SYLLABUS

Spring 2006
Wednesdays: 2:00 - 4:30 pm
Instructor: Evelyn Daniel

Introduction

Welcome to Marketing Information Services. Libraries offer services as to information professionals in whatever setting they find themselves. Even the Internet is one big service. The success of organizations and individuals offering services will depend heavily on the quality of their services from the customer's point of view.

The course focuses on the unique challenges of managing services and delivering quality service to customers. The attraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships through quality service (and services) are at the heart of the course content.

In this course you will learn critical skills and gain knowledge needed to implement quality service and service strategies for competitive advantage. You will learn frameworks for customer-focused management, and how to increase client satisfaction and retention through service strategies. You will learn how to measure service quality and you will learn how to map services, understanding customer expectations and develop relationship marketing strategies. Throughout the course an emphasis will be placed on the total organization and how effective marketing and customer focus must be coordinated across multiple function.

Objectives of the Course

On conclusion of this course, you will be able to:



Apply the key marketing concepts to libraries and other information service organizations

Create a marketing plan for a library or other information organization of your choice

Evaluate selections from the marketing literature for relevance to the LIS field and your own interests

Think in marketing terms about all aspects of an organization

Demonstrate good collaborative skills in working with classmates and instructor to make the course an effective and efficient learning environment

Enjoy yourself while accomplishing all the other objectives


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Textbook and Other Readings

The required textbook is:

Valerie Zeithaml and Mary Jo Bitner. Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. ISBN 0-070119914-4 or paper ISBN 0-07-247143-5.

You are encouraged to become familiar with the general marketing literature through the reading list and by examination of some of the periodicals listed below. Articles on marketing and public relations regularly appear in LIS periodicals devoted to type of library or functional area, (e.g., Public Libraries, References Services Quarterly, and the like.

Some of the annual review serials and print journals you will want to sample are:

  • Academy of Marketing Science Review
  • Advances in Nonprofit Marketing
  • Journal of Consumer Marketing
  • Journal of Marketing
  • Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
  • Marketing Library Service: MLS
  • Marketing Research
  • Research in Marketing
  • Review of Marketing Science

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Conduct of the Class

An underlying assumption of this course is that students learn best and retain the most through active participation in the learning process. Therefore, classroom sessions will consist of a mixture of short leatures, student discussions of material and assignments, case discussions, media presentation, active learning exercises, and guest speakers.

You will want to participate actively in class discussions by asking and responding to questions and by offering your observations and ideas. Participation in class is important and will affect your grade. It can be accomplished in several ways, e.g., providing examples, comments, questions, and information during class sessions, providing "afterthoughts" on the discussion forums, working with classmates in team work exercises, making suggestions for class conduct directly to me. Some entries on the discussion forums are required.

Class policies that you should be aware of:

  • All assignment deadlines will be posted in advance. In the event a deadline adjustment is announced during a class session, you are responsible for knowing about it (It's useful to have a class buddy).

  • I encourage you to post your completed assignments on a designated discussion forum within Blackboard so that they are available to other members of the class for comment. An open atmosphere in which members of the class comment in helpful ways on each other's work is encouraged. You may wish to create a personal Class Page for the course for all your assignments with appropriate links posted on the discussion forum to share your work with your classmates.

  • Assistance to one another is encouraged. Many of the assignments may be done as a team. If you work as a team, all members of the team will receive the same grade unless there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

  • Attendance at every class session is expected. If you have an unavoidable absence, please let me know, in advance if possible. (See comment about a class buddy above)

  • Asssigned chapters of the text and other readings are to be completed prior to scheduled sessions.

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Graded Activities

There are six assignments weighted as follows:
  • Four short exercises - 40%
  • Market Audit Paper - 20%%
  • Consultant Report - 20%
  • Class Participation - 20%
Each short exercise counts 10% of your grade; each has two options. The market audit paper asks you to describe and evaluate an organization in depth; at the end of the course you will be asked to produce a consultant's report in which you recommend changes to improve the marketing position of the same organization. You are encouraged to do these two papers with another person as a team; the two papers together comprise 40% of your grade. The final 20% is for overall class participation and includes attendance, in-class discussion, participation on the Blackboard discussion forums, and mindfulness of the class community. Please see Assignments for more detail about the assignments and when each piece is due.

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Grading Policy

Graduate students may receive the following grades: H, P+, P, P-, L, F. Although pluses and minuses are used in the internal grades awarded by the school, only H, P, L, and F will appear on the official transcript. Pluses and minuses on the internal record are used to determine class rank and Beta Phi Mu candidacy. The SILS grading policy is based on the University Grading Policy. SILS uses the graduate grading scale, which is defined as follows:
H - Clear excellence
P - Entirely satisfactory
L - Low passing
F - Failed
IN - Work incomplete
To provide some additional guidelines for this course, here is my interpretation of that grading scale for INLS 237.
  • H - Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that surpasses course expectations. In INLS 237, this means the student has contributed on a regular basis in class and on the discussion forums with insightful comments supported by professional literature beyond that provided by the basic required readings. Command and understanding of the literature is shown in all the written assignments and is appropriately documented. The H student initiates issue discussions, leads in summarizing and drawing conclusions, and shares knowledge with classmates. Leadership and initiative are demonstrated throughout the semester.

  • P+ - Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner. In INLS 237, this means the student has command of the basic required readings as well as supplemental materials and demonstrates this through class and listserv discussions and in written assignments. The student participates in issues discussions and shares ideas with classmates.

  • P - Satisfactory work at the graduate level. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials, and performs at an acceptable level. In INLS 237, this means the student demonstrates understanding of issues across the entire semester and supports this understanding with the required readings. The student participates in discussions with relevant comments.

  • P- - Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials. In INLS 237, this means the student seems to have read most of the required materials, but fails to provide meaningful discussion, fails to raise questions of merit or to think beyond personal experiences and needs. Basic requirements for the written assignments are met, but there are few signs of critical thought or creative vision.

  • L - Unsatisfactory work. Student performance demonstrates inadequate understanding of course materials. Some assignments incomplete.

  • F - Failing. Sporadic attendance. Assignments not turned in on time. Student may continue in the master's program only with permission of the dean.

  • IN - Incomplete. A grade of incomplete may be taken only because of illness or special circumstances and only with the permission of the instructor.

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Revised 1/6/2006.
Evelyn Daniel, Instructor