BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING

Semester 1, 2023

CASE-ORIENTED & PROJECT BASED COURSE SYLLABUS

Contact details

Instructor: Minh Tien DINH, Ph.D

Email: dinhtienminh@ueh.edu.vn

Course delivery: This course is student-centered and use multiple approach which includes in-
class discussion, and group presentation to enhance student learning and application of key
concepts of the course.

- Lectures and discussion: 30 hours

- Group presentation: 15 hours

Course learning objectives

Accordingly, the course emphasizes the following:

- To analyze the role of marketing within the firm and society.

- To expose you to the two parts of a marketing strategy: the target market and the
marketing mix.
- To study the four basic variables in the marketing mix: product, promotion, price, and
distribution.
- To exercise analytical, communication, and presentation skills (through use of
technological aids, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and the Internet)—the basic
tools of marketing.
- To develop and further refine skills related to research, analysis, critical-thinking,
teamwork, writing, and communication.

Course description

Business-to-business marketing (business marketing) is described by the nature of customers –

i.e., business organizations, institutions, or government organizations. Business marketing is
unique in its emphasis on the complexity of the buying process, strategic relationships between
business buyers and sellers, and their mutual dependence.

Course materials

Prescribed textbook: Krishna K Havaldar, Business Marketing, McGraw Hill, 4nd edition, 2014.

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Recommended readings:

- Lau Geok Theng, Business Marketing – An Asian Perspective, McGraw Hill, 2007.
- F. Robert Dwyer, John F. Tanner Jr, Business Marketing, McGraw Hill, 4th Int’l Ed., 2009.

Course structure

Marketing Case Analyses:

An effective way to help students learn about the business marketing is the analysis of marketing
cases of real-world companies.

Cases from the textbook will be assigned to provide an opportunity to apply the business
marketing and to enhance one’s analytical ability to assess marketing problems. Analysis of cases
provides for the application of course concepts to real-world situations, and students are
expected to have read and analyzed the cases thoroughly prior to class. The objective of the use
of cases is to apply the various principles/concepts of marketing to an in-depth analysis of a given
company or industry.

Groups will be formed and given a date to present their analysis of a particular case.

Evaluation

Evaluation will be based on four examinations.

- The mid-term exam will consist of 50–60 multiple choice, and short answer questions.
- The group presentation covers the different cases of textbook.
- The final exam will be the presentation of your group report.

The weightings for the individual components are as follows:

- Attendance and In-class discussion 10%

- Group presentation (Session 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) 35% (5.83%/each)
- Mid-term exam (Session 9) 15%
- Group report presentation (Session 13, 14, 15) TBA 40%
o Advisory for group report (Session 4, 8, 11)

Time/Date
Week Session Room Note
Date From To
1 1 Thu 2/2/2023 8:00 11:15 Online
2 2 Thu 9/2/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study
3 3 Thu 16/02/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study
4 4 Thu 23/02/2023 8:00 11:15 Online Advisory
5 5 Thu 2/3/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study
6 Mon 6/3/2023 15:30 18:45 Online Discussion
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7 Thu 9/3/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study

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 8 Fri 10/3/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1408 Advisory
9 Mon 13/03/2023 15:30 18:45 Online Mid term exam
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10 Thu 16/03/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study
11 Mon 20/03/2023 15:30 18:45 Online Advisory
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12 Thu 23/03/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Case study
9 13 Thu 30/03/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Final report
10 14 Thu 6/4/2023 8:00 11:15 B1.1404 Final report
11 15 Tue 11/4/2023 12:00 15:15 B1.1403 Final report
Final exam 24/04/2023 - 28/04/2023

Class schedule

Dates Learning objectives/topics/activities

Session 1 Welcome
Course introduction
Group formation
Topic: The Nature of Business Marketing
Read: Chapter 1
Application Questions:
1. Illustrate how a company can circumvent the influence of joint demand.
2. Out of the various differences between industrial and consumer marketing,
which characteristics would have maximum impact on development of
marketing strategy for an industrial pump manufacturer? Give reason.
3. Construct a customer value proposition for a company known to you. Explain
how would you demonstrate and document the customer value
Session 2 Topic: Understanding Business Markets and Environment
Read: Chapter 2
Application Questions:
1. Can a customer be classified as an OEM as well as user customer? Explain
with an example.
2. What distribution strategy should be followed by a company, which is
marketing tyres to OEM customers and replacement markets and why?
3. A major electrical equipment (like transformers and switch-gear)
manufacturer try to have collaborative relationships with high business
potential government organizations like state electricity boards. What are the
possibility of success of this strategy? Explain the reasons.
Case study: Sigma telecom Company (p 517).
Session 3 Topic: Organisational Buying and Buying Behavior
Read: Chapter 3
Application Questions:

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 1. A business marketer (who is ‘out’ or potential supplier) is keen to supply cold-
rolled (CR) steel coils to a major passenger car manufacturer, who has been
buying the same material from three other suppliers on regular basis for the
past few years. As per the purchase policy, the car manufacturer cannot buy
any material from more than three suppliers. What should the business
marketer do to supply CR steel coils to the major passenger car manufacturer?
2. Large number of personal computers (PCs) are purchased by educational
institutions in India for use of their students. Identify the factors or criteria that
me be used for evaluation and selection of a supplier. Which technique of
supplier evaluation would you suggest and why?
3. An international paint manufacturing company is setting up a new plant near
Mumbai, India. The company wants to buy a material handling system for
handling raw material, work-in-process, and finished goods for the first time.
The company has appointed a technical consultant. The total value of business
is estimated at about Rs 5 million. Assume that you are the branch sales
manager of one of the three major suppliers of material handling equipment,
you are keen to get this business, and you want to apply the concepts and
techniques that you had learnt at the management institute, where you studied
three years ago. What would you do and why? (Make suitable assumptions if
need be).
Case study: NM Technologies Ltd. (p 571).
Session 4 First consultation for group report.
Session 5 Topic: Buyer – Seller Relationship
Read: Chapter 4
Application Questions:
1. In a highly competitive marker, a tyre manufacturer wants to increase the
share of business from the current level of 20 percent to at least 50 percent
with Tata Motors, which is a major OEM customer. What should the tyre
manufacturer do? (Make suitable assumptions, if needed).
2. You are negotiating a price increase of 10 percent for steel components with
a major two-wheeler manufacturer, due to substantial increase in steel prices.
The customer refuses to give you any increase in the prices. If you continue
supplies, your company will incur losses, and if you discontinue supplying to this
major customer, your sales will suffer. How would you handle the negotiations?
3. The mids-1990s saw several banks going in for large-scale deployments of
CRM technology. Unfortunately, a majority of these initiatives turned out to be
costly and banks did not get adequate returns from their massive investments.
What might have gone wrong with the CRM system, in those early days of CRM
solutions?
Case study: Electrical Equipment Ltd. (p 538).
Session 6 Topic: Business Marketing Intelligence and Marketing Research
Read: Chapter 5
Application Questions:

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 1. A manufacturer claims that at most 5 percent of the company’s products are
defective. In a random sample of 60 units, 10 are found to be defective. Is the
manufacturer’s claim valid?
2. A lecturer claim that 85 percent of students feel that mathematics is difficult.
In a random sample of 250 students polled, 185 students felt that mathematics
was difficult. Is the lecturer’s claim valid?
3. In random samples of sizes 100 and 200 from two warehouses, the number
of defectives is found to be 12 and 25, respectively. Is there a significant
difference in the defect rates in the two warehouses?
Session 7 Topic: Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning in Business Marketing
Read: Chapter 6
Application Questions:
1. Assume you have joined a new company manufacturing and marketing
aluminum extrusion products as a head of marketing. The company would
market its products to household customers for door and windows frames, and
also to business customers for various applications like control panels in
electrical industry, water purification equipment, heat sinks for electronics
equipment, as well as, door and window frames in building construction
industry. Develop a market segmentation plan for the company.
2. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) is a large public sector company,
manufacturing and marketing steel products in domestic market in India, and
also International markets. Which macro and micro-segmentation variables and
target market segments would you suggest to SAIL?
3. Describe how a positioning strategy should be developed for a small-scale
electric motor manufacturing company, in a highly competitive market,
marketing to business users and OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
customers and how to communicate the same to target customers (make
suitable assumptions, if needed)?
Case study: Namura Hotel Ltd. (p.566).
Session 8 Second consultation for group report.
Session 9 Mid term exam (75 minutes) in classroom.
Session 10 Topic: Product and Brand Strategies
Read: Chapter 7 & 8
Application Questions:
1. Assume you are the regional marketing head of eastern region, located at
Kolkata, in India. Your company manufactures and markets a large range of
electrical engineering products. One of the products you are selling to diesel
generating set (D.G Set) assemblers is “Alternator”, which is the electrical part
of the D.G Set. Subsequently, after many years, your company decides to
assemble, sell and service D.G Sets, by combining Alternators (manufactured by
the company) with diesel engines purchased from suppliers. You find the sales
and profit performance of D.G Sets over a period of three years unsatisfactory.

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 What product strategy would you recommend for D.G Set and Alternators and
why?
2. Crompton Greaves Ltd. is the leader in Indian domestic market for electric
motors, which conform to Indian and International standards. The company
faces a severe competition from small-scale motor manufacturers as well as
large global players like Siemens and AAB. What suggestions you would like to
give to the company to maintain its leadership position in this product
category?
3. Assume you are starting a new business as an entrepreneur. How would you
choose a brand name for your company? How would you do brand building?
What benefits of branding would you expect?
Case study: Information solution Inc. (p. 545).
Session 11 Third consultation for group report.
Session 12 Topic: Business Marketing Communication
Read: Chapter 11
Application Questions:
1. Suppose you are working in a courier services company, which is ranked
fourth in the domestic Indian market in terms of market share. Your company
management thinks that one of the ways to improve sales and profit
performance, as well as the company’s market share, is to implement the
concept of integrated marketing communications (IMC). You are asked to
prepare a proposal indicating the objectives, strategies, and challenges in
implementing the IMC.
2. Assume you are a head of marketing in a leading Air conditioning and
Refrigeration company. Your company markets central air conditioning plants
and cold storage units on contract basic to business customers like hotels,
restaurants, large retail units, cold storage owners, and other business
organizations. Last year the management approved your proposal to increase
the promotional expenditure by 18 percent, but sales went up by only five
percent against the targeted growth of 15 percent. You expect your company’s
CEO to ask you to explain the difference during the forthcoming performance
new review meeting. How would you respond?
3. Consider any business marketing organization of your choice and develop an
effective communication program for the company.
Case study: 4S India Ltd. (p.553)
Session 13, Final group report presentation.
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Referencing requirements

Student assignments are to contain original content created by the students. Assignments will be
rejected if they include plagiarised content or contain excessive amounts of quoted/cited

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material and minimal original content. Students will receive a grade of ZERO (0%) for any
assignments rejected for this reason. Written assignments WILL BE RANDOMLY checked by the
lecturer with Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism-checking tool.

Furthermore, your reference to support your statements must be from a reliable source, such as
textbooks, additional reading materials, and reference books. However, many websites are not
reliable sources. Examples are Wikipedia.org, about.com, and ask.com. If you are not sure if a
reference is acceptable or not, please contact the lecturer.

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 7th ed. will serve as the
primary reference materials for all students. Therefore, all papers must be submitted in APA
format. The mechanics of student papers and work will be evaluated, as well as the content. It is
imperative that guidelines be reviewed before an assignment is begun. It is also important that
the required submission format be followed in compiling the final paper or assignment.

Class policies and rules

Class attendance is compulsory, and students should provide reasons for the failure to attend the
class on a particular lecture/workshop session. Students are required to attend a minimum of
80% of all classes in order to secure class participation marks. Please let your lecturer and/or
UEH-ISB know if you are unable to attend any session.

Arriving to class late by 15 minutes at the beginning, arriving late by 5 minutes after the break,
or leaving prior to the scheduled end time without the permission of the lecturer will equate to
an absence. Grade reductions for the unit will be assessed when final grades are assigned if the
above absence rule is violated during the unit.

Electronic device use

Cell phones will be turned off or switched to vibrate mode before class starts. No phone calls or
text messaging are allowed inside classroom during class time. Portable listening and/or music
devices may not be operated in the classroom. Headphones and/or earbuds of any type may not
be worn while in the classroom whether operating or not. Laptop and other electronic devices
are not permitted unless specifically authorised by the lecturer exclusively for note taking and
doing class work. If you are in violation of these policies you will be excused from class and an
absence will be assessed.

Email etiquette

Your teachers receive many emails each day. In order to enable them to respond to your emails
appropriately and in a timely fashion, students are asked to follow basic requirements of
professional communication. Firstly, all emails should have a concise and descriptive title,
including the class and name of the unit you are enquiring about as your teacher may be teaching
more than one unit/class. Students need to be clear about the intention of their emails, use

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appropriate tone and language, proof-read what is written in the email before sending it.
Students should also allow 3-4 working days for a response before following up. If the matter is
legitimately urgent, you may indicate this in the email subject header but be sure that the email
does require an immediate response before using this strategy. If your email request is complex
and requires a lengthy response it may be probably best to make an appointment with your
teacher to meet in person.

Student behaviour guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to demonstrate respect for teacher
and fellow students at all times. Behaviour that is disruptive to a positive learning environment
reported to the teacher will result in a warning on the first instance; the second instance might
result in a failing grade along with expulsion from the course or program.

Students are to be punctual at every class session and group meeting. Homework, readings and
other required assignments must be well prepared and completed as scheduled. Students must
also actively participate in classroom activities and discussions.

Any student caught (1) cheating on an exam, (2) collaborating with others on work to be
presented, if contrary to the stated rules of the course, (3) submitting, if contrary to the rules of
the course, work previously submitted in another course, (4) knowingly and intentionally
assisting another student in any of the above actions, including assistance in an arrangement
whereby work, classroom performance, examination, or other activity is submitted or performed
by a person other than the student under whose name the work is submitted or performed, or
(5) plagiarising, may fail the class and be subject to further disciplinary action. First violation will
result in a grade ZERO (0%) for that assignment. Second violation will result in a failing course
grade.

Additional information

This unit guide may be revised at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator with approval from
Program Academic Director and School Academic Committee where appropriate.