Azerbaijan University

School of Business
MBA 8145 Marketing Management
Spring, 2010
(Saturday, 15:00-18:00 AM)

Assistant Professor: V. Ahmadov

Bachelor of Business Adminstration
Azerbaijan University
AZ 1102, Baku, R.Safarov 17
Telephone: 050 355 87 70
E: mail: vugarah@yahoo.com

Office hour: by appointment

Class hour: Saturday 12:00-15:00

1. Course General Description

Marketing management introduces the concept that companies and firms must be
customer-and-market driven through defining product segmentation, customer targeting
and product positioning, developing brand equity, customer value analysis, database-
marketing, managing supply chains. Therefore, companies are in the process of exploring
new forms of communication, such as experiential, entertainment, and viral marketing.
Customers are increasingly telling companies what types of product or services they want
and when, where, and how they want to buy them.

As companies change, so does their marketing organization. Marketing is no longer a

company department charged with a limited number of tasks – it is a company-wide
undertaking. It drives the company’s vision, mission, and strategic planning. Marketing
includes decisions like who the company wants as its customers; which needs to satisfy;
what products and services to offer; what price to set; what communications to send and
receive; what channels of distribution to use; and what partnerships to develop.
Marketing succeeds only when all departments work together to achieve goals; when
engineering designs the right products, finance furnishes the required funds, purchasing
buys quality materials, production makes quality products on time, and accounting
measures the profitability of different customers, products, and areas.

This course will provide students with:

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 o Key marketing ideas and phenomena, especially the core theme of delivering
benefits to customers;

o Skills in marketing analysis and planning;

o The tactics of the marketing (product strategy, advertising and communications,

and distribution, and 4 P’s) ;

o Ability to solve real life marketing problems and make necessary decisions;

The course explores theory and practice that draws on customer needs, company
skills, competition, collaborators, and context in marketing and product development
(5 C’s). Additionally, the course uses cases, discussions, and readings to provide a mix
of integrating concepts and hands-on problem solving.

2. Credit hours: 3.0 credits

3. Course Pre-requisites: MATH 1070 Elementary Statistics and MKT 3010 Principles of
Marketing

4. Required Computer Skills Prerequisites: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office (Word,

Excel and Power Point 2003)

5. Books:
Required text book:
1. “Marketing Management” Authors: Philip Kotler and Kevin Keller, 2006. Publisher:
Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-145757-8

Recommended text book:

1. “Principles of Marketing” Authors: Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, 2008. Publisher:
Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-712827-4

6. Dates for course:

Month Date Course Material Key deadlines
February 6 Chapter 1: Defining Marketing for Class starts
the 21 st Century;
February 13 Chapter 2: Developing Marketing Essay 1 due
Strategies and Plans;
Chapter 3: Gathering Information
and Scanning the Environment;

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February 20 Chapter 4: Conducting Marketing
Research and Forecasting Demand;
Chapter 5: Creating Customer
Value, Satisfaction, and Loyalty;
February 27 Chapter 6: Analyzing Consumer Essay 2 due
Markets;
March 6 Chapter 7: Analyzing Business
Markets;
Chapter 8: Identifying Market
Segments and Targets;
March 13 Mid-term*
March 20 Presentations Team Project 1 due
March 27 Chapter 9: Creating Brand Equity; Essay 3 due
Chapter 10: Crafting the Brand
Positioning;
April 3 Chapter 11: Dealing with
Competition;
Chapter 12: Setting Product Strategy
April 10 Chapter 13: Designing and Essay 4 due
Managing Services;
Chapter 14: Developing Pricing
Strategies and Program;
April 17 Chapter 15: Designing and
Managing Value Networks and
Channels;
Chapter 16: Managing Mass
Communications: Advertising, Sales
Promotions, Events, and Public
Relations;
April 24 Chapter 17: Designing and Essay 5 due
Managing Integrated Marketing
Communications;
Chapter 18: Managing Personal
Communications: Direct Marketing
and Personal Selling
Chapter 19: Managing Personal
Communications: Direct Marketing
and Personal Selling
May 1 Presentations Team Project 2 due
May 8 Chapter 20: The Global Essay 6 due
Marketplace;
Chapter 21: Marketing Ethics and
Social Responsibility;
Chapter 22: Managing a Holistic
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 Marketing Organization
May 15 Final Exam*

Note: * Mid-term and final test date and time will be determined by Dean Office and the provided
date will possibly change.

7. Instruction Evaluation
 You are required to complete an Instructor Evaluation Form for this course (you may
also choose not to complete the evaluation, but you must indicate so.)
 If you need to discuss grade-related issues after the final exam/test, please contact me
only after AU has published your course grades (timing when the evaluation is still in
the progress).

8. Grading Policy and Evaluation

Essays 10 points
Team Project 1 15 points
Team Project 2 15 points
Mid-term exam 20 points
Final exam 30 points
Attendance 10 points
Course total: 100 points

9. Letter Grade Policy

Letter grade Total points

A+ 97-100
A 93-96.9
A- 90-92.9
B+ 87-89.9
B 83-86.9
B- 80-82.9
C+ 77-79.9
C 73-76.9
C- 70-72.9
D 60-69.9
F Below 60

10. Exams (mid-term and final):

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 The tests will be based on the assigned readings as well as the contented presented by me
and discussed with students during classes. If need for review sessions before both of
exams is identified, I will organize a half class session to review the material involving
students. In general, review questions help students to clarify issues that they could not
completely clarify during classes or own their own.

11. Method of Instruction:

Various method of teaching will be employed to encourage proactive involvement of
students and make learning process successful. Mostly employed methods and
techniques to expect are discussions, lectures, written and video case-studies. I also expect
students to actively ask questions and discuss the class materials with their other student
colleagues.

12. Projects:
Projects are to be completed by students to demonstrate their competency and
understanding of key marketing concepts and buyers’ behaviors using real life data and
presenting its findings in the class. Students are encouraged to work in a group of two to
three students. I am always available to discuss the topics that a group of students
chooses for their projects. It is important that students approach me before brief project
statement is due.
I expect students to present their own work and students will be penalized for copying
other’s works without properly citing them.

13. Essays:
Instructor will assign six home-essays covering topics assigned by instructor related to
the class material. Each of those essays must be completed independently by students.
Students are encouraged to form group discussions to analyze home-essays but are
expected to honestly turn in their individual home-essays. Home-essays are expected to
be turned in as hard copies, no faxes and emails are accepted.

14. E-mail:
Students can contact me for arranging meetings and asking urgent questions by e-mail.
But I encourage them to contact me in person to discuss substantive matters such as a
class absence, exams, or grade assignments.

15. Office hours:

My office hours are Saturday at 2:00 – 3:00 P.M. (Other times: yes, but by appointment
only)

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16. Policy on Class Attendance
1. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and take all tests. I will also
grade attendance to ensure the discipline in the class.
2. If the student misses a class, the student is still responsible for catching up on the
material covered in the absence of that student before coming to the next class
session. Therefore, it is responsibility of the student to arrange with student
colleagues to obtain notes if he or she misses a class or classes.
3. Excessive absence: Four or more classes. Depending on the circumstances, the
instructor may initiate some kind of penalty with dean’s office.

17. Policy on Make-Ups

 Mid-term and final: do not miss them. There are no exceptions for those.
 Home-essays and project presentations are due on the dates announced and late
submission means no grade for that home-essays and presentations.
 Requests for make-ups may be granted only under exceptional circumstances.
 Avoid requests for reasons of personal convenience;
 Any make-up exams, if granted, must be taken prior to the next meeting of the
class.
 If you miss a test without prior notice or arrangement, no grade (zero grades) is
automatically assigned to the missed test.

18. Class discipline

1. Please arrive on time to the class. Being late to class without a reason is no respect
to the instructor and student colleagues as it interprets the session.
2. Do not eat food in class: please use lounge or other related areas.
3. Cell phones, e-mails, and any possible other electronic devices must be turned OFF
while in class and during the test.
4. Students are expected to talk about class topics and no other topics are expected to
be discussed.

19. Academic dishonesty

Azerbaijan University has no tolerance for acts of academic dishonesty. The responsibilities
of both students and faculty with regard to academic dishonesty are defined by education
policy of Azerbaijan University. By teaching this course, I have agreed to observe the entire
faculty responsibilities described in that document. By enrolling in this class, you have
agreed to observe all of the student responsibilities described in that document. Academic
dishonesty in this course includes copying or collaborating during an exam, discussing or

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divulging the contents of an exam with another student who will take the test, and use of
homework solutions from another students.

COURSE DETAILS

My course is designed to help students to gain knowledge and skills upon successful
graduation:

Part 1. Understanding Marketing Management

o Why is the marketing important?

o What is the scope of marketing?
o What is marketed?
o Who markets?
o How business and marketing are changing?
o What is the production/product/selling/marketing/holistic marketing concept?
o What are shifts in marketing management?
o What are marketing management tasks?
o How to develop marketing strategies and plans;
o How to define the marketing and customer value;
o How to conduct corporate and division strategic planning;
o How to conduct business unit strategic planning;

Part 2. Capturing Market Insights

o How to gather information and scan the environment;

o What are the components of a modern marketing information system;
o What are internal records and marketing intelligence?
o How to analyze the macro-environment and demographic environment?
o How to conduct marketing research and forecast demand?
o What is the marketing research system and marketing research process?
o How to measure marketing productivity;
o How to forecast and measure demand;

Part 3. Connecting with Customers

o How to perceive customer value, build customer satisfaction, measure total satisfaction,
measure product and service quality, and manage total quality;
o How to maximize customer lifetime value through customer profitability, measuring customer
lifetime value, customer equity;
o How to cultivate customer relationships through customer relationship management;

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 o How to build customer databases and database marketing through generating customer
databases, data warehouses and mining data;
o How to analyze consumer markets?
o What influences consumer behavior?
o What are key psychological processes?
o What is the five-stage model and the buying decision process?
o What are other theories of consumer decision making?
o How to analyze business markets?
o What is organizational buying?
o Who are participants in the business buying process?
o What is the purchasing and procurement process?
o What are the stages of the buying process?
o How to manage business-to-business customer relationships?
o How to identify market segments and targets?
o What are levels of market segmentation?
o How to segment consumer markets
o What are the bases for segmenting business markets?
o What is the market targeting?

Part 4. Process of building Strong Brands

o What is brand equity?

o What is the role of brands?
o What is the scope of branding?
o How to define brand equity?
o How to build brand equity?
o How to choose brand elements?
o How to design holistic marketing activities?
o How to measure and manage brand equity?
o How to devise a branding strategy?
o How to develop and communicate a brand positioning strategy?
o How to develop brand differentiation strategies?
o How to organize product life-cycle marketing strategies?

Part 5. Shaping the Market Offerings

o How to deal with competition?

o What are competitive forces?
o How to analyze competitors?
o How to develop competitive strategies for market leaders?

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 o How to develop other competitive strategies?
o How to set product strategy through product characteristics and classifications,
differentiations?
o How to build product and brand relationships?
o How to package, label, warrant and guarantees?
o How to design, manage services and develop marketing strategies for service firms?
o How to manage service quality, service brands, and product support services?
o How to develop pricing strategies and programs through understanding pricing, setting
pricing, adapting the prices and initiating and responding to price changes?

Part 6. Process of Delivering Value

o What are marketing channels and value networks?

o What is the role of marketing channels?
o How to make channel-management decisions?
o How to integrate channels and systems?
o How to define conflicts, cooperation and competition?
o How to develop e-commerce marketing practices?
o What is retailing? What are types of retailers?
o What are private labels?
o What is wholesaling?
o What is market-logistics?

Part 7. How to Successfully Communicate Value

o What is the role of marketing communications?

o How to develop effective communications?
o How to decide on the marketing communications mix?
o How to manage the integrated marketing communications?
o How to develop and manage an advertising program?
o How to measure effectiveness of an advertising program?
o How to manage direct marketing and interactive marketing?
o How to design sales forces?

Part 8. Creating Successful Long-Term Growth

o What are the challenges in new-product development?

o What are organizational arrangements?
o How to manage the development process: ideas, concept to strategy, and development to
commercialization?
o What is the consumer-adoption process?

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o How to compete on a global basis?
o How to decide whether to go abroad?
o How to decide which markets to enter?
o How to enter the market?
o What is the country of origin effects?
o Deciding on the marketing organizations?
o What are trends in marketing practices, internal marketing?
o Why is important to be socially responsible?
o What is market implementation, evaluation and control?

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