COURSE NUMBER: MBA269.1

COURSE TITLE: Pricing

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 Units

INSTRUCTOR: Wasim Azhar

E-MAIL ADDRESS: azhar@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Monday/Wednesday, 4:30PM – 6:00PM

PREREQUISITE(S): MBA 206

CLASS FORMAT: Case discussions plus brief summary lectures.

REQUIRED READINGS:

1) Required Textbook: The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably 5^th edition: Nagle, Hogan and Zale. Pearson Prentice Hall

2) Cases and readings package.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

25% each for Individual Class Participation , Group take –home midterm, final and exercise.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

Optimal pricing is an essential component of marketing strategy in a competitive business environment and yet many firms employ arbitrary rules and haphazard approaches to pricing that adversely affect their profits and competitive positions. This course aims to equip participants with innovative and useful concepts, techniques, and frameworks for assessing, formulating, and implementing optimal pricing strategies and tactics. The course will draw on behavioral and economic foundations, mathematical techniques, analytical marketing frameworks, principles of marketing strategy, and game theory to develop and describe effective systematic and structured approaches and frameworks for assessing, formulating and implementing optimal pricing decisions. Concepts and topics covered in the course will include new product pricing, pricing over the product life cycle, value pricing, segmented pricing, price discrimination, pricing software products, and product line pricing strategies. Pricing strategies and tactics in competitive bidding situations will also be covered. The course will primarily use cases which will be supplemented by lecture discussions and Guest Speakers. The cases will be drawn from B2B and B2C industries. The course is primarily intended for managers who in their careers will be involved in evaluating, formulating, implementing and/or recommending pricing policies, strategies and tactics within the context of integrated marketing strategies. Upon completion of this course, participants will:

Understand the significance and impact of pricing practices in manufacturing and service industries

Develop and learn concepts and frameworks for analyzing and implementing pricing decisions

Master techniques for formulating and implementing optimal and profitable pricing decisions.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Continuing Lecturer in Marketing, Wasim Azhar has been at Haas since 2005, Wasim specializes in Pricing Strategies, International Marketing and Channels Management. Wasim won the Cheit Award for Best Teaching in the EWMBA program for 2007-8. He is also the Director and designated Faculty Coach at the Center for Teaching Excellence at Haas and a member of P-FACT, the 6 member Professional Faculty Committee that advises the Senior Associate Deans on Policy and Planning issues at Haas. He also serves as a Board Member at the University level for the ASUC Commercial Student Services Board.

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. He also taught in Stanford Executive Program in courses on Strategic Marketing, Executive Program for Growing Companies, and a number of company and industry specific programs offered by the Executive Program Center. Wasim also authored and published four cases while at Stanford.

He is also Partner and Marketing Director of Amzone LLC., and on the Board of Directors of Global Equity Partners, PageOnce Corporation, Verisys Corporation and three overseas universities.