Brand and Category Management

Course description

The Brand & Category Management aims to give students the right knowledge on how to navigate the retailing ecosystem and to understand what is needed to successfully run and develop consumer-facing businesses. Special emphasis is on how retailers and manufacturers use brands (e.g. private labels and manufacturer brands) and categories (e.g. creating new and improving existing) as strategic tools.

In the course, students learn to understand how they as retailers and/or manufacturers work with category management to postion themselves and drive sales and create profits. Within category management, product categories are run as strategic business units where optimization of assortment, new product introduction and promotions are in focus. Category management also covers relationships between suppliers and retailers and their (joint) efforts in creating consumer value.

The course is based on interactive lectures, guest speakers, a literature test, a large project and a final exam at the end of the course.

Course administrators: Karl.Strelis@hhs.se, alexandra.svahn.alberts@hhs.se

The student should be able to

• analyse product categories, brand portfolios, and brands and based on such analyses give recommendations on how retailers and suppliers build and develop their product categories and/or brands in the long term as well as sustaining sales in the short term.
• discuss the challenges that retailers and suppliers have in brand management and category management ecosystem.
• discuss what the aspects of category management are and articulate what the strengths and challenges with category management are.

General entry requirements.

Exam: 60 points (individual)

Literature test: 20 points (individual)

Project: 20 points (group)

Find the course schedule in TimeEdit

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