Marketing

Marketing | Courses | Faculty

356 SOM Building

Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration

Contact: William Diamond

Office: 354 SOM

Phone: 545-5671

Head of Department: Associate Professor William Diamond. Professors Berkowitz, Schewe, Weinberger; Associate Professors Debevec, Iyer, Milne; Assistant Professors Brashear-Alejandro, Swaminathan; Lecturer Goldman.

The Field

Marketing is a field that goes beyond simply selling, advertising, or retailing. It is a function characterized by rapid changes in techniques and knowledge. One definition describes marketing as the process in a society by which the demand structure for economic goods and services is anticipated or enlarged and satisfied through the conception, promotion, exchange, and physical distribution of goods and services. This statement views marketing broadly, and it shows the broad range of activities in the field of marketing. To accomplish the task of marketing, a wide variety of activities or functions must be performed. Information must be gathered to guide the design of new products and to redesign improved models of existing products. In addition, many marketing functions arise in connection with physical distribution. Questions of speed, cost, storage and care in handling as well as proper assortments arise. Prospective buyers, both industrial and household, must be informed about goods and services through advertising, selling, packaging, and other promotive means. Each of these major tasks contains a number of minor functions. And, most importantly, each activity has to be managed, so marketing management supervision must be emphasized as well.

The Major

The marketing major, elected at the junior level, must complete a five-course core which is required of all Isenberg School of Management students. One course in this core is 301 Fundamentals of Marketing. The major in marketing then completes the following marketing courses.

1. Required Tool Course

MKTG 412 Marketing Research (3 cr)

MKTG 301 and STATIS 141 are prerequisites for MKTG 412.

2. Managerial Marketing Electives

(Completion of ACCTG 221, 222 is required.)

Any three of the following:

410 Consumer Behavior

421 Product Strategy

422 Promotional Strategy

425 Sales and Distribution Strategy

437 International Marketing

441 Marketing Management

491 Seminar in Marketing

491A Non-Profit Marketing

491B Direct Marketing

491C Conducting Marketing Intelligence

491D Electronic Commerce

491R Retailing

3. Electives in the Isenberg School (6 cr)

4. Free electives (24 cr)ó12 must be taken out- side of both the Isenberg School and ECON.

Restrictions

All Isenberg School core courses must be completed before applying to become a marketing major.

Letter of Specialization in Marketing
Information Technology Specialization

In addition to majoring in Marketing, students have the option of having a letter of specialization in Marketing Information Technology put into their academic folder. The specialization does not require students to take additional credits over and above the major requirements. Instead, students can select courses within the major requirements to fulfill the specialization. Functional competence in this emerging area is addressed through courses in Internet marketing and direct and database marketing. Technical competence in access and Web design is strengthened through courses offered in the Isenberg School of Management and in the Department of Computer Science. Course requirements include at least one relevant marketing course and additional courses (for a total of nine credits in the specialization), from a list available from the Marketing Department. Appropriate courses are also posted on the department Web site: www.som.umass.edu/som/ academic/dept/marketing.

Career Opportunities

Career possibilities in marketing are as varied as the wide variety of marketing functions that must be performed and managed. A number of these are as follows:

Marketing Research

A career in marketing administration typically follows the attainment of success in the fields of sales, advertising, or research. A marketing manager has responsibility for the overall guidance of the marketing program or for particular facets of the total program which include the product line (product management), sales (sales management), advertising (advertising management), channels of distribution (trade relations management), and the like.

Advertising

The advertising field offers many challenging career possibilities. Some jobs exist with advertisers (manufacturers and re-sellers such as retailers); some are with advertising agencies that develop campaigns and programs for clients; thorough grounding is expected in marketing and also a knowledge of English, art, psychology, and related communications and behavioral science fields depending upon which aspect of the field is emphasized.

Retailing and Wholesaling

Sales work and merchandising are among the important job categories in these institutions. People may start as management trainees in department stores or large corporate retail or wholesale chains. Small resale enterprises are also offering fruitful opportunities for many marketing graduates.

Selling

In all selling it is important to distinguish between the clerk or "order-taker" who performs routine functions and the creative salesperson who must build buyer interest and desire for a brand or a service. The latter must be well trained in the product or service line and be able to deal with management personnel of firms that are contacted.

Special Requirements

Independent Study

Requirements with regard to MKTG 496 Special Problems (Independent Study): developing an independent study topic/project is the responsibility of the student; sponsorship of this project is dependent upon its academic value and the ability of a potential sponsoring faculty member to devote sufficient time to the effort. Meeting of the following requirements does not insure that an independent study project will be sponsored:

1. Students must be marketing majors.

2. A minimum of nine credit hours of marketing course work must be completed prior to enrollment in MKTG 496.

3. A 3-4 page typed statement elaborating the purpose of the project and giving an outline of the proposed activity must be submitted to a prospective faculty sponsor.

4. Students may be asked to meet periodically with the sponsoring faculty member.

5. In most instances students will be asked to complete a comprehensive written account of their independent study project.

6. The number of credit hours awarded for MKTG 491 (1 to 6) will depend upon the extent of work as judged by the sponsoring faculty member.

7. Acceptance of the sponsorship must be agreed to prior to the end of the add/drop period for the relevant semester. Students are urged to seek a faculty sponsor during the semester prior to the semester during which they desire to enroll in MKTG 496.

Internship Policy _ Marketing 398

An internship activity consists of a student experience in a practical setting. Internship for academic purposes must have an academic value beyond that of practical employment on a part-time or semester basis. Moreover, the internship must have a logical integration with the student's academic course of study.

The policy of the marketing department is not to give academic credit for work experience. The responsibility of the student is to develop an internship experience which clearly has academic value to the student's course of study.

Stipulations

1. No more than 3 credits will be awarded for MKTG 398 (Mandatory Pass/Fail grade).

2. Only Marketing Majors may register for MKTG 398.

3. No Marketing Majors may register for MKTG 398 more than once.

4. The only grade for MKTG 398 will be a Pass (P) or Fail (F). No other letter grade will be awarded.

5. A marketing faculty sponsor must be found before the end of the add/drop period for the relevant semester. Students are well advised to secure a faculty sponsor during the semester prior to the desired MKTG 398 Practicum.

Procedures

1. Prepare a typed proposal detailing:

a) The nature of internship responsibilities;

b) The academic value of the internship to the student's program;

c) The method of evaluation regarding the student's performance on this academic component. (Note: the department does not accept diaries or logs of the internship experience as a method of evaluation). It is the student's responsibility to propose an evaluation plan. While a range of alternatives are acceptable, prior acceptable efforts have included (but have not been limited to) data collection and analysis or an extensive library research report. A faculty member is not restricted to accepting a student's proposed evaluation method.

2. Obtain faculty sponsorship ó A student must obtain a marketing faculty sponsor who will supervise and evaluate the practicum experience.

Marketing | Courses | Faculty