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.