COURSE
NUMBER: MBA268B.1
COURSE
TITLE: International Marketing
UNITS
OF CREDIT: 3 Units
INSTRUCTOR:
Wasim Azhar
E-MAIL
ADDRESS: azhar@haas.berkeley.edu<mailto:azhar@haas.berkeley.edu>
CLASS
WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu
MEETING
DAY(S)/TIME: Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
PREREQUISITE(S):
MBA206
CLASS FORMAT: Case discussions and short
lectures.
REQUIRED
READINGS:
Reader,
from Study.net
Optional
Textbook: Keegan, Warren J and Green, Mark C., Global Marketing, 2007 (5th
edition), Prentice Hall.
ISBN-10:
0131754343
ISBN-13:
978-0131754348
BASIS
FOR FINAL GRADE:
Class
Participation 25%
Group
Take-Home Midterm 25%
Group
Exercise 25%
Group
Take-Home Final 25%
ABSTRACT
OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:
This
course focuses on the design and implementation of marketing strategies in
developed and emerging international markets. It aims to provide future
managers with the frameworks, knowledge and sensitivities to better formulate
and effectively implement marketing plans in various countries and regions of
the world. The course examines the added dimensions of opportunities and
challenges faced by companies operating in the global marketplace. Operating in
an international environment provides companies with access to new markets,
additional resource supplies and new sources of ideas to stimulate innovation.
However concomitant with these new opportunities come
the challenges of formulating and managing marketing strategies in an innately
more complex, diverse and changing socio-economic, cultural and competitive
environment. Multinational corporations (MNCs) play a much more complex
competitive strategic game on an international chessboard with options of
fighting skirmishes in various countries or regions. The course will develop
frameworks for selectively competing in the international arena by identifying
comparative advantages and weaknesses across countries and regions.
The
course will examine the challenges faced by MNCs in managing global brands and
new product introductions across regions where local cultural and market
demands conflict with the need for global consistency and efficiency. A module
in the course will cover the strategic decision MNCs face in selecting the
sequence in which to enter foreign markets by evaluating macro-level country
information with market focused customer and competitive information and their
own strengths and weaknesses. Regions and countries will be analyzed and
compared as markets to make decisions regarding appropriate marketing
strategies and resource allocations. Regions and countries covered will include
North and South America, Europe, Japan, China, Russia, Africa and the
Asia-Pacific. The course will also cover the added dimensions introduced in the
marketing mix elements for companies operating beyond their national
boundaries. This will include issues of global versus local advertising,
international pricing strategies, selecting and managing distribution channels
in different regions of the world, and managing international brands and
product lines.
Cases
in the course will also raise issues regarding selection and management of
various types of strategic alliances between MNCs and local companies including
how these partnerships evolve over time. The course will also cover the
integration of international marketing strategies with other functional
strategies to optimally configure and manage activities in the value chain for
obtaining more synergies. The course will also discuss international marketing
organization and control issues including formulating and managing headquarter
- subsidiary relationships to best leverage the potential advantages of global
efficiency with localized responsiveness to achieve maximum sustainable
competitive advantage.
The
course is primarily intended for those aiming for a marketing career in
companies that operate internationally or compete with MNC's in their local
markets. The course should also be of interest to those who wish to learn more
about how differences in local market structure, consumer behavior and culture
impact the development and management of marketing and corporate strategy.
BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH:
Wasim
Azhar is currently a Lecturer in Marketing at Haas and Stanford University. He
received the Cheit Award for Best Teaching from Haas in 2007-8. He currently
teaches electives in International Marketing, Sales and Distribution Channels,
Internet Marketing and E-Commerce, and Pricing as well as the core marketing
course in the MBA and EWMBA programs. He is also the Director and Faculty
Advisor at the new Center for Teaching Excellence at Haas. From 2001-2004, he
was Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Previous to that he was at the
Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan where he was Professor of
Business Policy and Marketing from 1989 to 2001, Dean of the University from
1989-2000 and Pro-Vice Chancellor from 2000-2001. He is Partner, Director and
CMO at Amzone LLC, a franchisee of Taco Bell. He is
on the Board of Directors of Netgate Corporation and Veri-Sys Corporation.