Katherine Tyler

Business-to-business adoption of eCommerce in China

There is an absence of research on business-to-business eCommerce in developing countries which covers wide-ranging issues beyond contextual imperatives. This paper analyzes eCommerce adoption by businesses in China from internal, external and contextual perspectives. The contributions of this paper are to extend and adapt the Perceived eReadiness Model [A. Molla, P.S. Licker, eCommerce adoption in developing countries: a model and instrument, Information & Management (42) 2005, pp. 877-899; A. Molla, P.S. Licker, Perceived E-Readiness factors in e-Commerce adoption: an empirical investigation in a developing country, International Journal of Electronic Commerce 10(1), 2005, pp. 83-110] to eCommerce in China in an empirical study of 134 Chinese SMEs. This study validates the Perceived eReadiness Model [53,54]. It further analyzes the contextual and organizational factors that affect business-to-business eCommerce adoption in China. Findings show that the important inhibiting factors in China are restricted access to computers, lack of internal trust, lack of enterprise-wide information sharing, intolerance towards failure, and incapability of dealing with rapid change. These variables are analysed in the context of Chinese culture.

UK bank‐corporate relationships: large corporates’ expectations of service

Focuses on large corporates’ expectations of service delivery from their bank(s). Identifies some of the constituent elements of quality operational service, and assesses their significance in the large corporate segment. First, the literature on marketing of financial services in business‐to‐business markets, service quality and relationship management is discussed. Glaserian orthodox grounded theory was used in a pilot study to identify the key elements of perceived service quality on behalf of the large corporates. This formed the basis of the research methodology. A number of elements of operational quality service are identified. They can be grouped as reliability, assurance, empathy, responsiveness and proactivity. Concludes that banks must monitor and manage functional elements of service delivery in relationship seeking accounts. They should also divide their products into relationship specific weightings.

Marketing financial services to businesses: a critical review and research agenda

Reviews the existing literature on the marketing of financial services to businesses. There are three principal aims: to anatomise differences within the literature in conclusion and methodology; to problematise these divisions; and to provide an approach which reconciles difference, rather than stumbling over it. The literature is divided along epistemological, methodological, perspective and market lines. Through analysis, a perspective has emerged which understands these divisions as complementary, and significant in the development of the literature. This development is characterised by an increasing examination of specialist contexts, and the utilisation of more rigorous empirical research methods. This in turn not only increases the coherence of the literature, but also its predictive, transferable and nomothetic value. The examination of the development and characteristics of the literature has been used to develop a research agenda.

Adaptation in inter‐firm relationships: classification, motivation, calculation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how and why business firms, both as suppliers and as customers, make specific adaptations to their products and processes to meet the particular requirements of another firm with which they are transacting business.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on qualitative interviews with key decision makers in international services business‐to‐business organisations.Findings – The results show that adaptations cover many areas within a company, and that the explicit costs and benefits of adaptations were calculated only to a limited extent. The paper shows that most of the suppliers investigated make adaptations to meet market and customer requirements, whereas customers make adaptations following an explicit relationship management approach.Research limitations/implications – Specific adaptation by one firm for another in the context of long‐term buyer‐seller relationships is an everyday fact of life and clearly of importance to the understanding o...

Corporate banking: the strategic impact of boundary spanner effectiveness

Banks’ structural re‐organisation with centralised units for increased efficiency, technological advances, product diversification, and strategic initiatives to provide multiple products through “deep” multi‐channel access, have challenged the relationship banking model at the heart of bank‐company interaction. Paradox‐ically, while improving the quality of transactional service, the “deep” relationship interface has under‐mined the relationship manager role and caused confusion and antagonism among customers. The negative result is that customers have a more aggressive, trans‐actional approach to purchasing decisions. The banks need to compromise between trans‐actional and relational effort, and the “deep” multi‐channel service delivery interface must have a re‐invigorated relationship manager if banks are to retain their competitive advantage.

Services business markets: a further view of a new reality or a blurred landscape?

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to review the emerging literature of services business markets (SBMs) from 1974 to 2007 and analyse main themes that indicate the development of the literature. It also aims to provide an introduction to the special issue on services business‐to‐business markets by examining the context.Design/methodology/approach – The literature of SBMs from 1974 through 2007 was searched in relevant databases. The articles were analysed using Glasers grounded theory. The constant comparison method was used with in vivo coding to reveal themes in the literature. These themes were then analysed contextually.Findings – The literature revealed seven themes which followed a trajectory from implicit to explicit consideration of SBMs, as well as to multi‐ and cross‐disciplinary focus with integration of variables from consumer services marketing. The landscape for SBMs has become blurred due to deregulation, globalisation and information technology, particularly the internet and e‐com...

Exchange relationships in financial services: marketing equities to institutions

London securities houses wish to improve equity securities marketing to institutional fund managers following major changes in the regulatory environments. There is a lacuna in the literature. Senior level respondents on both sides, from New York, London, Hong Kong and Toronto, participated in research to explore the nature of the marketing relationship. Results show that the industry is characterized by extensive technological development and increasing use of quantitative data but is driven by personal relationships. In addition to factors recognized in the literature (reciprocity, trust, comfort, reliability), these relationships are characterized by: long “development” lead time before pay‐off; consistent daily maintenance by seller; durability; personal relationships being the dominant factor; people being more important than the company they work for; independence from time, place, or distance barriers, important for the globalization of financial services; non‐transferability, the bond being between individuals, not organizations; and an independence from tangible evidence (contrary to industry expectations). Highlights managerial implications for the industry and presents guidelines for future research.

Relationship development in a multinational utilities network

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to research the development of services business relationships between a global telecommunications provider (the supplier) and the divisions of a multinational utilities company (the buyer), which was undergoing a de‐merger into strategic business units.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a case study, supported by grounded theory.Findings – The paper finds that the supplier used strategic relationship management, relationship specific investment and adaptation, and service quality, proved during exploratory exchanges, to establish its credibility with divisions of the buyers network. Purchases were based on four criteria: cost, quality, relationship management and technological capability. Each division of the utility company (the buyers) tested the relationship and service quality credentials of the service provider. The buyers confirmed information from the network on the aptitude and commitment of the suppliers to its clients. Long‐term contracts followed...

Marketing OTC equity derivatives: the role of relationships

In 1997, in this journal, Elizabeth Sheedy published a paper investigating exchange relationships in derivative markets. This paper was significant for two reasons. It was the first article to consider the marketing of these important financial instruments. Second, her article set out a forceful argument that relationships in this context were breaking down, and that the advantages associated with a relationship model of exchange had not appeared, and indeed had to some extent facilitated the series of well publicised derivative disasters. In this paper, the authors respond to Sheedy’s call for further research through an empirical examination of the over‐the‐counter equity derivatives market in the USA and Britain, arguing that while relationships in this market do, to a limited degree, exhibit characteristics atypical of wider financial services contexts, the relationship paradigm continues to be relevant, and indeed inherent, to over‐the‐counter derivative exchange.

The problem of time in financial services business markets: a conceptual approach

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of time within a business‐to‐business financial services context. No study has attempted to do this in the financial services sector. We discuss the methodological debate, literature on temporality and multi‐disciplinary conceptualisations of time. Time as it operates in business relationships is also considered. We analyse effect and problems of the present, past and future in business relationships, and evaluate how these critical temporal junctures affect exchange, relationship development, and the internal and external effectiveness of companies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the resolution of the conflicts which arise out of different temporal perceptions and needs, an examination of those conflicts, and managerial applications for effective management of the alignment of time between interacting organisations.