Course Syllabus
Course Instructor
Stephan Sorger, MBA, MS, PE is an award-winning serial marketing executive, an adjunct faculty member of several major universities, the author of multiple marketing textbooks, including the recommended textbook for this course, "Marketing Analytics: Strategic Models and Metrics," a popular speaker on marketing topics, and a member of several advisory boards.
Contact: If you have a question, please post it in the discussion forum instead of contacting the instructor directly. Due to the large number of students enrolled in the course, the instructor simply cannot provide individual content and technical help. By asking your question in the discussion forums, everyone can benefit. Besides, if you have a question on something, other people probably do as well. In the discussion forums, you can discuss content, ask questions, and comment on other student posts. You might even be able to do some networking!
Course Description
This course is the second of a four part XSeries. This second course covers four essential topics in marketing analytics: 1) Business Operations, which covers forecasting, predictive analytics, and data mining; 2) Price Analytics, showing you how to apply pricing techniques and assess the impact of different prices; 3) Promotion Analytics, where we estimate the total promotion budget and then allocate it across different campaigns; and 4) Analytics in Action, where we show how you can gain quick wins in your organization using analytics.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing the required course content, students will be able to:
- Execute sales forecasting using multiple techniques
- Implement pricing strategies and techniques
- Use charts and other tools to effectively communicate analytics to key stake holders
Weekly Time Commitment
- Approximately 5 to 7 hours each week.
Prerequisites and Course Materials
- This course does not have any particular academic discipline prerequisites; although, proficiency using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets will be helpful.
- All instruction is in English, so students should be sufficiently fluent to understand written and spoken English.
- This course is self-contained, meaning all content necessary to successfully complete the course certification requirements are shared in the course, no additional materials need to be purchased.
Recommended Textbook (Optional)
If you are having problems in the course, or simply want a more thorough learning experience, we recommend purchasing the recommended textbook: Marketing Analytics: Strategic Models and Metrics by Stephan Sorger (Admiral Press / CreateSpace, 2013). Each module in this course (and in the other courses that make up this series) includes reading assignments from the book. The book is packed with examples and illustrations to relate the content to real-world problems. Again, this book is not required for completion of the course, but is a good reference for any learners looking to go deeper into the course content.
Course Structure
This course takes place over a four week period and is the second in a four-part Xseries. The course consists of 4 modules of study plus a summary quiz. All 4 modules and the quiz must be completed by the end of the 4 weeks. All of the course lectures are pre-recorded and there are no real-time, synchronous meetings in the course.
Each module consists of:
- A short overview
- An optional reading assignment
- One or more recorded lectures
- A case study assignment
- A discussion forum for questions about the module's case study
In addition to the case study discussion forums, the course also includes a discussion for students to introduce themselves to one another, and a general discussion.
Grading
The course contains 5 graded activities:
- 4 case study assignments worth 20% each (4 x 20% = 80%)
- A final course summary quiz worth 20%
In order to receive a Verified Certificate students must pass the course with an average score of 70% or higher on these graded activities. Verified students can then request and download their certificates from their progress page.
In order to receive an XSeries Certificate, all four courses in the series must be passed with a score of 70% or higher.
Please note: On all graded activities, students will have only 1 opportunity to provide a correct answer, and all graded activities must be completed before the course end date (August 1, 2016).
Course Schedule and Outline
Module 1: Business Operations
- Module 1 Lectures:
- Introduction to Business Operations
- Regression Background
- Time Series and Causal Analysis
- Trial Rate Forecasting Model
- Diffusion Methods for Forecasting
- Predictive Analytics and Data Mining
- Balanced Scorecard and Critical Success Factors
- Module 1 Case Study
- Module 1 Case Study Q&A Discussion
Module 2: Price Analytics
- Module 2 Lectures:
- Pricing Techniques
- Pricing Assessment
- Pricing for Profitability
- Module 2 Case Study
- Module 2 Case Study Q&A Discussion
Module 3: Promotion Analytics
- Module 3 Lectures:
- Promotion Analytics, Promotion Budget Estimation
- Promotion Analytics, Promotion Allocation
- Promotion Metrics: Traditional
- Promotion Metrics: Social
- Module 3 Case Study
- Module 3 Case Study Q&A Discussion
Module 4: Analytics in Action
- Module 4 Lectures:
- Analytics in Action: Introduction
- Pivot Tables
- Communicating with Tables
- Module 4 Case Study
- Module 4 Case Study Q&A Discussion