This study has been conducted in cooperation with Fläkt Woods, an industrial supplier of ventilation systems. The study only concerned chilled beams which are an explicit group of ventilation products within Fläkt Woods’ product portfolio. The purpose of the study was to explore how Fläkt Woods’ customers perceive certain elements when choosing Fläkt Woods as a supplier of chilled beams and why they perceive them the way they do. The elements include quality, service, technical performance, technical knowledge, communication, time of delivery, installation, calculation program, flexibility, market adjustment, technical documentation, relationships and geographic distance. The study has been conducted employing a combination of both a quantitative and a qualitative approach in which a questionnaire has been sent out to Fläkt Woods’ customers in order to shed light on their opinions. The results showed that most of Fläkt Woods’ customers are satisfied or even very satisfied with the elements that were investigated. The elements that the customers were most satisfied with concerning the chilled beams were quality, service and technical knowledge. They believe that Fläkt Woods’ products have a good finish, that they are easy to get in touch with, that they are able and willing to give quick answers and feedback and that they have great knowledge about their chilled beams. The element that the customers are least satisfied with and that Fläkt Woods need to improve is flexibility. Even if Fläkt Woods believe that their special solutions are flexible, their customers do not fully agree. The customers’ attitude towards the flexibility is that Fläkt Woods prefer to provide standard solutions of chilled beams rather than offering special solutions. The results also showed that Fläkt Woods’ competitors are one step ahead considering the design of chilled beams. Thus, design is an element of the marketing program that Fläkt Woods need to improve. Furthermore, the study showed that relationships and communication which represent the “soft” elements concerning human interaction are just as important as the rest of the elements. Thus, Fläkt Woods need to consider these elements as well as the others when outlining the marketing program.

<p>This study has been conducted in cooperation with Fläkt Woods, an industrial supplier of ventilation systems. The study only concerned chilled beams which are an explicit group of ventilation products within Fläkt Woods’ product portfolio. The purpose of the study was to explore how Fläkt Woods’ customers perceive certain elements when choosing Fläkt Woods as a supplier of chilled beams and why they perceive them the way they do. The elements include quality, service, technical performance, technical knowledge, communication, time of delivery, installation, calculation program, flexibility, market adjustment, technical documentation, relationships and geographic distance. The study has been conducted employing a combination of both a quantitative and a qualitative approach in which a questionnaire has been sent out to Fläkt Woods’ customers in order to shed light on their opinions.</p><p>The results showed that most of Fläkt Woods’ customers are satisfied or even very satisfied with the elements that were investigated. The elements that the customers were most satisfied with concerning the chilled beams were quality, service and technical knowledge. They believe that Fläkt Woods’ products have a good finish, that they are easy to get in touch with, that they are able and willing to give quick answers and feedback and that they have great knowledge about their chilled beams. The element that the customers are least satisfied with and that Fläkt Woods need to improve is flexibility. Even if Fläkt Woods believe that their special solutions are flexible, their customers do not fully agree. The customers’ attitude towards the flexibility is that Fläkt Woods prefer to provide standard solutions of chilled beams rather than offering special solutions. The results also showed that Fläkt Woods’ competitors are one step ahead considering the design of chilled beams. Thus, design is an element of the marketing program that Fläkt Woods need to improve. Furthermore, the study showed that relationships and communication which represent the “soft” elements concerning human interaction are just as important as the rest of the elements. Thus, Fläkt Woods need to consider these elements as well as the others when outlining the marketing program.</p>

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Management Sciences (Marketing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are known to be important for the development of economies in developing countries. This is so because SMEs create jobs therefore reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty. The South African government has done a lot to help SMEs grow and become established businesses. They offer, among other things, financial assistance and expert advice in the field of marketing, technology and venturing into foreign markets (SEDA, 2014). However, it seems that it is difficult for SMEs to establish themselves in the different sectors such as the Manufacturing, Retail, Service, Financial and Agricultural sectors. They complain among other things, of financial constraints and the global economic crisis (NCR report 2011). Olawale and Garwe (2010) go on to say that, SMEs in South Africa have a high failure rate compared to other countries and only about 7% of new SMEs become fully established firms. The reason for this might be the inability of those firms to utilise marketing and in particular branding to market their firms. Branding is the process of stamping a product, which the marketer offers with some identifying name, mark or a combination of both (Sawant 2012). Thus branding creates individuality in the product or service offered facilitating it to be distinguished and recognised in the market from competitors. For this reason different aspects of branding especially brand dimensions will be explored to identify shortcoming of SMEs branding practices to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study involved SMEs in KwaZulu Natal in the manufacturing, retail, agriculture and financial services sectors. To address the research problem a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Participants, more specifically those from the very small SME category, were selected and questionnaires were distributed to them. Those participants who responded to the questionnaire, in depth interviews were held with them. In both approaches a convenient samplings technique were used to select participants. The data will be analysed by using normal descriptive statistics and content analysis. The problem under investigation in this study is that SMEs in KZN may lack the ability to harness branding in support of their business survival. SMEs are limited financially when it comes to creating a brand. Randall (2000) says that companies face a number of challenges when it comes to creating a brand such as mature markets, brand proliferation, consumer revolt, management failure, fragmentation of media and retailer power. The contribution of the study is to help SMEs in KZN to understand branding and especially brand dimensions to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study found that SME owners have an understanding of brand creation and management. However, they agreed that more needs to be done when it comes to creating strong brands. SMEs express the brand dimension of sincerity and competence when branding their products. They face financial constraints, lack of creativity and competition as some of the challenges when it comes to creating brands. / M

The final thesis deals with creating the business plan Letsgood.com s.r.o., which create modern software. Thesis is focused on strategic management and practical experiences of the author, which are gathered during his study, employment in the software company and his business. The aim of the thesis is to create a business plan up to 2016. In the theoretical part, author focuses on the comparison of various definitions of entrepreneurship, strategic corporate management and startup establishment. The beginning of the practical part describes company and its products. Next chapter forms definition of the market category, market and strategic analysis. The result of the analysis is projected to marketing strategy. Chapter people and financial plan eventually gives readers a realistic picture of the company's ambitions.

This study investigated and distinguished between two different aspects of trust (i.e. inter-personal and inter-organisationl) in business relationships. Reviewing the extant literature, a model of business relationships was developed, bridging social exchange theory and transaction cost economics, in addition to using some ideas from the resource-based view. This model was built on an overall framework consisting of three main groups of business relationship characteristics, (1) attitudes (inter-personal and inter-organisational trust) (2) behaviours (commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments) and (3) outcomes (financial and non-economic (soft) performance). The overall framework suggested that the attitudinal characteristics affect behavioural characteristics, which consequently affect relationship outcomes. Furthermore, the role of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour as an antecedent of trust aspects was suggested in the model. In line with the overall framework, a basic model was developed with sixteen hypotheses. The model was extended considering dependence as a moderator, and suggesting two additional hypotheses.A questionnaire was designed to measure the characteristics in the model. Data collected from 331 informants (i.e. middle or senior managers knowledgeable about supplier relationships) was used to empirically test the model, using structural equation modeling. The analysis was performed testing the model fit and its underlying hypotheses, additionally using a control variable (the relationship length) and multiple-group analysis (controlling for the size of the company). Inter-personal trust and inter-organisational trust were found to be two distinct constructs (by means of implementing several techniques testing discriminant validity). The results supported the impact of inter-personal trust on inter-organisational trust, inter-personal trust impacting on commitment and information sharing while inter-organisational trust impacting on commitment, information sharing and relationship-specific investments (all in a positive way). The positive effect of behavioural characteristics on relationship outcomes was supported, commitment and relationship-specific investment influencing both financial and non-economic performance, while information sharing influencing non-economic performance. Relationship-specific investments impact positively on commitment, and financial performance impacts positively on non-economic performance. The moderating effects were supported; the positive effect of inter-organisational trust on relationship-specific investments and the positive effect of relationship-specific investments on commitment decrease as dependence increases. The negative effect of the other party’s opportunistic behaviour on trust dimensions was found, while its expected negative effect on relationship-specific investments was not supported in the whole sample. A mixture modeling approach was performed to explore this result. The negative effect was supported in a number of responses, as expected. However, surprisingly a positive effect was also found in a group of responses that were characterised by having relatively longer relationships with the supplier and observing a higher degree of opportunistic behaviour. Additionally relationship-specific investments had a stronger effect on its consequences within this group. Potential explanations for the findings with regard to this group were introduced. The research contributions and implications were also discussed.

The object of the master´s thesis is a business plan for internet portal KAMZASPORTEM.CZ, which will provide information about sports centres in Brno and surroundings. The thesis contains the theoretical introduction of the business plan and also the analysis of practical part.

Social media (SM) is an innovative strategy used to develop new forms of communication channels and platforms. This has led to a positive transformation in the marketing strategy for both small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises. There has been a lot of research conducted on the utilization of SM by Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing. However, the use of SM in Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing has not been explored as much in comparison to B2C marketing. The aim of this study is to understand the role of SM channels in B2B service-based SMEs, while also analyzing the challenges and opportunities incorporated by the integration of the SM platforms and the impact it has on B2B relationships. Our research builds on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) related “Activities-Resources-Actors (ARA) Model” and the interconnection between the three layers to understand and analyze the utilization of SM.  This study takes a qualitative case study approach to answer the research question formulated in this study by conducting semi-structured interviews. The interviewees included five respondents: two from the focal company and three from their existing business networks. From the findings, three themes were formulated to understand and analyze the data collected: Adoption decision of SM channels in the case SME and the network firm, Collaboration process with the business customers, and Content co-creation. Based on the findings we conclude that SM is an emerging tool for SMEs to incorporate it in their marketing strategy. It can help the firm to improve the bonds between the actors within the organization as well as with their customers and networks. However, the successful utilization of SM in SMEs depends on the commitment of SMEs to incorporate SM tools effectively in their operations. This can be achieved by the “Hybrid approach” by integrating SM communication with the conventional modes of communication for B2B marketing.

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Cette recherche a pour objet d’expliciter le processus d’attribution d’un nomde grands projets industriels, en étudiant l’impact du naming sur lesfournisseurs qui y participent.Sont mises en avant quatre variables majeures qui exercent une influence surles fournisseurs et façonnent la relation avec le porteur du projet endéveloppement. Une modélisation de l’impact du naming est proposée,permettant de dégager des pistes notamment en matière de branding BtoB. Letravail réalisé ici est de type exploratoire avec, comme terrain, le secteuraéronautique et en particulier une étude de cas collective et imbriquée,regroupant les trois projets Airbus : A3XX/A380, A350/A350 XWB et A30X.Caractérisée par une construction progressive et itérative, cette rechercheprocède de manière abductive avec de constants allers et retours entrel’empirique et le théorique. / The purpose of this research is to understand the naming process of complexindustrial projects, and more specifically its possible impact on the involvedsuppliers. We point out four key variables of the naming effect on suppliers,which are shaping the relationships between the prime contractor and tieronesin the project underway. A model is proposed which encompasses thediverse impacts of “project naming” on the suppliers, enabling to drawactionable conclusions in terms of B2B branding. This qualitative, searchand-discovery oriented research, is conducted in the aeronautical sector, andis based on the analysis of the collective and embedded case studies:A3XX/A380, A350/A350 XWB and A30X by Airbus. It is characterized by agradual and iterative construction, delivered through an abductive approach,where theoretical frameworks evolve simultaneously and interactively withempirical observation.

本研究主要是探討國內企業在企業市場上品牌經營之相關問題。本研究主要採用個案訪談和問卷調查的方式進行採樣研究，藉以了解下列各項問題： 問題一：促使企業經營品牌的動機為何？ 問題二：產品類別不同，品牌經營策略是否會有差異？ 問題三：品牌經營策略與品牌權益的關係為何？ 問題四：品牌經營動機是否會影響品牌經營策略？ 問題五：廠商特性是否會影響品牌經營策略？ 本研究是探討企業市場品牌經營的研究，針對本研究將企業市場分成三大產品類別：即原料零組件類，資本項目類和服務業類。本研究除了參考相關文獻外，並進行個案訪談。最後並針對中華徵信所公布製造業前500大企業與服務業前500大企業為母體，進行判斷抽樣，希望能更深入完整探討國內企業市場品牌之經營。 研究結果 1.在企業市場中，不論產品類別差異，品牌為一重要的成功關鍵因素。 2.在企業市場品牌經營的動機和希望獲得的利益前三項分別為：提高忠誠度，提高知名度和加強行銷溝通效率。 3.在企業市場中，產品類別差異並非造成品牌經營策略作法不同的因素。 4.在企業市場中品牌經營策略與品牌經營動機間存在相關性。 而主要的影響變數如研發頻率、創新頻率、創新特色和優點…，則可概括歸納成為增加品牌競爭優勢，和品牌經營動機中的提高通路合作、提高價格溢酬、提升佔有率、吸引員工、吸引外部投資、提升產品形象等產生正相關。 另一組相關性則是，品牌經營策略中的重視品質與品牌經營動機的提升產品形象和提高知名度存在正相關。 5.本研究將品牌經營政策分為三類：公司品牌為主，產品品牌為主和公司與產品品牌並重；在企業市場中，公司品牌為最重要的品牌經營政策。 6.在企業市場中，品牌經營政策的差異會造成品牌經營策略在下列幾方面上不同：提升品牌形象與價值提供，提升產品競爭優勢，提升品牌管理組織與控制，提升行銷與其他部門的整合：而品牌經營政策和品牌經營動機不同或品牌經營政策和產品類別不同並無直接的影響關係。 7.在企業市場中品牌經營策略與品牌權益間存在顯著正相關。主要的品牌經營策略如研發成果，支援服務，重視品質，分配效率…，（可概括歸納成為增加品牌競爭優勢）和品牌權益中的品質認定、市場佔有率和公司知名度等顯著相關。 8.在企業市場中，不論公司是否從事代工或從事代工的比重多寡和不論公司企業規模大小，不是造成行銷溝通方面投資差異的主因。