In cooperation with Purdue University, the University of Innovative Distribution has released upcoming coursework for the 2020 academic year. Designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of professionals in the distribution space, the courses are ideal for CEOs, brand managers, sales and marketing managers, purchasing managers, sales personnel, human resources directors, operations managers, inventory managers, as well as manufacturer personnel working with distributors.
This program centers on providing the best-of-the-best practical instructors with deep distribution experience. It is often described as getting an MBA in distribution in one intense week. Indian River is proud that of the 56 sessions offered in 2020 that we were chosen to lead eight. We are the only firm with multiple instructors in the program.
Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks has been with the program from the beginning over 20 years ago. Steve Deist, another Indian River partner, joined back in 2014. Marks is excited to announce the addition of two other IRCG colleagues to the upcoming course calendar.
Joining Marks and Deist on the 2020 University of Innovative Distribution faculty team will be Dan Horan and Dr. Abram Walton. Horan is Indian River Consulting Group’s Senior Associate Consultant and specializes in sales, marketing, branding and business strategy. Dr. Walton is an author, consultant and researcher specializing in Strategic Innovation, Human Capital Management and Leadership Development. He has also served as the US delegate to the ISO (International Standards Organization) in the creation of the about-to-be-released international innovation standard.
Marks will lead off the program on Sunday morning presenting leading-edge content in the new course, Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Management. The supply chain management field has been traditionally bound within the walls of a single firm. In any value chain between initial production of a product and the ultimate consumption or use there are multiple firms in the value chain. The value chain, by definition, is limited by the least effective member. With the emergence of new technology tools, black box consulting and business model innovation, the leading edge is now enterprise modelling. Negotiation between firms is replaced with lean tools to identify waste, creating real competitive advantage for the involved firms.
In the course, Big Data Analytics for Wholesale-Distributor, Marks will identify practical examples of using big data that can help today’s distributor improve their decision-making capability and guide them towards effective investments and increased shareholder value.
Marks will present another course titled Distribution in a Post-Amazon World that will explore current market changes and the result of digital versions of relationships, trust, order fulfillment, service, capital structures and how blockchain and distributed ledgers are just starting to create a wave of disruption.
In the course, Max Out Margins with Strategic Pricing, Deist will outline the process to create a world-class pricing strategy, allowing the distributor to truly know market price at the transaction level. The course focuses on managing the short-term and long-term risks necessary for success.
Deist will also lead the course, Play to Win with a Market Strategy. This is a real-world approach to creating a strategy for a distributor that produces competitive advantage. Any real strategy starts from the outside in with customers, and this course provides a solid roadmap.
In the course, B2B Branding Strategies for the 2020s, Horan will dissect the four aspects of an effective and profitable B2B brand strategy, including the foundational elements of a brand, effective branding practices, building an intentional brand and maintaining brand integrity for the long haul.
In the course, Leading for Innovation: Systematically Identify Areas Ripe for Meaningful Change, Dr. Walton will investigate the stages of the innovation process, define steps on successful implementation, and discuss tools, processes and metrics necessary for growth. The course will dive into each step of the process, including planning stages, defining a course of action, establishing the motivation, attributing action items, prioritizing and monitoring new behaviors, and analyzing input and output metrics.
Increasing Engagement & Motivation: Keys to Bridging the Intergenerational Divide, another course led by Dr. Walton, will tackle stereotypical generational differences and introduce management techniques that bridge communication and management styles. The course defines effective strategies for succession planning, mentoring and the use of behaviorally anchored rating scales and interview questions to ensure long-term success.
To learn more about the courses available in 2020 or to register online, please visit the University of Innovative Distribution website.
