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 Marketing (B2B Marketing), principles of Supply Chain Management (SCM).

• I part (B2B 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 (B2B Marketing)

• B2B markets
  • Features of business markets;
  • Business customer buying behaviour; 
  • Buyer-Supplier relationship.
• Business market and business customer analysis
  • Business customers and purchasing management;
  • Customer value and customer satisfaction;
  • Business market structure and processes.
• Strategy
  • Marketing strategy and marketing organization;
  • Positioning;
  • Segmentation and customer portfolio management.
• Value management and delivering
  • Offering development and innovation;
  • Pricing;
  • Sales management;
  • Marketing channels;
  • Branding and communication.

II part (Supply Chain Management)

• Fundamentals of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management

Highlights

• Digital servitization and I4.0

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;
• Team works and discussions based on case studies and/or on ad hoc material (papers, other publications,...).

Course books

• Tunisini Annalisa (2017), Marketing B2B. Capire e gestire le reti e le relazioni tra imprese. HOEPLI, Milano.

• The following three papers available in full text in Moodle platform:
  • Blachetta, M., e  Kleinaltenkamp, M. (2019). Dispersion of marketing activities in business-to-business firms. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.
  • Anderson, J.C., Narus, J.A. e van Rossum, W. (2006). Customer Value Propositions in Business Markets. Harvard Business Review.
  • Galvani, S. e Bocconcelli, R. (2022). Intra- and inter-organizational tensions of a digital servitization strategy. Evidence from the mechatronic sector in Italy. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.

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 show:

• 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 90 minutes. 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 expected to answer the questions using properly the contents developed interactively during classrooms and lecturers.

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

• Tunisini Annalisa (2017), Marketing B2B. Capire e gestire le reti e le relazioni tra imprese. HOEPLI, Milano.

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 show:

• 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 90 minutes. The overall assessment will be made taking into account both the answer to every single questions exam and the elaborate structure as a whole.

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.