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Syllabus: MGMT S-6630 Sustainability

Marketing 7-week session | CRN 33345
Harvard Summer School

Class meetings
Online (live) web conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Noon- 3 PM

Start date
Tuesday, June 26th

Introduction:
A rising tide of global interest from consumers and corporations in solutions to sustainable issues is
creating opportunities for profitable sustainable brands and products in all market segments. The
ability to adapt marketing strategies to sustainable products and services will be an important skill set
for entrepreneurs and marketers going forward. This course will focus on the marketing skills needed
to meet sustainable market needs and opportunities.

Instructor:
Name: Thomas Murphy
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 978-760-1388
Student Help: Fridays 10 – Noon {by phone}

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Textbook:
{1} Sustainability Marketing, Belz / Peattie (2012) Wiley ISBN: 978-1119966197
This is a constantly evolving field, and fairly new to academia. As a result finding a fully comprehensive textbook is difficult. The above
text is a good overview of the concepts, but will be significantly supplemented by instructor lectures and external materials.

Previously this course was taught with a second textbook - Sustainable Marketing, Martin / Schouten (2011) Prentice Hall ISBN-13:
978-0136117070. This book is now out of print, but if you can find a copy, it will be a great supplement for

Course Overview:
This is a 7-week/ 14-session graduate business course focused on the concepts, challenges and
approaches for global marketing of sustainable products and services. The course includes principles of
corporate sustainable responsibility and sustainability branding. This course will be delivered as an
online course with remote lectures and online assignments.

Learning Objectives:
At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
Recognize global challenges for sustainable products and corporate action
Identify the role that sustainability marketing plays for global companies
Create and launch a sustainability marketing plan
Be able to differentiate and position a sustainability focused brand
Understand the elements of effective Corporate Social Responsibility

Course Policies and Expectations:

Technical requirements To be successful in this course, students will need to access materials and
submit assignments in Blackboard regularly.

Grading Your grade in this course will be based on the aggregation of individual assignments,
quizzes, projects, and participation. Late submission of assignments will be assessed at a penalty of a
half letter grade per hour that they are late.
Assignments will generally be graded within 1 week of their due date. Points you receive for graded
activities will be posted to the Electronic Gradebook. In considering the level of grade to assign to any
student submission, the instructor considers the following key elements:

1. Diligence: To what degree has the student covered all of the tasks assigned
2. Integration: How extensive are relevant course concepts included
3. Initiative: Demonstration of discovery and solutions beyond expectations
4. Critical Thought: Creating reasonable, effective and insightful solutions

Method of Evaluation

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Your final course grade will be an aggregation of the following:

33% Assignment
33% Mid Term Exam
33% Final Exam

Course time commitment

Over the course of the semester students are expected to put in at least 120 hours of dedicated time to
meet the requirements of this course. This effort is divided as follows:
o Online Lecture Time – 40 hours
o Textbook and Article review – 40 hours
o Assignment – 30 hours
o Exam{s} Preparation / Taking – 22 hours

Assignment : Sustainability Review of the Eco-Clothing Market

There is one individual project that allow you to explore and innovate a sustainable product solution for one
of the most current topics in sustainability marketing. This assignment will be worth 33% of the final course
grade. A complete outline of the assignment objectives, schedule and tasks is provided in a Guideline that will
be placed on the Canvas course page {slide deck} and the Guideline will also be reviewed by the instructor in
one of the early lecture sessions.

All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically unless otherwise instructed.
Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline or special permission must be requested from
instructor at least 3 days before the due date. Late assignments will be assessed a half-letter grade
penalty for every day it is late late. Be sure to pay close attention to deadlines—there will be no make-
up papers.

Academic & Course Policy: Including

 Absence from lecture sessions
 Academic Integrity
 Behavior & Conduct
 Student Accessibility
Please refer to the guidelines listed in the HSS Student Handbook:
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/exams-grades-policies.

http://www.summer.harvard.edu/policies/student-responsibilities

Accessibility

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The Summer School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The

Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with
documented disabilities. Please visit http://www.summer.harvard.edu/resources-
policies/accessibility-services for more information.

Academic Integrity

You are responsible for understanding Harvard Summer School policies on academic integrity
(http://www.summer.harvard.edu/policies/student-responsibilities) and how to use sources responsibly.
Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting the wrong draft, or
being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable excuses. To support your learning about
academic citation rules, please visit the Resources to Support Academic Integrity
(http://www.summer.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources-support-academic-integrity

Session Outline:
Subject to possible modification by instructor during the semester

Week 1: SETTING THE FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABILITY MARKETINFG

 6/26: Introduction & Framework of Sustainability Marketing { CH 1 & 2 }

 6/28: Sustainability Marketing Socio-Ecological Influences {Chapter 3}

Week 2: CONCEPTS OF SUSTAINABLE STAKEHOLDERS AND MARKET

SEGMENTATION

 7/03: Sustainable Consumption, Consumer Behavior, Segments { CH 4 }

 7/05: Sustainable Services { CH 5 }

Week 3: MARKETING SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS & PACKAGING

 7/10: Sustainability Product Design & Marketing { CH 5 }

7/12: Successful Sustainable Packaging

Week 4: MID TERM EXAM

 7/17 “THE NAKED BRAND “ VIDEO

 7/17 MID TERM EXAM REVIEW

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 7/19: MID TERM EXAM: CANVAS BASED

Week 5: SUSTAINABLE BRANDING & COMMUNICATIONS

 7/24: SUSTAINABLE BRANDING { Chapter 8 }

 7/26: Sustainable Marketing Communication {Chapter 9 }
 7/22: SUSTAINABLE FOOTWEAR BRANDING PROJECT DUE

Week 6: SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT COSTS, PRICING AND CHANNELS

 7/31: Sustainability Value & Pricing {Chapter 10}

 7/31: Sustainability Supply, Delivery & Convenience {Chapter 11}
 5/02; final Exam Review {RECORDED – NO ONLINE SESSION}

Week 7: FINAL EXAM

 8/07: FINAL EXAM: Remote Online via Canvas

DRAFT: NOT FOR CLASS USE