Professionals take centre stage in the delivery of professional services and the role of account management has received little research attention. This thesis concerns the value of account management in professional service relationships in the audit, tax and management consultancy industry, contextualising the nature and value of account management through client and professional perspectives. It addresses the challenges of embedding the account management role in the firm as a role of the professional or a separate function. The aim of this thesis is to conceptualise a value framework for account management. Based on the principles of grounded theory, the method comprises 29 interviews with professionals, account managers and clients. Embracing an emergent, iterative process, the lenses used to reflect on these interviews include service dominant logic, relationships, the nature of professions and professionals along with client value and notions of organisational change. The emergent perceived value framework comprises five themes. Apart from the theme 'perceived value of account management', the other themes can be conceptualised at three levels: (i) external environment; (ii) firm's organisation and the professional-client relationships; (iii) and account management. Furthermore, the results indicate that professional service firms have difficulty in structuring and formalising account management implying a considerable organisational culture change management agenda. The role for account management varies between an integrated account management role performed by the professional in strategic services and by full-time dedicated account managers in more commoditised services and competitive environments. Well-embedded account management provides competitive advantage and differentiates the professional service firm.

There is a numerous of literature on Key Account Management but there is a lack of empirical research supporting the literature, especially regarding the implementation process. This study investigates five companies according to how they manage their customer relationships with main focus on their key customers. The study is based on existing KAM literature and also involves additional factors; change management and global talent management. The purpose of the study is to investigate how KAM can be more successfully implemented in Swedish companies in IT and management industry. The study was conducted with a qualitative approach and the interviews were held with Top management at five Swedish IT and management companies in Växjö. The findings show new insights into KAM implementation; Change management and Global talent management were shown to have a direct effect on the success of an implementation, which the existing theory of KAM is not emphasizing. The result of the study is visualized in a model at the end of the study.

Zugl.: Chemnitz, Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2008 u.d.T.: Seidler, Markus: Systemorientierte Prozessmodellierungen als Erklärungsansatz des Key-account-Managements in der Automobilindustrie.

Diploma thesis deals with an account management, a new phenomenon in the area of business strategies. Thesis focuses on description of a relationship among account manager in advertising agency and its costumer as well as on creation of an ideal communication model between them. Primary data were collected by a qualitative research with 13 successful account managers. The research results will be provided to account managers and will also serve to students of commer-cial communication who are interested in account manager position for the future.

Recent literature state that the relationship between buyers and sellers has gained more and more importance in business-to-business segments. The distribution of products may even end up in the shadow of these important relationships. The statement, of increased need for relationship marketing, is proven more tangible in cross-border interactions and communications. Managers who are maintaining and establishing international accounts have to acknowledge cultural differences, norms and preferences when keeping their international key accounts satisfaction. However, the practice around how cultural diversity implement the relationship process is something that could be further explored. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore cultural conflicts and dilemmas in manager’s relations with international key accounts.The thesis has a phenomenological approach, which aims at exploring personal business experiences of managers in practice. Thus, the aim is not to make general assumptions about either KAM, RM or business culture. The thesis is developed through five separate interviews with managers of different gender, practice and targeted customer culture. We mainly used Hofstede's (2017) framework when analyzing and discussing the implication of business culture on international relationships. Several strategies, both personal and business oriented, where noticed as a result of international and intercultural business collaborations. The result shows how complex the subject of business culture is and how limitations of managing cultural diversity can lead to conflicts and dilemmas.

Tidigare forskning har uppmärksammat en rad olika aspekter, delar och karaktärsdrag hos en Key Account Manager. En Key Account Manager är en nyckelspelare i jakten på att hantera och utveckla goda relationer till företagets kunder, och vars arbete kan vara en bidragande faktor till den egna organisationens framtidsutsikter. Trots detta, är studier gällande hur en Key Account Manager arbetar ännu begränsad. Uppsatsen syftar därmed till att undersöka hur arbetsprocessen ser ut för en Key Account Manager verksam inom industribolag. Med en kvalitativ metodansats, innehållandes åtta stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer identifierar studien att en Key Account Managers arbetsprocess inom ett industribolag består av fem stycken huvudsakliga aktiviteter som löper parallellt med varandra, vilka är Intern koordination och samordning, Externa möten och representation, Uppnå uppsatta KPI, Analyser och rapporter samt Interna möten, som noggrant har analyserats fram.

Background: KAM has received a lot of attention over the last decade, where organizations acknowledge the benefits, and choose to implement KAM programs within their companies. Research shows that the individual in a KAM manager role has a huge impact on the outcomes of KAM, crucially responsible for the relationships with the key accounts. Furthermore, there is a clear link between the selection of the right candidate in order to succeed with KAM, and the personality traits of a KAM manager.    Problem: Limited research has been carried out on the personality traits of KAM managers connected to the FFM, yet scholars indicate that the individual has a large effect on the outcomes of KAM. Also, few researchers study both the buyer´s and the supplier's side within KAM relationships, even though mutual benefits are an essential part of KAM.   Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify if there is an existing mutual understanding between the buyer and supplier regarding valuable traits of a KAM manager to benefit KAM outcomes.    Method: The study utilizes a qualitative research approach, collecting primary data through six semi-structured interviews. The number of participants was equally distributed between buyers and suppliers, all experienced working with KAM. A thematic analysis was then used to analyze the empirical findings.     Conclusion: Based on the results, a conclusion is drawn that there is no mutual understanding between the buyer and supplier regarding valuable traits of a KAM manager. Aligning with previous research, all participants shared the view concerning the individual's importance in KAM, however having divided opinions about which personality traits would contribute to the valuable outcomes. The buyers emphasized the importance of structure and planning relating to the personality trait conscientiousness to optimize KAM outcomes, while the suppliers rather placed focus on aspects connecting to the personality trait extraversion.

Professionals take centre stage in the delivery of professional services and the role of account management has received little research attention. This thesis concerns the value of account management in professional service relationships in the audit, tax and management consultancy industry, contextualising the nature and value of account management through client and professional perspectives. It addresses the challenges of embedding the account management role in the firm as a role of the professional or a separate function. The aim of this thesis is to conceptualise a value framework for account management. Based on the principles of grounded theory, the method comprises 29 interviews with professionals, account managers and clients. Embracing an emergent, iterative process, the lenses used to reflect on these interviews include service dominant logic, relationships, the nature of professions and professionals along with client value and notions of organisational change. The emergent perceived value framework comprises five themes. Apart from the theme ¿perceived value of account management¿, the other themes can be conceptualised at three levels: ¿ external environment; ¿ firm¿s organisation and the professional-client relationships; ¿ and account management. Furthermore, the results indicate that professional service firms have difficulty in structuring and formalising account management implying a considerable organisational culture change management agenda. The role for account management varies between an integrated account management role performed by the professional in strategic services and by full-time dedicated account managers in more commoditised services and competitive environments. Well-embedded account management provides competitive advantage and differentiates the professional service firm.

Key Account Management har blivit uppmärksammat i tidigare forskning i många aspekter, men däremot har det lagts mindre fokus på betydelsen av nätverk inom företagssamarbeten.Med bakgrund till detta har denna uppsats ett teoretiskt fokus på hur svenska banker hanterarsina nyckelkunder och vilken betydelse dessa har för det fokala företaget. För att besvaraforskningsfrågan har uppsatsen utgått från en jämförande analys mellan två svenska bankersom arbetar med B2B samarbeten. Med hjälp av kvalitativa djupintervjuer med anställda frånvardera företag har likheter och skillnader kunnat sammanställas. Utifrån detta har slutsatserdragits av att båda bankerna delar många liknande värderingar och tankesätt vad det gäller attbehålla samarbeten. Även fast bankerna har liknande strategier utifrån många synvinklar,skiljer det sig i hur de skapar nya relationella partnerskap. Avslutningsvis är synen på nätverkoch företagets identitet relativt olika mellan de två olika bankerna som studerats.

This thesis studies the adjustments and adaptations in the International Key Account Management (IKAM) strategies of Swedish Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in recent worldwide geopolitical tensions and crisis conditions towards their suppliers (Key Accounts). The tensions have sharply shifted the world economy, supply chains, and international business relations. Since SMEs form the majority of the Swedish economy, a large proportion of the focus of these SMEs is on international trade; hence, understanding the strategic responses to these challenges is essential.  The study will be conducted through a qualitative multiple-case method, featuring six business cases with different backgrounds who possess broad experience and knowledge in international trade and IKAM. The interviews will allow the research to further understand the challenges and adaptations that have been made when managing supplier relationships during crises outside of the theoretical. Through semi-structured interviews, the research will provide key factors that have affected the IKAM strategies, showcasing the importance of strategic flexibility, adaptability, and proactiveness when dealing with crisis management.  Key findings indicate that, over time, SMEs will need to become more strategically flexible, adaptable, and proactive when applying IKAM practices. Notable adjustments are the reshoring of production closer to Sweden, the diversification of the supplier base to reduce risks, and increasing preparedness for crises by giving more emphasis to communication and relationship management. The dynamic capabilities needed to assure organizational resilience are emphasized in the presented study. The conclusions developed are subject to the dynamic nature of IKAM practices vis-à-vis global uncertainties and, therefore, it provides actionable insights beneficial for Swedish SMEs to navigate future crises more effectively. As such, the current insights have added new dimensions not only to theoretical but also practical learning and have provided invaluable implications for increasing the resiliency and sustainability of SMEs in the international business environment.