Each student will be responsible to complete a current event abstract based on the theories and studies of marketing. The current event abstracts may be shared with the class for discussion, if time allows. The concept is to be able to look at current marketing campaigns and understand the theory behind them. Putting real world experiences and current events into what we learn in the classroom will encourage learning and thinking outside the box.

Please use online resources on The Wall Street Journal to help find articles that pertain to this assignment. The article must be no more than two weeks old. It should pertain to some aspect of sales and marketing management. When abstracting an article include: Abstract should be 2-3 pages double-spaced, using the Levels of Review found below:

· Descriptive Summary

1. What are the main points of view in this article?

2. Why is this article important to sales and marketing management?

· General Analysis

1. What current marketing or sales trends are supported in this article?

2. What is the most important information in this article?

· Critical/ Comparative Analysis

1. What would you do differently and why? – This is an important part of an analysis-dig deep and explore your “outside the box thinking”.

2. Why do you think change is needed, compare possible competitors?

· Management Application

1. How can your analysis improve sales of the marketing and sales team?

2. What conclusions can be drawn from this article?