Global Marketing Communication & Advertising

The graduate specialization in Global Marketing Communication & Advertising (GMCA) prepares a select group of students to pursue communication careers in today's multinational corporate environment. The intensive, one-year program provides a cohort experience in which all students move as a group through a structured sequence of courses, each of which offers a cutting-edge approach that blends theory with hands-on application.

Graduates have chosen career tracks in account management, account planning and development, public relations, marketing, brand management, and e-commerce with such companies as McCann-Erickson, Politzer & Haney, Hill-Holliday Advertising Inc., and Reebok. The program emphasizes cross-cultural communication and sensitizes students to cultural diversity in world markets.

Unlike the broad-brush coverage sometimes offered by more traditional MBA programs, courses within GMCA focus solely on specialized areas related to global marketing communication and advertising. While the program addresses key economic and money management issues as they relate to global marketing, it does not employ a "number-crunching" approach to such subjects. GMCA degree candidates must complete 40 credit hours (a four credit, 200 hour, internship may be included within this total). This leading edge program is designed to prepare graduates for careers in areas such as:

International brand management
Account management, international ad agencies
Advertising management, international firms
International trade groups
Consultant, international marketing and advertising
Marketing management with small /medium size firms seeking expansion
Ad agency international account coordinator

Program Requirements

Fall Term

Course Code	Course Information
GM601	Marketing Management in a Global Environment 4.00 Credits An introduction to the economically integrated global marketplace. The course addresses the global economic environment, social and cultural environments, legal and regulatory considerations, foreign exchange and financial decision-making, global marketing research, strategic alternatives for global market entry and expansion, as well as cooperative global strategies and global strategic partnerships. It stresses the differences between domestic and global strategies when applied to product development, pricing, and distribution and focuses on the unique role of promotion within a global marketing framework. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising Students only.)
GM603	Cultural Foundations of Buyer and Organizational Behavior 4.00 Credits The foremost theme in this course is the discussion of what culture is, how members of different cultures differ, and on what criteria they can and cannot be compared. Cultural value systems will be highlighted as they provide insight into the impact of cultural differences on individual and group processes such as decision-making, verbal and non-verbal communication styles, and organizational structure. Models of decision-making and information-processing, as well as the influence of cultural heritage on organizational dynamics such as planning processes and organizational structure, are topics covered in this course. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising Students only.)
GM604	Research Methods for Global Marketing Communication and Advertising 4.00 Credits Provides students with an in-depth understanding of the research process, including formulation of research questions and determination of research design (including data collection methods, sampling, data analysis, and interpretation). Introduces students to the world of networked information as well as to the application of information technology to decision-making in a global business context. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.)
GM605	Financial and Strategic Context of Global Market Planning 4.00 Credits The focus of this course is the organizational environment within which marketing decisions are made in global enterprises. A number of financial and strategic planning tools are essential elements of planning and evaluating marketing activities. The course provides an overview of financial aspects of marketing decision-making such as forecasting, budgeting, optimizing, valuing, evaluating, and auditing results. Students will practice applying these tools to marketing and communication decisions in a global arena. In the strategic planning area the emphasis is on the special challenges of designing and implementing strategic plans across a global enterprise. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.)

Spring Term

Course Code	Course Information
GM606	Global Marketing Communications Planning 4.00 Credits An introduction to disciplines within marketing communication and to the concept and practice of integrated marketing communication planning. Description of fundamental theory and practice within advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, e-commerce, event planning, and sponsorships. Review of global issues and institutions in the practice of these disciplines in multinational organizations. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.)
GM620	Global Brand Management 4.00 Credits The course examines the challenge of branding in a worldwide context. It provides a systematic approach to all aspects of creating and managing brands. Students are given a comprehensive framework regarding branding alternatives, issues for segmentation and brand research, communicating brand and corporate identities, managing the mix, and organizational and legal issues. Students will explore the opportunities offered through line and brand extensions through case study presentations. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising Students only.)
GM636	Creative Thinking and Problem Solving in a Global Environment 4.00 Credits The abundance of choices available to consumers for every conceivable product and service, along with the over-saturation of messages delivered about them, necessitates that companies differentiate themselves creatively in global markets. Creativity and innovation are fast becoming cornerstones of business, key qualities managers look for in prospective employees and essential skills for graduates that hope to excel.This course is designed to explore the nature of creativity, creative thinking and creative problem solving in a global environment. Through interactive exercises, case analysis, discussion, creative thinking methods, and group and individual projects, students engage in activities that foster and increase creativity.

Please choose one of the following:

GM612	Global Public Relations 4.00 Credits The course offers focused consideration of the role of public relations in a global setting, the application of market research to public relations, the benefits and limitations of analytical frameworks applied to strategy development, and the models of the roles and ethical responsibilities of corporations engaged in public relations. It includes attention to the evolution and present practice of public relations in major markets throughout the world. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising Students and select Integrated Marketing Communication students only.) (GM 612 and GM 614 cannot both be taken in the GMCA program).
GM614	Global Advertising 4.00 Credits This course concentrates on the organizational and external environments within which global advertising decisions are made. The impact of business trends, the regulatory environment, media structure and procedures, as well as agencies and advertisers in global communication planning, are discussed in detail. The dilemmas faced by global marketers and their agencies in constructing global plans are highlighted in decisions such as when and how to standardize communication strategy, how to choose an agency for global brands, how to allocate decision responsibilities across a global network, how to localize creative executions, how to collect information on foreign buyers and media audiences and how to select and buy media in multiple markets. Many of these topics will flow out of case discussions and student readings and assignments. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.) (GM 612 and GM 614 cannot both be taken in the GMCA program).
MK627	Interactive and e-Communication 4.00 Credits Students learn how to communicate on the Internet and examine the differences between traditional media vehicles and the Internet within the context of strategic communication. Students explore how communication has changed given media and delivery system convergence as well as market democratization. Ethical and legal parameters of technology-based communication will also be covered in this course. (Co-requisites: MH 610, MH 618.)

May Intersession

Course Code	Course Information
GM668	Global Marketing Communication Capstone 4.00 Credits This intensive class integrates the material from other courses in the GMCA program and provides the student an opportunity to experience the planning environment for global marketing communication decisions. Students will design and present a global marketing communication plan for an organization serving as the class client for the semester. This project requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of marketing communication planning in the global environment, as well as to work within a team environment to execute the assignment. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.)

Course Code

Course Information

GM668

Global Marketing Communication Capstone

Summer Term

Course Code	Course Information
GM690	Internship for Global Marketing Communication and Advertising 4.00 Credits This 200-hour internship is meant to acquaint Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students with the realities of the international marketing communication and advertising community and economy. Students must have the approval of the Global Marketing Communication and Advertising Graduate Program Director to register. (Global Marketing Communication and Advertising students only.)

Course Code

Course Information

GM690

Internship for Global Marketing Communication and Advertising

Or

GM694	International Seminar/Practicum 4.00 Credits This course will be taught as an intensive seminar/practicum allowing students to observe marketingcommunication practices in European, Asian or Latin American enterprises. Students will be immersed in the host country's culture and apply what they have learned in the classroom to real global business environments. Students study with an accompanying faculty advisor and/or faculty at affiliated universities to gain perspectives on global marketing communication applications through a combination of lectures, readings, discussions, and activities. On-site visits with several global enterprises in one region of the globe will be arranged. There will be an additional fee for enrolling in this course to cover the cost of travel, accommodations, and arrangements. When offered, students may take this course as an alternative to the GM690 Internship course. Permission by the Graduate Program Director is required.

GM694

International Seminar/Practicum