This module focuses on strategic issues and decisions germane to marketing in an electronic environment. The course integrates lectures, discussions, and case analysis, with an emphasis on student case presentations. This course deals with the legal environment within which marketing managers must operate. Attention is also given to laws in the area of intellectual property rights, including trademark and copyright infringement, trade secrets, and patent law. In this course, marketing channels are analyzed as systems of interrelated and interdependent organizations engaged in making goods and services available for consumption.
Emphasis is placed on how effective and efficient distribution networks can be developed.
Another area of emphasis involves managing distribution channels. As a result, the course examines the behavioral dimensions of channel relationships, the roles of channel members, the conflicts that arise among them, their use of power, and how channel members communicate. Cases are used for both illustrative and analytical purposes. This course integrates basic promotional tools including advertising, direct response and sales promotion. The focus is on practical issues in the choice of communication channels and the development of a communication strategy.