You need to demonstrate (1) your skills in making IT-intensive marketing decisions by applying software toolkits and computer models and (2) individual analytical skills in analyzing marketing problems. You will write up analyses for ONE case which is also used in class discussions. The cases will be randomly assigned by computer at the start of the semester. The results are posted on Canvas. All cases are included with the Marketing Engineering for Excel (MEXL) software package except Syntex Labs (A). By the default installation settings, the cases can be found in the "My Documents/My Marketing Engineering v2.0/" directory after the software is installed. The Syntex (A) case is in the textbook. Students assigned to the Syntex case should get a copy of the textbook, for instance, from the library. How to analyze the case: The analysis should address directly and critically the issues involved. 1. First, identify the main problem(s) to be solved in the case. 2. Then discuss how the problems can be analyzed by decomposing them into some "small" answerable questions, and how data are obtained to answer the questions. This is usually the "modeling" step in the analysis. 3. Next, demonstrate how the software and data analysis help answer the questions. (This part can be organized around the specific questions in the cases.) 4. Finally, discuss the advantages and limitations of the approach used both in general and in particular for the case. Deliverables:  The write-up (25%). It should not exceed 8 pages, including all the supporting exhibits such as tables, diagrams, and graphs. The usual format is expected, including 1-inch margins, 11-point font, single-spaced within paragraphs, double-spaced between paragraphs, etc.  A presentation of no more than 10 minutes in class (15%). You may select the most important results / recommendations to present. When there is more than one student to present a case in the same class, the presentations will proceed in alphabetical order. Hand in a hard copy of the PowerPoint slides to me before your presentation starts. Think of this individual case analysis component as an open-book take-home exam. I will not answer questions privately in emails. All questions about case analyses must be sent through Canvas/Discussions so that the questions and my responses will be shared with the rest of the class to ensure fairness and transparency (open tutorials in writing). Remember your case and the date it is due (see the "Course Schedule" section in this syllabus). Both deliverables should be submitted before the start of the class. (If for some reason you have difficulty submitting the hardcopy physically, you should make sure at least the digital copy is submitted online and make sure I receive the hardcopy ASAP). Late submission is not accepted and all the marks associated with the individual assignment will be deducted as penalty. No excuse is accepted. All digital submissions are time-stamped. No revision is allowed after the deadline. Only the hardcopy will be graded. If you have to change the case assignment, you must raise the issue at least one week in advance; such requests must be justified sufficiently and approved by me. All students are obligated to participate in the in-class discussion of the cases. The ability to make meaningful contributions affects your marks. Since the cases address very standard and important marketing issues, you are strongly encouraged to work on all the cases.