USC
University of Southern California
black horizontal bar for print styles

Courses of Instruction

Marketing (MKT)

405 Advertising and Promotion Management (4, FaSp) Role of advertising in the marketing mix: determining objectives, strategies, and plans from situation analysis through research and creative processes, media selection, and sales promotion. Prerequisite: BUAD 307, COMM 200, COMM 302 or JOUR 340.

406 Practicum in Advertising and Promotion Design (4, Sp) Provides real-life marketing experience as a member of a student managed marketing/advertising/promotions agency. Work with a client organization on the design of an advertising/promotions campaign. Requires market research, creative design, implementation planning, and client presentation. Prerequisite: MKT 405 or JOUR 340.

409x Personal Selling for Non-Business Majors (4) Introduction to personal selling in marketing and promotion mix; techniques used for prospecting, telemarketing, handling objections, closing, and presentations; selling services and creative output. Not available for credit to business majors.

410 Personal Selling (4, FaSp) Function of personal selling in marketing mix; theories of personal selling; approaches and techniques used in personal selling; the selling process. Prerequisite: BUAD 307.

415 Sales Force Management (4, FaSp) Studies the role of managing the selling function as part of the marketing mix; planning, implementing, and controlling sales force operations; critical issues in selecting, training, compensating and supervising salespeople.

425 Direct Response and Internet Marketing (4, Sp) Role of direct response marketing in promotion and distribution including mail order marketing, Internet marketing, project testing, fulfillment management, career opportunities; case analyses. Prerequisite: BUAD 307 or JOUR 340.

430 Retail Management (4, Fa) Introduction to the functions of retail management including location, buying, merchandise management, layout, pricing, and promotion; application of concepts to various retail institutions.

435 Business to Business Marketing (4, Fa) Analysis of markets, nature of buying and selling, marketing intelligence, developing marketing strategy; product channel, price, promotion, setting strategic goals and measuring performance. Prerequisite: BUAD 307.

440 Marketing Analysis and Strategy (4, FaSp) Synthesis of concepts and applications relating to the analysis of market opportunities and the development of product, promotion, distribution, and pricing strategies. Prerequisite: BUAD 307; recommended during student’s final semesters.

445 New Product Development and Branding (4, Fa) Examines how new product ideas are developed, test marketed and ultimately brought to the marketplace. Issues about why new products fail and how brand images are managed in the marketplace are discussed. Legal aspects of brand management such as trademark protection and infringement are also addressed. Prerequisite: BUAD 307.

450 Consumer Behavior and Marketing (4, FaSp) Examines the relationship of consumer behavior to acquisition, usage, and disposition of products and the psychological, social and cultural influences that affect these decisions.

455 Distribution Channels (4, Sp) Examination of the role of distributors in our economy and how successful distributors run their businesses. Special emphasis is given to strategic planning, supplier relations, sales force management, and physical distribution. Prerequisite: BUAD 307.

456 Advanced Topics in Distribution Management (4, Sp) A case-oriented course that explores current topics and trends in distribution. The value chain in the channel, supplier use of multiple channels, electronic commerce, and how distributors can become more customer focused are among the topics emphasized. Prerequisite: MKT 455.

463 Pricing Strategies (4, FaSp) Examination of role of pricing decisions; innovative pricing theories; Internet and technology impact on pricing, price negotiations, customized pricing, price image and reference prices. Prerequisite: BUAD 307.

465 Global Marketing Management (4, FaSp) Product and service mix in multinational business; promotional alternatives; channel of distribution systems; pricing policies and legal barriers; multinational marketing opportunities; problems and information sources. Prerequisite: BUAD 307 or MKT 450.

470 Marketing Research (4, Sp) Skills needed to conduct and apply research for marketing decision-making; problem formulation, secondary data, primary research, fundamentals of analysis are covered. Prerequisite: BUAD 307 or JOUR 340;recommended preparation: BUAD 310.

512 Marketing and Consumer Research (3, FaSp) Marketing research concepts and techniques; developing managers’ ability to critically evaluate and utilize research information in the decision-making process. Recommended preparation: GSBA 506ab or GSBA 524; and GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

525 Consumer Behavior (3, FaSp) Theories and applications of consumer behavior in marketing; psychological, social, cultural and ethnic factors influencing consumer behavior. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

526 Advertising and Promotion Strategy (3, FaSpSm) Explains use of argument, emotion, endorsements for persuasive ads; tools for analyzing ad effectiveness, budgeting, media planning and scheduling; principles of pricing for creative promotion. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

529 Customer Relationship Management (3, Irregular) Development, analysis, evaluation and implementation of effective customer relationship management (CRM) programs. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

530 New Product Development and Branding (3, FaSpSm) Systematic approach to product development; reasons for product failure; processes, techniques, and concepts firms use to develop, test, and execute product innovations and imitations. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

531 Services Marketing Strategy (3, Sp) Analysis and development of sound marketing strategies and an integrated service management plan for service organizations. Examination of best practices among leading service providers. Prerequisite: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

535 Business Marketing Management (3, Irregular) Business-to-business and government market opportunities and marketing strategies; product development and adaptation, pricing, promotion and distribution to organizations as opposed to individual consumers. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

536 Pricing Strategies (3, Sp) The complexity of pricing is increasing due to globalization and the Internet. This course will develop a framework for developing strategic pricing decisions. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

540 Marketing Models (3, Irregular) Analysis, use, and evaluation of quantitative and theoretical models of marketing management, consumer response, marketing resource use and control, and competitive interaction. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

543 Market Demand and Sales Forecasting (3, FaSp) New product concept testing and life cycle forecasting, pricing and advertising response forecasting, consumer purchase intentions, judgmental marketing decision models, time series and regression analysis, computer methods. Recommended preparation: GSBA 506b or GSBA 524; and GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

548 Marketing Strategies in High-Technology Markets (3, Irregular) Firms in high-technology markets rely on heavily scientific and technological know-how to deliver value proposition to their customers. This entails that established firms in these markets have to strategically manage and market their technological know-how over the technology life cycle, in order to create and sustain their competitive advantage. The objective of this course is to offer frameworks to understand major marketing decisions for established companies in high-technology markets.

555 Marketing Channels (3, Sp) Examination of strategic decision making in marketing channels with emphasis on the structure and management of channels. Intensity in distribution, vertical integration, how roles in the channel are formulated, types of intermediaries and multiple channels of distribution. Prerequisite: GSBA 528.

560 Marketing Strategy and Policy (3, FaSp) Integrated approach to the use of marketing tools and concepts in the formulation and execution of a marketing plan. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

565 Global Marketing (3, FaSp) Variations in markets and trade patterns around the globe; product development and adaptation, pricing, promotion, and distribution issues across national cultures and international markets. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

569 Contemporary Marketing Problems (3, Irregular) Current trends in marketing; elements of a marketing program; solution of problems facing the marketing executive; societal issues in marketing.

590 Directed Research (1-12, FaSpSm) Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department. Graded CR/NC

597 Business Field Project in Marketing (1-6, FaSp) Individual or team projects solving real business problems for companies; situation analyses; research proposal composition; field research techniques; statistical analysis; oral and written presentations. Graded CR/NC.

599 Special Topics (1, 1.5, 2, or 3, max 9, FaSpSm) Examination of current literature and emerging and timely topics in marketing, social marketing, consumerism, macromarketing, marketing of individuals, organizations, and ideas. Recommended preparation: GSBA 509 or GSBA 528.

608 Market Response Models (3, Irregular) Reviews theories, methods and findings on market response models. These models describe how firms define marketing strategy and how consumers and markets respond to them. Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

611 Perspectives on Marketing Research (3, Fa) Seminar to critique research on various marketing problems, theories, and methods; faculty will present their research, students will develop and present an original research study. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 620.) Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

613 Marketing Models in Consumer and Business-to-Business Markets (3, Fa) Modeling research on marketing with a focus on channel structure, franchising and sales force compensation, innovation and diffusion, inter-store composition, sales promotions, and market segmentation. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 605 and former MKT 613a.) Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

614 Advanced Research Methods in Marketing (3, Sp) Applications of advanced research techniques and designs to marketing problems; review and critique of current literature; development and defense of student’s own research proposal. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 661.)

615 Strategic and Marketing Mix Models (3, Sp) Modeling research on marketing with a focus on discrete choice models, consideration set models, purchase timing models, accounting for consumer heterogeneity, Bayesian models, dynamic models of consumer choice, market entry effects, product quality, advertising and carry over effects, price, and promotion. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 605 and former MKT 613b.) Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

616 Understanding Consumer and Organizational Buying Behavior (3, Fa) Behavioral research and theory on marketing with a focus on goals, emotions, categorization and knowledge, inferences, attitudes, consumption, marketing and technology, organizational learning, new product development. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 602 and former MKT 612a.) Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

618 Buyer Behavior and Interorganizational Marketing (3, Fa) Behavioral research and theory on marketing with a focus on branding and brand extensions, framing, consideration set formation, variety seeking, consumer overspending, marketing orientation, buyer seller relationships, channel integration, supply chain management, inter-firm power and relationship marketing. (Duplicates credit in former MKT 602 and former MKT 612b.) Open to doctoral program in business administration students only.

620 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Marketing (3, Irregular) Covers theory and applications of advanced methods used in business research. Estimation via Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods of challenging problem sets. Corequisite: GSBA 603;recommended preparation: matrix algebra.