Marketing Minor

A study of basic marketing theory and practice. Major topics include analysis of consumer market structure versus industrial market system; product planning; channels of distribution; pricing; promotion; and relevant government regulation.

Examines marketing from the point of view of various behavioral science concepts, relevant consumer research, and practical marketing applications. Also examines motivation, personality, perception learning, attitude formation, and the importance of group dynamics, social class and culture on behavior in the marketplace. Prerequisite: EBKN 101.

This course helps students conceptualize the strategic planning process as it relates to the primary determinants of sales and profits. Students will develop an integrated marketing campaign for a specific organization. Students also develop an in-depth understanding of the business and ethical problems marketing managers face in a global marketing environment, and explore various solutions to these problems. Prerequisite: EBKN 101.

An introductory course covering issues relating to the economy as a whole. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, the study of national income and the Gross Domestic Product determination, (GDP), investment, national consumption income and consumption theories; classical economic theories, Keynesianism, monetarism, rational expectations, supply-side economics; the business cycle, inflation, unemployment; money and the money supply, the banking system, the federal reserve system, monetary and fiscal policy, budget deficits and the national debt.

An introductory course covering issues relating to individual economic units: namely, the individual consumer, the individual firm, the individual factors of production—land, labor, and capital. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, price theory, price determination through equilibrium, supply and demand, analysis of consumer demand, utility theory and marginal utility, consumer equilibrium, indifference curve analysis, analysis of supply, theory of production, pricing in perfectly and imperfectly competitive markets, types of imperfect competition, anti-trust laws in the U.S., and distribution of income.

An introduction to the basic theory and practice of management. Examination of the managerial functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling, and analysis of environmental influences on decision-making. Students will use micro-computer programs for business applications.

Particular attention is given to clarifying the researchable issues, methods of research design and data gathering, data analysis, and the use of primary and secondary data in marketing strategy and decision making. Students will develop an integrated marketing campaign for a specific organization. Students are introduced to techniques of questionnaire design as well as basic statistics for the social sciences. Where appropriate, dedicated software for marketing research, especially SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences), is utilized. Prerequisites: EBKN 101 and MATN 261.

Social media technologies are transforming the ways consumers interact with businesses. Now consumers have greater opportunities to voice their opinions, and connect with brands through various platforms. The conventional approaches to marketing communications have become more and more challenging. We will focus on various social media platforms to engage consumers and develop effective marketing strategies. Students will get hands-on experience creating comprehensive social media strategies for active brands and examine how organizations capitalize on social media.

Examines the scope, status, and dynamics of retailing in the United States and global economy. Main topics include retail market structures, retail market strategy, planning merchandise assortments, buying, pricing, and retail promotions. This course is designed for students interested in careers in retailing, retail management and merchandise buying; it is also useful to students interested in consumer products marketing and wholesaling. Prerequisite: EBKN 202.

Explores advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, sponsorship, direct marketing, e-commerce, and public relations. Students will choose a business plan from the many templates at bplans.com and produce a campaign plan book integrating the concepts explored, as well as add social media marketing elements, such as a dummy Facebook page, Twitter account, as well as a web page. Prerequisite: EBKN 101.

Provides an overview on the role of personal selling in the firm’s overall marketing strategy, the skills and techniques required in performing the selling task; as well as concepts and techniques related to the management of sales force. Emphasis will be placed on recruiting and selecting techniques, designing compensation and expense plans, sales training, improving morale, territory management, evaluating sales performance, sales forecasting and sales analysis. Ethical and legal issues in selling and building long-term relationships are included. Prerequisite: EBKN 101.

Designed to develop a systematic approach for analyzing trends shaping the global marketplace. Physical, cultural, socio-demographic, legal/political, and technological factors, among others, are explored. Emphasis is placed on development and implementation of optimal marketing programs to capitalize on emerging market opportunities as well as the avoidance of the pitfalls inherent in cross-national marketing activities. Prerequisite: EBKN 101.

An in-depth exploration of strategic marketing such as target marketing, product development, pricing and competitive activity, developed and implemented in a realistic computer-based simulation, within the broader framework of business strategy. Prerequisites: EBKN 202 and senior standing.