Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing最新文献

Purpose

This study aims to explore the interplay of ambicultural sensitivity and relational embeddedness in the quality of B2B relationships. Specifically, it examines how these factors contribute to enhancing the adaptability, collaboration and competitive advantage of multinational corporations and institutions operating within diverse cultural landscapes.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an abductive qualitative case study methodology, this study engaged professionals from three diverse multinational corporations in Indonesia − an energy services provider, a logistics services company and a not-for-profit institution. The objective was to explore the integration and implications of ambicultural sensitivity across varied cultural and industry settings.

Findings

This study demonstrates that ambicultural sensitivity − the ability to understand, appreciate and integrate diverse cultural values − enhances B2B relationships through its manifestation in individual and organizational practices. It facilitates a dynamic merging of cultural perspectives and management approaches within intercultural interactions. Furthermore, relational embeddedness is identified as crucial for successful cross-cultural collaboration and innovation. These insights highlight the strategic value of cultural integration and sensitivity in maintaining a competitive edge in the global marketplace.

Originality/value

This study adds to the B2B marketing literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how ambicultural sensitivity and relational embeddedness operate in the context of B2B relationships.

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impacts of financial and nonfinancial incentives on the development of employee work motivation and knowledge sharing in the postpandemic environment. The paper further investigates the role of transformational leadership as a moderator in enhancing the relationship between work motivation and knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a quantitative approach, the study uses data collected from multiple informants, specifically senior managers, in Nepalese manufacturing and service business-to-business (B2B) firms.

Findings

Contrary to prior research, the results reveal that nonfinancial incentives have a stronger impact on work motivation in the postpandemic era. This enhanced work motivation, in turn, contributes to knowledge sharing, with transformational leadership further strengthening the relationship.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that B2B firms should consider moving toward leveraging nonfinancial incentives to motivate employees to develop knowledge sharing initiatives, especially in challenging circumstances such as those experienced in the postpandemic era. In addition, it is recommended that chief executive officers adopt a transformational leadership style to facilitate effective knowledge sharing within their firms.

Originality/value

In a developing economy and amid the challenges of the global pandemic, there has been limited research exploring the possible effects that financial and nonfinancial incentives could have on work motivation and knowledge sharing. This research bridges this gap by providing a fresh perspective on work motivation and knowledge management in B2B firms, contributing novel insights to the literature.

Purpose

This study aims to explore the determinants of digital technology adoption within micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) operating in a developing economy. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of fit-viability and task-technology fit models, this study investigates the impact of environmental fit, task-technology fit and viability on the intention to adopt digital technologies among MSMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This study validates the theoretical model using structural equation modeling, using data collected from 280 experienced respondents employed in the MSMEs in India.

Findings

The results indicate that both functional and symbolic benefits positively impact managers’ intention to adopt digital technology. However, subgroup analysis reveals that in the case of service enterprises, only functional benefits have a positive influence on managers’ intention to adopt digital technology. In addition, the findings underscore the crucial role of viability in shaping the intention to adopt digital technologies among MSMEs. This study highlights how functional and symbolic benefits motivate digital technology adoption in MSMEs.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of empirical studies investigating the factors influencing the adoption of digital technology by MSME firms, especially within the context of developing economies and specifically within the MSME domain. This study contributes to the theoretical discussion surrounding digital technology adoption among MSMEs in India. Through empirical research, it expands on the fit-viability model and formulates a technology adoption model within the MSME context.

Purpose

Amidst the increasing global emphasis on environmental sustainability, manufacturing firms seek to integrate eco-conscious practices into their innovation processes. This study aims to explore the intricate relationships between green learning orientation (GLO), knowledge management capability (KMC), resource orchestration capability (ROC) and two dimensions of green innovation (GI): green product innovation (GPDI) and green process innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and moderated mediation techniques were used to investigate the relationships among the constructs using data gathered from a survey of 167 manufacturing firms in the United Arab Emirates.

Findings

This study indicates that GLO significantly influences GPDI and green process innovation. Although KMC mediates the relationship between GLO and process innovation, it does not mediate the GPDI relationship. Moreover, ROC significantly strengthens the links between GLO, KMC and both the aspects of GI.

Practical implications

This study emphasises the importance of fostering a green learning culture and integrating it into product development without complex knowledge management systems. This study also highlighted the role of effective resource allocation in maximising environmental learning benefits for sustainable innovation. Organisations can achieve environmental progress by integrating green knowledge into product and process development and by investing in sustainable practices.

Originality/value

By examining various mechanisms involving moderation and mediation, this study has made a notable contribution to advancing the field of knowledge-based view theory. This study also offers enhanced insights into the interconnections among GLO, knowledge management capability, ROC and a firm’s capacity for GI.

Purpose

One of the pivotal questions facing all firms is “Who owns the customer?” Despite the longstanding acknowledgment that customer ownership is critical to a firm’s success, to date, little research attention has been afforded to conceptualizing and measuring customer ownership. This study aims to address this research gap by exploring, measuring and validating a customer ownership scale through the lens of the business-to-business salesperson.

Design/methodology/approach

The classical multi-item scale development involving a multistep process was used in developing and validating this scale measuring customer ownership. Using a grounded theory approach, the customer ownership scale is developed and justified as distinctive from customer loyalty.

Findings

The two-factor customer ownership scale reflects the underlying factors of the salesperson–customer bond and provides a pathway to empirically assess mechanisms for addressing customer migration. The findings suggest an opportunity for greater precision in both meaning and measurement for both academics and practitioners.

Originality/value

The question “Who owns the customer?” has been a venerable enigma in sales organizations, and it remains an underdeveloped construct in sales and marketing research. This research empirically explores the construct of customer ownership in a systematic manner that is conspicuously absent from extant studies.

Purpose

A digital servitization ecosystem (DSE) is a cooperation model based on the concept of value cocreation. However, capability asymmetry among enterprises can lead to unfair benefit distribution and hinder value cocreation and digital service transformation. This paper aims to investigate the impact of the varying capabilities of enterprises (manufacturers, service providers and digital technology providers) on revenue distribution when these enterprises collaborate on digital servitization transformation. This analysis is performed from an ecosystem perspective to facilitate the stable development of DSEs.

Design/methodology/approach

The rise of DSEs has engendered extensive literature, and the distribution of benefits within DSEs is in dire need of new mechanisms to adapt to the new competitive environment. The importance of investment contribution, digital servitization level, digitalization level, risk-taking ability, digital servitization effort level and brand awareness is determined by combining the expert scoring method and the entropy value method to determine different weights for manufacturers, service providers and digital technology providers. The Shapley value is used to design the benefit distribution mechanism for stable cooperation among DSE enterprises, thus providing a more scientific basis for the development of cooperative relationships.

Findings

Digital servitization is a collaborative process that involves multienterprise activities, and it is significantly affected by digital servitization level and digitalization level. Moreover, constructing the modified Shapley value benefit distribution mechanism according to the relevant capabilities of digital servitization can promote the stable development of DSEs and value cocreation among members.

Originality/value

The main contributions of this study are as follows: First, it summarizes the stability-influencing factors of DSEs on the basis of empirical and literature research on the demand for enterprise digital servitization capabilities and transformation difficulties, delves deeper into the capability composition and cooperative relationship of DSE members and combines the expert scoring method and the entropy value method to determine the weighting to design the benefit distribution mechanism. Second, it reflects system stability and development by studying the revenue distribution of DSE members, thereby expanding the ecosystem construction and business model transformation of digital servitization in the existing research.

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effect of social disruption on the use of technologies for digitizing business-to-business (B2B) processes. The aim is to assess how digitalization technologies (DT) may impact corporate performance (CP) in B2B settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is based on a questionnaire survey in Norway, and a deductive research design. A total of 216 usable questionnaires out of 356 were returned, generating a response rate of 60.6%.

Findings

This study shows that there is an effect of social disruption on DT (such as digital communication tools, social media and customer relationship management systems) in B2B settings that may impact CP.

Research limitations/implications

This study indicates that the use of technologies to digitize B2B processes may enhance CP when social disruption occurs.

Practical implications

This study offers insights to companies that need help in adapting their business processes to the changing social and technological environment. This study also highlights the importance of digitalization for business survival in the marketplace and society.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on the effect of social disruption on DT and provides opportunities for managing CP.

Purpose

This study aims to explore whether and how the two potential antecedents (i.e. relationship quality at the dyadic level and network density at the network level) affect firms’ internet-interactive capability (FIIC), referring to the capability of a specific firm to communicate and interact with the relevant partner firms on the basis of internet-interactive technologies in the internet environment and, at the same time, the following influence of FIIC on collaborative activities (i.e. joint planning and joint problem-solving).

Design/methodology/approach

This study designed a questionnaire and collected data on-site from 400 manufacturers. SmartPLS is used to validate the research model.

Findings

The results suggest that the dyadic relationship quality and network density of the partner group are both positively connected with a firm’s FIIC. Besides, FIIC is positively related to collaborative activities with its partners.

Research limitations/implications

Given the nature of our data (i.e. cross-sectional), the authors can collect longitudinal or experimental data to retest the hypotheses.

Practical implications

This study gives certain guidance for firms to be aware of the factors that motivate FIIC and use their FIIC to influence their employees’ collaborative activities in their relationships with partners, thereby promoting cooperation performance.

Originality/value

This study attempts to extend the resource-based theory based on the logic of motivation-capability by exploring the potential antecedents of FIIC and makes contributions to the current studies on the antecedents of FIIC, which provides actionable insights for firms to play the role of FIIC in interfirm interactions.