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The paper aims to explore the effects of geographic proximity among firms in value networks on service provision and service exchange.

A case study of the offshore supply vessel shipbuilding and shipping cluster in the North-Western Møre region of Norway with focus on the new ship contracting process.

The case study reveals how service provision and service exchange are facilitated by geographical proximity among firms.

Study findings should be validated in further research, and the effects of other forms of proximity (cultural, social, cognitive and institutional) on co-creation of value also need to be considered. Considering the role of operant resources in developing competence in clusters and wider value networks offers interesting opportunities for further research.

This study proposes an alternative view of co-creation of value in value networks and responds to calls for research on how value network attributes affect aspects of co-creation of value: service provision and service exchange. The study contributes to more knowledge on the systemic nature of value creation in value networks.

Cooperation in logistics and supply chain management has most often been studied as a characteristic of a focal firm, rather than as a relationship property, and inter‐organisational aspects need to be better understood. The purpose of this paper is to draw on insights from theories on individuals and organisations to study recently formed supply chain relationships (SCRs).

Following a literature review, the study develops an alternative view to the dominant strand of research on relational capital in SCRs. Drawing on insights from other disciplines, not usually associated with supply chain management, refutable propositions are suggested. Appropriate measurement scales for the new variables are suggested.

The notion of relational capital in SCRs is extended to include financial capital and psychological commitment. New propositions that relate relational capital and length of the honeymoon period (the time period immediately after SCR formation, during which the threat of dissolution is non‐existent) are suggested.

The ideas presented in this paper have the potential to enrich further study on behavioural phenomena in SCRs as the analysis makes explicit the financial, social, and psychological dimensions of relational capital.

This paper presents managers with a richer framework than previously existed to guide their formation and maintenance efforts in building SCRs.

The paper fulfils an identified need for more and better inter‐organisational theory in supply chain management research.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand how strategic orientation guides the marketing strategy and marketing efforts of niche firms, by addressing the questions of which strategic orientation niche firms apply and how managers in niche firms handle the potential problems associated with different strategic orientations. Based on these findings, managerial implications are discussed.

Qualitative research in terms of in‐depth interviews of key informants in six niche firms in the seafood and wine industries.

The niche firms appear to be product oriented and customer oriented at the same time. They overcome the potential problems related to the respective strategic orientations by focusing on their product‐related strengths, while benefiting from their close and few customer relationships.

Managers in niche firms should focus on high‐quality products, specific product concepts and the continuous improvement of these. In addition, they should initiate and develop close and long‐term relationships with a few trusted business customers.

This research paper is one among very few papers that present findings related to niche firms and their choice of marketing strategy. This paper of strategic orientation can contribute to a better understanding of how niche firms prioritize, allocate resources and choose strategies.

The purpose of this paper is to present a critique of the use of governance value analysis (GVA) for assessment of value creation in supply chains.

The study presents a conceptual analysis of the assumptions, factors, and range of GVA as it applies to assessment of value creation in supply chains.

GVA lacks comprehensiveness in assessing value creation in supply chains in that it ignores: certain important factors that affect value creation in supply‐chain relationships; governance issues beyond transaction‐specific investments; and cooperative value‐creating activities among supply‐chain members.

The critique calls into question the applicability of GVA in governing value creation, especially in the context of dynamic contemporary conceptions of supply‐chain relationships. It is not recommendable to analytically treat cooperation in supply‐chain relationships as transactional exchange.

This is an original and timely critique of the presumption that GVA is an appropriate model for assessment of value creation in supply chains.

The purpose of this paper is to present a concise status of niche marketing research and thereby provide a basis for further scholarly enhancement and insights for practitioners.

This paper takes the form of a literature review.

Reasons for why and when to pursue niche marketing, key success factors for implementing niche marketing and the potential problem areas are identified. Avenues for advancing knowledge about niche marketing are discussed.

Practitioners benefit from this comprehensive review of findings and insights from previous research. Scholars benefit from this review, as it summarizes and identifies key areas for future niche marketing research.

There has be no known scholarly article assessing the status of niche marketing research since Dalgic and Leeuw's seminal work.

The purpose of this paper is to consider inter-organisational issues in supply chain relationships (SCRs) with a view to advancing research on co-creation of value in the service dominant logic (SDL) field.

The study presents a conceptual analysis of current ideas on purchasing and SCRs with special emphasis on inter-organisational collaboration as viewed from exchange- and production economy perspectives. Important types of service buyers and sellers provide in order to co-create value in SCRs are explored.

Both exchange- and production economy perspectives offer useful insights for the study of co-creation of value in SCRs. The exchange economy perspective recognises service provision in terms of information sharing, adaptation and commitment, while the production economy perspective recognises service provision in terms of production proficiency, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship.

SDL researchers should recognise the relevance of both exchange- and production economy perspectives in further study of co-creation of value in SCRs. Future research should consider how specific types of service provision are affected by operant resources as well as other important SDL concepts, such as trust, buyer involvement and relational orientation.

This paper considers specific types of service provision in SCRs for the purpose of co-creation of value.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore important value‐creation initiatives in buyer‐seller relationships (BSRs).

Following a literature review and the presentation of an appropriate conceptual framework, an exploratory study of 14 BSRs in a variety of European industries is undertaken using in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with key informants.

The findings justify a distinction being drawn between two types of value‐creation initiatives: those that are important in transaction‐based arrangements (in which efficiency is paramount); and those that are important in interaction‐based relationships (in which effectiveness is paramount). Of the ten value‐creation initiatives identified in the literature review, seven were found to be of importance in the BSRs of the present sample.

Despite genuine attempts to select a heterogeneous sample, most of the data did come from sellers. Future studies could look more deeply into buyer data to explore these issues in BSRs.

The paper provides managers with practical guidance on the selection of appropriate value‐creation initiatives in various types of BSRs.

The paper reports the first known empirical study of value‐creation initiatives in BSRs.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of a firm's marketing strategy on involving customers in new product development. Special attention is to be paid to three facets of a marketing strategy: product differentiation, competitor orientation and brand profiling emphasis.

A survey with quantitative questionnaires was used in the context of relationships between Norwegian suppliers and international buyers.

Two facets of marketing strategy, product differentiation and competitor orientation, positively impact customer involvement. Furthermore, specific investments dedicated to the relationship are also positively related to customer involvement, and customer involvement increases customer profitability.

The study relies on data from the suppliers, and future studies should also include customer data to explore possible effects of the customer's marketing strategy on joint involvement in new product development.

The study shows that managers seeking to involve customers in product development should carefully develop their marketing strategy and build commitment through specific investments.

Previous studies show that firms can benefit from involving customers in new product development. This paper extends knowledge in the field by exploring how different facets of the firm's marketing strategy can increase or decrease the possibilities for involving customers.