The amount of the exchange that occurs among firms and organizations represents the 2/3 of the total exchange in the advanced economies. The course is designed to provide the conceptual frameworks and main methodological tools to gain understanding of the structure and dynamics of business markets with reference both to upstream and downstream markets. In particular, the course is structured in two main parts: Business-to-Business (BtoB) Marketing, principles of Supply Chain Management (SCM).

• I part (BtoB marketing): the course offers students the main managerial tools: to analyze and develop company’s positioning in business markets, to segment business markets; to formulate and develop the value proposition with respect to business customers and to analyze their satisfaction. In particular following issues will be in focus: Understanding business markets; Markets as networks; Business customer behavior and SCM; Developing the value proposition; Segmentation and targeting; Analysis of customer satisfaction; Marketing organization in business markets
• II part (SCM): customer satisfaction in business markets depends from a complex "offering" generated by a multiplicity of actors. Every company should be able to cope with a complex network of supplier relationships in order to satisfy its customers. The objective of the course is to provide the student with a clear understanding and analyzing ability of the "upstream" market of the firm and with basic managerial tools in SCM.

• I part (Business-to-Business Marketing)
  • Understanding B2B markets
    • The features of business markets;
    • The importance of understand customer behaviour;
    • Relationships and business networks;
    • The role of marketing in business markets;
    • Organizational aspects of marketing in a business context.
  • Customer relationships in business markets
    • Customer Value and Customer Value Propositions;
    • Product/Service development;
    • Price;
    • Marketing Channel Management;
    • Sales Management;
    • Communication.
  • Strategy Development in business markets
    • Market strategies development;
    • Segmentation and Customer Portfolio Management;
    • Offering postiioning and differentiation;
    • Technological and organizational challenges in business strategy development.
• II part (Supply Chain Management)
  • Introductory concepts
    • The role of procurement in the business firm;
    • Principles of Supply Chain Management.
  • The Supply Chain
    • Purchasing and suppliers' relationships management;
    • Evolution of the role of purchasing within organizations;
    • International Sourcing and Global sourcing.

Knowledge and understanding

• Students should acquire knowledge and effective understanding of the main theoretical models developed in the business to business discipline and of the operational tools in industrial marketing and supply chain management.

Applying knowledge and understanding

• Students should be able to apply the acquired knowledge and fully understand and solve problems with reference to a variety of contexts that characterize business to business markets, using, when necessary, interdisciplinary competences.

Making judgements

• Students should use autonomously the acquired knowledge both at the conceptual and at the operational level showing effective capabilities in analyzing different contexts.

Communication skills

• Students should learn the technical language that characterizes the discipline in order to clearly and effectively communicate with practitioners, managers, experts and academics. At the same time they should be able to relate and communicate with non professional people.

Learning skills

• Students should develop learning abilities that allow them to autonomously study and investigate advancements in the discipline especially in the working environment in which they’ll operate.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

• Lecturers from managers and entrepreneurs;
• Case Studies development and discussions during lectures.

Teaching

The course will be based on different didactics methods:

• Frontal lessons;
• Lecturers from managers and entrepreneurs;
• Group Project Works and discussion based on case studies and/or on ad hoc material (papers, other publications,...).

Course books

• Books
  • Fiocca R., Snehota I., Tunisini A. (2009), Marketing Business-to-Business, McGraw Hill, Milan - Some chapters will be excluded and they'll be indicated during lessons.
  • Selected publications that will be shared during classroom and will be available on Moodle › blended.uniurb.it..
  • Slides available on Moodle › blended.uniurb.it.
• Other material and supporting activities
  • Other material as well as other supporting activities are available on Moodle › blended.uniurb.it

Assessment

The final assessment will be based on a written text, consisting of 3 open questions on the topics covered during the course. The student is expected to answer these questions in an articulated and consistent manner, in order to demonstrate:

• to have fully acquired and understood the main concepts and themes covered during the course;
• to be able of applying those concepts to the understanding and to the solution of practical situations and problems related to the management of companies that operate in business markets, with particular reference to suppliers' and customers' relationships management;
• to be able to present their arguments in an effective and consisten manner in the time available and with an appropriate technical language.

The time available to answer questions is 1.5 hours. The overall assessment will be made taking into account both the answer to every single questions exam and the elaborate structure as a whole. Attending students are invited to respond to questions properly using even the contents developed and built interactively in the classroom.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Course books

Fiocca R., Snehota I., Tunisini A. (2009), Marketing Business-to-Business, McGraw Hill, Milan.

Romano P., Danese P. (2010), Supply chain management. La gestione dei processi di fornitura e distribuzione, McGraw Hill, Milano - Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Other material as well as other supporting activities will be available on Moodle › blended.uniurb.it

Assessment

The final assessment will be based on a written exam consisting of 3 open questions on the main topics of the syllabus.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.