SEMESTER: Spring 2018
COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 267-2
This course is dual-listed with the Full-time MBA Program.
COURSE TITLE: Sales Force Management and Channel Strategy
UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 units
INSTRUCTOR: Wasim Azhar
E-MAIL ADDRESS: azhar@berkeley.edu
PREREQUISITE(S): EWMBA 206 Marketing
INSTRUCTION MODES: Case and lecture discussions; guest speakers
CAREER FIELD: The course will be extremely useful for those intending to pursue a career in marketing, consulting or corporate strategy development since effective sales and distribution channels are a key source of competitive advantage and an essential element of implementing and developing strategic plans.
BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:
20%: Class Participation
40%: Group Short Take-Home Assignments based on Cases
40% Final Exam
ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: The design and management of sales force and distribution channels are key elements in organizing and implementing corporate and marketing strategy. Many of the strategy implementation problems to be tackled in practice are related to sales force and distribution channels.
The course aims to introduce frameworks and develop practical managerial takeaways for effective design, implementation and management of professional sales force and distribution channel networks and systems.
Issues discussed will include selection of types of channel intermediaries, targeted intensity of market coverage, desired channel length and breadth, and effective and efficient design of direct, indirect and composite channel structures. Coverage of the design and management of a direct sales force without intermediaries will include inside and outside sales forces, sales force deployment, quota management, sales force motivation, sales learning curve, performance evaluation and compensation, and matching sales force structures and incentives with new pricing models such as SaaS. The course includes coverage of effective and efficient design and governance of multiple channel systems, franchise systems and e-commerce channels.
The course also identifies the linkages of channel management with other elements of the marketing mix, and covers issues regarding ongoing management and coordination of channels, including how firms can best respond to the challenge of building channel cooperation and working relationships among channel members to improve the productivity and efficiency of channels as products and markets evolve. The sessions will be supplemented by a number of guest speakers from industry such as Cisco, Box, Dropbox and PwC.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: As a member of the Marketing Faculty at Haas Business School, University of California, Berkeley, USA, Professor Wasim Azhar teaches electives in Pricing Strategies, International Marketing and Channels Management as well as the core marketing course in the EWMBA, FTMBA and BBA programs.
Dr. Azhar won the Cheit Award for Best Teaching in the EWMBA program for 2007-8. As a Director in the Center for Teaching Excellence at Haas, Wasim is a designated Faculty Advisor and Coach who advises his faculty clients regarding design and delivery of courses and participates as an instructor in teacher training seminars.
Wasim is a member of P-FACT, a committee that advises the Dean on matters related to teaching. Wasim also taught at Stanford from 2001-2009 where he offered MBA elective courses in Global and International Marketing and Channels Management as well as the core marketing course for the Sloan program.
From 2005 to 2009, Wasim was teaching at both Stanford and Haas. He is on the Board of Advisors of universities in Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Wasim is a member of several Boards of Directors of companies in USA including Globe Equity Partners, PageOnce Corporation and VeriSys Corporation. He is also Marketing Director and Partner in Amzone LLC, USA.
Wasim was formerly a Professor of Business Policy and Marketing and Pro-Vice Chancellor at Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He has taught in executive programs in the United States, Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka and has travelled extensively in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and South America.