Note: The following provides a suggested course description,
objectives, and an outline. These may be modified pending discussion with
the Faculty Chairs, proposing faculty, and other curriculum
reviewers.
Course Description: Today's product managers are
charged with the success of products or product lines. Typically, the
product manager has no direct authority over the individuals producing or
selling the product but rather has to work across many departments and
with many cross-functional teams. This course explores how to manage the
cohesive development and marketing of new products or product lines from
inception to discontinuation. It begins with discussions about the Age of
Brands and continues into new product planning and development, management
of product introductions, management of established products, and how to
delete products from the product line. Product management requires a high
degree of analytical ability and problem solving.
Course Outline by Topical Areas:
- The Age of Brands
- The Product Manager or Brand Manager Cross-functional
Responsibilities
- Profit and Loss
- Building sales
- Building market share
- Brand strategies
- Researching customer needs and the market
- Assessing competition
- Position analysis and product positioning
- Pricing
- Product testing, certification, and liability
- Marketing plans
- Promotion and advertising campaigns
- Pipeline management
- Portfolio analysis
- Product and process engineering
- Product Management Best Practices
- Managing when you don't have line authority
- Building coalitions across the organization
- Political and social processes
- Value Chain Analysis
- The product lifecycle and lifecycle management
- New product proposals, planning and development
- Pricing Decisions
- Strategic Product planning
- Managing the introduction of new products into the market
- Management of established products
- Deleting products from your product line
- The financial side of product management
- International Orientation
