MARKETING MANAGEMENT: MK 101

MBA, Term I, 2020-21

Sections B, C

Instructor
Ritu Mehta
207, B Block
ritumehta@iimcal.ac.in,Tel:2061 Meeting hours: By appointment

Course Objectives and Organization

This course introduces the participants to the essentials of marketing management.
Marketing management involves understanding customer preferences and targeting cus-
tomers with appropriate products and services, and devising methods to deliver, commu-
nicate, and capture value. The broad objective of the course is to provide a framework
for identifying, analyzing, and solving marketing problems of firms dealing with variety
of business complexities. Ideally, at the end of the course, you should be able to compre-
hensively develop a feasible marketing plan that captures the various trade-offs related
to marketing decisions.
The course is mainly based on interactive class discussions and lectures. Some ses-
sions have prescribed reading to give a wider view of the concept. It is expected that
participants would have gone through the reading for the class and analyzed the case
before the commencement of the class. It is advisable to prepare the cases in groups,
and present your analysis in the class. Some cases would be specified for written submis-
sion. A tentative format for the case submission includes a) recognition of the marketing
problem, b) evaluation of the alternatives, c) developing sound argument for your rec-
ommended course of action. The case submission should not exceed four pages, 1.5 line
spacing, including the exhibits. The case presentations and submissions are group ac-
tivity. The course also requires the participants to undertake a project. The details of
the project and the expectations from the project would be provided in Session 1 and
during the course.

1
Course Material
1. Marketing Management by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, 15th edition,
Pearson education.

2. Course pack consisting of readings and cases.

Evaluation
The course evaluation would be done on the following bases:

Quizzes 40%
Assignments/Project (Group) 30%
End Term exam 30%

Session wise outline

Session 1: Introduction to Marketing
Reading: Chapter 1 [KK]
“Marketing Myopia” by Theodore Levitt, HBR

Session 2: Understanding Customer Value and Building Loyalty

Reading: Chapter 3 [KK]
In-class exercise
Case: Aqualisa Quartz

Sessions 3, 4: Understanding Marketing Environment and Developing Marketing Plan

Reading: Chapters 2, 4 [KK]
“Crafting Strategy” by Mintzberg, HBR
Case: Pulse Candy

Sessions 5, 6: Understanding Customers’ Buying Behavior - I & II

Reading: Chapters 6, 7 [KK]
Case Colgate-Palmolive: Cleopatra
In-class exercise

2
Session wise outline

Sessions 7, 8: Market Segmentation and Targeting

Reading: Chapter 9 [KK]
“Rediscovering Market Segmentation” by Yankelovich and Meer, HBR

Session 9: Positioning
Reading: Chapter 10 [KK]
Case: Positioning Urzza

Session 10: Product & Brand Decisions: Introduction

Reading: Chapter 10 [KK]
“Three questions you need to know about your brand”,
Keller, Stenthal, and Tybout, HBR.
“The short- and long-term impact of an assortment reduction
on category sales” by Sloot, Fok, and Verhoef, Journal of
Marketing Research.

Session 11: Managing Brands and Products over Life Cycle

Reading: Chapter 13 [KK]
Case: Black & Decker

Session 12: Product & Brand Decisions: New products

Reading: Chapter 15 [KK]
Case: Classic Knitwear

Session 13: Product & Brand Decisions: Services

Reading: Chapter 14 [KK]
Reading: “The Profitable Art of Service Recovery” by Hart, Christopher W. L., J. L. Heskett,
and W. E. Sasser Jr., HBR, 68(4), 148-156.
Case: Shouldice

Session 14: Distribution and Selling-I

Reading: Chapters 21, 22 [KK]
Case: Goodyear: The Aquatred Launch

Session 15: Distribution and Selling-II

Reading: Chapter 20 [KK]
Case: DMart

3
Session wise outline
Sessions 16, 17 : Pricing
Reading: Chapter 16 [KK]
“Mind Your Pricing Cues” by Anderson and Simester
Case: Biopure Corporation

Session 18: Marketing Communication

Reading: Chapters 17, 18 [KK]
Case: Axe

Sessions 19, 20: Group Presentation on Field Projects

Course review and wrap-up