During the 1997-1998 academic year, the Marketing department began a formal strategic planning process. The planning process lead to a series of specific goals and objectives for the department over the coming years. These goals are supported by a set of micro-objectives and action plans that will be used to reach the goals. Specific goals range from strengthening relationships with external business organizations to improving the learning process to building collegial interaction and mutual respect among the faculty. The macro-goal of improving the learning process (Improved Learning goal) is the subject of this assessment report.

The Improved Learning goal has five objectives that have been the focus of departmental efforts this year, and will continue to be a focus in the years to come:

1. Students should have an integrated view of marketing decisions.

2. Students should have a working knowledge of key marketing topics.

3. Faculty should see the points of coordination/overlap among course offerings.

4. The department should use more experiential learning in course offerings.

5. Faculty teaching skills should be further developed.

The goals and objectives for the department were developed in a series of meetings involving the entire department. The first phase of the process was the enumeration of macro-goals, followed by a second phase that focused on micro-objectives and action plans. The goals and objectives will be revisited each year and updated and revised as necessary.

The goals and objectives have not been modified based on previous reports. The current department chair has been in the position for less than one year and this is the first coordinated strategic planning effort at the department level in several years. Changes may be warranted based on the results of this year’s assessment.

In the past, one of the main methods that the department used to assess student learning was to track the placement of graduates. While this is an important measure, and one that will continue to be used, more is needed. This year, the department developed an assessment survey that is administered to every graduating senior. The survey was developed with input from all faculty members. The survey is designed to assess the level of understanding that students have of key Marketing topics. A copy of the survey is attached to this report.

The survey was administered in the Marketing Strategy class (MKT 463), the capstone Marketing course, during the spring quarter (1998). Over 150 surveys were completed. At this point, the data has been entered into an SPSS file, but the analysis is not yet underway. The results from this year’s survey will help the department to establish a benchmark for student understanding of key topics. From this benchmark, faculty will be able to revise curriculum accordingly and focus on areas where student learning may be relatively deficient.

In addition to the assessment survey, exit interviews were conducted this year with a group of forty graduating Marketing majors. The students were asked to discuss several issues with respect to the Marketing department and the College of Business. These issues included the following:

1. Best experience

2. Worst experience

3. Teaching quality

4. Curriculum issues--classes to add, delete, change, etc.

5. Support issues--e.g. student services, career planning, etc.

The qualitative data obtained from the exit interviews will be combined with the quantitative data from the assessment survey to provide a broad view of opportunities for improvement within the Marketing department.

Another important measure of success for the Marketing department is our ability to place our graduates in marketing or sales positions in top companies. As such, a critical assessment of the Marketing department has been related to the placement of graduates and employer satisfaction with our graduates. A future goal of the department is to develop a formal process for measuring employer satisfaction with our graduates. In addition, Institutional Research currently collects data on recent graduates, including placement. Resent results from these surveys shows a high degree of satisfaction among graduates from the College of Business and the Marketing Department. The placement rates of graduates is very high, and several faculty have worked to develop and nurture relationships with companies that employ our graduates. Feedback from the Marketing Advisory Council (marketing executives) and the Professional Advisory Council (salespeople and sales managers) suggests that the Marketing department continues to improve in the quality of its instruction, research, and reputation.

As noted above, Marketing graduates are experiencing very high placement rates. This is one measure of success. In addition, satisfaction with the major is also very high, as indicated by reports from Institutional Research. The formal assessment process that was begun this year (the assessment survey and exit interviews) is very new. This year’s measures will help us to establish a baseline to use to measure our success in the years to come. As such, we have little evidence this year that our goals are being accomplished beyond the information from Institutional Research, the assessment survey, and from placement rates.

The information that we gain from the assessment survey and exit interviews will be used immediately. Our goal is to identify areas of deficiency and make changes in our courses to address problems. In addition, the systems that the department uses to serve students may need some adjustment as well.

Since we have but one observation set from our assessment survey and the exit interviews, our work this year will involve understanding the current set of results and planning action accordingly.

In terms of changes in the academic program and curriculum, the Marketing department is at the beginning of an ongoing evaluation process. With this in mind, the department will move very cautiously initially. Once the assessment process provides data of a longitudinal nature, change will come more quickly. This year is a learning year for the department.

The Marketing Department currently uses two external advisory councils to help with planning: The Marketing Advisory Council and the Professional Advisory Council (Sales Centre). We plan to continue to work very closely with our advisory councils to assess and improve the curriculum.

Measurement of employer satisfaction with our graduates relative graduates from other institutions will be explored during the 1998-1999 academic year. Such an instrument will enable the department to determine how we are preparing our students for success in the business world, in terms not only of providing students with the tools necessary to perform, but also in terms of their ability to learn continuously and to think creatively and strategically in their chosen field.

The Marketing Department is developing a web page this summer that will provide a means to communicate with former students and prospective students as well as current students regarding changes in the department, our plans for the future, and current programs and opportunity for stakeholder involvement.

Assessment of faculty activity will follow the College of Business evaluation documents. However, more focused evaluation geared toward continuously improving each faculty member in the classroom and in other important performance areas will be explored during the 1998-1999 academic year.

Dear Marketing Major:

Congratulations! You are close to completing the requirements of majoring in marketing. We will like to take this opportunity to know your perceptions of how well, academically, we have prepared you for careers in marketing/sales. Your input will help us focus our attention to the areas we can improve upon. To answer the following questions, please think of all the marketing concepts and skills you have learned. The marketing knowledge/skills you have acquired could be a result of courses you have taken or experiences you have gained during the work/internships.

1. Conduct SWOT Analysis 1 2 3 4 5
2. Perform Breakeven Analysis 1 2 3 4 5
3. Segment the market 1 2 3 4 5
4. Determine target market 1 2 3 4 5
5. Position the product 1 2 3 4 5
6. Analyze the competition 1 2 3 4 5
7. Analyze consumer buying behavior 1 2 3 4 5
8. Perform cultural analysis for international marketing 1 2 3 4 5
9. Perform political risk analysis for international marketing 1 2 3 4 5
10. Choose a market entry strategy for international marketing 1 2 3 4 5
11. Collect necessary data for developing an

international marketing strategy 1 2 3 4 5

12. Use government sources of marketing data 1 2 3 4 5
13. Use private sources of marketing data 1 2 3 4 5
14. Read Simmons Market Research Data 1 2 3 4 5
15. Determine sample size for a marketing research project 1 2 3 4 5
16. Design a questionnaire 1 2 3 4 5
17. Conduct data analysis using a statistical package (SPSS) 1 2 3 4 5
18. Make a professional oral presentation using PowerPoint 1 2 3 4 5
19. Write a business report 1 2 3 4 5
20. Forecast sales 1 2 3 4 5
21. Determine Buying Power Index 1 2 3 4 5

Poor Average Excellent

22. Evaluate attractiveness of a market segment 1 2 3 4 5
23. Test a new product concept 1 2 3 4 5
24. Decide on marketing strategy depending on PLC 1 2 3 4 5
25. Calculate price-elasticity of demand 1 2 3 4 5
26. Calculate price using cost-plus pricing 1 2 3 4 5
27. Determine effective promotion mix for marketing strategy 1 2 3 4 5
28. Decide on reach, frequency, and impact for advertising 1 2 3 4 5
29. Calculate CPM for advertising media comparison 1 2 3 4 5
30. Determine advertising effectiveness 1 2 3 4 5
31. Evaluate public relations results 1 2 3 4 5

Understood Understood

Poorly Very Well

1. Marketing Concept 1 2 3 4 5
2. Marketing Mix 1 2 3 4 5
3. BCG Matrix 1 2 3 4 5
4. PIMS Studies 1 2 3 4 5
5. TQM 1 2 3 4 5
6. Components of company’s micro-environment 1 2 3 4 5
7. Components of company’s macro-environment 1 2 3 4 5
8. Product/Market expansion grid 1 2 3 4 5
9. Robinson-Patman Act 1 2 3 4 5
10. Basis of market segmentation 1 2 3 4 5
11. Psychographics 1 2 3 4 5
12. Benefit segmentation 1 2 3 4 5
13. Product differentiation 1 2 3 4 5
14. Competitive Advantage 1 2 3 4 5
15. VALS Typology 1 2 3 4 5
16. High-Low Involvement Purchase Behavior 1 2 3 4 5
17. Cognitive Dissonance 1 2 3 4 5
18. Opinion Leaders 1 2 3 4 5
19. New Product Adoption Process 1 2 3 4 5
20. Derived Demand for Industrial Products 1 2 3 4 5
21. Buying Center 1 2 3 4 5

Understood Understood

Poorly Very Well

22. Value Analysis 1 2 3 4 5
23. Niche marketing 1 2 3 4 5
24. Difference between convenience, shopping and specialty products 1 2 3 4 5
25. Difference between Quality & Value 1 2 3 4 5
26. Product attributes 1 2 3 4 5
27. Brand Equity 1 2 3 4 5
28. Product mix 1 2 3 4 5
29. Product line 1 2 3 4 5
30. Line Extension 1 2 3 4 5
31. Brand Extension 1 2 3 4 5
32. Co-branding 1 2 3 4 5
33. New Product Concept 1 2 3 4 5
34. PLC Concept 1 2 3 4 5
35. Experience Curve Effect on Cost 1 2 3 4 5
36. Difference between monopolistic and oligopolistic competition 1 2 3 4 5
37. Demand Curve 1 2 3 4 5
38. Elastic vs. Inelastic Demand 1 2 3 4 5
39. Market Skimming vs. Market Penetration Pricing 1 2 3 4 5
40. Meaning of "2/10, net 30" pricing terms 1 2 3 4 5
41. FOB-origin Pricing 1 2 3 4 5
42. Loss Leader 1 2 3 4 5
43. Price vs. Value 1 2 3 4 5
44. Functions a distributor performs 1 2 3 4 5
45. Factors that influence number of channel members 1 2 3 4 5
46. Rack Jobbers 1 2 3 4 5
47. Drop shippers 1 2 3 4 5
48. Merchant wholesalers 1 2 3 4 5
49. Vertical vs. Horizontal Conflict between channel members 1 2 3 4 5
50. Backward vs. Forward Integration 1 2 3 4 5
51. Broker vs. Agent 1 2 3 4 5
52. JIT inventory system 1 2 3 4 5
53. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Concept 1 2 3 4 5
54. Franchising 1 2 3 4 5
55. Hypermarkets 1 2 3 4 5
56. Direct marketing vs. Direct Selling 1 2 3 4 5
57. Promotion mix 1 2 3 4 5

Understood Understood

Poorly Very Well

58. Sales promotion 1 2 3 4 5
59. Buyer-readiness stages 1 2 3 4 5
60. Methods of setting promotion budget 1 2 3 4 5
61. What each promotion mix component can or can’t achieve 1 2 3 4 5
62. Factors that influence the choice of promotion mix 1 2 3 4 5
63. Integrated marketing communication 1 2 3 4 5
64. Communication vs. sales objectives of advertising 1 2 3 4 5
65. Consumer vs. Trade promotion 1 2 3 4 5
66. Premiums as tool for sales promotion 1 2 3 4 5
67. Cooperative Advertising 1 2 3 4 5
68. Corporate Advertising 1 2 3 4 5
69. Order taker vs. Order getter salesperson 1 2 3 4 5
70. Missionary selling 1 2 3 4 5
71. Steps in the selling process 1 2 3 4 5
72. Relationship marketing 1 2 3 4 5
73. Product vs. customer sales force structure 1 2 3 4 5
74. Team selling 1 2 3 4 5
75. Customer churn 1 2 3 4 5
76. Benchmarking 1 2 3 4 5
77. SRC in international marketing 1 2 3 4 5
78. Tariff 1 2 3 4 5
79. Trade deficit 1 2 3 4 5
80. NAFTA 1 2 3 4 5
81. Dumping 1 2 3 4 5
82. Grey market 1 2 3 4 5
83. MNC 1 2 3 4 5
84. Internal Marketing 1 2 3 4 5
85. Social Marketing 1 2 3 4 5
86. Corrective Advertising 1 2 3 4 5

Assessment Survey

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