710FA01advice.htm

 

Advice from Fall 2001 MBA students .

UTM Marketing Strategy . Dr. Johnston

 

Brandon Dillard

 

 

Advice to Future Students

 

 

What I Learned?

 

            I learned about several strategies of marketing.  I learned of push and pull strategies on a more in-depth aspect and I learned different strategies such as frontal, guerilla, and flanking.  I learned by participating in the case assignments about blunders of what not to do in marketing crisis.  I also learned of great success.  In looking more into the cases, I learned of marketing strategies used by some large well-known companies such as Wal-Mart, J&J, and McDonald’s.  A case that enlightens my beliefs was that of Wal-Mart.  It made me realize that not only has Wal-Mart made history and that it is an enormous company, that it could very well be turning a corner in which it has a monopoly.  I believed that Wal-Mart was just a tremendous company that many opposed it simply because of its success.  After reading the case and hearing some educated debates about the company it has made me realize that maybe Wal-Mart has too much control over the discount stores market and much like Microsoft, it should be limited to some of its expansions and take over tactics of small town economies.

 

What I wish I had known?

 

            I wish that I would have known more on how to use blackboard before the class because I had troubles in the beginning because of access.  My user name and password were not activated therefore I missed my first two assignments, which is not a good start to the class.  The advice that I would like to pass on to the next class and to Mr. Johnston is that it seems that the syllabus has too much materials for a class that only meets one night a week.  Having the students do the chapters and the cases all in lone night seems like we were rushed through and didn’t get to spend much time on topics that seem pertinent to the learning of the marketing strategies.  Again, this is coming from a night class student, the classes that meet twice a week during the day may have adequate time to discuss the chapters and get in-depth with the cases.  I was disappointed that we had to rush so much through the cases because I would have liked to learn more about the individual companies.  

 

 

 

 

Tony O’Dell

 

 

What I  Learned:  What did you learn in the Marketing Strategy course?  What were the highlights of the course?  What information did you see that made an impression on you?  What topics changed your way of thinking about Marketing Strategy, and how did they change your thoughts?

 

 

 

I Wish I had Known:  What advice do you have for somebody before they begin the Marketing Strategy course?  What do you know now about the Marketing Strategy course itself that you wish you had known before you began the course?  If you had known this, what would you have done differently before or during the course?

 

 

 

 

 

I learned that Marketing plays a much more pivotal role in the success of a company than I previously understood.  I also learned that the information age has enabled the marketing strategists a wealth of information and opportunity than ever before.  

 

The course highlights were the case material.  I dreaded the case work initially because in years past, case work was usually boring and time consuming.  As it turned out, the Marketing Strategy case work was great.  For example, I was amazed at the ignorance of even giant companies in implementing marketing strategies that had company failure written all over it. -  See Maytag case.  I also liked the “virtual” class – it would be great to have more of these. 

 

c.    The topics on the tobacco industry regarding ethics changed my thinking about marketing because I never considered the challenges a corporation is willing to undertake to market unhealthy products even in the face of unpopular pubic opinion. 

 

 

2   Buy a copy of the case text early.  I wish I had known that we would be selecting cases for debate or discussion on the first or second class.  If I had known, I would have reviewed the cases prior to the first class.  

 

 

 

Watana Rujicharoenchai

 

       Almost four months I have taken this class. I receive many things about American business. This class broadens me on how to use marketing tool increase their sales or what mistakes they did. I can learn the new things from some big mistakes of each big company. For example, crisis management from J&J case, loss leader from Maytag case study, and others. Also, I can learn I never know before from Wal-Mart, South West Airline, Airbus, and others. I used to work as sales representative before I came to USA. I graduated in engineering field. I have many conflicts when I worked because I don’t really know what is going to happen with my action on my target customers. In the past, I don’t think I need to study Marketing. I just think that it’s enough for me to work by using my common sense to make decision or what I should to do. It appears that many times I confused with my answer to go through that problem. This class gives me the idea and many theories about marketing and human behavior. When I study this class, I think back to the past when I worked, yes! This is the answer why I did that. I still get many good ideas from my professor. He tries to help his students to show what they think. I love this.

 

       If  I could go back in the past before I take this class, I will try to increase my English skill and study about American’s products and American’s company. I can’t contribute something I know or what I think because of lacking English skill. Beside, I met many American companies in marketing textbook. I have no idea about that. I think I will understand more if I really know that firms.

 

       Finally, I really love this class both professor and my classmates. I get many and many things from this class.   

 

 

Marketing Assignment

 

I used to study marketing in sophomore and related courses in junior years. I had never think about marketing like the way I think in this course. I used to think that marketing is very boring but somehow after the first day of this class, my attitude has been changed. I think marketing is very funny interesting course. About what I learned in this class, I think that I learned how to think in the big picture not the small spot like I used to be in my undergraduate. I learned how to relate each topic together from cases. It helps me to extent my perspective in marketing. About theories, I learned a lot about the theories from the cases. Anyway, learning the theories is not the important concern but learning how to use and apply the theories is the most important thing because theories are useless if we cannot use it with the real world. About this class I have some comments to suggest. Why don’t you use more discussion broad to discuss on each case because from my experiences in the tobacco case, I like it very much. Everyone can share his or her idea without time limit like in the classroom. Moreover, sometimes I like to share some idea in the class but I am not good at speaking then I decided not to speak unless you asked. I also think that many international students in the class would like to participate either but sometimes they afraid to speak. But in discussion broad, we can write and try to correct grammar before send it into the broad. About I wish I had known, I wish I had more time to prepare myself and review my knowledge in marketing. Moreover, I also wish I had known more about American economy, consumer behavior, and culture because all of these would help a lot in case study. Finally, I wish I had known more about how to present and speak well. That is all my comments.

 

 

Dana Ellen Crowley

Advice to Future Students

 

 

WHAT I LEARNED

 

I have learned many things about different cases we studied.  I learned many things about companies that I did not know.  I thought the cases were very interesting.  The book was many things I have already learned in previous marketing classes.  I was a marketing major.  Someone that wasn’t a marketing major may not have learned about some of the things in the text.  I learned about Dealing with Competition in chapter 7 and I really enjoyed this text chapter. 

 

 

I WISH I HAD KNOWN

I had Dr. Johnston in undergraduate school so I knew what to expect.  I would know that you have busy work that keeps you busy within the class so you do not have a tendency to get behind.  I think this is a good thing.  I you do not like being taught by PowerPoint do not take this class.  I liked the students teaching the class.  I did not like it when I could not understand the international students because it was hard to follow along in class when you do not understand.  If you don’t like typing, this class is not for you.  We go over cases of different current companies and what they are doing today.  The test are not easy, but I would not say hard either.  You have practice questions as a guide and the essay question come from the cases.  Do not be late!  Dr. Johnston does not like students who drag in late.  I can relate I teach on campus and neither to I!!!  I enjoyed this class.  I would recommend this class to you.   

 

 

 

Shelby Emerson

 

 

What I learned?

 

     I learned a lot in this course.  I think the most important thing that I learned is the importance of marketing research.  I learned from the case book that a lot of companies didn’t succeed because of a lack of focus on marketing research.  Every environment is different and the right timing is needed in order to succeed.  In this course I learned about companies that tried to expand their business into countries during their recession, without lowering expenses for the customers in that country.  I learned about a few companies that failed to acknowledge certain trends in their environment, which left a window of opportunity for other companies.  I also learned about the importance of customer service. The highlights of the course, for me was reading the cases of real companies.  I learned a lot from their success and their plunders.  The presentations were another highlight for me.  It gave me the opportunity to sharpen my presentation skills as well hear the different opinions of my classmates.  I also enjoyed the, “Insider” assignment.  Initially I thought the movie was going to be suspect but I enjoyed the movie and may have ever viewed it if it was not made an assignment.  Learning about the history of companies such as Nike and Wal-mart may have had the biggest impression on me.  The founders of these companies were innovative and very successful.  Maybe I will search for that window of opportunity, be innovative and make millions.  Topics on the “new coke” and the structure of Toys R Us changed my thinking of marketing strategy.  In the new coke fiasco, customers were not ready for change.  Toys R Us on the other hand, needed a change.  These two cases showed me the importance of the environment.  It is important for a company to research the market, closely follow environmental trends, and provide customer service,

 

I wish I had known

 

     I can honestly say that nothing was surprising about the course other than it was a little more interesting than I expected.  There were know surprises in the course, everything was laid out in the syllabus.  I would advise you to just follow the syllabus.

 

 

 

CHIA-HSIEN, WANG

 

I have learned a lot of things in MARKETING STRATEGY COURSE. Each student needs to do researches and debate, and read cases. We have some different assignments for class, such as we need to read a lot of cases and answer these different questions. For textbook, we need to read the book by ourselves and do the online quiz for each chapter for MARKETING STRATEGY COURSE. I do enjoy reading different cases in the casebook and it is interesting all the time. In fact, I learn and understand how these companies try to manage a lot of employers and control their own companies. And some students always update the information and news for each company in our textbook. That is a good way to learn and know what happened to these companies. There is only one advice that I want to suggest. It is to keep the way we have is good because it is really interesting to listen and read these different cases from each student in MARKETING STRATEGY COURSE.

 

 

MARKETING 710

CHU, CHIA-HUI

 

In the Marketing Strategy course, we all need to read textbook and case- book. I do learn a lot of information and news from many different companies by reading case- book during all of the time. Each student can try to choose to do debate or research. Each student has different points for these cases in the Marketing Strategy course. These are very interesting for me. Some students also do researches and they try to give us a lot of news and information that we don’t know. Then, we can also know and understand what is going on today and recent news for the company. That is very good way for us to learn and read new information by ourselves. We all try to read cases first and we can get new information later. After all of that, we all can understand these companies better. For the part of textbook, these chapters all relate these different cases. In fact, some students try to teach these chapters in the Marketing Strategy course, but some of them don’t really understand where important points are. We don’t know where the highlights of the chapters. In fact, I wish I had known these chapters better, if the teacher can try to give more advice to these students for teaching these chapters. These students may know and understand where the highlights of the chapter before they try to teach in class. Because they don’t really understand the chapter, they cannot give the best information that they own.

 

 

 

What I learned- I believe that this class taught me a

lot about some of the mistakes that companies have

made in the past. It not only tells you what they did

wrong but how the situation could have been stopped.

Many of the cases that we talked about, I had not

heard before and I found these very interesting. I

believe that I probably learned more from the cases

than I did the chapters because it was real life

situations.

 

What I wish I had known- I wish I had known that if I

knew in advance that I was going to be busy, that I

would have done my work well in advance. It does not

hurt to do the assignments in advance. Reading the

chapters will allow you to learn more than if you just

go through and answer the questions. I would not read

the chapter and look for the answers at the same time.

I couldn’t pay any attention to what I was reading

because I was looking for the answer instead.

 

 

Pei-Chun Huang

 

 

What I Learned

I feel this class is a voluble class.  I read many cases; also I get a lot of information form the cases. For example, I know better ideal about American companies. Also, the strategies which the every companies use, doesn’t matter it was succeed or not.  It helps me to have open views and have idea what does the big companies do inside of their companies. I also improve the skills of doing the PowerPoint and typing speed.  I really enjoin this class.

 

 

 

 

I wish I had know

At the first day of class, professor explains most of every thing already. There is no specific thing I wish to know. But I may wish to know more website to do the research for the cases. 

 

 

Chris D. Thomas                                What I learned…..

 

This marketing class is a challenging class that motivated me to really think about marketing concepts and their practical application within businesses and organizations.  I learned that marketing management requires much more than knowing some concepts or a general formula for successful implementation.  The concepts are important to know, but like weapons in an arsenal, it is more important to know where, when, how, and why to use them.  Being effective in a market requires being able to analyze miniscule details as well as see the whole plan and its long term goals and returns.  I was particularly amazed in the study of these huge companies with vast, seemingly limitless budgets and the know-how that would plunge themselves into projects or plans that anyone with common sense should have foreseen to be a failure.  I was also amazed at the times when someone with nothing more than an idea and a plan mixed with some determination could reach the point where the sky was the limit.  One major theme I also learned is that you can never be rich and successful enough to afford to feel arrogant or invincible because that is where the unraveling begins.  There are also virtually infinite variables to consider when planning a strategy that would require the ability to sift through mountains of qualitative and quantitative data to find the relevance.  At the same time, a fair amount of luck and a good gut instinct would not hurt! 

 

I wish I had known….

 

I wish I had known how different this class was going to be than the typical graduate level course (at least what I can compare it to so far).  This course can be valuable or not, depending on what you decide to put into it.  There is no direct lecture, no one to point out the rules or laws by which marketing management abides.  There are concepts and theories to learn, but it is not really the focus of the class.  Looking back, I see more of the real world deviation and correlation with text and theory.  Here is the book and what it says.  Here is the real world.  What is similar?  What is different?  What would I have done differently if I had been in that situation without utilizing 20/20 hindsight?  The temptation is to do the requirements to get the grade but never really stop and consider the experience of others and the application to the decisions I make.  I wish I had known that the class would be like the examining of three circles; one for theory, one for experiences, and one for my own style and personality.  Spend the semester deciding how much or how little the three areas converge or diverge to maximize your effectiveness.   

 

 

Li-Sheng, Tu

 

 

Question 1:

Answer:  What I learned in the Marketing Strategy course is helping me to understand many different marketing decision mistakes that companies have made in the casebook. The highlights of the course were each student could have two presentation chances. I like presentation because I can stand in front of the class teaching the lessons and debating the case with classmates. Everyone has different viewpoints and everyone can exchange their opinions. The information I saw that made me an impression is the case “Wal-Mart—The Unstoppable.” Before I study the case, I can’t not believe that a retailer can be as successful as what Wal-Mart does right now. I even think a question that if it is possible for me to open a big retailer market in my country as successful as Wal-Mart does in U.S.A. right now. I did find some strength that Wal-Mart has, but it seems impossible to open many supermarkets because I find that my country has too small land to open such a big supermarket. Unlike America, people can buy their groceries easily from the nearby traditional market. Although it seems impossible I still think the good customer service and correct marketing position strategy is very important. For example Wal-Mart choose small town and McDonald’s choose the cross road in the interstate road, these are good choice of position strategy.

 

Question 2:

Answer:  I wish I had known more about the successful person’s story not only about the company’s marketing strategy. It is helpful if you can know those successful people’s background and characteristics, you will understand why he make the decision. Sometimes you will find that it is interesting that a person’s family, education, friends and environment will affect his personnel and his personnel make him make a different thinking and decision. Everybody might hear a lot about McDonald’s story but they might not know the people who established it and the person’s characteristics. I have a suggestion for students who will have Marketing710 class that is you can try to read some books about those people who established the company in the casebook. Every era has a story, each story has a legend, and all the legends have hero.

 

 

 

Tom Gray

“What I Learned”

 

  This course gave me a different perspective on the operations of businesses both internationally and domestic.  I have learned that even though the right decisions should be made, they are not always.  And sometimes the moral decision could lead the company toward ultimate bankruptcy.  This course gave examples of what can happen when large companies make both the right and just decisions or the wrong or immoral decisions.  I have learned the different marketing techniques large corporations use to promote their products and the positive or negative results those marketing strategies may spawn.  The Toys R Us case made a real impression on me.  This case proved that even though a company may be a leader in an industry, they must continue to adapt and change marketing strategies to succeed and maintain their leadership position.  This course shows that a company cannot depend on size alone for their future success.

 

“I wish I had known”  

 

  I wish I had known how much busy work was involved with this course.  The assignments are not hard, but still they take time to complete.  I wish I had set a schedule for myself every week to complete the assignments, instead of waiting the night or day before the class to begin working on them.  I would suggest familiarizing yourself with the type of computer and mouse that is used in the course, so the presentations will run much smoother.  On the day of your presentation I would suggest getting to class a few minutes early, so that you can load your presentation and have it ready to begin when the time comes, instead of standing in front of everyone getting more nervous as you try and start your presentation.  Also, on reading the cases, it is a good idea to set down and read the cases, then do the case questions immediately, don’t wait, right then.  Otherwise, you will forget information, and spend as much time going back through to find it as you would reading the whole thing again.

 

 

Calvin Golden

 

 

 

“What I learned”

 

I learned a lot in this course. I did not know that so many companies went through hard times. I guess that is because you only see the upside of things on television as compared to being in the meetings and things like that. The highlights of the course for me were the cases, because I learned a lot about what companies did to become successes and failures in the eyes of the executives. The one case that stood out most to me was the Wal-Mart case because Sam Walton showed what a small company could turn out to be if the right chances were taken. There were no specific topics that changed my way of thinking, but there was one particular case. The Coke versus Pepsi case changed my way of thinking because you would think that putting out a new and improved Coke would have skyrocketed sales, but as we saw, that was the complete opposite. This was a great class to be in. It was very interactive and the teacher made everyone feel like a part of the class.

 

“I wish I had known”

 

I would say be prepared to be called on and to give presentations. The presentations will be the hardest part of the class because just standing in front of your competing classmates makes you feel quite nervous. There is nothing I wish I had known before because that would have made the class less interesting if I had already known more about the Marketing Strategy course. Just about everything we went over was something I learned that was new to me. The only thing I wish I had before getting into this class would probably be the fact of having to turn some type of assignment in just about every class period. Overall, this is one of the better courses in the whole UTM business department. If you don’t learn anything in this class, you are not trying to learn.

 

 

Question 1:  “What I learned.”.

 

I work for the ninth largest bank in the United States – SunTrust Bank.  I had always seen the Marketing Department at my organization make decisions that were attempts at making the company more recognizable or the products more differentiated.  I had also seen SunTrust follow the industry leaders by introducing products that seemed to either work in the market or brought awareness to the company.

 

I guess that in some ways I always thought that the decisions that were made were a complete “shot in the dark” approach.  After being in the class I realized that many of the decisions were the direct result of processes and methods that had been tested before.  Methods such as the desire to develop a brand name in the market and various forms of market research. 

 

Still, it may be that some of the questions that I had regarding my organization may have been warranted.  The reason that I say this is because any time we have a concerted effort to effectively utilize market research through either surveys of changes in marketing behavior at the sales level we employ outside firms to develop and administer these process.  Many of these processes and methods were outlined in detail in the test.  In fact, the SWOT analysis has recently been instituted into our strategic review process for our most profitable clients in the corporate bank.

 

The most impressionable information came from the case studies.  These not only helped to bring to life marketing successes and blunders, but it enhanced my understanding of the missions.  As a finance major and practitioner, I often found it odd that some companies employ the desire to increase sales at all costs.  I counsel my clients that range in sales from $10,000,000 to $200,000,000 to be careful of this approach.  It is almost comical that companies the size of Maytag, Coke or Disney often get entangled in this mindset, but they do.

 

I believe the topics that changes my mind the most were desire to have brand name recognition and the various pricing approaches.  I concentrate so much in my job on the expense side that it was refreshing to that successful firms also look at this when they are making strategic decisions.

 

Question 2:  “I wish I had known.”

 

I guess that the biggest advice that I have for someone entering this course is that it is helpful to have an understanding of an organization’s inner workings.  It might be difficult to fully appreciate the class with only undergraduate studies.  It is not impossible to succeed in the class, but it may more difficult to fully grasp the case studies unless one has some experience with the trials and tribulations that an ordinary company faces on a daily basis.

 

I think that I would have more fully grasped the class if I had been involved in a company’s procurement department or marketing department.  This is not to say that I would have learned more, but it may have made my study time less strenuous.  A bit off the subject, but I also wish that I had taken this course within 5 or 6 years of finishing my undergraduate studies.  Just getting back into the swing of studying for exams may have been more focused.  Still, my time away from the classroom made me read and study with more fortitude and ambition to succeed.

 

If I had known this I would have sought out individuals early in the process to become more acclimated with how to study for graduate level courses.  I also would have paid greater attention to marketing initiatives that go on within my organization over the last 10 years or service.

 

 

HILARY SHRETER

Question 1: What I learned...

 

(0) That it IS possible for a class to successfully covers both basic material and great cases.

(1) That marketing doesn’t start with "what can we manufacture".

(2) That marketing research is probably less important than good inspiration and great execution.

(3) That people worship Walton, Disney, Kelleher, and Bogle for pretty good reasons (they had/have great ideas)

(4) That my fellow students hold different opinions that are equally reasonable as mine.

(5) The gems of thought in the textbook:

            Sony's Morita creating markets rather than serving markets (Kotler p. 12)

            The different types of channels and how they play out in reality (Ch. 13)

            The market attractiveness five forces (p. 123-124).  Tonight on TV, Bill Gates himself mentioned that "ease of entry" benefits consumer prices.

(6) Wal-Mart is an even deeper ethical puzzle than I thought before the class!

(7) Wise companies consider both defensive and offensive strategies -- competitors matter.

(8) Other people experience ethical difficulties too -- the Insider bulletin board indicated the deep feeling about tobacco's effects while also feeling for tobacco as a business concern.

 

Question 2: I wish I had known...

 

I'd have benefited from some better background on current business topics. I'd wished that I'd had some time in a couple of business subscriptions. I joined WSJ as a student subscriber midway, and wish I'd had read the previous semester's worth of papers. I'd have felt a bit more "tuned in" to the case discussions with a better background.

 

I was glad that I'd taken the Finance class before this one, since that class goes over lots of the material that I'd need to sort out some of the detail in the cases esp. with financing.  Without Finance I'd not be able to get very far on the Vanguard case (mutual fund company).

 

I wish I'd known that I'd get so involved in Contributions. Once I started researching, it was difficult to stop. While I did some preliminary research earlier in the semester, I underestimated the time I'd need to finish. I also would have benefited from more experience with PowerPoint.

 

I am glad that I took this class in isolation, and that I got Dr. Johnson’s class.  It was tremendous fun so I was happy to devote so much thought to the problems and cases.  I’m glad I took it late in my MBA sequence because I could draw on all of my  previous classes.

 

For the future student:

- You will really benefit from writing the case questions (short and focused writing) every week. Do yourself a favor and take this writing seriously: write first and then rewrite. You will get better every week and you will find, at the later assignments, that you have improved and that you’ve gained confidence.

 

- Listen to your fellow students, and learn from your own contributions and evaluations. You will pick up lots of ideas about how to present ideas. (This course is very similar to attending a semester's worth of Toastmasters meetings.)

 

- Find a way to deal with the “monotony” of Kotler.  It really isn’t boring, it’s just that there’s a lot in there and so much seems commonsense.  However, you will need that material to follow the discussions so either draw outline in the book, or use index cards, or read it backwards.  Take advantage of the other student’s contributions on these chapters.

 

 

Karen Green

 

 

What I learned. . .  

 

Marketing Strategy proved a beneficial course for me.  As a student already established in my career, I find myself wondering in every course I take, “what’s in it for me?” or “what can I learn in this class that I can apply to my job (as a nursing home administrator)?”  Sometimes pulling the pieces together and finding something from, say, the cola wars or the product life cycle that I can apply in some way to my industry can be difficult.  There have been, of course, correlations from our studies in this course, and when I have been able to find these, they have been tremendously useful.

 

Working in a service industry, I must constantly focus on customer satisfaction.  Getting my department managers and line staff to share this focus and to see the importance of even one lost, dissatisfied customer can be difficult.  After reading Chapter 2 in Kotler on attracting and retaining customers, however, I came away with a renewed commitment and with some beneficial tools to communicate more effectively to my staff the effect on the company that results from failure to retain customers.  The concept of a customer’s lifetime value was useful to me in illustrating this to them.  My facility lost two customers this year to competitors because of dissatisfaction.  At first my staff thought this was not a big deal.  What difference does a measely two make when we still had 125 in the building?  When we calculated the lifetime value of losing these two customers, however, we quickly saw that we did not just have two customers walk out our door; we had a quarter of a million dollars walk out.  This realization made an impact not only on me, but also on my staff—the ones who can most easily make a difference in customer retention. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed the case study concentration of the course.  Having such a variety of issues and industries represented in the cases really did provide something for each of us to relate to, regardless of our careers.  

 

 

I wish I had known. . .     

 

I think I successfully navigated the course without too much difficulty.  The key is to give yourself ample time to complete the assignments.  There are things due each week, plus the contributions, and waiting until the last minute just will not work.  However, I would advise completing each assignment in the week it is due and not too far ahead of time. 

 

At the beginning of the course, seeing that there were a couple of assignments due each week, I decided to dedicate one weekend to completing all of the chapter quizzes.  This way, I rationalized, I would only have to worry about the weekly case questions and my contributions.  While I did have less to try to accomplish each week for class, when test time came the chapters were not fresh in my mind at all.  Had I followed the weekly course calendar and read the chapters during that week, I would have made things much easier on myself.  While procrastination is bad, getting too far ahead can have its bad points, too.  My advice would be to stick to the schedule.  I wish I had.

 

 

Melissa Mitchell

 

 

Question 1 “What I learned”

 

I learned that the Marketing Strategy course allows you to go beyond the textbook and lets you look at real world cases. I learned so much from the cases we studied in class. I didn’t realize that some of the biggest companies could make some of the biggest mistakes. The case presentations were the highlights of the course for me. Each case involved a debate over the issue discussed in the case. There was also a research update given at the end of each case to bring everyone up to date on what has happened to the companies since what was mentioned in the cases. The lessons the companies learned from their mistakes really made an impression on me. One thing I learned from the Marketing Strategy course is that it makes you look at terms and concepts taught in the undergraduate level course in a different way. Everything seems to be put into perspective better. This course also made me work on my presentation skills some. After taking the Marketing Strategy course, I know how to do a Powerpoint presentation better than I did before. My listening skills were also enhanced from listening to others give their presentations.

 

 

Question 2 “I wish I had known”

 

I would advise someone who is planning on taking the Marketing Strategy course to brush up on his or her presentation skills and to be prepared to do a lot of work. There will be one to three or four people presenting every day you have class. On some days, someone will get up and present a chapter out of the book to the class. On other days, there will be three to four people doing a debate or a research update on the cases. You will have to present at least two times out of the semester. There is a lot of reading in the course. You have to read the chapters plus read the cases. There is something due in every class, such as “Blackboard” questions or questions to the cases. I advise someone taking the Marketing Strategy course to manage his or her time wisely. I wish I had known how to do better presentations before I took this class. I also wish I had spent as much time on my second presentation as I had on my first. I didn’t do as good on the second one. When preparing a presentation for the class, make sure you do everything the assignment asks for. If you’re presenting a chapter to the class, make sure you relate the case that goes along with the chapter to it in your presentation. If you’re presenting a research update, make sure you answer all the questions in the book that goes along with the research invitation. Also make sure you relate the update to the case. For instance, make sure you find out how the company is doing since whatever happened to them in the case. When you use the Internet to do your presentation, make sure you use websites other than the company’s website. I wished I had known that we had all these restrictions on the assignments before I gave a presentation. I would have done a better job.

 

 

Chris Thompson

 

Question 1 “What I learned”

In the Marketing Strategy course, I learned about some of the potential pitfalls a company can fall into in designing a marketing program.  For example, the Maytag case demonstrated how not to enter into a promotional campaign.  In this particular case, the company’s foreign subsidiary, UK Hoover, designed a promotional offer in which consumer response to the offer became overwhelming for Maytag.  In the final analysis, Maytag gave the foreign subsidiary too much independence, and the result was a financial blow to Maytag with damages reaching ten’s of millions of dollars.  The highlights of the course were the debates and research presentations made by fellow students.  The debates made me think about the issues involved in the cases from two different perspectives.  In some of the cases we studied, I took a particular side, but I also better understood the other side’s points from listening to the debates presented.  The research presentations gave the class an opportunity to hear the latest news about each company.  It was interesting to hear whether or not a company became stronger or weaker from making a marketing mistake.  The information that made an impression on me the most was the Tobacco case.  Discovering what Mr. Weigand went through as a whistleblower to the tobacco industry was alarming.  He gave up quite a lot to do what he felt was the right thing.  From watching The Insider, I really got a sense of what it was like standing in Mr. Weigand’s shoes and feeling the pressures of being a whistleblower to a powerful industry like the tobacco industry.  All of the topics in this course changed my thinking about Marketing Strategy.  Each topic covered in this course demonstrated the power marketing has to the success or failure of a business.  I used to think marketing played a minor role to a company’s overall future.  However, I now think a company’s future growth depends heavily on its marketing strategy, and how well that strategy is designed and implemented.         

 

 

Question 2 “I wish I had known” 

The advice I would give someone before they begin the Marketing Strategy course is to try and stay about a week ahead on assignments.  This will help a great deal because you will be glad you are ahead when it comes time to prepare for your presentation.  Your presentation will take some time to prepare for, and you will be glad you are ahead on any assignments that have to be turned in.  I know now about the Marketing Strategy course that it is a very good idea to stay ahead on all assignments.  There are practice quizzes and cases due each week, and I wish I had known how important it is to stay ahead on all of these assignments before I began this course.  If I had known this, I would have done as many practice quizzes as I could at the beginning of the course so I would not have to worry about them all during the semester.       

 

 

Amy Cohea

 

What I learned is sometimes Marketing Mishaps happen to the best of them, so it is okay to make a few mistakes along the way.  We can learn from their mistakes.  The Blunders book is usually more interesting than the chapters.  However, some chapters of the book are very interesting. 

 

What I wish I would have known it is okay to go ahead and do the homeworks.  This is easier when you are not busy, than trying to cram everything in.  Start planning for presentations early.  Don’t work with a friend on a debate and go back and forth on the topics, like a normal debate. If you do this, the class will get mad they didn’t think of that and criticize you.   Read the chapters in the book, not all of the summaries summarize everything in the chapter.  I wouldn’t have done anything differently.  Just stay on top of your homework and you’ll be fine.

 

 

Hui-I Yang

 

 

 

 

What I learned in this Marketing 710 class was really helpful for me to view the other side of marketing.  Especially Dr. Johnston asked us to read the book “Marketing Mistakes and Success,” which let me understand many cases could ever happen in companies.  A really big company, such as Disney, Johnson & Johnson, could happen problems from a small decision.  Therefore, after this semester, I understand that many different conditions in different companies should have done what to resolve the problems in the situations.  This is a really good course, because I have learned so much to see companies from different views.

 

 

 

 

I wish I had known this class required many readings.  I could prepare it early, and read them carefully to answer each question assigned.  I wish I had known there were so many cases happened in companies, and I could realize why each problem happened in what kind of situation.

 

 

Po-Chen Chen

  

Advice to Future Students

  

What I leaned from this course was really interesting.  I have learned not only from the textbook, but also from many real cases in companies.  The presentation from each classmate was also helpful for me to realize and see different views of cases.  I can study the textbook to understand the concept of marketing, and study cases to realize what is actually happening in the real life.

 

            I wish I had known the debate was to focus on the question assigned for each case, and I would read it carefully and make the debate clear and powerful.  I wish I had known this course required those readings, and I would take tome to read them and it would help me to understand.  I wish I had known that the classes were presented by students, and I would preview the textbook before classmates’ presentations, and review each chapter after the presentation to help me understand and study each chapter.  I would help me understand quickly and carefully.

 

 

Lynette Shirkey

 

“What I Learned”

I learned a lot about different companies.  Through the cases, I saw what mistakes drastically hurt companies and what promotions and good decisions made companies successful.  Specifically, I learned how carefully sales promotions need to be planned and how, if they aren’t carefully planned, drastic the results can be.  Also, I realized the importance of customer relations and how your whole strategy should revolve around the customers’ wants and needs.  For example, in the McDonald’s case, diversifying and expanding was an asset.  If McDonald’s had not tried new things, their success wouldn’t have been as great.  On the other hand, Toys R Us failed to update their technologies and ignored changing customer desires; therefore, their success began to decline.  I believe this Marketing Strategy course was beneficial and taught me several new things.

 

“I Wish I Had Known”

There is nothing I would have done differently as far as preparing for this class.  However, I wish I had known that the students taught the class.  I feel as if it were a waste of my time to attend class because I can read the material at home and be just as informed.  I do not think the “contributions” were a total waste because it helped us on our presentation and public speaking skills.  However, I think the students should have only presented the cases while the professor lectured on the textbook chapters.  The teacher should lecture on the textbook chapters so that our attention could be directed to the most important topics.  What a student presents in class may not be what the teacher deems important.  It is good that the students are involved in the class, but it seems as if we are all alone with very little guidance.

 

 

 

Wooyoung Lee

 

1. What I learned?

 

I learned so many things, especially about ‘real company.’ I believe that a textbook is just common sense stuffs and an author analyze and explain with a few brilliant words. For example, sales promotion is the study of human behaviors. Therefore, when the company gets into new market, it should study about culture and common behaviors of the new market. The failure case is Euro Disney. However, the mistake book was amazing. I could not know this kind of historical data, if I did not take this course. Those were real cases and solutions. I realized that most problems solve from historical record. People learn from past experience, which is not matter to success or to fail. In addition, I learned, there is not a ultimate solution. For example, when I see the Tylenol and Perrier crisis, both company reacted as soon as possible and their solutions were similar. However, at the end, two companies had different results. This kind of happening tells me that, in the real life, people might not get expect results from their actions.

 

2. I wish I had known?

 

First of all, I recommend reading careful about the syllabus. I thought that the syllabus is just introduction of course. So, I did not carefully read syllabus at first time, so I make many mistakes. For example, I did not get credits from couple of assignment, which I did in my way, and I get lower grade on first presentation.

Next, This course is about marketing, so use your imagination in assignments. Dr. Johnston like new brilliant ideas. When you do the presentation, you may do some kind of surprise items. For example, some people did Wal-Mart presentation with Andy Griffin Show. It was brilliant. Also, I heard from another classmate, a student does his presentation like a CEO to make a speech to employees.

Finally, when you read the textbook and casebook, you should think about relations between two books. I believe that you will read the textbook first and look at the cases later. However, if you read textbook again after reading case, you will understand the textbook better and find relations between textbook and cases. You do not have to read carefully second time, just do skimming.

 

 

Kila Tucker

 

What I Learned

 

This class reinforces and expands upon the topics we covered in the undergraduate class, Marketing 301.  I now have a better understanding of marketing management, the marketing concept, recognition of market opportunities, and how to make better marketing decisions.  All of these things, along with other topics, were better explained through the cases.  I really enjoyed reading the cases and learning about real life situations.  I was able to relate more to the chapters because of the cases.  I feel that these cases will help me to learn by example. 

I liked and learned a lot from the case discussions and research updates. Hearing others’ opinions on cases, along with the updates, allowed us to learn more and see other views. I learned new company developments through the updates.  I found it very interesting to find out how companies’ decisions were now affecting them. 

It seems that there is never going to be a definite answer to every marketing question.  Just because the rules are followed, doesn’t mean a company will be successful.  Although, companies will usually be successful if, the majority of the time, good judgements are made and a good image is kept.  

 

 

 

I Wish I had known

 

If someone is rusty on Marketing 301 concepts, go back and review.  This course expands on these topics and adds more.  If you have a good background and understand what is being taught in the chapters, you can better relate to the cases and see how concepts are applied to real life situations.  My advice would be to pay attention to the students when the chapters are being taught.  Follow along, and as they teach, highlight important topics in your book.  This will help when studying for the test.

If you are giving a presentation, try to make it as entertaining as possible, especially, if it is a chapter.  The chapter presentations can get very repetitive.  If doing a PowerPoint presentation, make sure the words are big and are a contrast color to the background.  This will help the audience to see.  Check many sources when doing a research update.  Students will be more interested if information presented is not common knowledge.  Look for unique information that is not in the case.  Also, make sure to read the debate/research questions at the end of the cases.  This will let you know what is being looked for in your presentation.  It can give guidance as what to cover in the presentation.

 

 

 

Berry Turner

 

Question           1

 

What I learned  The most obvious things I learned in this class was that technology does not always work properly.  And a terrorist attack in New York City can interrupt a class in Martin TN.  I also learned the several different strategies that may be used by businesses to promote their products.

 

Highlights:  I enjoyed the case study.  It’s good to see large businesses make mistakes.   Then find ways to correct them and still stay on top of their market.  Coke and New Coke, and Tylenol are examples.  Another highlight was the project with the Brazilian students.  I would recommend all students to participate it this activity.

 

What information           Again, the several different market strategies that may be used.  The various information about marketing in general.

 

What topics.      Each topic covered was interesting.  Before the class I thought marketing was, focus on a market and advertise to that market.

 

Question           2

 

The only advice I would have for future students would be to do all the class presentations as soon as possible, and make them entertaining.  By finishing the class presentations early, the student can concentrate on up coming in class discussions. 

 

This is basically what I did during the semester and thus far it has worked for me.

 

Pay attention and try to learn something.  Don’t just set in class for a grade.  Use the money someone is spending and learn something.

 

 

 

 

 

Student Jimmy Hurley

 

“What I learned”

I really feel that this course opened my eyes to what is happening in the business world.  I am actually able to use the knowledge I have learned from this class in my profession, as well as with colleagues, friends and family.  Unfortunately, I was one to focus most of my attention toward sporting news before enrolling in graduate school. This course has sparked a desire for me to learn more about the marketing concepts in today’s world. Marketing Strategy and Business Law are my first two courses toward my M.B.A.  I am very glad that Marketing Strategy is my first class. I have attained a greater awareness to major transactions in our competitive market place.

 

I felt that the case studies were the most informative.  They included companies that all people are aware of.  I hope to learn from some of the mistakes/successes that these major companies experienced.  Presenting to the class was additional experience that I  had hoped to gain from this course.

 

“I wish I had known”

After taking the first exam, I felt that Dr Johnston was very straightforward in giving directions for the exam.  This allowed me to better prepare myself for the second exam. The advice that I would give to someone beginning this course is to follow Dr Johnson’s directions. He is not going to pull any tricks.  I would also take an active and cheerful approach in participating and studying for the class.

 

I would recommend completing the homework assignments first, which will allow time for reviewing possible exam material.  I would also try to make the presentations as interesting as possible, which will hopefully capture the attention of fellow students.

 

I hope that Dr Johnston offers more graduate courses.

 

 

 

 

 

Brian Headrick

 

 

Question 1 " What I learned"

 

What did you learn in the Marketing Strategy Course?

 

I believe I have gained a greater appreciation of Marketing as a cornerstone philosophy of any business. Although I have taken many classes on the subject, I believe this course does an excellent job of tying together marketing principles with the personalities that employ them. Of particular interest to me was the value delivery network Wal-Mart developed with its suppliers. The case study was particularly interesting in describing the practices of Wal-Mart and the demands the retailer places on its suppliers.

 

I also learned a great deal from the chapter on competition. Applying the various competitive strategies to the case studies left me with a greater knowledge of their application. Specifically, I was able to relate to the "Pepsi Challenge" which probably triggered my first interest in Marketing.

 

Additionally, I found Chapter 5 on Consumer Markets and Buyer Behavior to refresh my interest in what I refer to as the "Psychology of Marketing". Understanding individual motivations behind buying decisions has greater implications beyond the marketplace. I look to this subject as a valuable lesson on the intricacies of buyer behavior and the human condition in general.

 

Chapter 10 added to my knowledge of branding strategies and the value of creating a superior brand. I believe the case study involving Johnson and Johnson's Tylenol brand was an excellent example of how consumers can put faith in a brand. I was impressed with both J&J's immediate response to the threat and the company's steadfast belief in their company and product.

 

Finally, I believe Chapter 4 on Market Research and Demand was perhaps the subject I found most interesting. Much of the chapter discussed concepts I am able to apply to my daily job. 

 

 

What were the highlights of the course?

 

Several students offered excellent presentations for debate. I believe my favorite involved the debate to keep Wal-Mart out of small towns. The student put a great deal of thought and research into the presentation. Additionally, I really enjoyed the discussion board comments on "The Insider" movie. It was very interesting to see the different perspectives classmates had concerning such a controversial issue.

 

 

What information did you see that made an impression on you?

 

I believe the case studies on Wal-Mart and Southwest made the greatest impression on me. Both cases offered insight as to how the founders never lost sight of the customer.

 

 

What topics changed your way of thinking about Marketing Strategy, and how did they change your thoughts?

 

I believe the case study and discussion on channel suppliers changed my opinion about how business is carried out. Until the discussion on Wal-Mart, I had always let my perception of quality vs. price dictate my feelings about the retailer. After seeing the film and reading the case study, I gained a greater appreciation for Wal-Mart's commitment to keep prices low. Although I believe their tactics to be somewhat strong-armed, I still can appreciate their operations excellence.  

 

Question 2 " I wish I had known"

 

What advice do you have for someone before they begin the Marketing Strategy course?

 

A student wishing to take this course should be open to learning by a format that promotes the student's knowledge and opinions of the chapters and case studies. The student should remain open to the fact that there is a variety of solutions to apply to a given problem. Perhaps most importantly, I think it critical to try to understand not just what occurred in a case study, but why companies act as they do. Too many times, in other classes, I have heard a dichotic "yes or no" reply with little application of the concepts being taught. In this class, it is stressed that you marry the concepts from the text to the case studies. In addition to the typical reading of the material, a student is expected to think of this integration (via End of Chapter Questions and discussion). 

 

 

What do you know now about the Marketing Strategy course itself that you wish you had known before you began the course?

 

On the first night of class, I felt a little overwhelmed by the amount of homework and projects assigned in the course (originally 3 contributions). That night I considered dropping the course and waiting for a time when my work and school load would afford more time to dedicate to the class. In the end, I decided to weather the storm and stay in the class. Eventually, I found the assignments very interesting and not the burden I originally assumed they would be. I attribute this in no small part to the contributions of my classmates and instructor. The only change I would like to see in the class is to perhaps have the instructor lecture on the chapter update instead of a student. Although this is perhaps a throwback to my desire for a more familiar class format, I think the instructor would have invaluable expertise to offer in this area.  

 

 

If you had known this, what would you have done differently before or during the course?

 

I am glad I chose to take the course this semester. I feel fortunate to have experienced the course with a very intelligent, motivated group of students. I encourage students to offer their own life experiences when applicable to the case being studied. The class can be as interesting and thought provoking as you make it.

 

 

Allison M. Jinkins

 

 

What I Learned?

            Dr. Johnston’s class of Marketing Strategy was a very interesting class to me and I feel as though I benefited fully from it.  Marketing is what I got my undergraduate degree in.  Since I attended Mississippi State University for my undergrad and did not get my background here, it was interesting to learn it in a different environment.  This class is basically a whole overview of everything I took as individual classes in the past four years. 

            Although I am more interested in particular parts of marketing, such as the media and target market strategies, the parts I am less interested in are also considered something I do need to know.  With the changing markets and interest of the consumers, the marketing research fields have to be ever-changing also.  One has to stay up to date with their products and how they get their products out to the public.  My particular interest may not be the same as every other person, so it is interesting to me to learn the ways that companies have to appeal their products to the old or young, rich or poor, and etc.  This class helped me combine all the parts of interest and know-how into one group.

 

I wish I had known

            This class was interesting to me, but a lot of it was just reiterating what I had previously learned.  I have a very selective memory and found that the important things of marketing have stuck with me, but I also found that some of the more detailed things that one might not need to know were on the test.  I wish that I had known before the test to know things that are not of particular interest to one of the marketing field.  In other words, do pay attention to all italicized words in the text. 

            This class is a lot of busy work, so make sure that you have the time to read the cases and have access to the internet.  Prepare to give the presentation many days in advance, because something will definitely go wrong.  The teacher does not teach this class; if there are a lot of people that are of a different culture than you, it might be difficult to understand so you will have to prepare yourself in the chapters and cases.  That was the biggest difficulty that I came across.

           

 

 

 

Question 1.

"What I learned"

I have learned about the Understanding Marketing Management, Analyzing

Marketing Opportunities, Making Marketing Decisions, and Managing And

Delivering Marketing Programs through this course. In my opinion, the

highlights of this course are DEBATES from Hartley's "Marketing Mistakes".

Theses are the opportunities that we could express and insist our own

point of view about cases.  Through debates, I also learned different and

interested ideas from other students. A book, Marketing Mistakes, has real

business world's cases those are related with textbook's contents.

Through these cases I learned the relationship between retailers and

manufacturers, the management of crisis, the best way of promotion, the

power of word of mouth, and some ethical dilemmas those companies could

have. The case about "Maytag" is most interesting case to me because the

promotion, which the European subsidiary of Maytag did, is the most stupid

promotion I ever heard.  Even though I am not a marketing expertise, I

would know the promotion has to be restricted by some ways like length of

period, number of participants, and so on.  I still do not understand what

made European subsidiary' managers think the promotion will be succeed.

One more interesting case is "Vanguard".  This case shows that a company

could be successful without massive advertising. Vanguard is doing its

business well so far, and still keeping less advertising compare than

others. 

 

   

Question 2.

"I wish I had Known"

I wish I had known how I could handle the projector and computer with

remote controller.  I also wish I know I should have two presentations

during the course. Since this course gave at least two presentations for

each student, I had two tasks that I need to present front of the whole

class. I didn't do well both of them.  Unfortunately, I am not good at

dealing with computer, and I am always too nervous as I am speaking front

of people. I did not satisfy both my presentation, but I had good

experiences about public speaking.  I also had learned lots of information

and different ideas about the same topic through other students'

presentations.

In conclusion, this is the very useful and helpful class.  If someone who

want to know the relationships between class and real business world, this

course would helpful for them.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Betsy Brasher

 

What I Learned

I think this course proved very beneficial in that it showed the mistakes that real businesses have made, what led up to it, and how the company recovered from its mistake.  It helped explain why companies are what they are today.  By pairing the marketing concepts text with the various cases, you learn what steps should have been taken by the businesses to avoid the mistakes.  You will find that a very high percentage of the mistakes could have been avoided if the marketing teams had done the proper due diligence in determining 1) Is there a market for the product? (New Coke) 2) What will the reaction be to the product offer? (Hoover) and 3) Are we still meeting the needs of our customers? (Toys R Us).  This was a fun class because most of the work was done before class and I was able to sit back and enjoy the discussion.

 

I Wish I Had Known

I wish as I went through the course and read the concepts and case studies that I had known to immediately write a brief summary for my own benefit tying in the marketing concepts with the case.  This would have saved a lot of headache when studying for the test.

 

 

 

Heather Gardner

 

 

What I learned:  This class opened my eyes to new ways of looking at companies I have know all my life.  While reading and discussing the cases I found I knew most every company we covered but I did not know them as marketing machines.  I learned that Wal-Mart, which is almost everyone’s favorite store, is a very tough company to do business with.  They are not exactly what I would term the friendly hometown store when it comes to placing orders and dealing with suppliers. 

I think the highlights of this class were being able to discuss each of the cases together and listen to a debate on both sides of the issue at hand.  In some cases this information was enough to change some of our minds about the case and how things were handled. 

One thing that made an impression on me was finding out how aggressive Coke is when it comes to market share.  Or how Nike came from following Reebok to become the number one company in athletic shoes, in a short period of time, despite the price it costs to purchase them.  Nike was able to choose the right spokesperson, which has a lot to do with their success.  The list could go on and on because each of the cases we covered were interesting.  They each gave us an insight that maybe we had only scratched the surface on previously.

Marketing strategy has new meaning for me now; I only have to think about McDonalds and Burger King to bring back the issues of the case and how McDonalds has dominated through persistence and standardization.  Before reading about some of these cases these companies were only names or places to purchase something.  Now they are companies that not only provide something for the public they are companies that are owned and run by people like you and me and they are prone to problems.  An example of this is Johnson & Johnson.  J & J had a major problem on their hands with the Tylenol scare in the early eighties but they knew the best way to keep the public from turning away from them would be to be as honest and upfront as they could and keep the public informed.  This marketing strategy probably saved the company.

This class has changed the way I look at issues because now I see them as more than just a place to buy a meal or buy household supplies.

 

 

 

 

I wish I had known:  I wish I had known more of my marketing terms.  I am a student that does not have a background in business so some of these classes are harder for me than others.  The Marketing Management book by Kotler was not an easy read.  I was not able to follow it as well as I was reading the cases.   

I wish I had known that this class was going to be mostly on cases before I took it.  This would not be a very good class to take in the summer because of the outside work and presentations that you have to give.  Each case has a debate A and debate B plus a research invitation that someone has to present in each class meeting.  Someone also has to give the presentation on the chapter that corresponds with the case. 

If I had known this I would have been able to prepare for the outside workload.  I did however enjoy taking this class so give it a chance but think twice about this one for a summer semester. 

 

 

Yodpon Satrusajang

 

What I learned: I learned many things from case studies, text books, class contributions and all assignments. There are many things that I studied in this class and I am sure that all information that I got will improve my knowledge and experience when I start working. Marketing is not about selling and buying only, but also dealing with organizations, decision making, research, opinions and others. Classmates are very important for all students because all students have different backgrounds and we can share information and experiences to each other. There are so many things that were not in text book, but we learned from our classmates. I enjoyed learning about all cases because many of the cases were talking about the mistakes that the companies made and cause them problems. All case problems let us know how important of decision making process is in the business.

 

I wish I had known: I did not give any advices from anyone before the class started. I wish I had known more about how to prepare of presentations. I also wish I had known more about the cases because there are many things about the case that students discussed in class but I did not know. I wish I had read about cases and be ready to answers at any time because I did not know when the instructor was going to ask a question.

 

 

Kevin Rhodes

 

What I learned?

I learned the importance of marketing in helping to make a product or an entire company as successful as possible. I learned about the different mistakes and missteps that companies have made in the past. I also learned that there is not any particular way to respond to a crisis. The books of cases tried to say that when a company has a crisis they should always come in and spend as much money as necessary to remedy the problem and not hurt the company image anymore than necessary. However, many of the companies did this and they did not benefit and in fact many companies don’t spend a lot of money on the crisis and it goes away. I have learned through my on thinking of the cases that there is not a set way to do things despite some of the idealistic views that academia tries to promote.

 

 

I wish I had known?

I wish I had known that the students taught the chapters. My personal opinion is that the teacher should teach the chapters. The cases are a good thing for students to do contributions on but I believe that the teacher should teach the chapters. I also wish that I had known that PowerPoint was going to be used so much I would have boned up on using this piece of software. I believe that having to speak in front of the class was a good thing especially since the students and the teacher don’t grill the presenter especially on the debates. 

 

 

What I learned in Marketing Strategy:  In this course I learned that there is a lot more that goes into selling a product or service.  Everything from how to determine the price of your product to considering the possible pitfalls of certain promotional campaigns.  It is obvious that a firm understanding of human psychology is essential to be an effective marketing manager.  The one case that made an impression on me was the Walmart case.  It is amazing to see how an idea that began in one man has become a worldwide empire.  They have gained a reputation with many suppliers of being too demanding, but Walmart has truly developed a blueprint for efficiency.  They have put themselves in the position of not having to worry about supplier relations.  Walmart is the boss.  I cannot say that any one topic changed my way of thinking.  After reviewing the cases, I have come to the conclusion that marketing can be a crapshoot.  We learned about companies who spent millions and/or billions of dollars on marketing research, yet still had their plan fail miserably (ie. EuroDisney).  The public is fickle.

 

I wish I had known:  My advice to new students would be to make sure your version of PowerPoint is compatible with the one on campus before you spend time developing a nice presentation that you can’t open.  Keep your presentations brief, try to inject a little humor, or at least some nice pictures or graphics, and pray that the power doesn’t go out and cut off the video feed.  I can’t say that there is anything about the course that I wish I had known beforehand.  All in all, the class was not too demanding, yet required enough effort so as to ensure that you learn some basic fundamentals.  You also get to hear some interesting behind the scenes facts about some of the worlds best known companies.

 

I definitely enjoyed the format of this class versus a class where the instructor lectures for three hours directly from the book.  I can read it myself, and Dr. Johnston understands that these more mature students are capable of that.  Overall it has been interesting.

 

 

Gregory A. Wolfe

 

1. What I learned

Highlights of the course – I really enjoyed doing the research for my debate and research presentations. I enjoy looking up information online. I also enjoyed the online discussions, as it was beneficial to read others opinions on the issues.

Information that made an impression on me – Even though I’m not a smoker, the facts on how the tobacco industry enhances nicotine was quite disturbing.

Topics that changed my way of thinking about Marketing Strategy, and how they changed my thoughts – I gleaned much from all of the topics that we studied. From Wal-mart I learned efficiency. Disney taught me to be humble, and never over-confident. The lesson on Coke communicated to me thoroughness. McDonalds enlightened me on diversification. I was shown integrity by Tylenol. And swiftness from Rubbermaid. Knowing my limits and being structured and organized was ascertained from Boeing. Last but not least, it was confirmed to me through Toy’s R Us and Vanguard the principle that “he who has the most, doesn’t always win; but rather he who does the most with what little he has.”

 

2. I wish I had known

Advice for others before they begin the class – Turn off the TV, put Papa John’s pizza on emergency dial and tell your family and friends that you’ll see them in about three months. Just kidding! Seriously though don’t procrastinate. You have to stay on top of the reading assignments and study as you go. Be prepared to do a lot of research. It will not always be mandatory, but it will be beneficial. 

What I know now that I wish I had known before I began – I knew a little about setting up a Power Point presentation, but it would have helped had I known more. Even though this type of presentation wasn’t mandatory, I believe it is more professional and should be a skill all graduate students should learn if feasible.

If I had known this, what would I have done differently before or during the course – I would have pursued some extensive training in Power Point prior to the course. I plan to do so in the near future.           

 

 

 

Mary Kay Gibson

 

 

“What I Learned”

            The most important things that I learned in the Marketing Strategy course came from the actual real-life cases that were studied in the class.  In prior courses that I have taken, things learned were primarily from the textbook.  This information was mostly in the form of vocabulary.  When students learn definitions for a test, it is very easy to memorize long enough for a test, and then forget.  In the Marketing Strategy course, real-life companies are analyzed, and the students in the class can see how the companies use certain marketing tactics within their firm.  This makes it easy to relate what you are reading in the text to things that you are familiar with; this, in turn, helps you to learn instead of memorize temporarily.  Also, all students in the class were given the opportunity to do in-depth research into at least two of these companies studied.  This, to me, was an important part of the course.  It allowed me to get a better understanding of the major obstacles that many firms are faced with.  Even those firms that we all think are extremely successful will always, at certain times, have some problems.  This course made me realize that the success of companies is largely determined by the strategy that they choose.  A firm must analyze all factors of the industry that it is in and have a good strategy, or there is a large chance that it will fail.  This course was beneficial to me and helped me to relate marketing terms to real-life situations.

 

 

“I Wish I Had Known”

            There are only a couple of things that I wish that I had known before beginning the Marketing Strategy course.  The main thing that I wish I had known is that we had to do presentations and how much time should be put into the presentations in order to receive a good grade.  Also, I wish that I had been more familiar with the PowerPoint computer program.  Being an accounting major, I was never required to do many individual presentations, and I had never used PowerPoint.  This was a substantial part of the grade for the class, and I did not realize the time that needed to be put into the presentations.  The first time I did a presentation, I did not feel that I was prepared enough.  Another thing that I wish I had known is that the instructor does not lecture on each chapter but that the students do.  Also, I wish I had known how much of the textbook material was on the tests.  By this I mean key terms, etc.  I spent a lot of time on the cases and little time reading the book.  I found myself cramming as test time came closer.  I wish I had read the chapters that corresponded with the cases when I read the cases.  This is a very important thing to do.

 

 

 

Brooke Greene

 

 

What I Learned

 I learned that International Marketing is an interesting course.  It is sometimes hard to think outside of the box in which we live in.  It is interesting to see how different cultures live and work around the world.  Sometimes we tend to think that as long as we are going to live and work in our country of origin, we should not have to learn about other countries and how they operate.  However, this is not the case it today’s environment because of our global economy.  It is essential that everyone in any country around that world have at least some understanding of international business and cultures.

 

I wish I had known

 The course is a lot easier than what I expected at first.  As long as you keep up to date on your end of chapter questions and practice questions that are basically all you need to know, and also the videos.  I started out trying to read the chapters in the book, but this is a waste of time and I highly don’t recommend it.  You are better off just studying the practice questions, end of the chapter questions, and the videos.  Also, don’t brush it off as being to easy and not studying as much.  I wish I had studied just a little more and I would have earned a little better of a grade.

 

 

 

 

Tom Irwin

 

 

 

1. What I learned in Marketing 710.

 

The one thing I learned more than anything else in this class is “Nothing fails like success”.  Prior to taking this class, I thought most large companies had it all figured out.  I thought they had large staffs of highly trained professionals that kept them constantly churning out profits.  How else could they have gotten so big?  Since taking the class I have come to appreciate that there is opportunity for any size company.  Far from being market dominators that can’t be beaten, most large companies have weaknesses that can appear over time as markets change.  Large companies are more likely to resist change.  The old saying “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” should be replaced with “If it isn’t broke, break it”.  Only by constantly looking at market opportunities with fresh eyes can you see clearly where you need to move to continue to be successful.  While marketing is as much an art as a science, I’m convinced a good marketer is worth his weight in gold.

 

 

What I wish I had known.

 

The class contributions are an important part of this class.  They require a good bit of research and a great deal of time and effort if you do them right.  My first class contribution was scheduled the same day as our first exam.  If I had known how much time I would need to spend on the class contribution, I probably would have tried to schedule the presentation on another date.  It was nice to have a choice on the contribution topics.  I have been a fan of Southwest Airlines for some time so I was glad I chose it even though it was scheduled on the day of the exam.

 

Overall, I think it’s more important to understand the concepts from the textbook rather than just memorizing terms.  The Marketing Mistakes textbook is very well written and provides real world examples of how marketing impacts company performance.

 

Even though concepts are most important, anything from the textbook may show up on the test.  I found repetitive review of the text and case studies to be the best way to prepare for the tests.  It’s also a nice way to solidify the concepts.

 

 

 

Jennifer Menefee

 

 

“What I Learned”

 

There were so many interesting topics covered during the semester, I really enjoyed the aspects covered by the case studies.  In particular, the Johnson & Johnson, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s vs. Burger King, Reebok vs. Nike, and Toys R Us cases were intriguing due to the fact that everyone seems to exposed to these three companies everyday through product usage, advertising and shopping.  In addition, the Tobacco Industry and The Insider assignments made a true impact because it was such a controversial issue and it was eye-opening to be able to read everyone’s view points on the discussion board.  Overall, the course was very beneficial by design – it was helpful to have cases that corresponded to the textbook chapters to illustrate examples.  The exposure to the case studies was invaluable and illustrates multiple marketing successes and failures that can learn from and apply in real world situations. 

 

 

“I wish I had known”

 

The advice that I have to future students before they begin the Marketing Strategy course, is to be prepared for the reading assignments and quizzes do each week but the time invested is worth it!  I wish that I had known to review the contribution assignments more closely prior to making the selections in class.  If I had known this, I would have selected cases or debate sides that were the most interesting to me & with which I more closely identified.  Overall, if you read the cases each week & think about the questions when answering – you will learn a lot from this course! 

 

 

 

Yong K. Lee

 

Question 1. “What I learned”

 

 During this semester, I have learned a lot from marketing 710 class.
This class provided basic and useful marketing concepts and broadened my knowledge
about business. Especially, I really enjoyed that Dr. Johnston explained marketing
concepts very well. It was easy to understand and encourage me to think marketing in
many different ways. Research presentation was also impressive. In this class,
I learned what marketing management was and how marketing concept can be applied into
real business.

 

Question2. “I wish I had known”

 

 Before I took this class, I wanted to learn about general marketing concept
that I could use in real business world. I think that I have what I wanted. But, I could
learn more about marketing if Dr. Johnston spent more time on lecture. Although presentations
were useful, I could learn more from lecture of Dr, Johnston. Frankly speaking, I think that
nobody paid attention to the presentations whether the presentation were good or not. Therefore,
I suggest that Dr. Johnston spends more time on lecture rather than presentation.

 

 

 

Yi Meng

000-55-2516

 

 

Advice to Future Students

 

What I learned?

 

What I learned from the case study is more than that from the textbook in this Marketing class. I’m not saying the textbook is not good. But with too much to remember, the understanding to all the materials is not as clear as the understanding to the cases. Of course, one important reason is that the companies in the case study are all big and famous companies -- we’d already known them quite a bit before we began the study. Through the study, while linked with the materials on the textbook, I started to look these companies and cases not as specific ones. Marketing management and marketing strategy are very complicated. You’re going to take the risks when you’re making decisions. Sometimes the strategy is just successful, like those companies with long time success and those who made great comebacks. Sometimes it just failed, like those who could not follow the wheel of the time and those who are not serious with the culture problems. To be successful in marketing, a good plan, a cost-benefit analysis, and a crisis-solving department or plan is necessary. But it not enough even with all these elements, hard work and a little bit luck are also needed.

 

 

I wish I had known…

 

At first, I wish I had known more principles of marketing. It would make me understand this course much better and easier, and maybe it could make my score and grade higher. And I wish I had some marketing experiences or even I was doing a marketing project, then I could compare the primary data I had to what I learned from the class. I think the classmates would also thank those people who were willing to share their experiences. To the new comers, it would be better for them to trace some companies’ stocks that this class would discuss. I think it helps to see if these companies’ strategies are working. If not, is it just like the reason the class is discussing. And finally, I wish I had some of the stocks that their companies were implementing a good marketing strategy and showing a good trend – so that I could have made some money!

 

 

Question 1

 

What I learned in this class, the marketing strategy is not only way to sell, but also way to understand customer, seller, market environments, and so on. I really enjoyed reading and discussing marketing cases. Also, I was very impressive, whenever my classmates gave presentations by unique way such as, acting like the C.E.O of Southeast Airline Company, well-informed text summaries, and very fluent speeches. Especially, the Toys ‘R’ us and the Boeing vs. Airbus case made my thoughts changed that the market is more competitive than ever. Not only can competitors be ruined a dominant market power company, but also by market environments and even a mere mistake.

 

Question 2

 

            I wish I had known the deeper marketing strategies with our text- book. Sometime I could not understand what the textbook says. I do not think that my classmate’s presentations could cover chapters in the book completely. However, I could be able to have time to think each case before this class by the blackboard assignment. I discussed case question with my classmate before the class time. It was very helpful way to think abroad for me. If somebody is going to take this class next semester or some day, I strongly want to suggest discussion cases not only with their classmates, but with their friends even they are not business major people nor students. Then they will must be generated much better ideas.

 

 

Marketing 710 - Advice to Future Students

 

What I learned:

 

The best thing that I have learned from the class is that I now have some

idea as to how to research companies for investment purposes.  I gave the

research update for Toys'R'Us and it gave me a reason to dive into the

company's recent performance by asking friends where to find information.

From my research, I found BigCharts.com where you can pull-up the stock

performance history on any company within seconds.

 

I enjoyed studying Kotler Chapter 7 - Dealing with Competition because it

addressed strategies for identifying your competition, analyzing your

competition, and challenging your competition.  Chapter 7 taught me to

"know your enemy."  Elsewhere in Kotler, I learned a couple of new concepts

such as co-branding, where two brands are packaged together in order to

boost the consumer's desire for the package deal, and loss-leaders where

stores may loose money on a particular sale item in order to draw customers

into the store.

 

Hartley's Marketing Mistakes and Successes made a big impression with me

because it helped me learn from the mistakes of others.  Throughout the

book, you can see that companies who fell into trouble did so quiet often

because they assumed success guaranties success.  I learned that you should

never, never, never assume that you are top dog and that nothing bad can

happen to you.  There is a lot that can be said for having a sincere fear

of failure.  The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol scare taught me that when your

company has a problem, you should address the issue as quickly as possible

and tell the public what you are doing to correct the problem.  I learned

that you should always look ahead to the possible financial implications of

a marketing strategy by reading the Maytag dilemma.  The Southwest Airlines

case study taught me that you must really know logistics and your market in

order to be a success.  Wal-Mart was an eye opener for me as to how they

handle their suppliers.  Wal-mart is a good example of the golden

rule....Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.  I also learned that paring

down when your company is losing money is not always the answer.  Toys'R'Us

went on the offensive and seem to be doing well considering Sept. 11th.

 

What I wish I had known:

 

I would suggest that future students flip through the case studies and

highlight the case studies that interests them the most before they are

assigned in class.  I also suggest that they reference their work travel

schedule as they make their case study preference picks.  The class went

very well for me with no surprises, but I can also see that it could have

been disastrous if I had not planned ahead.

 

Thank you,

Randy

 

 

 

 

Jay Burton

 

 

What I learned?

            It was a great course.  It was both informative and practical.  The text was excellent and provided a good foundation for the class.  The presentations that were done on the chapters were also very good.  All presenters gave out great handouts, which were very useful when midterm and final time came.  The practical side of the class came from the cases.  The cases selected seemed to go right along with each chapter, enabling us to see applications of the information.  The class discussion was also helpful in synthesizing the cases and the chapters. 

            The thing that stuck out the most was the three C’s, Complacency, Conservatism, and Conceit (Boeing Case).  It seemed that most of the companies that were struggling because of mistakes, were doing so because they failed to keep a realistic perspective of what was going on.  They became complacent, conservative, and conceited.  This hindered their ability to respond to the market as quickly as they were able to in the past.  This idea also made me realize that there is no time or place at which you are able to “sit on your laurels”.  In business, you must be ready to react to a changing marketplace; otherwise, you will be left in the dust as other more aggressive and innovative competitors supercede you. 

            Overall I enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone, and since its required, that’s a good thing.  It covered the material well and the cases were beneficial. 

 

I wish I had known.

            Because of all the presentations, there were a lot of handouts.  These handouts were helpful, in that they could be used as refresher notes before the tests, but by the end of the class we had a lot of them.  Also I didn’t think they would be useful until really after the first exam. This is when I began to keep up with them a little better. This should help on the final. 

            As far as advice goes, be organized and keep things that are handed out.  Make sure you read the chapters before you take the quizzes.  I didn’t like the quizzes, but they were beneficial in that they required you to be familiar with the text prior to class, which helps when you’re trying to have a discussion.  So be ready to read.  You are also responsible for reading and writing a response to a couple of questions for that week’s case.  Again, I didn’t like the ‘busy work,’ but overall it was effective in that everyone had to read the case prior to class, which again helped with the in-class discussion.

            The aforementioned work was not overly difficult; so don’t think that it is going to consume your life.  Just be aware and ready for it.  I’m sure you will enjoy the class.

 

 

 

========================================
April A. Lowery

What I Learned

I think the thing that impressed me the most about this course was the cases.  I learned way more than I realized at the time.  In conversation with other people a topic would come up that had something to do with things we did in class, and I'd be able to give facts and figures that I would never have paid any attention to otherwise.  It really makes for more interesting conversations.  Also, at work I am able to apply the techniques we have learned about and see where my company stands on some of these issues.  Perhaps I will be able to contribute to the betterment of my company in the future.

The WalMart case was very interesting to me, as I live in a small town that has been greatly affected by the coming of Super WalMart.  Many small businesses have shut their doors as a result.  Some others have refined their niche in the market and have survived quite well.  I support these whenever I can because I feel they are an extremely important part of our economy.  After all, if everyone works for WalMart, then when WalMart decides your future, you're stuck with it.  I'm a little too independent for that, but I'm not going to spend more of my hard-earned dollars than I have to in order to get the things I need.

The Johnson & Johnson case really opened my eyes to the problems a large company can cover-up.  I had no idea that people had died from using the product!  They are apparently masters at making the public see what they want them to see.  I enjoyed the Southwest Airlines case.  I'm glad they and Vanguard have been able to prove the big boys wrong about how to go about making customers happy.  The tobacco case was very interesting as well.  As a former smoker, I learned many things about a product that I used blindly for 20+ years.

The Kotler textbook was also very helpful.  I found it to be fairly easy to read and it was refreshingly not just a repeat of the coursework in undergraduate school.  Many of the techniques there will be helpful to me in the future.

I Wish I Had Known

I guess the most trouble I had with this course was the presentations, as  I get very nervous when I have to speak in front of a group.  I wish I had known beforehand that this course was heavy on that format.  It would not, of course, have changed my mind about taking it, but I might have been better prepared.  I think I could have taken more time to prepare my presentations so that I wasn't quite so nervous.  They say that the better you know your information the less nervous you will be.  I think that's true.  So PREPARE!  Have handouts to the teacher a couple of days in advance, particularly if you are at a distant campus.  You can't depend on the e-mail or fax to get there in time.  Even mailing them is pretty risky, especially now with all the problems with mailed items.

 

 

Chiu-Li Lin

 

What I learned—

 

In the beginning I felt a little nervous to attend this class because there was some case discussion in the class and you got to express your own opinion to your classmates.  It was kind of difficulty for an international student to show his idea by speaking English like me.  However, I was getting to like this class more and more even though I still felt nervous in the class when the teacher asked me to express my opinion.  The most I got from this class is that now I get more courage to speak English in a class.  Other than this, for the knowledge of this marketing strategy course, I thought I did learn a lot from the case studying and the textbook.  It was organized well and easy to learn.  And also, I like the time of presentation.  It was a very good idea for a marketing class because the training of presentation would be useful for my future life to be a marketer or a manager.

 

I wish I had know—

The advice for someone to begin the marketing strategy course is to prepare enjoying this class.  There were much fun and challenges in this class, and you feel free to show your personal opinion.  In my opinion, there is no absolutely answer in the real-marketing life.  The textbook only tells the principles about marketing.  We should learn it and practice in the real world.  If we can have some chance to study the real case in this class, it would be more practical for students to think about the marketing strategy applied to the real world.

 

 

 

What I learned was that there are many more aspects to

marketing than I even knew existed.  I never knew

marketing could be so interesting.  The way the cases

were said up was really nice.

 

What I wish I had known was that marketing was so

diverse.  I thought it was just people running TV ads

and radio ads.  But I learned there was so much more

marketers were responsible fro.

 

 

Thank You,

 

David Lewis

 

 

 

Dawn Hendricks

 

What I learned…….Being an undergraduate accounting major, I really did not understand the importance of marketing until this class.  Instead of just looking at it as advertising, I see marketing in a whole new light that includes pricing, distribution, research, and branding (to name a few) in addition to advertising.  I also learned about the successes and failures of many familiar companies.  In my opinion, the cases were the most memorable part of the class.  All of the cases were interesting, but my favorites were Pepsi Vs Coke, Tylenol, Disney, and Wal-Mart.  The only thing I saw wrong with the material was that the chapters contain a large amount of information in them, which made it hard to retain all of it.  I feel that it might have been more beneficial if you would have emphasized what you felt was important instead of leaving it up to the students who “taught” the chapters.  Other than that, I felt that this course tied in really well with the other courses that we are required to take in the MBA program.

 

I wish I had known…..I wish I had known that students pretty much taught the class and that I would be responsible for all the material in the chapters.  I had to spend a significant amount of time trying to get all of the information down before the test and honestly, I do not know if I could recall half of it because I had to “cram” when I realized it was not going to be narrowed down in any way by the teacher.  I also wish I had known exactly what was wanted on the presentations.  I feel that I might have done a better job on my first presentation if I would have known.  I basically did what the students before me did, but it was not what you wanted.  I then found out some pointers you told the other class (to answer the questions under the heading invitation to research in the Hartley book for example) and did fine on my second presentation.  So my suggestion to you is to be sure that you tell all of your classes the same thing.  My suggestions to future marketing students are:

1)      Do not let yourself get behind.  This class requires a significant amount of work.

2)      Do not wait until the last minute to start studying.  The material is not narrowed down at all so you need to read everything for the test.

 

 

Betsy Brasher

 

What I Learned

I think this course proved very beneficial in that it showed the mistakes that real businesses have made, what led up to it, and how the company recovered from its mistake.  It helped explain why companies are what they are today.  By pairing the marketing concepts text with the various cases, you learn what steps should have been taken by the businesses to avoid the mistakes.  You will find that a very high percentage of the mistakes could have been avoided if the marketing teams had done the proper due diligence in determining 1) Is there a market for the product? (New Coke) 2) What will the reaction be to the product offer? (Hoover) and 3) Are we still meeting the needs of our customers? (Toys R Us).  This was a fun class because most of the work was done before class and I was able to sit back and enjoy the discussion.

 

I Wish I Had Known

I wish as I went through the course and read the concepts and case studies that I had known to immediately write a brief summary for my own benefit tying in the marketing concepts with the case.  This would have saved a lot of headache when studying for the test.

 

 

Randall Pickens

What I learned:

 

The best thing that I have learned from the class is that I now have some

idea as to how to research companies for investment purposes.  I gave the

research update for Toys'R'Us and it gave me a reason to dive into the

company's recent performance by asking friends where to find information.

From my research, I found BigCharts.com where you can pull-up the stock

performance history on any company within seconds.

 

I enjoyed studying Kotler Chapter 7 - Dealing with Competition because it

addressed strategies for identifying your competition, analyzing your

competition, and challenging your competition.  Chapter 7 taught me to

"know your enemy."  Elsewhere in Kotler, I learned a couple of new concepts

such as co-branding, where two brands are packaged together in order to

boost the consumer's desire for the package deal, and loss-leaders where

stores may loose money on a particular sale item in order to draw customers

into the store.

 

Hartley's Marketing Mistakes and Successes made a big impression with me

because it helped me learn from the mistakes of others.  Throughout the

book, you can see that companies who fell into trouble did so quiet often

because they assumed success guaranties success.  I learned that you should

never, never, never assume that you are top dog and that nothing bad can

happen to you.  There is a lot that can be said for having a sincere fear

of failure.  The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol scare taught me that when your

company has a problem, you should address the issue as quickly as possible

and tell the public what you are doing to correct the problem.  I learned

that you should always look ahead to the possible financial implications of

a marketing strategy by reading the Maytag dilemma.  The Southwest Airlines

case study taught me that you must really know logistics and your market in

order to be a success.  Wal-Mart was an eye opener for me as to how they

handle their suppliers.  Wal-mart is a good example of the golden

rule....Whoever has the gold, makes the rules.  I also learned that paring

down when your company is losing money is not always the answer.  Toys'R'Us

went on the offensive and seem to be doing well considering Sept. 11th.

 

What I wish I had known:

 

I would suggest that future students flip through the case studies and

highlight the case studies that interests them the most before they are

assigned in class.  I also suggest that they reference their work travel

schedule as they make their case study preference picks.  The class went

very well for me with no surprises, but I can also see that it could have

been disastrous if I had not planned ahead.

 

Kevin Sparks

 

What I learned in Marketing Strategy:  In this course I learned that there is a lot more that goes into selling a product or service.  Everything from how to determine the price of your product to considering the possible pitfalls of certain promotional campaigns.  It is obvious that a firm understanding of human psychology is essential to be an effective marketing manager.  The one case that made an impression on me was the Walmart case.  It is amazing to see how an idea that began in one man has become a worldwide empire.  They have gained a reputation with many suppliers of being too demanding, but Walmart has truly developed a blueprint for efficiency.  They have put themselves in the position of not having to worry about supplier relations.  Walmart is the boss.  I cannot say that any one topic changed my way of thinking.  After reviewing the cases, I have come to the conclusion that marketing can be a crapshoot.  We learned about companies who spent millions and/or billions of dollars on marketing research, yet still had their plan fail miserably (ie. EuroDisney).  The public is fickle.

 

I wish I had known:  My advice to new students would be to make sure your version of PowerPoint is compatible with the one on campus before you spend time developing a nice presentation that you can’t open.  Keep your presentations brief, try to inject a little humor, or at least some nice pictures or graphics, and pray that the power doesn’t go out and cut off the video feed.  I can’t say that there is anything about the course that I wish I had known beforehand.  All in all, the class was not too demanding, yet required enough effort so as to ensure that you learn some basic fundamentals.  You also get to hear some interesting behind the scenes facts about some of the worlds best known companies.

 

I definitely enjoyed the format of this class versus a class where the instructor lectures for three hours directly from the book.  I can read it myself, and Dr. Johnston understands that these more mature students are capable of that.  Overall it has been interesting.

 

 

Bryant Nickens

 

Question 1 "What I learned":

            In the Marketing Strategy course I learned a lot of new things

about marketing that I had previously not known. This knowledge was given

to me through the reading of the cases and through contributions through

out the semester. The highlights of the course were the contributions that

each student had to do, this was different and a lot of knowledge could be

gained by doing them. The information I saw that made an impression on me

was the information that we saw in the "Marketing Mistakes" book. The

cases in this book had a lot of shocking but helpful information. The

topics that changed my way of thinking about Marketing Strategy had to be

the cases, the changed my thoughts because they had mistakes in them that

other top companies have made.

 

Question 2 "I wish I had known":

            Advice that I have for someone before they begin the marketing

strategy course is for them to study the practice questions as a guide for

studying for test, and I would also tell them to do as much homework in

advance, since every assignment is given at the beginning of the semester.

I wish I had known that we would have to read so many questions before I

began the marketing strategy course. If I had known this I would have set

aside more time for reading and studying the cases.