Service Business Development in Small- to Medium-Sized Equipment Manufacturers

Purpose: This article explores service business development by small- and medium-sized equipment manufacturers (SMEMs). It focuses on underlying dynamic and operational capabilities in service business development.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The research design is based on case study research with nine companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Findings: The findings are twofold. First, the authors elaborate the phases and capabilities necessary for service business development. Second, they argue that these phases and capabilities depend on sales channels (direct sales versus indirect sales through distributors) and customer structures (a limited number of strategic customers versus many end-customers). SMEMs selling directly to a limited number of strategic customers develop organizational capabilities through four phases: (1) consolidation of service offerings, (2) job enlargements in organizational functions, (3) job enlargement in the key account teams, and (4) orchestration of partners to widen the solutions offered to customers. SMEMs selling indirectly through distributors to many customers develop organizational capabilities through the following four phases: (1) rearranging collaboration with distributors, (2) enlarging the service competencies of distributors, (3) modifying distributors into subsidiaries, and (4) enlarging jobs in the sales function of the subsidiaries.

Research Limitations/Implications: The research limitations are due mainly to the intrinsic nature of qualitative research.

Practical Implications: Managers can obtain guidance for service business development from the phases and capabilities described in the paper.

Originality/Value: The study offers a comprehensive framework for assisting researchers in conceptualizing service business development and operationalizing capabilities. The results provide testable propositions that can be used to guide future research.     

Competitive Arena Mapping: Market Innovation Using Morphological Analysis in Business Markets

Purpose: The authors argue that (1) marketing strategy should focus more on where to compete (rather than on how to compete); (2) making subjective market definitions or market innovations may be the key to growth; and (3) a starting point for business marketers wishing to outgrow their competitors is to increase the granularity of market definition to identify competitive arenas that are growing. The authors illustrate the use of morphological analysis for competitive arena mapping in a market definition and innovation context.

Methodology: Using action research, involving a group of twleve firms of various sizes from different industries over a period of three-and-a-half years, we applied morphological analysis in a competitive arena mapping procedure, which enables firms to systematically plot possible competitive arenas and use managerial judgment to select those which are growing and for which the firm has exploitation capabilities.

Findings: Competitive arena mapping allows firms to identify and investigate a large set of possible competitive arena configurations. The developed mapping method has certain characteristics: (1) it specifically focuses on the market boundaries and adjacencies, (2) it incorporates both exchange value and use value, and (3) it acts as a learning process that accelerates the practical application of the arenas in business strategy and practice.

Contribution: The article builds a bridge between the market definition literature in strategic management and the industrial market segmentation literature, by introducing a novel method for increasing the granularity of market definition, using morphological analysis. Furthermore, the paper responds to the lack of research addressing strategic segmentation processes by developing a six-step market definition process.     

Enhancing Export Performance for Business Markets: Effects of Interorganizational Relationships on Export Market Orientation (EMO)

Purpose: Drawing on the relationship marketing perspective, this study explores the effects of interorganizational relationship variables on export market orientation (EMO), in turn enhancing the export performance. Furthermore, firm internationalization was included as a moderator between export market-oriented behavior and export performance.

Methodology: The authors tested the hypotheses via a mail survey involving 235 exporting firms. LISREL and regression analysis were used to test the proposed model.

Findings: The results support the hypotheses, which posit that commitment, trust, and social interaction are positively related to EMO behavior, whereas power is negatively related to such behavior. Second, firm EMO behavior is positively related to export performance. Third, the degree of internationalization strengthens the effect of EMO on export performance.

Research implications: This study improves existing theoretical understanding by supporting the relationship marketing perspective and international channel research for performing export market-oriented behaviors.

Practical implications: The leverage of interorganizational relationships appears a solid strategy for performing export market-oriented behaviors. Exporters can focus not only on export market-oriented behaviors being performed but also on expansion to new markets.

Originality/value: This study contributes to the marketing and international business literature and provides insights to exporters by examining the relationships among interorganizational relationship variables, EMO, and export performance. This study also introduces the degree of internationalization from a contingency-based view and demonstrates that internationalization complements EMO, and thus facilitates export performance.     

Customer Participation and Project Performance: The Mediating Role of Knowledge Sharing in the Chinese Telecommunication Service Industry

Purpose: Extant literature has devoted more attention to customer value co-creation and knowledge sharing, not only in business-to-customer (B2C) markets, but also in business-to-business (B2B) markets. This study explores and examines the antecedents and consequences of customer knowledge sharing in the context of B2B markets by applying the motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) framework.

Methodology/Approach: This empirical study involves two structured surveys of project managers from both suppliers (n = 213) and customers (n = 312), which were conducted in the context of the Chinese telecommunication service industry. The conceptual model of this study was subsequently tested by developing Partial Least Squares (PLS) based structural equation models.

Findings: It was found that customer knowledge sharing is facilitated by four MOA factors: customer orientation, customer perceived benefits, customer socialization, and customer technological capability. It was determined that knowledge sharing has a direct and significant effect on project performance. Furthermore, the study revealed that such relationships vary across suppliers and customers.

Research Implications: This study extends the existing research stream of interfirm knowledge sharing by examining the antecedents and consequences of customer knowledge sharing from dual perspectives of customers and suppliers, and sheds light on the benefits of customer knowledge sharing. The dyadic perspective embodied in this design facilitates our understanding and management of knowledge sharing between organizations.

Originality/Value/Contribution: This article provides an important contribution to the existing literature of customer knowledge sharing by revealing how to effectively facilitate interorganizational knowledge sharing, particularly knowledge from customers to suppliers, and discovers conditions under which customers are more likely to exchange information, and share knowledge with their suppliers from the dyadic perspective.     

基于企业组织视角的老年服务产业供给分析

随着我国人口老龄化进程的不断加快,发展老年服务产业迫在眉睫。基于企业组织视角从市场需求、服务内容、政策扶持、风险管理方面对老年服务产业的供给所进行的分析显示:目前我国老年服务产业远没有达到应有的水平,老年服务市场资源匮乏、种类稀少,产业竞争力小;老年服务项目主要有上门服务和组织活动;政府可从对老年服务企业的税收、补贴以及志愿者政策三方面入手,建立老年服务型产业链;应注意规避使用志愿者风险和企业经营风险,从而进一步推进老年服务产业的快速健康发展。     

北京市商务服务业发展对策研究

本文认为,发展商务服务业,是北京市产业结构升级的需要,是提升制造业核心竞争力的需要,是解决北京产业“空心化”的现实选择,对其他产业具有巨大的乘数效应和辐射作用;加入WTO,为北京发展商务服务业提供了广阔的舞台,2008年奥运会为北京商务服务业带来了巨大商机,区域经济合作的快速升温,为北京发展商务服务业形成了良好的区域优势。北京商务服务行业规模初显,但存在规模小,分布散,科技含量低,市场机制不够完善等问题。文章提出,加快北京商务服务业发展,应坚持优先发展的原则,培育重点商务服务业;坚持产业集群与扩散的原则,形成有效的多赢格局;坚持科技创新的原则,打造世界级商务服务品牌;坚持以市场为导向的原则,完善市场机制;坚持以引资为突破口的原则,全力打造“总部经济”和“写字楼经济”。     

我国海运服务市场开放与海运服务贸易自由化

海运服务贸易是国际服务贸易的重要部分之一。加入世界贸易组织之后,我国逐步落实在国际海运服务、海运辅助服务、集装箱服务、海运代理服务和国内航行权等方面做出的承诺。为促进海运服务贸易自由化的发展,我国的海运服务市场应当遵循适度开放的原则,在未来海运服务贸易的双边、多边谈判中争取更大的话语权。     

One-to-One and One-to-Many Business Relationship Marketing: Toward a Theoretical Framework

ABSTRACT

Purpose. This work addresses mixed findings in relationship marketing literature regarding the importance of micro-level (interpersonal) relationships on firm outcome.

Methodology/Approach: The article leverages impression formation theory to advance a framework to understand one-to-one and one-to-many marketing relationships to better predict firm outcome.

Findings: The authors suggest that 5 framework moderators—the type and consistency of the encounters, relationship age, purchase frequency, relationship interruptions, and two customer side characteristics (i.e., need to evaluate [NTE] and need for cognitive closure [NFCC]”)—can qualify the relationship building process and impact the effectiveness of interpersonal and/or group relationships on firm outcome.

Practical Implications: The framework suggests that (1) highly consistent sales team behaviors reduce the risk of losing business in case of a sales team member leaving; (2) low frequency purchases are better suited for one-to-many selling relationships; (3) temporarily suspending relationships by individual salespeople is more harmful than suspending relationships by sales teams; (4) involving the customer in the acquisition process facilitates team selling; and (5) a positive first impression is more important for high (vs. low) NFCC and high NTE customers.

Originality/Value. The theoretical framework (1) distinguishes between individual-to-individual and individual-to-group relationships, (2) suggests a distinction between micro-level individual-to-individual and individual-to-group relationships and macro-level individual-to-firm relationships, (3) analyzes the impact of micro-level relationships under the influence of context-related and customer-related factors, and (4) provides managerially relevant guidelines for strategic sales planning.     

我国人均收入与服务业发展互动研究

本文基于VAR模型,我国使用1978-2011年期间相关数据,对人均收入与服务业发展之间的动态互动关系进行了实证分析。结果显示:我国人均收入与服务业发展存在滞后效应,人均收入在短期内的增长不但没有拉动服务业比重的增加,反而引致服务业比重下降;服务业比重短期的增加没有引起人均收入的立即增长,但二者从长期来看存在正向的互动关系,人均收入与服务业发展的滞后效应是导致我国人均收入与服务业发展之间弱对应关系的重要原因。因此,应突破二者动态互动的瓶颈,消除导致人均收入与服务业发展相互影响滞后的阻碍因素,促使二者良性互动关系健康发展。     

Trusting and Monitoring Business Partners throughout the Relationship Life Cycle

Purpose: The goal of this research is to understand the theoretical and empirical confluence of multi-dimensional trust with the role of monitoring as business partnerships unfold and evolve dynamically throughout the course of the relationship life cycle.

Methodology: A pilot study is run in which in-depth interviews are conducted with managers to glean their insights regarding the theoretical questions and to verify terminology for survey items. A large-scale survey study is then conducted to test hypotheses about the relationships among the focal constructs. The participants in both studies are real procurement professionals reporting on their primary supplier relationships. The qualitative study and the samples of real world managers enhance the external validity of this research.

Findings: In early stages of business relationships, monitoring and benevolence trust interact to positively impact business performance. Continued monitoring in later stages interact with benevolence trust to performance detriment. Conversely, monitoring and competence aspects of trust hurt business performance in earlier life stages.

Research Implications: Theoretical frameworks that include the constructs of multidimensional trust, monitoring, and relationship life cycle stages can build on the nuanced 3-dimensional contingencies established in this research. In particular, this research furthers the concepts of monitoring and the relationship life cycle.

Practical Implications: There is a time and a place to trust one's business partners, and a time and a place to verify their trustworthiness. As business partnerships are forged, monitoring and benevolence trust can be particularly fruitful.

Contribution: In this research, the authors build on the business marketing literature that has begun to delineate the benevolence and competence dimensions of trust in business relationships; they demonstrate the role that partner monitoring has in maintaining business commitments; and establish how these effects are modified over the stages of the relationship life cycle; i.e., from exploration, to build-up, maturity, and decline.     

服务业市场营销特点研究

服务产业正在迅猛地发展成为我国经济的支柱产业之一。对服务行业市场营销的特点进行深入的分析和研究无疑将变得重要和迫切。根据一般有形产品与服务的区别深入分析和研究服务自身的特征和对市场营销组合的影响，对于制定有效的服务市场营销组合与策略是十分重要的。     

Relationship Value in Business Markets: The Construct and Its Dimensions

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the concept of relationship value has attracted increasing attention among marketing researchers and practitioners alike. Despite a growing body of literature in this area, no generally accepted conceptualization of relationship value has emerged from the marketing literature. The present paper investigates the theoretical foundations of relationship value and identifies seven underlying dimensions. It is suggested that relationship value should be conceptualized as a formative, multi-dimensional, higher-order construct. This conceptualization is tested using data from a cross-sectional survey among some 200 purchasing managers from manufacturing companies. The scale development process is presented and directions for future research are discussed.     

黑龙江省传统服务业向现代服务业发展的模式研究

现代服务业是现代经济社会持续发展的重要标志,加快发展现代服务业是推进经济结构调整和加快转变经济增长方式的有效途径。黑龙江省正处在经济结构战略性调整的关键时期,现代服务业有了一定的发展,但发展水平相对滞后,结构层次较低,发展不平衡,对外开放度较低,传统服务业所占比重偏大。应同时采用产业融合模式、产业集聚区模式和外资拉动模式的多重发展模式,吸引所有可以利用的资源,改造和提升传统服务业,促进黑龙江省现代服务业的发展。     

武汉市科技中介服务业可持续发展的SWOT分析

采用SWOT分析方法,全面论述了武汉科技中介服务业可持续发展所面临的竞争优势、竞争劣势、发展机遇和外部威胁．并在分析的基础上提出了武汉科技中介服务业的发展思路,即坚持走“市场化、职业化、规范化”的道路．同时还指出了武汉市在发展科技中介服务业的过程中应该重点解决的几个关键问题。     

Disintermediation in Business-to-Business Service Channels: Mechanisms and Challenges

Purpose: The aim of this article is to delineate a number of different disintermediation mechanisms within the context of business-to-business (B2B) service channels and to identify the specific challenges associated with adopting these mechanisms.

Methodology: The research was conducted in accordance with abductive reasoning, moving continuously between the empirical world of 4 industrial (B2B) firms and the model world.

Findings: This article delineates a choice of 6 disintermediation mechanisms and their attendant challenges within the context of industrial service channels.

Contribution: The article provides an original conceptualization of disintermediation, which is detached from the traditional understanding of the concept. As such, it constitutes a useful starting point for the development of a formal theory of disintermediation.

Implications for Practice: This article should be useful for practitioners, because it presents various disintermediation options available to industrial firms faced by undesired intermediaries in their industrial service channels.     

Customer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets

Abstract

Customer relationship management, or CRM, has found increased attention in both the academic and managerial worlds of marketing in recent years. While the Internet has greatly enabled the application of CRM in fostering loyal customers, the preliminary results on the effectiveness and efficiency of technology-based CRM has been far from discouraging. The authors identify various contentious issues behind the various key concepts of relationship management and identify several areas that deserve closer academic scrutiny and managerial inspection. The paper also comments on the extent to which Internet technology can bring about closer relationships with a firm's customers.     

The Effects of Relationship Marketing on Share of Business: A Synthesis and Comparison of Models

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The article synthesizes the extensive empirical work on relationship marketing (RM) and compares the various conceptualizations to give a better understanding of the relational factors (i.e., characteristics of the business relationship) that improve a seller’s objective performance (i.e., share of business) in a business-to-business (B2B) services context. These conceptualizations, taken from the literature, link relational antecedents (i.e., communication, domain expertise, relational value, and mutual goals) to relational mediators (i.e., trust, satisfaction, commitment, relationship quality) to explore how they in turn affect a seller’s share of business.

Methodology/approach: All 4 models derived from the literature review were assessed using a dataset drawn from a survey of 948 client firm representatives of a Portuguese hotel chain in a B2B services context.

Findings: The best of the models in terms of model fit and prediction of share of business shows that only customer commitment directly drives a seller’s share of business, and simultaneous interrelated changes in customer trust and satisfaction, as well as customer perceptions of relational value, drive customer commitment, and so exert indirect effects on performance. The model that proposes that a seller’s performance is strengthened by simultaneous interrelated improvements in customer trust, satisfaction, and commitment (i.e., with these three mediators being conceptualized as a single, combined, higher-order mediator, termed relationship quality [RQ]) shows inferior fit. No combination of mediators (satisfaction, trust, or commitment) improves the seller’s objective performance over and above their individual effects (i.e., there are no synergistic effects).

Research implications: The literature review suggested four ways of modeling RM antecedents, mediators, and their effect on performance. Complex second-order constructs such as RQ lack explanatory power when predicting outcomes and mask the effects of individual relational mediators. Correct conceptualization is important, as conclusions vary drastically even with the same set of relational mediators and same dataset.

Practical implications: B2B service providers’ investments in RM will lead to improved share of business only if customer commitment is high or there is at least the potential to improve it. This requires an understanding of how valuable

the customer believes the relationship to be, and how the customer rates the relationship with the firm in terms of satisfaction and trust. A customer segmentation approach to relationship building and maintenance is advocated and detailed suggestions are put forward.

Originality/value/contribution: Apart from the work by Palmatier, the relationships between RM antecedents and mediators have not yet been examined simultaneously and findings are fragmented. The article provides a synthesis of this expansive literature. It contrasts different interplays between RM mediators, including their interrelationships as a higher-order construct, and explores possible synergy effects. Unlike previous work, this study focused on an objective measure of seller performance (i.e., share of business), whereas previous studies have tended to examine subjective measures, especially within the B2B context. Furthermore, four full models were assessed here, each of which included the antecedents to RM mediators and their links to objective performance.     

我国生产性服务业的发展研究

现代服务业已成为一个国家或地区经济发展的重要动力和经济发达程度、生活水平高低的重要标志。现代服务业的核心是生产性服务业,大力发展生产性服务业,是我国建设新型工业化的必由之路。我国生产性服务业的市场化程度低、产业关联程度低,没有形成有效的集聚。应加强生产性服务业的市场化建设,优化外部环境,强化生产性服务业专业分工优势,推进生产性服务业的集聚发展。     

加快哈尔滨市服务业发展的对策研究

服务业的发展已成为一个国家或地区经济发展的重要动力和经济发达程度以及生活水平高低的重要标志。哈尔滨市在新的历史阶段下服务业的发展仍存在着总体发展滞后、内部结构转换慢、吸纳人才能力差等问题。哈尔滨市应从战略高度把握服务业的发展,扩大服务业的辐射范围和辐射能力,为现代服务业发展营造适宜的外部环境,调整服务业的供给机制,以促进哈尔滨市服务业的发展。