COURSE NUMBER: MBA267.2
This course
is dual-listed with the Evening-Weekend 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):
MBA206 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.