| 1. |
- Anderson, Helén, et al.
(författare)
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Do Competition Authorities Consider Business Relationships?
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - : Taylor and Francis (Routledge). - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 19:1, s. 67-92
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Companies engage in business relationships for a variety of reasons, including specialization, product development, and building competitive networks. Research has demonstrated that mergers and acquisitions (Mandamp;As) may challenge ongoing business relationships. The purpose of this article is to investigate whether and how competition authorities consider business relationships when evaluating Mandamp;As. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethodology: The article uses the documentation from 450 Mandamp;As reported to the Swedish competition authority to capture the way in which an authority evaluates Mandamp;As. The Swedish competition authority evaluation corresponds to other national and international evaluation procedures. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanFindings: The findings indicate that the competition authorities neglect an important aspect of business life, namely companies forming business relationships. The competition authorities evaluate Mandamp;As on the basis of risk for price increases, and consequently disregard such issues as heterogeneity in demand and offerings, and values built into existing business relationships. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanOriginality/Value/Contribution: The article contributes to research on business relationships through exploring how a public authority deals with such relationships. It also contributes to research on mergers and acquisitions through examining how these activities are evaluated by competition authorities. Furthermore, the article contributes to competition research by reflecting on competition law concerning Mandamp;A regulations in relation to business relationships.
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| 2. |
- Anisimova, Tatiana, et al.
(författare)
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Aligning Company and Dealer Perspectives in Corporate Branding : Implications for Dealer Satisfaction and Commitment
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 21:1, s. 35-56
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: There is a contention in marketing literature that gaps between corporate and key stakeholders’ perspectives have unfavorable implications for corporate brand performance. The current article attempts to empirically substantiate this argument. As such, this article looks at the relationship between a car manufacturer and its dealers and examines it from the perspective of the relationship misalignment.Methodology: Applying the Profile Deviation method, this study tests the effects of a manufacturer–dealer corporate brand misalignment on dealer satisfaction and commitment. The manager-specified ideal profile for a corporate brand was used as a proxy for a manufacturer perspective and a benchmark against which dealer perceptions were compared. The corporate brand construct encompassed the dimensions of corporate image, corporate personality and dealer-experienced value. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlations and multiple regressions.Findings: Results, which were robust across all the corporate brand dimensions, support the hypotheses of negative performance impact of manufacturer-dealer misalignment.Originality/value/contribution: This study identifies an important link between the theoretical proposition and the operationalization test of examining performance implications of misalignment. The current study argues for broader integrative thinking and cross-disciplinary research in business-to-business marketing. In the absence of the relevant literature on conceptualization and operationalization in the marketing literature, the article borrows a testing method of Profile Deviation from the management field. By developing a fine-grained analysis, the current study pinpoints specific aspects that require co-alignment in corporate branding, thus facilitating managerial decision-making.Research implications/limitations: The current study demonstrates that deviation from a corporate perspective implies a weakness in corporate branding process with negative performance consequences. The Profile Deviation perspective used in this article has focused on a static, cross-sectional approach for specifying and testing misalignment between a manufacturer and its dealer principles. The researchers are encouraged to consider alternative mechanisms to test for misalignment as a dynamic task within a longitudinal research design.Practical implications: Companies must be aware of the areas where gaps can occur that impede effective decision-making. Aligning a corporate brand between a company and members of the distribution channel requires careful implementation that encourages dealer inputs in brand operations while avoiding counter-productive implications.
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| 3. |
- Awuah, Gabriel Baffour
(författare)
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Analyzing Customer-Orientation Practices of Firms from a Wider Perspective
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - Binghamton, NY : Haworth Press. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 15:1, s. 45-72
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to deepen our understanding of the extent to which a firm's customer orientation practice, and the outcome thereof, is affected by its network of exchange relationships.METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Building on a network approach, multiple case studies are used to highlight firms' customer-orientation and the effects thereof.FINDINGS: Close, regular and extensive interaction and exchanges with customers and third parties have enabled each of the firms in this study to win and retain important customers over the years.Research Implications/Limitations : Each of the PSFs' (professional services firms) customer orientation, with its concomitant result, has been facilitated by mutual value creation by the sellers and the buyers plus the sellers' exchange relationships with third parties. However, customers' interconnected relationships and a broader quantitative study incorporating several services firms need be explored in further studies.ORIGINALITY/VALUE/CONTRIBUTION: The study provides insights into how a PSF utilizes its own capabilities and complementary capabilities from third parties to create superior value and satisfaction to customers.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, Maria Theresa
(författare)
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Growing through Giving: The Role of Paying it Forward in Business-to-Business Marketing
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 29:2, s. 131-152
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeProviding B2B marketing with insights into the nascently explored generalized social exchange dimension paying it forward. Marketing is an ongoing exchange relationship of particular significance in the B2B context, where exchanges often are indirect. Therefore, understanding the generalized exchange mechanism paying it forward is important in order to derive value from it, both as a manager of marketing teams (intra-firm) and as a participant in inter-firm exchange relationships.Methodology/ApproachBy reviewing extant research, this conceptual paper provides a synthesis of paying it forward exchange, how it occurs and can be encouraged in the inter- and intra-firm B2B marketing contexts and proposes a researchable and practically applicable framework, as well as a series of researchable propositions.FindingsFounded on the understanding that paying it forward is an extra-role behavior (i.e., not defined by a job description or contract) that occurs both within and between firms, this work presents a conceptual framework as well as a series of researchable propositions with regard to the benefits that can be derived from paying it forward behavior. The framework proposes four different modes (peer, partner, affiliation, and alliance) under which marketers can facilitate or participate in the paying it forward type of exchange. The dimensions of the framework are relational interdependence and the intra-and inter-firm settings. These different modes emerge naturally based on the type of interaction. Depending on the circumstances, an individual could operate in any of the four modes, however depending on mode they operate in there are different key considerations to focus on.Originality/valueMakes contributions to literature by providing a synthesis of the generalized social exchange dimension paying it forward, drawing conclusions, and developing a comprehensive framework and researchable propositions for marketing related intra- and inter-firm paying it forward exchange behavior. Academics and practitioners benefit from understanding the value paying it forward may provide and improve the role marketers play in both facilitating and participating in this type of exchange, yet to date this behavior has received scant attention.Practical implicationsProvides practitioners a synthesis of paying it forward exchange and outlines why and how it is relevant in a B2B marketing context, how it can be encouraged and what managers need to know to make use of its advantages and avoid its pitfalls.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Per-Erik
(författare)
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Achieving suitable coopetition in buyer-supplier relationships : the case of AstraZeneca
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 15:4, s. 425-454
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this research is to deal with the two crucial managerial challenges of first identifying and then achieving a suitable balance between cooperation and competition in buyer-supplier relationships.Methodology/Approach: First, a purchasing framework is developed by utilizing principal-agent theory to bridge the literature on transaction cost economics and industrial buying behavior. The practical use of this framework is then empirically illustrated by a case study description of how a construction client's purchasing procedures affect coopetition in a partnering project.Findings: The developed purchasing framework shows how actions taken during the different stages of the buying process affect coopetition in buyer-supplier relationships. It highlights the deficiencies of both the neoclassical competitive focus and the cooperative focus found in the literature on interorganizational relationships. Instead it emphasizes the importance of balancing cooperation and competition.Research Implications: This research shows how the traditional analysis of governance structure can be transformed into an analysis of coopetition. Furthermore, it explores how purchasing procedures affect governance forms through different control mechanisms. It also shows how trust and social context can be integrated into a transaction cost framework through social control.Practical Implications: The developed framework can be used for guiding purchasing decisions. Managers planning to implement coopetitive (cooperative and competitive) relationships should recognize the importance of considering all stages of the buying process. Collaborative tools (e.g., teambuilding, joint objectives, and a shared project office) are useful but not enough to transform an otherwise competitive relationship into a cooperative one. Hence, technical aspects of the buying process need to be addressed as well (e.g., joint specification, bid evaluation, etc.).
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Hallén, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Dyadic business relationships and customer technologies
- 1994
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 1:4, s. 63-90
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Based on the contingency theory of organization, a structural model of product exchange, inter firm social structure, inter firm adaptation, and relationship age in dyadic business relationships is formulated and analyzed with regard to different customer technologies. Relationships with unit and mass production technology customers are found to have similar structures, whereas process technology relationships are different.
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| 8. |
- Hessling, Victoria, et al.
(författare)
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Relationship commitment and value creation in sponsorship relationships
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 25:2, s. 137-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The sponsorship industry has evolved considerably in recent years due to the strategic business opportunities that it provides. Despite increased interest in sponsorship, analysis of the relationship between relationship commitment and value creation and of relationship commitment as comprising multiple types or components in the context of sponsorship relationships is lacking. To address these gaps, this paper analyzes relationship commitment (in terms of affective commitment and value-based commitment) as a significant mediating variable, and value creation in the context of sponsorship relationships.Methodology/approach: A questionnaire was sent to Swedish Hockey League sponsors to collect data and to verify the study’s conceptual model and relationships. The response rate for the survey was 19.8%, that is, 122 completed questionnaires out of 616 sent. The respondents represented the most common industries in Sweden, but most of them belonged to the construction, repair, and electronics industries (18.0%), manufacturing and production industry (13.1%), and commerce industry (11.5%). Most sponsoring companies (30.3%) were categorized as medium-sized (50–249 employees). Most respondents (38.5%) had invested EUR 4300–15,000, whereas 11.5% had invested less than EUR 4300. Moreover, we found that most sponsors had been in their sponsorship relationships for more than 10 years (32.8%). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for the data analysis.Findings: This study demonstrates that relationship commitment is an important driver of value creation in sponsorship relationships. Furthermore, the various forms of affective commitment and value-based commitment should not be considered merely components or forms but distinct types. Certainly, there is interaction between the two types, but sequentially in such a way that affective commitment is a prerequisite for value-based commitment. This means that a sponsor must have an emotional relationship with the sponsee in order to understand, perceive, and calculate the sponsorship relationship’s future business value in terms of profits and other benefits. This study also finds that value-based commitment is the most significant type of commitment in sponsorship relationships.Research implications: The study demonstrates that shared values, trust, and affective commitment are fundamental conditions for value-based commitment. If the parties agree on how they should behave in the relationship, the rules and objectives that apply lead to the emergence of mutual trust, which in turn makes the parties want to continue the relationship for emotional reasons. But this is not enough for value creation; they must also see that there are future business benefits from the relationship. Therefore, the parties more or less explicitly make calculations. If the calculations indicate that the long-term benefits of the relationship outweigh the short-term sacrifices, they are prepared to invest in the relationship, and this may lead to value creation. In other words, there is both interplay and tension between shared values, trust, and affective commitment, on one hand, and value-based commitment, on the other. Another theoretical contribution is that previous research has considered the links between relationship commitment and value but has ignored the different types of commitment that play key roles in the value-creation process; this study has addressed that oversight. The study demonstrates that affective commitment and value-based commitment have different roles and meanings. Affective commitment indirectly affects value creation, while value-based commitment directly affects value creation. Affective commitment has the role of partial mediator, while value-based commitment has the role of full mediator. Furthermore, they differ in their basic characteristics: affective commitment is an emotional aspect, while value-based commitment is a calculative aspect.Originality/value/contribution: Previous studies have not analyzed the relationship between relationship commitment and value creation. However, this study demonstrates that relationship commitment is an important driver of value creation in sponsorship relationships. Furthermore, most previous research argues that relationship commitment consists of various components or forms that interact in parallel with each other. However, this study demonstrates that the various forms of affective commitment and value-based commitment should not be considered merely components or forms but distinct types. Certainly, there is interaction between the two types, but sequentially in such a way that affective commitment is a prerequisite for value-based commitment. Furthermore, previous studies have consistently noted that affective commitment is the most important component, form, or type of relationship commitment. However, this study finds that value-based commitment is the most significant type of commitment in sponsorship relationships.
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| 9. |
- Laage-Hellman, Jens, 1947, et al.
(författare)
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Customer Involvement in Product Development: An Industrial Network Perspective
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 21:4, s. 257-276
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: In business markets, working with customers and users has become increasingly important to get knowledge about customer needs and to develop new products. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to develop a framework for analyzing customer involvement in product development in a business market context, and (2) to apply this framework to a particular company to describe and analyze how it practices customer involvement.Methodology/approach: The article takes its main theoretical starting point in the industrial network approach, but also uses other literature from the innovation and product development field. The empirical study applies a qualitative case study approach and focuses on one company in the truck business.Findings: The suggested framework deals with four key aspects of customer involvement: Why, when, how, and who. The observed pattern of the truck manufacturer shows how dealers, hauliers, and truck drivers are all part of the overall understanding of the customer. These actors are involved for different, typically very clear, purposes at different points in time through surveys, product clinics, and field testing. The pattern, referred to as mixed facilitative, is not one of close collaboration with individual customers, but one of broad involvement of several customers through business intelligence and direct involvement.Research implications: First, the article provides researchers with a framework and method for studying customer involvement in product development. Second, the case study provides an illustrative example of the customer involvement pattern pursued by a leading company in a major industry. This enhances the understanding of the focal phenomenon, leads to managerial implications, and gives ideas for future research.Practical implications: There are several managerial implications related to the why, when, how, and who questions. For example, it is pointed out that managers should consider involving customers more extensively than what seems to be common today-for example, by using customers as codevelopers, working with them throughout the entire development process (i.e., not only early and late), and including different types of users (with different requirements and wishes).Originality/value/contribution of the article: The contribution lies in the development of a framework centered on the four key questions of customer involvement in product development and using this framework for observing a pattern, and finding explanations and relating this pattern to how other firms are doing.
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| 10. |
- Levihn, Ulrika, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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The Transition from Product to Solution Selling : The Role and Organization of Employees Engaged in Current Business
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing. - : Routledge. - 1051-712X .- 1547-0628. ; 23:3, s. 207-219
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This research investigates how to manage and organize existing employees when launching a solution sales strategy, specifically addressing whether it is possible to migrate existing sales representatives active in product sales to solution sales, and whether it is possible to combine the roles.Methodology/approach: A case-based approach was applied to a multinational firm, engaged in business-to-business sales that simultaneously launched a solution sales strategy in 17 countries. In-depth interviews with 29 managers and sales representatives were performed to inductively identify why some countries succeeded in the launch, while others did not.Findings: Because of fundamental differences in approach between solution and product sales, those countries where the solutions and product businesses were separated performed better. The difference in required capabilities and mindset meant that migrating sales representatives from product to solution sales is problematic.Research implications: This research offers evidence of differences in mindset and approach between different marketing and sales strategies, extending the conclusions to how these differences affect the possibility of migrating existing sales representatives when launching a new selling strategy. Whether to separate service and product sales has been debated. The present results indicate that separating the current product business from the new solution business facilitates the successful implementation of the new strategy. In the case company, the solutions represent a mixture of product and services, suggesting that the problem is not the difference between products and services, but rather different selling strategies and approaches that require different capabilities.Practical implications: When launching a solution sales strategy, the solution business should be separated from the current product business at both the organizational and personnel levels. Solution sales necessitates a particular approach and capabilities, making it unadvisable to transfer sales representatives and managers to the new solution business based solely on previous product sales success. Instead, a new skill profile must be developed taking account of the requirements of a demand-driven solution strategy.Originality/value/contribution: Consensus is lacking as to whether to separate product and service businesses. This article extends the debate to the field of solution sales, demonstrating that separation is needed to succeed in launching a solution sales strategy. Furthermore, this research extends our knowledge of the difference in approaches between different selling strategies, covering the possibility of successfully migrating existing sales representatives to a different selling strategy.
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