MKTG 396 (Introduction to Marketing) is a three-credit upper-level business and administrative studies course that introduces students to marketing concepts, frameworks, and institutions. Students will also examine the influence of recent developments in the Canadian economy and society on marketing activities and on the management of individual organizations. This course will help students understand the different steps of the marketing process and how successful profit and not-for-profit organizations build and maintain long and lasting, mutually profitable relationships with their customers. This course has no prerequisites and has a Challenge for Credit option if interested.
Introduction to Marketing is made up of fourteen lessons, with two assignments weighing twenty percent each, a midterm examination for thirty percent, and a final examination worth thirty percent. Throughout this course, students will learn about marketing channels, pricing, retailing and wholesaling, the global marketplace, branding, consumer and business buyer behaviour, sustainable marketing, ethics, and so much more.
Students should note that your final mark in MKTG 396 will be based on your performance on two assignments and two examinations. To receive credit for MKTG 396, students must achieve a minimum overall grade of “D,” equivalent to fifty percent, and your grade on the final examination must be fifty percent or better. Any assignments that are not submitted will receive a grade of zero. You must complete both examinations. The final examination for this course must be taken online at an invigilated location. It is your responsibility to ensure a computer with an Internet connection and a current web browser is available for your use at the invigilation centre.
Shannon Steinke just finished her first year of the four-year Bachelor of Management program at Athabasca University. She briefly introduces herself, stating “I am currently a military member. The military is funding my schooling so I’m not technically working right now. I’m moving to North Bay from Barrie, Ontario next week. In my spare time I like to golf, curl, read, and play music.”
When asked what she likes and dislikes about the Bachelor of Management program, she states “I wish the program had more Human Resources focused courses and less financial courses. I love the flexibility of online learning and I like managing my own schedule. However, I find online learning difficult when I need academic help, especially the time delay between asking a question and getting a response can really derail my progress.”
She states that MKTG 396 explains “basic marketing principles such as product development, advertising, supply chains and international markets.”
As for the structure of the course, she states “The course involved reading the text and completing the practice questions. MyMarketingLab had a lot of good info; I especially like the scenarios. The course also had two assignments, which were in essay question format. The midterm examination was all multiple choice and the final examination contained multiple choice and short answer questions.”
When asked if she would recommend this course to other students, Shannon states “I very much enjoyed this course. The textbook provided a lot of examples and real-life stories that made the concepts easy to understand and remember. I also thought the activities in MyMarketingLab were fun and useful. Though it was a bit difficult to remember all the concepts by name, because they were very similar. For example, marketing strategies, marketing strategy tools, etc. That being said, I would recommend this course.”
As for any tips and tricks, she states “This course was pretty straight forward. I thought the assignments were really good because you had to apply the concepts you learned to real life. The trick was remembering the actual names of all the concepts, it wasn’t enough to know what they were.”
When asked how the communications with her tutor was, she states “For the most part I had good communications with my tutor and the turn around time for assignments and tests was reasonable. I waited quite a while near the end of the course, but it was during the convocation, so I assumed that had something to do with it.”
Whether MKTG 396 is a degree or program requirement of yours, or the topics mentioned above are of interest to you, this course will have you learning a lot of interesting content surrounding the topic of marketing.
