Morten H. Abrahamsen

Resource heterogeneity and its effects on interaction and integration in customer-supplier relationships

Abstract Purpose–Thepurposeofthispaperistostudythephenomenonofcustomer-supplierinteractionandintegration from a resource perspective. In economic terms, a fish may be seen as a more or lesshomogeneous resource. If the herring is seen as a homogeneous resource, a market should be the bestway to handle the selling and buying. However, if the herring is seen as a heterogeneous resource, amore extensive type of interaction is needed. One interesting aspect with herring is that differentbusiness actors apparently see this resource in different ways. Thus, the authors will have a mixedsituation, creating possible difficulties for the actors involved.Design/methodology/approach – The authors start this study in Germany, one of the most importantexport markets for Norwegian herring. Today, Norwegia n legislation hinders the possibility of verticalintegration and cooperation at the supply side of the network. However, the industry sees opportunities forgrowth and integration on the marketing side. To exa mine this issue, the study uses a qualitative designmethodology, incorporating personal in-depth i nterviews with selected respondents in Norway andGermany. Secondary data is also used. To analyse the d ata, the authors introduce five interaction andintegration patterns termed pure exchange – no integration; limited interaction and integration; extensiveinteractionanddevelopedintegrationand;indirectintera ctionandstructuralintegration;andfullintegration.Findings – The findings suggest that there is a link between how the actors perceive herring as aresource and how they interact with counterparts. The authors find that the actors who see theresource as homogeneous have limited interaction and little or no integration, whereas the actors whosee the resource as heterogeneous have a much more extensive interaction and closer ties.Originality/value – The paper is an investigation of the link between the resource heterogeneity andthe patterns of customer-supplier integration.Keywords Resources, Norway, Fish, Heterogeneity, Interaction, ExportsPaper type Research paper

Market policy and destructive network effects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse how different policy perspectives or logics regarding industry organising affect network interaction, with particular focus on how the availability of resources is organised. Design/methodology/approach – To examine this, the authors compare two cases from the Norwegian seafood industry: in the pelagic industry, the main resource (mackerel) is caught at sea by fishing vessels and trade is restricted by an auction system, whereas in the salmon industry, the main resource (farmed salmon) is an industrial product produced at fish farms and there are no such restrictions. Findings – The results indicate that conditions under which resources are available to a network have strong effects on connected relationships: in the pelagic industry, interaction in the network becomes supplier-directed in an attempt to reduce the uncertainty created by unstable and restricted availability of resources, whereas in the salmon industry the interaction becomes customer direct...

Researching business interaction: introducing a conceptual framework and methodology

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework and a methodology for researching business interaction. Design/methodology/approach The paper briefly presents what business interaction is from an international marketing and purchasing perspective. It then discusses some epistemological and methodological challenges that this understanding implies, particularly concerning the time (when) and space (where) dimensions of interaction, the unit of analysis when researching interaction (who interacts), how the actors explain or make sense of interaction (why they interact), and the way in which (how) they interact. The paper subsequently introduces a conceptual framework that enables analysing interaction on the principal dimensions of time (the past, present, and the future) and space (actor, dyadic, and network level), and the ascription or explanation of these dimensions by the actors involved. Findings This framework is then applied to interview data from an empirical case study that demonstrates its methodological as well as practical application as a research technique. The paper ends with a discussion on how this framework can enhance the understanding of business interaction as researchers. Originality/value The data collection and analysis technique represents a novel way to collect, systematise, and analyse qualitative data that will hopefully add to the understanding of business interaction.

Researching the Interactive Business Landscape

Abstract In this chapter, the authors focus on three challenges related to the attributes of the interactive business world and on the related implications for methodology. The first challenge is how to capture the continuity of business relationships, which implies: (1) Taking a two-sided (bilateral) view when researching business relationships, (2) collecting data on content and consequences of business relationships and (3) developing a research design to capture development over time. The second challenge is how to set boundaries and trace network-like structures, which implies: (1) identifying the relevant relationships that appear to affect each other in a network-like manner, (2) capturing interdependences among relationships (how they affect each other) and (3) researching forces generating network dynamics (how these interdependencies are established and change over time). The third challenge is how to observe and research interaction processes in business relationships, which leave little traces and are difficult to record. This requires the attention on (1) the choice of point(s) of observation, (2) the handling of the subjective understanding of interaction and (3) researching how interaction unfolds. The authors conclude with a discussion on the complexity of handling these challenges, and related methodological choices, when ‘research objects’ are interconnected.