Course 2021-2022 a.y.

20307 - INDUSTRIAL MARKETING

Department of Marketing

Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 31
GIO (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  SECS-P/08)
Course Director:
GIOVANNA PADULA

Classes: 31 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: GIOVANNA PADULA


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

Industrial markets shows distinguishing features that urge differentiated marketing approaches and processes compared to consumer markets. Furthermore, industrial markets have been experiencing relevant changes challenging the logic and processes implicit in a number of consolidated industrial marketing practices. This course focuses on the specificities of industrial markets and delves into the multiple areas of competence and activities required to effectively manage industrial customers. After discussing the specificities of industrial markets vis à vis to consumer markets, this course moves to the discussion of the different types of exchange processes characterizing industrial markets, then focuses on the analysis of the industrial customers and the main strategic decisions for different types of exchange processes. This course aims at providing students with the knowledge contents about the management of industrial markets, by discussing concepts and models that typically refer to the specificities of industrial markets. Second, this course aims at helping students develop a knowledge-of-use of these concepts and models, by providing a variety of fruitful contexts where students can practice the application of these concepts and models. Third, this course aims at nurturing students’ critical thinking, by exposing them to a variety of realities that have been challenging even the more consolidated marketing practices, soliciting innovative managerial responses.

CONTENT SUMMARY

  • Industrial markets: distinguishing features and recent emerging trends.
  • Types and nature of exchange processes in industrial markets. 
  • Types of exchange processes and implications on effective management practices. 
  • Economic and competitive relevance of partnering with industrial customers.
  • Cooperation and competition in industrial markets.
  • Customers’ purchasing behavior in industrial markets across different types of exchange processes.
  • Industrial market segmentation and customer portfolio analysis.
  • Value proposition for industrial customers.
  • Key Account Management approaches and practices.
  • Industrial Customer Equity.


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

This course should prepare the students to:

  • Identify the main distinguishing features that characterize industrial markets and understand how these features affect the development of effective industrial customer management practices.
  • Select ways to deal with the increasing complexity in firm-to-firm interdependences.
  • Recognize ways to develop customer knowledge.
  • Select ways to serve industrial customers.
  • Estimate the economic returns of industrial customer relationships.

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

This course should prepare the students to:

  • Analyse a specific industrial market context and acknowledge the nature of the inter-firm interdependences as well as select approaches to develop and mantain a competitive advantage in that market.
  • Analyze a customer business context and choose strategies to gain customer preferences and maintain customer relationships over time.
  • Measure the economic returns of the investments in the relationships with industrial customers.

Teaching methods

  • Face-to-face lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)
  • Individual assignments

DETAILS

  • Case Studies consist in reading and discussing cases where a specific topic is well detailed in practice. These cases expose the students to fruitful contexts of application of specific topics included in the course program. By getting exposed to these case studies, students learn how to use concepts and models in practice as well as they are challenged in critically thinking of ways to solve issues that firms managing industrial customers typically face. 
  • Individual assignment consists in a research project where students develop a research paper on a specific, well focused research question, under the supervision of the course instructor. This research project aims at providing the students with an opportunity to open their minds to the more relevant changes that have been challenging the ways to manage industrial customers, develop a rigorous method of inquiry, challenge their critical thinking, and strive for a non obvious managerial response.
  • Guest speaker's talks give the students an opportunity to interect with outstanding professionals and get exposed to real contexts where some topics of the course can be observed in practise in their full complexity and in their more recent developments. The inclusion of guest speaker's talks urge students to deepen their practical knowledge and to exert their critical thinking.  

Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
    x
  • Individual assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
    x
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

  • The written exam is taken at the end of the course in one of the regular exam dates. The written exam is based on three questions extracted from a list of questions on the course contents included in the program and discussed during class hours. The set of questions that  form the text of the exam are extracted on the exam date, at the beginning of the examination. The overall list of questions from which the text of the exam is extracted is distributed in the few days following the end of the course. The written exam mostly assesses the acquisition of the concepts of the course and, to a lesser extent, the practical knowledge and critical thinking of the students.
  • The individual assignment consists in carrying out a research project, i.e. writing a paper bound to answer to a specific research question under the supervision of the course instructor. This assessment tool complements the written exam as it enables to better assess a number of soft skills, e.g. communication skills and critical thinking.   
  • Active class participation assessment is based on the quality of the students’ contribution during class discussion. Students are encouraged to read in advance the material referred to the class topic and their contribution to class discussion on that topic is assessed. Also, students’ contribution in case study discussion is assessed and included in this area of evaluation. The evaluation of the students’ class participation and research project are valid for the three regular exam calls in the academic year 2021-2022. This assessment method also contributes to assess more globally the learning process of the students as it enables to better evaluate a number of soft-skills (e.g., communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork) and practical knowledge (as active participation also involves case study discussion).

NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Non-attending students have to take a written exam, on the contents of the course textbook, in one of the official exam dates. The written exam mostly assesses the acquisition of the concepts of the course and, to a lesser extent, the practical knowledge and critical thinking of the students.


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

A selection of papers from the Reading Collection: Industrial Marketing, EGEA 2021. The selection of papers are those included in the course detailed program.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

Reading Collection: Industrial Marketing, EGEA 2021. The whole set of papers published in the Reading Collection is required for non-attending students.

Last change 31/08/2021 12:40