Marketing 490B
– Multicultural Marketing and Urban Enterprise
Development
Winter Quarter 2001
Tuesdays-Thursdays 1:30-3:20
Balmer 314
Course Syllabus
BEDP Homepage
This course is designed to
provide undergraduate students with a learning experience that combines
classroom learning, readings in marketing, consulting, and multi-cultural
business management issues with field study experiences. The seminar will
revolve around the field study experiences in which students will work in
consulting teams with a small inner-city business. This experience will help
students gain practical experience in managing in a multi-cultural environment,
consulting, and various aspects of marketing. Additionally, students will be
able to link learning from a wide array of business disciplines to see how
changes in one area affect the growth of the company as a whole. Thus, this will
be an integrative seminar that will require students to apply knowledge across
business functional disciplines.
Field Study
Students will work in teams
of four or five students with a small (5-50 employee) company to complete a
consulting project. These projects are geared to helping students learn to (a)
identify growth opportunities or business problems, (b) design a strategy to
capture the growth opportunity or solve the problem, and (c) implement the
proposed strategy.
Typically, these projects
require students to learn new technology skills (web design, database
development, analysis of company needs for use of new technology to improve
operational efficiency). These projects are always multi-faceted. Student teams
are assisted by Business School alumni and other business mentors. These
external advisors provide students with insights into industry trends and
consulting expertise.
Multi-cultural Business
Environment
A multi-cultural business
environment is a reality today. In Washington State people of color (African
American, Latino, Asian Pacific Islander and Native American) are growing as a
percentage of the overall state population. While this growth rate is lagging
slightly behind that in other states (the US Census Bureau estimates that in
August 2000 people of color were more than 50% of the population in California).
Business leaders today must be able to work in a multicultural environment,
manage a multi-cultural workforce, and sell products and services to a
multicultural consumer base. This seminar will provide students with a chance to
learn about the trends that will shape the business world for the coming decades
as the US increasingly becomes more diverse in race, ethnicity, and language.
Back to
top
Marketing
Changing demographics are
encouraging independent retailers and manufacturers as well as national chains
to re-think their assumptions about where and how to tap into new consumers. We
see companies including Starbucks, Vons Supermarkets, and Walgreens Drugs
entering inner city markets to reach new, underserved market niches. J.C.
Penney’s and other retailers are operating bi-lingual retail outlets in heavily
Hispanic areas of the country. Students will examine some of these trends and
gain a better understanding of how these changes in the consumer market will
affect product design, distribution channels, and promotional strategies.
Students will read articles
and participate in seminar discussions about market trends and the effects these
will have on business management practices and marketing strategies. Students
will also be introduced to the emerging markets that exist in inner cities in
the US. These communities are the source of many of the leading trends in
consumer tastes (fashion and entertainment for example). And in this time of record low
unemployment these communities are the source for most of the un-tapped labor
potential in the market. Discussions and readings on these topics will draw from
work of Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter and UW Professors
Thaddeus Spratlen and William Bradford.
Consulting
Through the field study
experience students will gain experience in consulting. Seminar sessions will
focus on phases of the consulting experience and will provide students with an
opportunity to learn about client management, research, and project design and
completion. The seminar sessions and readings will draw on consulting expertise
from some of the world’s leading management consulting firms.
Class
Schedule
Back to top
Grading
Grades will focus on work
done by the students in the field study component this course and from
participation in seminar discussions. Students will complete the following
assignments:
-
Signed consulting
contract (Week 2 -- this is not part of the grade but is the document
against which all work will be measured)
-
Written team contract
(Week 2) -- 5%
-
Project management plan
(Week 3) -- 5%
-
Business case statement
(Week 5) -- 10%
-
Preliminary
recommendations report (Week 7) -- 5%
-
Draft written report
(Week 8) -- 5%
-
Oral presentation (Week
10) -- 20%
-
Final written report
(Finals Week) -- 50%
Assignments
The work will be judged from
the perspective of the business owner. Thus, students will view all the writing
as reports to the business owner.
In addition to the final written
report to the business owner, students will submit a portfolio of the quarter’s
work that will include copies of notes from team meetings, draft reports, email
correspondence and other items that demonstrate the volume and content of the
team’s work. The portfolio will open with a 2-3 page paper written by each team
member that will provide students with an opportunity to reflect on what they
learned from this experience.
Oral final presentations of
your work will be given during the 10th week of the quarter. Each
team will have 20 minutes to present the results of their work. This will be
followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers.
A description of each
assignment appears in the class section (below) where the assignment is
due.
Cooperative
Learning1
Cooperative learning is the
instructional use of small groups in which students work together to maximize
their own and each other's learning. Considerable research has demonstrated that
cooperative learning produces higher achievement, more positive relationships
among students, and healthier psychological adjustment than do competitive or
individualistic experiences.
Cooperative learning can be
structured in many different ways. Three broad categories of cooperative
learning strategies are formal cooperative learning groups, informal cooperative
learning groups, and cooperative base groups.
In this course, we will primarily
use Formal Cooperative
Learning Groups. In these groups students work together to accomplish
shared goals. They have two responsibilities: to maximize their own learning and
to maximize the learning of all members of the group. The process for Formal
Cooperative Learning Groups is:
-
Students receive
instructions and objectives from their instructor
-
The instructor assigns
each student to a learning group, provides needed materials, arranges the
room, and perhaps gives each student a specific role to fulfill in the
group.
-
The instructor explains
the task and the cooperative structure.
-
The instructor monitors
the functioning of each learning group and intervenes to teach cooperative
skills and assist in academic learning when needed.
-
The instructor evaluates
the quality and quantity of each student's learning and ensures that each
group processes how effectively members are working together. Students who
need help in completing the assignment are instructed to ask their peers for
assistance first and to request help from the instructor only if
needed.
Students are expected to
interact with members of their group, share ideas and materials, support and
encourage each other's academic achievement, orally explain and elaborate the
concepts and strategies being learned, and hold each other accountable for
completing the assignment, using a criterion-referenced
evaluation.
Class time will be provided
as needed to meet our cooperative learning objectives.
1 This section, and the course's
cooperative learning exercises were prepared with the assistance of Nola Jean
Bamberry, Director of Instructional Resources at the UW Business
School
Back to
top
Week/Day/Date
Topics and Class Assignments
Tue.
1/2
Multicultural Marketing & Urban Enterprise Development: An Overview
(Spratlen)
Goal:
Review and
understand the scope and importance of multicultural marketing and
urban enterprise
development.
Consulting Skills: Team Building, Team Work, Team Contracts
(Verchot)
Goal: A
successful consulting experience requires up-front organization.
Discussion in this section will cover effective team building
strategies, methods of developing a team contract, and ways that
culture and experience can be used to build an effective
team.
Thur.
1/4
Seattle: A
Multicultural History of Seattle (Spratlen)
Goal: Students
will learn about the history of the communities in which the
businesses are based.
Reading: The Forging of a
Black Community: Seattle's Central District from 1870 Through the
Civil Rights Era (Taylor) Chapters 6 and
7
Preparing for Initial Client Meetings (Verchot)
Goal: Students
will gain the necessary perspective for a successful initial client
meeting on January 8
Reading: Management
Consulting: Consulting in Small Enterprise Management
The Business of
Consulting: Building a Client Relationship
Cooperative
Learning Experience: Team members will take responsibility for either
reading one of the assigned chapters and developing a one-page summary
of the reading including a section on how the reading impacts the
consulting project or developing a list of 25 questions to ask the
business owner about the company and the consulting project. During
the class session a final list of 10 questions will be prepared by each
team for the initial client
meeting.
Back to
top
Mon.
1/8
EVENING MEETING WITH CLIENT COMPANIES -- 5:30-8:00 HUB ROOM 310
Tue.
1/9
Debriefing Initial Client Meetings, Managing Client Relationships, Project Work
Plans, Team Contracts (Verchot)
Goal:
Assess and evaluate the initial client meeting and make plans for the
first site visit.
Reading:
Fundamentals of
Project Management (Lewis) Chapters 1, 2, 3
Assignment
Due: signed business contracts -- Team
assignment
Cooperative Learning
Experience: Team members will
take responsibility for reading one of the assigned chapters and
developing a one-page summary of the reading including a section on how
the reading impacts the consulting project. During the class session one
or more teams will present their findings to the entire
class.
Thur.
1/11
Nature and Scope of Multicultural Marketing, Defining Multicultural Marketing,
and Theory and Practice of Multicultural
Marketing (Spratlen)
Reading:
Multicultural Marketing
(Rossman) Chapters 1, 2, 3
Assignment
Due: Signed team contract -- This is a team
assignment. The team will submit a contract that details their
commitments to each other and to the team as a whole. This may include
such issues as deadlines, meeting dates and times, and work
load.
Back to
top
Tue.
1/16
Market Segmentation Issues For Inner City Firms and for Firms Targeting
Multicultural Consumers (Spratlen)
Goal: To
understand and apply concepts and strategies that companies use in
targeting different racial and ethnic consumer groups.
Reading:
Dynamic Demographics -- http://www.diversitydtg.com/articles/demogs.html
Ethnic Marketing Conference Agenda -- http://www.srinstitute.com/divisions/cm/cm326/cm326agenda.html
Demographic Data and
Fresh Fruit
Ethnic differences in
household expenditure patterns
Cooperative
Learning Experience: Team members
will take responsibility for reading one of the assigned chapters and
developing two or three questions that need to be answered to help
meet the goals of the consulting
project.
Thur.
1/18 Business
Research
This session will
cover both secondary and primary research techniques and resources. The
class will begin by meeting in Foster Library at
1:30.
Library Research Tools
(Verchot)
Goal: To learn
about the secondary data sources available in Foster that will help
with the consulting
project.
Overview of Marketing Research (Spratlen)
Goal: To gain
an understanding of basic market research techniques for class project
firms with limited research resources.
Reading:
Traditional wisdom;
marketing to ethnic groups
Assignment
Due: Project management plan -- This is a team
assignment. Each team will submit a plan that lists the tasks,
deadlines, and person/people responsible for each
area.
Back to
top
Tue.
1/23
Competitive Advantage of the Inner City (Spratlen)
Goal: To learn
about the concept of competitive advantage and to learn how inner city
firms can identify and capitalize on their advantage to increase
revenues or improve performance in other areas.
Reading: Competitive
Advantage of the Inner City
(Porter)
Thur.
1/25 Overview
of Marketing Plans (Spratlen)
Goal: To
understand the components and requirements for developing an effective
marketing plan
Reading: Winning Marketing
Strategies
The Short-Term
Marketing
Plan
Overview
of Business Plans (Verchot)
Goal: To
understand the components of a business plan
Reading: The Business
Plan Roadmap to Success
NOTE: For teams
that are conducting market research, survey instruments are due for
review
Back to
top
Tue.
1/30
Racial/Ethnic Targeting and Marketing Segmentation: African American
(Spratlen)
Goal: To
understand the market potential, buying patterns and other
characteristics of selected racial and ethnic
groups.
African American
Readings:
Latino/Hispanic
Readings:
Asian
Pacific Islander Readings:
Cooperative Learning
Experience: Teams will be
responsible for readings in one section only (assignments will be made
on 1/25). During the class each team will summarize the key points from
their readings. Each team will prepare and deliver a 3-5 minute in-class
presentation on the articles and how this information impacts their
analysis of the client company's situation and
opportunities.
Thur.
2/1 Analysis
of Financial Statements for Business Decision Making (Verchot)
Goal: To learn
how to use cash flow statements and balance sheets to diagnose business
problems and track improvements.
Readings: Analysis For Financial
Management (Higgins) Chapter
3
Assignment
Due: Business Case Statement -- This is an
individual paper. Each student will submit a four or five page paper
describing the business he/she is working with, the opportunities that
the company has for expansion or the problems the firm is trying to
solve. The case statement will also describe the work the team is
undertaking to help the company move
forward.
Back to
top
Tue.
2/6 Web Site
Development Skills (Verchot)
Goal: To learn
intermediate level web development
skills.
NOTE: The class
will meet in the UW Center for Teaching, Learning and
Technology
Thur.
2/8 Dealing
with Team Conflicts, Project Team Motivation, Implementing Change in a Business
Context (Verchot)
Goal: To begin
planning for concluding the
project.
Reading: Fundamentals of
Project Management -- Chapter 9
In-Class
Assignment: Sign-up for Peer Reading at the Business School's
Writing Center
Back to
top
Tue.
2/13 Assessing
resource availability for project implementation
Goal: To learn how
to access the organizational resources (financial, human, technical) for
implementing business management improvements.
Assignment Due:
Preliminary Recommendations -- this is an individual paper. Each student
will prepare a three to five page paper detailing the preliminary
recommendations they are making to the client business and the rationale
for these recommendations.
Cooperative
Learning Experience: Teams will review the Preliminary Recommendations
papers developed individually. Following discussion of the recommendations
the team will develop a shared set of preliminary
recommendations.
Thur.
2/15 Developing project
recommendations (Spratlen and Verchot)
Goal: Teams will
leave this class with consensus on the recommendations/next steps that
will be included in the final client report.
Reading: Proposals and Formal
Reports Part 1
Proposals and Formal
Reports Part 2
Cooperative Learning
Experience: Teams will be
meet to review the individual recommendations made by members in the
individual papers they prepared for 2/13. Teams will prepare a combined
set of preliminary recommendations. Three or four teams will present
these recommendations for review by the entire
class.
Back to
top
Tue
2/20
Consulting Report Writing (Verchot)
Reading: Chinatown/International
District BIA report 2000
Service Welding and Machine
report 1999
Thur.
2/22 In-class Team
Meeting to Discuss Progress and Final Report (Spratlen and Verchot)
Cooperative Learning
Experience: Teams will be
prepare a section-by-section outline of their final report and will
discuss the contents of each section. Section writing assignments will
be
determined.
Back to
top
Tue.
2/26 Written
Client Reports, Bringing A Consulting Project to a Close (Verchot)
Goal:
To learn how to prepare effective written reports for business owners
and to finalize a plan for assisting the business owner to transition to
the implementation stage.
Reading:
Management
Consulting: A guide to the profession, Chapters 14 and 15
Evaluation of Written
Client Report
Thur.
3/1 Oral
Presentation Skills (Spratlen)
Goal:
To learn about effective oral presentation skills and begin planning for
the final oral presentation to client businesses.
Reading:
Elements of
Effective Presentations
Oral Presentation
Evaluation
Assignment
Due: Draft of final written report -- This is a team assignment.
Each team will submit a first draft of the client report. This first
draft will likely be 10-15 pages (typically final reports are 20-30
pages plus appendices). Projects that are primarily web development will
need to present Version 1.0 of the site.
Back to
top
Tue.
3/6
Oral Presentation Practice Sessions
Students
will meet in their group with either Thad Spratlen or Michael Verchot to
review the draft written report. Teams will schedule times (during the
normal class times) for these 15 minute
sessions.
Thur.
3/8
Review of draft written reports
Students
will meet in their group with either Thad Spratlen or Michael Verchot to
review the draft written report. Teams will schedule times (during the
normal class times) for these 15 minute
sessions.
Sat.
3/10
Final Oral Presentations (8:30 to 12:30)
Back to
top
Wed.
3/14
Final Paper
Final
paper is due by noon. Submit a hard copy and a disc copy of the final
written report including attachments and web pages.
Back to top