FORE School of Management, New Delhi

Course Outline
Programme: PGDM (FMG-23/IMG-8)
Name of the Course: Business-to-Business Marketing
Credit: 1+1
Term : 5
Academic Year: 2015-2016
Faculty: Prof. Divesh Kumar - DK
divesh@fsm.ac.in, 9761662211
Prof. A Talapatra - AT (VF)
alek@deft.net.in, 9899300334,

Introduction:
Businesses selling to other businesses constitute the majority of the transactions in the real life
since apart from the final transaction (which is the only business to consumer dealing), rest all
are business-to-business transactions in any value chain. However, most of the marketing courses
taught in any B-school are heavily focused on B2C marketing. So much so, that most of the
students try to apply their B2C ideas even to tackle B2B situations; this never works. This course
has been designed to impart to the students, the right knowledge about the unique challenges
which are faced in marketing of goods and services to business customers. Additionally, the
course gives specific focus on organizational purchase behavior, processes of purchase adopted
by various organizations, the increasing role of e-commerce in B2B and the criticality of
Government as a customer.
Course Objectives:

To conceptualize and understand the difference between business-to-business markets

and consumer markets.
To adapt the market planning process for business-to-business markets
To understand the purchasing orientations of various customer firms
To develop the marketing strategies for any firm for its B2B or B2G dealings
To apply the concepts like project selling and personal selling in a B2B context
To become aware of various technological B2B platforms available on the internet and
how the firms can leverage them

Text Book:
B2B Marketing : A South-Asian Perspective (Eleventh Edition) by Michael D. Hutt,
Dheeraj Sharma, Thomas W. Speh, Cengage Learning, New Delhi (2014)
Reference Book:
Business Marketing by Krishna K Havaldar (Third edition), The McGraw-Hill, New
Delhi (2010)
Business to Business Marketing by Nick Ellis and Soumya Sarkar, Oxford University
Press, New Delhi (2015)
Pedagogy:
Lectures and participative discussions

In-class discussion on case studies

Role play
Group project and assignments

The course is based on a participatory approach, as you are encouraged to actively engage in
group discussions. Readings will factor heavily in course content and you are expected to
analyze assigned cases, read the assigned readings, attend class, take lecture notes, and
contribute to work group and discussions.
Class Room Assignments:
Deadlines for submission of assignment/case analysis will be strictly followed without exception.
You will work on a final term project in self-selected teams of 6 each.
Evaluation Component and weightage:
Heading
Case analysis (AT)
Quiz (DK)
Quiz (AT)
Group Assignment (DK)
Class Participation (DK)
End term Examination (DK + AT)
Total

weight
20%
10%
10%
10%
10%
(20% + 20%)
100 Marks

Session Plan:
Session
1 (AT)
Introduction to B2B

Topic

2 (AT)

Role & scope of B2B marketing

3-4 (DK)
5-6 (DK)
7 -8 (AT)

Organizational Buying Behavior

Market Sensing and STP
Project Marketing

9 (AT)

Managing Products :
Core Competencies, Product Strategy, Brand
Building
Managing Services:
Characteristics, Marketing Mix, Pricing Services
Pricing in B2B marketing, Creating customer value

10 (DK)
11 (DK)

Reading
Text Book, Ch- 1
Article The invisible hand
of business marketing
Text Book, Ch- 1
Case: Solex (A)
Text Book, Ch.-2
Text Book, Ch -4
Text Book, Ch.-2
Hand-out
Text Book, Ch.-7
Text book, Ch. 9
Text book, Ch. 12

12-13
(AT)

Innovation:
Push & Pull, Stages, NPD Process, Induced &
Autonomous

14 (DK)

Personnel Selling

15 (DK)

Channel Management and Online Platforms in B2B

Text Book, Ch.-10

16 (DK)

Tendering, e-bidding,

Case: Computron

17 (DK)

Managing Promotions in B2B

Text Book, Ch.-13

18 (AT)

B2G, Key Account Management, Sales tools for

SAM
Group Presentations for Cases

19-20
(AT)

Text book, Ch. 8 +

Articles:
1.Four Phases of Innovation
2. Assessing Technology Risk
A Case Study
Text Book, Ch.-14

Text Book, Ch.-3, 14