Lubin School of Business
Pace University
MAR 344 Customer Relationship Management
(PL 52728)  SPRING 2005
Course Syllabus
Professor: Dr. Kathy Winsted
Office: Goldstein Academic Center in Pleasantville - Rm 121 (PLV)

Phone Numbers: Pleasantville (PLV): 914/773-3905 (FAX 914/773-3908)
                                Home office: 914/962-3029 (FAX 914/962-3029)

Email address: kwinsted@pace.edu

Instant Messaging: kwinsted
Web page: http:://webpage.pace.edu/kwinsted

Course website: http:://blackboard.pace.edu

Office Hours:
Monday:  9:30-11:00, 1:30-2:00
Wednesday:  9:30-11:00, 12:30-2:00

Class Session: Monday 11:15-1:15, Wednesday 11:15-12:10

Prerequisites:  MAR 250

Texts:  Two course texts plus cases and readings available on the Blackboard site.

      Customer Relationship Management, Concepts and Tools, by Francis Buttle, Elseview Butterworth-Heineman, 2004.

       Customer Experience Management, A Revolutionary Approach to Connecting with your Customers, by Bernd H. Schmitt,
        John Wiley and Sons, 2003

Course  Description:   This course focuses on customer relationship management (CRM) and the customer-driven, market-based management practices that enable a business to attract, satisfy, and retain customers profitably.  Students will learn to properly use CRM to more accurately evaluate the market place, evaluate competitors and their positioning, and consider the lifetime value of a customer.  CRM represents an important paradigm shift for marketing – away from an acquisition and transaction focus to a retention and relationship focus.  CRM is a philosophy of doing business and a strategic orientation that focuses on keeping customers and improving customer relationships rather than acquiring new customers.  The rapid expansion of direct marketing, interactive media and E-commerce has led to an increased focus on the development of programs designed to cultivate customer relationships and brand and product loyalty.  The course will also study the coneept of Customer Experience Management. 

Educational Objectives:  To provide students with an understanding of:
    - The theory behind Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
    - The importance and role of CRM in today’s businesses
    - New and evolving business models
    - The Lifetime Value of a Customer and related concepts
    - How to implement customer satisfaction surveys, CRM techniques, and customer satisfaction programs
    - The meaning and use of the concept of Customer Experience Management

Grading: Each graded component of the course will be evaluated on a 100 point scale, with each weighted as follows to determine a final grade. Overall grades will be assigned as follows: A (93-100), A- (90-92), B+ (87-89), B (83-86), B- (80-82), C+ (77-79), C (73-76), C- (70-72), F (0-69).  Grades will be computed based on the following percentages:
            Class Participation/Preparedness   20%
            Topic Presentation                        10%
            Case Analyses (2 @ 15%)              30%
            Schmitt Exam                               15%
            Buttle Exam                                 25%

Class participation is given a substantial weight.  Students are expected to have a very high level of preparedness for class sessions which will focus on analysis of articles, case discussions, and debates.  Two written case analyses will be required from each student and will be weighted at 15% each.  Two open-note exams will test students understanding of assigned reading.

Class Participation/Preparedness:
  As noted above. particpation and preparedness are worth nearly a third of the class grade.  To prepare for each class, students should read the material assigned and answer the questions for the case assigned.  While students only need to write up the details of the analysis for two of the cases for grading, each student is expected to take notes on all cases and jot down answers to each of the questions asked.  Notes and written answers to each question should be in front of each student during class.  These do not have to be handed in but they will be checked briefly by the professor in most classes and will be part of each student's participation/preparedness grade.   Because so much of the learning in this class will take place through discussions of the cases and readings, attendance is also an important part of the participation grade.  Anyone who needs to miss a class should submit notes on the assigned reading and answers to the case questions (in brief outline form) to avoid any penalty for missing class.  These can be dropped into Blackboard file exchange prior to class along with an email telling me they are there.


Topic Presentation: 
Each student will be asked to sign up for one session at which he or she will discuss a personal experience, a business application, or a current article to help illustrate points made in the readings and/or case for that session.  (Please note that this does NOT mean presenting the material in the reading or case, but rather applying the material to a specific situation.)  This presentation will be graded based on relevance to the readings and topic for the day, additions to or clarification of material read, and quality of presentation.  Visual aids, preferably Power Point slides, are encouraged.   Each presentation should be no more than ten minutes long (they will be timed and cut off at ten minutes), with five additional minutes allotted for questions and answers.   Students are, of course, encouraged to discuss any additional articles or experiences at any class session.


Written Assignments: 
This course involves three different types of graded written assignments.  Details for each assignment are outlined below.   All papers will be graded based on appropriate use of applicable terms from readings and class discussion, responsiveness to the specifics of the assignment, presentation (including organization, appearance, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and readability), thoroughness of analysis, and demonstration of an understanding of the subject matter.  Because no exams are given in this course, these assignments, together with participation, need to demonstrate learning that has taken place in the course.  Therefore, it is very important to reflect as many of the concepts learned from the readings and cases as possible in each assignment.  Late papers will be graded based on a starting grade of 10% off per day for each day or partial day late, unless approved by the instructor prior to the class in which they are due. 

All assignments must be submitted to the Digital Drop Box in Blackboard prior to the end of the class for which it is assigned.  Submitting papers to the Digital Drop Box authorizes the professor to check the paper for originality using turnitin.com.  All students will be asked to sign a permission slip and register for turnitin.com prior to the due date of the first assignment.  To register for turnitin.com, go to www.turnitin.com and enter by typing in your email address, then for course ID, enter "1244986", for password, enter "customer".  Use of any work that is found to be not original (plagiarism) will result in a grade of zero on the assignment.  Be sure to properly identify and reference any words that are not your own.  The department academic honesty policy will apply to all honesty issues.

Case Analyses: 
Each student will pick two of the cases assigned (selecting from the cases on the schedule with an *) to write up and hand in for grading.   Questions to be answered for each case are available on the course website and on the Blackboard site for the course.   Case analyses should be 5-10 pages long (though no minimum or maximum is required), typed, double-spaced and stapled, and should clearly identify each question being answered (it's useful to use the questions as section headers).  If the question asks for an analysis of alternatives, be sure to list all the possible alternative actions, explaining pros and cons of each, and then clearly defend a position with supporting arguments. (Be sure to state an analysis of options independent of your recommended action.).  Grading will be based on thoroughness and on understanding of the case and of relevant concepts.   Papers are due at the end of the class session in which they are discussed.   All papers must be submitted to the Digital Drop Box on Blackboard.  Late case writeups will not be accepted, nor will handwritten changes or additions.    Any student wishing to write a third case may do so and the best two grades will be used.  (Clearly, this option is not available to someone not handing in any cases before the last two which are due.)  Anyone not handing in two cases by the date the last case is due will receive a zero for the one or two cases missing.  All students not selecting to write up a particular case should still write notes for class discussion and be prepared to state and defend a recommended course of action.  In lieu of writing up a case analysis (or as a third paper to improve a grade), any student may choose to write up a case based on his or her own experience with CRM.  For this option, the written work should include a case that describes a situation that links well to one of more of the readings, a decision to be made with alternative possible courses of action, at least five questions, and a suggested answer for each of the questions.

Exams: Two tests will be given covering concepts in the chapters indicated, as well as any cases, speakers, and videos. While all material in the book will not be covered in class, students are responsible for all reading assigned. Most exam questions will be applications questions (i.e., being able to apply a concept from the book or a case to a situation given on the exam). The two exams are not cumulative.  All exams are open-note and all students are encouraged to take notes while reading the text and cases, as well as in class. Any notes in the student's own handwriting may be used to assist in taking the exams. If desired, students may also type notes, but if a student wishes to use typed notes for the exam, these must be submitted to the Digital Drop Box in Blackboard prior to their use for the test.  Use of any notes found to not be original work of the student using the notes will result in a grade of zero on the exam.  Textbooks and printed materials may not be used. Any student who cannot take an exam at the scheduled time must get an alternate date approved by the instructor prior to the date scheduled, or have an excuse from a doctor and notify the instructor as soon as possible, always before the next class meeting. No makeup exam will be scheduled if these guidelines are not met.

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