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1 – 10 of over 205000Steven Pattinson, James Cunningham, David Preece and Mark A. P. Davies
This paper identifies exigent factors that enable and constrain trust building in a science-based innovation ecosystem.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper identifies exigent factors that enable and constrain trust building in a science-based innovation ecosystem.
Design/methodology/approach
Set in the Northeast England, this study adopts a processual sensemaking approach to thematically analyse interviews with a diverse range of participants in six science-based SMEs.
Findings
The findings provide a unique exposition of trust building in an innovation ecosystem across geographic and platform relationships. In doing so, the findings highlight factors outside of contractual agreements that enable or constrain trust building in an innovation ecosystem.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations centred on subjectivity in the use of thematic analysis, sample bias and size. Sampling limitations were mitigated through the research design and analysis.
Practical implications
The findings provide unique insights into understanding the exigent factors that enable or constrain trust building in a science-based innovation ecosystem.
Originality/value
The study identifies five exigent factors that constrain or enable trust building in science-based SMEs' innovation ecosystem at a micro-level – building network relationships, degree of novelty, protection of innovations, propensity for adding value, propensity for risk.
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Cindy Claycomb and Charles L. Martin
A study of 205 US commercial service providers, representing 31 two‐digit SIC codes, identified companies’ customer relationship‐building objectives and practices. Of 42 possible…
Abstract
A study of 205 US commercial service providers, representing 31 two‐digit SIC codes, identified companies’ customer relationship‐building objectives and practices. Of 42 possible relationship‐building objectives, the four rated as top priorities were: encouraging customers to think of the firm first when considering a purchase; providing better service; encouraging customers to speak favorably about the firm; and encouraging customers to trust the firm. Answers to open‐ended, exploratory questions revealed 18 categories of relationship‐building initiatives. The findings suggest that “customer relationship‐building” means different things to different people and that practices to build such relationships vary considerably. By inventorying the range of relationship‐building objectives, quantifying their priority levels, and identifying specific practices used to build customer relationships, a greater understanding of current practices was achieved. Thus, the findings promise to benefit researchers, practitioners and consumers in terms of knowledge development, prescriptions for success, and enhanced value and satisfaction, respectively.
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Yu-Shan Hsu, Yu-Ping Chen, Flora F.T. Chiang and Margaret A. Shaffer
Integrating anxiety and uncertainty management (AUM) theory and theory of organizing, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge management literature by examining the…
Abstract
Purpose
Integrating anxiety and uncertainty management (AUM) theory and theory of organizing, this study aims to contribute to the knowledge management literature by examining the interdependent and bidirectional nature of knowledge transfer between expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs). Specifically, the authors investigate how receivers’ cognitive response to senders’ behaviors during their interactions becomes an important conduit between senders’ behaviors and the successful transfer of knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used the actor partner interdependence model to analyze data from 107 expatriate-HCN dyads. The authors collected the responses of these expatriate-HCN dyads in Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and India.
Findings
Receivers’ interaction anxiety and uncertainty, as a response to senders’ relationship building behaviors, mediate the relationship between senders’ relationship building behaviors and successful knowledge transfer. When senders are expatriates, senders’ communication patience and relationship building behaviors interact to reduce the direct and indirect effects of both receivers’ interaction anxiety and uncertainty. However, when senders are HCNs, the moderation and moderated mediation models are not supported.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the knowledge management literature by investigating knowledge transfer between expatriates and HCNs using an interpersonal cross-cultural communication lens. The authors make refinements to AUM theory by going beyond the sender role to highlighting the interdependence between senders and receivers in the management of anxiety and uncertainty which, in turn, influences the effectiveness of cross-cultural communication. The study is also unique in that the authors underscore an important yet understudied construct, communication patience, in the successful transfer of knowledge.
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The purpose of this paper is to present the mechanism of online customer brand trust building through the lens of Walther’s Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) – Social…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the mechanism of online customer brand trust building through the lens of Walther’s Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) – Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper integrates a range of theoretical and empirical works across branding and marketing, including concept of brand trust, use of online social media in brand communication and customer brand relations and CMC-SIPT theory and relational marketing literature other relevant information which were found useful in the given context were reviewed. The aim was to collect a broad spectrum of ideas, based on their relevance to the research purpose to propose effective online brand trust building framework.
Findings
This paper proposes three different developmental stages in brand trust building on online social media networks. Each stage is guided by the components of CMC-SIPT. Stage I is interaction and compliance of the brand communication clues which suggest that the aggregated level of interaction and compliance in online brand communication on social media determine the movement of the customer to the next level. Stage II suggests information processing at three successive layers by the customer as identification, internalization brand information and bonding, which eventually prompt the customer to the next level of brand trust building. Stage III is related to trust building which is the critical stage as customer internal states of arousal are experienced, which reduces the emotional risk of decision-making and increases confidence and trust of the customers in brands.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed framework of brand trust building has not been tested empirically. Future research could test and validate the proposed model tracking intrinsic changes in the customer in different brand trust development stages. This research is important for marketers or brands who wish to move beyond the notion of merely satisfying customers, to establishing more powerful emotional bonds between their brands and customers. It fills a gap in brand-trust literature and provides marketers and researchers a means to understand and draw strategies for consumers’ attraction toward brands (Patwardhan and Balasubramanian, 2011). The proposed framework has the capacity to revolutionize the way business and brands engage with society by enhancing and establishing trusting relationship.
Originality/value
To date, this research has not been done specifically from the SIPT perspective. This research is the first to examine brand communication strategies in an effort of building brand trust in the context of online social media network from the CMC-Social information theory perspective. It highlights the peculiarities of online brand communication on social media networks and customer information processing in presenting three stages of customer brand trust development to explain the development and flow of events.
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To understand how research-participant relationships are formed in research settings through experiences and analyses of content-specific gendered identity practices.
Abstract
Purpose
To understand how research-participant relationships are formed in research settings through experiences and analyses of content-specific gendered identity practices.
Methodology/approach
I draw upon a school-based ethnographically informed study exploring the construction of masculinities among white working-class boys in three schools in South London, United Kingdom between 2009 and 2011. To access participants’ perceptions, I used a methodology of observation, focus groups, semi-structured interviews and visual methods.
Findings
Themes of gendered embodiment, physicality and performance play a part in the formation of relationships in this study. Furthermore, such themes play a role – to varying degrees – in researcher-participant relationship-building. In understanding relationship-building practices, I make connections to my own reflexivity accounting for the multifaceted nature of identities, lifestyles and perspectives present in researcher-participant interaction.
Originality/value
Throughout the fieldwork, constructs of gender, nationality and class all contributed to how relationships were built. In navigating the power relations innate to all relationship-building, I discuss how I capitalised on my outsider status in terms of nationality to neutralise certain elements of class and gender that were normative to my participants, but, simultaneously, draw upon my insider status in terms of knowledge of the locale, humour and clothing which contributed greatly to how the relationships were constructed and maintained.
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Fang Wang, Milena Head and Norm Archer
Electronic commerce has existed in the business‐to‐business marketplace since the 1970s, in forms such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and electronic funds transfer (EFT)…
Abstract
Electronic commerce has existed in the business‐to‐business marketplace since the 1970s, in forms such as electronic data interchange (EDI) and electronic funds transfer (EFT). With the emergence of the Internet, and the World Wide Web in particular, electronic commerce entered a new era which opened the door for an electronic business‐to‐consumer marketplace. Although the retail side of electronic commerce is still in its infancy, the Web medium offers great potential for building the customer‐base, promoting sales, and improving after‐sales service. Examines the concept of relationship marketing, which has caused a paradigm shift in business‐to‐business marketing during recent years. Extends the concepts of network marketing to the Web retail marketplace, and develops a market process model for Web retailing that outlines the stages of the relationship building process.
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Aldona Glinska-Newes, Iwona Escher, Pawel Brzustewicz, Dawid Szostek and Joanna Petrykowska
There is a research gap regarding frameworks identifying the specific activities and resources used by companies to build and enhance social ties between them and business actors…
Abstract
Purpose
There is a research gap regarding frameworks identifying the specific activities and resources used by companies to build and enhance social ties between them and business actors. The purpose of this paper is to identify those activities and resources and propose a model of them for referring to successive stages of business relationship-building.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative research was conducted in the form of 16 semi-structured in-depth individual interviews in four companies operating in Poland, representing the construction, chemical, alcoholic beverages and automotive industries.
Findings
Resources and activities used by companies to build and strengthen interpersonal bonds within business relationships may be categorised according to the dimension of relationship-focused (RF) vs deal-focused (DF) approach. In the companies analysed, the RF approach appeared dominant, while some symptoms of changes towards a DF approach were observed.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed model of resources and activities used in companies at successive stages of business relationship-building extends the understanding of how high-quality relationships are built. The study is exploratory in nature and aims to inspire further in-depth analyses, including cross-cultural comparisons.
Practical implications
The paper helps managers in their day-to-day management of B2B relationships. It provides particular guidelines for business people seeking a potential business partner in Poland and other countries with a communist past.
Originality/value
The paper’s originality results from combining the behavioural approach to B2B relationships with the concept of the RF vs DF approach. The latter concept is based on the experience and observations of its author and, as such, has so far received limited attention in the literature.
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Ron McLachlin and Paul D. Larson
The purpose of this paper is to advance thought and practice on supply chain relationship building, in the context of humanitarian logistics, drawing on lessons from leading…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance thought and practice on supply chain relationship building, in the context of humanitarian logistics, drawing on lessons from leading practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
The presentations were treated like data, enabling grounded research concerning practitioners. The presentations were recorded, transcribed, vetted, and imported into qualitative software (NVivo8) to facilitate further analysis, which led to testable propositions.
Findings
Three themes emerged, centered around relationship benefits, challenges, and advice on relationship building. Advice from the practitioners led to 11 propositions.
Research limitations/implications
While the presentations were treated as interview data, there was no opportunity to probe statements made by the speakers. Also, speakers were the sole representatives for their organizations. Finally, the findings cannot be generalized beyond the types of situations and organizations represented at the conference.
Practical implications
The propositions represent advice from experienced humanitarian practitioners on building supply chain relationships.
Social implications
Supply chains are economic entities. They are also social entities. Humanitarian supply chains involve people working together to help other people in need.
Originality/value
There are few published articles on supply chain relationship building, and only several pieces on humanitarian partnerships or relationships. This paper contributes to the literature in a novel way, by drawing on expert speakers at a humanitarian conference.
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Carolina Camén, Patrik Gottfridsson and Bo Rundh
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance of contracts in long‐term relationship building comparing public and private contexts. In order to investigate this…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance of contracts in long‐term relationship building comparing public and private contexts. In order to investigate this, the paper addresses literature about relationship building, negotiation process and the role of contracts.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes a qualitative approach and is based on comparative studies between the private and public sectors with the main focus on four companies within the public transport and paper industry. The unit of analysis is the enterprise's use of contracts in relationships. The analysis is based on the empirical material received from interviews and contextual analysis of the actual contracts. Internal and external documents have also been used in the analysis. The paper has categorized the material into different areas in relation to the relationship building.
Findings
In this paper the authors highlight the importance of contracts in the interaction between companies in different business situations. The findings in this study show that contracts function as cornerstones in relationship building. The conclusions also indicate that the type of contract used is depending of the uncertainty in the business relationship due to the relationship lifecycle. A main contribution from the study is that contracts affect the relationship building. In the private sector the relationship forms the contract while in the public sector the contract forms the relationships.
Originality/value
Previous research has mainly focused on how to manage long‐term relationships where the relationship is the result of a gradual development process between the parties and where there are few or next to no regulations regarding the interactions between the parties, for example who are involved or how the counterparty should be selected. Consequently, the results of this study adds to the literature the importance of contracts in long‐term relationship building comparing private and public contexts. Further, previous research has acknowledged that there is a need for more empirical research concerning the nature and form of contractual arrangements.
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Oscar Malca, Jean Pierre Bolaños, Francisco J. Acedo, Jorge Luis Rubio Donet and Jesus Peña-Vinces
The purpose of this study is to analyse the mediating and moderating effects of relational flexibility norms on relationship building capacities and export performance.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyse the mediating and moderating effects of relational flexibility norms on relationship building capacities and export performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study followed a quantitative and cross-sectional approach. The analysis was applied to 95 Peruvian Exporting SMEs which were examined through structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS 24.0 statistical package. The responses were gathered through telephone and personal interviews which were tested using the Mann–Whitney U test, finding no statistically significant differences.
Findings
The main finding of the study is to demonstrate the indirect effect of relational flexibility norms on the export performance of SMEs through relationship-building capabilities. In this way, these capabilities become very important variables in the export management of SMEs, since they directly affect the relationship of the Exporter–Importer dyad.
Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations is the cross-sectional type study that applies to the short-term effects of relational norms. Organizational characteristics and other factors that may affect export performance should also be considered in future research, as well as longitudinal studies should be developed.
Practical implications
The study allows SMEs to focus management efforts on strengthening the relationship – building capabilities, which are very important given SMEs' resource constraints. Therefore, an adequate management of relations with importers can contribute to the reduction of control and coordination costs; and have a positive impact on export performance. Similarly, the study contributes to the management of export promotion by suggesting that one area to be prioritized is the strengthening of the relationship capacities of exporting SMEs.
Originality/value
The study provides the analysis of the mediating effect of the relationship-building capability between relational flexibility and export performance. In this way, it enriches the theoretical analysis and contributes with the empirical evidence of an emerging country like the case of Peru.
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