scholarly journals Adding services to product-based portfolios

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kindström ◽  
Christian Kowalkowski ◽  
Thomas Brashear Alejandro
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Sales Force ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Infusion ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications for the sales function of the infusion of services by formerly product-based firms. In particular, it aims at identifying the changes that need to be made at the sales-function level if the services are to be successfully sold. Design/methodology/approach – This research is an exploratory qualitative case study. Data were collected by focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with relevant managers in three large multinational companies based in Northern Europe, which were pursuing service-led growth. Findings – The effects of service infusion processes on the sales function could be seen with respect to the three parts of the analytical framework: organization, roles, and competences. The results illustrate the need for a changed perspective with respect to all three parts, if a product-based firm is to be successful in the infusing of associated services into its portfolio of offerings. Analysis of the results identifies key operational initiatives that management needs to understand and implement when corporate and marketing strategies increasingly focus on service-led growth. Research limitations/implications – The study was exploratory and vendor centric, which means that it did not quantitatively assess the results or directly involve the customers at whom the services were directed. Also, the choice of business-to-business firms limits the capacity to generalize the findings. Originality/value – Whereas relationship-based and value-based selling are approaches more geared to the sales-force level, the study reported in this paper set out to understand fundamental differences at the sales-function level when firms pursue service-led growth. The findings suggest that the realignment of corporate strategy toward an increased focus on services may have far-reaching implications for the sales function.

scholarly journals Service-dominant logic for managing the logistics-manufacturing interface

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Lin ◽  
Saara Pekkarinen ◽  
Shihua Ma
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Abductive Reasoning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Service Offering ◽  
Relational Logic ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Case Study Data

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the management of the logistics-manufacturing interface between the manufacturer and its logistics service provider from the perspective of the service-dominant (S-D) logic. Design/methodology/approach – The approach adopted is that of abductive reasoning through case study: data are primarily gleaned from semi-structured in-depth interviews. Field visits and secondary documentation are used to ensure data validity. Findings – The results show that the interface can be categorized into three levels: design interface between products and logistic services, process interface between manufacturing processes and service-offering processes, and information interface between manufacturing information systems and logistics information systems. The results also indicate that ten foundational premises of S-D logic, especially service-focussed, customer-oriented and rational views can be applied in defining and managing these interfaces. Research limitations/implications – This research contributes not only to the theory of S-D logic and managing interface, but also provides managers with guidelines of applying S-D logic to build a service-focussed, customer-oriented and relational logic to effectively manage the logistics-manufacturing interface. However, the research is limited to the context of automotive and logistics industries. Originality/value – Three levels of logistics-manufacturing interface, including design, process and information are identified, and S-D logic is applied to identify and manage the interface.

Removing Self-stigma: The Successes of People with Schizophrenia in Removing Self-stigma Through Self-control

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Franciscus Adi Prasetyo ◽  
Jajang Gunawijaya
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Study Quality ◽  
Data Display ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Depth Interviews

Self-stigma experienced by people who experience schizophrenia has influence on reduced self-esteem, on powerlessness, the weakening of hope, and a motivation towards recovery. The aim of this study is to explain the efforts of people suffering schizophrenia to manage their self-stigma through self-control, using a case study approach. Based on the purposive sampling technique, five people with schizophrenia were selected as the cases to be studied. Data collection techniques utilized in-depth interviews, observation, and documentary studies. The analysis of the study data employed the stages of data reduction, data display, and data verification. Improvement in study quality employed the triangulation of data sources by checking the data to determine its consistency. The results of this study indicate that people with schizophrenia who have the ability to self-control can overcome self-stigma through changes in the manner of viewing themselves, self-training through activities, having endurance, having an honest approach, being able to explain schizophrenia from a positive viewpoint, having initiative, and having a positive attitude and the courage to face challenges.

Proactive Value Co-Creation via Structural Ambidexterity: Customer Success Management and the Modularization of Frontline Roles

2021 ◽  
pp. 109467052199756
Author(s):  
Bryan Hochstein ◽  
Nawar N. Chaker ◽  
Deva Rangarajan ◽  
Duane Nagel ◽  
Nathaniel N. Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Value Creation ◽  
Functional Role ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Multilevel Perspective ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Depth Interviews

An increasing number of business-to-business (B2B) service firms have transitioned to recurring revenue-based solutions. These subscription B2B solutions are becoming increasingly common, yet offer challenges for long-term renewal if value is not consistently realized by the customer. To address this concern, customer success (CS) management has emerged. CS management is based on regular proactive action taken by the seller to (a) educate, prepare, and engage customers for value co-creation; (b) demonstrate the value delivered by the solution; and (c) provide a channel for advocacy on behalf of customers within the service-providing firm. Our findings highlight the under-researched topic of CS in B2B settings. Specifically, we propose the CS function and role as a structural alternative to within-person (i.e., cross-functional) ambidexterity and emphasize the ability of a CS focus by service firms to complement existing firm operations in value creation efforts. Our case study analysis provides a multilevel perspective (i.e., executive, functional role employees, and customers) via in-depth interviews that offer unique insights on “how parts of the service-sales system work together.” Overall, CS is growing as a practice that propagates value to the customer via ongoing success with solutions while improving service-firm renewal and growth of subscription business.

A little help from my friends: how purchasing gains influence in complex business-to-business services: the case of legal

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy L. Tate ◽  
Lisa M. Ellram ◽  
Ulrich Schmelzle
Keyword(s):  
Supplier Management ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Business Service ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Additional Costs ◽  
Service Procurement ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose The purpose of this research is to develop an understanding of how purchasing can become meaningfully involved in complex business-to-business service purchases. Design/methodology/approach A single in-depth case study method of an exemplar organization was applied to better understand the purchasing function’s role in adding to the value proposition in complex, non-traditional business-to-business service purchases. Findings Powerful allies or advocates can mediate purchasing involvement in service procurement. However, once the involvement is initiated, purchasing must make a positive contribution with respect to the specific needs and expectations of the budget owner to retain its influence. Research limitations/implications This research extends institutional theory to show how powerful allies or advocates can mediate purchasing involvement in the complex services spend. Practical implications This study describes the potential impact of purchasing’s involvement in complex services spend and highlights the opportunities for purchasing managers to improve supplier management and drive out additional costs. Originality/value For the business practitioner, this research provides evidence regarding how individual functions can gain influence in the organization. A conceptual model describes the meaningful involvement of purchasing in complex business-to-business service purchases.

Managing multichannel coordination in retail banking: the influence of customer participation

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Plé
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Design ◽  
Retail Banking ◽  
Customer Participation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Retail Banks ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the combining of marketing and organizational literature. This paper seeks to evaluate the relationships between multichannel coordination and customer participation, as seen through the lens of potential customer opportunism. It aims at showing the impact of this opportunism on the organizational design of multiple channels structures.Design/methodology/approachThe research reports on an exploratory case study in a French retail bank. A total of 25 in‐depth interviews were conducted, and the use of other sources enabled data triangulation.FindingsThe results show first that an increase in the number of distribution channels is liable to favor customer opportunistic behavior. To counter this, the bank mainly relies on impersonal coordination modes. An emerging result highlights the role of the customer as a “perceptual filter” between the different channels of employees.Research limitations/implicationsCustomer opportunism is studied via channels employees perceptions. An investigation using a customer survey may help to better understand this construct, e.g. to identify its antecedents, and to measure it precisely. Moreover, further qualitative and/or quantitative studies with larger sample sizes are needed to try and generalize these results.Practical implicationsIt is recommended not to forget that customers can facilitate or hinder multichannel coordination. Retail banks have the power to use them conveniently, provided that they are fully conscious of the scope of the “partial employee” role played by the customer.Originality/valueThis paper broadens understanding of how multichannel distribution structures are coordinated, and in a way belies traditional organizational design literature. The emerging result gives birth to the concept of “reversed interactive marketing”, which has interesting theoretical and practical repercussions.

The role of entrepreneurial families in entrepreneurial ecosystems: the family social capital approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Benavides-Salazar ◽  
Cristina Iturrioz-Landart ◽  
Cristina Aragón-Amonarriz ◽  
Asunción Ibañez-Romero
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems ◽  
Family Social Capital ◽  
The Family ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Entrepreneurial Dynamics

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how entrepreneurial families (EFs) influence the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) by using the family social capital (FSC) approach. Design/methodology/approach For this paper, the authors analyzed the Manizales EE as a case study. The authors used a variety of data collection procedures, including in-depth interviews with 26 entrepreneurs and mentors. Findings The authors established how EFs affect EE development, identifying how the FSC bridging mechanisms impact the EE’s social and cultural attributes, boosting entrepreneurial dynamics. Originality/value The results indicated the relevance of EFs’ embeddedness and the degree of the FSC institutionalization in promoting of entrepreneurship within the EEs.

Addressing the COVID-19 challenges by SMEs in the hotel industry – a Czech sustainability message for emerging economies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radka MacGregor Pelikanova ◽  
Eva Daniela Cvik ◽  
Robert Kenyon MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Hotel Industry ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socratic Questioning ◽  
Entrepreneurial Readiness ◽  
Entrepreneurial Strategies

Purpose Emerging economies have to address positive challenges such as sustainability, digitalization, entrepreneurial readiness and planning and behavioral strategies and negative challenges, such as corruption and bureaucracy. The COVID-19 pandemic hit all economies and arguably made hotel businesses that are from less typical emerging economies, such as the Czech Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to deal with similar challenges to that of their counterparts from typical emerging economies. How do Czech hotel SMEs address the COVID-19 challenges and what sustainability message can be extracted from that with the relevance for not only businesses from emerging economies? The purpose of this paper is to explore how Czech hotel SMEs address the COVID-19 challenges and what sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A consolidated parsing of the literature, legislative and analytical framework, along with an investigative case study of 11 Czech hotel SMEs was performed, based on the questionnaire survey and semi-structured in-depth direct interviews. The holistic thematic analysis processed this fresh data and allowed Socratic questioning and glossing while addressing both research questions. Findings The performed case study reveals that typical challenges faced by entrepreneurs in emerging economies became, via COVID-19, universal challenges, these challenges are a valuable impulse for digitalization and changes of entrepreneurial strategies, but not so much for sustainability, and the omnipresent negative impact of corruption and bureaucracy. Originality/value This paper presents a pioneering study regarding the addressing COVID-19 and sustainability concerns by SMEs in a less typical emerging economy and offering a universal, partially comparative and sadly not so sustainable, message which is not just limited to emerging economies.

Effect of social capital on agribusiness diversification intention in the emerging market

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Dang Lang ◽  
Abhishek Behl ◽  
Nguyen Trung Dong ◽  
Yama Temouri ◽  
Nguyen Hong Thu
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Depth Interviews

PurposeCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the global economy. How agribusinessmen are overcoming this crisis is being noticed in emerging markets. Using social capital to diversify agribusiness for getting more customers is a useful solution for the growth of agribusiness. However, there is a lack of evidence on the aggregate measurement scale of social capital and the influence of behavioral goals on the intention toward agribusiness diversification. Therefore, this study aims to develop an integrated measurement of social capital and investigate its effect on agribusiness diversification intention using the expanded theory of planned behavior (TPB).Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach is used, including four in-depth interviews, three focus group discussions and two surveys. Structural equation modeling is applied to a sample of 484 respondents to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe study shows the role of social capital in influencing the intention to diversify agribusiness under the premises of the resource-based view (RBV). The scale of social capital is also developed, which is the first integrated measurement of this asset. The findings contribute significantly to the existing knowledge of social capital, the TPB and diversifying agribusiness.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore the comprehensive effect of the facets of social capital on behavioral intention through behavioral goals and determinants of the TPB under the premises of the RBV. The findings will help emerging economies, for example, Vietnam, where most farmers are family business owners or microscaled entrepreneurs in agriculture.

Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Bonamigo ◽  
Camila Guimarães Frech ◽  
Ana Carolina Custódio Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis. Findings The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry. Research limitations/implications First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed. Practical implications The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation. Originality/value This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

Compulsory Science Policy: Enhancing Gender Equality In Education? A Case Study Of Academic Achievement In Uganda

2021 ◽  
pp. 183-194
Author(s):  
Joyce Ayikoru Asiimwe
Keyword(s):  
Science Policy ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Equality In Education ◽  
Depth Interviews

This paper communicates the results of a diagnostic evaluation of the performance of boys and girls in physical sciences at Ordinary level in Uganda after the adoption of the compulsory science policy. The objectives of the study were twofold: to examine the academic performance of boys and girls in the Uganda National Examinations from 2007 to 2010, and to highlight key factors that continue to influence the achievement of students, especially girls in sciences. Data was obtained from five co-educational secondary schools using documentary reviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results revealed that the performance of both boys and girls have further declined after the implementation of the compulsory science policy. However, in comparison to the boys, girls in co-educational schools were still more likely to be among the poorest performers in sciences. This was attributed to a number of factors, key among them being girls' self-concept in sciences, and teachers' perception of girls' abilities in sciences. These findings reiterate the need to mainstream gender into both policy design and implementation.

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