B.S. Degree Annotated Rationale Essay

The ESC Area of Study Guidelines for a concentration in Marketing also state that students who work in Marketing need to develop skills in “critical reading, interpretation, and writing. Students should have an understanding of ethics, globalization, diversity and cross-cultural differences, and organizations.” Students pursuing upper-level work in Marketing should acquire conceptual vocabularies, knowledge of sources, and critical skills appropriate to their areas of focus or lines of inquiry.” I will gain the critical reading, interpretation, and writing skills in all of my upper-level courses, and especially my upper-level courses in marketing, which require analysis and advanced-level writing skills. I address the ethics guideline in my course in Marketing Communication, which has a strong “focus on ethical issues confronting marketers.” I address the globalization guideline with courses such as E-Business and Marketing and the Virtual Marketplace. I have addressed the organizations guideline through my course in Organizational Behavior Principles. And I have addressed the guideline about diversity through my many courses dealing with culture.

I want to combine the more specific focus on marketing with a more general focus on ethnic groups and culture, or the context in which marketers operate. Although the courses that provide these ethnic and cultural perspectives are not in my concentration, they do provide important background for my concentration, given my goals to focus on marketing to diverse populations. [s5] To provide a broad sociological perspective, I have included a course in American Social Problems, which provides an introduction to sociological concepts. To provide historical, artistic, sociological, philosophical, and cross-cultural perspectives, I have included American Ethnic History, Sex and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Television and Culture, American Ethnic History, Artistic Expression in a Multicultural America, and Cultural Anthropology. All of these courses provide a broad investigation of the concept of “social and cultural norms and belief systems,” and create a good understanding of social, creative, philosophical, and historical contexts in which I am applying the concepts of marketing. These courses will help fulfill my general goals of completing a bachelor degree in marketing, and gaining a focus to better understand ethnic groups within the U.S. The classes in Cultural Studies will give me an in-depth insight into the concept of culture and a better understanding of being in someone else’s shoes — so to speak.

Lastly, I have addressed the ESC General Business guidelines in my degree. These guidelines state that students need to show knowledge in the following: [s6]

• Communication skills – I have courses in Communications for Professionals and Interpersonal and Small Group Communications.
• Information management – I have a course in Information Design and I have extensive knowledge utilizing an information system designed to disseminate information at my workplace.
• Economics – I have a course in Principles of Economics 2.
• Ethical and social responsibility – My course in Marketing Communications has a strong focus on ethics in marketing.
• Quantitative skills – I have courses in Statistics: An Activity Based Approach and Marketing Research.
• Understanding people in an organizational context – I have courses in Organizational Behavior Principles and Managing Human Resources. Additional courses such as Sex and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective provide deeper understanding of people in an organizational context.
• Understanding organizations within broader contexts – I have courses in Marketing and the Virtual Marketplace and E-Business. My extensive experience working in a large non-profit organization, along with my courses dealing with various cultures, creates a good understanding of organizations within a broader context.

Empire State College’s guidelines state that a degree in marketing should include a broad liberal arts background. This includes fulfilling the minimum general education requirement as stated by SUNY. Recommended studies could include: statistics, psychology, sociology, oral and written communications. These types of studies are important so students are prepared to understand consumers, the market, and to be able to present and communicate well with clients. I have these important background studies in my degree: statistics, sociology, and communications courses. [s7]

With the completion of my Bachelor of Science in Business, Management & Economics, with a concentration in Marketing, I feel I will be highly qualified for career opportunities that may arise, that require a bachelor degree and analytical, communication, and people skills. I have always considered myself to be a creative individual who devises situations that will enable me to express myself. I have researched the following job descriptions in my current workplace and believe that a bachelor degree will help me move toward these careers: Marketing Coordinator, Multi-Cultural Marketing Planner, and Product & Services Coordinator. [s9]