Peter Naudé

Assessing Relationship Quality

Abstract Assessing the quality of any relationship has remained a problematic issue in spite of the recognized importance of relationships within business-to-business marketing, and this paper attempts to redress this shortcoming. Working with a group of 40 executives, and utilizing conjoint analysis, we explore this complex area by first identifying five underlying dimensions of high quality business-to-business relationships: trust; needs fulfilment; supply chain integration; power; and profit. Our preliminary results indicate that there is no one measure of just what constitutes a good relationship. Rather, there are potentially four different types of “good” relationship, each composed of different blends of these five attributes.

How is information technology affecting business relationships? Results from a UK survey

Abstract Since the interaction approach to the study of business-to-business relationships was developed in the early 1980s [Hakansson H, editor. International marketing and purchasing of industrial goods: an interaction approach. Chichester: Wiley, 1982.], significant changes in the business environment have occurred. The change from manufacturing to services in the more mature economies, globalisation and the rapid evolution of IT and e-commerce are obvious examples. The development of IT and e-commerce on the Internet has been predicted to dramatically affect the way business is conducted, with most surveys pointing to the dominant role that it will play in business to business markets [Key Note. Internet usage in business. London: Key Note Market Reports, 2000.]. In this paper, we examine the impact that information technology is having on business relationships, which lie at the very centre of current thinking in marketing. The results of our initial study shows that the uptake of new technology in business to business companies to be very variable. The usefulness and frequency of use of mobile phones, e-mail, the Internet, intranets, extranets, and audio- and video-conferencing will we believe increase in the future, but perhaps not as quickly as many of the forecasts have predicted. Interestingly, although suppliers are more computer literate than the buyers, the buyers are using the Internet to source suppliers from abroad.

Identifying the determinants of internal marketing orientation

Internal marketing orientation is an area within the broader market orientation that remains relatively under‐researched. Utilising the internal marketing orientation (IMO) scale developed by Foreman and Money, this paper seeks to develop our understanding of the factors that may influence an employees perception of their companys level of IMO. Based on 281 responses from a large UK‐based service organisation, the paper reports on the extent to which the Foreman and Money scale does, or does not, correlate with a range of “person” “situation” and “person × situation” variables identified from both focus groups and from the literature. It was found that among the single item variables age, location, and length of tenure all impacted upon levels of IMO. In the case of the more complex “person × situation” multi‐item variables, the most important determinants were found to be the perceived market orientation of local managers and direct managers/supervisors, as well as aspects of communication, socialisati...

The marketing strategies of universities in the United Kingdom

Universities in the UK are facing huge changes to their environment, in terms of both supply of funding and level of demand for their courses. One of the most dramatic recent changes has been the alteration in status of the former polytechnics to fully fledged universities. In order to find out how both old and new universities are responding to this rapidly changing environment, we sent questionnaires to a number of senior staff. Based on 131 responses (81 from old universities, 50 from new), we have been able to paint a picture of how marketing is undertaken in these two segments. We report on how these institutions perceive their marketing task, and also the extent to which these two traditionally different sectors agree on the role marketing plays in their sector. Our research clearly indicates these two groups of institutions have fundamentally different approaches to operationalising their marketing strategies.

Trust and reliance in business relationships

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to define the role of trust and reliance in business relationships.Design/methodology/approach – After this paper identifies gaps in the literature, a conceptual model is developed, and its implications analyzed and discussed.Findings – One of the particularities of trust is its inherent anthropocentricity. As a concept, trust appears to be more applicable at the level of inter‐personal relationships than to inter‐organizational relationships. Business relationships involve both inter‐personal and inter‐organizational relationships. The paper considers a number of other possibilities and argues that there is a need to look at reliance as an incremental intellectual lens on business relationships.Research limitations/implications – Within a business‐to‐business marketing context, the paper discusses the impact of such a multi‐faceted conceptualization for research in business relationships.Practical implications – Marketing researchers often neglect the fact that relations...

Unpicking the meaning of value in key account management

Purpose – This article aims to build on existing literature on value and proposes new perspectives and facets of relational value in key account management (KAM).Design/methodology/approach – Building on traditional value perspectives, value in KAM is conceptually deconstructed and linked with strategic value approaches.Findings – The article finds that a multifaceted key account value perspective includes three different types of value: exchange value, proprietary value, and relational value. Depending on the type of value constellation within a KAM relationship, a number of distinct key account value strategies are presented and discussed.Originality/value – The article provides an innovative concept of value in strategically important business‐to‐business relationships. Based on this, several strategic implications regarding the management of value are derived which enable further empirical research and a more nuanced managerial approach towards KAM.

What sort of community is the European conference on information systems? A social network analysis 1993-2005

This paper presents a social network analysis (SNA) of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) community based on patterns of co-authorship. ECIS contributions are separated into research papers and panels to create social networks that are then analyzed using a range of global network level and individual ego (co-author, panellist) measures. The research community is found to have few properties of the ‘small world’ and to represent an agglomeration of co-authorships. The panels network has the properties of a ‘small world’ and displays a stronger sense of social cohesion. An analysis of individual actors (egos) provides insight into who is central to the ECIS community. Based on the SNA, a range of possible interventions are proposed that could aid the future development of the ECIS community. The paper concludes by considering the usefulness of SNA as a method to support IS research.

The impact of network configurations on value constellations in business markets - The case of an innovation network

A growing body of scholars are advocating a better understanding of how value is created in business networks, rather than merely in business relationships or at the level of single actors. Among such networks, innovation networks, i.e. the configurations of strategic entrepreneurial nets aimed at improving the effectiveness of innovation performance, have come under scrutiny in the business marketing literature. However, research that explicitly connects value considerations with innovation network configurations is still in its infancy, with empirical evidence being notably scarce. This study is aimed at identifying if and how network configurations affect value constellation aspects in business networks, in terms of value recipients and value outcomes. We interviewed key informants representing 46 hightechnology entrepreneurial firms co-located in an innovation network (Daresbury Science and Technology Park UK). Our study identifies that different network configurations can coexist in the same overall network; these, nevertheless, are not alternative independent structures, but rather they interact with each other through actors spanning their boundaries. Our study thus provides an understanding of network configurations relating to specific value consequences, but also provides evidence relating to the interactions between different configurations. By doing this, we establish a bridge between a business marketing and a strategy perspective on value in networks. Important managerial implications and implications for policy makers also emerge from our study.

Understanding B2B and the web: the acceleration of coordination and motivation

Abstract This paper explores business-to-business (B2B) marketing on the Internet, and how the confluence of the two may transform the B2B landscape. Specifically, it discusses the notion of linkage value to demonstrate why the B2B phenomenon on the Internet is so significant. It then considers the mechanisms and enablers that have made the Web such an important B2B marketing channel. It also explores how the Web can reduce transaction costs, thereby facilitating more efficient exchanges and markets. The concepts of links and nodes are then introduced and the processes of disintermediation, reintermediation, disaggregation and reaggregation are explored. Finally, Web B2B configurations are considered by way of a model that describes four archetypal configurations, and the factors that are antecedent to these modes and how the Web may influence them.

Succeeding in the MBA Marketplace: Identifying the Underlying Factors.

There has been enormous growth globally in the number of both MBA providers and students over the past few decades. While inclusion in national and international MBA league‐tables is part of the marketing arsenal of every MBA supplier that appears in them, identifying the determinants of success in this ever more crowded marketplace is a far less well understood issue. On the one hand, recognition of the fact that the task is more complex than a simple application of the traditional 4Ps is obvious to all, but on the other hand, operationalisation of relationship marketing principles seems rather too complex in this market where repeat purchase is clearly not the norm. This paper seeks to shed some light on this important but little understood area. We first examine the task through the traditional services marketing mix; comprised of Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People. Then, based on a sample of 507 current MBA students spread across the twelve different state‐subsidised universities in South Africa, determine whether this is indeed the appropriate model, deriving instead a new seven‐element model of the underlying success factors for student recruitment in the MBA marketplace.There has been enormous growth globally in the number of both MBA providers and students over the past few decades. While inclusion in national and international MBA league‐tables is part of the marketing arsenal of every MBA supplier that appears in them, identifying the determinants of success in this ever more crowded marketplace is a far less well understood issue. On the one hand, recognition of the fact that the task is more complex than a simple application of the traditional 4Ps is obvious to all, but on the other hand, operationalisation of relationship marketing principles seems rather too complex in this market where repeat purchase is clearly not the norm. This paper seeks to shed some light on this important but little understood area. We first examine the task through the traditional services marketing mix; comprised of Product, Price, Place, Promotion and People. Then, based on a sample of 507 current MBA students spread across the twelve different state‐subsidised universities in South Afr...