Andrea Perna

Intra- and inter-organizational effects of a CRM system implementation

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the intra- and inter-organizational effects of introducing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in a firm. Today, CRM appears to be a buzzword in the academic literature and it can be analysed under different and sometimes divergent perspectives. We define CRM as a technical device interacting with people who input data and information inside an IT system to obtain processed information in order to handle customer relationships. Empirically, we explore the implementation of a CRM system in an Italian company. Our findings suggest that the installation of a CRM system is not a linear process because of the problems that surface when the technology is embedded within an organization. We identify two main issues users face in employing the CRM system: 1) loss of independence, 2) the feeling of being controlled, with an accompanying mistrust of data inputs from other users in the same host organization.

Problematizing customization and IT in the fashion industry: A case study of an Italian shoemaker

Abstract This paper focuses on the problematization of customization processes in the fashion industry. We investigate how companies may face and orchestrate customization processes that are based on the use of specific Information and Technology (IT) tools such as online sales configurators. Most studies on customization in fashion have considered the roles of consumers and their impact on the development of customization strategies. The co-development of customized goods – the choices concerning which IT system should be implemented to allow customers to design their products – has been studied extensively. We offer new insights into the extent to which customization represents an issue to be managed in business relationships, particularly among different business actors involved in a supplier network. By considering the case of a shoe manufacturer we seek to answer to the following research questions: (1) How can a fashion company implement a customized solution via the Internet? (2) Which specific trade-offs affect the management of customization and IT when online customization must be linked to offline production? The paper concludes with implications and suggestions for further research.

Exploring the Influence of Overlapping Business Networks on Subsidiary Internationalization

While received research has highlighted the importance of business networks for the internationalization of firms, this literature has primarily focused on such networks as the context into which i...

Discontinuity in interaction : findings from two cases in the italian context.

The paper focuses on discontinuity in interaction by investigating the evolving phases in business to business relationships. From the theoretical point of view, the paper deals with the topic of discontinuity considered to be an unexplored aspect of interaction. Methodologically, the paper proposes a comparison between two cases of focal interactions, one in the home appliances sector and one in the fashion industry. In particular, the paper shows the relationship between a focal supplier company and a big and important customer. The paper ends with the proposal of a possible conceptual dichotomy of discontinuity in interaction, by describing two possible concepts to be further developed and studied in future research.