International Curriculum Mini Grant Program 2018 Application Form

International Curriculum Mini Grant Program 2018

Application Form

Name of Applicant: Barry Hawkey College or University: Portland Community College Discipline: Business Contact information (e-mail, telephone): [email protected] or 503-998-1900 Signature of applicant (e-signature acceptable): Barry Hawkey

Applying for:

Adding a new unit to an existing course

$750

Description of Proposed Project

1. Course number, title, and unit topic: a. BA 235: Social Media Marketing i. The existing course is heavily focused on social media platforms based in the United States, which are already familiar to most students. This new module would identify popular social media platforms in other parts of the world. Comparing and contrasting these platforms will lead into a discussion of the underlying cultural differences of these markets, and to the importance of market research and the key decisions that must be made when internationalizing your marketing campaign.

2. When will the new or revised course be taught? a. The course is taught every Spring Term, and may be taught sooner depending on demand. This new module will be ready for the next offered term.

NIEA Minigrant Revised 2-5-18

International Curriculum Mini Grant Program 2018
Name of Applicant: Barry Hawkey College or University: Portland Community College Discipline: Business Contact information: [email protected] or 503-998-1900
Description of Content:
BA 235, Social Media Marketing, covers the use of social networks and emerging media in marketing, and the role of social media in developing corporate, institutional or brand identity. The course uses ‘Social Media Marketing’ by Tracy L. Tuten and Michael R. Solomon as it’s text, and is currently heavily focused on US-based social media networks. Most of the discussion and examples center around tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms already familiar to most of my students.
This new module, inserted into the existing schedule during Week 3, would expand and internationalize the discussion to examine the most popular social media networks worldwide, including QQ, WeChat, QZone, Baidu Tieba, and others. The community structure, social capital, and propagation of influence within these networks differ from their American counterparts due to cultural, legal, and technological differences. Understanding these differences is important when planning any international marketing campaign.
Analyzing the differences in these platforms and the underlying reasons for those differences will tie directly into the strategic and tactical campaign planning topics covered next, in Weeks 4 and 5. After the midterm exam, the second half of the term examines the available social networks as promotional tools used for achieving both the company’s high-level Mission Statement and more immediate Current Business Objectives. Adding these international networks to the student’s metaphorical ‘toolbox’ will allow for a wider variety of both, and enable students to plan for international marketing campaigns.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify the most popular social media networks worldwide, and their corresponding regions 2. Identify the cultural, legal, and technological differences underlying the relative popularity of these networks across geographic regions 3. Analyze the suitability of the most popular non-US social media networks when achieving international business goals 4. Incorporate these non-US social media networks into social media marketing plans, where appropriate

Outline of classroom methodologies and assignments: This one-week module would include internet-based reading assignments, not
drawn from the textbook, familiarizing students with non-US social media platforms. The existing written Discussion #3 assignment would be replaced with one that
asks the student to examine the cultural, legal, and technological differences underlying the relative popularity of these networks across geographic regions, and to discuss their best use in international marketing campaigns.
Finally, the existing course quizzes and exams would be updated to include these new concepts.
List of products proposed: 1. Identification of an effective and appropriate reading assignment 2. Updates to Quiz #3, a multiple-choice test aimed at allowing students to self-check their understanding of key concepts each week, to reflect this new material. 3. Replacing the current ‘Discussion #3’ writing assignment with a new assignment requiring students to make use of the concepts discussed above. 4. Updates to the Midterm Exam, to reflect this new material. 5. Updates to the Final Exam, to reflect this new material. 6. After the first term, an assessment of these changes and iterative updates to increase their effectiveness.
Explanation of how this proposal internationalizes the curriculum: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, the social media networks most
familiar to my students, are not available in China. In other parts of the world, other networks enjoy local popularity due to cultural or technological differences. Conveying this information, prompting students to analyze the implications to international marketing campaigns, and familiarizing them with the challenge of maintaining a unified promotional message across these networks will better prepare them for the professional challenges awaiting them.
The planned new module will be suitable for inclusion in both classroom and online version of BA 235: Social Media Marketing, and will be made available to other instructors in the Portland Community College network of campuses.