Examining important relationship quality constructs of the focal sponsorship exchange

Few studies have considered sponsorship from a relationship perspective. This is despite evidence that sponsors and sport entities engage in long-term, mutually beneficial, relationships where the role of trust and commitment is likely to be pivotal. This study examines empirically the effects of trust and commitment on two critical relationship outcomes, namely, economic and noneconomic satisfaction. Based on a comprehensive survey of the Australian Football League (AFL) and its protected sponsors, the paper demonstrates that commitment, measured by leverage investments, is a key antecedent of economic satisfaction, while trust is antecedent of both economic and noneconomic satisfaction.     

The impact of degenerative episodes on the sponsorship B2B relationship: Implications for brand management

Sponsorship B2B relationships generally are entered into by sponsors seeking brand-related benefits through association with a sport entity brand. Negative incidents involving athletes representing the sport entity may threaten the brands of both the sport and sponsor and can weaken or even dissolve the partnership. The management of these episodes is critical in protecting the sport entity's brand equity, as well as the sponsor's brand, and ultimately the relationship. This study explores multiple stakeholders' perspectives on these degenerative episodes and the potential relational outcomes using a series of depth interviews with major sponsors and sport entities. We identify key constructs such as attribution of blame, societal norms, zone of tolerance and perceived severity which influence whether this behavior acts as a degenerative episode in the relationship. Factors such as existing relationship quality and episode management can affect the impact on the relationship as well as the extent of relational change.     

From sponsorship to partnership in academy-industry relations

One practical result of the advent of the knowledge society has been an increased reliance on academic-industry partnerships as important sources for the creation of economic value. This paper argues that this renewed emphasis on knowledge has led to a shift in the nature of the relations between the academy and industry from sponsorship to partnership and the formation of new research institutions that allow researchers and practitioners to engage in continuous rather than problem based dialogue. These developments are illustrated by providing a case study based on the experience of one research team with its industrial partners. The paper presents results pertaining to some of the issues and challenges raised by continuous dialogue in partnerships, and emphasises the creative yet demanding implications of close collaboration between the two communities.     

From Experience: Securing Sponsors and Funding for New Product Development Projects—The Human Side of Enterprise

Gaining approval for a project requires playing a role that may be unfamiliar for many new-product development (NPD) professionals—that of salesperson. The NPD professional must sell management on the market potential of the product concept, and persuade management to commit the resources needed for transforming the concept into a marketable product. Finding a well-placed sponsor within the company's management ranks can improve the chances of obtaining approval for a project, but securing sponsorship is, in many respects, yet another sales job. Gary Tighe offers guidance for NPD professionals who must sell their projects to potential sponsors. He describes the key steps in the process of securing a sponsor, he gives guidelines for choosing the right sponsor based on the nature of the project, and he provides practical advice for developing a presentation that will gain the support of a prospective sponsor and company management. He then presents a vignette that illustrates the principles he discusses. He identifies three elements that are necessary for securing a sponsor and obtaining funding for a proposed project: clearly defining the project, its scope, and its objective; specifying how the proposed project affects the prospective sponsor and that person's organization; and detailing the project's effects on revenue, profits, cost, or output. These elements forge a strong link between project outcomes and the interests of the sponsor, the sponsor's organization, and the company as a whole. Choosing the right sponsor requires careful consideration of the project's expected effects on specific functional areas and the entire organization, the resources required, the project objectives, and time constraints. For example, senior management sponsorship is essential for projects that cut across existing organizational boundaries. After helping to ensure that projects receive adequate funding, sponsors may serve as advisers to project teams, and they may provide additional resources if a team encounters unexpected problems. Through regular progress reports and sponsor participation in team meetings, the project team can ensure the active, ongoing support of the sponsor.     

An innovation activity model for Very Small Entities in the software sector: an empirical study

Innovation management is a subdiscipline of management that studies the rules that govern the generation, diffusion, adoption of innovation, and relationships between innovation inputs and outputs. A great number of innovative products and services depend on software. In the software industry, many small entities act as subcontractors that develop components that are later integrated into larger industrial systems. However, these small entities do not have the resources needed to support long-term R&D activities and they also lack innovation management models which makes the planning and execution of innovation management difficult. These same small enterprises face similar challenges in the software development process. However, the ISO/IEC 29110 standard provides small enterprises with a clear path in implementing a systematic software development process. The planning and execution of innovation management activities may also benefit from a similar approach. This article describes an innovation activity model suited to the characteristics of small entities whose main stream of revenue is software development. Using the existing literature, standards, and the practical experience of companies with a successful history of developing innovative software-based products, this study identifies the activities and practices that lead to the development of innovative products. Interfaces between innovation management activities, software development processes, and work products are also identified.     

Business mating: Who chooses and who gets chosen?

What is the interrelation between the characteristics of two firms that form a relationship with each other, especially successful relations? Surprisingly there is little work addressing this issue. This paper reviews and interrelates previous literature on assortative mating among people and animals, the theory of sexual selection that underlies it, and theories of relational balance the complement these. We then apply this to business relation formation and present the results of an analysis of the relations of firm characteristics those involved in customer-supplier relations, using the IMP2 European database. The results indicate that partners in relationships that are performing well have characteristics which are similar and complementary, i.e., effectively combining different attributes into a relationship also matters. Similarities in the business environment faced and market position with respect to innovativeness and technology are consistently important for relationships that perform well. Diverse complementarities across a range of market position factors also characterise relationships that perform well. Overall, the results demonstrate the appropriateness and value of combining theories of assortative mating, sexual selection, and relational balance to explore the characteristics of business relationships.     

A model of value assessment in collaborative R&D programs

This study examines the tasks, processes, and frameworks central to performance assessment in collaborative research organizations. The domain of the study is the partnered learning approach to research and development (R&D) management. The empirical results highlight relationships between context (center scale) and performance (value perceived by industry sponsors) in such R&D collaborations. Insights from this research are broadly applicable to the maintenance of alliances among firms involved in collaborative R&D and are generalizable to that context. Data gathered from a national population of 58 National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored centers over a 3-year period reveal significant evolutionary patterns in the development of collaborative relationships. Successful industry university consortia leverage four core process relationships: (1) the creation of research capacity yielding advances in process and product knowledge; (2) technology transfer behaviors within the participants' organizations; (3) participant satisfaction with the outcomes; and (4) the continuity of industry sponsor support, i.e., commitment to the collaboration.     

Change and transformation of networks and relationships — Fundamental aspects of business reality

The phenomenon of the international Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP Group) is, that despite the fact that it is informal in character, it has been possible to build close and lasting relationships between many researchers from all continents who have been developing their research over the last 40 years.The research carried out in the beginning by the IMP Group was very phenomenon-driven in character. Researchers associated with the IMP Group were linked because they viewed companies as being a network of interdependent entities and this view was commonly described in literature as the IMP network approach. Change is a fundamental assumption embedded in the network approach. Changes occurring in networks are caused by interdependency, interactions and mutual adaptation.The issue of change and transformation is important not only due to the aforementioned nature of the IMP network approach, but also due to the need to take into consideration new phenomena appearing and/or gaining strength in the context of company networks, technological changes facilitating the development of direct relationships on the business to consumer market, the change in the behaviour of a range of market leaders, based upon vertical integration, a change in the position of entities, which to-date have been peripheral within the network (e.g. subcontractors), the development of technology and global communication networks influencing a firm's ties within the internationalisation process, ever-growing competition drives the need to look for the actual impact of the overall relationships of a company on its economic performance. Referring to these issues this article serves to announce the 32nd Annual IMP Conference that will be held in Poznań, Poland, this year where discussion will focus on change and transformation of networks and relationships.     

Relationships and networks as examined in Industrial Marketing Management

The importance of the study of relationships and networks within business-to-business marketing is clear from the numerous articles written over the years that aim to give us greater insight into these two concepts. This paper reviews six of these articles. What sets these six apart from others is that they are the most highly cited articles on relationships and networks published in Industrial Marketing Management between 1995 and 2004. We examine each of these articles in terms of their scholarly impact and identify what researchers have learnt from these highly cited papers. Our conclusions show some interesting similarities that we feel has led to these articles being so highly cited. We conclude that the key to citation success is the identification of new research avenues. In addition, the chances of writing excellent papers seems to be improved when collaborating with others, rather than writing alone. By introducing new ideas these authors have not only been successful in their own work, but have given others the platforms to build on, thereby generating much more research in this area.     

Sources of capabilities,integration and technology commercialization

In recent years, companies have increased their use of internal and external sources in pursuit of a competitive advantage through the effective and timely commercialization of new technology. Grounded in the resource‐based view of the firm, this study examines the effect of a company's use of internal and external sources on multiple dimensions of successful technology commercialization (TC). The study also explores the moderating role of formal vs. informal integration mechanisms on these relationships. Applying a longitudinal design and data from 119 companies, the results show that internal human and technology‐based manufacturing sources are positively associated with successful TC. Formal and informal integration mechanisms also significantly moderate the relationships observed between capability sources and TC. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Value of Federal Sponsorship: The Case of Freddie Mac

The Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 attempts to limit the risk borne by the taxpayer due to federal sponsorship of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) and the Federal National Mortgage Association by: (1) controlling their range of activities; (2) requiring a level of capital sufficient to absorb substantial losses; and (3) providing a mechanism for closure if capital is insufficient. This article estimates the impact of the capital standards on the value to the FHLMC of federal sponsorship. Although FHLMC's level of capital exceeds requirements, the federal government still bears a nontrivial portion of the FHLMC's risk.     

A relationship value perspective of social capital in networks of software SMEs

Utilizing theories on social capital, business networks, social networks and relationship value, we explore the aspects that provide specific value in relationships with different actors in the software industry. The motive for the study is the assumption that some relationships are regarded as more important than others, and companies strive to focus on fewer relationships with greater outcomes. The study is guided by the premise that social capital is a foundation for relationship value, and its identified elements differ among relationships. We take the perspective of software companies and classify their relationships with business partners into three distinctive types according to their function in the value creation process. The findings of our empirical analysis, based on a qualitative case study of eight software SMEs indicate that the aspects of social capital, like the sources of relationship value, vary systematically by the types of relationships. Thus, we are able to provide some theoretical and managerial implications on the management of small- and medium-sized companies.     

European Economic Community industrial research priorities for the early 1980s

Respondents claimed that European effort on basic research rnay have so diminished that the long-term competitiveness of its industries is endangered. They saw a major role for the Commission in redressing this imbalance. There was little support for Commission sponsorship of applied industrial research. Some respondents felt that this could even be counter-productive by diluting effort in areas seen as important by industrial management. A role was seen for the commission in supporting more research on the legislative context and general environment in which industry operates ('contextual research'). The need for such research imposes a growing burden on industry and diverts scarce resources from work directly related to competitiveness.
A study sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities aimed to identify the types of R & D activity in aid of European industry that the Commission might support over the next three or four years. The findings are based on interviews with senior managers from some fifty firms, representing eight sectors of manufacturing industry in five European countries.     

Practice theory and the study of interaction in business relationships: Some methodological implications

Research on customer–supplier relationships in business markets has evidenced the centrality of interaction processes. However, while several studies examine interaction processes and their consequences in relation to the resource and activity layers of business relationships, the actor layer has not attracted the same attention. This raises the question: how adequate are our methodological approaches for investigating interaction processes in business networks? In this paper, we examine how practice-based approaches, with their preference for ethnography and techniques such as multi-site observations and analytical interviewing and treating actors as emergent entities, can help orient the research on business interaction. We argue that some of the themes emerging in practice-based approaches, applied to studies of interaction in business networks, could yield a better understanding of the dynamics of organizing across organizational boundaries. We conclude that research on interaction in business relationships would benefit from (1) zooming in and zooming out of multiple sites of interaction to better understand interaction processes and the role of controversies and interdependences among the different interacting roles; (2) including fluid multiple roles in business relationships that treat actors as emergent entities and transcend the ‘fixed’ conceptualization of two actor levels – individual and organizational; and (3) paying major attention to the reproduction of interaction practices and the role of materiality that permit relationships to be temporarily stabilized.     

Selling ideas: the determinants of patent value in an auction environment

Although previous empirical studies have found relationships between patent characteristics and value, none have determined how specific attributes relate to auction value or even the probability of a successful auction sale. Using a Heckman two-step model, we regress 13 independent variables against unique patent auction data, finding that publicly owned and frequently referenced patents are more valuable, and that other things being equal, there is an optimal time to offer a patent up for auction.     

Hazard materials testing at the U.S. department of energy's liquefied gaseous fuels spill test facility

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) constructed the Liquefied Gaseous Fuels Spill Test Facility (LGFSTF) to provide a facility on a user-free basis to private and public sector test sponsors who are concerned with the safety of hazardous liquids and gases. The LGFSTF provides a facility for testing under controlled conditions to determine: patterns of dispersion, mitigation techniques, combustion characteristics, cleanup techniques, environmental impacts, and emergency planning guidelines. A further goal of the LGFSTF Program is to provide a framework for establishing relationships for joint government-industry participation.     

Work-on-demand in patchwork capitalism: The peculiar case of Uber's fleet partners in Poland

In recent years, global corporations entering Central and Eastern European (CEE) markets have begun to adapt to existing legal regulations through innovative means. Uber's entry into Polish market, for example, involved the use of a supplementary entity—a fleet partner. Based on 42 interviews with Uber drivers in Poland (conducted between 2018 and 2020) and two in-depth interviews with fleet partners (2021), this article investigates the prerequisites necessary for the emergence of fleet partners within a work-on-demand platform and their role in the relationships between different stakeholders. Using the concept of patchwork capitalism adapted for CEE countries, this study shows that additional entities took advantage of institutional hybridity, situating themselves as the intermediary between a global giant and a local regulator, and thereby creating a patchwork gig economy.     

Shifts in buyer-seller relationships: A retrospective on

One of the most highly cited papers in the Industrial Marketing Management journal was published 17 years ago, and proposed a strong linkage in the elements of buyer-seller trust, asset specificity, contracts, and supply chain performance. In this paper, explore the question of “what has changed”? We note that the emergence of 1) real-time analytic technologies, 2) new governance models that span multiple parties across organizations in a supply chain network, and 3) new digital innovation requiring partnering with new entities are required to produce end to end analytical capabilities. We offer three new propositions that provide some insights towards future research areas, and we also note that although interpersonal buyer-seller relationships will remain important, digital transformation is changing the nature of how these will unfold. Our propositions provide insights on how the role of technology and other shifts in the supply chain ecosystem is shifting the role of buyers and sellers in the industrial landscape. I offer these insights in the hope that they may provide a basis for future researchers to engage in research in the field of emerging industrial buyer-seller relationships, and devote this paper to the memory of Christian.     

Relationship-specific investments,social capital,and performance: The case of Korean exporter/foreign buyer relations

Relationship-specific investments are addressed as crucial factors for the successful management of the exporter–foreign buyer relationships. It is hypothesized that relationship-specific investments have a positive impact on social capital components such as trust and commitment, which in turn contribute to the relationship and business performance satisfaction between partners. On the basis of our analysis of the relationships between Korean exporters and their foreign buyers, the validity of the roles of relationship-specific investments and social capital are clearly demonstrated. The results provide us with a meaningful implication to the successful management of inter-firm relationships.     

Suspicion: Its sources, means of control, and effect on interorganizational relationships

Suspicion in the interorganizational relationship literature has been associated with relationship decay but this literature fails to capture the value of suspicion in maintaining relationships. The authors offer an inventory of propositions, suggesting that the level of suspicion determines whether it has beneficial or harmful effects on channel relationships. Support for many of these propositions is based on a unique attribute of suspicion: Suspicion serves as an antidote to the fundamental attribution error, or the tendency to take behavior at face value without allowing for situational influences. Such an attribute suggests suspicion should have an important influence on interorganizational relationships. Specifically, the authors propose that suspicion can be beneficial at moderate levels, but harmful at very low or high levels. Of particular interest to practitioners, we propose some methods for controlling suspicion.