Group projects represent one of the most realistic approaches to teaching business and marketing skills. In the real world, seldom do individuals work by themselves and make strategic marketing decisions without interacting with others. Thus group projects, if made a part of the learning experience, can add a sense of realism that comes from having to prepare and present a report on a tight deadline. Notwithstanding, many professors continue to shy away from using projects in the classroom for a number of reasons. This paper explores the value of real-life, client sponsored group projects and presents a blueprint for their successful implementation into the capstone Marketing Strategy course.

This research aims to address the gap in the literature about instructor’s role in increasing students’ affective engagement (with their peers and instructor) in an online class. Since marketing students will eventually fulfill roles that engage consumers with the firm’s communication mediums, it is important to understand the impact of student engagement and peer-to-peer communication in marketing classes in building this skill. Additionally, because of the pandemic, majority of higher education was migrated to online and virtual formats, investigating techniques that can improve the quality of online teaching is more important than ever. The impact of instructor competence in designing and facilitating online classes has been studied before; yet we establish that instructor online competence has an indirect positive effect on students’ impression of the quality of their online learning experience. Further, this relationship is mediated by how students are engaged in class through communication with peers and instructors. This research clarifies the effect of instructor affective engagement skills as a contributor to marketing student perceptions of quality and offers several recommendations that act as guidelines for instructors delivering online courses.

This paper explores what motivates college students at different stages of their academic studies. Using Herzberg’s two-factor theory, the researchers conducted a survey of 535 students in three south-western universities to determine if motivations changed throughout their academic careers. Results showed that students at different stages of their college careers have different concerns and, as such, different motivational strategies are needed to respond to their concerns. Implications are given to grow and retain enrolment.

The paper reports on an experiential approach to teaching retailing and merchandising through the operation of a student run store. This approach to learning proved to be both challenging and rewarding to students and instructor alike. Students gained real world knowledge and a new outlook on retailing as a career path, and instructors witnessed significant changes in students’ understanding of what retailing and merchandising are about. Further, instructors observed the implementation of concepts covered in class lectures during the operation of the retail store and completion of the Store Operation Report. In addition to the comments made by students regarding the outcome of the class in achieving its objectives, all students that took the course felt that it was rewarding and would recommend it to their peers.

Although brand sustainability is found essential for brand survival, establishing it has remained challenging. Brand sustainability requires a strong association between brand equity and consumer values. The current study attempts to discover critical components involved that may influence Indonesian and Taiwanese consumers to purchase smartphones such as Apple and High-Tech Computer Corporation (HTC). Primary data collection was conducted to gather data through an online field survey. Following a quantitative approach, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the link between research constructs and the proposed hypotheses based on two samples of 202 and 217 respondents in Taiwan and Indonesia, respectively. Results represent significant and non-significant direct influences underlining the significance of perceived quality and brand preferences when testing brand equity effects on how consumers value different brands. While price premium is found to be the most influential factor that shapes the formation of purchase intention for Apple brands among both Taiwanese and Indonesian consumers, perceived quality is also affecting Taiwanese brand preference for HTC. Furthermore, prestige value is revealed to be a predictor of brand preference among Indonesian HTC consumers. Research findings have important implications for decision-makers to motivate purchase intentions of smartphone users toward specific brands. The insights provided by the findings will assist marketers in developing brand strategies that influence Taiwanese and Indonesian consumers’ purchases of Apple or HTC products.