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2024 Fall

BRAND MANAGEMENT - MKT320 Fall 2024


Course
Marek Kocak
For information about registration please contact our admissions.

Course code: MKT 320/2
Semester and year: Spring 2019
Day and time: Wednesdays, 11:30 – 14:15

Brand Management

Course code: MKT 320/2

Semester and year: Spring 2019

Day and time: Wednesdays, 11:30 – 14:15

Instructor: Sylvia Vondráčková, M.B.A.

Instructor contact: +420-739-247097 (if you text me, include your name and class) sylvia.vondrackova@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: 30 min. before and after class; or upon individual appointmentFor example Composition I.

 

Due to the requirement of the Czech Ministry of Education, all instructors must hold consultation hours. A common practice is to set aside time either just before or after class, and the recommended length is 1 hour per week per course, the minimum is 30 minutes per course. Please note that students do not have to make appointments; you are obliged to be present during your consultation hours every week!

 

Credits US/ECTS

3

Level

Intermediate

Length

15 weeks

Pre-requisite

MKT 248, MGT 248

Contact hours

42 hours

Course type

Bachelor Required

Course Prerequisites: Most BA courses have a language prerequisite of 71 pts in TOEFL iBT or equivalent. Most MA classes have a language prerequisite of 80 pts in TOEFL iBT or equivalent. Please check with your dean whether your course may be an exception. Please also list all course prerequisites. Contact your school Dean if you are unsure of the prerequisites for your class.

Credits: Majority of courses at AAU are for 3 US credits (6 ECTS credits). If you are not sure if your course is an exception, please contact your School Dean.

1.   Course Description

The aim of the course is to equip students with theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for a successful and efficient management of brands. It provides the framework for the analysis of the main factors determining success of a brand in the market and introduces techniques and tools necessary for management of brands, such as: development of vision for the brand, identify the correct market niche, design a communication and marketing strategy and implement it. The class will cover also the following topics: brand building, evaluation of brand definition, brand positioning, strength and profitability; evaluate brand’s maturity and repositioning of mature brands, rebranding topics, the link between brand and image of the corporation, corporate identity.

 

It emphasizes that brand names, and their brand equity, are some of the most valuable assets any firm has. It describes how, as products, pricing and distribution increasingly become commodities, the new competitive arena is brand value derived from creating long-term profitable brand relationships. As a strong brand is one of the most effective tools to hedge against market risk and distance a product or service from its competitors, students will learn how to manage brands within the context of other brands, as well as over multiple categories, over time, and across multiple market segments.

 

This advanced course focuses on the theories, models and tools for planning, implementing and evaluating effective strategies for building and managing brands. It aims to make these concepts relevant for any type of organization (public or private, large or small, etc.).

 

  • It covers, first, the factors that most often determine the overall success of particular brands in competitive markets.
  • Second, practical tools to develop and implement winning brands, including how to develop a clear market vision, implement a successful marketing strategy, identify and communicate with a specific target audience and position a product for optimal success.
  • Other topics include: measuring and managing brand equity to successfully develop, manage and promote an organization’s brand internally and in competitive markets; customer focus, brand positioning, building and identity; creating points of difference and competitive advantages, and brand communications including the Internet and building customer loyalty.
  • Building brand portfolios, sub-brands, line extensions, and distribution strategies will also be covered.

2.   Student Learning Outcomes

After completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Explain the role of the brand in the today's economy.
  • Describe the purpose and methods of effectively managing brands including how to build brand equity and establish brand identity.
  • Formulate effective brand strategies for consumer and business goods and services.
  • Demonstrate the ability to conduct a critical brand audit, including recommendations for changes and improvement in brand management.

3.   Reading Material

Required Materials

  • An online reader (class presentations and key handouts) containing the basic course material is available to students via the AAU Google Apps Website.

List all primary readings used in your course. Provide full bibliographic reference to the text to simplify identification in the library. You may include references to your NEO LMS site. Please specify the availability of the reading (i.e. in the library, on reserve, in NEO LMS, via databases, via interlibrary loan etc.), if this is not done, students expect the library to guarantee them access to all these materials, which is not possible.

Recommended Materials

  • "Strategic Brand Management", 3rd ed., 2009. Author: Kevin Lane Keller. ISBN 978-0-13-188859-3. On reserve in AAU's Library.

 

  • For current information, all of the main business publications (e.g., Bloomberg Business Week*, Fortune, and Forbes, plus, less often, The Economist, Harvard Business Review*) have marketing articles frequently dealing with branding issues.
  • The Wall Street Journal* also often addresses branding issues.

 

  • Two useful industry trade publications are Advertising Age and BRANDWEEK. Both are excellent sources of current information about advertising, branding, and marketing in general for that matter.

 

  • (All, except*, are available, through AAU, on EBSCO - Academic Search Complete (fulltext). BBW is available online, directly; WSJ is available through AAU, on ProQuest (fulltext), whilst HBR is available through AAU, in EBSCO - Business Source CompleteBusiness Source Complete.)Here you can mention supplementary materials, e.g. cases, inventories, testing instruments, articles, videos, and handouts.Remember that students can have access to all major databases via our agreement with the Library of the Academy of Sciences, so do not hesitate to recommend materials (articles) available in these databases. For more information see the website of our library or contact the library.

4.   Teaching methodology

The course will be taught in a very interactive manner using current issues and having students analyze case studies, present a specific IMC plan for a chosen product or service, learn specific experiences from guest speakers and possibly attend a class trip to a marketing related event or company in order to make the subject as relevant and comprehensible as possible.  Active participation in class discussions is highly supported and mandatory since training communication skills is a crucial aspect of the real marketing world.  Certain projects will be in groups since almost all real media and marketing communication projects are coordinated in teams as well.  Using computers and telephones during class is highly forbidden unless used for class purposes and specified by teacher.


 

Identify methods, techniques, and the tools, which will be used in your course.

AAU encourages active participation of students in the learning process. Teaching methods that engage students and develop their analytical skills are required. The relationship between instructors and students should be an interactive partnership. The teaching methodology thus shall be a combination of but not limited to: lectures, mini-lectures, group work, discussion, case study analyses, and student presentations.

Depending on the course, video presentations, field trips and independent research are also possible. However, these should not take up a disproportionate amount of class time.

5.   Course Schedule

Date

Class Agenda

Feb. 6th

 

Lesson 1

Chapter 1: Brands and Brand Management

Topic: Course information

Description: expectations, deadlines, and procedures. Introduction to the brand audit project.

Part I: INTRODUCTION. 

LO1: What Is A Brand?

Feb. 13th

 

Lesson 2

Topic: LO2: Why do Brands matter?

Brand in the News presentation:

Deadline: select topic for individual student presentations

Feb. 20th

Lesson 3

Topic: LO3: Can everything be branded?

Brand in the News presentation:

Deadline: Topic, thesis statement and outline due for written report

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight. Name:____________________

Feb. 27th

Lesson 4

LO4: What are the strongest Brands?

Quiz No. 1

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight. Name:____________________

March 6th

Lesson 5

Topic and description: LO5: Branding challenges and opportunities.

LO6: The Brand Equity Concept.

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight. Name:____________________

March 13th

Lesson 6

GUEST SPEAKER - may be subject to change

Topic: Digital marketing and branding

Deadline: CW2: Ethical implications and Branding – written report due on NEO (upload) by Midnight.

March 20th

Lesson 7

Topic:  LO7: Strategic Brand Management Process, discuss the Brand Audit project

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight. Name:____________________

March 27th

Lesson 8

Mid-term exam:

Topics 1 to 7:

Keller_SBM_Ch01 - Brands and Brand Management LO1.pdf

Keller_SBM_Ch01 - Brands and Brand Management LO2 LO3.pdf

Keller_SBM_Ch01 - Brands and Brand Management LO4 LO5.pdf

April 3rd

Midterm break

April 10th

Lesson 9

Topic:  Part II: Identifying and Establishing Brand Positioning and Values

Description: Chapter 2: Customer-Based Brand Equity

LO1: Customer-Based Brand Equity.

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight, April 11th, 2018. Name:____________________

April 17th

Lesson 10

Excursion - Branding outside of the classroom

April 24th

Lesson 11

Topic: LO2: Making a Brand Strong: Brand Knowledge.

Deadline: CW1: Individual Brand in the News presentation .PPT slides & speaker’s notes (.DOC file) (digital only). Due on NEO (upload) by Midnight. Name:____________________

May 1st

State holiday - no class

May 8th

State holiday - no class

May 14th

Make-up class: time and classroom to be confirmed.

May 15th

Lesson 12

Topic: LO3: Sources of Brand Equity, LO4: Building a Strong Brand: The Four Steps of Brand Building. Topic: CLOSING PERSPECTIVES. – Branding trends

Brand in the News presentation: 

Deadline: CW3: Excursion write-up due on NEO (upload) by Midnight.

May 22nd

Lesson 13

Final project presentations – CW4: Brand Audit Projects

Deadline: Group presentations and report handed in, due on NEO (upload) by Midnight.

For every session, include information on the topics covered, the required readings and assignments due/set on that session.

6.   Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment: Feel free to delete categories that are not applicable for your course and add those that are not listed but used in your course. Please note that the final grade must be composed from at least 3 different assignments. More is preferred. None of the assignments can weight more than 50%.

Workload for an Average Student (weekly): You are to tabulate the weekly amount of time an average student would spend on the subject. Please note that the total amount of time spent on course work is defined by the credit value: 1 ECTS corresponds to 25 hours of work, i.e. 6 ECTS (3 US credit) courses require 150 hours of work per semester: 42 take place in the classroom; the rest must be outside of classroom hours. In general, it roughly corresponds to 6 hours weekly for a 3-credit course, outside of classroom.

Weight in Final Grade: Please note that the sum must be 100%. Feel free to add also assignments that do not carry any weight (but they bring some workload to students).

Evaluated Course Learning Outcomes: Choose the appropriate learning outcomes from the section 2 above.

Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes: Write a number of the respective Institutional Learning Outcome, or leave it blank if none is appropriate.
1 = Critical Thinking
2 = Effective communication
3= Effective and responsible action

Assignment

Workload (average)

Weight in Final Grade

Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes

Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*

CP Class Participation (Individual)

42

15%

 

See Participation on e-learning site.

Ability to read, think, and express ideas analytically, critically, and creatively.

Ability to ask and answer questions relating to subject knowledge.

Ability to communicate effectively in oral English.

Ability to meet deadlines.

Ability to identify and summarize key points relating to a topic.

No use of phones and PCs during class if not for class purpose.

Effective Communication

 

Effective and Reasonable Action

CW1: Assignment no. 1: Individual Presentation: Brand in the News PowerPoint-based presentation on previously agreed topic

10

10%

Ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use (including citation) that information.

Ability to read, think, and express ideas analytically, critically, and creatively.

Ability to identify and use fundamental principles, concepts, and methods essential for the acquisition and application of knowledge.

Ability to cite from relevant texts.

Ability to identify and summarize key points relating to a topic.

Ability to create and give a business presentation.

Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written English.

Effective Communication

Quiz No. 1

13

10%

Ability to understand and recall the theoretical aspects and terminology used in the course.

Ability to understand, recall, interpret and extrapolate theory into practice.

Reading in advance will be necessary.

Critical thinking

 

Effective and Reasonable Action

CW2: Assignment No. 2 - Ethical implications and Branding - written report

15

15%

Ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use (including citation) that information.

Critical thinking

 

Effective Communication

Midterm

25

20%

Ability to understand and recall the theoretical aspects and terminology used in the course.

Ability to understand, recall, interpret and extrapolate theory into practice.

Reading in advance will be necessary.

Critical thinking

CW3: Assignment no. 3: Excursion write-up

10

10%

Ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate. Ability to understand and recall the theoretical aspects and terminology used in the course.

Ability to understand, recall, interpret and extrapolate theory into practice.

Critical thinking

 

Effective and Reasonable Action

CW4: Final Group Report and presentation - Brand Audit- presentation and report

35

20%

Ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use (including citation) that information.

Ability to work in a team.

Ability to explain a topic to peers.

Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written English.

 

 

Critical Thinking

 

Effective Communication

 

Effective and Reasonable Action

TOTAL

150

100%

 

 

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

 

Participation guidelines:

  • Class participation and preparation – the lesson topics need to be studied beforehand from the indicated textbook, so that an in depth discussion can be held in each class.
  • All students are expected to attend and participate in class. Missing class will seriously affect your grade! However, simply attending every class is not participation.
  • Facebooking, surfing on-line, and texting are not considered active participation and is the fastest way to earn 0 points.
  • Expect your course leader to keep track of how often you participate by actively responding to questions, asking questions yourself, and engaging in class discussions to help earn your participation grade. If you are not sure, please ask your course leader what you can do to increase your participation grade.
  • For further participation guidelines, please see the course NEO e-learning site.
  • Any or all of the following will IMMEDIATELY reduce your participation grade by 10% for each occasion:
  1. Arriving late for, or leaving early, a class. Leaving a class apart from hourly breaks.
  2. Continually talking. (This means talking for longer than a few seconds.)
  3. Reading non-course related material, e.g. newspapers and magazines, or online, e.g., Facebook, during class.
  4. Any breach of the Electronic Devices policy, below.
  5. Any other action which another student may reasonably find distracting during class.

 

Assignments: All assignments will be evaluated for clarity of writing, critical analysis of the issues, proper use of references to support positions taken, quality and diversity of sources, and extent to which the assignment meets the requirements specified. 

  • See below for the detailed Course Assignment Grading Criteria.
  • Remember: It is important to answer all aspects of the assignments.

For ALL assignments, as per university regulations, five academically respectable correctly cited sources is the minimum expected. Any assignments NOT meeting this standard will NOT be graded.

 

  • Written assignments must, as a minimum, include a cover sheet (use the SBA cover sheet), table of contents, executive summary, introduction, conclusion / summary, and works cited, as separate pages. The main body of the paper should include a header (title of course, term and name of student) and footer (date and page number). The paper should have normal margins (1” on all sides), be single-sided, 1.5-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman. Failure to meet ANY of the above requirements will result in the assignment not being graded.
  • Creativity is to be demonstrated in the content of your paper. Your work should reflect your understanding of the material. An emphasis on synthesis and critical thinking rather than simply “reporting” is expected.
  • For the group assignment, a Group Self-Assessment form (see: handout, available on the class course space on the Google Apps Website) MUST be completed by each member of the group. Failure to do so will result in the assignment not being graded.
  • Your presentation must also include a cover ‘page’, a list of contents, an introduction explaining what is to come and why it is important, a conclusion / summary, and works cited at the end of the presentation, all as separate slides.
  • Your presentation slide master must include a header (title of course, term and name of student) and footer (date and page number).
  • All sources are to be written in an academic style using appropriate in-line citation (preferably, Harvard formatting: author, year, page number). Information on proper Harvard citation is available as a link on the class course space in Google Sites.
  • Each presentation will be graded on your understanding of the topic; plus relevant data use, clarity, organization, time management, graphics, etc.

7.   Detailed description of the assignments

Provide further details on assignments listed above, in point 6. Describe the assignment (what is expected in terms of content, focus, extent, formatting, etc.) and link it to its purpose (you can use the learning outcomes and explain them in more details).

Identify the combination of evaluation criteria and assessment methods that will be used. Be especially clear. Communicate the manner in which you will award grades and what areas of student performance will be included in the grades. Link the assessment to the learning outcomes of your class.

Assignment 1 - Individual Presentation: Brand in the News: Please replace the brackets by the name of the assignment. Assignment must be listed in the table above.

Each class will begin with a “Brand in the News” presentation.  This is an opportunity to present and discuss current issues and new innovations in marketing communication. Each of you will sign up for a week and will lead a 10 min discussion on the topic of your choice, which must relate in some way to marketing communication. The goal is to engage, educate, and entertain your audience. In addition to presenting the issue, you will lead a short discussion.

 

The presentation must include a cover page, a list of contents, and introduction explaining what is to come and why is it relevant to our class, a conclusion/summary, and bibliography at the end of the presentation, all as separate slides. It MUST contain a SWOT Analysis, criticisms and recommendations.

 

All sources are to be written in an academic style using appropriate in-line citations (preferably Harvard formatting).

 

Please describe the assignment first and then specify the breakdown of the grading for the particular assignment, i.e. what do you assess (e.g. in essay: content’s accuracy and depth of analysis, format of the presentation, citations and referencing, structure, etc.; in presentation: structure, content, presentation skills, work with audience, etc.). It is strongly recommended to follow the breakdown of AAU’s learning outcomes assessment rubrics available on the AAUNET.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area

Percentage

Written presentation

40%

Presentation

40%

Overall quality of work and effort (no grammatical, spelling, structure errors; has TABLE OF CONTENTS, TITLE, INTRODUCTION, CONCLUSION, AND WORKS CITED)

20%

Total

100%

Assignment 2 – Individual written Report – Ethical implications regarding Branding:

Word-processed Academic Journal review, in business report format. A thesis statement must be identified and then justified with appropriate academic sources, and critical analysis and thinking. Both aspects are to be taken into account as to whether branding may be considered ethical or not. The author must identify arguments for both sides; however, the report should justify the initial thesis statement.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area

Percentage

Report content and analysis including branding/marketing terminology application

50%

Clarity and report structure (no grammatical, spelling, structure errors; has TABLE OF CONTENTS, TITLE, INTRODUCTION, CONCLUSION, AND WORKS CITED)

20%

Justified reasoning including academic source integration

30%

Total

100

Assignment 3 – Excursion Write-up

Word-processed 3-page summary of the main findings during Excursion to real stores with significant brands. Theoretical concepts will give assessed utilizing specific examples from the chosen branded retail store.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area

Percentage

Report content and analysis including branding/marketing terminology application

50%

Clarity and report structure (no grammatical, spelling, structure errors; has TABLE OF CONTENTS, TITLE, INTRODUCTION, and CONCLUSION)

20%

Justified reasoning including academic source integration

30%

Total

100

Assignment 4: Group written Report – Brand Audit:

An in-depth Brand Audit will be prepared in groups for a specified brand. The written version is to be handed in. Each group will, as well, present their findings in a 15-25 minute presentation at the end of the semester. All group members will also assess each other’s effort using an individually completed Group Self-Assessment form

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area

Percentage

Report content and analysis including branding/marketing terminology application

50%

Clarity and report structure (no grammatical, spelling, structure errors; has TABLE OF CONTENTS, TITLE, INTRODUCTION, CONCLUSION, AND WORKS CITED)

20%

Justified reasoning including academic source integration

30%

Total

100

 

  • The brand audit will be based entirely on information from public secondary sources, company Websites, as well as your own professional experiences and insights. (I do not expect you to conduct any surveys or primary research.) Specifically, you will assess the brand planning, building, and growth of your chosen brand. Addressing the following, as you examine your brand, will allow you to do this:
    • Brand Planning
      • The first element of a brand audit is a full description of the firm’s current branding programs. This involves an analysis of the firm’s brand hierarchy, brand portfolio, strategic branding alliances, the brand’s current positioning in the marketplace, and how the firm is addressing branding through each of the marketing mix elements. Be sure to include brand elements (names, URLs, logos, symbols, characters, slogans, jingles, packaging).
      • Address the following:
  1. How would you characterize the positioning of your brand?
  2. Where are there the greatest opportunities to further enhance that positioning?
  • Brand Building Assessment
    • The second element involves assessing brand building capabilities. Address the following questions:
      1. How much brand resonance does your brand have?
      2. What have been the key marketing activities that have most contributed to the success of achieving its resonance and positioning?
      3. How would you suggest that they improve on their brand building activities?
    • Brand Growth Assessment
      • The third element involves assessing growth potential and providing recommendations. Address the following questions:
        1. How would you critique your brand’s architecture?
        2. What is good and bad about its hierarchy?
        3. How does it fit into a broader brand portfolio?
        4. How well has it been expanded into new markets or channels?
        5. How would you judge its growth strategy?
      • Final Report (Business Report format)
        • Use headings and subheadings throughout your report.
        • The final report profiles the positioning of the brand, its sources of brand equity and provides recommendations concerning how to build and manage equity for the brand chosen. After summarizing current and desired brand knowledge structures, you should outline creative and relevant directions for management of your chosen brand, providing justification where appropriate with course concepts.
        • The final written report should not exceed 20 pages in length (not including figures, references, or other supporting documentation), The paper should have normal margins (1” on all sides), be single-sided, double-spaced, 1-inch margin pages, minimum 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman or Garamond.
        • The report must include a cover ‘page’ (use the SBA cover page), a table of contents, an executive summary, an introduction, a conclusion / recommendations, and works cited. All sources are to be written in an academic style using Harvard formatting with appropriate in-line citation (author, year, page number).
      • PowerPoint presentation
        • Your presentation should be a top-line summary of the key points from your report.
        • Each team will have 30 minutes (25 mins. to present, 5 mins. Q&A). Every member of the team must present.
      • Each presentation must be e-mailed to me in Microsoft PowerPoint compatible format together with speaker’s notes in a Microsoft Word compatible format (no PDFs), as well as presented in class (but NOT printed).
      • Each presentation must include a cover ‘page’, a table of contents, an introduction, a conclusion / recommendations, and works cited at the end of the presentation, all as separate slides. All sources are to be written in an academic style using Harvard formatting with appropriate in-line citation (author, year, page number). Information on proper Harvard citation is available as a link on the class course space in Google Sites.
      • The presentation slide master must include a header (title of course, term and name of student) and footer (date and page number).

 

 

8.   General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules available in the Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Quality of Written Assignments

All written assignments, including in-class quizzes, exams, exercises, assigned papers etc., must be written at an acceptable university English level of quality. This means students must proofread exams, assignments, papers, etc. and make sure that they are free of grammatical, spelling, sentence structure and other errors.  Papers with a high level of errors of this type (meaning more than one per page) will be graded down substantially.

This means students must take responsibility for the overall quality of the work they submit.

For students who need assistance with writing skills, the school offers the Academic Tutoring Center. Students who are unsure of their writing abilities should work with the ATC's writing lab before assignments are due. All assignments with a significant writing component are given in enough time for students to work with the writing lab before submitting work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication. It is strongly recommended that any email communication between students and instructors take place in NEO LMS.

Each e-mail sent to an instructor that is about a new topic (meaning not a reply to an original email) shall have a new and clearly stated subject and shall have the course code in the subject, for example: “MKT320-2 Quiz No.1 Question”.

All electronic submissions are carried out through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance 

Attendance is required. Students who are absent 5 times or more will be failed (or administratively withdrawn from the course if most absences are excused). Students will also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options 

Should the student be absent from a class for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), s/he needs to submit an Absence Excuse Form supplemented with documents proving the reasons for absence to the Assistant Dean. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if they submit an Absence Excuse Form along with the finalized add/drop form. The form and documents must be submitted within one week of absence. If possible, it is recommended to inform the instructor about the absence in advance.

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean are entitled to make up exams they missed provided that the nature of the exam allows for a make-up. The students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week from the date the absence was excused, and for making arrangements with the instructor about make-up options as necessary.

Assignments missed due to unexcused absences cannot be made up.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please, follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Please specify your rules regarding use of Computers/iPads in the classroom. Options include but are not limited to:

  1. May be used only for course-related work.
  2. May not be used in the course.

Please specify the penalties for breaking the policy. Again, it is recommended to work with the Participation grade, the rule can be strict. For example: “With the second warning, the student loses participation points for the day.” Or: Unauthorized usage of electronic devices will result in a lowering of class participation grade by 5%.”

Any electronic devices (phones, tablets, laptops…) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information…). Any other use will result in being marked absent and/or being expulsed from the class. No electronic devices may be used during the tests.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive or other conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment of an institution of learning, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the activity or for the day and shall report the behavior to the Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating (e.g. whispering or passing notes) will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misbehavior the student will be expelled from the exam and the exam will be marked as failed.

Plagiarism and Academic Tutoring Center

Plagiarism is “the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work.” (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Random House, New York, 1993).

Turnitin’s White Paper ‘The Plagiarism Spectrum’ (available at http://go.turnitin.com/paper/plagiarism-spectrum) identifies 10 types of plagiarism ordered from most to least severe:

  1. CLONE: An act of submitting another’s work, word-for-word, as one’s own.
  2. CTRL-C: A written piece that contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations.
  3. FIND–REPLACE: The act of changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source in a paper.
  4. REMIX: An act of paraphrasing from other sources and making the content fit together seamlessly.
  5. RECYCLE: The act of borrowing generously from one’s own previous work without citation; To self-plagiarize.
  6. HYBRID: The act of combining perfectly cited sources with copied passages—without citation—in one paper.
  7. MASHUP: A paper that represents a mix of copied material from several different sources without proper citation.
  8. 404 ERROR: A written piece that includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources
  9. AGGREGATOR: The “Aggregator” includes proper citation, but the paper contains almost no original work.
  10. RE-TWEET: This paper includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text’s original wording and/or structure.

As the minimum policy the types of plagiarism from 1 through 8 results in the failing grade from the assignment and must be reported to the Dean. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Allegations of bought papers and intentional or consistent plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, students are encouraged to consult their papers with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities are asked to contact their instructor as soon as possible to discuss reasonable accommodation.

 

 

9.   Grading Scale

AAU uses a uniform grading system, which is already included. You do not have to fill out anything. Please make yourself familiar with the grading scale. Failing grades must still include a percentage as well a grade breakdown.

For required courses, C– is the minimum passing grade. For elective courses and general education courses, D is the minimum passing grade.

Students may take some courses both for a letter grade and on a Pass/Fail bases. If the Pass/Fail option is allowed the students indicated by the Dean by the end of the Add/Drop period shall be marked by a grade “Pass” if they meet requirements necessary to obtain a passing grade or “Fail” if they fail to meet such requirements.

Letter Grade

Percentage*

Description

A

95 – 100

Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.

A–

90 – 94

B+

87 – 89

Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.

B

83 – 86

B–

80 – 82

C+

77 – 79

Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course, but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.

C

73 – 76

C–

70 – 72

D+

65 – 69

Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.

D

60 – 64

F

0 – 59

Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Prepared by and when: Sylvia Vondráčková, M.B.A., 1st January 2019

Approved by and when: Approved by and when: Chris Shallow MSc, Chair of Department of Marketing, 28th January 2019; Irena Jindrichovska, Ph.D., Dean of School of Business Administration, 29th January 2019.

Here is the course outline:

1. Lesson 1

Sep 3

What is a brand?

2. Lesson 2

Sep 10

The Brand Equity Concept

3. Lesson 3

Oct 1

Why do Brands matter?

4. Lesson 4

Sep 4

What are the strongest brands?

5. Lesson 5

Oct 8

LO5 - Branding challenges and opportunities

6. Strategic Brand Management Process

Oct 11

Strategic Brand Management Process

7. Customer-Based Brand Equity

Oct 15

Customer-Based Brand Equity

8. Midterm Exam

Oct 22

Good luck. you got this.

9. Midterm Break

Oct 29

yeaaaaaaahhhh! a whole week to study!

10. Lets get back to it

Nov 5

Introduction to Assignment 3 Identifying and Establishing Brand Positioning and Values

11. New Trends in Branding

Nov 12

New Trends in Branding

12. Workshop and Case Studies

Nov 19

13. Workshop and Case Studies

Nov 26

14. Workshop and Case studies

Dec 3

Workshop and Case studies

15. Brand Audit Project

Dec 10

Brand audit project

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