1. As a security measure, a seat has randomly been assigned to each student for our midterm on Monday.  If you did not receive an e-mail with your seat announcements, these will be posted outside the auditorium before the start of the exam.
2. From this afternoon through Sunday afternoon, I will be away for a meeting in San Diego.  For anyone who has questions, I plan to be back in my office by 2:00 p.m. on Sunday.  Please note that substantive questions cannot be addressed effectively through e-mail.  If you have questions, you should come by my office.
3. For the exam, please bring your ID and at least two #2 pencils.  The Scantron sheet will be provided.  You will NOT need a blue book.  More information on the exam is available in the syllabus and on the course “Exams” page at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .
4. Earlier this week, a podcast on consumer behavior was posted.  This is available from the “PowerPoint Notes” section of the course web site or directly from http://www.buad307cast.com/MP3/cb--Sp09.mp3 .
5. As a reminder, electronic dictionaries are NOT permitted on the exam.  If your native language is not English, you may bring a print dictionary, but this dictionary must be approved by me BEFORE the start of the exam.
6. A map of seats in the Edison Auditorium can be found at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/Edison.pdf .

1. Hope y’all had a great Presidents’ Day week-end!
2. A revised evaluation form for the project proposal—including your in-person meeting—has been posted in the “Project” section of the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/Evaluation--Proposal.pdf .
3. As a reminder, due to the very tightly scheduled appointments, there will be zero tolerance for late arrival.  Information on how to find my office can be found on the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/Appointment_Instructions.pdf .
4. Podcasts on Marketing Strategy, Social Responsibility and the Marketing Environment, and International Marketing have been posted in the “PowerPoint Notes” section of the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/Appointment_Instructions.pdf .
5. Our Quiz #2 on February 23 will not cover the international marketing material that we did not finish covering last week.
6. A Sample Quiz #2 has been posted to the course web site in the “Exams” section at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .
7. As a reminder, unofficially, I do not expect to see anyone during discussion sections this week.  However, if you want to discuss anything, these are a great time to see me as “extended office hours.”
8. Later this week, I hope to send out a grade progress report indicating your scores so far and a link to a Sample Midterm for this semester.

1. Podcasts about material covered the first week and the course project have been posted to the course web site.  These podcasts can be accessed from the “PowerPoint Notes” page at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html .  The podcast links are found under the “MP3 Discussion” column.
2. The PowerPoint notes for the course will be handed out during lecture in a six-slides-to-a-page format along with a brief written summary of material covered.  If you would like the slides in a different format—e.g., slides printed three or one to a page—you can download either the original PowerPoint files or various combination files at the “PowerPoint Notes” page of the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html.
3. Appointments to discuss your project proposal with me during the sixth or seventh weeks can now be made online.  Instructions can be found at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/Appointment_Instructions.pdf .  The actual appointment-making web site is at  https://www.appointmentquest.com/provider/2100094123/login .
4. I hope to post the project proposal form on the course web site by Friday.  By that time, I will also post a sample Quiz #1 to the “Exams” section of the course web site.
5. If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to stop by my office.

Lars

Lars Perner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing
Department of Marketing, Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA 90089-0443
Phone: (213) 740-7127     Cell:  (760) 412-0154
perner@marshall.usc.edu  
http://www.LarsPerner.com
http://www.ConsumerPsychologist.com
Blog:  http://delightfulreflections.blogspot.com/
"Normal people rarely ever make history."

1. Multiple choice keys and sample short answers for the Sample Final and the Actual Spring 2008 Finals have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .  Please note that the original Spring 2008 Final did not have a correct answer for question #9.  A revised version now posted on the course web site does have a correct answer. 
2. Podcasts on promotion and pricing will be posted on the course web site by tomorrow evening.
3. Again, please be compassionate to the Bruins this Saturday.  You may want to comfort them after their loss and assure them that they can meaningfully contribute to society since the World does need people to do menial tasks.

1. Hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving!
2. There will be no Wall Street Journal article for this week.
3. This week in lecture, we will finish pricing and begin electronic commerce.  In lecture, we will also do the class evaluations.  We will finish electronic commerce in this week’s discussion sections.
4. A sample final and the actual Spring, 2008 final examination have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/exams.html .  Keys and sample short answers will be posted by Friday.
5. If you have not completed your research participation requirement, Dr. Kristin Diehl has informed me that studies have been added to ExperimenTrak for today, Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday.  If you have further questions, please contact Dr. Diehl.  I have no more information. 
6. Due in part to a family situation, I have not been able to read all the preliminary papers yet.  If you have not received your comments yet, you should finish your final paper and be prepared to turn it in, but you can hold off until a day after you receive your comments in case you might like to make any minor changes to your final paper based on comments.  It is not expected that comments on the preliminary paper would significantly alter your plans for the final paper.  If you have questions about this, please come to my office.
7. The library database sources assignment has NOT yet been graded since I have made it a priority to get the preliminary comments back first.  These will be graded by the end of the coming week-end.
8. Our final examination will be held at the scheduled time (Thursday, December 11 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.) in SAL 101—NOT in the regular classroom.  This situation has come about because we share a twice weekly meeting slot in Edison with another BUAD 307 section that meets on Thursdays.  Each semester, one of the two classes sharing this session is randomly selected to be moved to the other location.
9. This week-end, please treat the Bruins with compassion.  They are doing the best they can even if that isn’t much.  There is no need to “rub-in” their impending humiliating loss!

1. Our Wall Street Journal article for next week is “Wal-Mart Defies Retail Slowdown,” November 14, 2008, p. A1. A “hard” copy of this article will be handed out in lecture on Tuesday.   If you have an online subscription to the WSJ, you can access the article at http://online.wsj.com/public/page/us_in_todays_paper.html?mg=com-wsj .  If you do not have a WSJ online subscription and would like to access the article before receiving the hard copy, please see instructions at the end of this article.  In preparation for our discussion, you should consider the following issues:
   1. What are likely explanations that Wal-Mart is currently doing relatively well?  Do you expect this advantage to last?
   2. What proportion of non-auto U.S. purchases are now made at Wal-Mart?
   3. Two years ago, which problems did Wal-Mart appear to face?
   4. How has Wal-Mart’s current position affected relations with vendors?
   5. What are some threats and complications that Wal-Mart is currently facing?
   6. How have foreign Wal-Mart operations performed in the past, and what are their prospects?
2. A study checklist for the final examination has been posted on the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PDF/FinalChecklist--F08.pdf .  A hard copy of this checklist will be distributed in lecture on Tuesday.
3. The PowerPoint slides and notes for the remaining topics for the semester have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html .
4. The updated grade progress report is scheduled to be sent out this evening.  To ensure that the report will display properly, it will be in the form of a PDF file attachment.

To access this week’s article through the Marshall Library:

1. Login to MyMarshall at https://mymarshall.usc.edu
2. Click on “Academics,” then “Marshall Library,” and then “Electronic Resources.”
3. Select the "ABI/Inform through Proquest Direct" link.
4. Click on the “W” link under “Show all publications.”
5. Click on the Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition link.
6. Click on November 14, 2008.
7. In the list of articles, find the article entitled "Wal-Mart Flourishes As Economy Turns Sour."  If the index structure remains static, this will probably be article #103.  To reach this, you would click on the number screen #10 and then on #11 on the bottom right corner of the screen and then select article number 103.

BUAD499.jpg (122.94 kb)

A number of individuals have reported problems in uploading assignments through the Turnitin feature of Blackboard.  Technical support has now provided me with a solution that they believe should resolve the problem.  If you still experience problems, please let me know.

I regret the frustration many of you have experienced in trying to upload!

1. In view of the modest rates of readership this semester, I have “thrown in the towel” and decided to hand out “hard” copies of the Wall Street Journal articles at lecture sessions for the remainder of the semester.  If you have to miss lecture or if you would like to read the article before the lecture session, access information is listed below.  Please note that, for copyright reasons, I cannot post or e-mail you directly an electronic version.  Given this adjustment, individuals who still fail to read the article in preparation for discussion will be judged severely. 
2. Our Wall Street Journal article for next week is “Marketers Take a Softer Tack to Reach Uneasy Consumers” by Stephanie Kang, November 4, 2008, p. B3.  If you have an online subscription to the Wall Street Journal, you can access the article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122575290974794763.html?mod=djem_jiewr_MK .  If you do not have an online subscription, you can access the article for free through the Crocker Library.  Please see instructions at the end of this e-mail.  In preparation for our discussion and questions on the final examination, please consider the following questions and issues:
   1. What are the motives behind General Mill’s "Home Is Calling" advertising campaign?  What are some characteristics of this campaign?
   2. Currently, how is Pillsbury’s advertising budget being adjusted?
   3. How are current advertising themes similar to those employed in the aftermath of September 11, 2001?
   4. What are themes of Ikea and MasterCard’s current advertising themes?  What is the rationale behind these advertisements?
   5. What is the rationale for Toys ‘R’ Us’ current advertising theme?
3. Everyone who has submitted a project proposal should have received comments below.  Your score is indicated in today's announcements e-mail.  If you did not receive your comments, please stop by my office to pick up your comments.
4. A more complete grade progress report will be mailed out as a PDF attachment by Monday afternoon.
5. It has been brought to my attention that an error resulted when attempting to download the actual PowerPoint slides on Market Research from the course web site.  This problem has now been fixed.
6. If you attend class regularly and have already picked up your Midterm II, please disregard the following message:  Individuals who have still not picked up their second midterms should do so in lecture on Tuesday.  Those who fail to do this are at serious risk of being classified as a “grossly substandard student” (GSS).  For individuals who have been ditching lectures with impunity, this is a good opportunity to stop this reprehensible and slothful pattern.  Failure to attend may be condoned at substandard institutions such as the one across town, but at the Marshall School of Business, it constitutes conduct unbecoming to a Trojan. 

To access this article through the Marshall Library: 

1. Login to MyMarshall at https://mymarshall.usc.edu
2. Click on “Academics,” then “Marshall Library,” and then “Electronic Resources.”
3. Select the "ABI/Inform through Proquest Direct" link.
4. Click on the “W” link under “Show all publications.”
5. Click on the Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition link.
6. Click on November 4, 2008.
7. In the list of articles, find the article entitled "Marketers Take a Softer Tack to Reach Uneasy Consumers."  If the index structure remains static, this will probably be article #64.  To reach this, you would click on the number 7 on the bottom right corner of the screen and then select article number 64.

1. The PowerPoint slides and summary notes for the Product element of the marketing mix have been posted to the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html .
2. A podcast on market research methods has been posted to the course web site and is accessible from the PowerPoint slides and notes page at http://www.buad307.com/PPT_notes.html .
3. Our Wall Street Journal article for next week is “Personalized Store Ads Take Off” by David Kesmodel, Oct 23, 2008, p. B5.  If you have an online subscription to the Wall Street Journal, you can access the article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122472576115361225.html?mod=djem_jiewr_MK .  If you do not have an online subscription, you can access the article for free through the Crocker Library.  Please see instructions at the end of this e-mail.  In preparation for our discussion and questions on the final examination, please consider the following questions and issues:
4. What do the “personalized store ads” entail?  What makes them possible?
   1. How did the response rates experienced by Stouffer’s compare to those of newspaper inserts?  Is this a fair comparison?
   2. Who makes money on the process of making the coupons available to customers?
   3. How are privacy concerns addressed?
   4. How did GlaxoSmithKline PLC, the manufacturer of Tums, use this technology?
5. Next week in lecture, we will first finish the market research material and then finish the remaining material on segmentation, targeting, and positioning.  During the latter part of class, we will begin our coverage of the “Product” element of the marketing mix.

To access this article through the Marshall Library:

1. Login to MyMarshall at https://mymarshall.usc.edu
2. Click on “Academics,” then “Marshall Library,” and then “Electronic Resources.”
3. Select the "ABI/Inform through Proquest Direct" link.
4. Click on the “Publications” tab.
5. Click on the “W” link under “Show all publications.”
6. Click on the Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition link.
7. Click on October 23, 2008.
8. In the list of articles, find the article entitled "Personalized Store Ads Take Off; Big Marketers Start to Embrace Pitches Tailored to Reflect Shoppers' Buying Habits."  If the index structure remains static, this will probably be article #88.  To reach this, you would click on the number 9 on the bottom right corner of the screen and then select article number 88.

Our Wall Street Journal article for next week is “Emerging Lessons” by Madhubalan Viswanathan, Jose Antonio Rosa, and Julie A. Ruth, Oct 20, 2008, p. R2. If you have an online subscription to the Wall Street Journal, you can access this article directly at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122427233015845347.html?mod=djem_jiewr_MK .  If you do not have an online subscription to the WSJ, please see instructions at the end of this e-mail on how to access the article for free through the Crocker Library’s ABI/Inform database.  The article will NOT be distributed in class.  This article will be covered on the final exam. In preparation for the final and our class discussion next week, please consider these issues:

1. Aside from humanitarian concern, why are American “subsistence consumers” important?
2. What are some problems that low income consumers tend to face (over and beyond having limited means to buy things that are needed)?
3. In what ways do low literacy consumers tend to differ in how they process consumer relevant information?
4. What are the implications and suggested remedies of the tendency toward “concrete” thinking?
5. What are some ways in which low literacy consumers tend to misspend energy?
6. What are some suggestions for making a shopping environment more friendly to low literacy consumers?

I hope to complete comments on most of the project proposals over the week-end.  By tomorrow afternoon, I will post on the “Projects” page of the course web site some brief podcasts discussing the different options available for the Preliminary Paper.  Sample papers taking the three approaches are available on the “Projects” page of the course web site at http://www.buad307.com/project.html .

As a reminder, the Department of Marketing requires that each student enrolled in BUAD 307 participate in two research studies.  To be notified of upcoming studies, you need to be registered on Experimentrak as explained at http://www.buad307.com/ResearchParticipation.pdf .  I have been informed that, at the moment, we are running ahead of the other BUAD 307 classes in registrations, but they might catch up.  If you have not already registered, please do so now so that we can maintain our lead!

To access this week’s article through the Marshall Library:

1. Login to MyMarshall at https://mymarshall.usc.edu .
2. Click on “Academics,” then “Marshall Library,” and then “Electronic Resources.”
3. Select the "ABI/Inform through Proquest Direct" link.
4. Click on the “Publications” tab.
5. Click on the “W” link under “Show all publications.”
6. Click on the Wall Street Journal, Eastern Edition link.
7. Click on October 20, 2008.
8. In the list of articles, find the article entitled “Business Insight (A Special Report)--Emerging Lessons: For multinational companies, understanding the needs of poorer consumers can be profitable and socially responsible."  If the index structure remains static, this will probably be article #15.  To reach this, you would click on the number 2 on the bottom right corner of the screen and then select article number 15.