18 BUSBTC 320 Creating Value for Customers

NOTE: This course challenge is for students to earn credit in the +Business program.

To successfully challenge BUSBTC 320, students must demonstrate practical experience and a deep understanding of marketing fundamentals, product management, market segmentation, distribution strategies, project management, and supply chain management. Students are required to showcase real-world examples of strategic decision-making, marketing principles (STP and 4Ps), and strategies employed to enhance customer and business value, market share, and profitability.

Students challenging the course will submit comprehensive essays that demonstrate critical analysis and strategic thinking on core marketing and operational topics, including market analysis, consumer behavior, product strategy, distribution methods, and supply chain management. The final culminating project requires students to create and submit a 5-7 minute professional-quality video recording describing a specific situation from their professional experience where they effectively applied key marketing and operational principles—including customer needs analysis, strategic product decisions, market segmentation, targeting, positioning (STP), the marketing mix (4Ps), and strategy evaluation and adaptation—to successfully address a business challenge or enhance business performance. This video should clearly identify the issue or opportunity, outline the strategies applied, and discuss the outcomes and effectiveness of these strategies in improving market share, profitability, or overall business results.

Required Textbooks and Course Materials

• Marketing: An Introduction, 15th Edition. Authors Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler.
  • ISBN: ISBN-13: 9780137704408, etextbook
• NewShoes, Introduction to Marketing Simulation. Authors: Interpretive Software.
  • ISBN: ISBN-13: 9781885837592

What This Course Is (And Is Not) About

This course covers how businesses create and deliver value through effective marketing and operational strategies. You will learn how marketing significantly drives business success, extending beyond just advertising, by emphasizing a strategic approach to understanding customer needs, making informed product decisions, and creating value.

However, this course does not cover detailed financial analysis, industry-specific technical skills, regulatory compliance, or detailed economic theories. Instead, it concentrates on understanding the core principles of marketing and operational strategies required to enhance business effectiveness and profitability.

Course Description

Develop the competencies needed to effectively market products and manage operations within various business contexts. Topics include marketing fundamentals, market analysis, segmentation, product strategy, personal selling, distribution strategies, project management, and supply chain management.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define marketing and demonstrate the steps companies use to create customer value.
• Apply strategic decisions about products, product lines, and mixes to meet customer needs.
• Utilize foundational marketing principles (4Ps and STP) to create competitive marketing strategies.
• Evaluate and adapt marketing strategies to improve market share and profitability.