Challenges students to reach their potential.
Dr. K. S. Venu Gopal Rao serves as Professor and Director at ICFAI Business School (IBS), Hyderabad, and as Head of the Department of Marketing & Strategy. He possesses a Ph.D. in Marketing from Kakatiya University, Warangal, awarded in 2008, an MBA from Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1993, and an M.A. from Osmania University, Hyderabad, in 1991. With nineteen years of experience in teaching and academic administration, including prior roles in industry, Dr. Rao delivers courses in Marketing Management, Sales & Distribution Management, and Strategic Marketing Management within the MBA program, alongside seminar courses in the Doctoral program at IBS Hyderabad. He engages in training programs for management teachers and executive education initiatives, utilizing innovative methods such as simulations to enhance instructional effectiveness for senior and middle-level management professionals.
Dr. Rao's research focuses on sales promotions, consumer behavior, and product bundling. He has authored and co-authored several publications in refereed journals, including 'Zyne: Growth Pangs in a Commoditized Market' in the Asian Journal of Management Cases (2022, with V. V. Gopal, H. Muralidharan, and Jyothi Ch), 'Insider vs Outsider – Who is better? The case of Zyne Furnishings' in Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies (2021, with V. V. Gopal), 'Brand Bundling as a New Product Introduction Strategy: A Conceptual Framework' in the Indian Journal of Marketing (2017, with Sweta Singh), 'How to develop emotional attachment amongst patients towards hospitals? A qualitative investigation in the context of emerging Indian market' in the Journal of Asia Business Studies (2016, with Abhigyan Sarkar and Juhi Gahlot Sarkar), and 'Consumer Confusion in Mobile App Buying – the moderating role of Need for Cognition' in the International Journal of E-Business Research (2014, with Tathagatha Ghosh). His article 'Perceived Benefits of Customer Loyalty Programs: Validating the Scale in the Indian Context' (Management & Marketing, 2011) has received 119 citations. Additional works include studies on green marketing orientation and supply chain practices in SMEs (Theoretical Economics Letters, 2019). Dr. Rao has presented papers at international conferences, guided five research scholars to Ph.D. completion, and holds the position of Consulting Editor for the IUP Journal of Business Strategy.