This capstone market strategy course is especially designed for both EMBA and Full-time MBA students. The course is offered in an intensive block-week format. The course combines significant market strategy content together with Markstrat, a market strategy computer simulation. Course hours are 9.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday; we finish somewhat earlier on Thursday. Students are required to complete course pre-work and to set aside time for evening work, Sunday through Wednesday; there is a post-course final examination (individual).

The course builds upon the core marketing courses – B7601 and B6601. The course goal is to prepare students to make critical strategic marketing decisions in today’s modern corporation – established or start-up. The environment firms face is increasingly complex and fast changing. Hence, the core job of marketing -- attract, retain, grow customers; earn profits; increase shareholder value -- is ever more important, but ever more difficult. Clear thinking and decisive decision-making are critical currencies for practicing managers and entrepreneurs.

In increasingly difficult environments, thoughtful managers can construct substantial numbers of strategic options. A critical consequence of this variety is that managers must learn how to allocate and concentrate available resources. This task is particularly challenging for marketing executives, positioned at the crucial interface between senior management -- with its diverse mix of motives and responsibilities -- other functional areas, and constantly evolving external environmental forces.

To secure differential advantage, market strategies and plans must be data driven, analytically based, comprehensive, actionable, flexible; but also understood and supported by senior management. With such diverse requirements, it is unsurprising that many well-conceived market strategies and implementation plans and programs fall far short of achieving their objectives.

This course is designed to help you develop the knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) necessary to create and implement market strategy. We emphasize planning for a three-to-five-year time horizon. You receive hands-on experience in using well-developed processes to create market strategy. Course content is particularly relevant for students who seek responsibility for developing, executing, and/or assessing market strategy as owners, employees, consultants.

Specific course objectives include:

• Provide insight into market strategy development role at high organizational levels;

• Enhance the KSAs necessary to understand and apply critical frameworks, concepts, and methods for developing effective market strategy;

• Gain practical experience in applying systems and processes to develop market strategy;

• Discuss internal and external barriers to strategy implementation, and approaches for overcoming these barriers;

• Enhance student skills in verbal and written persuasive communications.

Because of the concentrated nature of this course, students are expected to complete all aspects of the course and to clear their calendars for the entire week, including evening time, to watch class videos and prepare presentations. Students will have time to make/take critical telephone calls in mid-morning/afternoon breaks and at lunch. Students are expected to commit to the course; the reward for commitment is significant learning.