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Course Background and Syllabus for a Case/Lecture-Oriented Course
Background: Case Analysis and Case Selection
If you choose to focus on cases and lectures in the course, selecting the appropriate case(s) is
(are) important. Recency, popularity, relevance to the topic, availability of teaching notes, as
well as other supplements such as video and computer software aids, should be considered.
Appropriately chosen, cases not only stimulate the mind but also create an in-depth feel for the
application of the course material. The Kotler/Keller/Chenev text will create sensitivity and
awareness for what is critical and important in the case, and the case will reinforce concepts
presented in the text. Cases call for a decision and very often with less than perfect information
concerning the problem, the environment, the actors, and the consequences of various actions.
As such, the case nurtures management skills although the text and the other application-oriented
tools discussed above can diffuse perspective and technical knowledge. There are a number of
articles that discuss methods for using the case study approach. The following are suggested:
1. “Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told,” (Harvard Note 9-451-005). This article argues for the
beneficial effect the case method has on both teachers and students and suggests the
proper role of the instructor as a leader of the group.
2. “Learning by the Case Method,” (Harvard Note 9-376-241). This article, prepared for
executive education, identifies the issues to be confronted in the course of reaching a
decision. It also provides useful guidelines for individual analysis of a case method
teaching generally.
3. “Teaching and the Case Method,” (9-387-001), by Roland Christensen. A very useful
textbook and instructor’s guide (5-387-010), available through the Harvard Business
School. This book includes text, cases, and readings for classes and seminars.
The Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) website (hbsp.harvard.edu) will provide you
with listings of current marketing and marketing management cases, and related materials. HBSP
can also package the selected cases to accompany the text. This can also be accomplished by
visiting the Pearson Collections website at collections.pearsoned.com.
Sample Case Analysis
An example of a case analysis follows, which can be utilized early in the course to provide a
basis for written cases and class case discussions. If you choose to use cases in the course, an
example is the O’Brien Candy Company, a medium-size candy company located in the Midwest.
In the past two years, its sales and profits have barely held their own. Top management feels that
the trouble lies with the sales force because that they do not “work hard or smart enough.” To
correct the problem, management plans to introduce a new incentive-compensation system and
hire a trainer to educate the sales force in modern merchandising and selling techniques. Before
doing this, however, they decide to hire a marketing consultant to carry out a marketing audit.
The auditor interviews managers, customers, sales representatives, and dealers, and examines
various sets of data.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
,Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
The auditor’s findings are as follows:
The company’s product line consists primarily of 18 products, mostly candy bars. Its two
leading brands are mature and account for 76 percent of the company’s total sales. The
company has looked at the fast-developing markets of chocolate snacks but has not made
any moves yet.
The company recently researched its customer profile. Its products appeal especially to
lower-income and older people. Respondents who were asked to assess O’Brien’s
chocolate products in relation to competitors’ products described them as “average
quality and old-fashioned.”
O’Brien sells its products to candy jobbers and large supermarkets. Its sales force calls on
many of the small retailers reached by the candy jobbers, to fortify displays and provide
ideas; its sales force also calls on many small retailers not covered by jobbers. O’Brien
enjoys good penetration of small retailing, though not in all segments, such as the fast-
growing restaurant areas. Its major approach to intermediaries is a “sell-in” strategy
discount, exclusive contracts, and stock financing. At the same time, O’Brien has not
adequately penetrated the mass-merchandise chains. Its competitors rely more heavily on
mass-consumer advertising and in-store merchandising and are more successful with the
mass merchandisers.
O’Brien’s marketing budget is set at 15 percent of its total sales, compared with
competitors’ budgets of close to 20 percent. Most of the marketing budget supports the
sales force, and the remainder supports advertising. Consumer promotions are very
limited. The advertising budget is spent primarily in reminder advertising for the
company’s two leading products. New products are not developed often, and when they
are, they are introduced to retailers via a push strategy.
The marketing organization is headed by a sales vice-president. Reporting to the sales VP
is the sales manager, the market research manager, and the advertising manager. Having
come up from the ranks, the sales VP is partial to sales-force activities and pays less
attention to the other marketing functions. The sales force is assigned to territories headed
by area managers.
The marketing auditor concluded that O’Brien’s problems would not be solved by actions taken
to improve its sales force. If you were the auditor, what short-term and long-term
recommendations would you make to O’Brien’s top management?
Short-term recommendations:
Examine the current product line and weed out marginal performers with limited growth
potential.
Shift some marketing expenditures from supporting mature products to supporting new
products.
Shift the marketing-mix emphasis from direct selling to national advertising, especially
for new products.
Conduct a market-profile study of the fastest growing segments of the candy market and
develop a plan to break into these areas.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
, Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
Instruct the sales force to drop some of the smaller outlets and not to take orders for
under 20 items. Also, cut out the duplication efforts of sales reps and jobbers calling on
the same accounts.
Initiate sales-training programs and an improved compensation plan.
Medium to long-term recommendations:
Hire an experienced marketing VP from the outside.
Set formal and operational marketing objectives.
Introduce the product manager concept into the organization.
Initiate effective new-product development programs.
Develop strong brand names.
Find ways to market its brands to chain stores more effectively.
Increase the level of marketing expenditures to 20 percent of sales.
Reorganize the selling function by specializing sales reps by distribution channels.
Set sales objectives and base sales compensation on gross profit performance.
Note: This analysis is designed to help students recognize some of the marketing
and sales management relationships that can occur in case and applied
situations. If students apply the type of thinking utilized in this example, they
should be able to improve their approaches to this and other marketing cases and
related contemporary business analysis settings.
You might suggest that prior to each class students take a few moments to think about the topics
covered in each related chapter, using an approach similar to that utilized in this case. Based on
this, they can spend 10 to 15 minutes writing down how the case concepts, theories, and
applications integrate and complement what they have learned. Ask them to be as specific as
possible with their analytical notes, bring those notes to class, and be prepared to discuss how
they have integrated the specific ideas covered in the text, lectures, and discussions, based on the
O’Brien case and the auditor’s comments.
In addition, this case and the apparent questions bring up an important point because it may
appear that the questions and issues are somewhat vague and lack focus. This is intentional
because that is the way things operate in the real world. In previous cases and casework, students
likely focused on a specific topic. Here, however, it is up to them to choose a specific focus,
reflect on it, show how it relates to what they have already learned or experienced, and examine
how they can apply it in the future.
MBA students tend to value this exercise. It gives them a chance to discover relationships
between what they read and hear and what they experience at work or in internships. After a few
weeks of using this approach, they should be able to identify with the course material and begin
to comment on how “good the text is,” that they are actually reading the text, and that there is a
reason why this and other courses are in the business program. Sometimes, the hardest part of the
instructor’s job is to cut off the opening class discussion and move on to new material.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
Course Background and Syllabus for a Case/Lecture-Oriented Course
Background: Case Analysis and Case Selection
If you choose to focus on cases and lectures in the course, selecting the appropriate case(s) is
(are) important. Recency, popularity, relevance to the topic, availability of teaching notes, as
well as other supplements such as video and computer software aids, should be considered.
Appropriately chosen, cases not only stimulate the mind but also create an in-depth feel for the
application of the course material. The Kotler/Keller/Chenev text will create sensitivity and
awareness for what is critical and important in the case, and the case will reinforce concepts
presented in the text. Cases call for a decision and very often with less than perfect information
concerning the problem, the environment, the actors, and the consequences of various actions.
As such, the case nurtures management skills although the text and the other application-oriented
tools discussed above can diffuse perspective and technical knowledge. There are a number of
articles that discuss methods for using the case study approach. The following are suggested:
1. “Because Wisdom Can’t Be Told,” (Harvard Note 9-451-005). This article argues for the
beneficial effect the case method has on both teachers and students and suggests the
proper role of the instructor as a leader of the group.
2. “Learning by the Case Method,” (Harvard Note 9-376-241). This article, prepared for
executive education, identifies the issues to be confronted in the course of reaching a
decision. It also provides useful guidelines for individual analysis of a case method
teaching generally.
3. “Teaching and the Case Method,” (9-387-001), by Roland Christensen. A very useful
textbook and instructor’s guide (5-387-010), available through the Harvard Business
School. This book includes text, cases, and readings for classes and seminars.
The Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) website (hbsp.harvard.edu) will provide you
with listings of current marketing and marketing management cases, and related materials. HBSP
can also package the selected cases to accompany the text. This can also be accomplished by
visiting the Pearson Collections website at collections.pearsoned.com.
Sample Case Analysis
An example of a case analysis follows, which can be utilized early in the course to provide a
basis for written cases and class case discussions. If you choose to use cases in the course, an
example is the O’Brien Candy Company, a medium-size candy company located in the Midwest.
In the past two years, its sales and profits have barely held their own. Top management feels that
the trouble lies with the sales force because that they do not “work hard or smart enough.” To
correct the problem, management plans to introduce a new incentive-compensation system and
hire a trainer to educate the sales force in modern merchandising and selling techniques. Before
doing this, however, they decide to hire a marketing consultant to carry out a marketing audit.
The auditor interviews managers, customers, sales representatives, and dealers, and examines
various sets of data.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
,Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
The auditor’s findings are as follows:
The company’s product line consists primarily of 18 products, mostly candy bars. Its two
leading brands are mature and account for 76 percent of the company’s total sales. The
company has looked at the fast-developing markets of chocolate snacks but has not made
any moves yet.
The company recently researched its customer profile. Its products appeal especially to
lower-income and older people. Respondents who were asked to assess O’Brien’s
chocolate products in relation to competitors’ products described them as “average
quality and old-fashioned.”
O’Brien sells its products to candy jobbers and large supermarkets. Its sales force calls on
many of the small retailers reached by the candy jobbers, to fortify displays and provide
ideas; its sales force also calls on many small retailers not covered by jobbers. O’Brien
enjoys good penetration of small retailing, though not in all segments, such as the fast-
growing restaurant areas. Its major approach to intermediaries is a “sell-in” strategy
discount, exclusive contracts, and stock financing. At the same time, O’Brien has not
adequately penetrated the mass-merchandise chains. Its competitors rely more heavily on
mass-consumer advertising and in-store merchandising and are more successful with the
mass merchandisers.
O’Brien’s marketing budget is set at 15 percent of its total sales, compared with
competitors’ budgets of close to 20 percent. Most of the marketing budget supports the
sales force, and the remainder supports advertising. Consumer promotions are very
limited. The advertising budget is spent primarily in reminder advertising for the
company’s two leading products. New products are not developed often, and when they
are, they are introduced to retailers via a push strategy.
The marketing organization is headed by a sales vice-president. Reporting to the sales VP
is the sales manager, the market research manager, and the advertising manager. Having
come up from the ranks, the sales VP is partial to sales-force activities and pays less
attention to the other marketing functions. The sales force is assigned to territories headed
by area managers.
The marketing auditor concluded that O’Brien’s problems would not be solved by actions taken
to improve its sales force. If you were the auditor, what short-term and long-term
recommendations would you make to O’Brien’s top management?
Short-term recommendations:
Examine the current product line and weed out marginal performers with limited growth
potential.
Shift some marketing expenditures from supporting mature products to supporting new
products.
Shift the marketing-mix emphasis from direct selling to national advertising, especially
for new products.
Conduct a market-profile study of the fastest growing segments of the candy market and
develop a plan to break into these areas.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
, Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
Instruct the sales force to drop some of the smaller outlets and not to take orders for
under 20 items. Also, cut out the duplication efforts of sales reps and jobbers calling on
the same accounts.
Initiate sales-training programs and an improved compensation plan.
Medium to long-term recommendations:
Hire an experienced marketing VP from the outside.
Set formal and operational marketing objectives.
Introduce the product manager concept into the organization.
Initiate effective new-product development programs.
Develop strong brand names.
Find ways to market its brands to chain stores more effectively.
Increase the level of marketing expenditures to 20 percent of sales.
Reorganize the selling function by specializing sales reps by distribution channels.
Set sales objectives and base sales compensation on gross profit performance.
Note: This analysis is designed to help students recognize some of the marketing
and sales management relationships that can occur in case and applied
situations. If students apply the type of thinking utilized in this example, they
should be able to improve their approaches to this and other marketing cases and
related contemporary business analysis settings.
You might suggest that prior to each class students take a few moments to think about the topics
covered in each related chapter, using an approach similar to that utilized in this case. Based on
this, they can spend 10 to 15 minutes writing down how the case concepts, theories, and
applications integrate and complement what they have learned. Ask them to be as specific as
possible with their analytical notes, bring those notes to class, and be prepared to discuss how
they have integrated the specific ideas covered in the text, lectures, and discussions, based on the
O’Brien case and the auditor’s comments.
In addition, this case and the apparent questions bring up an important point because it may
appear that the questions and issues are somewhat vague and lack focus. This is intentional
because that is the way things operate in the real world. In previous cases and casework, students
likely focused on a specific topic. Here, however, it is up to them to choose a specific focus,
reflect on it, show how it relates to what they have already learned or experienced, and examine
how they can apply it in the future.
MBA students tend to value this exercise. It gives them a chance to discover relationships
between what they read and hear and what they experience at work or in internships. After a few
weeks of using this approach, they should be able to identify with the course material and begin
to comment on how “good the text is,” that they are actually reading the text, and that there is a
reason why this and other courses are in the business program. Sometimes, the hardest part of the
instructor’s job is to cut off the opening class discussion and move on to new material.
Full download please contact or qidiantiku.com
