Faculty of Business, Economics & Accounting

Department of Business Studies

HELP Bachelor of Business (Hons) Year 2

INTERNAL SUBJECT DETAILS

Semester 3, 2021

Subject: MKT 207

Product Management

Subject Lecturer/Tutor: Ms. Kimberley Yeoh

Telephone: 03 - 7849 3000
Email: kimberley.yeoh@help.edu.my

Consultation: Please e-mail for appointment

PRE-REQUISITE(S)

MKT101 PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING

SYNOPSIS

This subject will enable students to understand how marketers define and classify products,
and appreciate the variety of organizational alternatives for managing products, including
product extensions and modifications. Students will be able to appreciate various aspects of
product marketing management. The subject covers consumer, industrial and service
products. The focus of this subject is to understand the roles, responsibilities and
accountabilities of a product manager.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to:

▪ Identify product marketing management keys concepts and understand how strategic
dimensions can be integrated into comprehensive product that guides the value to be
delivered and the nature of the interaction with stakeholders along the value chain;

▪ apply principles of decision making to problems pertaining to product management. In

doing so you will deal with realities and practical issues faced by product marketing
managers;

▪ understand product planning and its relationship to marketing planning, corporate

planning and performance, and

▪ apply critical skills necessary for effective product planning; problem identification,
situation analysis, synthesis and strategy development.

TOPICS

Topic 1 Introduction to Product Management

Topic 2 Marketing Planning

Topic 3 Defining Competition

Topic 4 Category Attractiveness Analysis

Topic 5 Competitor Analysis

Topic 6 Customer Analysis

Topic 7 Market Potential and Sales Forecasting

Topic 8 Developing Product Strategy

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Topic 9 Managing New Products

Topic 10 Pricing Decisions

Topic 11 Advertising Decisions

Topic 12 Promotion Decisions

Topic 13 Channel Management

Topic 14 Customer Relationship Management

PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK

Lawley, B. and Schure, P. (2017) Product Management For Dummies, Wiley.

Lehmann, D. and Winer, R. S. (2010) Product Management, 4th edn., McGraw Hill.

RECOMMENDED REFERENCES

Chisa, E. (2014). Evolution of the product manager. Communications of the ACM, 57(11),
48-52.

Du, S., Yalcinkaya, G., and Bstieler, L. (2016). Sustainability, social media driven open
innovation, and new product development performance. Journal of Product Innovation
Management, 33, 55-71.

Layon, K. (2014). Digital Product Management: Design websites and mobile apps that
exceed expectations, Pearson.

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Subject Outline / Teaching Plan

Department : Business Studies Subject Code : MKT 207

Lecturer : Ms. Kimberley Yeoh Subject Title : Product Management

Week Topics Remarks

1 Introduction to Product Management
What does a product manager do?
Product management skills
Changes affecting product management
2 Marketing Planning and Marketing Plan
Defining Competition
Theory and intensity of competition
Role of market intelligence
3 Category Attractiveness Analysis
Industry analysis
Portfolio analysis matrix
Competitor Analysis
Classification of competitors
Identifying competitors
Assessing competitors’ S&W
Estimating O&T based on competitors
4 Customer Analysis
Identifying customers
Market segmentation
Target marketing
5 Market Potential and Sales Forecasting
Role of marketing audit
Evaluation process of marketing program
Sales volume analysis
Marketing cost analysis
Sales forecasting techniques
6 Developing Product Strategy Assignment 1 Dues
Product mix and product line strategy
Product mix strategies
7 Managing Service Quality (CRM)
Nature and importance of service
Service quality attitudes in marketing
Incorporating service quality as a total option
8 Mid Term & Break
9 Managing New Products
Importance of product innovation
Development of new product
New product adoption and diffusion
Organizing for product innovation
10 Pricing Decisions
Components of price
Price and competition
Price and quality
Pricing strategies

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 Price and PLC
11 Advertising Decisions
Scope of advertising
Advertising considerations, campaigns and message
Advertising media
Advertising attractiveness
Advertising feedback and control
12 Promotion Decisions Assignment 2 Dues
Promotion as an investment
Funding
Promotional mix
Promotion and demand curve
13 Channel Management
Selection of channel
Types of distribution channel
The roles of intermediaries
Distributor quality and service
Distribution strategy - pull and push
Physical distribution management
Mobile app
14 Revision

Textbooks:
Lawley, B. and Schure, P. (2017) Product Management For Dummies, Wiley.

Lehmann, D. and Winer, R. S. (2010) Product Management, 4th edn., McGraw Hill.

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ASSESSMENT:

There are 3 assessment items for this subject.

Assessment Items Value Due Date

1. Assignment 1 (Individual) 30% 28th September 2021 5PM

2. Assignment 2 (Group) 30% 8th November 2021 5PM

3. Final Assessment - 40% Week 14

Assignment

REQUIREMENTS:

To gain a pass in this subject, students must:

▪ Achieve a passing grade in the final assessment i.e. score a minimum of 20 marks out
of 40 marks if there is an examination for this subject.

▪ Attempt ALL areas of assessment; and achieve a total result of 50% or better overall.

EXTENSIONS AND PENALTIES FOR LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENT(S)

BUT NOT FINAL ASSESSMENT
If you are having difficulty in completing work in time due to illness or *extenuating
circumstances, you may apply for an extension through your lecturer with supporting
documentations eg. medical certificate, police report etc. Applications for extensions
on or after the due date of the assessment will not be considered. A deduction of 10% per
day from the marks awarded after the due date applies, if the piece of work is
submitted late without approved extension.
*Extenuating circumstances should primarily mean, medical conditions (both
physiological and psychological), family issues (death or illness), and personal misfortune
(accident, mugging, theft). Student should provide document proof for all of the above and
should also obtain prior approval from the examiner towards late submission.

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ASSESSMENT DETAIL

Turnitin via LMS

All assignments must be completed and turned in before or by the due date respectively,
together with a report generated from the Turn-It-In. It is your responsibility in making
sure the similarity index is not more than 30% with each source of reference with
maximum 2% of similarity index. Marks will be allocated for the originality of your
report.

You will be referred to the Board of Inquiry should the originality index is more than 30%
in total per assignment (Refer to Academic Integrity at pages 16-19 of this document)
and if one of the reference source similarity index more than 2%, you or your team
will be required to re-submit the assignment.

Assignment must be substantially your own work. If you wish to report another author's
point of view you should do so in your own words, and properly footnote the reference in
accordance with the departmental style. Direct quotations should form a small part of your
work, and must be placed in quotation marks and referenced. Any material taken from other
references are to be acknowledged.

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ITEM 1: Assignment 1 Individual Assignment 30%

Word Count: 2,500 – 3,000 words

Note: if any example from the prescribed book or any tutorial discussion questions is used
to do this assignment, ZERO marks will be given.

Rationale
Product Management is a complex activity, and companies face many challenges in
successfully executing the function. This assignment is designed to help develop your
understanding of the activities required to bring a product to success. This assignment
requires students to apply Product Management subject concepts in defining competition,
identifying competitors moves as well as assessing the attractiveness of a chosen industry.

Topic
Choose a product of a brand that endorses zero waste or eco-friendly.

You are NOT allowed to select Coke, Pepsi and other examples discussed in the lecture
notes or tutorial questions. Any other than stated here will be given ZERO marks.
The product must have been in the Malaysian market for at least 6 months (to ensure
viability of information). Critically assess the chosen product/product line & identify the
following:
• Define the competition
• Competitor analysis
• Assess category attractiveness
• Product features, value and positioning

All discussions must be supported and justified with published facts, published journal
articles and references from creditable sources. The assignment must be written in a
report format.

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 Marking Scheme

Assessment Criteria for MKT 207 Individual Assignment

Note that allocation of marks includes published facts/data/academic references.
Any internet sources that are NOT published facts/data/academic references and published news such
as Wiki sources, MBA Skool, other organization slides/personal teaching materials i.e. MBATools,
Blogspot will have mark reduction. ALL REFERENCES MUST BE CITED.

Section Guide for Students %

Section 1: Introduce the selected product. Your discussion should clearly /10
Introduction state the chosen product and its Malaysian SIC code, the
objective of the analysis, introduction of the product, price in
precise and synthesized manner.

Section 2: A detailed analysis on the selected product. All discussions must

Product be justified with supporting references/facts. Mark reduction
Description and applies if inappropriate references are used to cite the
Analysis theory(ies). USE ONLY Lehmann & Winer (2005) Levels of
product model.

1. Levels of Products (note: appropriate core value defined will /20

lead to better discussion and focus on the later part)

2. Type of Product Category (e.g. shopping, convenient, specialty /10

or unsought)

Section 3 This section requires you to define the competition. You answer
Define the should include the following: Mark reduction applies if
Competition of the inappropriate references are used to cite the theory(ies).
Selected Product
3.1 Level of Competition: name all the identified products. Must /40
adhere to need-based model (refer to Lehmann & Winer 2005
model)

3.2 Discuss another TWO appropriate methods that you can use /20
to identify the competitors besides need-based model. Justify your
answers with published fact / data / academic references. (SIC
Code is not required here)

Section 4 Analyze the identified competitor(s). Your answer should include

Competitor the following and support with relevant justification.
Analysis
1. Compare and contrast your product with all competing /10
products. If there is no competing product from competitors, then
take the competing product(s) from the product category.
Compare meaningful elements such as benefits, put all in a matrix.

2. Assess the chosen product and competition products from /50

marketing perspectives: ALL discussions must be justified.

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 • Product marketing objectives (20 marks)
• Target segment(s) (10 marks)
• Product value positioning (10 marks)
• Technology strategy (10 marks)

Conclusion Summarize your findings of previous sections in a concise /5

manner.

List of References Turnitin Originality index should be less than 2% per sources. /10
& Originality Mark deduction applies on those that exceed 2% per reference
source.

References must be published/creditable references. Mark

reduction applies to unverified sources references such as Wiki
sources, MBA Skool, other organization slides/personal teaching
materials i.e. MBATools, Blogspot.

Citation All references must be cited in either APA OR Harvard

Referencing standards (refer
http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm).

Total 30% /175

/100

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ITEM 2: Group Assignment 30% (include submission of presentation slides)

Word Count: 3,000-3,500 words

This is a group project. Each group should have 4 members or less. No individual
submission is allowed. Individual submission will be given ZERO marks.

Rationale

A well product marketing plan is crucial for a product to be successful. Therefore, the ability
to plan and execute the plan is crucial for product managers in managing product marketing.

This assignment gives you an opportunity to examine in-depth the role and actual
implementation of activities in product management. You are given an opportunity to
explore the depth of your group’s creativity in product management planning and
implementation.

The group is required to present the group assignment to the class two weeks before the
submission date. Valid feedbacks and comments shall be given to the group as part of the
learning process. ALL members of the group shall participate in the presentation. The group
member(s) who fail to participate and present the findings will be subjected to 50% marks
reduction from the final marks of group assignment.

Topic

Identify a product that exists in other markets (not in Malaysia) that your group is planning
to market in Malaysia. Your team is required to plan for the product marketing in Malaysia.
Your plan should include the following:

1) Competition to be faced in Malaysia

2) Customer analysis: segmentation and target market
3) Market potential and predicted sales forecast
4) Develop the product strategy to be sold in Malaysia
5) Pricing, integrated marketing communication decisions and channel selection

All discussions must be supported and justified with published facts, published journal
articles, and references from the creditable sources.

Submission of presentation slides shall include supporting notes in the Notes section.

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 Marking Scheme

Assessment Criteria for MKT 207 Group Assignment

Section Guide for Students %

Section 1: Introduction shall include brief discussion of the chosen product to be market in
Introduction Malaysia, the objective of your study, and report flow.

1.1 Your discussion should contain a table clearly stating the chosen product in /10
current reference country, price and pictures of the chosen product in Malaysia,
the price, target market, pictures and versions to be market.

Section 2 Clearly describe the selected product’s features using level of product.
Chosen Your answer should include the following:
product details
information 2.1 Levels of Product(s): Core, Actual and Augmented /20

Section 3: Provide a detailed analysis on the selected product and the competitors in
Competition to Malaysia.
be face in All discussions must be justified with published facts/data/academic research
Malaysia references.
Your answer should include the following:

3.1 Levels of competition (need-based model; name all the identified products at /20
each level)

3.2 Do a brief but precise category attractiveness analysis in Malaysia to /10

conclude that that the chosen product category is attractive for your group to
bring in the product. ONLY FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS.

3.3 Identify the target segment(s) in Malaysia. Your discussion should clearly /20
identify the profile of customer segment(s). Eg. customer segment 1 profile,
customer segment 2 profile. All discussion must be justified.

Section 4 Analyze the market potential and predict sales forecast for your chosen product
Market to market in Malaysia. Justify your discussion.
potential and
predicted sales 4.1 Based on the findings in sections 1, 2, 3 and 4, discuss the market potential /10
forecast in Malaysia. Justify your answer with published data/academic references or
other creditable references.

4.2 Prepare a sales potential for the product, and a yearly sales forecast for the /15
next 3 years.

Section 5 Describe the product strategy in a short and precise manner. Justify your
Product discussion.
strategy • The product objective (10 marks) /25
• Competitor target (5 marks)
• Core strategy (positioning etc.) (10 marks)

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Section 6 Discuss the implementation of the core product strategy.
Pricing, Place
and Promotion 6.1 Discuss the pricing strategies proposed for the chosen product: /25
strategies in • Pricing based strategy(ies)
Malaysia • Pricing tactics

6.2 Distribution strategies in Malaysia

• Channel strategy /25
• Type of channel to be employed
• Name all the channels to be used in Malaysia

6.3 Identify the integrated marketing communication mix

• Communication objectives /25
• Type of communication tools
• Type of media/medium
• Type of activities associated with each media and tool used (detail out
the proposed activities)

Conclusion A summary of the product strategy from previous sections’ analyses. /10

List of Turnitin Originality index should be less than 2% per sources. Mark deduction /10
References & applies on those that exceed 2% per references source.
Originality
References must be published/creditable references. Mark reduction applies to
unverified sources references such as Wiki sources, MBA Skool, other
organization slides/personal teaching materials i.e. MBATools, Blogspot.

Citation All references must be cited in either APA OR Harvard Referencing standards
(refer http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm).

Total /225

ASSESSMENT 3: FINAL ASSIGNMENT

Value: 40% of total assessment in subject

The final assignment question paper will be released three days before due date on Week
14.

All discussions must be related to the application of the MKT207 subject.

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 Assignment No.: __

Assignment Cover Sheet

Student Information (For group assignment, please state names of
Grade/Marks
all members)
Name ID

Office
Module/Subject Information
Acknowledgement
Module/Subject Code

Module/Subject Name
Lecturer/Tutor/Facilitator

Due Date
Assignment Title/Topic

Intake (where applicable)

Word Count Date/Time

Declaration

. I/We have read and understood the Programme Handbook that explains on plagiarism, and I/we testify
that, unless otherwise acknowledged, the work submitted herein is entirely my/our own.
. I/We declare that no part of this assignment has been written for me/us by any other person(s) except
where such collaboration has been authorized by the lecturer concerned.
. I/We authorize the University to test any work submitted by me/us, using text comparison software, for
instances of plagiarism. I/We understand this will involve the University or its contractors copying my/our
work and storing it on a database to be used in future to test work submitted by others.

Note:1) The attachment of this statement on any electronically submitted assignments will be deemed to
have the same authority as a signed statement.
2) The Group Leader signs the declaration on behalf of all members.

Signature: Date:

mail:

14
 Feedback/Comments*
Main Strengths

Main Weaknesses

Suggestions for improvement

Student acknowledge feedback/comments

Grader’s signature Student’s signature:

Date: Date:
Note:
1)A soft and hard copy of the assignment shall be submitted.
2)The signed copy of the assignment cover sheet shall be retained by the marker.
3)If the Turnitin report is required, students have to submit it with the assignment. However, departments may allow
students up to THREE (3) working days after submission of the assignment to submit the Turnitin report. The
assignment shall only be marked upon the submission of the Turnitin report.
*Use additional sheets if required.

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 Department of Business Studies

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Honesty and Responsibility

Academic integrity is an important tenet for HELP University. In pursuit of the highest
standards of academic integrity, the Department of Business Studies holds it students to the
highest ethical standards defined by the Rules and Regulations section of the Academic
Handbook. All students at the Department of Business Studies are subjected to and are
bound by the Student Academic Misconduct Rule to assure academic honesty. Students are
required to sign a pledge on the assignment cover sheet before submitting your assignments
to the Administration Office of the Faculty of Business, Economics & Accounting.

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is academic dishonesty or academic theft, and it is a serious academic offence.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the followings:
1. quote, paraphrase or summarize someone else’s ideas, theories or data, in whole or
in part, without appropriate acknowledgement
2. borrow ideas, opinion or words, in whole or in part, from other sources without
properly crediting the author(s)
3. use any facts, statistics, diagrams or graphs, in whole or in part, without
acknowledging the source clearly
4. claim or imply original authorship of someone else’s ideas, theories or data, in whole
or in part, as your own
5. employ or allow someone to help to revise, amend or write your work and pass off
as your own original work
6. collaborate with or allow other students to copy your work
7. draw on sources more than what you have acknowledged by citations

While a student is not discouraged to discuss an assignment with his/her friends or

classmates, the work he/she submits must be done by the student alone. If a student shares
his/her assignment with other students and they plagiarize it, the student is as guilty as those
students who plagiarized his/her assignment. All parties to plagiarism are considered equally
guilty. Under no circumstances should a student be involved in collusion with other students
unless he/she is permitted to work on an assignment jointly by the lecturer/tutor. If a student
is unsure what constitutes plagiarism, he/she is obliged to consult the lecturer/tutor on the
matter before submission of his/her assignment.

When and How to Reference?

Knowing when and how to cite is a student’s responsibility. If he/she is in doubt or need
more help on this matter, the student may consult the lecturer/tutor. The following list
comprises some of the sources a student will need to reference. The list is by no means
exhaustive, but simply consists of the most common sources used by students to complete
their work.
1. Books
2. Chapters in books

16
 3. Journal articles
4. Conference papers
5. Newspaper articles
6. Magazines
7. Websites
8. Study guide

Students are advised to cite in the following cases [1]:

1. When he/she quotes two or more words verbatim, or even one word if it is used in
a way that is unique to the source
2. When he/she introduce facts that he/she have found in a source
3. When he/she paraphrase or summarize ideas, interpretations, or conclusions that
he/she find in a source
4. When he/she introduce information that is not common knowledge or that may be
considered common knowledge in your field, but the reader may not know it
5. When he/she borrow the plan or structure of a larger section of a source’s
argument (for example, using a theory from a source and analyzing the same three
case studies that the source uses)
6. When he/she build on another’s method found either in a source or from
collaborative work in a lab
7. When he/she build on another’s program in writing computer code or on a not-
commonly-known algorithm
8. When he/she collaborate with others in producing knowledge

In general, a referencing system requires two parts:

1. In-text citations
This is information about a source within the text of an assignment.
2. List of references
This is a list of all sources a student has used to research his/her assignment. It is
alphabetically arranged by author surname and appears immediately after the last
page of an assignment.

Different faculties or departments may have different requirement on how referencing for
an assignment should be done. The various formats used for in-text citations and list of
references are available in the following websites:
1. Harvard System (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/guide/gen/harvard.html)
2. Chicago Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/index.html)
3. American Psychological Association or APA Style (http://www.apastyle.org)
4. Modern Language Association of America or MLA Style (http://www.mla.org)

Once a student has selected a referencing style for his/her assignment, he/she must follow
the same style consistently throughout the assignment. We strongly suggest that the student
consults the lecturer/tutor about which method to use before submission of his/her
assignment.

1
http://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/plagiarism/warning.html, accessed May 18, 2008.

17
What are the Procedures and Penalties for Plagiarism?
When a lecturer/tutor encounters a possible case of plagiarism, the lecturer/tutor shall report
the matter to the Head of the Department, who then initiates an investigation on the matter.
The following procedures would be carried out:
1. The lecturer/tutor shall provide evidence that substantiates an academic offence has
occurred. The following documentations must be ready prior to reporting of alleged
plagiarism:
a. Copy of the alleged plagiarized assignment
b. Copy of the source material (e.g. articles, websites, newspaper, etc.)
c. Report of plagiarism
d. Any other information that would support the claim of plagiarism
2. If the evidence warrants an accusation of academic offence, the Head of Department
shall establish a Board of Inquiry comprising 3 academic staff. The Department shall
provide all necessary documentations, including report on prior academic offences
if applicable, to the Board of Inquiry.
3. The Board of Inquiry shall put the matter to the student in writing and give him/her
an opportunity to respond to the accusation within 3 working days.
4. The student will be required to attend a meeting with the Board of Inquiry. After
meeting the student, the Board of Inquiry shall decide whether or not the alleged
plagiarism has occurred. The following documentations shall be submitted to the
Head of Department at the end of the meeting:
a. Findings of the investigation
b. Recommended action(s) to be taken or imposed
5. The Head of Department shall review the Board of Inquiry’s report with supporting
evidence and shall decide on an appropriate action(s) based on the recommendation
of the Board of Inquiry.
6. The decision of the Head of Department shall be put in writing to the student. Copies
of all documentations will be retained in the Department.
7. If the student feels that he/she has been unfairly accused or treated, the student may
appeal to the Head of Department within 5 working days.
8. The Head of Department shall review the appeal and the final decision will be
communicated to the student in writing and a copy will be kept with the Department.
Once a determination of plagiarism and penalty has been made by the Head of
Department, the investigative process will be deemed to have ended and the student
will not be allowed to appeal.

Possible penalties for plagiarism range from mark reduction for the assignment to expulsion
from the University. The student will not be allowed to make up the assignment. If
plagiarism has been found to have occurred, the Department will take action(s) as
determined by the forms of plagiarism implicated:

1. Complete plagiarism
Verbatim copying another person’s work without acknowledgement
1st offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
2. Substantial plagiarism
Near-verbatim copying another person’s work by simply altering the order of the
sentences or the format of presentation or by changing a few words or phrases
without acknowledgement.

18
 1st offence : Zero mark on the assignment and a warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
3. Minimal plagiarism
Acknowledgement is made but paraphrasing by changing and/or eliminating some
words
1st offence : Deduction of 50% of available marks on the assignment and a
warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
4. Unintentional plagiarism
Insufficient acknowledgement by not applying citation or quotation marks correctly
1st offence : Deduction of up to 50% of available marks on the assignment
and a warning letter will be issued
2 offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
nd

3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
Pleading ignorance or unintentional plagiarism does not constitute valid reasons for
plagiarism and will not avoid the penalties from being imposed. Excuses for acts of
plagiarism such as the following, but not limited to, will not be entertained:
1. I don’t have time to do the assignment
2. I have too many assignments due on the same day
3. I don’t know, I really didn’t do it
4. I am not aware
5. I don’t understand what plagiarism means
6. I have no intention to plagiarize
7. I forgot to cite the reference
8. I forgot to include the bibliography
9. My English is not good
10. My lecturer/tutor did not explain to me
11. In my country, it is alright to copy someone else’s work
12. My friend copied my assignment when I let him/her to look at my assignment
13. My friend copied my assignment when I allow him/her to use my laptop
14. I did my assignment in the computer lab, someone must have copied my work
15. I asked my friend to submit my assignment and he/she copied my work
16. I discussed my assignment with my friends, so our answers are the same/similar
17. Even though I do not have in-text citation but I have bibliography/reference list
Students should be reminded that it is their responsibilities to take due care throughout their
written work to effectively reference or cite when they use others’ ideas from any source.

19