current and relevant branding experiences to the class discussions.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800 or equivalent core

MKT7580 Independent Research
1.5-3 Credits

Independent research is available for all academic divisions. Registration is manual for students through Graduate Programs and Office of Graduate Academic Services.

Independent Research provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth research in areas of a student's own specific interest. Students may undertake Independent Research for academic credit with the approval of a student-selected faculty advisor, the appropriate division chair, and Graduate Academic Services. Please note that a student is responsible for recruiting a faculty advisor through the student's own initiative and obtain the advisor's prior consent/commitment before applying for an independent research project. The research project normally carries 1.5 or 3 credits.

For more information and a proposal outline please visit: http://www.babson.edu/Academics/graduate/mba/Pages/independent-research.aspx

MKT7800 Marketing
2 Credits (Core MBA)

If you have taken and passed MKT7200, you cannot register for MKT7800, as these two courses are equivalent

With ET&A as its underpinning, the course is divided into three general parts. We begin the course with a big picture view of marketing in the 21st century. The middle part of the course will focus on what we marketers call the 4 Ps – product, place, price, and promotion. The course wraps up by understanding the need to constantly assess marketing’s performance.

MKT9501 Strategy and Tactics of Pricing
3 Elective Credits

Pricing decisions determine sales volume and revenue, so pricing strategy and structure are vital to a company’s profitability and growth. Price determination is a top priority for managers in charge of marketing strategy or product strategy for existing or new products. Revenue and pricing are financial metrics considered to be table stakes for startups. Pricing is also a key variable for CFOs and controllers who have to forecast and manage the impact of pricing changes on a firm’s financial results in competitive markets.  

MKT9501 is designed to provide you with the concepts, techniques and knowledge that will enable you to determine the best prices and pricing strategy for your business and identify ways to improve existing pricing practice in companies. In the first part of the course, we will cover the fundamental analytical tools and theoretical frameworks needed to analyze costs, customers, and competition in order to set a proactive pricing strategy. We will focus on articulating sources of customer value and introduce tools companies can use to charge for value. The second part of the course introduces examples of pricing tactics from a variety of industries, and in B2B and B2C contexts. Examples of topics included are dynamic pricing, price discrimination and versioning, product line pricing, pricing psychology, bundling and subscriptions.  MKT9501 also explores how companies can respond to pricing pressures and (re)structure their revenue models to adapt to increased competition and technological disruptions in global and dynamic markets.

Pre-requisites: It is strongly recommended that students take ECN7500 Economic Analysis for Business Decisions before or concurrently with this course.

MKT9502 Pricing in the Information Industries
1.5 Intensive Elective Credits

Pricing as a managerial discipline draws on many domains of knowledge – economics, consumer behavior, marketing, strategy, managerial accounting, law, and so on – and, as customers or as managers, we all have some experience in the taking and/or setting of prices. In this context, offerings of the information (read “content”) industries present an interesting challenge since intuition, conventional rules of thumb, traditional models, and plain-vanilla theories do not immutably apply. With this as backdrop, the 1.5-credit “Pricing in the Information Industries” intensive course offering will focus on five topics: (1) pricing principles, (2) pricing and information products, (3) product-line pricing, (4) pricing and bundling, and (5) pricing in the presence of network effects.

Prerequisites: MKT7200 or MKT7800 or equivalent core

MKT 9505: Sales and Marketing Dynamics within Franchise Systems

1.5 credits

This course will cover and explore the unique dynamics of sales and marketing in franchise systems. This intensive elective course complements EPS7534- Franchising, licensing & distributorship. We will review the fundamentals of franchise business models to set the context for the course and then focus on specific aspects of franchising that presents unique challenges for sales and marketing executives. We will address the implications these challenges have on marketing strategy, brand building, brand extension, sales process, sales pipeline, and revenue management. Topics covered include fundamentals of franchise business models and systems, marketing strategy and implementation in franchise systems, brand building and brand leadership in franchise systems, sales process and pipeline management for recruiting franchisees, aligning B2C and B2B franchise sales to support revenue growth, understanding franchise unit level sales analytics, managing brand conflicts and opportunities in multi-brand franchise operators, managing brands in international franchise systems, marketing channel conflicts, challenges, and opportunities when franchising is combined with other go-to-market channel options, new product development (NPD) and product portfolio management (PPM) for growth-phase franchise systems.

Prerequisites: MKT 7800

XXX7580 Independent Research

*****Independent research is available for all academic divisions. Registration is manual for students through Graduate Programs and Student Affairs*****

Independent Research provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth research in areas of a student's own specific interest. Students may undertake Independent Research for academic credit with the approval of a student-selected faculty advisor, the appropriate division chair, and Graduate Programs and Student Affairs. Please note that a student is responsible for recruiting a faculty advisor through the student's own initiative and obtain the advisor's prior consent/commitment before applying for an independent research project.

Authorization for such a project requires submission of a formal proposal written in accordance with standards set forth by the Graduate School. The research project normally carries 1.5 or 3 credits.
For more information and a proposal outline please visit: http://life.babson.edu/organization/GPSA