Search results

This study aims to hypothesize that the implementation of information technology (IT) in industrial business relationships entails both positive and negative effects for the relationship’s continuation. The purpose is to study the digitalization of business relationships with a focus on effects on commitment in context with uncertainty and cooperation.

Hypotheses are tested with data from 353 customer relationships in the industrial market. The model suggests the impact of IT on business relationship commitment.

The results show that IT use in industrial relationships has a direct impact on commitment, as well as an indirect effect via uncertainty and cooperation, which both can increase as a result of IT use. When IT use increases uncertainty, it negatively impacts commitment, and when it increases cooperation, the effect on commitment is positive.

IT use in industrial relationships has a direct impact on commitment, as well as an indirect effect via uncertainty and cooperation, which both can increase as a result of IT use. When IT use increases uncertainty, it negatively impacts commitment, and when it increases cooperation, the effect on commitment is positive.

Awareness of the effect of IT use and the factors involved entails working with cooperative activities to counteract the negative impact there may be if the IT leads to increased uncertainty. Companies need to have knowledge regarding the effect of IT use in each of their business relationships to manage them according to their given situation.

This study contributes to industrial marketing by demonstrating that digitalization can increase uncertainty and cooperation (differently), and they have different effects on commitment, thus that there is a “bright,” as well as “dark” side to it, evident in the business relationship dynamics.

The study addresses a gap in research concerning the specific purpose of information technology (IT) in business relationships and how it impacts business development and relationship performance. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study is to investigate the prospective effects of IT on business development and relationship performance in the business relationships of industrial firms.

Building on previous research from the industrial business relationship field, 353 relationships between Swedish industrial firms and their customers are analyzed with linear structural relations in LISREL.

The findings show that the effect of IT on relationship performance is not direct but mediated by business development measured in terms of business creation and product development.

The study’s results imply that IT that is integrated in inter-firm operations has to be assigned a specific purpose to effectively influence relationship-specific performance. The results also indicate that more research is needed to provide additional insights about the relation between IT and performance in business relationships.

If the full potential of IT-based solutions could be reached, then this could lead to the generation of new products and technologies and more competitive companies, which in turn would create more jobs and greater wealth.

In conclusion, this study fills a gap in research by highlighting that IT studied with a business relationship approach is particularly important under certain conditions. As such, the study contributes to the research stream seeking to understand the role of IT in industrial marketing and how IT should be used for increasing relationship performance.

With a comparative aim, the purpose of this paper is to challenge the general assumption behind relationship longevity. The question under attention is whether firms' relationship of a discontinuous nature is different from continuous relationships and if so what this diversity entails. In the essay, a conceptual view is developed and tested statistically. The ambition is to add new knowledge to the field of business relationships.

The essay's theoretical foundation rests on relationship theory and employs the four relationship behaviour elements of trust, commitment, cooperation and adaptation. Differences/similarities in the effects among these elements are tested for two types of relationships, i.e. those of continuous and discontinuous exchange, using data from 353 Swedish firms.

The results show that a firm's behaviour in continuous relationships rests on incremental change, in the sense that the relationship elements of trust, commitment, cooperation and adaptation display sequential and progressive effects. This supports the common notion of a gradual strengthening of the business relationship resulting in longevity. Contrary to this, a firm's behaviour in discontinuous relationships is guided by the level of trust, which thus forms the base for the remaining elements. The absence of incremental change in the relationship behaviour and the pivotal role of trust mean that these relationships are weaker and are faced with interruptions and interference from competitors. Thereby business firms are confronted with different marketing challenges. The differences in the relationship behaviour of the two types signify that the view of relationships indeed needs advancement.

Falling from a continuous to a discontinuous business relationship is becoming more common due to reasons such as market crises, business or firm crisis or because of the nature of the businesses as such. While earlier research studied the relationships' continuity and discontinuity separately, this paper enriches the earlier efforts and compares the two types. Understanding the differences between the two types of relationship can enrich the knowledge, not only for researchers but also for business managers.

This study aims to formulate recommendations for business-to-business (B2B) researchers, with the potential to increase the extent to which B2B research is relevant to managers.

These recommendations are derived from and inspired by the grounded theory methodology.

In this article, we argue that conceptualizations which are potentially relevant to managers are those that discover new perspectives, simplify complexity, enable managers to take action and have an instant grab. To accomplish this as researchers, the authors emphasize fostering a beginner’s mind, creating umbrella models, increasing the level of abstraction of concepts and finding the core process in data.

In this article, we translate the basic principles within the grounded theory methodology into more general recommendations that can be used by B2B researchers.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of Google in everyday online searching activities of Swedish teenagers in different contexts.

The study is qualitative and material has been produced through interviews and observations in two different schools with participants aged 15-16. Goffman’s frame analysis provides the analytical lens for studying how activities are assigned meaning.

Three different framings in relation to using Google and googling are identified in the material: Google and fact-finding, Google as a neutral infrastructure, and Google as an authority. There is an interplay between activity, context, and interaction in defining the role of Google. In relation to school, the fact-finding framing is more pronounced whereas the infrastructure framing comes forth more in their free time activities. The authority framing cuts across both framings and underpins their trust in the search engine.

The study addresses the way that Google is embedded in online activities and how the search engine is viewed in various contexts, as well as how it is made invisible in some contexts. Previous research has not addressed Google’s role in specific in relation to various everyday uses.