Instructor: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Office (LBC 414D) Phone: 822-7495
Office Hours: T/Th, 4:00-6:00; and by appointment

Objective:

To investigate the use of the marketing variables and marketing strategy in developing countries and avoiding the pitfalls in marketing in countries outside the U.S. The importance of differences among nations in language, culture and social forces, politics and laws, values, channels of distribution, and buyer behavior are examined.

Furthermore, because communications skills -- both oral and written -- are required of successful businesspeople, one of the purposes of this course is to sensitize you to the importance of developing good communications skills. As part of the course, therefore, you will do a variety of written (and one oral) communication exercises...My role in this process is to monitor your progress and to provide you with timely feedback. Your primary role is to participate conscientiously. Please note: You will not pass this course if you cannot write in complete sentences that contain correct spelling, style, and grammar.

Finally, a vital and growing part of international marketing is utilizing the resources of the Internet. You will need to get an email account with Internet access and World Wide Web publishing privileges if you do not already have one, and you will be required to do some of your research for your project -- and for other class assignments -- on the Net. Please use email to communicate with me or your classmates. Futhermore, you will be required to develop a high-quality Web site, with a special page(s) devoted to your global marketing term project.

Texts:

Required: International Marketing, by Philip Cateora. Irwin.

To give you an understanding of Global Marketing Web Resources, it is encouraged you spend some time at this site -- it has lots of useful global marketing links.

Also, in an effort to better follow global marketing trends, it is encouraged that you subscribe to Business Week.

Finally, if you have little or no Web publishing experience, you are encouraged to visit Web Publishing Resources for tips, graphics, colors, and all that is needed for developing Web pages.

Grading:

Grading will be done on a numerical scale during the semester, with a final letter grade determined at the end of the course. Each graded item has been given a point value, and the percentage of points to total points will determine grade. Eg., 774 points (out of total 900) is a 86 -- a 'B.'

Plus/Minus grading will apply: 93-100 = A; 90-92 = A-; 87-89 = B+; 83-86 = B; 80-82 = B-; 77-79 = C+; 73-76 = C; 70-72 = C-; 67-69 = D+; 63-66 = D; 60-62 = D-; under 60 = F.

• Cases (5 best @ 60 pts.) -- 300 pts.
• Term Project/Web Site -- 500 pts.
• Oral Presentation of Term Project -- 50 pts.
• Final Exam -- 50 pts.

• Total Possible Points -- 900 pts.

Please refer to the Global Marketing Calendar for due dates and assignments.

Cases:

There are seven scheduled cases planned for the semester. Each case is worth up to 60 points, and should be 3-5 typed pages, excluding graphs, tables, etc. You will also be expected to be prepared to discuss the case in detail on the assigned due dates. For more on writing the cases, visit global marketing case writing.

Term Project:

Because global students need to acquire a basic understanding of another culture, the term project has been developed. This is a three-part project that includes two 10-page papers written during the early to middle of the semester, and a comprehensive report (including the first two papers) due at the end of the semester. The outline of the project can be found in the appendix in the text, "The Country Notebook -- A Guide for Developing a Marketing Plan."

Since the World Wide Web is becoming such an important tool to marketing, and global marketing especially, you will be required to develop a Web Site that is professionally acceptable. You will not only post your Country Notebook project to your Web Site, but you will be expected to design and present an appealing Web Site dedicated to understanding the culture, economy, and marketability of the country we are studying this term. Specifics of how this site should be designed will be discussed in class.

The breakdown of the 500 points for this project is as follows:

• Cultural Paper -- 85 points
• Economic Paper -- 85 points
• Marketing Plan -- 180 points
• Web Site -- 150 points

The country this term is TBA.

Oral Presentation:

A short (10-15 minutes), formal oral presentation worth up to 50 points, and based on the results of your term project is required. You will be graded on the degree of professionalism and quality of your presentation, thus you should focus your eneergies on the quality of your presentation. Bells and whistles are encouraged.

Final Exam:

You will receive a take-home final exam that will test your knowledge and ability to comprehend the complexities of global marketing. Exam answers will be typed.

Attendance:

It is expected. You will not lose points for being absent from a class, however, no projects, quizzes, etc. can be made-up. Nothing can be made up unless arranged with the instructor prior to class.

Etc.:

I am always willing to see my students and will go out of my way to schedule meetings. Please make sure that if you make an appointment, that you keep it.

Sources of information for global marketing information:

• The World Wide Web
• National Trade DataBank
• Price-Waterhouse books
• Forbes
• Fortune
• Harvard Business Review
• Wall Street Journal

Times and dates are subject to change. Please refer to the Global Marketing Calendar.

All work completed in this class is expected to be your own and original for this class.

Go back to Dr. Randall Hansen's Courses Page.