Business Marketing

DESCRIPTION:
Challenges and opportunities that marketers confront when they serve the needs of business organizations (manufacturers, resellers, government agencies and institutions). Comparison with the consumer household market and an analysis of the marketing strategy for business markets.

RATIONALE: 
Business students need Business Marketing in order to learn business-to-business marketing techniques. Purchases by organizations (companies, government agencies and institutions) account for more than half of the economic activity in industrialized countries; hence, the business marketing function is of prime importance in organizations. Some marketing techniques are similar in the business and consumer areas. However, most are radically different, and a marketer cannot rely solely on consumer marketing techniques.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
As a result of taking this course, the student should be able to:
1. Demonstrate understanding of the nature of business markets as well as the similarities and differences between consumer markets and business markets.
2. Discuss the business organization buying behavior and analyze business situations in the context of buyerseller relationships and supply chain management.
3. Combine concepts and theories to business marketing situations and make marketing decisions that lead a company to generate and deliver value to customers.

METHOD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING:
In congruence with the teaching and learning strategy of the college, the following tools are used:
- Class lectures, discussions of cases and problems that stress business-to-business marketing issues.
- Analysis and discussion of short cases in class. 
- Provision of additional material on practices of companies operating in B2B markets.
- Comprehensive written case studies that require analysis of complex data and situations. Synthesis of a proposed strategy.
- Office Hours: Students are encouraged to make full use of the office hours of their instructor, where they can ask questions and go over lecture material, or case studies.
- Use of a Blackboard learning platform, where instructors post lecture notes, assignment instructions, timely announcements, as well as additional resources.