Ass1_1
revised Sept 2001
Babson College
F.W. Olin Graduate School of Management
MARKETS & MARKETING
MARKETING SYSTEMS STREAM
Marketing Assignment for the first class

Topic: Introduction to the Course, Marketing and Market Opportunity
Background Reading: Introduction to the Elements of Marketing (Read/on Website)
Background Reading: Note on Case Analysis and Classroom Discussion (Read/on Website)
Read:  HBR  Porter: How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy
Visit the Course Website and Discussion Base

Prepare for Class

The marketing portion of this class will introduce the the role of Marketing and the concepts and skills required to define, segment, evaluate and select market opportunities. It will also then introduce the process of building marketing programs to serve selected markets.  Relationships to Economics will be explored.  The cases and reading will be used to introduce such key issues and topics as:

These concepts form the backbone of the marketing curriculum. At the end of this course you will have a basic conceptual understanding of how to define markets, segment them, select target customers, and position and price products to serve these target customers. You will also know to think about selecting and using channels and promotion to influence markets. You will be prepared to test these skills against real markets by critiquing and improving plans drawn up by others.

By learning these skills in an integrated setting, we believe you will be more aware of the economics of your choices and will have a deeper understanding of markets and market segmentation. In this first class, we will explore with you the scope of these issues and concepts.  So please read carefully Introduction to the Elements of Marketing and come to class prepared to discuss it.

In more advanced Marketing courses you will learn how to apply these skills more strategically and to integrate them well with other aspects of the business. You will also learn how to create more complex and feasible marketing plans and to manage various aspects of marketing operations – using the basic building blocks developed in this course.

The assigned readings are intended to provide background for the cases and lectures/discussions. As you study the cases and readings, please note your questions, and feel free to ask them in class. We will make heavy use of cases in the course, so please read carefully the Note on Case Analysis and Classroom Discussion and come to class prepared to ask questions about it. Course requirements, office hours, and grading practices are spelled out in the memo Marketing Stream Course Information.  Please read it.  E-mail questions in advance of class are also always welcome and we will try our best to respond by e-mail or in class.

In this course we will make extensive use of the course website and e-campus.   We will use of on-line discussion bases and voting  to enhance preparation for class and to permit us to cover material more efficiently.  To use them, go to   "http://faculty.babson.edu/isaacson"    and follow the logical links to the course and all the web-site materials.  To enter icampus, you will have to use your Babson name and password.  If you have any difficulty doing so prior to class, please call me at 781-239-4254, or call my secretary at 781-239-6103, or e-mail me at "isaacson@babson.edu". Each student's private work -- such as grades -- will be secure.

Welcome to the class!  We look forward to working with you this semester.

Larry & Kent