Background: Given the situation that todays’ companies establish deeper relationships with their clients, focusing on long- term collaboration and emphasis on mutual cooperation, the communication with the clients is increasingly based on one-to- one communication. Personal selling is described in literature as one tool of the communication mix. This tool of one-to one communication has become very important. Several companies spend 8-15% of their net sales on personal selling to communicate directly with their clients, supporting them in evaluating specific needs and thus be able to offer the right product. The B2B environment is highly complex in its various characteristics. In regards to personal selling, the characteristics of intercultural aspects, B2B Relationships and Relationship Marketing has been chosen. The usage of personal selling could improve B2B Relationships. Research Question: How companies use and manage personal selling to strengthen B2B relationships? What are the cultural differencesregarding to the country of operation? Purpose: The purpose of this master thesis is to identify how personal selling can influence and strengthen B2B relationships. In this evaluation, the authors like to examine the differences in personal selling management according to the country of operation. The objective is to arrive on implications for B2B companies, especially in the IT sector. Method: The study uses an inductive research approach. The target is to arrive on new insights whether personal selling improves business- to business relations. Within the qualitative research method four case- studies of B2B IT companies from Brazil and Sweden will be evaluated. Through semi- structured personal interviews primary data will be obtained from each company. Through the conduction of the interviews in two countries, the impact of cultural aspects will be evaluated simultaneously. Theoretical Framework: The study evaluates literature about Cultural Aspects, Relationship Marketing, B2B Marketing and Sales Management in order to gain knowledge in accordance to the thesis’ research topics. B2B Markets are characterized by its complexity. The study uses those B2B characteristics which are influences by personal selling. Findings & Conclusion: Through the evaluation of the case studies in two countries, it can be outlined that personal selling has a positive impact on the establishment of long-term business relation, increase market recognition and leads to mutual business cooperation with the customer, that is necessary for future business development and product development according to customer and market demands. Understanding hereby the cultural background of the client is evaluated as an advantage on the direct communication and establishment of business relation.It is thus suggested to focus on personal selling, while providing technical advance solutions that require a high demand on communication.

Investigating an important overlooked phase of interorganizational relationship evolution, which is currently hypothesized to progress through five stages of awareness, exploration, expansion, commitment, and dissolution, this dissertation proposes that in the long road between commitment and dissolution, the quintessential interfirm relationship is likely to be characterized by aprolonged period of relationship alienation, which then becomes the immediate precursor to the dissolution stage. The dissertation utilizes social learning theory, behavior constraint theory, and alienation theory to explain apathetic behaviors of franchisees. The principal proposition is that certain characteristics of the franchise system’s operating environment inadvertently condition franchisee estrangement and failure, and the maladaptive behaviors persist even after environmental changes make success possible again. The dissertation proposes and empirically tests a conceptual model of franchisee alienation. Data from dyadic franchisee-franchisor relationships (N=185) across a wide variety of industries were obtained through a survey of franchisee organizations that were members of the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA). The results render support to the central hypothesis that franchisee alienation occurs as a result of the franchisee organization disconnecting its own actions from the outcomes of its interactions with the franchisor. Franchisee alienation is shown as a phenomenon that is extremely toxic for the franchise system as a whole, as the alienated franchisee is likely to engage in opportunistic behaviors, exhibits reduced productivity, and is inclined to litigate against the franchisor and to dissolve its relationship with the franchisor. On the basis of the findings, the dissertation offers a prescription in terms of the different strategies that can be used by the franchisor to prevent and combat franchisee alienation.

It was Thomas Babington Macaulay who once stated that “… logicians may reason about abstractions. But the great mass of men must have images”. Recent research on visualization within the manufacturing industry has been focusing around the notion of how to improve performance measures, such as the effectiveness and efficiency of completing a task. Consequently, this led to the dimension of user experience in regard to a visualization becoming relatively neglected. Furthermore, it is mentioned that concepts which are created based on how they are perceived by the customer, have shown to be of significance when creating customer value. Consequently, the purpose of this thesis was to shine light on both of the dimensions of visualization, user performance and user experience, and to study their influence on customer perceived value (CPV) in a business-to-business (B2B) relationship.This thesis was designed as a single case study of a Swedish low-volume, process oriented manufacturing company. Moreover, the case study included two units of analysis, representing current clients involved in two different projects with the company at which the case study was conducted. It is stated that one of the application areas of visualization lies in communication and it can be utilized in order to effectively convey certain information. The information which was in focus in the focal study was the information which is collected during quality control activities performed during the manufacturing process.The findings of the thesis suggest that certain aspects of visualization can have an influence on the functional and emotional dimensions of CPV in a B2B relationship. The conceptually proposed model provides an expanded view on the dimensions of visualization and helps to demonstrate how they stand in relation to the dimensions of CPV, as well as the dimensions used to measure relationship strength in a B2B context. Hereby, the evidence collected during the case study demonstrates that certain relationships between visualization and CPV are suggested to be eminent empirically as well. Thus, suggesting that visualization is an important factor to consider for practitioners in their communication with the customer. / Det var Thomas Babington Macaulay som en gång sa att ”… logiker må resonera kring abstrakta koncept. Den stora massan dock behöver bilder”. Senaste forskningen kring visualisering inom tillverkningsindustrin har fokuserat kring hur man kan utöka användarnas prestanda genom att mäta effektiviteten av nyckeltal så som precisionen av en utfört arbetsuppgift och tiden det tar att utföra uppgiften. Det har således lett till att den andra dimensionen av visualiseringar som syftar på användarnas upplevelse har blivit relativt försummad. Därutöver har det visats att för att skapa värde för kunden bör utvecklaren av ett koncept ha i åtanke hur konceptet uppfattas av kunden. Följaktligen är syftet med det här arbetet att belysa båda aspekterna av visualisering, användarens prestanda och upplevelse, för att studera hur dessa påverkar kundens uppfattade värde (KUV) i ett business-to-business (B2B) förhållande.Examensarbetet var upplagt som en fallstudie på ett svenskt process-orienterad tillverkningsföretag som producerar i låga volymer. Dessutom inkluderade fallstudien två av företagets klienter som är involverade i två olika pågående projekt med det företaget som var del av fallstudien. Ett utav områden inom vilka visualiseringar kan appliceras ligger inom kommunikation och litteraturen har därutöver påvisat att visualiseringar kan användas för att effektivt förmedla information. Informationen som var i fokus under fallstudien är den information som genereras i samband med kvalitetskontrollsaktiviteterna som genomförs under tillverkningsprocessen.Resultatet av examensarbetet antyder att visualisering kan ha en påverkan på den funktionella och emotionella dimensionen av KUV i ett B2B förhållande. Den teoretiskt föreslagna modellen expanderar dagens perspektiv på båda aspekterna av visualisering samt demonstrerar hur dessa aspekter står i relation till dimensionerna kopplade till KUV. Dessutom visas hur visualisering kan påverka de dimensionerna som används för att mäta relationsstyrka i en B2B miljö. Den empiriska data som samlades in som del av fallstudien hjälpte att antyda att vissa relationer mellan visualisering och KUV även kan fastställas i praktiken. Detta indikerar således att visualisering är en viktig faktor för företag att ta hänsyn till i deras kommunikation med kunden.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-05-25T15:30:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Battaglia_.pdf: 1050201 bytes, checksum: bee8792d1eb128655d88a9d910b50dec (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-25T15:30:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Battaglia_.pdf: 1050201 bytes, checksum: bee8792d1eb128655d88a9d910b50dec (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-06 / IFRS - Instituto Federal do Rio Grande do Sul / O conceito de product-service system (PSS) pode ser caracterizado como a extensão da operacionalidade de um bem físico, agregando-se a ele serviços especializados que permitam a promoção dos serviços oferecidos. Nesse sentido, o contexto de relacionamentos business-to-business (B2B) congrega empresas que compram bens e serviços a serem utilizados na produção/comercialização de outros bens e serviços voltados para o consumidor final. Essas interações permitem ampliar a perspectiva dos relacionamentos, agregando parcerias de longo prazo. Assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo estruturar um modelo que diagnostica o nível de maturidade de uma oferta de PSS por empresas fornecedoras em um contexto B2B. O método de pesquisa utilizado é o estudo de caso múltiplo de caráter exploratório e abordagem qualitativa. A amostra selecionada é composta por dez casos que ofertam soluções por meio do PSS, sendo cinco empresas orientadas para a manufatura e cinco orientadas vpara os serviços. Como resultados, o modelo foi capaz de diagnosticar os níveis de maturidade das empresas investigadas e se apresentou flexível para aplicação em diferentes contextos de negócios. Como contribuições acadêmicas, o modelo avança no sentido de estruturar uma base conceitual que agrega um maior número de critérios a serem considerados para a oferta de PSS, o que ainda não é observado na literatura. Também, colabora por fazer uso combinado de informações qualitativas e de escala categórica para compor os diagnósticos de maturidade. Além disso, permite a identificação do perfil das organizações em relação às práticas de PSS adotadas. Como contribuições gerenciais, o modelo oportuniza a identificação de potenciais inibidores para o desenvolvimento de uma oferta de PSS, o direcionamento de prioridades gerenciais e estratégias e, ainda, a identificação de oportunidades de melhoria para a qualificação da oferta de PSS. / The concept of product-service systems (PSS) can be characterized as the extension of the operation of a physical good, adding specialized services that allow the promotion of the services offered. In this sense, the context of relationships businessto- business (B2B) brings together companies that buy goods and services to be used in the production/sale of goods and services to be offered to the customers. These interactions expand the perspective of relationships, adding long-term partnerships. Thus, this work aims to structure a model for diagnose the maturity level of a PSS offering by supplier companies that operate in a B2B context. The research method used is the exploratory multiple case study with qualitative approach. The sample selected consists of ten cases that offer solutions through PSS; five manufacturingoriented companies and five services-oriented companies. As a result, the model was able to diagnose the maturity levels of the companies investigated and reported for application in different contexts of business. As academic contributions, the model moves forward in order to structure a conceptual basis that adds a greater number of criteria to be considered for the provision of PSS, which still is not observed in the literature. Also, it collaborates for making combined use of qualitative information and categorical scale to compose the maturity diagnostics. In addition, allows the identification of the profile of organizations in relation to PSS practices adopted. As a managerial contributions, backed the model identification of potential inhibitors to be developed to offer PSS by the supplier companies, identifying managerial priorities and important strategies to be adopted and, also, contributes for the identification of opportunities to improve the PSS offerings.

This study aims to examine how a business-to-business (B2B) relationship is affected by a decrease in physical interactions between firm representatives. Previous studies have shown that external events can affect B2B relationships but not how these effects take shape. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the need to investigate how reduced physical interactions affect B2B relationships becomes relevant. A qualitative method is used through a multiple case study where data is collected through semi-structured interviews with three firms within the Swedish vehicle financing industry. The study finds that a reduction in physical interaction between firm representatives affects the trust generated between the representatives themselves and the companies they represent. Digital interaction can only replace face-to-face communication for shorter periods of time to enable clear communication and trust in a B2B relationship. The study also finds that a company’s means of interaction leads to an adaptation in the framework of interaction in B2B relationships.