DOK xxxx

Mandatory

Marketing Strategy and Management

7.5 Credits

Course leader: Professor Fred Selnes

English PhD programme in Marketing Management Fall

This course is designed to provide an overview of the forefront of knowledge in the area of

marketing strategy and management. As such, it will identify, review, evaluate and critique a

variety of topics in the field of marketing strategy and management. The major objectives are

to help participants (1) understand the main theoretical rationales within the field, (2)

understand the methods employed in empirical research within the area, and (3) identify areas

for future research activity.

1. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the completion of this course, the candidate will have acquired the following competence:

Knowledge:

will have in depth knowledge of theories in strategy, innovation and product development,

brand strategy, customer strategy, and organization of marketing

will have the ability to identify critical strategic and managerial issues related to marketing

will have the ability to evaluate the applicability of various methods and process in research

with firms as the unit of analysis

Skills:

can critically evaluate research in marketing strategy and management

can identify, summarize and communicate issues for marketing practice

can identify and rigorously formulate unresolved and relevant research topics within the field

of marketing strategy and management

can develop an appropriate research design for research within the field of marketing strategy

and management

General competence:

Can appreciate the complexity and importance of marketing strategy and management from

both a theoretical and a practical perspective

2. CONTENT

Marketing strategy and management is the study of organizational-level factors in marketing

and their impact on a variety of types of firm performance, including financial, innovation,

speed, and customer attitudes such as satisfaction and loyalty. The unit of analysis in the

marketing strategy and management area is the firm.

The course starts with a review and discussion of the concepts of strategy and marketing

strategy. Strategy in the field of management theory originates and has developed in several

disciplines where two are more distinct. One being the theories of organizations and the other

being theories of industries and economic environment in which the firm operate. This

reflects the major purpose of strategy which is to organize a firm in order to exploit

opportunities and avoid threats in the environment (i.e. markets) and to achieve superior

return on invested resources over a longer period of time. Marketing strategy is closely

connected to overall strategy, but has a unique contribution to the field of strategy first and

foremost through the concept of segmentation (i.e. market heterogeneity) and market

positioning. The first topic in the course is composed of central articles pertaining to theories

of organizations, industrial economics and how this relates to marketing strategy.

The second part of the course is devoted to the role of marketing in innovation and new

product development. Marketing plays an important role in terms of interpreting customers

and competitors in the market place and the transformation of such market insight to the

development of competitive and valuable products and services. As markets and technologies

become global marketing is required to have a global approach to developing and

implementing marketing strategies. The interplay between marketing resources and

technology resources is of vital importance in developing profitability and sustainable

advantages.

The third sequence of the course is related to customer strategy. How firms connect and

interact with their customers through sales and service employees, internet, physical stores,

and other contact channels has also received vast attention in both business and academia. For

example how companies acquire, retain and develop customer relationships have major

effects on profitability and sustainability. Managing and developing the economic value of

customer portfolios is of utmost strategic importance to many companies.

How firms communicate with their customers has received immense attention in both

business and academia. For example, employing existing brands in facilitating marketing of

new products has proven to be very effective. And the economic value of well-known brands

is today substantial more valuable than any other types of resources companies possess.

Related to branding is also the important issue of corporate social responsibility and the

reputation of the company among not only customers, but also the public at large, politicians,

investors and other significant stakeholders. Brand (and communication) strategy constitutes

the fourth part of the course.

The last sequence of the course is devoted to how companies organize marketing. How

companies actually organize their marketing activities is of critical importance and creates a

number of questions that receives academic attention. Becoming and staying market oriented

is a research topic that has been widely addressed in the last couple of decades. Related to this

is how organizations should be designed in terms roles, competencies and responsibilities. In

spite of the critical importance of organizing marketing within the organization, the topic has

received only marginal attention in the fields of marketing and management in general.

Existing theories in the form of published scientific articles is therefore more limited on this

topic than the other topics covered. Exploring possible research ideas with high potential in

terms of theory development is therefore of particular importance in this sequence of the

course.

3. TEACHING AND LEARNING STRATEGIES

The teaching and learning format of the course is weekly seminars and workshops. Workshops

and seminars will aid students in developing their knowledge, skills and competencies identified as

course objectives. In order to acquire knowledge in the forefront of marketing strategy and

management, and to be able to assess the relevance and application of scientific methods within the

field, discussions of course readings will be done in a seminar format. For each seminar meeting a

limited number of required readings will be assigned and in order to achieve course objectives

each participant is expected to read all the required readings prior to the meeting and be able

to comment upon them during the discussion. The assigned readings will be presented by the

participants where the presenter is expected to provide an overview of the articles, their main

contributions, critical comments, methodological issues (for empirical articles), future

research ideas, and to formulate 3 topics for discussion in class and lead the discussion.

In order to be able to contribute with new knowledge to marketing strategy and management

theory, students will work on their own research ideas which they will present for each other and

the course instructor during workshops throughout the semester. All students are expected to develop

their own ideas as well as comment on the other students’ research ideas. The course instructor will

facilitate discussions and help students develop their ability to critical thinking and to develop and

adjust their own research ideas in a learning environment.

4. ATTENDANCE

Participation in seminars and workshops is mandatory.

5. ASSESSMENT

Assessment requirements during the course:

Students must prepare 3-5 short memos (2-4 pages) of one of the assigned readings for each

seminar. The memo should outline the main objectives of the article, theoretical proposition,

methods (if empirical), and implications for marketing managers. Present 3-5 discussion

points that we can address in the seminar.

Students are expected to be prepared and participate in discussions of all the assigned

readings.

Students will write and present for class one short, two-page research idea paper.

Students are required to comment in writing and in discussion on the research idea paper of

other students, thus experiencing engagement in peer-review processes.

Final assessment

After presenting and discussing their ideas for a final research proposal, each student must develop the

idea and write it up as a research manuscript paper in the format of an article ready for submission to a

peer reviewed journal or academic conference. This includes conceptual proposition, identification of

a research problem, hypothesis development, research design, sampling plan, measurement

instruments, and choice and justification of analysis methodology. A major goal of the final research

proposal is to develop a complete research plan such that one is prepared to collect data. The paper

should be written in the format of one of the top journals in the field (Journal of Marketing, Marketing

Science, or Journal of Marketing Research), and be no longer than 3000 words in length. The final

proposal is due at the end of the semester, and the course is concluded with a seminar where all

students present their research proposals for fellow students and faculty. Following the presentation,

students will be informed of whether their proposal is assessed “passed”. If the assessment is “failed”

students will get the opportunity to re-write the proposal based on comments and feedbacks from the

audience at the presentation and given a due date for the revised proposal.

EVALUATION

To pass the course, students must pass all the requirements listed under “assessment during the

course” as well as the final assessment. Students will receive feedback on their performance from the

instructors continuously throughout the semester.

If the participants do not submit the term paper at the completion of the course they will not be

credited for the course.

Learning support

All available support is allowed.

6. REFERENCES (preliminary)

The course has a required reading list of about 1000 pages in total.

Seminars and readings

Term paper: We want you to develop the term paper in the following structure:

The topic (idea)

Argument for relevance and need for new knowledge

Independent variable(s), dependent variable and the mediating mechanism (the causal

explanation). If relevant, also think of a moderator (conditions for the causal effect to

be strong or weak).

The independent variable (at least one of them) should be a managerial decision

variable.

Think about the variation on the variables (high-low values and what it means)

How your proposition is linked to current knowledge (theories and literature on the

subject) and how your work fills a knowledge gap

Think about how you can empirically test your proposed theoretical model

Part 1: The concepts of strategy and marketing strategy

What is a market?

What is strategy?

What is marketing strategy?

Research in marketing strategy?

Levitt, Theodore (1960), Marketing Myopia, Harvard Business Review, July-August, 45-

56.

Michael Porter (1996), “What is Strategy,” Harvard Business Review, November-

December, 59-79.

Day, George and Robin Wensley (1988), “Assessing Advantage: A Framework for

Diagnosing Competitive Superiority,” Journal of Marketing, 52 (April), 1-20.

Margareth A. Peteraf (1993), “The cornerstone of competitive advantage: A resource-

baced view,” Stategic Management Journal, 1993, Vol 14, 171-191.

Dickson, Peter R. (1992), “Toward a General Theory of Competitive Rationality,” Journal

of Marketing, 56 (January), 69-83.

Dickson, Peter R. and J..L.Ginter (1987), “Market segmentation, product differentiation,

and Marketing strategy,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51 April, 1-10

Recommended readings:

Coase, R. H. (1937), “The Nature of the Firm,” in Readings in Price Theory, George J.

Stigler and Kenneth E. Boulding (eds.), Chicago, IL: Irwin, 331-351.

Varadarajan, Rajan (2010), “Strategic marketing and marketing strategy: domain,

definition, fundamental issues and foundational premises,” Journal of the Academy of

Marketing Science, Vol 38:119–140.

Rumelt, Richard (1991), “How Much Does Industry Matter?” Strategic Management

Journal, Vol.12, 167-185.

Hoskisson, Robert, Hitt, Michael, Wan, William and Yiu, Daphne (1999), “Theory and

research in strategic management: Swings of a pendulum,” Journal of Management, Vol

25, no 3, 417-456.

Part 2: Brand strategy

What is a brand?

What is brand extension?

Research in brand strategy?

Sujan, Mita and James Bettman (1989), “The Effects of Brand Positioning Strategies on

Consumers’ Brand and Category Perceptions: Some Insight from Schema Research,”

Journal of Marketing Research, Vol XXVI (November), 454-67.

Berthon, Pierre (2003), “Understanding and Managing the Brand Space,” MIT Sloan

Management Review, Volume 44, Issue 2 (Winter), 49-55.

Völckner, Franziska; Sattler, Henrik (2006), “Drivers of Brand Extension Success,“

Journal of Marketing, Vol. 70, Issue 2, p18-34.

Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence Consumer Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63 (Special

Issue), 33-44.

.

Puzakova, Marina; Hyokjin Kwa; Joseph (2013), “When Humanizing Brands Goes

Wrong: The Detrimental Effect of Brand Anthropomorphization,” Journal of Marketing,

77 Issue 3, p81-100

Sood, Sanjay; Keller, Kevin Lane (2012), ”The Effects of Brand Name Structure on Brand

Extension Evaluations and Parent Brand Dilution,” Journal of Marketing Research, 49

Issue 3, p373-382.

Recommended reading:

Roedder John, Deborah, Barbara Loken, and Christopher Joiner (1998), The Negative

Impact of Extensions: Can Flagship Products be Dilluted?” JM, vol 62, 19-32

Keller, Kevin Lane and Sanjay Sood (2003), “Brand Equity Dilution,” MIT Sloan

Management Review, Volume 45, Issue 2 (Fall), 12-15.

Keller, Kevin L.; Brian Sternthal; Alice Tybout (2002), “Three Questions You Need to

ask About Your Brand,” Harvard Business Review, September.

Kumar, Nirmalya (2003), “Kill a Brand,” Harvard Business Review, December, 86-95

Randall, Taylor, Karl Ulrich, David Riebstein (1998), “Brand Equity and Vertical Product

Line Extent,” Marketing Science, Vol 17, No 4, 356-379

Part 3: Innovation

(Lectures will be organized as full day seminars)

The role of marketing in innovation and new product development (or the role of

innovation and NPD in marketing)

This part is taught/supervised by Per Egil Pedersen during two sessions on September 30

and October 7. There are 5 “sub-subjects” touched upon: The relationship between

innovation research and marketing research, Adoption and diffusion research, Research on

market orientation and innovation, Customer involvement and co-creation research and

finally, Service innovation research. The first two of these will be discussed on September

30, the rest on October 7.

Below you find the required and recommended readings for each sub-subject. Please note

that for each session, a student is required to prepare one of the articles and either prepare

to present it and lead the discussions of that article or be a discussant with me in class. The

name of the student is indicated below for the relevant article. The readings are organized

in two categories. Required readings are recent, highly relevant articles representing the

“state of the art” or “current perspective” on a subject. In the recommended readings you

find some of the classic articles on the subject. Often, reading the classics is necessary to

understand how the subject has evolved.

September 30: Innovation research meets marketing strategy research (review

studies)

Required readings:

Fagerberg, J., Fosaas, M., & Sapprasert, K. (2012). Innovation: Exploring the knowledge

base. Research policy, 41(7), 1132-1153.

Rubera, G., & Kirca, A. H. (2012). Firm innovativeness and its performance outcomes: A

meta-analytic review and theoretical integration. Journal of Marketing, 76(3), 130-147.

(Prepared by (presenter/discussant) Yi Lin)

Recommended, but not required readings:

Alina B. Sorescu and Jelena Spanjol (2008), “Innovation’s Effect on Firm Value and

Risk: Insights from Consumer Packaged Goods,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 72 March,

114–132.

September 30: Adoption and diffusion research (theoretical models and empirical

studies)

Required readings:

Peres, R., Muller, E., & Mahajan, V. (2010). Innovation diffusion and new product growth

models: A critical review and research directions. International Journal of Research in

Marketing, 27(2), 91-106. (Prepared by (presenter/discussant) Mohammad Yahya)

Venkatesh, V., Thong, J. Y., & Xu, X. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of

information technology: extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology.

MIS quarterly, 36(1), 157-178.

Recommended, but not required readings:

Moore, G. C., and Benbasat, I. (1991) “Development of an Instrument to Measure the

Perceptions of Adopting an Information Technology Innovation,”Information Systems

Research, Volume (2:3) September, 192-222.

Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., and Warshaw, P. R. (1992), “Extrinsic and Intrinsic

Motivation to Use Computers in the Workplace,” Journal of Applied Social Psychology

(22:14), pp. 1111- 1132.

October, 7: Market orientation and innovation (review and empirical studies)

Required readings:

Kirca, A. H., Jayachandran, S., & Bearden, W. O. (2005). Market orientation: a meta-

analytic review and assessment of its antecedents and impact on performance. Journal of

marketing, 69(2), 24-41.

Im, Subin and P. Workman Jr (2004), “Market Orientation, Creativity, and New Product

Performance in High-Technology Firms,” Journal of Marketing, Volume 68, (April), 114-

132.

October, 7: Customer involvement in innovation and co-creation (perspective and

empirical studies)

Required readings:

Kristensson, P., Gustafsson, A., & Archer, T. (2004). Harnessing the creative potential

among users*. Journal of product innovation management, 21(1), 4-14.

Oliveira, P., & von Hippel, E. (2011). Users as service innovators: The case of banking

services. Research Policy, 40(6), 806-818.

Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co‐creation experiences: The next practice in

value creation. Journal of interactive marketing, 18(3), 5-14.

Recommended, but not required readings:

Griffin, A, and JR Hauser. (1993). "The voice of the customer". Marketing science 12

(1):1-27.

Ulwick, Anthony (2002), “Turn Customer Input Into Innovation,” Harvard Business

Review, Volume 80, January, 91-97.

October, 7: Service innovation research (review, perspectives and empirical studies)

Required readings:

Carlborg, P., Kindström, D., & Kowalkowski, C. (2014). The evolution of service

innovation research: a critical review and synthesis. The Service Industries Journal, 34(5),

373-398.

Vargo, S. L., Wieland, H., & Akaka, M. A. (2015). Innovation through

institutionalization: A service ecosystems perspective. Industrial Marketing Management,

44, 63-72. (Prepared by (presenter/discussant) Kristin Bentsen)

Gebauer, H., Gustafsson, A., & Witell, L. (2011). Competitive advantage through service

differentiation by manufacturing companies. Journal of Business Research, 64(12), 1270-

1280. (Prepared by (presenter/discussant) Mesay Shanka)

Lovelock, C., & Gummesson, E. (2004). Whither services marketing? In search of a new

paradigm and fresh perspectives. Journal of service research, 7(1), 20-41.

Perks, H., Gruber, T., & Edvardsson, B. (2012). Co‐creation in radical service innovation:

a systematic analysis of microlevel processes. Journal of Product Innovation

Management, 29(6), 935-951.

Recommended, but not required readings:

Lovelock, Christopher H. (1983), Classifying Services to Gain Strategic Marketing

Insights,” Journal of Marketing, 47, Summer 9-20.

Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2016). Institutions and axioms: an extension and update of

service-dominant logic. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 5-23.

Part 4: Customer Strategy

Defining customer portfolio value as the overall goal (CPV)

Measuring customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer portfolio value (CPV)

Changing customer attitudes and behavior to increase CLV and CPV

Customer marketing strategy (acquisition, retention and scope) concepts

Johnson, Michael and Fred Selnes (2004), “Customer Portfolio Management: Toward a

Dynamic Theory of Exchange Relationships,” Journal of Marketing, Volume 68, no. 2,

(number 2), 1-17.

Homburg, Christian, Viviana v. Steiner, and Dirk Totzek, (2009), “Managing Dynamics in

a Customer Portfolio,” Journal of Marketing, Sep, Vol. 73, p70-89.

Fornell, Claes; Sunil Mithas,; Forrest V. Morgeson III, and M.S Krishnan, (2006),

“Customer Satisfaction and Stock Prices: High Returns, Low Risk, Journal of Marketing,

Jan, Vol. 70 Issue 1, p3-14.

Berger, Paul D. and Nadal Nasr (1998), “Customer Lifetime Value – Marketing Models

and Applications”, Journal of Interactive Marketing, vol. 12, number 1.

Reinartz, Werner; Thomas, Jacquelyn S.; Kumar, V. (2005), “Balancing Acquisition and

Retention Resources to Maximize Customer Profitability,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69

Issue 1, p63-79.

Liu, Yuping, (2007), “The Long-Term Impact of Loyalty Programs on Consumer

Purchase Behavior and Loyalty,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 71, October 2007, 19-35.

Stahl, Florian; Mark Heitman, Donald lehman and Scott Neslin (2012), “The Impact of

Brand Equity on Customer Acquisition, Retention and Profit Margin,” Journal of

Marketing, Vol. 76, July, 44-63

You, Ya; Gautham G. Vadakkepatt, & Amit M. Joshi (2015), “A Meta-Analysis of

Electronic Word-of-Mouth Elasticity,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 79March, 19-39

Harmeling, Colleen M. et al. (2015), «Tranformational Relationship Events,» Journal of

Marketing, Vol. 79, September, 39-62.

Tuli, Kapil R., Ajay Kohli, and Sundar Bharadwaj, (2007), ”Rethinking customer

solutions: From Product bundles to relational processes,” Journal of Marketing, 71, July,

1-17

Recommended readings:

Bolton, R. N., & Lemon, K. N. (1999), “A Dynamic Model of Customers' Usage of

Services: Usage as an Antecedent and Consequence of Satisfaction,” Journal of

Marketing Research, 36 (May), 171-186.

Homburg, Christian; Koschate, Nicole; Hoyer, Wayne D. (2005), “Do Satisfied

Customers Really Pay More? A Study of the Relationship Between Customer Satisfaction

and Willingness to Pay,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 69 Issue 2, April, 84-96

Dyer, Jeffrey H and Singh, Habrir (1998), “A Relational View: Cooperative Strategy and

sources of interorganizational competitive advantage,” Academy of Management Review,

vol. 23, No 4, 660-679

Håkansson, Håkan and Snehota, Ivan (1989), “No business is and island: The network

concept of business strategy,” Scandinavian Journal of Management, vol 5, no 3, 187-200

Palmatier, Robert W.; Dant, Rajiv P.; Grewal, Dhruv; Evans, Kenneth R. (2006), “Factors

Influencing the Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of

Marketing, Oct2006, Vol. 70 Issue 4, p136-153

Sivakumar, K; Mei Li, & Beibei Dong (2014), “Service Quality: The Impact of

Frequency, Timing, Proximity, and Sequence of Failures and Deligths,” Journal of

Marketing, Vol. 78, January, 41-58.

Garnefeld, Ina; et al. (2013), “Growing Existing Customers’ Revenue Streams through

Customer Referral Programs,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 77, July, 17-32.

Kumar, V.; Andrew Petersen, & Robert P. Leone (2013), “Defining, Measuring, and

Managing Business Reference Value,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 77, January, 68-86.

Part 5: Organizing marketing

What is market orientation?

How is marketing organized within a firm?

What are the major challenges in organizing marketing?

Srivastava, Rajendra, T. Shervani and Liam Fahey (1998), “Market-Based Assets and

Shareholder Value: A Framework for Analysis,” Journal of Marketing, January.

Kohli, Ajay K. and Bernard J. Jaworski (1990), “Market Orientation: The Construct,

Research Propositions, and Managerial Implications," Journal of Marketing, 54 (April), 1-

18.

Kirca, Ahmet H., Satish Jayachandran, and William O. Bearden (2005), “Market-

Orientation: A Meta-Analytic Review and assessment of its Antecedents and Impact on

Performance,” Journal of Marketing, 69 (April), 24-41.

Morgan, Neil A., Douglas W. Vorhies, and Charlotte H. Mason (2009), “Market

Orientation, Marketing Capabilities, and Firm Performance,” Strategic Management

Journal, 30, 909-920.

Day, George (2006), “Aligning the Organization with the Market,” MIT Sloan

Management Review, Vol. 48 No 1, 41-49.

--

Homburg, Christian and Ove Jensen (2007), “The Thought Worlds of Marketing and

Sales: Which Differences make a Difference?” Journal of Marketing, 71, 124-142.

Homburg, Christian; Jensen, Ove; Krohmer, Harley (2008), “Configurations of Marketing

and Sales: A Taxonomy,” Journal of Marketing, Vol. 72 Issue 2, p133-154.

Goetz, Oliver, Ann-Kristin Hoeltrer, and Manfred Krafft (2013), “The Role of Sales and

Marketing in Marketing-Oriented Companies,” Journal of Personal Selling and Sales

Management, 33, 353-371.

--

Kennedy, Karen Norman, Jerry R. Goolsby and Eric J. Arnould (2003), “Implementing a

Customer Orientation: Extension of Theory and Apllication,” Journal of Marketing,

Volume 67, (October), 67-81.

Day, George (2006), “Aligning the Organization with the Market,” MIT Sloan

Management Review, Vol. 48 No 1, 41-49.

Feng, Hui, Neil A. Morgan, and Lopo L. Rego (2015), «Marketing Department Power and

Firm Performance, Journal of Marketing, 79, 1-20.

--

Part 6: Paper workshop

Students present and discuss term paper.

Additional Readings

A list of additional required readings will be provided at the beginning of the course. These

additional required readings will address recent relevant publications illustrating the forefront

of research within the field of marketing strategy and management.

In addition, the following textbooks may be useful for future reference:

Cravens, David M. and Nigel F. Piercy (2005), Strategic Marketing, McGraw-Hill, New York

Cook, Karen S. (1987), Social Exchange Theory. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications Inc.

Thompson, James D. (1967), Organizations in Action. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book

Co.

Arrow, Kenneth J. (1974), The Limits of Organization. New York, NY: Norton.

Pfeffer, Jeffrey and Gerald R. Salancik (1978), The external Control of Organizations: A

Resource Dependence Perspective. New York, NY: Harper & Row Publishers.

Blau, Peter M. and Richard W. Scott (1962), Formal Organizations: A Comparative

Approach. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company.

Galbraith, Jay R. (2009), Designing Matrix Organizations That Actually Work: How IBM,

Procter & Gamble and Others Design for Success, Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, San

Fransico.

Galbraith, Jay R. and Robert K. Kazanjian (1986), “Organizing to Implement Strategies of

Diversity and Globalization: The Role of Matrix Designs,“ Human Resource Management,

Vol. 25, Number , 37-54.

Time Schedule (9.00-12.00)

Day Subject Professor

Sept 2 Strategy FS

Sept 9 Strategy FS

Sept 16 Brand FS

Sept 23 Brand FS

Sept 30 Innovation PEP There will be full day seminars

October 7 Innovation PEP There will be full day seminars

October 14 No class

October 21 Customer Strategy FS

October 28 Customer Strategy FS

November 4 Customer Strategy FS

November 11 No class

November 18 Organizing Marketing FS

November 25 Organizing Marketing FS

December 2 Paper workshop FS Students present and discuss

December 9 No class

December 16 Paper workshop FS Students present and discuss