IB 325 - Marketing Management

The marketing function is an essential part of almost every large business enterprise. To be effective, senior business managers and leaders must understand how marketing activities are connected to overall organizational performance, and any professional who works within the marketing function must master that discipline’s key concepts, analytic tools, and processes. This course provides students with an introduction to the central elements of marketing management. In particular, we will consider

1. The basic concepts of marketing;
2. The role of the marketing function within the overall business enterprise;
3. the various activities necessary for effective marketing planning (including an analysis of cross-cultural and environmental factors that impact international operations); and
4. Key issues of strategy, implementation and marketing management relevant to a firm’s long-term success.

The primary objective of the course is to provide students who are interested in business with the introductory knowledge and skills that they will need to move into professional roles, whether in the marketing function or another discipline. At the same time, the course aims to improve the overall critical thinking and communication skills that students will need in order to succeed in any organization or field.

The course uses:

• Relevant case studies of firms involved in developing and implementing marketing strategies.
• Current articles from business newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals to be discussed on a daily basis to motivate class participation. The selected articles illustrate the different concepts and tactics studied during the course and provide interesting and practical examples of European, Asian and American firms involved in marketing activities. Moreover, several readings and class discussions will examine particular marketing issues faced by firms in Spain in order to leverage students’ study abroad experience in Barcelona.
• Videos, lectures and in-class exercises.
• A course-related trip to the Spanish headquarters of a major international company in order to provide students with first-hand insight into marketing management and decision-making in the host country.