NOT FOR CIRCULATION

DISTRIBUTION AND CHANNEL MANAGEMENT, 2021

STRICTLY FOR JIM-NOIDA STUDENTS OF THE GROUP II ONLY

Objectives

Channels of distribution are a critical element of business strategy. The course is intended for those
participants who primarily wish to take up careers in the area of channel management, sales, retail,
business development and marketing now or later. It aims to provide an understanding of the
approaches, concepts, techniques and attitudes required for effective decision making in the distribution
channel management. The course concentrates on dynamics of trade channel, skill to design, execute
and manage a channel network, and working with channel members as partners. It also covers how to
evaluate channel partners. How to resolve conflict, understand power relationship and its dynamics and
build productive relations is also covered. The focus is on the tasks of working as First Line Channel
Manager in any organization.
Learning Goal

The learners are expected to carry out serious primary and secondary research on each topic and
assignment. The learning goals are as under:
CLO1 Review channel formats in business (Apply- Factual)

CLO2.Use channel concepts in channels management decisions (Apply- Metacognitive)

CLO3. Design channel management tools and systems for enhanced channel productivity (Create- Procedural)

Readings

1. Text Book: Rosenbloom, Marketing Channels, 8th edition, 2013, Cengage

2. Course Packet
Reference book(s)

1. Julian Dent, Distribution Channels, Kogan Page

2. Coughlan and others, Marketing Channels, Pearson
3. Venugopal, Marketing Channel Management, Response
4. Havaldar and others, Sales and Distribution Management, Mcgraw Hill Education
Journals

The recommended journals are

1. Journal of Marketing Channel

2. European Journal of Marketing
3. Journal of Marketing
4. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management
5. Industrial Marketing Management
Indian commercial newspapers Business Line, Business Standard, Economic Times and Financial Express
and Indian Business Magazines carry stories re distribution channel management. Keep track of them
and gainfully utilize them in your project work.
Other Readings
Additional readings can be provided on demand. Library code 658.811 and 658.812 has collections for
the course.
Instructor-Student Interaction
You can contact me on email sr.singhvi@jaipuria.ac.in at any time, if you have any question whatsoever
regarding the course or any related issue.

Philosophy of course

“When the Student is ready, the Teacher appears.”

“When the Student is truly ready, the Teacher disappears.”- Lao Tzu

1. I am only a facilitator of learning in V Trimester.

2. The emphasis is on learner’s individual preparation and participation. Shall be happy if learners
take over the discussion.
3. The conceptual understanding, experience gained during the internship and previous job should
be gainfully utilized to add value to the class discussion. For this thinking and active participation
is important.
4. You should aim to identify the practices used by different firms and appreciate differences
across firms in an industry or across industries.

Conduct during the session

1. You are not supposed to be engaged in any other activity during session. Nor any disturbance is
expected from your side to the class.
2. Keep text-book, course packet or other reading material, note book, laptop and calculator ready
on your desk while attending each session.
3. All submissions are before 6 AM unless otherwise mentioned. Late submission is no submission.

Absentee Assignment
1. Those who are absent from a session for any reason and removed students are required to submit
their Understanding of the Topic (which implies comprehending readings-R, extra readings, related
previous reading) and depending upon pedagogy the tasks like individual case analysis etc done/re-
done after the class input. Your understanding should be total submission including class inputs by
contacting your classmates after the session. This is to keep pace with the course and following
session.
2. The submissions are by 6 AM of the next day of the session.
3. Late submission is no submission. The submission is mandatory to sit in the next class and
thereafter.

Preparation for the Session

1. Specific session’s individual or team preparation is outlined below. This applies to each learner and
for each session.
2. Preparation for session means first pre-reading the Essential Reading for each session.
3. You may like to read extra from library resources. Students are advised to refer to journals
mentioned above.
 4. In a professional course, the application has to go simultaneously. For this purpose, the concept
of “owning a firm” by each team has been adopted and is explained under Team Task and
System Report below. Some sessions have specific task and presentation, to be prepared before
the session. It requires scanning the firm and topic related information about the firm though
database, magazines, business newspaper. A regular habit of scanning is very helpful. The task
requires regularly visiting the local market, contacting relevant managers of the firm working in
your town and assimilating the total knowledge at team level later.
5. Case method is principal pedagogy in the course. Each learner is expected to come well prepared
for discussion in class as an individual that means comprehending the topic through Essential
Reading (ER) or reading extra, written analysis of case on notebook and transferring complex
analysis in excel and PPT. You may be called anytime to ‘share’ your analysis to the class and add
value. Non-preparation invites removal from the session.
6. Team Assignment is a continuous work and the relevant portion need to be completed as the
topics are covered. The final submission is 48 hours before the last session.

Evaluation Criteria

Class Presence, Preparation and Participation (CPPP)-individual 20

Case Analysis and Viva Voce- Individual 20
Team Tasks and System Report and Viva Voce 20
End Term 40

Evaluation Process

The class has been divided into 10 teams namely T1 to T10, first team shall have 8 members and remaining
teams will have 7 members each as per serial number of the section. Teams have been allotted sessions
for a task (20 weight) and a case analysis (20 weight). For a sub-task, team numbers are allotted in
regressive number and for case analysis in progressive number. The task is progressive learning as course
unfolds and finally get into Channel System Report described below. The specified team will lead the
specific session and it is evaluative.

It does not mean that others are not required to be prepared for the session. All learners are required to
come prepared individually. Others as an individual or team can always send their pre-work before 6AM of
the previous day and compete to occupy the lead. For which they get credit in CPPP. Your bringing
selected firm’s way of doing adds value to the class. The learners who add value to the class discussion
shall score in CPP having weightage of 20 marks.

Non-prepared learners may invite removal from the class and shall be required to submit absentee
assignment.

Case Analysis and Viva

Individual members of the team will do complete case analysis including response to lead points and
submit to me directly by 6 AM of the previous day of the session. This will enable me to decide the process
of delivery of the session. The submission is in word, excel and PPT. Team may choose among themselves
to further debate individual case analysis for learning further. Each member should be ready with their PPT
and excel for debate in the class. Conceptual clarity shall be tested for each member of the presenting
team on the topic towards Viva Voce- individual and shall be of 10 marks.

Similarly, team task shall also be submitted by 6 AM of the previous day of the session. Late submission is
not allowed and is treated as no submission.

Team Task and System Report

Each team will pick a Company/firm whose marketing channel system they wish to study. In case the
company follows different channel structure for different product-lines, you may pick a product-line and
channel structure for study purpose. The name of the firm and chosen product-line/brand- channel
structure should be registered with class facilitator by the end of 1st day.
It is in your interest to pick a firm that visits JIMN for front-line channel manager placement. Some of the
firms visiting the campus are
Paints- Asian Paints, Berger, Indigo, Nerolac etc;

FMCG- ITC, Colgate, Adani Wilmar, Perfetti, Reckitt, Marico, Dabur, Amul, Johnson & Johnson, Dannone, McNore

FMCD- TVS Motors, Opple Lighting, Phillips Lighting, Crompton Greaves, Okaya Power, MRF, JK Tyre; Kent RO,
Inalsa, TTK Prestige, Luminous,

Others- Airtel, Vodafone, Lava International, Tata AIG, Aditya Birla Sun Life, Outlook Group

No team should be particular that it has to be a FMCG firm. This task is primarily not dependent upon
contact with managers of the firm chosen. It is more to do with channel partners, who are independent
businesses. For those, who are finally placed in sales and distribution, it is recommended that they
should make the team agree to pick a competitor-firm.
Your geographic area is first line channel manager’s territory in charge of town and all types of channel
partners in the market. Your geographic area should be at least what the principal intermediary/channel
partner of the firm covers.
Each team and individuals has to study all the topics in their geographical area for the firm. How each
task/topic does the firm manage and ending with positives of the system based upon the analysis of
both quantitative and qualitative data gathered by team members, is the scope of the report. You
should utilize your learning out of field on all the topics/task to add value during discussion in each
session. This can happen only if all team members continuously do the report work individually and
collectively. The assignment requires conceptual clarity, collection of both primary and secondary data.
At the end of the report, you may mention positives The report should include bibliographic references,
citations to any secondary sources used (business press articles, journals, books, etc.) as well as
mentioning the individual names, titles, contact numbers, and the name of firm contacted. The grade
depends on the quality of analysis, recommendations and ability to apply the analytic concepts from
class.
It has been found that this assignment assist in placement since it is field based and creative. It
sharpens thinking and enable grasping marketing tasks. You can manoeuvre the interview discussion to
discuss your assignment particularly for sales and distribution jobs. In past learners have gainfully
utilized the quality of this work to get a job, shift their job choice and gain in the job.
The submission of final report worth 10 marks containing all the tasks is due 48 hours before the last
Session. Each report should be not more than 2500 words long, excluding exhibits and official
documents of firm. Submit the report in soft copy supported by PPT for quick comprehension.
Further, each team has a specific topic for evaluation and the task is to study it conceptually and find
how a firm in a territory does it, to lead the session. Each member of the team shall study how task is
carried out in his town’s territory and team will learn jointly for the firm at multi-town level. Conceptual
clarity shall be tested for each member of the presenting team on the topic towards Viva Voce- individual
and the session shall be part of individual’s performance for 10 marks.

For task, after every session team member will send me peer evaluation directly, which will carry weight in
intra-group evaluation and affect individual grade. Needless to mention collusion shall invite minimum
penalty of grade lower than other teams. My judgement shall be final in this regard.

DETAILED SESSIONS PLAN

INDEX DETAILS

1 Topic(T) Course Briefing and Role of Channel Manager

Essential Reading-R 1. Course Outline
2. Role of the Sales Manager in Channel Management
Individual  Frame your question that you want to be answered in
Preparation(P) the class.
 Review the existing knowledge in the area acquired in
SMBD, MM, Summer Assignments and other courses
and projects done so far. Be ready to share the same.
Team Preparation a. Prepare list of decisions/issues for a Traditional
(TP) marketing channel system and New and emerging
marketing channel system.
b. Submit 2 slides in soft copy 24 hours before the session.
2 T Distribution Channel partners and the division of tasks
R Chapter 2, 15 and 17, 1 (pp 16-22)
TP For the product chosen by your firm enlist all the channel
T10 partners used, put them into task relationship with each other
and prepare PPT for class discussion.
3 T Value creation by intermediaries and channel environment
R Chapter 3
TP Identify the channel environment for the firm- product line
T9 chosen by the team.
4 T Managing Multiple Channels
R 1. How to win in an Omni-channel environment?
2. Best practices in Strategic Multichannel Fulfilment
3. Channel Stewardship
Case-C (T1) Ingersoll Rand A, B & C
Points to Ponder 1. How should IR distribute Centac-200? Why? How should
(PTP) distributors benefit from Centac-200? How about the Sales
Force?
 2. How do you explain the basic logic of IR’s channel tasks and
the way in which it has delineated the respective selling
domains of the IR direct sales force, Air Centers,
Independent Distributors and MRs? Is this a good allocation
given the nature of the product, buyer behaviour and
competition?
3. Will Web change the multiple channel system?
5 T Channel Strategy and Positioning
R 1. Chapter 5
2. Strengthen Distributor Perf thru Channel Positioning
PTP Is the concept of channel positioning a feasible and viable
concept?
TP 1. Think of 2 closest product competitors of the firm
T8 chosen by your team and figure out the channel
advantage for each one of them against your firm.
6 T Designing the Channel Structure
R 1. Customer driven distribution system
2. Accomplishing the marketing Channel change
3. Chapter 6
C (T2) Cisco Systems
PTP 1. Is the channel structure driven by end-user at all stages
of market?
2. What positives or negatives you find in it?
3. Recommend the suitable structure driven by end user at
each stage of market.
7 T Choosing the right Channel Partner
R Chapter 7
C (T3) Aircel: Distribution Challenge
PTP 1. Was the criteria of preferring a FMCG distributor for the
telecom service business correct? Were their capabilities
and temperament suited to the new business like
bundled offer with devices and voice to VAS?
2. If not, could they still be co-opted with some capability
building exercises?
3. Whether the new marketing offering was so different
that the channel partner selection required to be done
totally afresh?
8 T Improving Channel Member capabilities including strategies for
dealer development
R Improving Channel Effectiveness
TP Prepare a plan for Channel Partners Capability Improvement for
T7 the firm chosen by you.

9 T Seeking cooperation from the Channel Members

R Chapter 9
TP Prepare a ‘Seeking Cooperation Policy’ for the firm chosen by
T6 you.
10 T Managing Distributor/Intermediary Sales Force
R Salesforce Motivation, Compensation and Evaluation by
Industrial Distributors
 C (T4) Distributor Sales Force Performance Management
PTP 1. What were the real factors behind the DS turnover?
2. Was it possible to manage the sales performance
required for the “Big Leap” with a continuous churn at
the DS level?
3. Was it possible to improve the sales performance
without any major change in sales management
paradigm?
11 T Evolution of Supplier relationship
R 1. Master Distribution: Past, Present and Future
2. On determinants of joint actions in case of an industrial
distributor
C (T5) RCI Master distributor
PTP 1. How the role of Master Distributor in general and RCI in
particular, had evolved in the given environment? What
values do the various intermediaries brought to the
customer?
2. Was the role of Master distributor superfluous? What
was causing severe competition? What strategy should
RCI adopt?
3. How had RCI’S relationship with GE, Component and
Masato evolved? Who had the power in each of these
cases? Why?
TP  Make a status report on ‘Evolution of Supplier
Relationship’ in your firm and industry.
12 T Managing conflicts, Power & Communication
R Ch 4
C (T6) Atlas-Copco A, B and C
PTP 1. How would you rate the changes in the channel strategy
of company?
2. What does the 4-level franchising agreement do for
customers, distributors and company?
3. What would you do differently?
4. Having appointed Swaney in 1964, how has company
managed him?
5. Should Swaney be fired?
6. What are the legal ramifications of it?
7. While reflecting, do bring out the areas of conflict that
are inherent in changing the channel strategy and can
emerge due to merger. Do evaluate how has Atlas Copco
managed the conflict?
13 T Franchise Marketing Channels
R  Ch 16
 https://www.franchiseindia.com/content/current-
market-landscape-for-franchising-in-india.14013 .

C (T7) Ferns n Petals

PTP 1. What was FnP’s current business model? How different
channels enabled franchising model?
2. Was it advisable for FnP to extend the franchising model
 to Wedding business? Why or why not?
14 T Manufacturer-retailer relationship
R 1. Power of trust in Manufacturer-retailer relationship
2. Channel Partnership streamline distribution
3. Mastering the intermediaries
TP Make a status report on Manufacturer-retailer relationship for
T5 your firm’s industry.

15 T Evaluating Channel Member Performance

R Chapter 14
TP Be ready to present system of evaluation followed by the firm
T4 chosen by you.

16 T Working Capital Management & ROI

R How the distributor business model works?
C (T8) An irate distributor
PTP 1. If you were Kumar, how would you approach this issue
2. How would you convince Mandore to put in the required
investment?
3. Draft an annual performance appraisal format that can
be used by Kumar.
17 T Product issues in channel management
R Chapter 10
C (T9) 1. Saturn Motor Corporation
2. Nespresso
TP Be ready to present issues gathered from field for the firm
T3 chosen by you.
18 T Pricing issues in channel management
R Chapter 11
C (T10) Plattsburgh Motor Service
TP Be ready to present issues gathered from field for the firm
T2 chosen by you.
19 T Promotion issues in channel management
R Chapter 12
C(T10) Bristol-Myers Squibb
TP Be ready to present issues gathered from field for the firm
T1 chosen by you.
20 T Logistics and channel management and Summarizing the course
R Chapter 13
C GENCO Supply Chain Solutions
TP Be ready to present issues gathered from field for the firm
chosen by you.