Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• QST MK 723: Marketing Management
  This course provides a practical understanding of how business strategies and tactics are driven by marketing's dual focus on customers and competition. Students will learn how to leverage marketing tools and emerging technologies in the creation (e.g., customer insight, product and service design, branding), delivery (e.g., communication and distribution), and capture (e.g., pricing, customer life time value) of marketplace value. Across business contexts including B2C, B2B, products versus services, global versus domestic markets, small/medium/large organizations, for-profit versus social enterprises, the course builds the fundamental skills involved in analyzing market challenges and opportunities and making decisions for the formulation and implementation of successful and sustainable marketing programs.
• QST MK 724: Marketing Management
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST AC710 or AC711 (previous or concurrent)
  This course provides a practical understanding of how business strategies and tactics are driven by marketing's dual focus on customers and competition. Students will learn how to leverage marketing tools and emerging technologies in the creation (e.g., customer insight, product and service design, branding), delivery (e.g., communication and distribution), and capture (e.g., pricing, customer life time value) of marketplace value. Across business contexts including B2C, B2B, products versus services, global versus domestic markets, small/medium/large organizations, for-profit versus social enterprises, the course builds the fundamental skills involved in analyzing market challenges and opportunities and making decisions for the formulation and implementation of successful and sustainable marketing programs.
• QST MK 820: Consultative Selling
  This course equips students to sell complex products and services via consultative selling integrated with digital customer engagement. Students learn through examples and role play to execute a five-step approach: 1. Connecting with Prospects through networking, social, and door-opening conversations, 2. Understanding Needs by qualifying leads, undertaking research and discovery conversations, 3. Addressing Needs by writing differentiating proposals and winning in the room 4. Closing the Sale by gaining buyer commitment, pricing-to- value and seamless contracting, 5. Building Trusted Relationships through personal engagement and customer blueprinting. Sessions are highly interactive featuring: Discussions with guest experts; Case studies; an RFP simulation; Role playing including "The Price is Right Game"; Video shorts; Student stories; Real- world best practices; and pitfalls.
• QST MK 835: ECommerce Strategy
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  This course examines eCommerce as a business model, a field of operations, and a set of disciplines. We will explore the fundamentals of eCommerce and the strategic importance of an eCommerce program within a company's overall strategy. Relevant topics will be explored using case studies, team projects, as well as a final exam. 1.5 cr
• QST MK 838: Behavior Change Practicum
  Every organization -- be it government, private company or welfare agency -- is in the business of changing behavior. In this course, students will learn to apply insights from behavioral economics to effectively produce it. In teams, students will: (1) translate a real-time business or policy challenge into a specific behavior change project; (2) use the frameworks presented in class along with research from economics, psychology, marketing, and other related disciplines to develop possible interventions and/or frameworks for addressing the challenge; and (3) audit the decision-making process of various stakeholders to identify pain points and opportunities for behavior change. Previous organizations include Warby Parker, the World Bank, and FCLT Global.
• QST MK 841: Customer Driven Growth Strategies
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  Marketers' number one job is to grow the customer base (and sales) by developing and executing strategies to leverage existing and create new market opportunities. This class will be a combination of case discussions, workshops, speakers, and finally application to real companies. Students will identify, quantify, and leverage opportunities that facilitate growth utilizing real world scenarios. We will use the product and customer growth matrix to determine new product opportunities and frameworks to prioritize markets for entry. We will conduct qualitative and quantitative analyzes of company situations and then apply principles of marketing to provide solid recommendations from which companies can take action. This combination of academic and applied learning will provide a deep understanding of growth strategies needed to leverage market opportunities.
• QST MK 842: Machine Learning for Business Analytics
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  This course introduces students to the foundational machine learning techniques that are transforming the way we do business. Machine learning relies on interdisciplinary techniques from statistics, linear algebra, and optimization to detect structure in large volumes of data and solve prediction problems. Students will gain a theoretical understanding of why the algorithms work, when they fail, and how they create value. They will also gain hands-on experience training machine learning models in Python and deriving insights and making predictions from real-world data. Prior programming experience (or IS833/IS834) is strongly recommended. Note: The course was previously offered under the title "Digital Marketing Analytics," but does not overlap with MK876; students may take both courses for credit.
• QST MK 845: Engaging Consumers in a Digital World
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  Digital technologies have transformed the marketing communications paradigm and the consumer decision making process. In particular, within this new paradigm, consumers are more likely to learn about new products and services from other consumers via online word-of-mouth and have more power to co-create products, experiences, and brand meaning with manufacturers and service providers. This course examines the implications of these changes for marketers. Specifically, the course examines how digital technology can be used to (a) engage consumers prior to purchase; (b) to enhance and augment the consumption experience; and (c) to build ongoing and long-lasting relationships with consumers post-purchase. These topics will be explored using case studies and a client-based project, as well as a final exam.
• QST MK 852: Data Driven Marketing Decisions
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK723 or MK724, QST QM716 or QM717
  This course will focus on developing marketing strategies driven by marketing analytics. Topics covered include market segmentation, targeting, and positioning, and new product development. The course will draw on and extend students' understanding of issues related to quantitative analysis and principles of marketing. The course will use a combination of cases, lectures, and a hands-on project to develop these skills.
• QST MK 854: Branding
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  This is a course about branding, and the ways that brands acquire and sustain value in the marketplace. Cases, readings, in-class discussions, and team/individual assignments are designed to provide: An appreciation of the strategic discipline of branding and its role in creating shareholder value; an understanding of brands as co-creations of consumers, marketers, and cultures, and brand management as a collaborative process of meaning management; a sound foundation in consumer-brand behavior to inform brand decisions; and a capacity to think creatively and precisely about the strategies and tactics involved in building, leveraging, defending, and sustaining strong brands. Select topics may include brand equity, brand (re)positioning, brand relationships, brand loyalty, brand community, open source branding, branded entertainment and other cultural branding strategies, internal branding, brand architecture design and portfolio strategy, brand leverage and extensions, brand metrics, crisis management, and brand stewardship. Guest speakers from branding services, consulting, and practice provide insights throughout the course. While this course has obvious relevance for those contemplating brand management careers in product or service markets, it is appropriate for a range of future professionals within for-profit and not-for-profit C2C and B2B worlds, and others who share a simple passion for branding.
• QST MK 856: Consumer Insights
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  Marketing, in particular, begins and ends with the consumer -- from determining consumer needs to ensuring customer satisfaction. In this course, we will explore the most recent scientific research in marketing, psychology, and behavioral economics related to consumer behavior. We will develop your ability to understand and influence what people want, how people decide what and when to buy, and whether people will be satisfied or dissatisfied with their decisions. These psychological insights are particularly useful for marketing strategy, brand positioning, and marketing communication decisions, but also yield insight into common biases in judgment and decision making, beyond marketing, to which you would otherwise fall prey. Why people are willing to drive across town to save $5 on a tank of gasoline, for example, when they would not drive a minute to save $5 on a refrigerator. We will discuss some of these applications in class. In addition, we will examine the methodology of market research (specific to consumer behavior) to build the tools you will need to interpret and base decisions on it. Readings will include primary empirical research articles (e.g., Journal of Consumer Research articles), business journal articles, and research reviews (e.g., Harvard Business Review articles). The course includes lecture, discussion, an exam, and a team term project.
• QST MK 859: Strategic Business Marketing
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  This course focuses on marketing to businesses and organizations rather than to consumers. Marketing to organizations is fundamentally different from marketing to consumers for a myriad of reasons related to customers (e.g., larger customers seeking customized offerings and prices; need for relationship building between suppliers and customers, etc.) and related to the role of marketing within the firm (e.g., greater level of customization of the offerings; need for closer interaction and alignment among marketing and manufacturing/R&D/product development, customer service, etc.). This course will provide students with the frameworks and tools to help develop an appreciation of these and other distinct differences, to understand the approaches used by successful firms in such contexts, and to create and analyze marketing strategy and tactics for marketing to organizations. Using a combination of cases, discussions of specific topics, a simulation, guest speakers, and a project, the course will cover several themes including platform businesses marketing, understanding the organization buying center, creating and capturing value for business customers, communicating the offering benefit stack, and developing and maintaining relationships with other organizations. This course is relevant for students interested in marketing to businesses as well as for those interested in consulting, investment banking, or venture capital settings, which primarily deal with marketing to other organizations.
• QST MK 862: Marketing High-Tech Products
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  This course provides you with a good understanding of how marketing works in a high-tech context. When it comes to marketing, there are five important characteristics that make high-tech offerings (products and services) special: technological uncertainty, customer uncertainty, competitor volatility, high- tech offerings are often used not singly but in larger overall systems, and high-tech offerings often exhibit network externalities. These five characteristics have a big impact on the type of challenges, analysis, and marketing decisions made in high-tech industries. The overall purpose of this course is to impart concepts, tools, and frameworks that you can apply as you pursue careers as marketers of high-tech offerings, consultants, investment bankers, and service professionals. The key objectives of the course are to: Understand the special challenges involved in marketing high-tech products Learn how to analyze high-tech marketing problems which involve significant customer, market, and technological uncertainties; Examine approaches to improve the market orientation of, and the marketing-R&D interface in, high-tech companies; Understand the impact of diffusion of technology and adoption of innovation on targeting and segmentation decisions; Explore the effect of complementary products, databases, and systems on product and pricing decisions; Identify the challenges and drivers of success at different stages in a technology's life- cycle; and, Understand the concept of value networks and the role of complementors, partners, and competitors in high-tech industries.
• QST MK 864: Pricing Strategy and Tactics
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK723 or MK724, QST PL727 or PL730, QST QM716 or QM717
  This course focuses on the practical needs of the marketing manager making pricing decisions. Students learn the techniques of strategic analysis necessary to price more profitably by evaluating the price sensitivity of buyers, determining relevant costs, anticipating and influencing competitors' pricing and formulating an appropriate pricing strategy.
• QST MK 867: Purpose-Led Marketing
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  Globalization, increasing transparency in business operations and the prevalence of social media have forever changed the way stakeholders view and interact with organizations. Societal and business imperatives are not only often considered compatible; they can be increasingly viewed as one and the same. People today often communicate, organize and engage based on mutual interests, and, generally, place greater trust in organizations and individuals that work for a better world. Marketing has often been referred to as the "science of sales." Whether you are selling a product, an intervention or an idea, it can be a powerful tool for advancing social change in today's dynamic environment. The strategic integration of a relevant social purpose into a product, business or nonprofit organization through brand-building citizenship activities can drive consumer and donor recall, consideration, acquisition, retention and propensity to recommend. However, these efforts do not usually constitute a "silver bullet" and may not be the best solution to a business problem or societal need at all. In the worst cases, ill-conceived citizenship marketing strategies can result in damaging consequences. Practitioners must be pragmatic when engaging in marketing social change. Understanding how to apply best practice, identify opportunities, address challenges, engage stakeholders and innovate strategically are essential skills in this rapidly evolving sector. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of how marketing principles can be applied to create both short-term and lasting social change. Students will explore dimensions of the modern landscapes of brand, corporate and nonprofit "citizenship" and how they relate to marketing. Areas of study include: cause-related marketing and cause branding; nonprofit branding and social movements, as well as corporate social responsibility and shared value creation.
• QST MK 870: Luxury Marketing
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK 723 or QST MK 724.
  Introduction to the marketing of luxury goods and services. It explores the origin, the history, and the evolution of luxury and gives an overview of the global luxury industry. It highlights the specificities of marketing in the luxury sector. Luxury brands must manage a number of inherent paradoxes and tensions. Differences in a mass versus luxury marketing approach are discussed. Finally, the course focuses on examining the main challenges with which luxury brands are currently confronted. As markets are becoming increasingly polarized, the course is relevant to a wide range of marketing and business professionals who may have to "premiumize" their offerings or revitalize their brands through an upscale positioning. Through a combination of interactive discussions, cases, practical examples, and individual assignments, the course enables participants to take both a theoretical and practical approach to the luxury industry and its marketing practices.
• QST MK 878: Customer Analytics
  Graduate Prerequisites: QST MK723 or MK724, QST QM716 or QM717, QST MK852 or IS833
  The course will focus on managing marketing spend from the perspective of a marketing manager. The first module of the course is on customer analytics and will cover the fundamental frameworks needed for customer-centric marketing with topics such as customer lifetime value, customer acquisition and retention, and customer equity. The second module of the course focuses on assessing marketing performance and will cover decision support tools that can help brand and product managers make decisions with regard to marketing spending including advertising, pricing, and promotions. The course will require quantitative skills and will use a combination of cases, lectures, and a hands-on project.
• QST MK 898: Directed Study: Marketing
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair
  Graduate-level directed study in Marketing. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST MK 899: Directed Study: Marketing
  Graduate Prerequisites: Consent of instructor and the department chair
  Graduate-level directed study in Marketing. 1, 2, or 3 cr. Application available on the Graduate Center website.
• QST MK 914: Seminar in Consumer Behavior
  This course is designed to familiarize students with the current major theoretical streams of research in consumer behavior. It is meant to instill in the student not only a knowledge of the current "state of the art" in consumer behavior research, but also an ability to apply behavioral science theory to consumer behavior research issues. It is expected that students will develop and refine the ability both to critically evaluate the theoretical contribution of articles in consumer behavior and to formulate theory-based hypotheses capable of advancing the discipline's understanding of consumer behavior.