Bachelor in Marketing

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The Bachelor of Science/Arts Degree in Marketing

Marketing is a dynamic field with many dimensions, including product selection and planning, product distribution pricing and promotion. Marketing poses many challenges and yields generous rewards for those meeting these challenges. Marketing operations are carried out domestically and internationally in virtually all business organizations offering a product or service. Many marketing concepts are applicable to the operations of non-profit organizations such as governmental, educational, and health care institutions as well as charitable and political campaigns.

Marketing operations provide the most visible links between the firm or institution and its many publics. Marketing in the end deals with people, people who are constantly changing in their needs, wants and desires; and coupled with these changing tastes is a fiercely competitive environment sustained by all the resources of a rapidly evolving technology. These forces lead to much of the challenge - much to the dynamic nature of marketing.

The marketing program at USF prepares students for initial entry and management positions in many areas of marketing with a curriculum that is concerned with:

Understanding consumer behavior and the broader environment within which the firm or institution operates;
Collecting, analyzing, and using information about customers, competitors, and the environment for managerial decisions;
Distributing products effectively and efficiently from producer to user;
Advertising and promoting the offerings of the firm or institution effectively;
Creatively and effectively managing a sales force selling industrial or consumer goods and services, and
Managing retail and wholesale operations including the conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of the buying, merchandising, and control functions.

Each student is strongly encouraged to set up an individualized plan of study with the assistance of a Marketing department faculty adviser. Such counseling can lead to a better definition of career objectives and will result in a plan of study that is consistent with each student's career objectives.

Undergraduate students in the College of Business not majoring in Marketing are encouraged to take selected offerings from the Marketing curriculum to broaden their backgrounds and to prepare for marketing-related positions in business or non-profit organizations.

Undergraduate Course Offerings

MAR 2931 SELECTED TOPICS IN MARKETING (1-4 hours)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor.
Topics for this course are selected by the Department Chairperson. Because topics vary, students may repeat the course for up to eight credit hours. Upper-level students who have been admitted to the College of Business Administration may not take the course for credit.

MAR 3023 BASIC MARKETING (3 hours)
Prerequisites: ACG 2001, ECO 2023, or Consent of Instructor.
This course surveys the marketing of goods and services within the economy.
Particular attention is paid to the impact of marketing on other functional areas of business as well as on society. This course serves as an introduction to the principles and philosophy of marketing.

MAR 3400 PROFESSIONAL SELLING (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023 or Consent of Instructor.
Students in professional selling learn many of the skills needed to prosper in a sales job. Particularly, the stages of the professional selling process are examined, as well as the role of sales in today's marketing environment. Emphasis is placed on adaptive selling techniques and developing effective interpersonal communication skills. A detailed examination of sales careers is provided.

MAR 3613 MARKETING RESEARCH (3 hours)
Prerequisites: QMB 3200, MAR 3023.
Research methods and techniques applicable to problem solving in marketing are addressed in Marketing Research. Specific attention is also given to defining information needs and determining the value of information for use in marketing decision- making.

MAR 3823 MARKETING MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023.
Marketing Management offers an applications-oriented study of the marketing function at an intermediate level. The primary emphasis of the course is placed upon analysis and problem-solving techniques. This course builds upon the principles and concepts learned in MAR 3023, and provides a strong foundation for the remaining courses in the marketing curriculum.

MAR 4156 INTERNATIONAL MARKETING (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023.
The procedures and problems associated with establishing marketing operations in foreign countries are covered in International Marketing. The course discusses the institutions, principles and methods involved in the solution of these business problems as well as the effects of national differences on today's international business practices and buyer behavior.

MAR 4203 CHANNELS MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023.
This course offers a detailed examination of marketing channels as a functional area of marketing management responsibility and as a part of marketing strategy. Particular attention is given to wholesaling and retailing, as well as their structural, dynamic interrelationships. In addition, the course examines distribution logistics.

MAR 4213 LOGISTICS & PHYSICAL DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023 or Consent of Instructor.
As a study of logistics in the marketing of goods and services, this course includes a description and analysis of the logistics environment, particularly components of the physical distribution system. Particular emphasis is placed on information flows and the application of various techniques used in establishing and controlling customer service levels.

MAR 4231 RETAILING MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023 .
Retail Management is a comprehensive study of the retailing structure, institutions, and environment. The course covers pertinent management theories and pracitices in analyzing, organizing, planning and controlling retail operations, both large and small.
The course is particularly valuable for those students seeking a career in retailing.

MAR 4333 PROMOTION MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023 or Consent of Instructor.
Promotion Management examines the role of promotion in the marketing program of the firm, including promotional tools available to the marketing manager and the various types of decisions made in the promotional area. The decision-making process in development of a strategic promotional program is emphasized.

MAR 4403 SALES MANAGEMENT (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023 or Consent of Instructor.
Sales Management concentrates on the sales subset of marketing management. As a strategic-oriented course, particular emphasis is placed on developing the problemsolving and decision-making skills required of the sales manager in the modern marketoriented company. Topics covered include salesforce strategy development, training, hiring, forecasting, and control.

MAR 4453 BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023.
This course is a concentrated study of the marketing of goods and services to the industrial, institutional and other businesses. The course analyzes the characteristics of the markets and channels of distribution used in business-to-business marketing.
Also covered are sales, management, research and promotional practices, as well as marketing policies and strategies associated with business-to-business marketing.

MAR 4503 BUYER BEHAVIOR (3 hours)
Prerequisites: MAR 3023.
A study of the basic concepts of buyer behavior, including pre- and post-purchase attitudes and behavior patterns, information processing relating to the functional areas of marketing and the buyer's decision-making process. The course examines social, psychological and economic reasons why consumers make choices. Management applications to marketing are emphasized.

MAR 4824 MARKETING MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS (3 hours)
Prerequisites: Senior Standing, MAR 3823, MAR 3613, and two other 4000 level marketing courses, or Consent of Instructor.
As the capstone course in marketing, Marketing Management Problems seeks to integrate the student's knowledge of marketing obtained in all other course work and apply this knowledge in making decisions. The course allows the student to take the role of marketing manager and make decisions related to the total marketing effort of a firm. Particular emphasis is placed on the coordination of these marketing efforts with other major functional areas in a firm.

MAR 4903 INDEPENDENT RESEARCH (1-3 hours)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor and Department Chairperson
Independent Research is designed to allow students to conduct a research project that would not be covered otherwise in other marketing courses. The course is generally handled on a contractual basis between an instructor and a student. Usually, students carry out these mostly self-directed research projects through the guidance of an instructor. Topics and fulfillment must be mutually agreed upon by the student and instructor. Rarely, but in some cases, students are allowed to carry the project into a second semester for a maximum of 6 total credit hours.

MAR 4905 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3 hours)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor.
Similar to Independent Research described above, Independent Study is designed to allow a student to explore specialized topics not otherwise covered in other marketing course work. Designed to meet the individual needs of students, students must justify the need for the course and receive permission and guidance from an instructor. Rarely, but in some cases, students are allowed to carry the study into a second semester for a maximum of 6 total credit hours. Grading requirements for this course are on an S/U basis only.

MAR 4933 SELECTED TOPICS IN MARKETING ( 1-3 hours)
Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor:
From time to time, the Marketing Department will offer a course designed to explore a topic not covered in other marketing course work. Customarily, current issues of particular importance to marketing are covered. Therefore, the course topic changes frequently. Consult your class schedule for offerings.