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In the era of digital disruption and customer loyalty loss, it has become even more important to shape the experience journey of a firm’s stakeholders. The benefits of experience data (XD) analysis for a competitive advantage and firm performance are well proven in the business-to-customer context. Therefore, this study aims to explore the limited exploitation of XD in the business-to-business (B2B) context.

The data of 338 B2B firms is generated through computer-assisted telephone interviewing using a structured interview guideline. A Mann–Whitney U test and binary linear regression are applied to test hypotheses derived from literature.

The results suggest that XD non-collectors see XD increase efficiency, whereas XD collectors view XD strategically beyond customer data. Additionally, the successful application of XD in firms can be fostered by connecting XD with operational data through digitalised processes, strategic usage and data collection at certain defined points of time.

This study contributes to the understanding of XD perception between collectors and non-collectors and develops determinants for the successful application of XD management. Based on the results, B2B marketing executives from academics and practice can foster the implementation of XD management to improve all firm’s stakeholders’ experiences. In this way, this study contributes to the understanding of managing not only customers’ but other stakeholders’ experiences.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between characteristics of chief financial officers (CFOs) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system adoption. Following upper echelons theory, the authors theorize that CFO age, education, tenure and recruitment influence ERP system adoption, and that this relationship is moderated by the CFO being responsible for firm-wide information technology (IT) functions.

The empirical analysis is based on a survey of 296 large and medium-sized Austrian firms. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the association between CFO characteristics and ERP system adoption.

The authors find that firms with externally recruited CFOs have adopted ERP systems significantly more often than firms with internally promoted CFOs. Surprisingly, the results indicate that firms with less educated CFOs more often adopted an ERP system, and that the relationship between CFO characteristics and ERP system adoption is not moderated by the CFO being responsible for IT.

This paper adds to the literature by corroborating case-based evidence that CFOs and their characteristics influence ERP system adoption. Extending previous research which indicates that CFO characteristics influence accounting practices, the authors show that CFO characteristics also influence technological innovation such as the adoption of ERP systems. Future research on technological innovation may therefore pay closer attention to the influence of CFOs.

This paper is the first to quantitatively test the influence of CFO characteristics on ERP system adoption.