Marketing Papers
Title
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of this Version
1997
Publication Source
MIT Sloan Management Review
Volume
38
Issue
4
Start Page
59
Last Page
69
Abstract
When choosing distribution channels, companies need to rely on design principles that are aligned with their overall competitive strategy.
Accelerating technological change, heightened marketplace demands, more aggressive global competition, and shifts in the workforce and population demographics are affecting distribution channels, forcing companies to reconsider fundamental assumptions about how they reach their markets. The magnitude of change demands a strategic perspective that views channel decisions as choices from a continually changing array of alternatives for achieving market coverage and competitive advantage — subject, of course, to the constraints of cost, investment, and flexibility. Tactical responses, based on maintaining power balances, managing conflicts, and minimizing transaction costs to pursue greater efficiency, will not suffice.
Copyright/Permission Statement
Originally published in MIT Sloan Management Review © 1997 MIT Press.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, E., Day, G. S., & Rangan, V. K. (1997). Strategic Channel Design. MIT Sloan Management Review, 38 (4), 59-69. Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/marketing_papers/401
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Date Posted: 15 June 2018
This document has been peer reviewed.