Indian Institute of Management Nagpur

MBA Program (MBA) – 2022-23

Course Name: Business to Business Marketing

Program Name: MBA B2B Marketing
Academic Area: Marketing Academic Year: 2022-23
Type of Course: Elective Term: (I / II / III / IV
IV/V/VI)
Credits / Hours: 3 (30 hours) Internal / Visiting: Visiting

Instructor Internal Faculty Email Telephone Student

Name (I)/ Block/ Consultation
Visiting Room No. Hours
(V)

Suryanarayana Visiting Suri_valluri@yahoo.com +91 By

Valluri 9845055736 Appointment
or when in
campus.

Course Introduction / Description:

Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing encompasses those management activities that enable a

supplier firm to understand, create, and deliver value to other businesses, governments, and / or
institutional customers. In the context of these business markets, value is ‘the worth in monetary
terms of the economic, technical, service and social benefits a customer firm receives in exchange
for the price it pays for a market offering.’

There are four guiding principles of B2B Marketing:

 Make value the cornerstone

 Focus on business market processes
 Stress doing business across borders
 Accentuate working relationships and business networks

This course is designed to provide participants with a good understanding of the concepts of B2B
market management. It helps them develop critical analysis and problem-solving abilities with
respect to business market management.

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Students should be able to develop the blueprint of B2B market processes for any organization
serving Business-to-business markets differentiating itself from its next best alternative.

Course Learning Outcomes:

After completing this course, the participants should be able to:

1. Develop a good understanding of the concepts and frameworks of business-to-business
market management (also referred to as B2B Marketing or business marketing).
2. Develop critical analysis and problem-solving abilities with respect to business market
management.
3. Gain a first-hand understanding of working relationships within and between firms in
business markets.

Pre-requisites (prior conditions to register for the course, if any):

Basic Marketing Management Course
Pedagogy:
The case method will be the primary pedagogy. Active Learning Methodology (ALM) will also be
adopted where necessary to enhance learning effectiveness of the students.

Will be conducted/Supplemented by either of:

- Case Analysis
- Presentations
- Peer review and discussion in class
- Guest lectures
- Videos
- Simulation exercise

Text Book:

 James C. Anderson, James A. Narus, Das Narayandas and DVR Seshadri, Business Market
Management: Understanding, Creating and Delivering Value, 3rd Edition, Pearson Education,
Low Price Edition, 2011

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Supplementary readings:

Please access following articles from HBR Site / EBSCO for additional knowledge.
 Anderson, James C. and James A. Narus, "Business Marketing: Understand What Customers
Value," Harvard Business Review, November-December 1998.
 Shapiro, Benson P. and Thomas V. Bonoma, “How to Segment Industrial Markets,” Harvard
Business Review, May-June 1984.
 Bonoma, Thomas V., “Major Sales: Who Really Does the Buying?” Harvard Business Review,
July-August 2006
 Kerri-Ann L. Kuhn, Frank Alpert and Nigel K. Ll. Pope, “An application of Keller’s brand equity
model in a B2B context”, Emerald QMRIJ, Vol.11 No.1, 2008
 V. Kasturi Rangan and George T. Bowman, “Beating the Commodity Magnet” Harvard
Business Review, September 1994
 V. Kasturi Rangan and Kevin Bartus, “New Product Commercialization: Common Mistakes”
Harvard Business Review, March 1995.
 Frank V. Cespedes, “Once More: How Do You Improve Customer Service?” Business
Horizons, March-April 1992.
 Shapiro, Benson P., V. Kasturi Rangan, Rowland T. Moriarty, and Elliot B. Ross, “Manage
Customers for Profits (Not Just Sales),” Harvard Business Review, 1987.
 Narayandas, Das and V. Kasturi Rangan, “Building and Sustaining Buyer-Seller Relationships
in Mature Industrial Markets,” Journal of Marketing, July 2004.
 Philip Kotler, Neil Rackham and Suji Krishnaswamy, “Ending the War Between Sales &
Marketing”, Harvard Business Review, July-August 2006
 Benson P. Shapiro, V. Kasturi Rangan and John J. Sviokla, “Staple Yourself to an Order”,
Harvard Business Review, July – August 1992
 Rangan, V. Kasturi, “Designing Channels of Distribution,” Harvard Business School Note,
1994.
 Narus, James A. and James C. Anderson, “Turn Your Industrial Distributors into Partners,”
Harvard Business Review, March-April 1986.
 Donald V Fites, Make your Dealers your Partners, Harvard Business Review, March-April
1996
 Benson P. Shapiro, “What the Hell is “Market Oriented”? Harvard Business Review,
November-December 1988
 Dianne Ledingham, Mark Kovac, and Heidi Locke Simon, “The New Science of Sales Force
Productivity”, Harvard Business Review, September 2006
 Das Narayandas, “Business Loyalty in Business Markets” Harvard Business Review,
September 2005

Software/other requirements (if any):

Attendance Policy:

As per College Academic Guidelines.

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Mapping the Course to the Learning Objectives (LO’s) of the Program:

LO Code Course Learning Program LO Name Level to be Assessment Tool*

Outcome Achieved ^
1 2 3
LO1 3 Domain Knowledge Y Case Analysis, Project
submissions
LO2 3 Critical thinking & Innovative Y Case Analysis, Mid
Problem Solving Term and End Term
exam
LO3 2 Leadership & Collaborative Y Group Assignments
Mindset
LO4 2 Effective Communication Y Class Participation,
Case Analysis
LO5 1 International Exposure & Y Case reading,
Cross-Cultural Understanding Application to current
Corporate Affairs
LO6 NA Social Responsibility & Ethics NA NA

(^ Level 1 – Introduction; Level 2 – Reinforcement; Level 3 – Mastery)

*Report Sl. No. s from the “Evaluation Criteria” table

Module / Session Plan:

Session-wise outline
Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
Module 1: Introduction to B2B Marketing

Learning Outcomes: Appreciation of B2B Marketing, Differentiation w.r.t B2C. Understanding Value

1 Topic: Reading(s): Anderson, James C. and James A.

Introduction and Course Overview
Topic :
Business Market Management: Guiding
Principles
Introduction: Customer Value Management
Narus, "Business Marketing: Understand
What Customers Value," Harvard Business
Review, November-December 1998.

Reading(s):
Chapter 1 of the text book
Case let :
 Automobile Fleet Marketing

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Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
(provided by Faculty)
2 Topic: Market Sensing Reading(s):
 Shapiro, Benson P. and Thomas V.
Bonoma, “How to Segment Industrial
Markets,” Harvard Business Review,
May-June 1984.
 Chapter 2 of the text book

Case let
 Zeus Laser Technologies ( provided
by faculty)
3 Topic: Market Sensing Reading(s):
 Chapter 2 of the text book
Really Understanding Value in Business Markets
Case(s):
Building Customer Value Models  Kunst 1600
( Provided by Faculty authored by
Text Book Authors)
4 Topic: Market Sensing Reading(s):
 Chapter 2 of the text book
Progressive Segmentation Case(s):
Kunst 3500
 (Provided by Faculty authored by
Text Book Authors)
5 Topic: Understanding Firms as Customers Reading(s):
 Bonoma, Thomas V., “Major Sales: Who
Really Does the Buying?” Harvard
Business Review, July-August 2006
 Chapter 3 of the text book

Case(s):
 Bose Corporation: The JIT II Program
(A)HBS 9-694-001 Mar 8 ,1994

Case let # 3:

Purchasing a Computer Component

Module 2: Creating Value

Learning Outcomes: How to craft Market Offering differentiation, pricing, positioning, ( LO1, LO2)

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Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
6 Topic: Crafting Market Strategy Reading(s):
 Chapters 4, 6 &7 of the text book
Case(s):
Atlantic Computer Co.
Value-based Pricing
 HBS 2078 May 28,2007
7 Topic: Managing market offering Reading(s):
 Chapter 4 of the text book
Case(s):
Xiameter: The Past and Future of a
“Disruptive Innovation”

 IMD 433 v21.02.2011

8 Topic: Branding in B2B Markets Reading(s):

 Chapter 4 of the text book
Case(s):
Xiameter: The Past and Future of a
“Disruptive Innovation”

 IMD 433 v21.02.2011

9 Topic: Articulating Value in B2B Sales situations Reading(s):

Role Play Presentation by students Case(s):
Infosys Technologies Ltd. - Growing Share of
a Customer's Business

 IMB 315 (IIM Bangalore)

10 Topic: Articulating Value in B2B Sales situations Reading(s):


Role Play Presentation by students Case(s):
 Valero Wines ( case let)
 .Information will be provided during the
class.

Module 3: Go to Market, Delivering Value

Learning Outcomes: Strategy and Tactics of B2B selling, contextual adaptations, scenario visualization ( LO2,
LO3, LO4)
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Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
11 Topic: Managing market offering Reading(s):
 V. Kasturi Rangan and George T.
Bowman, “Beating the Commodity
Magnet” Harvard Business Review,
Gaining new customers September 1994
Case(s):
 Ingersoll-Rand (India) Ltd.: The Air
Compressors Business at the Crossroads
(A)
( Provided by Faculty authored by Prof DVR
Seshadri)

12 Topic: Managing market offering Reading(s):

 ‘Marketing “Value” to Price-Sensitive
Customers during the Tendering process’
Prof DVR Seshadri, Abhishek Kumar
Gaining new customers Singh , Mandar Nayak
( Provided by Faculty)
Case(s):
 Philips: Lighting up Eden Gardens
( provided by Faculty, authored by Prof
DVR Seshadri)

13 Topic: Reading(s):
 Frank V. Cespedes, “Once More: How Do
You Improve Customer Service?”
Business Horizons, March-April 1992.
 chapter 5 of the text book
Case(s):
Managing Market Offerings What’s on your Business’ Menu?

 Microsoft Corporation: The Design of

Microsoft Support Network 1.0
( Provided by Faculty)
14 Topic: Reading(s):
 Importance of relationships in B2B  Shapiro, Benson P., V. Kasturi
Markets (Eco Systems) Rangan, Rowland T. Moriarty, and
Elliot B. Ross, “Manage Customers
for Profits (Not Just Sales),” Harvard
Business Review, 1987.
 Chapter 8 & 10 of the text book

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Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
Case(s):
 Mahindra & Mahindra Creating
Scorpio
HBS 9-705-478 , 22nd Feb 2005
15 Topic: Reading(s):
 .Rangan, V. Kasturi, “Designing Channels
Creating channel advantage of Distribution,” Harvard Business School
Note, 1994.
Strengthening Channel Relationships  Narus, James A. and James C. Anderson,
“Turn Your Industrial Distributors into
Partners,” Harvard Business Review,
March-April 1986.
 .Donald V Fites, Make your Dealers your
Partners, Harvard Business Review,
March-April 1996
 Chapters 7, 9 & 10 of the text book

Case(s):

 Bachan Distilleries

 RVM at Tata Steel

( Provided by Faculty)

Module 4: Key Account Management

Learning Outcomes: Key Account identification, nurturing, monitoring and monetization( LO2, LO4, LO5)

16 Topic: Reading(s):
 Chapter 8 & 10
Key Account Management Case(s):
 CMR Enterprises
Gaining Customers
HBS 9-501-012 April 5 2001
Sustaining Customer Relationships

17 Topic: Reading(s):
 1.Benson P. Shapiro, V. Kasturi Rangan
and John J. Sviokla, “Staple Yourself to
an Order”, Harvard Business Review, July
– August 1992
 Chapter 7 & 10
Case(s):
 CVM at Tata Steel
( Provided by Faculty)

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Session Topic & Objective Study Material (Text Book Chapter /
Readings / Cases)
18 Topic: Reading(s):
 Benson P. Shapiro, “What the Hell is
Key Account Management “Market Oriented”? Harvard
Business Review, November-
Gaining Customers December 1988
Sustaining Customer Relationships Case(s):
 WESCO Distribution Inc. HBS 9-598-
021 Feb 9 1998

19 Topic: Reading(s):
 Dianne Ledingham, Mark Kovac, and
Internationalization in B2B Markets and the Heidi Locke Simon, “The New Science of
challenges Sales Force Productivity”, Harvard
Business Review, September 2006

Case(s):
Capstone case Zucamor S.A.: Global Competition in
Argentina

20 Topic: Reading(s):
 1.Note on Non-linear Initiatives in the IT
New Business Models in B2B Industry
Prof DVR Seshadri, Suryanarayana Valluri,
Understanding, Creating and Delivering Value David Ranjith William, Adarsh Shetty.

 2.Das Narayandas, “Business Loyalty in

Business Markets” Harvard Business
Review, September 2005
Case(s):
Bucking the Trend: A Look at Zyme Solutions’
Non-Linear Business Model Bucking the
Trend: A Look at Zyme Solutions’ Non-Linear
Business Model

(Provided by Faculty)

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Evaluation Criteria:

Sr. No. Component Individual / Group Weightage

1 Attendance and Class Participation Individual  10
2 project based papers Group  30
3 Mid Term Individual  20
4 End Term Individual 40
5 Total 100

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