73429 - BUSINESS TO BUSINESS MARKETING

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

The course objective is to give a clear definition of the Business Market (B2B) compared to B2C and B2G. At the end of the course, the students are familiar with the concept of a strong long-term relationship with the customersbased on trust and satisfaction and the business market itself. In addition, the students are aware of how being “Marketing Oriented” is essential in order to create new customers as well as to implement effective retention plans.

Contenuti

This course offers a comprehensive overview of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, highlighting its distinct features compared to B2C and B2G markets. Students will explore the importance of building strong, trust-based customer relationships and understand how a marketing-oriented approach supports both customer acquisition and retention. Key topics include value creation and delivery, the business buying process, B2B communication strategies, and the role of digital tools such as Web 2.0 and social media. The course also addresses global and domestic B2B contexts, with a special focus on branding, multichannel strategies, and the impact of “People” as the fifth “P” in the marketing mix, particularly in manufacturing and employer branding.

Structure of the course:

1 Course structure, Alignment of Marketing terminology and 3Bs theory

2 Business case launch by the Company

3 Marketing Fundamentals; B2B vs B2C

4 Strategic Marketing: Probing and STP process in B2B – real cases

5 The Blue Ocean Strategy in B2B – Business Game

6 The Buying criteria and process; The Buying center: buyphases, buyclasses and participants

7 The Value Proposition; Brand function in B2B

8 The Marketing Communication process; Social Media Marketing in B2B

9 The Employer Branding: definition, tools and organizational impact; real cases in manufacturing companies

10 Business case presentation by the Class to the Company

Testi/Bibliografia

Required Readings:

- Kotler, Keller, Chernev: “Marketing Management 16e”, 2021, Global Edition, Pearson

- Kotler P., Pfoertsch W., B2B Brand Management; 2006, Springer

Supplementary Readings:

Additional cases, articles and material will be handed out during the course. Slides and keynotes will be considered as the guideline of the course.

Metodi didattici

The main instructional approaches used in the course are:

- Lectures and discussion. Lectures will highlight elements of the readings, provide an organizing framework for the topic of the day, and cover new material. Oral participation during the lecture sessions and case discussions will be very important. A substantial part of the benefit the student will derive from the class is a function of his/her willingness to expose his/her viewpoints and conclusions to the critical judgment of the class, as well as his/her ability to build upon and evaluate the judgments of his/her classmates.

- Class participation. Active, meaningful contribution to class discussion largely determines the class participation grade for this course. The participation grade is not merely an attendance grade. The class participation grade is a grade that is built up through the student’s contribution of insightful comments. In fact, beyond a threshold level of participation, much higher weight is placed on the depth of ideas presented and their contribution towards gaining new insights in the class discussion.

- Guest speakers. Participation and quality of preparation for these meetings will count toward “class participation” grade.

- Case preparation and analysis. Cases will illustrate and expand the lectures, introduce new material, and allow for practice in business market decision-making. The cases have been carefully selected to make a series of points. Some cases may not be particularly recent. This is because a case is a pedagogical device designed to make a point, and these cases have been proven to do so.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Class attendance is compulsory. All three final grade’s components are compulsory and

Course evaluation will be as follows:

Component Weight (%)

Final Exam 40

Teamwork Project 50

Class Participation 10

Non-attending students (Clamda-IM only): please contact me to know the requirements and assessment method to take your exam.

Please note that to be fair to all students, full credit will not be given to any deliverable submitted past the due date.

- Final exam and group project structure:

Mandatory written exam (computerized; on paper only upon specific request): 32 points available. It consists of 16 multiple choice questions (2 points each).

Teamwork project: the teamwork project will be a real Business Case and will be presented by the Company Manager live. Evaluation criteria: answers must be clear, applicable and grounded by a precise analysis. The report will be given to the Company therefore it must be concise but complete, to the point and usable again. The precise roadmap and the expected output will be explained during the presentation.

- Exam policy:

Please make sure to subscribe to the list on Almaesami in due time.

Three exam calls are available for this course. Call 1 and Call 2 are connected to the Teamwork project. If you fail or refuse your grade in Call 1 you can attempt again in Call 2. In case you fail again, your teamwork project mark will not be considered valid any longer and you’ll have to take the Full Exam in September Call 3.

All tests (multiple choice and teamwork project) are considered valid only if they reach the minimum threshold (18).

All exams will be held in person.

All exams will be carried out on the EOL platform and students will have to use their own device. Should this not be possible or there is a preference to perform the test physically, please inform the Professor and the Tutor in advance in order to provide for a paper copy.

Grading scale:

< 18: failed

18-23: sufficient

24-27: good

28-30: very good

30 e lode: outstanding

Only 7 Erasmus and Overseas students will be admitted to the course and the exam. They will be selected following the chronological order of their registration to the course. Make sure to receive Confirmation.

Students with disability or specific learning disabilities (DSA) are required to make their condition known to find the best possible accommodation to their needs.

 

Strumenti a supporto della didattica

Tools, platforms, or resources used during the course:

- Learning platform: Virtuale (virtuale.unibo.it) contains the slides, the team-work assignments and any additional material

- Presentation software: PowerPoint

- Communication tools: Email; Teams; Forum on Virtuale

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Alessandra Raggi