Business-to-Business Marketing
2 Credits
BU.460.710. XX
[NOTE: Each section must have a separate syllabus.]
[Day & Time / ex: Monday, 6pm-9pm]
[Start & End date / ex: 10/15/15-12/10/15]
[Semester / ex: Fall 2016]
[Location / ex: Washington, DC]
Instructor
[Full Name]
Contact Information
[Phone Number, (###) ###-####]
[E-mail Address]
Office Hours
[Day(s)/Times]
Required Textbook and Learning Materials
The textbook for this course is: Michael D. Hutt and Thomas W. Speh (2012), Business Marketing Management,
(11th edition), Publisher: Cengage Learning.
Case studies and articles required for this course are listed below and must be purchased by all students directly from
Harvard Business School Publishing. A coursepack with electronic copies of all cases and articles has been created
and can be accessed via the following link after registration: [HBS web link]
ID
Title
Session
4380
Case Analysis Coach Tutorial
Class 1
W12785
Boise Automation Canada Ltd.: The Lost Order at Northern Paper
Class 1
913505
PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the Switch?
Class 2
CMR527
Customer Centric Leadership: How to Manage Strategic Customers as
Assets in B2B Markets
Class 2
9507014
Lenovo: Building a Global Brand
Class 3
UV5142
Heinz Ketchup: Pricing the Product Line
Class 4
KEL579
Cisco Systems: Launching the ASR 1000 Series Router Using Social
Media Marketing
Class 5
HKU395
Shanghai General Motors: The Rise of a Late-comer
Class 6
Students are strongly advised to purchase required materials in advance of the first class. All other course
materials and resources (case questions, assignments, etc.) will be posted on the school’s Blackboard site.
Course Description
This course provides a managerial introduction to the strategic and tactical aspects of business marketing decisions.
Students examine the strategic concepts and tools that guide market selection, the development of a customer value
proposition, and successful competitive differentiation in contemporary business markets. They also study how this
strategic analysis serves as the integrating theme for creating a firm’s B2B marketing programs and managing
strategic customers as assets. A mixture of lectures, discussions, cases, and readings are used to examine how
product and service decisions are designed to deliver the B2B value proposition, how pricing captures customer
value, how value is communicated to and among customers, and how marketing channels are used to make this value
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 2
accessible to target customers. Students will compare and contrast how the strategic and tactical processes of
developing and managing value-generating relationships differ between B2B and B2C markets.
Prerequisite(s): None
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Gain a managerial perspective on the marketing function in firms that target business and government
customers in both domestic and global contexts;
2. Learn practical concepts and tools for analyzing market opportunities and company capabilities as the basis
for market selection, developing customer value propositions, and competitive differentiation in
contemporary business markets;
3. Understand the process by which strategic market analysis guides the development of B2B marketing
programs that integrate product pricing, communications, and channel decisions;
4. Develop a managerial orientation to implementing and controlling B2B marketing programs and managing
alliance relationships.
To view the complete list of Carey Business School’s general learning goals and objectives, visit the Teaching &
Learning@Carey website.
Attendance
Attendance and class participation are part of each student’s course grade. Students are expected to attend all
scheduled class sessions. Each class will include opportunities for teams to work together. Failure to attend class will
result in an inability to achieve the objectives of the course. Excessive absence will result in loss of points for team
participation. Regular attendance and active participation are required for students to successfully complete the
course.
Due Date Policy
For written reports, students should provide both an electronic (via Blackboard) and hard copy of assignments
submitted for grading at the beginning of class. For presentations, PPTs slides are due via Blackboard by 5pm one
day before the presentations. Due dates are strictly followed, therefore students should note due dates listed in the
syllabus and plan accordingly. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Assignments & Rubrics
Assignment
Attendance and Participation
Group Case Analysis Presentation*
Individual B2B Firm Study
Group B2B Alliance Project*
Final Exam
Total
Course Learning Objective(s)
1, 4
1, 2, 3
1, 2
1, 2, 3, 4
3, 4
Weight
15%
15%
15%
35%
20%
100%
* Peer evaluation will influence group score
Assignment and Exam Policy
Students will be asked to sign a statement that each test and assignment is their own work and they have abided by
the honor code.
Students are not allowed to use any electronic devices during in-class tests. Calculators will be provided if the
instructor requires them for test taking. Students must seek permission from the instructor to leave the classroom
during an in-class test. Test scripts must not be removed from the classroom during the test.
Attendance and Participation (15%):
Student performance is evaluated weekly based on attendance, active in-class participation, and contribution to
weekly discussion topics/questions. Additionally, students must demonstrate active involvement and meaningful
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 3
contributions to class discussions and the learning process. Toward this end, students are strongly encouraged to
complete assigned readings prior to class, raise important questions or issues regarding the B2B environment, share
current and/or personal examples of principles “in action,” or offer unique views that challenge conventional
thinking and ideas.
Case study discussion is a critical aspect of class participation. Students will analyze all cases for class discussion,
creating numerous opportunities for them to individually impact the group learning experience. The cases selected
for this course provide enduring lessons about the strategic and tactical aspects of B2B marketing decisions.
The grading rubric for class participation is posted on Blackboard. Students should carefully review the grading
criteria at the beginning of the term to understand how individual participation performance will be assessed in this
class. Students will be notified if their participation score for any class session is less than satisfactory.
Group Case Analysis Presentation (15%):
Students will form groups of four-five persons (the number will depend on final course enrollment) on the first day
of class. Case studies will be randomly assigned to groups. Each team will be required to present their analysis of one
assigned case. The suggested case analysis / discussion questions each team is responsible will be provided at
Blackboard. Note that while the discussion questions must be covered in your presentations, they are there only to
help you think about the case and you should not assume that the discussion questions lay out the core problems, thus
relieving you of the responsibility to define fundamental issues / problems and identify a list of areas of analysis.
You are also encouraged to comment on other issues you feel that may contribute to our understanding.
Each case team is expected to provide a rigorous analysis, wage a compelling defense for its strategic
recommendations, and address strong counterarguments presented by fellow students. Presentations should include a
brief situational analysis to provide context to the class. Teams have 30 minutes to present the case, including a Q&A
session on the presentation, with active facilitation of the open class discussion to follow (no pre-determined time
limit). Presentations should effectively incorporate any tools, audio visuals, props or learning supplements that
underscore the nature of the B2B issues and concepts addressed by the case study.
When you are presenting a case, assume that you are a consulting group asked by the Board of Directors of the firm
in the case to analyze their situation and give an overview of the manner in which you would solve their problems.
Questions from the “Board of Directors”, i.e., your classmates and me, may come up while you are presenting, so be
prepared to clarify or defend your points within your presentation. I will take the remaining class time to make
additional comments, to explore further on some specific issues as well as to summarize the discussion and
generalize the lessons we learned from the case.
Group case presentations (slide deck) should be submitted via Blackboard by 5pm one day prior to the class session.
NOTE: Use of existing case questions, essays, and presentations previously submitted by students at Carey or
other institutions is forbidden and will result in a score of zero. Accessing case materials provided by the
publisher or case authors is forbidden and will result in a score of zero. Use of unauthorized materials
represents a violation of the Carey Honor Code and is subject to disciplinary sanctions imposed by the Honor
Council as detailed on the following website: http://carey.jhu.edu/students/student-resources/honor-code/.
Individual B2B Firm Study (15%):
Objective/ Overview: This assignment helps you gain a managerial perspective on B2B firms that target business and
government customers.
Description: You are to identify companies predominantly in the business-to-business marketplace. You must
identify two B2B companies in the Baltimore/Washington, DC greater metropolitan area. These companies should be
from the following industries:
1. Manufacturing
2. General services
3. Professional services
4. Information/communications technology
5. Media
6. Wholesaling
7. Financing
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 4
Each company should come from a unique industry. For purposes of this assignment, you may include B2G firms.
For each of the two firms, you should (1) briefly describe the firm’s B2B products and services (and include the
firm’s website); (2) identify at least one B2B customer in the Baltimore/Washington, DC greater metropolitan area.
If you choose a B2G firm, you should specify what department or agency of the federal, state or local government is
the customer; and (3) analyze the firm’s customer value propositions and competitive differentiation in the business
markets.
The report should be single-spaced in 12-pt. font and should not exceed 2 pages of text.
Resources: There are a number of resources you can use. You might find it easiest to consult:
 The Washington Business Journal, and if you locate it, the Washington Business Journal Book of Lists
 The Washington Post, particularly the Business Section
 The Johns Hopkins University Library data bases
 Local and regional Yellow Pages
There are other specialized directories and resources you can use.
When to summit: The individual B2B firm study report is due both in hard copy form (one copy of paper) and in
electronic form (via Blackboard) at the beginning of the 3 rd class.
Comments: You are urged to look at firms that you might want to work for. Learning a little about them for this
assignment may help you in getting a job after graduation.
Group B2B Alliance Project (Report: 25%, Presentation: 10%):
Project purpose: This project is designed to (i) enhance your understanding of various marketing factors and their
performance impact on marketing alliances; (ii) provide you with hands-on experience of doing marketing research
and formulating marketing plans for real-world companies involved in B2B relationships.
Project description: Marketing alliances perform important functions in the B2B marketplace. These alliances are
formed primarily for the partner firms to collaborate on the marketing functions, such as new product development,
advertising, distribution of products, and market expansion. From online sources, news, magazines, library databases,
etc., identify an existing marketing alliance (Hint: choose the alliance based on your team’s interest and / or
information availability). Perform the following in your analysis (at a minimum):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Provide the brief background information of (i) the industry where the alliance operates; (ii) the partner
firms.
Evaluate whether the alliance is doing well or not. Your evaluation could be based on information from
many sources. For example, a company’s website may report that its managers are satisfied or disappointed
about a marketing alliance. Another example could be that a magazine or a website points out that a
particular marketing alliance is a success or failure. Or, you found that the consumers of the alliance are
satisfied or dissatisfied with the value they receive. Further, you may be able to identify financial
performance information of the alliance or both partner firms (you need to think carefully about how to link
the financial performance change of partners to the alliance performance). These are a few examples that
could help you justify your evaluation of the alliance performance.
Completely analyze the factors of the partner firms and / or the alliance that positively or negatively
influence the performance of the marketing alliance. In particular, you should focus on the analysis of
marketing factors (e.g., company strengths/weaknesses, customers, competitors, products, pricing,
promotion, distribution, and a variety of environmental factors) which you feel are important in explaining
the performance of the alliance. Important non-marketing factors should be briefly mentioned.
Research and report the advantages (benefits) or disadvantages that this alliance brings to each partner firm.
For the partner firms, perform marketing forecast to determine the long run quantifiable and realistic
marketing objectives that they can expect to achieve through this alliance. The marketing objectives could
be sales, profit, or market share goals. Feel free to include additional marketing objectives if you think they
are appropriate for the partners. You don’t need to cover all the previously mentioned objectives if no data
is available. Formulate marketing strategies for the partner firms that would enable them to gain more
benefit from the alliance. Clearly outline your assumptions and thought process.
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 5
What to submit:
(1) Project alliance proposal: Groups should submit the name(s) of one or two marketing alliances to me via
email on one single-spaced page by the beginning of the 2nd class. Place team members’ names and email
addresses on the paper. I need the source where you located the alliance. You also need to briefly explain on
paper why you think the alliance is doing well or not. You can provide me with the website, magazine, or
database information to justify your evaluation. I will decide if it is a good choice for you to pursue further
marketing research.
(2) You are expected to submit a clear, concise, and persuasive report. This assignment must be professionally
done, typed single-spaced in 12-pt. font and should not exceed 7 pages of text, plus up to 3 additional pages
of supporting materials (appendices, figures, tables, etc.). Include a cover page with every team member’s
name and email address. Also include citations / websites within the text of your report along with a
reference section at the end of your report. The page limit does not include the cover page, table of contents,
reference or appendices/figures/tables. The team project report is due both in hard copy form (one copy of
paper) and in electronic form (via Blackboard) at the beginning of the 7th class.
(3) Team Project Presentations: At the 7th class each team will have about 20 minutes to present the outcomes
of the project, including but not limited to: the marketing research you conducted and findings you obtained,
the marketing strategies you formulated and recommendations you made, and how you would advise the
partner firms to implement your recommendations. Each team will have an additional 5 minutes Q&A.
Every member of your team needs to present. I will grade the project presentations by the same criteria used
to evaluate team case presentations. Submit your project presentation PPT slides via Blackboard by 5 pm
one day before the 7th class.
Final Exam (20%):
A final exam will consist of short answer and essay questions pertaining to conceptual, managerial, and analytical
topics. The questions are based on all reading assignments (textbook, cases, articles, etc.), lectures, and in-class
discussions.
Rubrics:
Please see Blackboard for grading rubrics for class participation, group assignments, and individual B2B firm study.
Grading
The grade of A is reserved for those who demonstrate extraordinarily excellent performance. The grade of A- is
awarded only for excellent performance. The grade for good performance in this course is a B+/B. The grades of D+,
D, and D- are not awarded at the graduate level.
Please refer to the Carey Business School’s Student Handbook for grade appeal information.
Tentative Course Calendar
* The instructor reserves the right to alter course content and/or adjust the pace to accommodate class progress.
Students are responsible for keeping up with all adjustments to the course calendar.
Week
1
Content
Course Overview
B2B Marketing – A
Strategic Framework
Reading
Chapter 1: A Business Marketing Perspective
Chapter 2: Organizational Buying Behavior
Case Study: Boise Automation Canada Ltd.: The Lost
Order at Northern Paper
Due
Team Formation
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 6
2
CRM Strategies for
Business Markets
Business Marketing
Planning
3
Product Strategy in
B2B Markets
Chapter 3: Customer Relationship Management
Strategies for Business Markets
Chapter 5: Business Marketing Planning: Strategic
Perspectives
Article: Customer Centric Leadership
Case Study: PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep
at the Switch
Group B2B Alliance Project
Choice due
Chapter 7: Managing Products for Business Markets
Chapter 10: Managing Business Marketing Channels
Case Study: Lenovo: Building a Global Brand
B2B Firm Study Report due
Chapter 11: Supply Chain Management
Chapter 12: Pricing Strategies for Business Markets
Case Study: Heinz Ketchup: Pricing the Product Line
Group Case Analysis
Presentation: Team TBD
B2B Marketing
Channels
4
Supply Chain
Management
Group Case Analysis
Presentation: Team TBD
Group Case Analysis
Presentation: Team TBD
Pricing Strategy in B2B
Markets
5
Communication
Strategy in B2B
Markets
Chapter 13: Business Marketing Communications:
Advertising and Sales Promotion
Chapter 14: Business Marketing Communications:
Managing the Personal Selling Function
Case Study: Cisco Systems
Group Case Analysis
Presentation: Team TBD
6
Strategic Alliances in
the Global Markets
Chapter 6: Business Marketing Strategies for Global
Markets
Chapter 15: Marketing Performance Measurement
Article: Alliances and Networks (Strategic
Management Journal (1998), Vol. 19, p. 293-317)
Case Study: Shanghai General Motors: The Rise of a
Late-comer
Group Case Analysis
Presentation: Team TBD
Group Project Presentations
Project presentation slides
due by 5pm one day before
Class 7 for all teams.
Performance
Measurement for
Success
7
Group Project
Course Summary
Group Project Report due at
the beginning of class.
Peer Evaluation
8
Final Exam
The Final Exam includes short answer and essay
questions.
BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor’s Name - Page 7
Carey Business School
Policies and General Information
Blackboard Site
A Blackboard course site is set up for this course. Each student is expected to check the site throughout the semester
as Blackboard will be the primary venue for outside classroom communications between the instructors and the
students. Students can access the course site at https://blackboard.jhu.edu. Support for Blackboard is available at 1866-669-6138.
Course Evaluation
As a research and learning community, the Carey Business School is committed to continuous improvement. The
faculty strongly encourages students to provide complete and honest feedback for this course. Please take this
activity seriously; we depend on your feedback to help us improve. Information on how to complete the evaluation
will be provided toward the end of the course.
Disability Services
Johns Hopkins University and the Carey Business School are committed to making all academic programs, support
services, and facilities accessible. To determine eligibility for accommodations, please contact the Disability Services
Office at time of admission and allow at least four weeks prior to the beginning of the first class meeting. Students
should contact Priscilla Mint in the Disability Services Office by phone at 410-234-9243, by fax at 443-529-1552, or
by email.
Honor Code/Code of Conduct
All students are expected to view the Carey Business School Honor Code/Code of Conduct tutorial and submit their
pledge online. Students who fail to complete and submit the pledge will have a registrar’s hold on their account.
Please contact the student services office via email if you have any questions.
Students are not allowed to use any electronic devices during in-class tests. Calculators will be provided if the
instructor requires them for test taking. Students must seek permission from the instructor to leave the classroom
during an in-class test. Test scripts must not be removed from the classroom during the test.
Other Important Academic Policies and Services
Students are strongly encouraged to consult the Carey Business School’s Student Handbook and Academic Catalog
and Student Resources for information regarding the following items:
 Statement of Diversity and Inclusion
 Student Success Center
 Inclement Weather Policy
Copyright Statement
Unless explicitly allowed by the instructor, course materials, class discussions, and examinations are created for and
expected to be used by class participants only. The recording and rebroadcasting of such material, by any means, is
forbidden. Violations are subject to sanctions under the Honor Code.