City University of Hong Kong
Information on a Course
offered by Department of Marketing with effect from Semester B in 2013 / 2014Part I
Course Title: Creativity in Marketing
Course Code: MKT3607
Course Duration: 1 Semester
Credit Units: 3
Level: B3
Medium of Instruction: English
Prerequisites: (Course Code and Title) CB 2601 Marketing
Precursors: (Course Code and Title) NIL
Equivalent Courses: (Course Code and Title) NIL
Exclusive Courses: (Course Code and Title) GE 2101 Rational Thinking and Creative Ideas
Part II Course Aims
This course aims to assist students to develop creative thinking and creative problem solving skills to face the challenges in today’s complex and competitive business environment particularly in marketing. Various approaches and techniques in creative ideas generation,
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
No. CILOs Weighting DEC-related
Dimensions
1. Describe the importance of creativity in various aspects of marketing
2 Attitude
2. Apply creative thinking skills in marketing decision making occasions to identify and design creative marketing solutions for a specific firm or situation
3 Accomplishment
3. Communicate innovative ideas and creative marketing plans efficiently and effectively.
1 Ability
4. Working productively and effectively with people who are creative in different levels and senses as a team.
1 Ability
(1: Minor focus; 2: More important focus; 3: Most important focus)
Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to facilitate students’ achievement of the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)
TLA1: Seminars
Theories, concepts and different techniques of creative thinking and problem solving will be covered
TLA2: Class Discussion
Students will gain hands-on experience of apply different theories and techniques in real and hypothetical cases in marketing. There will be briefing of how they can be practiced, debriefing for what have been learned and how they can be applied in other situations, and discussion of the results and processes in different student groups.
TLA3: Project Presentations
Groups are required to suggest an innovative business idea that could lead to the creation of a successful business venture or enterprise, or an improvement of existing products/ processes. The idea can be a product, a service or something that could fill a market need, create value or income, increase sales, or reduce costs.
CILO No TLA1: Seminars TLA2: Case Discussion TLA3: Project Presentations
CILO 1 2 1 1
CILO 2 1 2 2
CILO 3 1 2
CILO 4 1 2
(1: Minor focus on the ILO; 2: Main focus on the ILO)
Assessment Tasks/Activities
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)
AT1: Class Activities (35%)
Attend and participate in class discussions to gain knowledge and practice of the creative thinking skills, and learn how to apply them in various marketing situations. Discussion includes raising questions in the class and after the presentations, and sharing of results and experience from the situations discussed in the classes. It is an assessment of individual performance.
AT2: Individual Assignment (15%)
Prepare assignment related to creativity in marketing. AT3: Project Presentation (20%)
Present the new product/ service/ business ideas orally within certain time limit and answer questions raised by the class. It is a group assessment with peer evaluation adjusting the group marks to be distributed among group members.
Regulation of the course
Students need to meet the attendance requirement of the Dept. of Marketing for the completion of the course.
Grading of Student Achievement:
CILOs Excellent A+ A A– Good B+ B B– Adequate C+ C C– Marginal D CILO1 Explain, define, identify
and evaluate all concepts, methods and skills covered in the course and seek chances to explore knowledge relevant but not covered in the classes. Always reflect on
learning process initiatively and identify the areas of improvement.
Explain, define, identify and evaluate most concepts and principles covered in the course. Reflect on the learning process initiatively.
Explain, define, identify and evaluate some concepts and principles covered in the course. Reflect on learning process as required.
Explain, define, identify and evaluate only a few concepts and principles covered in the course. Minimally reflect on learning process even required.
CILO2 Apply creative thinking skills creatively, not only in marketing and business fields but also in various aspects of daily life, critically evaluate the ideas generated with the skills learned in the course, and always suggest improvements
Apply creative thinking skills in various marketing and business fields, evaluate the ideas generated with the skills learned in the course, and sometimes identify improvements
Apply creative thinking skills in some marketing and business fields, evaluate the ideas generated with the skills learned in the course, and rarely identify improvements. Apply creative thinking in limited marketing and business fields, evaluate the ideas generated with difficulties, and no improvement is suggested.
CILO3 Communicate excellently in presentations and Q & A, write the report clearly and precisely, actively and initiatively participated in every class, and raise questions in most presentations
Communicate well in presentations and Q & A, write the report clearly, actively participate in most classes, and raise questions in some presentations
Communicate in presentations and Q & A, and write the report at acceptable level, and participate in some classes and rarely raise questions after presentations
Communicate fairly in presentations and Q & A, but unclearly write the report, and rarely participate in classes and never raise questions after presentations
CILO4 Work with his/her team smoothly and effectively with appreciation from members
Work with his/her team smoothly without complaint from any members
Work with his/her team fairly, with complaints from one or two members
Work with his/her team with lots of problems and stimulate many complaints from group members
Part III
Keyword Syllabus
Creativity; Innovation; Brainstorming; SCAMPER; Five Ws. Mind Mapping; Lateral Thinking; New Product Development; Creative Thinking Skills
Recommended Reading Text(s)
1. Abelson R. P., “Statistics as Principled Argument”, New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
2. De Bono E., “Lateral Thinking”, London, Penguin.
3. De Bono E., “Teach Your Child How to Think”, London, Penguin. 4. De Bono, E., “Teach Yourself to Think”, London, Penguin.
5. Buzan T., “The Mind Map Book”, New York, Penguin.
6. Foster J., “How to Get Ideas”, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler.
7. Higgins J. M., “101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques”, Florida, The New Management.
8. Jones M. D., “The Thinkers’ Toolkit”, Times Business.
9. Kotler P. & Trias De Bes F., “Lateral Marketing”, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons. 10. Michalko M., “Thinkertorys”, Berkeley, Ten Speed.
11. Michalko M., “Cracking Creativity”, Berkeley, Ten Speed.
12. Proctor T., “Creative Problem Solving for Managers”, London, Routled 13. Rawlinson J. G., “Creativity Thinking and Brainstorming”, Vermont, Gower. 14. Senge P. M., “The Fifth Discipline”, New York, Doubleday/Currency.
15. Treffinger D., Isaksen S. G. & Dorval K. B., “Creative Problem Solving: An
Introduction”, Texas, Prufrock.
Online Resources
1. International Center for Studies in Creativity
http://www.buffalostate.edu/creativity/
2. Seth Godin’s Blog
