UoPeople Online Syllabus Repository (OSR)

BUS 2201 Principles of Marketing

BUS 2201: PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING

Prerequisites: BUS 1101: Principles of Business Management

Course Description:

This course introduces undergraduate students to essential marketing insights. This introductory course covers marketing's role in the global economy and society, consumer behavior, the marketing mix components, and key concepts for business growth. Through focused discussions and practical examples, students gain fundamental skills in marketing management, enabling them to analyze marketing challenges, understand consumer behavior dynamics, and apply basic marketing strategies for business growth in diverse contexts. 

Required Textbook and Materials:

UoPeople courses use open educational resources (OER) and other materials specifically donated to the University with free permissions for educational use. Therefore, students are not required to purchase any textbooks or sign up for any websites that have a cost associated with them. The main required textbooks for this course are listed below, and can be readily accessed using the provided links. There may be additional required/recommended readings, supplemental materials, or other resources and websites necessary for lessons; these will be provided for you in the course's General Information and Forums area, and throughout the term via the weekly course Unit areas and the Learning Guides.

• Albrecht, M. G., Green, M., Hoffman, L., Babb, J., Donovan, L. M., Ellerbrook, D., Goolsby, L. S., Keltgen, J., Shepler, S. M., & Toomey, D. (2023). Principles of marketing. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-marketing?Book%20details licensed under CC BY 4.0. 

Software Requirements/Installation: No special requirements.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:

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

Apply the role of marketing in the global economy, society, and individual organizations.  

Explain the role of consumer behavior in marketing.  

Describe the components of the marketing mix.  

Illustrate key marketing concepts utilized to promote business growth.  

Course Schedule and Topics

This course will cover the following topics in eight learning sessions, with one Unit per week. The Final Exam will take place during Week/Unit 9 (UoPeople time).

Week 1: Unit 1 - Introduction to Marketing

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the concept of marketing and its value-creation process. 
2. Identify components of the marketing environment. 
3. Describe the role of the 4Ps of marketing in consumers' needs and wants.
4. Apply concepts of marketing evolution and its broader themes to demonstrate their importance in practical contexts. 

Week 2: Unit 2 - Strategic Planning in Marketing

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the major steps in the strategic planning process.  
   
2. Describe the role of marketing in the strategic planning process. 
   
3. Identify the structure and different metrics of a marketing plan. 
   
4. Explain the role of ethical marketing in an organization’s overall growth.
   

Week 3: Unit 3 - Consumer and Business Buying Behavior

Week 4: Unit 4 - Market Segmenting, Targeting, and Positioning 

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Apply various segmentation techniques to consumer and B2B markets effectively. 
2. Explain Positioning strategies integrated with market targeting for effective differentiation.  
3. Apply ethical principles to address ethical dilemmas in marketing strategies.  
4. Identify key factors contributing to successful market segmentation initiatives. 

Week 5: Unit 5 - Product Management Essentials: From Branding to Lifecycle 

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the core concepts of products, services, and experiences.  
2. Describe the stages of the product life cycle and associated marketing strategies.  
3. Explain branding fundamentals and brand development strategies.  
4. Identify new product development processes and the importance of packaging, labeling, and ethical concerns in creating value for products. 

Week 6: Unit 6 - Value Creation through Marketing Channels and Supply Chains

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Identify major types of marketing channels, retailers, and their functions.   
2. Explain factors influencing channel choice, retail strategy decisions, and distribution management.  
3. Describe the functions of logistics and the supply chain in distribution and retail operations.  
4. Discuss ethical issues in supply chain management.

Week 7: Unit 7 - Marketing Research, Intelligence & Integrated Marketing Communications

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the significance of marketing research, big data, and various sources of marketing information.  
2. Describe steps for designing and implementing successful marketing research plans.  
3. Discuss ethical dilemmas and how to avoid them in data collection, and dissemination of marketing information.  
4. Identify the elements of the promotion mix and the communication process. 

Week 8: Unit 8 - Integrated Marketing Strategies: Aligning Service, Pricing, and Digital Marketing

Unit Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this Unit, you will be able to:

1. Explain the classification of services, the service-profit chain model, and the service marketing triangle. 
2. Apply the gap model of service quality for service improvement.  
3. Describe pricing strategies for new products and existing products.   
4. Explain social media, mobile marketing, and metrics used to evaluate the success of online marketing. 

Week 9: Unit 9 - Course Review and Final Exam

Course Requirements

Discussion Assignments & Response Posts/Ratings

Some units in this course require that you complete a Discussion Assignment. You are required to develop and post a substantive response to the Discussion Assignment in the Discussion Forum. A substantive response is one that fully answers the question that has been posted by the instructor. In addition, you must extend the discussion by responding to at least two (2) of your peers’ postings in the Discussion Forum. Your discussion posts will be assessed by your instructor.  Discussion Forums are only active for each current and relevant learning week, so it is not possible to contribute to the forum once the learning week has come to an end. Failure to participate in the Discussion Assignment by posting in the Discussion Forum and responding to peers as required may result in failure of the course.

Assignment Activities

The assignment activities are graded by your instructor. The grading rubric is listed under the assignment instructions. The grading rubric is a document that outlines the criteria that your instructor will use to grade your work.

Quizzes
This course will contain three types of quizzes – the Self-Quiz, the Graded Quiz, and the Review Quiz. These quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, or short answer questions. The results of the Self-Quiz will not count towards your final grade. However, it is highly recommended that you complete the Self-Quiz to ensure that you have adequately understood the course materials. Along with the Reading Assignments, the results of the Self-Quiz should be used as part of an iterative learning process, to thoroughly cover and test your understanding of course material. You should use the results of your Self-Quiz as a guide to go back and review relevant sections of the Reading Assignments. Likewise, the Review Quiz will not count towards your final grade, but should also be used to assist you in a comprehensive review and full understanding of all course material, in preparation for your Final Exam. Lastly, the results of the Graded Quiz will count towards your final grade. Specific instructions on the format and content of the Graded Quiz will be provided by your instructor. 

Final Exam
The Final Exam will take place during the Thursday and Sunday of Week/Unit 9, following the completion of eight units of work. The format of the Final Exam is similar to that of the quizzes, and may contain a combination of different question types. You will have one attempt to take the exam, and it will be graded electronically. Specific instructions on how to prepare for and take the exam will be provided during Week/Unit 8.

Course Forum
The Course Forum is the place to raise issues and questions relating to the course. It is regularly monitored by the instructors, and is a good place to meet fellow students taking the same course. While it is not required to participate in the Course Forum, it is highly recommended.

Course Policies

Grading Components and Weights
Each graded component of the course will contribute some percentage to the final grading scale, as indicated here:

Grading Scale
This course will follow the standard 100-point grading scale defined by the University of the People, as indicated here:

Grade Appeal
If you believe that the final grade you received for a course is erroneous, unjust, or unfair, please contact your course instructor. This must be done within seven days of the posted final grade. For more information on this topic, please review the Grade Appeal Procedure in the University Catalog.

Participation
Non-participation is characterized by lack of any assignment submissions, inadequate contributions to the Discussion Forums, and/or lack of peer feedback to Discussion/Written Assignments. Also, please note the following important points about course participation:

• Assignments must be submitted on or before the specified deadline. A course timeline is provided in the course schedule, and the instructor will specify deadlines for each assignment.
• Any student showing non-participation for two weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) is likely to automatically fail the course.
• Occasionally there may be a legitimate reason for submitting an assignment late. Most of the time, late assignments will not be accepted and there will be no make-up assignments.
• All students are obligated to inform their instructor in advance of any known absences which may result in their non-participation.

Academic Honesty and Integrity
When you submit any work that requires research and writing, it is essential to cite and reference all source material. Failure to properly acknowledge your sources is known as “plagiarism” – which is effectively passing off an individual’s words or ideas as your own. University of the People adheres to a strict policy of academic honesty and integrity. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in sanctions by the University, including dismissal from the University or course failure. For more information on this topic, please review the Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog.

Any materials cited in this course should be referenced using the style guidelines established by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA format is widely used in colleges and universities across the world and is one of several styles and citation formats required for publication in professional and academic journals. Refer to the UoPeople APA Tutorials in the LRC for help with APA citations. For help with using library, kindly refer to UoPeople Library.

Code of Conduct

University of the People expects that students conduct themselves in a respectful, collaborative, and honest manner at all times. Harassment, threatening behavior, or deliberate embarrassment of others will not be permitted. Any conduct that interferes with the quality of the educational experience is not allowed and may result in disciplinary action, such as course failure, probation, suspension, or dismissal. For more information on this topic, please review the Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog.