Marketing Management

Marketing Fundamentals

Peter Drucker, the father of management consulting, once wrote. “Only two business functions produce new customers. They are marketing and innovation.” The skilled marketing manager aids in the process of creating committed customers through product development, branding, customer service, distribution, pricing and promotion. The marketing management concentration prepares you to become adept at adding value to any organization, profit or non-profit.

Our marketing curriculum recognizes the importance of many different topic areas, but puts special emphasis on sound decision-making based on customer, competitor and market information. As such you will study:

• Buyer Behavior
• Marketing Research
• Marketing & Sales Analytics
• Brand Management
• Integrated Marketing Communications
• and much more…

Professional Preparation

A key element of our program is the “Professional Experience” which is designed to ease your transition from academics to industry. All marketing management majors will participate in the Marketing Capstone course which will allow you to consult with a major firm in the region. You will also choose between a marketing internship or three 1 credit courses in our new Professional Workshop program. These workshops, taught by area executives, will deal with cutting edge marketing issues.

Our Faculty

• are innovative
• conduct state-of-the-art research
• use the latest course materials and course management techniques
• are involved in business and society
• use case studies, seminar presentations and skills performance to bring the business world to life

Akron Advantage

All College of Business Administration programs are accredited at the highest possible level by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). In addition, the CBA is one of only 171 schools that have earned separate accounting accreditation. The College has been consistently rated as one of the best business schools in the nation by the Princeton Review and ranked in the top 100 of all undergraduate programs by BusinessWeek magazine.

Our close ties to regional businesses provide many benefits for our students. Business executives share their expertise as mentors and guest lecturers in classes, and provide valuable advice on program and course content, helping to keep our curricula fresh, relevant and rigorous. Students gain valuable hands-on experience through group projects that assign them to solve problems for local businesses and by participating in co-op and internship programs at regional companies.

We are able to provide our students with training in cutting-edge technology as a result of our academic alliances with technology vendors such as SAP, Microsoft, Oracle and Xerox XMPie.

Our active student organizations enable our students to enrich their college experience by providing opportunities for them to apply knowledge and skills gained in the classroom, and by opening doors to new friendships, networking, professional growth, and even jobs.  Many of our student organizations have excelled in regional and national competitions, often against highly regarded colleges and universities across the country.

Hands-on Research

You will work in teams on real-world business situations, applying your classroom knowledge to help solve problems facing local businesses. You will use state of the art research tools and have access to up-to-date databases and company research. Projects span the possibilities of large and small, corporate and not-for-profit enterprises.

Recent Placements Include:

• The J.M. Smucker Company
• The Goodyear Tire and Rubber
• FirstMerit Bank
• PNC (formerly National City Bank)
• Step2 Company
• GOJO Industries
• Strategic Marketing Associates

Marketing Student Organizations:

The College of Business Administration and University of Akron offers a variety of general business student groups:

• American Marketing Association – preeminent marketing professional association
• Beta Gamma Sigma— an honorary fraternity
• Delta Sigma Pi — a professional fraternity
• Economics club — forum for discussion on local, national and global economy
• Kappa Beta Delta — recognize scholarship and accomplishment in business and management
• Pi Sigma Epsilon – collegians and professionals in sales, marketing and management
• Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) — develops outreach projects to improve quality of life
• Student Toastmasters — focus on building leadership and public speaking skills

Sample Curriculum

• Marketing Management — B.B.A.