Fundamental Courses

This course examines topics related to the management of distribution channels: the nature of marketing channels and the global trends that characterize them; the issues that companies face in designing, managing, evaluating and changing their channels; marketing channel issues from the perspective of retailers, wholesalers, and physical distribution agencies.

Generating and analysing market data and organising the generation of consumer, customer, and competitor insights within an organisation are pillars for marketing and sales management. This course offers methods, tools, and techniques for qualitative and quantitative marketing research.

Sales personnel and key account managers serve as the company’s unique link to customers. The sales and key account people represent the company to many of its customers and in turn bring back to the company much needed intelligence about customers and competitors. The course concerns issues in sales-force design and key account management work.

Analysing market opportunities, researching and selecting targets, developing market strategies, planning marketing tactics, and implementing and controlling the marketing effort: these are the essential steps of the marketing management process covered by the course.

Once the target for a given product is decided, it’s time to set up the “path to the market,” the entire route that the product will follow in the passage to the final customer. This course focuses on the methodology used to design an optimal integrated commercial strategy. As more and more companies are interested in selling to the end consumer, the course will also include guides to creating powerful retail formulae, through both traditional and internet channels. Innovation orientation and its holistic commercial approach are important characteristics of this course.

Branding has become a critical issue in marketing management, as it is increasingly the most influential element in determining the difference between equally competitive products. The course covers the most relevant topics in brand management: the meaning and the measurement of customer-based brand equity, the dynamics and the architecture of a company’s brand portfolio, and the roles and functions of different brands.