UCI
GRADUATE
SCHOOL OF
MANAGEMENT
Graduate School of Management
University of California, Irvine
205
PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING
Professor Imran S. Currim
Office: GSM 327
Tel: (949) 824-8368
Fax: (949) 725-2826
E-mail: iscurrim@uci.edu
SESSION TOPIC
1 Overview and Introduction
Design & Marketing
of New Products
Problem Discussion:
New Product Line
Strategy at Honda
Corporation
2 Consumer and
Organizational
Markets and Market
Research
Problem Discussion:
Measurement of Customer
Satisfaction with University
of California Health Benefit
Programs
Case Due: Omnitel Pronto
Italia
Faculty Assistant: Lisa Waataja
Tel: (949) 824-2786 Rm: GSM
312
Email: lwaataja@uci.edu
Teaching Assistant:_____________
Tel: ____________Room: _______
E-mail: ______________________
READING
Kotler: Skim Ch. 1. Read Ch. 11.
Optional:
1. “Analyzing Consumer Perceptions,” by
Robert J. Dolan, Harvard Business
School, 1999, Revised, December
2001.
2. “See Your Brand through Your
Customers’ Eyes,” Harvard Business
Review, June 2001.
3. "High Performance Marketing: An
Interview with Nike's Phil Knight,"
Harvard Business Review, July-August
1992.
4. Aaker: Skim Ch. 1, 2, 8, 9. Read Ch.
3, 4.
Kotler: Read Ch. 2, 3, 5, 15. Skim Ch. 7, 8.
Optional:
1. “Marketing Research,” Harvard
Business School Reprint.
2. "Why Satisfied Customers Defect,"
Harvard Business Review, November-
December 1995.
3. “Turn Customer Input into Innovation,”
by Anthony Ulwick, Harvard Business
Review, January 2002.
4. “The New Meaning of Quality in the
Information Age,” Harvard Business
Review, September-October 1999.
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GRADUATE
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3 Market Segmentation,
Pricing, Targeting,
Positioning and Obtaining a
Sustainable Competitive
Advantage
Problem Discussion:
Arco Oil Company
Positioning and Pricing
Strategy
Case Due: Aladdin
Knowledge Systems
4 Marketing Strategy
Class Discussion:
Marketing Strategy and
Tactics across different
stages of the Product Life
Cycle.
Case Due: Biopure
Corporation
5 Marketing Strategy - Cont.
Class Discussion:
Growth Strategies
Case Due: Callaway Golf
Company
6 Distribution
Class Discussion:
Distribution Decisions
Case Due: Merrill Lynch:
Integrated Choice
2
Kotler: Read Ch. 10, 12, 13, 16.
Optional:
1. "The Lure of Global Branding,”
Harvard Business Review, November-
December 1999.
2. Aaker: Read Ch. 5, 14, 15. Skim Ch.
10-11.
Kotler: Read Ch. 4, 9. Skim Ch. 6.
Optional:
1. “Is Your Company Ready for One to
One Marketing?” Harvard Business
Review, January-February 1999.
Aaker: Read Ch. 12. Kotler: Ch. 14, catch
up on previous readings.
Kotler: Read Ch. 17. Skim Ch. 18, 21, 22.
Optional:
1. “Welcome to the New World of
Merchandising,” Harvard Business
Review, November 2001.
2. “A Framework for Customer
Relationship Management,” Russell
Winer, California Management Review,
2001.
3. “Avoid the Four Perils of CRM,”
Harvard Business Review, 2002.
4. Aaker: Skim Ch. 14.
 UCI
GRADUATE
SCHOOL OF
MANAGEMENT

7 Price Promotions
Class Discussion:
Price Promotion Decisions
Case Due: Consumer Sales
Promotions: Winners and
Losers, Amcrew Styling Gel
and TotalRinse Oral
Antiseptic
Kotler: Read Ch. 19, 20. Skim Ch. 22.
Optional:
1. “The New Appeal of Private Labels,”
Harvard Business Review, May-June
1999.
2. "The Dumbest Marketing Ploy,"
Fortune, October 5, 1992.

8 Advertising Kotler: Catch up on readings.

Class Discussion:
Advertising Decisions
Case Due: Heineken N.V.
Global Branding and
Advertising
Optional:
1 “Boost Your Marketing ROI with
Experimental Design,” Harvard Business
Review, October 2001.
2. "Is Television Advertising Being Placed
to Reach Product Users?" Marketing Letters,
1990.

9 Project Presentations

10 Project Presentations Due: All Presentation reports

Texts: Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, 11th Edition, 2003, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
David Aaker, Strategic Marketing Management, 6th Edition, 2001, John Wiley and Sons, New
York.

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Introduction
The purpose of this course is to demonstrate how a manager can use information on the environment
(customers, competitors, economic, government), to develop marketing strategies (which integrate
product, pricing, promotion, and distribution) in order to obtain and maintain and a sustainable
competitive advantage. Extensive use is made of the case method of instruction.

Course Assignments
There are seven case assignments. Each group will submit a typed four to six page write-up for each
case. This is due at the beginning of the corresponding class session. For each case, please answer
specific questions outlined in this handout.
Finally, equally important to the learning process, is to apply what we have learned in a real world
setting. To accomplish this, students will work in self-selected four to six person teams on a major
marketing project. A final report is due at the end of Session 10. The maximum length is 19 pages of
text (double spaced, Times Roman, 12 point) not including tables and appendices. Submit a 1 page
group report by Session 2 indicating which option you selected, which companies you will compare or
what your marketing plan will be about. Submit a 1-2 page progress report by Session 3 indicating your
final selection, the topics you will address, and the sources you plan to use.

Major Marketing Strategy Project

Each group will pick an industry. Within this industry, two companies will be chosen:
1. A company which is doing well, and

2. A company which is not doing as well as 1.

The task is to:

(a) Completely analyze and compare these two businesses with regard to their marketing practices.
In particular, you should focus on the analysis of marketing issues (e.g., customer, competitor,
industry, technology, government, self, product (features), pricing, distribution (incl. sales force),
advertising, sales promotion analyses), which you feel are important in explaining the differences
between the performance of two companies. Non-marketing reasons should be briefly
mentioned. Clearly outline your assumptions and thought processes. See the figure on the
inside cover of Aaker and a laundry list of potential issues appears in your Kotler book on p.
698-699. Of course, you will only focus on the particular issues which are important for
explaining the differences in performance between the companies you have chosen.
(b) Suggest actions and strategies (on each issue), which you feel would enable the weaker and
stronger company to improve its market position. Clearly outline your assumptions and
thinking.

Your selection of two companies will have to be approved by the instructor, although you will be given
considerable freedom to follow you own interests. Since the project will require a significant amount of
time and effort it is important that you select companies in which you are personally very interested.

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GRADUATE
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Some suggestions to increase the probability of generating a very good project are:
1. Start early.
2. Define the industry carefully. Don't designate the industry as all restaurants, and then
compare McDonald's to the Steelhead. If you decide to pick two large companies, such
as IBM and HP, carefully constrain the product class, e.g. laptops, so as to avoid a mega-
corporation analysis.
3. Attempt to develop some structure before you go about collecting information. The
laundry list may be helpful in this regard.
4. Be flexible on your sources of information. Discussions with key executives, current and
potential customers, competitors, published information from public sources and the
company, personal observations, etc.

Course Grade

Case Assignments & participation 60%

Application Project 40%

Specific Questions for Case Assignments

Omnitel Pronto Italia

1. What was Omnitel’s competitive advantage when the service was launched in December
1995?

2. Why did the launch not perform to expectations?

3. What are the economics of LIBERO?

4. Why is the churn rate so high for many European countries?

5. Do you expect the churn rate to increase or decrease with the launch of LIBERO?
6. What do you learn from consumer research? What do you learn from the results of the
Conjoint Analysis presented in Exhibits 5 to 8?
7. Will LIBERO lead to a price war? If yes, what could Omnitel do to avoid one?
8. If you were Fabrizio Bona, what changes would you make to LIBERO and why?

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GRADUATE
SCHOOL OF
MANAGEMENT

Aladdin Knowledge Systems

1. Why did Aladdin buy FAST?

2. Who are the customers for each product? How do they buy these products? How does this
affect the nature of the customer acquisition and retention process?

3. Who will be affected by the acquisition?

4. What synergies do you see in this acquisition?

5. How do HASP and Hardlock measure up on a country-by-country analysis?

6. What is your plan? How should Aladdin go about merging its business with FAST? Should
it phase out Hardlock?

Biopure Corporation

1. How do you assess Biopure’s potential in the human market? The animal market?

2. What are the biggest obstacles to Biopure’s success in the human market? The animal
market?

3. How might Oxyglobin be a threat to Hemopure? How might it be an asset to Hemopure?

4. What should Biopure do regarding the commercial release of Oxyglobin? If they release,
what price should they set? How should it be distributed?

Callaway Golf Company

1. What was Callaway’s strategy (1988-1997)?

2. What factors contributed to its success?

3. What has changed in the last few years?

4. What strategy do you recommend and why?

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GRADUATE
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Merrill Lynch: Integrated Choice

1. How many think Merrill Lynch has moved at the appropriate speed in responding to
market changes? How many think it was too slow?

2. What is Integrated Choice? What is the strategy?

3. What are the implications of Integrated Choice? For clients? For financial consultants?
For the firm?

4. What are the two or three significant actions that Merrill Lynch ought to take?

5. What will be the future role of the financial consultant? How should Merrill Lynch
organize itself in the future?

Consumer Sales Promotions: Winners and Losers

1. Consider 2 of the 4 promotions described, (1) Amcrew Styling Gel, and (2) Totalrinse
Oral Antiseptic. One of these promotions was judged successful by the manufacturer
while the other was judged successful by the manufacturer while the other was judged to
be not successful. Identify each and present both qualitative and quantitative aspects of
your reasoning.

2. Following your analysis above summarize factors you believe positively influence the
performance of a sales promotion.

Heineken N.V.: Global Branding and Advertising

1. What are Heineken's strengths and weaknesses? Is Heineken a global brand?

2. Evaluate the research. What has been learned?

3. How can the Heineken brand be developed through marketing communications?

4. What should be the role of Heineken's headquarters in shaping the marketing of the brand
worldwide?