This module provides the student with a comprehensive understanding of the unique issues and challenges facing the Business Marketer. It builds on the students’ prior knowledge of consumer marketing and identifies both similarities and differences between both aspects of marketing. The distinct challenges and issues involved in managing the B2B marketing mix are explored, in addition to the complex and dynamic forces, such as organizational buyer behaviour and relationship management which are unique to this environment. The B2B environment is considered in a global context, along with emerging issues such as digital marketing and the impact of technology in managing and building relationships with both customers and suppliers.
Introduction: A Business to Business marketing perspective: Understanding the structure and nature of b2b markets, customers and goods. Identifying the distinguishing characteristics of business marketing, comparing business and consumer marketing practices. The supply chain. The customer value proposition.
Organizational Buyer Behaviour: The organizational buying process, buying situations. The purchasing environment, and organization. The procurement managers’ context. The buying centre, group and individual forces.
Customer relationship management: Relationship marketing, managing relationships, and defining superior value for customers. CRM and eCRM. Drivers of successful relationship management.
Managing the Marketing Mix in a global Business to Business Context:
- Managing products and brands: quality and value, managing product lines, product strategy, the technology adoption life cycle.
- Managing the business distribution channel: direct vs indirect channels, participants in the channel, channel design and administration. Strategies for global markets: capturing global advantage, market entry options, global strategy.
- The marketing communications mix: Traditional MarCom: Advertising role, media, management and planning; direct marketing, media, database management and CRM; trade show management; sales promotion. Digital MarCom: the online customer, inbound vs outbound digital marketing; website design, search, online advertising, online PR and partnerships, email and social media management.
- Managing pricing: the pricing process, pricing strategies and tactics, competitive bidding.
Instruction will be delivered in a blended learning approach, using Problem Based Learning (PBL).
The students will work as a group to devise a solution to a Problem Based Learning problem (see Module Assessment). Students are assigned to groups and required to develop a solution to the problem given. The solution is then presented in the form of a series of written reports and a presentation, with formative feedback provided during the semester. Group and independent study: Students are also expected to meet and work on the problem outside class time. Meetings and study sessions are required to be documented. The lecturer acts as facilitator, guiding the students towards developing a workable solution to the problem presented. A range of recourses are provided and adapted to the needs of the group.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Other Assessment(s) | 100 |