BU.460.710.

XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor – Page 1 of 7

Business-to-Business Marketing & Channel Strategy

2 Credits

BU.460.710.XX
[NOTE: Each section must have a separate syllabus.]

[Day & Time / ex: Monday, 6pm-9pm]

[Start & End Dates / ex: 3/24/18–5/12/18]

[Semester / ex: Fall 2018]

[Location / ex: Baltimore, Harbor East]

Instructor
[Full Name]

Contact Information
[Email Address]
[Phone Number, ###- ###-#### (Optional)]

Office Hours
[Please specify the day and time of the 2 hours that will be dedicated to office hours each week. For evening classes,
faculty may wish to hold their office hours by phone or email. While faculty are permitted to state “and by appointment,”
office hours should not be held exclusively by appointment.]

Required Learning Materials

The textbook for this course is: Michael D. Hutt and Thomas W. Speh (2016), Business Marketing Management (12th ed.),
Publisher: Cengage Learning. ISBN: 978-1-337-29654-0.

Case studies and articles required for this course are listed below and must be purchased by all students directly from
Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) and the Case Center.
 HBSP: A coursepack with electronic copies of seven cases has been created and can be accessed via the following
link after registration: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/574458
 Case Center: An additional coursepack with one case “Amazon.in’s Innovative Supply Chain” can be accessed by
visiting: https://www.thecasecentre.org/students/course/registerForCourse and entering the coursepack code C-
2297-236125-STU

ID Title Session
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
9507014 Lenovo: Building a Global Brand Class 3
GS-86 Saks: Shocking the Fashion Industry Supply Chain Class 3
317-0336-1 Amazon.in’s Innovative Supply Chain: Would Indian Women Deliver? Class 4
8149 Developing and Managing Channels of Distribution Class 5
KEL894 CDK Digital Marketing: Addressing Channel Conflict with Data Analytics Class 5
HKU395 Shanghai General Motors: The Rise of a Late-comer Class 5
9514019 Making stickK Stick: The Business of Behavioral Economics Class 6
KEL579 Cisco Systems: Launching the ASR 1000 Series Router Using Social Media Marketing 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.
 BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor – Page 2 of 7

Recommended Supplementary Book

Palmatier, Robert, Stern, Louis, and El-Ansary, Adel, Marketing Channel Strategy, Prentice Hall, 8th edition, 2014, ISBN:
978-0133357080

The recommended supplementary book is a valuable source of material. You are encouraged (but not required) to read the
chapters.

Course Description
This course provides a managerial introduction to the strategic and tactical aspects of business marketing decisions and
marketing channel strategy. Students examine the strategic concepts and tools that guide market selection, successful
differentiation in business markets, and supply chain management. A mixture of lectures, discussions, cases, videos, 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 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. Students will
also gain understanding of how to manage channel power, conflict, and relationships.

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 competitive differentiation, and formulating marketing channel strategy 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
channel relationships.

To view the complete list of the Carey Business School’s general learning goals and objectives, visit the Carey website.

Attendance
Attendance and class participation are part of each student’s course grade. Students are expected to attend all scheduled
class sessions. Failure to attend class will result in an inability to achieve the objectives of the course. Regular attendance
and active class participation are required for students to successfully complete the course.

Due Date Policy

For written reports, students should submit an electronic copy of assignments via Blackboard before the beginning of class.
For presentations, PPTs slides are due via Blackboard by 9pm 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

Assignment Learning Objectives Weight

Attendance and Participation 1, 4 15%
Group Case Analysis Presentation* 1, 2, 3 15%
Individual B2B Firm Study 1, 2 15%
Group B2B Alliance Project* 1, 2, 3, 4 35%
 Written report (25%)
 Presentation (10%)
Final Exam 3, 4 20%
Total 100%
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* Peer evaluation will influence group work score.

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 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.

Group Case Analysis Presentation (15%)

Students will form groups of five-six persons (the number will depend on final course enrollment) on the first day of class.
Case studies or articles will be randomly assigned to groups. Each team will be required to present their analysis of one
assigned case or article. 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. If a group is assigned to present
an article, the group will create their own discussion questions.

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/article, 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 9pm 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 Academic
Ethics Policy and is subject to disciplinary sanctions imposed as detailed on the Academic Ethics Policy webpage.

Individual B2B Firm Study (15%)

Objective/ Overview: This assignment helps you gain a managerial perspective on B2B firms that target business and
government customers. You will also apply class contents and analyze new B2B marketing practices.

Description: You are to identify one company predominantly in the business-to-business marketplace. The company
should be from one of the following industries: Manufacturing, general services, professional services, Information /
communications technology, media , wholesaling, and financing.

For purposes of this assignment, you may choose a business-to-government (B2G) company.
 BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor – Page 4 of 7

For the selected company, you should

(1) briefly describe the company’s B2B products and services (and include the company’s website);
(2) identify at least one B2B customer of the company. If you choose a B2G company, you should specify what department
or agency of the federal, state or local government is the customer. Evaluate the relationship between the company and this
customer;
(3) analyze the company’s customer value propositions and competitive differentiation in the business markets; and
(4) explain the differences between the marketing practices of this company and those often adopted by B2C companies.

The report should be single-spaced in 12-point font and should not exceed 2 pages of text. A Word document is expected.

Resources: In addition to internet search, it might be helpful 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 databases

There are other specialized directories and resources you can use.

When to summit: The individual B2B firm study report is due in electronic form (via Blackboard) at the beginning of the
3rd 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. Provide the brief background information of (i) the industry where the alliance operates; (ii) the partner firms.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Research and report the advantages (benefits) or disadvantages that this alliance brings to each partner firm.
5. Research the marketing channel of one of the alliance partners. Describe the current state of the company’s
marketing channel - its structure, members, allocation of channel functions and flows, ability to meet target
customers’ demand for service outputs, and the channel design. Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the
company’s supply chain management. Make recommendations on how to improve the company’s marketing
channel strategy.
6. 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
 BU.460.710.XX – Business-to-Business Marketing – Instructor – Page 5 of 7

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.

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-point font and should not exceed 8 pages of text, plus up to 4 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 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. Teams should allow time for Q&As. 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 9pm 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 as determined by the
instructor. The grade of A- is awarded only for excellent performance. The grades of B+, B, and B- are awarded for good
performance. The grades of C+, C, and C- are awarded for adequate but substandard performance. The grades of D+, D,
and D- are not awarded at the graduate level (undergraduate only). The grade of F indicates the student’s failure to
satisfactorily complete the course work.

Please note that for Core and Foundation courses, a maximum of 25% of students may be awarded an A or A-; the
grade point average of the class should not exceed 3.3. For Elective courses, a maximum of 35% of students may be
awarded an A or A-; the grade point average of the class should not exceed 3.4. (For classes with 15 students or fewer,
the class GPA cap is waived.)

Tentative Course Calendar

The instructors reserve 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 Topic Reading Due

1 Course Overview Chapter 1: A Business Marketing Perspective Team Formation
Chapter 2: Organizational Buying Behavior
B2B Marketing – A
Strategic Framework Case Study: Boise Automation Canada Ltd.: The Lost Order
at Northern Paper
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Week Topic Reading Due

2 Business Marketing Chapter 5: Business Marketing Planning: Strategic Group B2B Alliance
Planning Perspectives Project Choice due
Chapter 15: Marketing Performance Measurement
Performance Group Case Analysis
Measurement for Article: Customer Centric Leadership: How to Manage Presentation: Team TBD
Success Strategic Customers as Assets in B2B Markets
Case Study: PV Technologies, Inc.: Were They Asleep at the
Switch

3 Product Strategy in Chapter 7: Managing Products for Business Markets B2B Firm Study Report
B2B Markets Chapter 12: Pricing Strategies for Business Markets due

Pricing Strategy in Case Study: Lenovo: Building a Global Brand Group Case Analysis
B2B Markets Case Study: Saks: Shocking the Fashion Industry Supply Presentation: Team TBD
Chain

4 Marketing Channels Chapter 10: Managing Business Marketing Channels Group Case Analysis
Chapter 11: Supply Chain Management Presentation: Team TBD
Supply Chain
Management Case Study: Amazon.in’s Innovative Supply Chain: Would
Indian Women Deliver?

5 Managing Channel Article: Developing and Managing Channels of Distribution Group Case Analysis
Power, Conflict, and Chapter 6: Business Marketing Strategies for Global Markets Presentation: Team TBD
Relationships
Case Study: CDK Digital Marketing: Addressing Channel
Strategic Alliances in Conflict with Data Analytics
the Global Markets Case Study: Shanghai General Motors: The Rise of a Late-
comer

6 Communication Chapter 13: Business Marketing Communications: Group Case Analysis

Strategy in B2B Advertising and Sales Promotion Presentation: Team TBD
Markets Chapter 14: Business Marketing Communications:
Managing the Personal Selling Function

Case Study: Making stickK Stick: The Business of

Behavioral Economics
Case Study: Cisco Systems

7 Group Project Group Project Presentations Project presentation slides

due by 9pm one day
Course Summary before Class 7

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 – Page 7 of 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 1-866-669-6138.

Disability Support Services

All students with disabilities who require accommodations for this course should contact Disability Support Services at
their earliest convenience to discuss their specific needs. If you have a documented disability, you must be registered with
Disability Support Services (carey.disability@jhu.edu or 410-234-9243) to receive accommodations. For more information,
please visit the Disability Support Services webpage.

Academic Ethics Policy

Carey expects graduates to be innovative business leaders and exemplary global citizens. The Carey community believes
that honesty, integrity, and community responsibility are qualities inherent in an exemplary citizen. The objective of the
Academic Ethics Policy (AEP) is to create an environment of trust and respect among all members of the Carey academic
community and hold Carey students accountable to the highest standards of academic integrity and excellence.

It is the responsibility of every Carey student, faculty member, and staff member to familiarize themselves with the AEP
and its procedures. Failure to become acquainted with this information will not excuse any student, faculty, or staff from
the responsibility to abide by the AEP. Please contact the Student Services office if you have any questions. For the full
policy, please visit the Academic Ethics Policy webpage.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the Johns Hopkins University’s regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the
health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly
operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students
accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are
afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. Please contact the Student Services office if you have any
questions. For the full policy, please visit the Student Conduct Code webpage.

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center offers free online and in-person one-on-one and group coaching in writing, presenting, and
quantitative courses. For more information on these services and others, or to book an appointment, please visit the Student
Success Center website.

Other Important Policies and Services

Students are encouraged to consult the Student Handbook and Academic Catalog and Student Services and Resources for
information regarding other policies and services.

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 Academic Ethics Policy.