Masters programme in International Business

Course Syllabus

NORDIC PERSPECTIVES ON MARKETING

MARK2022 5 cr (ECTS) Autumn 2011 Lecturer(s): Richard A. Owusu (PhD) Course Coordinator: Richard A. Owusu Email: rowusu@uwasa.fi; Office phone: 06-324 8510 until Oct. 3, then 06-324 8527 Personal mobile phone: 045-274 9131 (9-17.00 hours weekdays) Visiting hours: Thursday 13-15.00 hours. Visits at other times by appointment. Room: B324 until Oct. 3, then B305

Enrolment key is: nordpersp11

This course is affiliated with the EPAS accredited Masters Degree Programme in International Business
UNIVERSITY OF VAASA P.O.B. 700 (Wolffintie 34), 65101 VAASA, FINLAND TEL. + 358 6 324 8111 FAX + 358 6 324 8208 www.uwasa.fi

Contents
Course description and goals ..................................................2 How to complete the course ...................................................3 Your role and other details ........................................................4 Literature .........................................................................................5

Course description and goals

Prerequisities: No previous course required . Not to be taken by students with Marketing as their major, nor by first year IB students
Learning outcomes: The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of Nordic Perspectives of marketing thought. Nordic Perspectives have played an important role in the development of marketing thought. By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1) identify key characteristics of Nordic approaches in marketing, especially in the areas of relationship marketing, networks, services marketing, and value; 2) be able to analyse what sets Nordic perspectives apart from mainstream marketing perspectives; 3) apply Nordic Perspectives in the analysis of business issues. The course will also support the development of students skills in the areas of interpretation of academic articles as well as planning, conducting and reporting an empirical study in teams. During the course, it is important to ask questions, think critically and implement new insights to contemporary marketing and business management issues. Course content: The course covers topics that are typical for the Nordic Perspective. They are: relationship marketing; relationships and networks; services marketing, and value. We will delve into the theory and practice of these topics, as well as how the Nordic perspectives on these topics differ from the mainstream views. Therefore, it is important to reflect on these issues when reading the course materials and participating in the lectures. The course includes lectures, discussion sessions and team assignments. To optimize learning, students are expected to participate actively in all the sessions. For the lecture sessions, students should read the assigned material beforehand and complete assigned literature analyses (LAs). The aim of the assignments is to support and deepen the understanding of the themes that are discussed in the course. It is also a practice in identifying theoretical frameworks from the literature and applying them to business problems. Knowledge gained from this course will be useful in other courses like Managing International Business Networks, Internationalisation Strategies of the Firm, and International Marketing Entry Modes. 2

3 Participants will learn important marketing frameworks that are relevant in managing contemporary companies. that the LAs are compulsory. Points will be given for each LA, separately from the discussion session. The lectures will be led by the Course Instructor, but students are expected to participate in the discussions. The lectures are not meant to be a one way provision of knowledge by the Instructor, but partly an interactive discussion of the course literature and active learning by students. Everyone is expected to participate in the discussions. It is every students responsibility to read the course material and be ready to discuss it in class. Further information and questions for LAs are provided below on on pp. 4-5 The literature list is on p. 8.

How to complete the course

Teaching methods and time allocation: About 23 hours are allocated to lectures, discussion sessions and presentations, and about 112 hours to individual work. Participants are expected to adopt a professional attitude towards their studies, assignments, and other course participants. .
Work on the course Individual work (in hours) Literature analysis (LA) 1 4 LA2 4 LA3 4 LA4 4 Research proposal 20 Presentation of W-I-P 2 Discussant of W-I-P 2 Research process 22 Final report (including 50 interviews etc.) Total: 112

Research Paper (76% of the grade)

Description of the teaching methods:

Lectures and Literature Analyses (24 % of the grade)

The aim of the research paper is to support and deepen the understanding of the themes that are discussed on the course. It is also a practice in conducting and reporting a scientific study. It provides an opportunity to acquaint yourselves with the problems and experiences of companies regarding the themes discussed and to develop insights for companies. The research paper will be done in teams. More about Teams on p. 6 The research paper will be done in cooperation with Muova, a research and product development Center that is affiliated with several Universities. It will be within the framework of Muovas research and consultancy project, VET Combo. The project is aimed at helping companies to improve their service innovation and creation of value for customers. The website and address of Muova are: http://www.muova.fi/
Western Finland Design Centre MUOVA Wolffintie 36 F 11, 65200 Vaasa, Finland tel. +358 6 357 6330

The lectures cover the course topics and complement the reading materials. Lectures are considered to be an essential part of learning and are, therefore, strongly recommended. Lectures are not compulsory but students present will be given separate points for being present and for contributing to the discussions. Students absent due to sickness (with a doctors certificate) can do compensatory work for the activity points, but not for presence. For each lecture, students are expected, in teams, to produce a literature analysis (LA) of 1-2 pages (line spacing 1.25, Times Roman 12pts). They should be sent to Moodle, at the latest 16.00hours on the day before the lecture, except the first LA which can be submitted in class on 15.9. There are 4 LAs. The aim of the LA is to encourage course participants to get familiar with the course material and to interpret academic articles. It is very important to summarize the essentials and to be analytic it is not the length of your answer that is most important. Note 3

Representatives of Muova will tell us about the project and their role during the first Workshop with them on 16.9 at 12-15 hours at Muova. A final Workshop with companies to present your results will be held at Muova on 9.12, 9-15hours. Representatives of some local companies will speak at the Workshop. 3 points each will be awarded for attendance

4 at each workshop with Muova, apart from points for presentation and discussion. Support and feedback on the research work will be given by the Course Instructor. You can contact the Course Instructor with questions at any time during the process. Additionally, you will be given times during weeks 39 and 42 to discuss your work-inprogress (W-I-P) with the Instructor. These meetings will be compulsory for each team. In addition, during weeks 44 and 45 all teams will present their W-I-P at seminars of their Group (Group A, Group B or Group C). In summary, the research paper process consists of five parts: 1) workshop with Muova on 16.9 at 12-15 hours; 2) presentation of the research proposal to the Course Instructor during wk 39; 3) presentation of W-I-P to the Course Instructor during wk 42; 4) presentation at Seminar during weeks 44 and 45; 5) presentation of findings at Company Workshop at Muova during wk 50; and 6) delivery of final report by 16.12. More information on the process and structure of the research paper are provided on pages 5-6.
Assessment methods

inform the Course Instructor about situation. There is no possibility compensate for a failed grade in assignments and the grades from assignments are valid only this academic 2011-2012.

the to the the year

In case of absence from the Lectures for a good reason, students can do compensatory work for the Discussion points. In summary, the course grade is based on the following parts of the course: Lectures and LAs 24%
Each LA Presence at each Lecture Contribution to the Discussion 3% 1% 2%

Research Paper

Workshop 16.9 Research Proposal Seminar (Presentation) Seminar (Discussant) Seminar Paper Presentation of results at Muova Final Paper

5% 10% 2% 3% 10% 6% 40%

76%

(Note that there will be no written examination in this course). QUESTIONS FOR LITERATURE ANALYSES (LA) For each lecture, students should produce, in teams, a literature analysis (LA) of 1-2 pages (line spacing 1.25, Times Roman 12pts). LA 1 should be submitted at the lecture on 15.9, but all others should be sent to Moodle, at the latest 16.00hours on the day before the lecture. There are 4 LAs. The aim of the LA is to encourage course participants to get familiar with the course material and to interpret academic articles. It is very important to summarize the essentials and to be analytic it is not the length of your answer that is most important. Note that the LAs are compulsory. Points will be given for each LA, separately from attendance at the lecture and contribution to the discussion (as clarified above in the summary of points). The LAs will be done in teams. More about Teams on p. 6 The core readings for the LAs are the course literature (text book and List A articles). You

Each LA will receive a maximum of 3% points. Presence at the lecture session plus contribution to the discussion will give an additional 3% points, maximum. The research paper will be evaluated in three different parts: first workshop with Muova (a maximum of 5% points for presence); the research proposal (a maximum of 10%; presentation of the preliminary report at the Seminar (a maximum of 10% for the written report and 5% for the presentation and discussion); presentation of results at Muovas second Workshop (a maximum of 6%); and the final report (a maximum of 40%). Note that late submissions will not be accepted and therefore not graded. In case of illness, bring a Doctors report. However, if one or a few Team members are ill the others should complete the assignment in time and 4

5 can also consult the List B articles as well as other relevant literature. Remember to take your LAs with you to the lecture and be ready to discuss the topics and the articles. Questions for the LAs are as follows: LA 1: Topic: Relationship Marketing: Summarize Grnroos arguments about the inevitable shift from transactions to relationships in marketing. Do you agree or disagree with Grnroos? Why? Exemplify from cases of products and companies. LA 2: Topic: Networks: Summarize the arguments of Hkansson and Snehota. Using additional insights from Salo et al, (2008) discuss the advantages and disadvantages of networks. LA 3: Topic: Services Marketing: Define services and describe their characteristics. What is service logic and what does it mean for marketing? LA 4: Topic: Value: Define value. Describe the process of value creation and distinguish between value-in-use and value-inexchange Work-in-progress (W-I-P): Each team will be allocated time to discuss its W-I-P with the Instructor during wk 42.

Seminars During weeks 44 and 45, we will hold seminars to discuss the work in progress. For each team presenting, another team will be designated as discussant. The seminar paper should be an improvement of the proposal discussed earlier with the Instructor. It should consist of 1) introduction where you state the research problem and aim of the study, 2) a theoretical framework, 3) results of the empirical study and 4) analysis of the results. The Discussant Team should read the paper in advance and prepare comments to help the authors improve it. The most important issues that the discussants should touch on are: -Title of paper and how it fits with its contents -Definition of aims and how they have been positioned in the existing research -Strengths and weaknesses of the conceptual part and the empirical part with reference to the problems or opportunities in data collection etc. -Logic of the paper -In what ways the research could have been better done -Novelty and contributions of results Each team will send its paper to all members of the Group by replying (ALL) to the e-mail list that the Course Instructor will send. Company Workshop at Muova We will attend a company Workshop at Muova on 9.12, 9-15.00Hours to present the final results. Company Representatives will attend and there will be some Corporate Speakers.

Process and Structure (76% of the grade)

THE RESEARCH PAPER

Workshop at Muova on 16.9. During the workshop, the Muova officials will brief us on their role and provide information on the project and the companies involved. This will enable teams to start to develop their research proposals. Research proposal. Each team will develop a research proposal based on the business problem provided by Muova. Each team will be allocated time to discuss the proposal with the Instructor on during wk 39. The research proposal should consist of an 1) introduction where you state the research problem and aim of the study, 2) a theoretical framework, 3) a plan on how you will conduct the study, and 4) a questionnaire or interview guide for data collection. The research proposal should consist of 8 pages maximum.

6 on the final number of accepted students in the class. For the Seminars on 4.11, 8.11, and 11.11, we will have three Groups, A, B, and C. Group A will meet on 4.11, Group B on 8.11 and Group C on 11.11. Final Report The final report to be submitted by 16.12 should include the following: 1. A title page where the headline, the name of the course, the Group name, Team number, the names of all Team members, date and time and place for the presentation are specified. 2. A table of contents covering the whole report and list of tables and figures on the following page. 3. The text starting with an introduction of the work, the topic and the companies, the aim and the structure of the report should be clearly specified. 4. Separate theory chapter describes the theory or the model(s) that you have chosen as a point of departure. 5. Separate method chapter with a description of the companies and the interview(s). 6. Separate findings chapter with a presentation of the company and empirical results. Analyse and compare with the model in your theory chapter. 7. Separate conclusions chapter with implications for the company, interesting observations and comments. 8. New page with complete list of references and respondents. 9. Appendix with interview guides, questionnaire and relevant information about the company. The technical outlines should follow University of Vaasas guidelines and the final report should be between 15 and 20 pages long. It is the quality of the report that counts not the length. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and will be reported. It is important that the teams show a development throughout the course by using the provided feedback. Division into Teams and Groups. The number of students per team, total number of teams and Groups will depend 6 Contribution to Team Work: All team members get the same points, so all should contribute equally to the work. Team members should inform me about members who do not contribute fairly. Note that it is expected that students are available for required course activities, including team work on courses, and they should, thus, plan their time and prioritize coursework ahead of personal timetables. Delivery of Seminar Papers (W-I-P Research Papers) The papers to be presented 4.11, 8.11 and 11.11 will be e-mailed to all members of each Group. I will make an e-mail list of each group. I will send an e-mail to ALL. Each team will then send its paper by replying ALL so that members of the Group get the paper and have time to read it. Here are the deadlines for mailing papers: Seminar on 4.11, deadline is 1.11; Seminar on 8.11, deadline is 3.11; Seminar on 11.11, deadline is 7.11. Delivery of Final Research Papers The final research papers should be delivered in my mailbox at the Department latest on 16.12 at 16.00 hours. Events All course information will be placed on the course site on Moodle. The final date of registration is Friday, 9.9. I will publish the list of Teams on Monday, 12.9. Contacts All inquiries regarding the course, including those relating to the research work with Muova should be directed to the Richard Owusu.

7 Course Schedule
Week 36 Date 9.9 Time 9-12 Place F 118 Theme Introduction Literature

37

15.9

9-12

K 218

Relationship Marketing

Textbook (Grnroos, 2007); Articles on Relationship Marketing Muovas website: www.muova.fi Textbook (Grnroos, 2007); Articles on Networks

37 38 39

16.9 22.9 27.9

12-15 9-12

Muova F 652

Introductory workshop at Muova Networks

39 40 42 44 45 45 49 50

29.9 5.10 21.10 4.11 8.11 11.11 9.12 14.12

Discussion of proposals with Course Instructor Times will be allocated to Teams. See Schedule in Moodle. Each team will send its proposal to the Instructor by latest 25.9 9-12 K218 Services Textbook (Grnroos, 2007); Articles on Services Textbook (Grnroos, 2007); Articles on Value Discussion of work-in-progress with Course Instructor Times will be allocated to Teams. See Schedule in Moodle. Each team will send its work-in-progress to the Instructor by latest 23.10 13-16 D119 Seminar: W-I-P papers Presentation of W-I-P: Group A 14-17 D119 Seminar: W-I-P papers Presentation of W-I-P: Group B 13-16 D119 Seminar: W-I-P papers Presentation of W-I-P: Group C 9-15 Presentation of results at Muova 9-12 C203 Wrap-up 14-17 F119 Value

50

16.12

Latest, 16.00hours

My letter box at the Department

Final version of the research paper to be delivered.

8 Course Literature Text book: Grnroos, Christian, (2007, 3rd

Other interesting articles (List B) Bengtsson, M., and Kock, S., 2000. Co-opetition in Business Networks to Cooperate and Compete Simultaneously. Industrial Marketing Management, 29, pp. 411-426. Gummesson, Evert (2004), Return on relationships (ROR): the value of relationship marketing and CRM in business-to-business Contexts, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Volume 19 Number 2 , pp. 136-148 Heinonen, Kristina and Strandvik, Tore (2009) "Monitoring value-in-use of e-service", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 1, pp.33 - 51 Holmlund-Rytknen, Maria och Tore Strandvik (2005), Stress in business relationships, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol 20, Nr 1, 1222. Hkansson, Hkan and Ford, David, (2002) How should companies interact in business networks? Journal of Business Research 55 (2002) 133 139. Lfgren, Martin (2005) Winning at the first and second moments of truth: an exploratory study Managing Service Quality Vol.: 15 Issue: 1 2005 Mller, Kristian and Halinen Aino , Business Relationships and Networks: Managerial Challenge of Network Era, Industrial Marketing Management 28, 413427. Mller, K., Rajala, A., (2007). Rise of strategic nets New modes of value creation. Industrial Marketing Management 36, pp. 895908 Gronroos, Christian (2009), Marketing as promise management: regaining customer management for marketing, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 24/5/6 (2009) 351359 Gronroos, Christian (2006), On defining marketing: finding a new roadmap for marketing, Marketing Theory, Volume 6(4): 395417 Gronroos, Christian (2001) "The perceived service quality concept a mistake?", Managing Service Quality, Vol. 11 Iss: 3, pp.150 - 152 Gronroos, Christian (2004) "The relationship marketing process: communication, interaction, dialogue, value", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 19 Iss: 2, pp.99 - 113 Skln, Per; Strandvik,Tore (2005) "From prescription to description: a critique and reorientation of service culture", Managing Service Quality, Vol. 15 Iss: 3, pp.230 244. Wagar, Karolina, (2008), Exploring tools for learning about customers in a service setting, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 596-620

edition) Service Management and Marketing: West Sussex, John Wiley (selected Chapters).

Articles (List A)
The following articles will be used for the analyses. They are available on Moodle. Topic: Relationship Marketing Grnroos, Christian (1994), From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing, Management Decision, vol. 32, Nr. 2, pp. 4-20. Grnroos, Christian (1996) "Relationship marketing: strategic and tactical implications", Management Decision, Vol. 34 Iss: 3, pp.5 - 14. Topic: Interactions and Networks Hkansson, Hkan and Snehota, Ivan, (2006), No business is an island: The network concept of business strategy, Scandinavian. Journal of. Manaegment 22, 256270. Hkansson, Hkan and Snehota, Ivan, (2006) No business is an island 17 years later, Scandinavian. Journal of. Manaegment. 22 271274 Salo, Jari, Jaakko Sinisalo and Heikki Karjaluoto. (2008) Intentionally developed business network for mobile marketing: a case study from Finland. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Vol. 23, 7-8, pp. 497-506. Topic: Services Marketing Christian Grnroos (2006), Adopting a service logic for marketing, Marketing Theory, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 317-333. Edvardsson, B., Gustafsson, A. and Roos, I., Service Portraits in Service Research: A Critical Review. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 16, 1, 2005, pp. 107-121. Topic: Value Grnroos, Christian (2008) "Service logic revisited: who creates value? And who cocreates?", European Business Review, Vol. 20 Iss: 4, pp.298 - 314 Ravald, Annika and Christian Grnroos, (1996) "The value concept and relationship marketing", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30 Iss: 2, pp.19 30.