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Syllabus: Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems

This document outlines the syllabus for a Marketing 324 course on Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems taught during the Winter Term of 2012. The course will be taught by Dr. Bert Rosenbloom and will focus on channel management strategies. Students will analyze case studies in small groups, complete topical reports on channel management topics, and work in groups on a term project designing a marketing channel strategy for a real-world business or organization. The syllabus provides the course objectives, grading breakdown, reading materials, weekly schedule and topics, procedures for case studies and reports, and guidelines for the group term project.

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KJ Vill
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76 views9 pages

Syllabus: Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems

This document outlines the syllabus for a Marketing 324 course on Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems taught during the Winter Term of 2012. The course will be taught by Dr. Bert Rosenbloom and will focus on channel management strategies. Students will analyze case studies in small groups, complete topical reports on channel management topics, and work in groups on a term project designing a marketing channel strategy for a real-world business or organization. The syllabus provides the course objectives, grading breakdown, reading materials, weekly schedule and topics, procedures for case studies and reports, and guidelines for the group term project.

Uploaded by

KJ Vill
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Syllabus

Marketing 324

Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems


Winter Term 2012 Dr. Bert Rosenbloom,
Rauth Chair Professor
of Marketing Management
Phone: X6992
e-mail: [email protected]

TEXT: Marketing Channels: A Management View 8th edition


Bert Rosenbloom (Thomson/Southwestern 2013)

Course Objectives

1. To show the role of Marketing Channels in the larger field of


Marketing Management.

2. To provide students with in-depth knowledge of marketing


channel systems and channel management.

3. To help students identify strategies and tactical decisions made by


those responsible for managing marketing channels and
distribution systems.

4. To provide real world context to marketing channels analysis and


decision making through real-time case analysis using the
Internet.

5. To enhance oral and written communications skills as well as


team building projects requiring teamwork.

Course Grading System

Midterm Exam 20%


Second (Final) Exam 20%
Group Term Project 35%
Class participation 25%

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100%

Winter Term 2012 Marketing 324 Dr. Rosenbloom

Week of

Jan. 10 Introduction Course Requirements and Format


Marketing Channels in the Larger Field of
Marketing
Groups Formed
Team Projects Explained
Topics Discussed
Consultation with groups
Case: #2 Microsoft Retail Stores

Jan. 17 Marketing Channel Concepts


Marketing Channel Participants
Text: Chapters 1 and 2
Cases: #3 Clarks Flower Shop
#4 Precision Electronics Corp.

Jan. 24 Environment of Marketing Channels


Text: Chapter 3
Cases: #6 Plattsburg Motor Service
#1 J.C. Penney

Jan. 31 Behavioral Processes in Marketing Channels


Text: Chapter 4
Cases: #8 Hassler & Howard
#9 Barnes & Noble College Bookstores
1st Topical Report due

Feb. 7 Strategy in Marketing Channels


Designing the Marketing Channel
Selecting the Channel Members
Text: Chapter 5, 6, 7
Cases: #10 Snap-on Tools Corporation
#19 Nespresso

Midterm Exam
(Thursday , February 9)

Feb. 14 Target Markets and Channel Design Strategy


Text: Chapter 8

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Case: #12 Innovative Toys
2nd Topical Report due
Winter Term 2012 Marketing 324 Dr. Rosenbloom

Feb. 21 Motivating Channel Members


Product Issues in Channel Management
Text: Chapters 9 and 10
Cases: #14 American Olean Tile Company
#15 ALDI
#18 McDonalds

Feb. 28 Pricing Issues in Channel Management


Promotion Through Marketing Channels
Text: Chapters 11 and 12
Cases: #10 Snap-on Tools
3rd Topical Report due

March 6 Logistics and Channel Management


Evaluating Channel Member Performance
Electronic Marketing Channels
Franchise Marketing Channels
Text: Chapters 13, 14,15 and 16
Cases: #22 Caterpiller Logistics
#23 Koehring Company
#16 Dunkin Donuts

March 13 Presentation of Group Term Projects

March 20 Final Exam Week

Second (Final) Exam as Scheduled

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Marketing 324

Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems

Case Analysis Procedure

Procedure for preparing and presenting the cases is as follows:

1) Read the case before coming to class


2) Read the case again while in your team in class (time will be
provided for this).
3) Discuss the case with your colleagues in your group,
focusing particularly on the issues raised in the Discussion
Questions at the end of the case.
4) Provide a written answer to each of the discussion questions
reflecting the consensus of the group.
5) Make a brief oral presentation of your answers to the
Discussion Questions. Select one or more group members
to do this.
6) Be prepared to answer questions and respond to comments
from classmates in other groups and the Instructor.
7) Each group member then signs the wrritten Answers to
Discussion Questions and hands it in at the end of class.

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Marketing 324

Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems

Procedure for Channel Topical Reports

1. Find and report on a real world example of marketing a marketing


channel topic from popular business sources or your own
experience.

2. Each student will make a 5 minute presentation on topic


scheduled for the class session or other marketing channel topic
from an earlier class session.

3. Your research on the topic may be based on information gathered


from business oriented websites such as the Wall Street Journal,
Bloomberg Business Week, New York Times, Google Business,
Yahoo Business etc. or your own experience including material
from a co-op experience.

4. Brief (one-page) write-up of the Topical Report is handed


in on the date of the individual presentation.

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Marketing 324

Marketing Channels and Distribution Systems

Channel Design Group Term Project

This project involves the development of a marketing channel design


strategy and structure for a real world business, non-profit organization,
cultural institution, or government agency.

Each group will select a business or other organization as described


above, analyze its existing marketing channel strategy and structure and
suggest possible changes and new directions for the firm or organization’s
future channel strategy and structure.

The format or framework you will follow will be the Channel Design
Paradigm as described in the textbook chapters (6&7) and briefly outlined
here. Your channel design should also reflect a strategic emphasis on
helping the firm or organization to gain a differential advantage that will
contribute to the attainment of a sustainable competitive advantage.

Your channel design project will be written up in a report of


approximately 15 pages and each group will make a 30 minute oral
presentation of the report with a 10 minute question and answer session to
follow. The oral presentation will be due during the last two class meetings.
The written report will be due the last day of class.

6
Marketing 324

Format to be Used for the Channel Design Group Term


Project

(The Channel Design Paradigm)

Stage #1
Recognize Need for Channel Design Decision

Analyze existing channel strategy and structure of the business or


organization you choose and make a case for why changes need to be made.
This can include additional channels, deletions, and/or modifications to
existing channel structure of the firm or organization in question. If the firm
or organization you choose is a new start-up, discuss what types of channels
might be needed to make the start-up’s products or services available to
potential customers.

Stage #2
Set and Coordinate Distribution Objectives

What are you trying to accomplish by changing channel strategy and


structure? How will such change contribute to creating a differential
advantage? Will your distribution objectives conflict with existing
distribution objectives and/or overall corporate and organization objectives?

Stage #3
Specify the Distribution Tasks Needed to Meet Objectives

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What kinds of new or extended distribution capabilities will need to be
developed in-house or “farmed-out” to implement the new channel strategy
and meet the objectives?

State #4
Develop Alternative Channel Structures

Describe some different possible scenarios for channel structures that could
conceivably be used to implement your channel strategy. Note: This is the
point in this exercise to be especially creative about what might work. In
step #6, you will get a chance to critically appraise feasibility during the
choice process. But it is better to have more ideas rather than less to choose
from.

Stage #5
Evaluate the Relevant Variables

You probably will have considered many of the relevant variables that might
affect your channel strategy during the course of your analysis and
discussion in the previous four stages. But this is the stage where you more
systematically go through a checklist of variables to make sure you have not
missed anything. The basic categories of variables you should review at this
point are:
1. Market (customer) variables
2. Product (or services) variables
3. Company (organizational) variables
4. Intermediary (middleman) variables
5. Environmental (exogenous) variables
6. Behavioral (relationship) variables

Stage #6
Choose the “Best” Marketing Channel

Here is where you actually make a choice about what marketing channel
strategy and structure you think will work most effectively and efficiently to

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achieve your distribution objectives. You may, of course, decide to use
several different channels to achieve the distribution objectives (multi-
channel strategy). How you make this choice is up to you. You can use pure
judgment and group consensus or some kind of decision model such as the
weighed factor score approach discussed in the textbook.

Stage #7
Select the Channel Members

If the particular channel strategy and structure you choose calls for the use of
independent middlemen (as most marketing channels will), discuss the
criteria you will use to select appropriate channel members and how you will
entice them to participate in the channel.

Specifications for Project

1. 10-15 double-spaced pages (15 is maximum)

2. Paper must be research-based. Use of Internet for research is


highly recommended. Identify all sources used on a Reference
Page (not part of the page limit).

3. Paper must be written in good form: carefully organized,


coherent, and grammatically correct.

4. Due date is last day of class.

5. Each paper will be presented orally to class in 40-minute


presentation and 10-15 minute Q&A. (PowerPoint presentation is
encouraged).

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