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MKTG-UB.1.1.001: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING Assoc. Prof. Ambar Machfoedy

Summer 2012

Welcome to Introduction to Marketing. I look forward to meeting you at our first class on May 21, 2012 and getting to know you during the Summer session. Here is the preliminary course syllabus. Almost all of the details you need on the course are here. If you have the time, you may want to read it before class starts. It contains helpful information on the course objectives, what you will learn in the course, your responsibilities, how the course is conducted, and the course assignment. You might also want to complete the Personal Information Form at the end of the syllabus, which helps me get to know you. The text for the course is: R. Kerin, S. Hartley & W. Rudelius, Marketing, 11th edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill. The 11th edition is the latest edition. The NYU Bookstore is selling the regular hardback version of the textbook. McGraw-Hill also sells a loose-leaf version that you can put in your own binder, and an eBook version, which has a timed, 180-day subscription, for lower prices. The eBook version allows you to search the entire book, print out pages you need, and highlight, make notes, and share them with your classmates. You can get information about the eBook at www.CourseSmart.com and at http://textbooks.vitalsource.com. The case packet will be available at the Bookstore soon after class begins. Have a good remainder of your vacation, and I look forward to seeing you. Regards, Assoc. Prof. Ambar Machfoedy DRAFT

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MKTG-UB.1.1.001: INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING Associate Professor Ambar Machfoedy

Summer 2012

CLASS HOURS: M/W 12:00 pm – 2:55 pm CLASS ROOM: T-UC24 OFFICE HOURS: Mondays and Wednesdays: 11.00 pm – 11.45 am PHONE: 914-548 9038 E-MAIL: amachfoe@stern.nyu.edu TEACHING FELLOW: TF OFFICE HOURS: TBA TF office hours, which will be announced early in the semester, are held in the Ernst & Young Learning Center, Tisch LC27. For other times, please use e-mail to set up an appointment. You can also send email queries to the TFs. The TFs will grade your assignments. The best way to contact the TF is via e-mail. COURSE WEB SITE: http://newclasses.nyu.edu (don’t use a “www” prefix)

For instructions on how to use Blackboard 8.0 please go to this site, log in, and then click on the “?” icon at the top.

Please check the Blackboard website regularly for class announcements and instructions. You should always check the postings on Blackboard before coming to class – some postings may be crucial in ensuring that you are in step with the rest of the class. Please go to the website for a copy of all course handouts. This site contains many things you will find useful over the course of the semester. Please read this syllabus carefully. It is your guide to the course and will help you learn more and do your best. It describes the course's objectives, how it is conducted, your responsibilities, and a synopsis of each session. There are also study questions for each case that is not part of an assignment. A copy of this syllabus appears on the course web site. All handouts and assignments will be posted on the site as they become available. 1. COURSE OBJECTIVES, DESCRIPTION & SCHEDULE Marketing is about building profitable customer relationships. The aim is to create value for customers, and to capture value in return. Effective marketing strategy satisfies customer needs and creates customer value while allowing the firm to achieve its objectives. This course has been designed to introduce you to the core concepts of marketing. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the key issues involved in the development of a balanced and integrated approach to the marketing of products and services. Businesspeople in all areas need a solid understanding of marketing strategy to succeed. The knowledge and skills that you will gain in this course will be relevant and applicable in your future (and even present) work and social life – whether you are an employee, employer or a

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consumer. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to understand the underlying principles of the marketing discipline, the goals of the marketing system, and how marketing is used by different types of organizations. Essentially, you will be in a good position to make meaningful contributions in the development of marketing strategies for organizations that you may be involved with – for profit and not-for-profit. The course uses a combination of lectures, class discussion, case studies, assignments, and exams. The remainder of this syllabus describes the course and your responsibilities in it.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Session Date Topic Readings, Assignments & Details

1 M, 5/21 • Course Introduction & Overview • Marketing, Customers & the Concept of Value • The Marketing Environment

Chapters 1 & 3

2 W, 5/23 • Marketing & Corporate Strategies Chapter 2 Due: Personal Information Forms Case Study: “Geek Squad: A New Business for a New Environment” pg 85

M 5/28 MEMORIAL DAY (No Class) 3 W, 5/30 • Marketing Math

• Consumer Buyer Behavior Chapter 5

4 M, 6/4 • Consumer Buyer Behavior • Organizational Buyer Behavior

Chapter 6

5 W, 6/6 • Overview of Market Research Process • Customer Segmentation Strategy

Chapters 8 & 9 Case: Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service

6 M, 6/11 • Customer Segmentation Strategy • Positioning Strategy and Market Maps • New Product Development

Chapter 9, 10

7 W, 6/13 • Managing Products & Services

Chapters 11-12 Group Case Assignment Due Case: Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product Positioning

8 M, 6/18 • The Pricing Decision

Chapter 13-14

9 W, 6/20 • Distribution Channels • Marketing Communications

Chapters 15, 20, 17, 18 Case: Z-Corp

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10 M, 6/25 • Marketing Communications • Group Project Presentations • Course Summary & Conclusion

Group Project Report Due

11 W, 6/27 • FINAL EXAMS

2. COURSE MATERIALS The text for the course is: R. Kerin, S. Hartley & W. Rudelius, Marketing, 11th edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill. The NYU Bookstore is selling the regular hardback version of the textbook. McGraw-Hill also sells a loose-leaf version that you can put in your own binder, and an eBook version, which has a timed, 180 day subscription, for lower prices. The eBook version allows you to search the entire book, print out pages you need, and highlight, make notes, and share them with your classmates. You can get information about the eBook at www.CourseSmart.com and at http://textbooks.vitalsource.com. In order to get the most from this course it is extremely important that you are prepared for class. I will only highlight the material covered in the text or readings, on the assumption that you can do the required background reading yourselves and you would prefer to have new information and experiences in class that supplement your basic theoretical readings. As such, if you have questions on the text or readings, it is your responsibility to let me know prior to class (via email), or at the beginning/end of class. I will not repeat much of what is covered in the assigned readings. So if you do not prepare for class adequately, you will learn substantially less from the discussions and exercises, and not only will you not be able to participate in class effectively, but it is also likely that you will not perform well on the exams and cases. Class meetings do not test you on the background material directly, but they are based on your understanding and retention of the text material. Therefore reading the background material is crucial. Press Articles: In some classes we will discuss examples from articles that have appeared in the popular and business press, such as the The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fortune and Inc. These help create an interesting class discussion and show how marketing affects current events and in turn, are affected by them. Whenever possible, we will look at an image of these articles in class. You can get any of the NY Times articles for free on the Times web site. You can also obtain articles for most publications from the NYU Virtual Business Library, at http://library.nyu.edu/vbl/. Just click “Journals/Newspapers/E-Books” on the left side of the homepage. If you are taking Stern courses, you should take the time to learn how to use the VBL. 3. SUMMARY OF YOUR GRADE

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Your grade is earned through the following activities, which are discussed in detail in this syllabus: Class participation 20% Group Case Study Project (Clean Edge Razor) 20% Group Marketing Project 20% Market research assignment 5% Final exam 35% 4. CLASS PARTICIPATION - 20% of grade You will learn the most from this class if you and your classmates participate fully. You all have different experiences and insights, and a great deal of what you learn in class is from each other. You make no contribution with silence. A portion of your class participation grades will also come from your class attendance. Many sessions of the course will involve interaction and I expect each class member to be prepared at all time, in every class. To reinforce this expectation, I will occasionally randomly select (i.e., cold call) a class member to comment on the topic of discussion, whether or not the student’s hand is raised. This is the kind of thing that might happen at a business meeting, or any meeting, where suddenly someone asks your opinion and expects you to be prepared. The skills you acquire from participating in class and with your group will serve you well in your future positions, whether you pursue marketing as a career or not. Class participation means contributing to class discussion in a way that benefits your classmates and helps them learn. You don't have to speak frequently or in every class to earn the highest possible class participation grade. Some of you may be shy about speaking out, but you still need to participate. Class participation is not graded by any "curve" - it is possible and desirable for everyone in the class to earn a high grade for class participation. Class discussion should encourage the free and open exchange of ideas. If you want to challenge what I, or another student, have said, do so. Constructive criticism is always welcome and is an important part of the Stern experience. Do not be upset if I challenge something you say - we learn most when we have to defend our positions. If you ever feel that my comments or the comments of any student are not constructive, please let me know. Sometimes we will have to stop discussion and move on to the next topic before hearing from everyone - there is limited time in each session and we want to use it wisely. Please don't take it personally if there isn't time to call on you. Often we will try to hear first from class members who have not participated much before hearing from others who have spoken more often. It is important for your classmates, and me, to know who you are. Please fill out the Personal Information Form at the end of this syllabus and hand it in at the second class, so I can learn more about you. Please also write a name card with your first name in big block letters and use it in every class. This helps your classmates, and me, know who you are.

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If you are not in class, you can't learn the material in the course nor contribute to the benefit of your classmates. I realize that occasionally you may be absent. Whenever you know in advance that you will be absent, please let me know in advance. If you miss class, be sure to obtain copies of notes from at least two of your classmates to ensure that you do not miss any important material. 5. CASES We will use case studies extensively in the course. These are a required part of the course, and are contained in the course case packet at the bookstore. The cases included in the packet are: • Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service • Clean Edge Razor • Z-Corporation Cases describe interesting marketing problems encountered by real firms. We use them as good examples that illustrate and apply marketing concepts and skills in the course. Cases also give you an opportunity to make and justify marketing decisions. In cases, we will focus on identifying the marketing problems, introducing marketing concepts and skills that can help solve these problems, and applying these concepts and skills to recommend a course of action for the firm. There is no "right" or “wrong” answer to a case, but usually some answers are better than others. The strength of your reasoning and analysis is as important as your recommendations. You are expected to prepare carefully for all case studies and be ready to discuss them in class. You will also have 2 Case Study written assignments: • Group Case Study Project – Clean Edge Razor In the case discussions, I will introduce new frameworks and techniques that help address the marketing problems in the case. These frameworks are useful tools for analysis. The key is to understand how they are applied in the specific case, and to appreciate how such frameworks can also be used in other contexts. The amount you learn from a case depends on how carefully you read and analyze it. You are expected to read each case thoroughly and come to class ready to contribute to case discussions. In many cases some of the material is, by design, not particularly relevant to the problem at hand. At the same time, the case may omit other data you would like to have. This can be a pain, but it does reflect the real world of business. Some of our discussion may revolve around what "missing information" we would like to have. Analyzing a case: While the case study questions are designed to help you focus on important case topics, you also should begin to establish your own, independent ability to analyze marketing situations.

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Analyzing cases is a good way to start developing this ability. A good case analysis should look at the following: 1) What are the important problems confronting this firm? This includes anticipating problems

before they occur so the firm can take steps to prevent them, as well as identifying existing problems.

2) What information do you have that is useful for addressing these problems? 3) What are the different solutions to these problems? What are the strengths and weaknesses of

each solution? 4) Which solution would you choose, and why is it better than the others? 5) How would you implement this solution? 6) If a firm faces several problems, what are the relationships between them and between the

solutions you have chosen? This is especially important in marketing, where each part of marketing strategy, and each part of the marketing mix, affects the others. Remember, you need to choose an overall solution that keeps, or creates, a balanced and coordinated marketing mix.

GROUP WRITTEN CASE ASSIGNMENTS (15%) The Clean Edge Razor case provide you with an opportunity to apply what you are learning to more complex problems and contexts. It will take several hours to read and study the case, and perhaps ten more hours to help your team prepare and write-up an analysis. Come to class prepared to offer your opinions or be called on even if you don’t volunteer. You will do the New Beetle case in groups. Teams will be announced in class and/or via email. Your team is responsible for allocating responsibilities and making sure that everyone contributes in a timely manner. Please do not ask me or the TF to become involved in settling any disagreement between team members. You must do this by yourselves. TURNITIN You will need to submit a bound (or stapled) hard copy, and an electronic copy to Turnitin on their website www.turnitin.com . Turnitin is an Internet-based plagiarism-detection service which checks documents for plagiarism. Instructions for Turnitin are available on Blackboard. To create an ID, you will need the class ID and password. I will provide you with the ID and Password. Each group will only need one ID. 6. GROUP MARKETING PROJECT – 20% of grade The group term project is an attempt to apply what you have learned in the earlier part of the course to a product or service of your choosing. You are essentially going to analyze the environment that the company offering the product/service is operating in, and evaluate its strategy for marketing the product – specifically the segments that are being targeted at, the positioning and the various components of the marketing mix. Include in your report, recommendations that you may have on how the company can improve its marketing of the product or service based on your understanding of the market and the other environmental factors.

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The first part of the paper should provide a brief background of the company and a description of the product/service and its major competition. The second part of the paper is descriptive. We would like you to describe the product’s current marketing strategy (objectives, target segment(s), value proposition, marketing mix). The third part of the paper is diagnostic. We would like you to evaluate the product’s current marketing strategy and plan. The fourth part of the paper is prescriptive. Based on your evaluation, we would like you to make recommendations for how the marketing strategy and plan can be improved to lead to better performance in terms of sales/profitability. The paper should be 10 pages maximum excluding exhibits. A hard copy is due and to be submitted to me on Monday, June 25th. You will also submit electronic versions of your paper to Turnitin. 7. FINAL EXAM – 35% of grade The final exam will cover the entire course. No make-up will be offered and you will not be permitted to take the exam early. This is a closed-book exam. Please be sure to bring a calculator. 8. MARKETING RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT – 5% of grade Companies often need to learn more about their current and potential customers – who they are, what they want, how they make choices, how they use products, etc. One of the best ways for them to gather information is to design and conduct research studies themselves, or to engage an outside company to do it for them. We will discuss the marketing research process in class. The Marketing Research Assignment is designed to enrich your understanding of the value of research to the formulation of sound marketing strategy. It consists of two options -- you can choose either one, or a combination of both. That is, to satisfy the Marketing Research Assignment, you need a combined total of three experiments and/or Marketing Research Exercises. Option 1: Subject Pool Participation. The first option is participation in the Marketing Department Subject Pool. This gives you an opportunity to be part of marketing research in action and later evaluate it with the advantage of firsthand experience. With this option, you will be a subject (participant) in three studies (under an hour each) currently being conducted by Marketing Department faculty. (Note that while the people running the studies are usually Ph.D. students, they are conducting the research for or with members of the Marketing Department faculty, who supervise them closely.) Once these studies are finished, you will receive written debriefings on each. It is also likely that we will discuss the purpose, design, implications, etc., of at least one of these studies in class as an example of what can be learned about consumers through research.

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Participation in the Subject Pool is easy and usually enjoyable for most students. All you have to do is show up for the studies and follow instructions. You may participate in one, two or three studies but you must participate in a combined total of three studies and/or Market Research Exercises (see Option #2 below for more information). While the studies are usually fun, they are also serious. Therefore, you should take them seriously and provide honest and careful responses to all questions you are comfortable answering. You will not be required to answer any question(s) that make(s) you feel uncomfortable. Sign-ups will occur on-line three times during the term (once for each study assigned to our class) and the sessions for that study will usually occur within the next week or two. I will announce when sign-ups become available for each study. At the beginning of each study, the experimenter will explain what the study is about, what your rights are as a participant in the study, and any risks or special benefits of participation. You will be asked to read and sign a consent form stating that you agree to participate in the study. You will be given one copy of the consent form to keep. If you prefer not to participate in the study, or if you withdraw from the study once you begin, you may complete one of the Marketing Research Exercises described below (see Option #2) and will receive the same credit as if you had completed the experiment. For students who will be under 18 years of age: If you would like to participate in the subject pool studies but are under 18 years of age, it is a Federal government and a University requirement that you must provide a signed consent form from your parent or legal guardian for each experiment you participate in. Please see me if you are under 18 and would like to participate in one or more experiments. I will provide you with a copy of the parental consent form for each experiment. Please ask your parent or legal guardian to read and sign the form. The form must then be returned to me prior to your participating in the experiment. Note that if you prefer to do the three marketing research exercises described as “Option 2” below, you do not need to have your parent or legal guardian complete these forms. Option 2: Marketing Research Exercises. As an alternative to participating in one, two or three Subject Pool studies (Option #1, above), a second option is to complete one, two or three Marketing Research Exercises. Each exercise involves a write-up no longer than one page and will give you additional experience with marketing research and its application to marketing strategy. These exercises are due on the day of your final exam. No exceptions will be made, so please plan ahead. The marketing research assignments that are alternatives to participating in the subject pool will be listed on the course web site and are as follows: 1. Designing a Survey (Howlin' Coyote Chili): Read Appendix A of Chapter 2 (pp. 50-61).

Paradise Kitchens often does taste tests to evaluate new chilies that might be added to its Howlin' Coyote line. As part of the taste test, participants are asked to complete a short questionnaire summarizing their reactions. You have been asked to design this questionnaire. Create a one-page (max.) questionnaire that includes questions on the following:

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a. The respondent's reactions to the chili tasted b. Good names for the new chili c. How often the respondent eats chili d. The most useful additional question(s) that fit within the page limit

2. Generating Ideas (Breathe Right): Read the Breathe Right case at the end of Chapter 7 (pp.

188-189). CNS and 3M have employed you to generate ideas of characters and situations for advertisements targeting "snorers." Brainstorming is often used to come up with new advertising ideas. Assemble a group of at least 4 people for a brainstorming session and do the following: a. Tell them the objective of the session b. Give them the rules for brainstorming. These are: 1. Strive for quantity of ideas, without special concern for quality. 2. Feel free to "piggyback" on others' ideas. 3. Be creative and try looking at the problem from another viewpoint. 4. DO NOT evaluate or criticize AT ALL during the session. c. Give them 5-7 minutes to generate ideas and record as many as you can. d. Write one page (max.) indicating: the number of participants, the number of ideas they generated as a group, the advantages of this technique, and the disadvantages of this technique.

3. Analyze the Jamba Juice case on pages 617-618 of the text and write a one-page (max.)

response to the questions at the end of the case.

9. TEACHING FELLOW The Teaching Fellow for the course has yet to be determined. He/She is an likely an MBA or a Final Year student at Stern who has done well in the Marketing course when she took it as part of her program requirement. The TF is here to help you and will be very happy to answer any questions. She will also help grade assignments. The TF will hold office hours twice a week in Ernst & Young Learning Center, Tisch LC27. Her contact information and office hours are listed at the beginning of the syllabus. 10. MY OFFICE HOUR My office hour is on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11.00 am to 11:45 am at Suite 803 Tisch Hall. My door will be open for consultation during this time slot. For consultation outside of the Office Hour, please email me to arrange for an appointment. 11. COURSE POLICIES – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY Students often ask about course policies in a number of areas, such as keeping current with the class, missed exams and quizzes, regrading, and the honor code. These are very important for you

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to know and observe. Please read the following very carefully. Please also be sure to read the Stern School policies that affect all Stern classes, at http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/academic/affairs/policies.cfm?doc_id=7511 Grade policy At NYU Stern we seek to teach challenging courses that allow students to demonstrate differential mastery of the subject matter. Assigning grades that reward excellence and reflect differences in performance is important to ensuring the integrity of our curriculum. In core courses, our faculty have adopted a standard of rigor for teaching where: - 25-35% of students can expect to receive A’s for excellent work - 50-70% of students can expect to receive B’s for good or very good work - 5-15% of students can expect to receive C’s or less for adequate or below work Note that while we use these ranges as a guide, the actual distribution for this course and your own grade will depend upon how well each of you actually performs in this course. Please see www.stern.nyu.edu/undergraduate/grading for “Teaching and Grading at the NYU Stern Undergraduate College” for more information. Regrading Requests In line with Grading Guidelines for the NYU Stern Undergraduate College, the process of assigning of grades is intended be one of unbiased evaluation. This means that students are encouraged to respect the integrity and authority of the professor’s grading system and discouraged from pursuing arbitrary challenges to it. If a student feels that an inadvertent error has been made in the grading of an individual assignment or in assessing an overall course grade, a request to have that the grade be re-evaluated may be submitted. Students should submit such requests in writing to the professor within 7 days of receiving the grade, including a brief written statement of why he or she believes that an error in grading has been made.

Academic Integrity Integrity is critical to the learning process and to all that we do here at NYU Stern. All students are expected to abide by the NYU Stern Student Code of Conduct. A student’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: A duty to acknowledge the work and efforts of others when submitting work as one’s own. Ideas, data, direct quotations, paraphrasing, creative expression, or any other incorporation of the work of others must be clearly referenced.

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A duty to exercise the utmost integrity when preparing for and completing examinations, including an obligation to report any observed violations. Please see www.stern.nyu.edu/uc/codeofconduct for more information. Cheating and plagiarism will NOT be tolerated. Either will result in the grade of “F” for the assignment, quiz, or exam for all parties involved. Please read carefully the Stern Student Code of Conduct, presently at this URL: http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/uc/currentstudents/codeofconduct.cfm?doc_id=5182. Violations of the Stern Student Code of Conduct may result in referral to the Stern School Discipline Committee and legal action by the University. The possible actions taken by the Stern School Discipline Committee in instances of cheating and plagiarism include suspension and expulsion from New York University. No form of cheating or plagiarism is acceptable. Since students in other sections of this course may have the same or highly similar assignments and exams, it will be considered a violation of the Stern Ethics Code if a student from one section that has completed an assignment or exam shares information with a student in another section that has not yet completed that assignment or exam. Further, according to the Stern Student Code of Conduct, if a student has knowledge of or observed a violation of the Code of Conduct, he or she is obligated to report the incident to the instructor.

Policy on Keeping Current with the Class The TFs and I will use two methods – in class and e-mail – to make announcements of such things as syllabus revisions, updates of the lecture slides, details on assignments, grade breakdowns, and any other important information about which you need to be aware. Not every announcement will be made both ways. It is your responsibility to check your e-mail and Blackboard website at least once a day during the week (Monday through Friday) and you will be expected to be aware of any e-mail announcements within 24 hours of the time the message was sent. If for some reason you are not able to check your e-mail, find out from a classmate whether anything was sent that you need to know. It is also your responsibility to be aware of all announcements and handouts given in class. If you miss a class, get copies of materials from classmates. Do not ask the TF or me to review what happened in class. If you are having trouble with e-mail or the class web site, read the notes below before contacting me. Policy on Using Stern E-mail and the Course Web Site Neither the TF nor I have the expertise of a computer consultant for answering questions about how to get access to Stern email and the course Blackboard site. Here are some helpful hints concerning use of e-mail and the course website. Many of you are undoubtedly conversant on this subject and will not need to read them. However, if you have trouble and are still having trouble after using the instructions below, check first with at least one consultant at one of the Stern computer labs, or call the Stern Computer Help Desk at 212-998-0180.

Your e-mail address. Once you are registered for this course, the registrar will send your name

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to our computer folks and, if you don’t have one already, a Stern e-mail address will be created for you. Your default password will be your social security number, so change it as soon as possible. To do this, simply visit the Simon web site (http://simon.stern.nyu.edu), log in with your Stern ID and password, and click on “Change Password.” If you do not have a Stern e-mail address or cannot access it, please get help at the Stern Computer Help Desk. If you would prefer to receive e-mail from me at an address other than your Stern e-mail address, have your Stern e-mail forwarded to your preferred address. To do this, simply visit the Simon web site (http://simon.stern.nyu.edu), log in with your Stern ID and password, and click on “E-mail Options.” Policy on Missed Exams and Quizzes Inform me in writing (e-mail is fine) of any legitimate quiz and exam conflicts at least two weeks in advance. (All quiz and exam dates have been set and appear in the course outline.) If I do not receive written notice at least two weeks before the quiz or exam, you will not be given the opportunity to take it at another time. If you miss a quiz or exam due to illness or injury, a make-up will not be scheduled for you unless I receive a letter from your doctor (on letterhead) indicating the date and time of the medical problem that prevented you from taking the test. You are responsible for contacting me concerning missing an exam as soon as possible, preferably before the exam. If you are unable to take a make-up exam before the next class session, your doctor’s letter must also indicate the dates of your medical incapacity. If you have a letter from your doctor, I may choose to give you a substitute test or I may assign greater weight to another test. Policy on Exams for Students with Qualified Disabilities Students whose class performance may be affected due to a disability should notify the professor early in the semester so that arrangements can be made, in consultation with the Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities, to accommodate their needs. Please see www.nyu.edu/csd for more information.

GUIDELINES FOR GROUP PROJECTS

The following guidelines were developed by Stern faculty, to help students working on group projects. If you follow them, these guidelines will help your group do the best it can, and save time and possible conflict. Business activities involve group effort. Consequently, learning how to work effectively in a group is a critical part of your business education. Every member is expected to carry an equal share of the group’s workload. Your professor will

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not supervise the process any more closely than a manager would in similar circumstances. In the infrequent case where you believe that a group member is not carrying out his or her fair share of work, you are urged not to allow or permit problems develop to a point where they become serious. Try to first address these problems among yourselves. It is recommended that your group establish your own problem-solving process for handling conflicts at the beginning of your work together. If you cannot resolve conflicts internally after your best efforts, they should be brought to the attention of your professor who will work with you to find a resolution. You will be asked to complete a peer evaluation form to evaluate the contribution of each of your group members (including your own contribution) at the conclusion of each project. If there is consensus that a group member did not contribute a fair share of work to the project, the professor will consider this feedback during grading. Guidelines for Effective Group Work Research on groups shows that outcomes do not depend on group members liking each other personally, but they do depend on effective group processes. Here are some guidelines: 1) Focus on achieving the best results rather than worrying about interpersonal relationships 2) Become aware of and respect differences among each other: a) Demographic (gender, race, ethnicity, national culture) b) Professional (values, skills, personalities) 3) Meet as soon as possible to a) Agree on your group’s ground rules (provided on the next page “Suggested Ground Rules”) b) Decide on the process of collaboration: when you will brainstorm ideas/approaches, collect data, analyze data, prepare the group project paper c) Assign tasks and identify specific deliverables for each meeting and each person d) Schedule subsequent meeting times e) Agree on how you will exchange work and by which dates f) Determine how your group mates will review the combined project and approve it Know the Content of the Project It is in your interest to be involved in all aspects of the project. Even if you divide the work rather than work on each piece together, you are still responsible for each part. The group project will be graded as a whole: its different components will not be graded separately. Your exams may contain questions that are based on aspects of your group projects. Assumed Rules for Group Participation To work well as a group, you need to decide on some ground rules that will facilitate your joint work. Below is a list of common rules related to group work that you should assume are in effect unless your group decides to change them. Discuss each rule and decide whether you want to adopt it as a group. Make sure each member commits to the rules you adopt. You can also add your own rules, such as, “add each member of the group to an IM buddy list.”

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1) Each member will perform a fair share of the group’s work. Free-riding is not acceptable. 2) Telephone numbers and email addresses will be exchanged promptly. 3) All members should attend scheduled meetings unless it has been previously arranged that a member cannot make a specific meeting or there are unavoidable circumstances such as illness (hangovers don’t normally qualify as a valid form of illness). 4) To encourage attendance at all meetings, arranging for a combination of face-to-face and online meetings can help alleviate the strain of scheduling issues. 5) All members should be prepared for all meetings (read the assignment in advance and develop some ideas on your own). 6) Meetings will commence no later than six minutes after the agreed start time and everyone should arrive by that time. 7) Roles such as chair of a meeting and note-taker should be clearly allocated and should rotate around the group so that responsibilities are shared. 8) Anyone can initiate and redirect discussion. 9) Decisions should be made democratically – in the absence of a clear consensus there should be a vote. 10) Aggressive and dominating behavior is not acceptable. 11) Sexist and racist remarks are not acceptable. 12) Members should try to encourage contributions– to discussions and decisions – from everyone, and to assess the value of all contributions. 13) Members should practice active listening: listen to each other’s ideas, summarize them, ask questions, and show respect for the other person’s opinion before challenging it. 14) Tasks that individuals agree to undertake should be completed by the agreed deadline. If it looks as though there will be a problem meeting a deadline that member should seek help from other members of the group in time to avoid a delay. 15) If a group mate asks for help, everyone should try to assist him/her. 16) If a conflict is emerging, it should be discussed in a group meeting and attempts should be made to resolve it within the group; if this is unsuccessful, it should be brought to the attention of the professor. 17) Each person has the right to point out when these rules are being broken. 18) All group mates should have responsibility for implementing an effective group process. 19) All rules can be changed by consensus.

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PERSONAL INFORMATION FORM: INTRO TO MARKETING

Associate Professor Ambar Machfoedy, Summer 2012 Your Name and Section: ____________________________ Contact phone #:____________________________ Major(s): ____________________________ Preferred e-mail address Expected (print clearly): _______________________ graduation date:_________________ 1) Please read the following statement and indicate your agreement by providing your signature below. (Before signing you should be sure to read the syllabus thoroughly).

“I have read the syllabus thoroughly. I understand and agree to the

requirements associated with this course.” ___________________________________________ _________________ Signature Date 2) List here any class you might miss for religious observance. 3) What are your 5 and 10-year career goals? (Use the back if you run out of space.) 4) What is your work experience? 5) Tell me something else about yourself that is important to you and/or makes you unique

(your interests, hobbies, background, talents, collections, etc.) 6) What do you expect to get from this course? How does the course fit your career goals?

Please staple or digitally paste

your photo here (One that looks

like you!)

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