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1 – 10 of over 3000John V. Mullane, Michael H. Peters and Kimball E. Bullington
Business‐to‐business (B2B) e‐commerce activity provides many growth opportunities for firms willing to explore this new approach. While B2B is often considered the domain of…
Abstract
Business‐to‐business (B2B) e‐commerce activity provides many growth opportunities for firms willing to explore this new approach. While B2B is often considered the domain of larger firms, the potential benefits of access to new clients, access to new global markets, and product line expansion are of particular importance to entrepreneurial suppliers. This article examines these benefits, as well as various mistakes an entrepreneurial firm may make in pursuing B2B e‐commerce. From this discussion, we recommend five action steps a firm should take to reap the tremendous benefits of supplying through a B2B network.
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Paul Jeremy Williams, M. Sajid Khan, Rania Semaan, Earl R. Naumann and Nicholas Jeremy Ashill
A key issue for B2B industrial firms is to better understand the drivers of customer value and contract renewal decisions, due to the long-term supplier-customer relationships…
Abstract
Purpose
A key issue for B2B industrial firms is to better understand the drivers of customer value and contract renewal decisions, due to the long-term supplier-customer relationships. When the B2B firm is operating across national boundaries, there is added complexity to the renewal decision, because the drivers are also influenced by cultural considerations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the main drivers of customer value creation and contract renewal intentions, for a large B2B firm operating in both the USA and Japan and compare the two data sets.
Design/methodology/approach
The company, which provided the data for the study, is a US Fortune 100 firm in the facilities management industry, operating worldwide. Data were collected using a survey questionnaire from a sample of the firm’s customers in two of its largest markets, the USA and Japan. The authors used PLS to analyze the data, and compare and contrast the drivers.
Findings
The findings highlight both similarities and differences across the two countries for the most influential drivers of customer value and contract renewal. Although no differences were found when examining the effect of relational drivers on contract renewal, differences were observed for utilitarian drivers: product quality and price.
Practical implications
The authors expected the relational drivers of contract renewal to be stronger in the high-context culture of Japan, but found that there were no differences with the US market. While relational drivers are important in the decision-making process in both countries, it seems that managers should focus more on price considerations in Japan. In contrast, product quality is relatively more important in the USA, when negotiating contract renewals with customers.
Originality/value
Noticeably absent from the B2B services literature is its application to international markets. In particular, research is lacking on the specific drivers of customer value and contract renewal intentions in the USA and Japan, despite the importance of long-term on-going contractual relationships in these markets. This study has provided additional insights into the complex world of contract renewal between international buyers and sellers of large industrial systems.
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Shanfei Feng and Trichy V. Krishnan
Companies in the B2B service sector often sign a series of successive contracts instead of one long contract with their vendors. Economic researchers have shown how the lengths of…
Abstract
Purpose
Companies in the B2B service sector often sign a series of successive contracts instead of one long contract with their vendors. Economic researchers have shown how the lengths of stand-alone contracts are influenced by economic factors such as asset specificity and economic volatility, but have not researched into contracts that are part of a continuous series. The purpose of this study was to explore if being a part of a series of contracts influences the length of the focal contract and the rental rate.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data collected from the oil drilling industry to empirically test their hypotheses. The data set consists of 2,621 contracts involving jack-up rig hiring in the Gulf of Mexico region.
Findings
The authors empirically show that the series duration affects both the length and rental rate of each constituent contract, even after considering all other plausible economic factors. Specifically, the duration of a series has a positive effect on the length and a negative effect on the rental rate of the constituent contract.
Originality/value
Although contract length is as vital as the rent in B2B service transactions, it is rather unfortunate that marketing scholars have not researched much into this topic. The findings offer a new insight into the forces that shape the B2B service contracts and thus help the B2B managers make a better decision in service contracts.
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Wenting Zou, Saara A. Brax, Mervi Vuori and Risto Rajala
To build a more comprehensive understanding of factors affecting the success of service contracting, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of service…
Abstract
Purpose
To build a more comprehensive understanding of factors affecting the success of service contracting, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of service complexity, contract structure and contracting process on the buyer-perceived supplier performance in business-to-business (B2B) services.
Design/methodology/approach
A research model is developed based on transaction cost economics and the research on service contracting. The model is tested by the survey data collected. Professional focus groups on LinkedIn are used to generate the list of potential respondents. The sample consists of 177 purchasing professionals from 25 countries.
Findings
The results indicate that three major contract dimensions and follow-up management practices positively influence buyer-perceived supplier performance. Furthermore, service complexity amplifies the effects of incentives designed in the contract and the buyer’s follow-up contract management on perceived supplier performance.
Research limitations/implications
The sample consists of respondents from 25 countries and provides good geographic coverage. However, the results should be generalized with caution because not all countries were represented equally.
Practical implications
The study suggests a framework and guidelines for purchasing managers to improve the design and management of service contracts to secure good performance from their supplier.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to understanding the performance-enhancing aspects of designing and monitoring service contracts in B2B contexts. It also adds to the knowledge of the role of service complexity in successful B2B service purchasing.
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Rafael Illescas Ortiz and Pilar Perales Viscasillas
This article aims to take a critical look at the proposed Common European Sales Law (CESL) and its field of application.
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to take a critical look at the proposed Common European Sales Law (CESL) and its field of application.
Design/methodology/approach
The article provides a comparative analysis of the scope of application of CESL with that of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sales of Goods (CISG). The approach is critical in nature in that it questions the regulation of business‐to‐business (B2B) transactions under CESL. It also takes a critical look at the CESL and its coverage of three areas of contracting – sale of goods, supply of digital content, and supply of services.
Findings
The article exposes some of the shortcomings of the CESL in relation to its field of application.
Research limitations/implications
The CESL as proposed offers an optional regulation that complicates the law of transborder sales within the European Union (EU) and between EU member states and non‐EU states. The article recommends that CESL not extend its coverage to B2B transactions and leave transborder commercial transactions to the CISG. The article also suggests other changes to improve the CESL.
Practical implications
Further analysis is needed and more defined rules should be considered before CESL is enacted into law.
Originality/value
This article questions the wide scope of application of CESL. It further questions the rationality and practicality of the CESL's coverage of B2B transactions.
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Keywords
- Common European Sales Law (CESL)
- Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)
- European Union cross‐borders sales
- Internet trading
- Consumer protection
- Opt‐in instruments
- EU Acquis
- Small to medium‐sized enterprises
- Supply of goods
- services
- and digital content
- Supply chain management
Sandro Cabral, Priscila Fernandes Ribeiro and Sanders Zurdo Romão
This paper aims to analyze the underlying factors of contract renewals in business-to-business (B2B) contracts.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the underlying factors of contract renewals in business-to-business (B2B) contracts.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors build a unique data set with 296 contracts signed between a major firm supplying petrochemical goods and its 128 customers between 2013 and 2016. They use Insider Econometrics as their methodological approach.
Findings
The econometric results suggest that contracts involving higher volume of trade, higher levels of dedicated assets representing seller’s specific investments in each transaction, and contracts comprising more than one product present an increased likelihood of being renewed.
Research limitations/implications
Although limited to a single organization, this paper contributes to management theories focused on buyer–supplier relationships in which coordination between interdependent parties is required.
Practical implications
Practitioners engaged in B2B relationships may benefit from the findings to shape their bargaining strategies in contexts of high levels of asset specificity and bilateral dependence.
Originality/value
This paper contribute to theories related to the strategic negotiation between buyers and suppliers by emphasizing the importance of asset specificity in a nuanced and multifaceted fashion, by highlighting aspects related to resource dependency, and idiosyncratic characteristics on contract renewal.
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Jane Roberts and Bill Merrilees
The paper seeks to investigate the role of branding in a B2B service context.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to investigate the role of branding in a B2B service context.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper focuses on a particular B2B service industry, namely leasing mall space to retail tenants. A quantitative study is undertaken of 201 mall tenants using SEM analysis.
Findings
The main finding was that brand attitudes were the most important influence on the contract renewal. Another major finding was that brand attitudes were mainly explained by service quality. Branding also played another, albeit minor role, in building trust between the supplier and the customers.
Practical implications
The results can be used by industrial firms to build stronger brands and, in turn, to use these brands to maximize customer retention.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies to examine service B2B brands. It is also one of the first studies to examine the multiple roles that brand can play in B2B marketing.
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José Ramón Saura, Pedro Palos-Sanchez and Alicia Blanco-González
The importance of information service offerings is directly linked to decision-making processes for buying and selling in business-to-business (B2B) companies. B2B companies…
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of information service offerings is directly linked to decision-making processes for buying and selling in business-to-business (B2B) companies. B2B companies intend to offer information that helps other companies choose a product or service. This paper aims to identify the relationship between the types of information offered by a B2B company in its B2B marketing strategy and the decision-making of the companies which buy products and services.
Design/methodology/approach
For this purpose, a data set has been consulted that contains 439 observations that are the result of transactions using customer relationship managements (CRMs) of B2B-type companies. A total of 9 different products were consulted from 20 B2B vendors that manage their transactions with CRM software for B2B operations. A total of 439 different transactions were recorded by these vendors during 2018 (n = 439) with their information service offerings strategies. The results were analyzed with the partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results showed that the significance of the relationship between internal control factors and external control factors (H4) is the strongest one when using information services offerings strategies in a B2B environment. The results of this research can help B2B companies to improve their decision-making strategies and to define the structure of the information offered in their B2B marketing plans.
Originality/value
This research makes a contribution to an existing gap, which is to identify what the most important information is for purchasing companies in B2B environments and the relationship with this information, so that B2B purchasers can make good decisions thanks to the information service offerings strategy of the selling companies using CRMs.
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Matthias Schlipf, Carlos Keller, Fabian Lutzenberger, Stefan Pfosser and Andreas Rathgeber
The purpose of this paper is to develop a new interdisciplinary methodology to estimate the life cycle cost (LCC) of complex business-to-business products in order to price…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a new interdisciplinary methodology to estimate the life cycle cost (LCC) of complex business-to-business products in order to price different types of maintenance contracts and show the applicability of the method in a case study. LCC comprise of initial capital costs as well of operation costs including probabilistic costs (such as the costs of repairs and spare parts), which are directly linked to the maintenance characteristics of the product.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proposes an integrated and practical methodology that applies different approaches from different disciplines. Therefore, exponential distributions for failure rates in subsystems, World Bank logistics factors for logistics costs of spare part handling, as well implied credit default probabilities for the counterpart risk in full service leasing contracts are applied. In order to validate the applicability of the proposed methodology to practical problems, the tool is applied in three case studies.
Findings
The results of the case studies show that this methodology can be applied to analyze LCC structures of engines operating in various regions with regard to different types of engine maintenance contracts. The results also highlight the interplay of technical as well as financial risks.
Originality/value
Because the literature in maintenance engineering so far either proposes general frameworks to calculate LCC or concentrates on specific aspects of LCC, the paper contributes to the literature in presenting a new interdisciplinary methodology to estimate the LCC.
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The purpose of this article is to investigate the role that the principle of pacta sunt servanda plays in consumer contracts under the Common European Sales Law (CESL).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to investigate the role that the principle of pacta sunt servanda plays in consumer contracts under the Common European Sales Law (CESL).
Design/methodology/approach
The new proposal for the CESL resembles quite closely other global and European instruments and collections of rules on contracts, such as the CISG, PECL, and DCFR. At a closer look, the concept of contract, and in particular the consumer contract, differences between the CESL and its predecessors becomes readily apparent. This article will point out these differences and thereby analyse the role of the pacta sunt servanda principle in consumer contracts.
Findings
The question must be answered whether the consumer protection provisions that weaken the bindingness of contracts will discourage traders from opting into CESL? The Article also shows the inconsistencies in the CESL in business‐to‐business (B2B) contracts in the areas relating to mistake and lack of conformity.
Originality/value
The article poses a question which is of such relevance that it should be more comprehensively discussed by European legislators before the CESL is adopted as an EU regulation.
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