University of Cologne. Department of Retailing and Customer Management. Channel Management. Syllabus SS 15

Transcription

1 University of Cologne Department of Retailing and Customer Management Dr. M. Käuferle SS 15 Channel Management Syllabus SS 15 University of Cologne Department of Retailing and Customer Management Albertus-Magnus-Platz Cologne Phone Fax For further questions on Channel Management, please contact Dr. Monika Käuferle kaeuferle@wiso.uni-koeln.de Phone: Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 1

2 Course Description This course is about how companies go-to-market. In other words, how and why do organizations choose various modes of getting in touch with the final consumer? For example, Starbucks owns its stores. On the other hand, McDonalds franchises most of its stores. While both chains worry about store performance why do they implement such a different approach? Another example: Sony and Apple have started to build their own flagship stores - selling directly to the end customer (and thereby competing with their own customers like MediaMarkt and Saturn). On the other hand, Philips only supplies to the retailers and decided not to sell simultaneously directly and indirectly. Which approach is more reasonable? This course is designed for students interested in understanding distribution channels and helping organizations leverage distribution channels for value creation, market differentiation and competitive advantage. Distribution channels refer to the collective set of organizations that efficiently transmit products/services from the point(s) of conception to the point(s) of consumption. As one of the "4 Ps" in marketing (Place), distribution channels and go-to-market issues are one of the most dynamically changing issues in marketing. Product proliferation, media fragmentation, retailer power and the internet among other things have conspired to place a premium on effective channel design and management. The success of Dell, Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Dairy Farm, Unilever, P&G, etc., reveals that careful attention to distribution can have tremendous payoffs. The organization of this course reflects this newfound interest in channels. It is focused on the organization and management of relationships between the intermediaries in a distribution channel. Course Objectives An understanding of the interactions between institutions in a channel (all the way from the point of conception of a product/service to point of consumption and beyond) and its implications for effective delivery of value to the end consumer A set of analytical frameworks, concepts and tools for critical thinking about channel design, channel coordination and overall channel performance. Required Textbook - Coughlan, Anne, Erin Anderson, Louis W. Stern, and Adel El-Ansary (2006), Marketing Channels, 7/E (International Edition), Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall. - Coughlan, Anne, Erin Anderson, Louis W. Stern, and Adel El-Ansary (2006), Marketing Channels, 7/E (Classic Edition), Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall. You can either use the International Edition or the Classic Edition. Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 2

3 Course Structure The course Channel Management consists of three complementary types of classes: Lecture, exercise (discussion of book exercises), and tutorial (discussion of case studies). It is highly recommended to attend all different types of classes to pass the final exam successfully. 1) Channel Management (Lecture) 1100 Instructor: Lecture Hall: Language: Meetings: Prof. Dr. Werner Reinartz HS I English Tuesdays am am, and Tuesdays am am Period: meetings a week need to be attended Guest lecture: , 10.00am-11.30am (Mars) Required Preparation: Chapters in textbook (see course outline). 2) Channel Management (Exercise) 1101 Instructor: Dr. Monika Käuferle Lecture Hall: Aula 1 Language: English Meetings: Mondays am am or Mondays noon pm Period: out of 2 meetings a week needs to be attended Guest lecture: , noon 1.30pm (P&G) Required Preparation: Relevant exercises will be announced before class. 3) Channel Management (Tutorial) 1100a Instructors: Donya Mirzaee, Dino Scheidt, Pia Söldner Lecture Hall: Wiso building, room 310 Period: meeting a week needs to be attended Mondays: pm pm (Donya Mirzaee) pm pm (Donya Mirzaee) Tuesdays: pm pm (Pia Söldner) pm pm (Dino Scheidt) pm pm (Dino Scheidt) Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 3

4 Wednesdays: 11:45 am pm (Pia Söldner) pm pm (Dino Scheidt) pm pm (Dino Scheidt) Language of instruction for all tutorials: English Required Preparation: Questions on case studies will be announced online before class 1. Verklar Austria (Session 1 & 2) 2. Invisalign: Orthodontists unwired (Session 3 & 4) 3. Centra Software (Session 5) Case Studies can be bought in front of the lecture hall (HS I) on: (11.30 am), (11.30 am), (11.30 am) ( 10 in total; no change available; please buy the case studies only during these time slots!) Final Examination The final exam (60 min) can be passed on two dates in ST 15: , am (Registration until ) , am (Registration until ) You may bring a non-programmable calculator to the exam. Dictionaries are only allowed if you carry a permission of the WiSo-Prüfungsamt. Please keep in mind that you need to register for this exam online on the website of the WiSo-Prüfungsamt ( For all students: Please keep in mind that you need to register for the exam within the given registration period. It is NOT possible to register after the respective registration period! For all exchange students: Please note that it is required to take the course exam in Germany, at the University of Cologne. We do NOT offer fax exams! Course Schedule and Readings Unless otherwise noted, all stated page numbers refer to both, the international and the classic edition! Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 4

5 Topic 1 Overview of the Course This class provides an introduction to Channel Management and an overview of the course. You will learn what exactly a marketing channel is, and why it exists. Required reading: Chapter 1 in textbook (7 th edition) Topic 2 Segmenting for Channel Design: Service Outputs Customers differ in their demands for product characteristics and services. Aiming to maximize profits, a firm tries to meet each customer s demands by segmenting the customer base into homogeneous subgroups that can be targeted individually. You will learn about the process of segmentation and take a closer look at the major service outputs that are demanded by customers. Required reading: Chapter 2 in textbook (7 th edition) Topic 3 Supply Side Channel Analysis: Channel Flows and Efficiency Analysis A product s way from the manufacturer/supplier to the end-user entails various tasks (called channel flows) that need to be fulfilled by the members of the marketing channel to satisfy the customers demands (e.g. storage, order- and delivery-processing, etc.). In a perfectly fair world, the resulting profits should consequently be distributed among the channel members involved according to their contribution to the channel tasks. You will learn to identify the type and amount of work each channel member has to bear, and to evaluate the importance of each channel flow for the provision of service outputs. You will finally be able to identify the corresponding share of profits each channel member should collect. Required reading: Chapter 3 in textbook (7 th edition) Topic 4 Supply Side Channel Analysis: Channel Structure and Intensity Different firms pursue different distribution strategies. Some try to make their products as widely available as possible; others maintain an air of exclusivity by offering them in a selected number of points of purchase. This topic deals with the evaluation of different levels of distribution intensity and their effects on the market. Required reading: Chapter 4 in textbook (7 th edition) Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 5

6 Topic 5 Gap Analysis Purchase strategies of firms are a challenging tradeoff between a firm s aim to satisfy its customers demands and to minimize costs at the same time. Any deviation of this optimum, which could be the over- or undersupply of service outputs, or service outputs supplied at too high costs, is called a channel gap. We will discuss about sources of channel gaps and ways to close discovered gaps. You will learn to evaluate firms channel management by implementing a so called gap analysis. Required reading: Chapter 5 in textbook (7 th edition) Topic 6 Channel Power Power is a critical feature of the functioning of marketing channels. Working together on a product s way to the market channel members face several situations of disagreement as each party tries to maximize its own profits. The existence of between-channel member dependencies usually provides stronger negotiation power to one of the channel members. Using this power, one party is usually able to alter the other party s behavior for its own advantage. We will identify different sources and kinds of power and discuss about positive and negative effects of playing on unequal dependencies. Required reading: Chapter 6 in textbook (7 th edition) Topic 7 Channel Conflict The word conflict is very often used in a negative sense. But it can actually even help to improve the achievements of a channel. You will take part in a group exercise, which will help us to identify different kinds of conflict and their effect on cooperation results. Required reading: Chapter 7 in textbook (except: sidebars; p resolution strategies; 7 th edition) Topic 8 Vertical Integration Vertical integration refers to a firm s ownership and control in the vertical value chain. In this class you will learn about different kinds of vertical integration. We will take a closer look at some contemporary vertical integration strategies, why they occur, and what their impact is on a channel strategy. Required reading: Chapter 9 in textbook (except: sidebars; p VI as observatory; 7 th edition) Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 6

7 Topic 9 Multichannel Management The identification of a product s most efficient route to the market has become a sophisticated challenge for managers. Using several different routes to the market a firm risks escalating intrabrand competition. But as a firm needs to be able to challenge its competitors, it is at the same time important to satisfy the customers demands for wider availability, greater convenience of purchase. The goal of this class is to identify drivers of channel choice and discuss about the development of multichannel strategies. Required reading: pp , (7 th edition), and in textbook (7 th edition, international edition only) and in textbook (7 th edition, classic edition only) resp. Topic 10 Retailing A dominant channel format in all economies is the retailing format. This Topic will provide you with an overview of the retailing domain. We will take a closer look at the strategic planning process in retailing as well as trends and current issues in retailing. No required reading Topic 11 Franchising Another widely used (and growing) channel format is franchising. Franchising refers to the methods of practicing and using another person's philosophy of business. In this class you will learn about different types of franchising, about advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and risks. Required reading: Chapter 12 in textbook (international edition only), Chapter 13 (classic edition only) Topic 12 Summary and Wrap-up No required reading Department of Retailing and Customer Management, University of Cologne 7