Value-based pricing strategies

One might say pricing is an art, another may call it an exact science, and others see it as a psychological play. Whatever the perspective, its importance for a company can hardly be overstated—and it is likely to become even more crucial in the AI age. For many organizations, pricing is the most powerful lever of profitability: the point where strategy, customer perception, and financial performance converge. As Harvard Business School Professor Corey notes, “Pricing is the moment of truth – all of marketing comes to focus in the pricing decision.”

Yet despite its decisive role, pricing is often underestimated. Many companies lack the skills, tools, and governance to manage it effectively. Increasingly, pricing is becoming a central responsibility—whether as a dedicated role or embedded in general management, finance, marketing, and sales. For entrepreneurs, pricing can make or break the success of a start‑up. Over the last decade, the field has accelerated: dynamic pricing, consumption‑based models, AI‑driven optimisation, and more sophisticated buyers have reshaped the landscape.

At the heart of modern pricing lies a strategic triad that defines how organizations create, capture, and share value:

• Customer Value Creation — understanding why customers choose your solution, what superior value you deliver, and how that value evolves across the customer journey.
• Shareholder Capture — translating that value into sustainable profit through pricing levels, structures, and levers that reflect willingness‑to‑pay and competitive dynamics.
• Societal Sharing — ensuring pricing decisions align with broader responsibilities toward people and the planet, reinforcing trust, fairness, and long‑term legitimacy.

Impact Pricing: Balancing Customer Value, Financial Performance, and Societal Impact

In today’s interconnected world, businesses are evaluated not only on financial performance but also on their societal and environmental footprint. Impact pricing explores how pricing decisions can simultaneously drive profitability, support social responsibility, and reinforce environmental sustainability. Balancing these three pillars—customer value, financial performance, and societal impact—is challenging. Companies must navigate ethical considerations, societal expectations, and environmental constraints while remaining competitive. Through case studies and real‑world examples, participants will learn how to integrate sustainability principles into pricing decisions, enhance brand reputation, and create long‑term value for all stakeholders.

The course combines the economic foundations of pricing, the behavioural realities of customer psychology, and the societal expectations shaping modern business. Participants will gain comprehensive exposure to managerial pricing decisions and learn how to design, evaluate, and implement pricing strategies with confidence. A central theme of the course is how pricing strategy and tactics can be used to guide both customers and companies toward more sustainable solutions. Pricing is one of the few managerial levers that can simultaneously shift consumer behaviour, fund corporate transition, and reinforce societal goals. By making sustainable options more attractive, accessible, and economically viable, pricing becomes a catalyst for aligning customer value creation, shareholder capture, and societal sharing in a coherent, future‑oriented strategy.

• To develop a deep understanding of how organizations create customer value, capture shareholder value, and share societal value through pricing decisions
• To analyze how pricing choices emerge from strategic positioning, competitive dynamics, customer psychology, and sustainability pressures
• To apply advanced pricing tools and frameworks in managerial, consultancy, and entrepreneurial environments
• To evaluate how pricing strategies influence customer behaviour, company performance, and broader societal outcomes
• To design pricing solutions that steer both consumers and firms toward more sustainable products, services, and business models

Required and Corequired knowledge and skills

Course Marketing and/or Psychology

Microeconomics and/or Industrial Organization

Business or Managerial Economics

Basic Finance

English proficiency is essential

Extensive interaction during the year: preparation of cases, class discussions, group projects with presentations/discussions,...

References, bibliography, and recommended reading

Will be communicated in the beginning of the semester

Course notes

• Syllabus
• Université virtuelle

Contacts

koen.tackx@ulb.be

Campus

Solbosch

Method(s) of evaluation

• Practice work
• Project
• Continuous assessment
• Oral presentation
• Group work

Practice work

Project

Continuous assessment

Oral presentation

Group work

Mark calculation method (including weighting of intermediary marks)

First Team Assignment (preparation + presentation): 4 points

Second Team Assignment (preparation + presentation): 10 points

Individual preparation of cases and class participation: 6 points

Language of Evaluation: English

The teacher reserves the right to call any student in for an additional oral interview in order to assess their individual understanding of the content of the submitted examination paper

 

Language(s) of evaluation

• english