An international review of the business-to-business marketing curriculum

This paper looks at the current structure of the business-to-business curriculum, as found in 15 textbooks (in English, French, German, English and Swedish) and 18 course designs (from five countries). Two basic approaches to curriculum design emerge. In one the emphasis is laid on the management of the marketing mix variables, and in the other the emphasis is on the management of inter-organizational relationships. There is little evidence that course designers or textbook authors strive to integrate these two approaches, or treat the approaches as alternatives that are suitable under different market conditions (a contingency approach).