The involvement and influence of emotions in problematic business relationships

This paper discusses emotions as mediators in business-to-business relationships which is an understudied topic. Yet within consumer marketing, emotions have been widely studied, and calls have been made for business relationship research to take account of managers' emotions. This study addresses the gap by firstly establishing the relevance of emotions in problematic business relationships and secondly showing how emotions are a major component in determining the outcomes of the problematic relationships. Interview data in the form of narratives describing problematic relationships is analyzed and identifies both the emotions experienced by participants and their role in the future course of the business relationship.     

The emergent role of value representation in managing business relationships

This paper explores value processes, their effects, and their management in business relationships. Over time, scholars progressively moved their interest from the value of the objects exchanged to the value of business relationships. However, how value is related to interactive processes that characterize business relationships still remained unclear. With this scope, the paper brings to the fore recent studies on the role of actors' perceptions of value and the interactive features of the business context. The empirical research involves 77 interviews carried out over two years with actors internal and external to the Mikron Tool's business network, a Swiss leader in manufacturing high-precision tools. The study shows that four key value processes – value creation, value communication, value measurement, and value appropriation – determine specific consequences that must be managed to achieve effective business relationships. Moreover, empirical evidences highlight the relevance of value representation in affecting the four value processes. The study contributes to an improved understanding of value management in interactive and interdependent business contexts. Also, it draws attention to the need for a better integration between the traditional economic view of value and recent insights from the fields of organizational psychology and sociology.     

Resource acquisition strategies in business relationships

Integrating the IMP Group approach with aspects of the resource-based view of the firm, we seek to develop and test a typology of relationship strategies based on different resource acquisition foci. For this purpose, we conducted interviews with thirty CEOs and other senior marketing managers in the UK and the USA. In-depth content analysis identified five main resource acquisition strategies (RAS) behind building business relationships: money bonds, new market bonds, utilization bonds, intellectual bonds, and credibility bonds. We further carried out a quantitative study with 658 senior managers in the USA to test for the generalizability of our findings. Results of a one-way repeated ANOVA and multinomial logistic regression analysis show significant differences between the five RAS for business relationships. However, a pair-wise comparison provides evidence for the existence of hybrid strategies. In addition, an investigation of the association between the RAS of business relationships on the one hand, and business strategy on the other, revealed equifinality of alternative business strategies vis-à-vis the applied relationship strategy. Finally, our analysis revealed no significant differences between the distributions of RAS types for knowledge intensive versus non-knowledge intensive business services. However, we found that RAS distribution is significantly associated with company size.     

Initiation of business relationships in service-dominant settings

Industrial companies today are becoming increasingly service-oriented and therefore need to shift from selling hardware to valuing services and managing customer relationships. A new and particularly significant challenge for these companies is how to initiate relationships which is an issue that has received surprisingly limited scientific attention. The aim of this study is to develop a conceptualization that explores the dynamics in the relationship initiation process in service-dominant settings. Narratives from three sellers of professional services, augmented with narratives from a buyer's view, form the empirical basis of the study. The dynamics in the relationship initiation process are clarified with three new concepts: status, converter, and inhibitor. The paper concludes with implications of the new conceptualization and suggestions for future research.     

Relationships in the purchasing of business to business professional services: The role of personal relationships

There has been a shift from transactional to relational exchange and relationship marketing both in the business to business and professional services contexts. This paper seeks to explore the manner in which personal relationships affect the process and outcomes of purchasing of professional business services. Specifically, it focuses on the role of the professional service providers as boundary spanners in the formation of personal relationships. These personal relationships constitute the underlying basis of long-term relationships between the purchasing and provider organizations in such complex service settings. The findings of this study demonstrate that the manner in which the boundary spanners cultivate relationships support the concept of relationship specific tasks. It extends this conception by use of the data to outline the chronological process over time Understanding the roles, function, and ultimately importance, of these relationships facilitates the identification and development of appropriate strategies to manage these relationships.     

The antecedents and consequences of organizational and personal commitment in business service relationships

This paper explores the potential for business service customers to form separate bonds of commitment with the service firm and the service representative. It examines the role of the individual and identifies six potential antecedents to each type of commitment. It also proposes that both types of commitment will influence the degree of relational exchange between the customer and the service firm. The hypotheses are tested using multiple regression and data from a survey of marketing research managers. The results support the majority of the hypotheses.     

India-focused publications in leading international business journals

Despite an increase in the number of India-focused articles appearing in leading international business journals, there has not been any attempt to conduct systematic reviews that can inform academicians and practitioners about research that has accumulated over the years and identify areas that may be worthwhile to pursue in the future. This article attempts to fill this gap by providing an overview of all publications focusing on the Indian context that appeared in seven leading international business journals between 1991 and 2008. Findings suggest that 74 publications involving 180 authors affiliated to 112 academic and six non-academic institutions from nine international locations contributed to the research by examining a wide variety of international business topics. Findings also reveal that authors affiliated to US-based institutions published more than others and the majority of top-cited publications appeared after 1995. Contributions of various authors and institutions are ranked and summaries of publication types, research methodologies, examined topics, and citations received by different articles are provided. This article concludes by suggesting avenues of future research.     

Social capital in Southeast Asian business relationships

Social capital is the glue and the lubricant facilitating network behavior [Anderson, A. & Jack, S. (2002). The articulation of social capital in entrepreneurial networks: a glue or a lubricant?. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 14, 193-210.]. The purpose of this paper is to add to the current literature on social capital by investigating social capital structures, opportunity, motivation and ability within export relationships in Thailand. We conceptualize social capital following Adler and Kwon [Adler, P. & Kwon, S-W. (2002). Social Capital: Prospects for a New Concept. Academy of Management Review, 27(1), 17-40.] and use interview data to further explore the construct. Our results indicate that the social structures from which social capital is drawn are not independent for large overlaps are present. Opportunity, motivation and ability are linked with a common thread of trust. The research highlights implications for managers wishing to develop social capital or use social capital as a marketing strategy.     

Value-based sales process adaptation in business relationships

In business relationships, the seller is often expected to adapt to the buyer. The main purpose of this study is to understand how business firms adapt their sales processes to the buyer. The resulting framework, which reveals how different modes of adaptation are contingent upon the type of product being purchased, includes three layers: sales process adaptation, seller–buyer relationship orientation, and the purchasing portfolio. The study is a qualitative one and utilizes a retrospective case study, where the main sources of information are in-depth semi-structured interviews with key informants representing the seller and buyer counterparts in the ICT industry. Our study adds to the understanding of how different modes of adaptation are contingent upon the type of item being sold and purchased. Managerial implications include that to strategically adapt, the seller could focus on the purchasing portfolio. Although previous research has recognized adaptation as a central aspect in relationships, how the sales process could be adapted to the buyer has received little attention. This study focuses on the adaptation of sales to strategically match it to the buyer's situation.     

Different recipes for success in business relationships

Companies need to manage business relationships successfully in order to stay competitive. Drawing on configurational logic, this study shows that companies can improve their relationship performance through leveraging the structure of their business relationships. However, relationship structures must align with the company's business strategy. To date, research has focused on individual characteristics of business relationships, but little is known about relational configurations, namely the interplay between different business relationship characteristics on the one hand, and the firm's underlying business strategy on the other. We apply Hoffmann's (2007) strategy typology, namely shaping, adapting, and stabilization strategy types, to operationalize different business strategies. Drawing on a sample of 658 business service companies and employing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study confirms the existence of different recipes for success, that is, multiple equifinal configurations leading to relationship performance. For each of the three business strategies, different combinations of relationship characteristics are successful, each encompassing a distinct configuration of core and periphery conditions. While firms following an adapting strategy should stress behavioral commitment above all other relationship characteristics, the two remaining business strategies instead rely predominantly on different factors such as trust and communication. This study contributes to business marketing theory and practice by highlighting different ways to develop business relationships successfully.     

Prolific authors and institutions in leading international business journals

The science and practice of international business is advanced through scholarly contribution to the leading international business journals. Increased competition among academic institutions has led to increased emphasis on publication in the leading international business journals. Yet, little is known as to the answers to questions such as: (1) Who are the most prolific authors in the leading international business journals? and (2) Which educational institutions appear poised to lead international business scholarship? To examine these questions, the study examines scholarly work in international business over the past eleven years in six leading international business journals (i.e., Journal of International Business Studies, Management International Review, Journal of World Business, International Marketing Review, Journal of International Marketing, and International Business Review). Addressing these two research questions provides us with a more complete understanding of the authors and institutions most likely to influence the field of international business.     

国际石油公司商业模式的衰落与转变

自上世纪90年代以来,国际石油公司逐步形成以股东价值最大化、可采储量最大化和降低作业成本为基础的商业模式,该模式曾在与国家石油公司、独立石油公司、技术服务公司等的市场竞合中发挥了重要作用.然而,近15年来,国际石油公司有限的新增储量、较差的盈利能力以及糟糕的股市表现都预示着其传统商业模式已不再适用,原因可归结于商业模式本身存在固有缺陷、经营业务领域阻力重重以及金融市场陷入困境等.国际石油公司未来的发展还面临着碳排放限制以及低油价两方面的重要挑战.未来国际石油公司可能采取的对策包括削减成本、开展资产兼并购、抄底页岩油气、促进能源多样化以及投资核心技术研发等.在新的形势下,这些措施无法完全解决传统商业模式所面临的问题,最现实可行的方案是通过资产重组和缩小业务经营范围来换取投资回报率的提升.这需要公司高级管理人员有足够的魄力,在运营管理思路上做出重大转变.     

Context-bridging and context-embedded experience: Growth drivers of emerging economy business groups

This study examines emerging economy business groups’ growth directions during institutional change. Building on Penrose’s Theory of Growth of the Firm, we explore managerial resources as foundations for growth. Specifically, we argue that their growth directions are critically shaped by the nature of managerial experience of business groups. Experience that is context-embedded supports growth within the existing strategic paradigm, whereas context-bridging experience enables international growth. We test hypotheses derived from this theoretical argument for business groups in Taiwan, and find empirical support for our arguments.

     

Analyzing business relationships and distinguishing different interaction levels

Over the years, there have been a large number of attempts to understand relationships in industrial markets. However, even if relationships are built up on the basis of series of interactions, these studies have not offered systematic categorization of different types of relationship interactions. The present article proposes a refined conceptualization for identifying different types of relationship interaction units, labeled interaction levels, ranging from a single exchange to a relationship portfolio. Compared to the current use of two interaction levels in relationship studies, the proposed conceptualization allows a more elaborate analysis of single relationships and better comparisons of different relationships.     

Interaction in business relationships: A time perspective

Interaction is central to the relationship framework in business markets. Yet there is some theoretical imprecision with regard to the way interaction works in time. Clarification of this nexus further develops the interaction concept and provides theoretical support for the dynamic view of business relationships being developed by the industrial marketing and purchasing (IMP) group.The role of time as a backdrop for interaction is elaborated in conjunction with the cognitive ability of humans to arrive at an understanding of interfirm interaction. This elaboration extends the concept of horizontal relationship time (i.e., past, present, future), illustrates constraints on interfirm interaction, and analytically distinguishes between interaction as exchange versus adaptation while also displaying the importance of the actor in business relationships. In addition, theoretical grounds are provided for dismissing business relationship life cycle theories. Finally, the cognitive nature of time and relationships provides a means for theory development and management implications free from cultural and normative overtones.     

Use of the written contract in long-lasting business relationships

While contracts are signed in most business dealings, they are seldom used. These contracts are drawn up for different purposes: as a communication tool, to reduce uncertainty, or simply because it is customary. This study investigates how contracts are used in long-lasting business relationships and what factors influence the use of contracts. A number of studies claim that the negotiation process and the relationships developed during that process influence the subsequent use of contracts. In many cases, parties conduct business without contracts as they develop trust-based relationships. A conceptual framework is developed, which is then used to analyze three in-depth case studies. Findings show that the contract itself, rather than the negotiation process, has the greatest influence on how the contract is used.     

The determinants of relational governance and performance: How to manage business relationships?

It is the aim of this study to assess the influence of the determinants of the transaction, dyadic, and business environment level on relational governance and ultimately performance. We build an integrated framework for relationship management drawing from literature of transaction cost economics, marketing channels, and business networks. Dutch suppliers of potted plant and flower products (N=174) provided data for the empirical analysis. Our results show that joint planning, one of the constructs of relational governance, is positively influenced by interorganizational trust, information obtained from the network, physical transaction-specific investments (TSIs), and by fixed lines as the exchange mode. Joint problem solving, the other construct of the governance, is solely influenced by the two dimensions of trust. These two constructs of relational governance effect positively our performance measures. Managers should consider carefully each of the determinants of relational governance for the management of a relationship. As shown in our study, the success is dependent on some of the determinants of the three analytical levels of our integrated framework.     

国际石油地球物理公司多样化业务模式研究及其启示

20世8970年代以前,为世界石油工业服务的都是传统的地球物理公司,70年代开始出现多用户业务,90年代逐渐形成了一体化服务模式,进入21世纪,提供综合服务的新型地球物理公司与石油公司结成了合作联盟。全球不同的地球物理公司有着多样化的业务模式,包括资料处理或解释技术服务的小型公司业务模式、传统地球物理公司业务模式、多用户单一业务地球物理公司业务模式和新型地球物理公司业务模式。新型地球物理公司注重一体化业务的协调发展,为石油公司提供油气田全生命周期服务,实现“双赢”。我国物探企业都属于三大国有石油公司,业务模式目前均处于传统地球物理公司的发展阶段。为了更好地满足母公司全球化油气开发对新技术的需要,提高市场竞争能力,我国的地球物理公司需要根据市场变化趋势进行重组,培育国际化新型地球物理公司,利用资本运作手段转变地球物理公司的经营模式,实现我国地球物理行业的公司制度升级。     

CHINAPLAS 2011国际橡塑展携手橡胶企业共创商机

"CHINAPLAS 2011国际橡塑展"(第二十五届中国国际塑料橡胶工业展览会)将于2011年5月17日至20日在亚洲最大的展览馆——广州中国进出口商品交易会琶洲展馆隆重举行。作为亚洲第一及全球最有影响力的展会之一,"CHINAPLAS国际橡塑展"看准橡胶制品行业的向上发展,特设‘橡胶机械及设备专区’,吸引着来自全球各地的橡胶机械商、橡胶制品生产商及其他相关配套设备供应商参展,为应用行业的买家提供更多参观、采购、交流的机会,促进行业发展。"CHINAPLAS 2011国际橡塑展"展会规模将继续