Marketing 491J
Tools for Professional Success
Fall 2007

Since this course applies the concepts of marketing, members must have had Marketing 301 as a prerequisite.  Having Marketing 412 [Market Research] that provides the foundations of scientific research, and/or Marketing 410 [Consumer Behavior] is also a big plus although not a requirement.

Grades will be based on an assessment of the student’s ability to apply marketing concepts to a company problem and work well within a company as an employee.  Much weight will be given to field reports where the company evaluates the work of the student.  Students’ evaluations will reflect:

• their success at solving company problems,
• Integration of career exercises into resumes/a career plan and mock interviews
• initiative,
• commitment to the company and course,
• ability to work with other employees and students,
• communication skills,
• punctuality, and
• overall productivity. 

Students will be evaluated at various points during the semester by company supervisors and prior to the final course performance review. 

Each team member will hand in evaluations of each of the other team member’s performance [See the two evaluation sheets at the end of this syllabus].  This evaluation will cover creativity, intellectual contribution, workload contribution, and commitment to excellence.  These evaluations can dramatically influence a class  member’s grade for the course.  Mid-term evaluations will be handed in toward the end of October; any team member with a grading of 70% or lower by any one team member will be given a “pink sheet” warning that improvement is expected.  If a 70% or lower evaluation (refer to evaluation sheet in this syllabus) is given by team members for another member on final evaluations, that person can receive a grade of no higher than a “C” for the semester.  If the grade is 60% or lower, a “D” would be the highest grade achievable.  Marks of 50% or below will result in failure in the course.  You must use the official forms provided at the end of this syllabus…your grade will reflect not handing this form in on time [see discussion of late assignments below] and for not using this form.  This mandate applies to both mid-term and final team evaluations.

In addition to field reports, students’ final grades will depend on classroom performance as well.  Students will be evaluated on their

• classroom discussion,
• the quality of their presentations, and
• quality of the company reports that offer recommendations for solving their company problem, 
• attendance,
• courtesy,
• punctuality, and
• enthusiasm [you are expected to enter into the course discussion].

All of these considerations will also be factored into the final grade.

In the real world, deadlines are common and held to.  In this course, all reports are due at the end of class time on the appointed day indicated on the schedule…unless otherwise indicated.  If an assignment is late, the student in question will suffer a lowering of his/her FINAL grade by one letter [for example, from an “A” to an “A-”].  For each day after the first 24-hour period that the assignment is late, the FINAL grade will be dropped an additional letter grade.

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