Faculty Focus
Talha Harcar
Participating in EDGE provided all the students with an opportunity to learn about marketing across national boundaries, understanding consumer similarities and differences outside their own country, and they gained a better understanding of complex trade laws and regulations.
EDGE Spring 2019
MKTG 445: Global Marketing
The goal of this course is to develop the students’ knowledge and understanding of the global marketing environment through key concepts, theory, and tools. In this course, they are introduced to the opportunities and problems faced by marketing managers in the competitive global marketplace. They will be challenged to think critically about global competition and get an overview of institutions involved in the process. Some of the topics that we will be covering include global environment, product development, promotion strategies, pricing and distribution in global markets. Special attention will be given to the management of cultural differences encountered by global marketing managers.
This course is designed for online delivery. Students are responsible for keeping track of class lessons, quizzes, and assignments (whether individual or team based). For many students this was their first online course, so they found it is very different than the traditional face-to-face classroom environment. It became less stressful once they were comfortable with the technology and the rhythm of the course.
The key to successfully completing this course is organization. The course syllabus and schedule outline my expectations of students, including grading policies, assignments, projects, and a schedule of due dates, which reflect the shorter timeframe to complete each task. Students may work ahead on the reading and assignments but not in the discussion assignments.
Class participation grades are based on student participation in the discussion forums associated with specific exercises, case analyses, and team project assignments. Assigned readings serve as an important reference for completing assignments. This class also incorporates several group-based assignments. Peer feedback is used to ensure everyone does their share of the work. Depending on the feedback, individual grades may be adjusted to reflect low participation. In order to enhance the learning experience, I encourage students to share their knowledge and experiences with the class.
Student Projects
The students worked collaboratively to prepare marketing plans for an IT product that does not exist in Morocco. 57 students participated, including 25 students from Penn State Beaver and 32 students from our partner, Al-Akhawayn University. We had 10 teams with 2-3 members from the US and 2-3 from Morocco (averaging 5 students per team).
Booster Fuels Energy Delivery Service
Booster Fuels is an American company that operates through a mobile app, called Booster: On Demand Fuel. This app allows customers to pin the location of their parked car for work, request a fuel delivery, complete the payment transaction, and come back to a full tank of gas at the end of the day.
Smart Glasses
Smart glasses are a wearable device which will retrieve data for the person to see or hear using Bluetooth, GPS, or Wi-Fi. They can track physical activity, be used along with a smartphone app, and may replace the capabilities of a smart phone all together.
Vue Smart Glasses are considered the first pair of Smart Glasses that can be used for everyday activities including work, recreational activities, or leisure time. They are offered in corrective lenses, sunglasses, and non-prescription designer/style wear.
OfferUp
OfferUp is a mobile application that works as an online marketplace facilitating transactions between local vendors and buyers. The application differs from competitors like eBay or Craigslist by giving potential sellers the opportunity to access the market more easily and provide interested buyers with a seamless shopping experience with results based on the closest products to their locations. Listings can vary from toys to home furniture or cars, and can be used items, new or crafted.
Venmo
Venmo, a mobile payment service owned by PayPal, allows users to transfer funds to one another via mobile phone. Venmo has transformed the way people handle payments with their friends, from splitting a lunch bill, to paying rent or paying off a bet, users can easily transfer money to their friends without the traditional inconveniences of using cash.
Echo Dot and Alexa
The Echo Dot with Alexa is the most popular voice-controlled smart speaker, now with improved sound and design. Echo Dot’s popularity stems from its many capabilities, such as, playing music, answer questions, reading the news, checking the weather, setting alarms, compatibility with smart home devices, and much more. All of this is done hands free and, as a bonus, you can instantly “drop in” on other rooms in your home or building and make an announcement to each room with a compatible Echo device.
Citi Bike
Citi Bike is a bicycle sharing system that serves as a convenient, fun, and affordable way for people to get around. The company has 12,000 bikes available to consumers throughout 750 stations spanning from New York to New Jersey. Customers can stay active while getting to their destination and have fun while traveling. Currently, Morocco does not have Citi Bike available, though Moroccan citizens would benefit greatly from this service.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats, a branch of the Uber ride sharing service, is an American online food ordering and delivery platform. Originally started in 2014 under the name “Uber Fresh”, it later adopted the name “Uber Eats” in 2015, and is based in San Francisco, California.
Harbortouch
Harbortouch is a state-of-the-art point of sale system which allows companies to accept credit cards, debit cards and checks. Their systems are affordable, easy to use and help make running your business easier. They offer two systems: the ECHO and the ELITE.
THRUVISION
THRUVISION is a company specializing in innovative security technology products. THRUVISION’s main product is a screening system that detects objects including metal, plastic, ceramic, gel, liquid, powder and paper that are hidden under peoples’ clothing.
THRUVISION offers three core products: TS4-C, TS4-SC and TAC that serve the same purpose with different features. We are introducing TAC to the Moroccan market, which is a high-performance screening camera that has the ability to detect items at distances of 3 to 10 meters.
TILE/Bluetooth
Tile is a small device that you can stick to your important items such as wallet, passport, keys and luggages. You can then use a Bluetooth-enabled device such as your smartphone to find these items.
TILE is new to the Moroccan market and its low price is a competitive advantage. In addition, it is easy to use and would benefit anyone with tracking needs.
I had a few challenges communicating with my students for this course because I was not able to see them regularly face-to-face, so I believe that it would be easier to EDGE a traditionally-delivered course. I also learned that all course planning should be completed ahead of time, at least one and a half months before the course starts.
Background and Interest in EDGE
We chose this course to EDGE because it is designed to provide students with an understanding of the problems and perspectives of marketing across national boundaries, and provides an understanding of consumer similarities and differences outside of their home countries, in addition to helping them with their analytical ability to make marketing decisions and increase their knowledge of trade laws and regulations.
Connecting and Collaborating
We EDGEd the Global Marketing Course (MGKT 445, Penn State Beaver) with Al-Akhawayn University IT’s MIS 3301 course. I met every other week with Al-Akhawayn’s instructor Dr. Wafa El-Garah through Zoom to discuss progress. I have known Dr. El-Garah since first publishing together several years ago, so it was easy for us to connect and work together.
In the beginning students found the project challenging. A few students also found it challenging to work with international students 6 hours behind them with the time difference, but changed their minds once they met. Students in each class group communicated through Zoom as well as other technologies like Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, etc. Within three weeks every single group was in contact with their Moroccan partners and preparing their marketing plans. Each group was required to turn in two progress reports (March 11, 2019 and April 8, 2019), and according to those progress reports no group had any major issues or challenges.
At the end of the semester the partnered groups submitted their reports to both instructors and Dr. El-Garah and I graded the plans together.
Traveling and Visitation
I was unable to travel to Al-Akhawayn University in Morocco in order to collaborate directly with the faculty for this EDGE Course. However, a friend and colleague at the University, Dr. Wafa El-GarahI, was interested in this opportunity, so we connected and brought our courses together.
