<p>Negotiations are a frequent part of international business. Parties involved in a negotiation face different problems in reaching a successful outcome. When the parties have different cultural backgrounds the faced problems become more complex.</p><p>The study provides for an understanding of the negotiation and influencing factors in head office subsidiary relationship. The relationship is complex since the head office and the regional subsidiaries have different cultural backgrounds. One case study is performed between a global Dutch company and two of their local subsidiaries in Japan and Korea. A framework for the analysis is developed and the factors that influence the negotiation are identified. The data were compiled from interviews from the Dutch side.</p><p>The study reveals that the negotiation between the head office and their subsidiaries is complex. Culture is not the only barrier but the cultural awareness becomes critical. Other major influences between the head office and the subsidiaries are the organisation itself, status of the atmosphere and the relationship.</p>

Negotiations are a frequent part of international business. Parties involved in a negotiation face different problems in reaching a successful outcome. When the parties have different cultural backgrounds the faced problems become more complex. The study provides for an understanding of the negotiation and influencing factors in head office subsidiary relationship. The relationship is complex since the head office and the regional subsidiaries have different cultural backgrounds. One case study is performed between a global Dutch company and two of their local subsidiaries in Japan and Korea. A framework for the analysis is developed and the factors that influence the negotiation are identified. The data were compiled from interviews from the Dutch side. The study reveals that the negotiation between the head office and their subsidiaries is complex. Culture is not the only barrier but the cultural awareness becomes critical. Other major influences between the head office and the subsidiaries are the organisation itself, status of the atmosphere and the relationship.

Research question: How is the sales network of ABB Crane system related to industrial marketing in anetwork perspective? Purpose of the research:The main task is to investigate if the sales network of ABB Crane Systems is related toestablished theory of industrial marketing in a network perspective. Method: The research strategy has been formed from a deductive approach and the empiricaldata has been gathered with a qualitative approach. Both primary and secondary data hasbeen used in order to fulfill the purpose of our paper. The empirical findings representthe primary data which was gathered through interviews with the management of ABB Crane Systems. The secondary data was gathered from journal articles, literature, ABB’s website and Mälardalen University’s databases. Conclusion: With the help of three different theories, it has been concluded that the sales network ofABB Crane Systems has a rather close relationship with Industrial Marketing in anetwork perspective. However, it has also been found that the company is not entirelyrelated to the important aspect of embeddedness in its sales network, which is adeliberate strategy in order to minimize the risks of miscommunication, maintain controlover the sales process, remain flexible, as well as not waste scarce resources. Theimplication is that the level of embeddedness in the industry depends on several factorssuch as market concentration, competition, number of projects per year, size of availableprojects, the stage in the relationship building process and overall market uncertainty. / Frågeställning: Hur är ABB Crane Systems försäljningsnätverk relaterat till nätverksperspektivet inomindustriell marknadsföring? Syfte: Huvudsyftet är att undersöka om ABB Crane Systems försäljningsnätverk är relaterat tilldet etablerade nätverksperspektivet inom industriell marknadsföring. Metod: Denna undersökning has strategiskt formats utifrån en deduktiv ansats, och denempiriska datan har samlats in med en kvalitativ metod. Både primär och sekundär datahar använts för att uppfylla syftet samt svara på frågeställningen. Empirin representerarprimärdatan vilken har samlats in genom intervjuer med chefer på ABB Crane Systems.Den sekundära datan samlades in från academiska tidskrifter, literatur, ABBs hemsida samt från databaser på Mälardalens Högskola. Slutsats: Med hjälp av tre olika teorier har slutsatsen dragits att ABB Crane Systems försäljningsnätverk har en relativt nära relation till nätverksperspektivet inom industriellmarknadsföring. Emmelertid har det även påvisats att företaget inte helt är relaterat till”embeddedness” i försäljningsnätverket, vilket är förankrat i ett medvetet strategiskt valför att minimera riskerna med missförstånd, upprätthålla kontroll över säljprocessen,bibehålla flexibilitet, likväl för att inte slösa på de begränsade resurserna. Innebörden äratt nivå av ”embeddedness” beror på flera faktorer såsom marknadskoncentration,konkurrens, antal project per år, storlek på tillgängliga project, relationsnivån i denrelationsbyggande processen, samt den överliggande osäkerheten på marknaden.

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>

In the business-to-business sector, the brand owner´s employees are increasingly playing a key role in terms of representing the brand to existing and potential customer. The role of a well-established internal brand equity can give a business-to Business Company the edge it needs in the market today. Internal branding has recently emerged as an important issue in industrial market. This study aims to find out how internal brand equity and its determinants affect the external brand equity of business-to-business companies. This study is based on previous research of internal brand equity in business-to-business setting. In this study four hypothesis were tested. Surveys were conducted among manufacturing and promotional companies in Sweden and Latvia, which resulted in 94 complete and useful response with a response-rate of 28.3%. The findings offer evidence, that internal brand equity with determinants have a great impact on the external brand equity of a firm.

Abstract This study examines the phenomenon of corporate brand co-creation in the context of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in business-to-business (B2B) markets. The aim of this study is to better understand how external stakeholders co-create a corporate brand—brand image and identity—and what characterises these brand co-creative stakeholder relationships. Branding is regarded as a social and interactive process in which the company and its stakeholders are both considered active participants. In addition to the corporate branding literature, this study builds on industrial network theory, service-dominant logic and organisational identity theory. The empirical contribution of the study is conducted using qualitative interview and case study methods to analyse the phenomenon longitudinally and from a multi-stakeholder perspective. The primary empirical data are generated through interviews of B2B SME experts and the case company’s management, employees and key partners during the period 2010–2013. Narrative approach is employed in the data generation and analysis. The study shows that corporate branding is a holistic process that is influenced by various stakeholders. In particular, the key partners can be actively involved in co-creating a company’s corporate brand. External stakeholders are involved in corporate branding through interactions with the company and other stakeholders. The study identifies a number of co-creative actions performed by external stakeholders that influence the corporate brand image, either directly or indirectly. The study also shows that stakeholder cooperation, interaction and dialogue are central in corporate brand identity development, as they help companies to understand and adapt to the competitive environment and to define the corporate brand’s unique and central features in relation to it. At the relationship level, corporate brand co-creative stakeholder relationships are characterised by dependency and mutuality. The significance of various stakeholder relationships in branding, however, varies across situations, at different stages of the company’s lifecycle and at the relationship portfolio level; they can be understood as context-dependent, evolving and dynamic. Managers can use the findings of this study to identify the key stakeholders that are central in co-creating corporate brands and to employ their resources and integrate their activities to strengthen the corporate brand. / Tiivistelmä Tämä väitöskirja tutkii yritysbrändin yhteisluomista yritystenvälisillä markkinoilla (B2B) toimivien pk-yritysten kontekstissa. Tutkimus pyrkii ymmärtämään miten yrityksen ulkoiset sidosryhmät osallistuvat yritysbrändin – brändi-imagon ja -identiteetin – luomiseen ja mikä on luonteenomaista yritysbrändiä yhteisluoville sidosryhmäsuhteille. Brändäystä tarkastellaan sosiaalisena ja vuorovaikutteisena prosessina jossa yritys ja sen eri sidosryhmät nähdään aktiivisina toimijoina. Tutkimus nojaa brändikirjallisuuden lisäksi verkostoteoriaan, palvelulähtöiseen ajatteluun sekä organisaatioidentiteetti-teoriaan. Tutkimuksen empiirinen osuus toteutettiin laadullisena haastattelu- ja tapaustutkimuksena jossa ilmiötä tarkasteltiin eri sidosryhmien näkökulmasta sekä pitkittäisesti. Tutkimuksen ensisijainen empiirinen aineisto kerättiin haastattelemalla B2B pk-yritystoiminnan asiantuntijoita sekä tapausyrityksen johtoa, henkilöstöä ja avainyhteistyökumppaneita vuosina 2010–2013. Aineiston keruussa ja analyysissa on käytetty narratiivista lähestymistapaa. Tutkimus osoittaa että yritysbrändäys on kokonaisvaltainen prosessi johon vaikuttaa yrityksen lisäksi myös sen eri sidosryhmät. Erityisesti avainyhteistyökumppanit voivat olla aktiivisesti mukana luomassa yrityksen brändiä. Yrityksen ulkoiset sidosryhmät osallistuvat yritysbrändin luomiseen vuorovaikutuksessa yrityksen sekä muiden sidosryhmien kanssa. Tutkimuksessa tunnistetaan useita ulkoisten sidosryhmien brändiä yhteisluovia toimintoja, jotka vaikuttavat yritysbrändi-imagoon joko suoraan tai epäsuorasti. Tutkimus osoittaa lisäksi, että yhteistyö, vuorovaikutus ja dialogi sidosryhmien kanssa ovat keskeisessä roolissa yritysbrändi-identiteetin kehittymisessä, sillä ne auttavat yritystä ymmärtämään sen kilpailuympäristöä, sopeutumaan sen vaatimuksiin sekä määrittelemään brändin keskeiset erottuvuustekijät suhteessa siihen. Tutkimuksen perusteella yritysbrändiä yhteisluoville sidosryhmäsuhteille on suhdetasolla ominaista riippuvuus ja vastavuoroisuus. Eri sidosryhmäsuhteiden merkitys yritysbrändin kannalta vaihtelee eri tilanteissa sekä yrityksen eri elämänvaiheissa. Suhdeportfoliotasolla brändiä yhteisluovia sidosryhmäsuhteita voidaankin luonnehtia kontekstisidonnaisiksi, muuttuviksi ja dynaamisiksi. Tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää yritysbrändäyksen kannalta keskeisten sidosryhmien tunnistamisessa sekä niiden resurssien hyödyntämisessä ja toimintojen integroimisessa brändäyksessä.

The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of how the interaction between PR consultants and PR service providers can affect the performance of a PR service, as well as showing how PR consultants and buyers can act to initiate and further develop an efficient collaboration. The study uses multimethod research and is based on a deductive approach. Empirical collection was conducted through a combination of structured and semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted on two respondent groups, one consisting of 5 PR consultants and the other consisting of 5 buyers of PR services. Each interview session was initiated with the structured questions and further elaborated with the semi-structured interviews. The results of the study show that to increase the chances of achieving a good service outcome of a public relations service, a collaboration is required where purchasers are involved in the development of the PR service. Furthermore, the respondents' views on whether clients are involved in the development of the PR service diverge. The purchasers felt that they were involved in the creative process, contrary to the PR consultants view, that the client’s involvement was limited. Similarly, to what extent the client was providing information to the creative process, there were differences in opinions. The customers considered that their ability to share information was good, while PR consultants considered it less good. The study showed that communication had a central role in the creation of a public relations service. In order to achieve efficient cooperation, both parties suggested that two-way communication is a prerequisite. All respondents felt that there are risks when purchasing a PR service since the outcome of the service cannot be guaranteed or measured until afterwards. Factors that proved to be significant for the initiation and further development of cooperation were trust and personal chemistry. The study intends to contribute knowledge and guidance on what constitutes as a working relationship between PR consultants and buyers of PR services. With this understanding, both parties can apply this knowledge to increase the chances of successful service outcomes. / Syftet med denna studie är att skapa förståelse för hur samverkan mellan PR-konsulter och inköpare av PR-tjänster kan påverka resultatet av en PR-tjänst. Samt att visa på hur PR-konsult och inköpare kan agera för att initiera och vidareutveckla ett fungerande samarbete. Studien använde sig av en flermetodsforskning och baserades på en deduktiv ansats. Empiriinsamling genomfördes i form av en kombination av strukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna genomfördes på två respondentgrupper, en bestående av ett antal om 5 PR-konsulter och en bestående av ett antal om 5 inköpare av PR-tjänster. Varje respondent intervjuades vid ett intervjutillfälle som inleddes med de strukturerade frågorna och vidare fördjupades med de semistrukturerade intervjuerna. Studiens resultat visade, för att öka chanserna att nå ett bra tjänsteutfall av en PR-tjänst krävs en samverkan där inköpare är delaktig i skapandet av PR-tjänsten. Vidare framgick att respondentgruppernas syn på huruvida inköpare är delaktiga i framtagandet av PR-tjänsten divergerar. Inköparna ansåg att de själva generellt är delaktiga i skapandeprocessen till skillnad från PR-konsulterna som ansåg att inköpares delaktighet var mindre bra. Vidare framgick liknande meningsskiljaktigheter kring huruvida inköpare generellt delger information till PRbyrån vid skapandet av en PR-tjänst. Inköparna ansåg att dess förmåga att delge information var god, medan PR-konsulterna ansåg att den var mindre bra. Studien visade att kommunikationen hade en central roll vid skapandet av en PR-tjänst. För att åstadkomma ett fungerande samarbete menade båda parter att en tvåvägskommunikation är en förutsättning. Samtliga respondenter ansåg att det finns risker vid köp av en PR-tjänst då tjänstens utfall inte kan garanteras eller mätas förrän i efterhand. Faktorer som visade sig vara betydande för initiering och vidareutveckling av ett samarbete var tillit, förtroende och personkemi. Studien ämnar att bidra med kunskap och vägledning om vad som utgör en fungerande samverkan mellan PR-konsulter och inköpare av PR-tjänster. Med denna förståelse kan båda parter tillämpa denna kunskap i syfte att öka chanserna till ett lyckat tjänsteutfall.

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 competitive electricity market faces low margins while the energy transition entails volatile electricity prices and major risks in the market. Along with these problems, there are challenges in optimizing energy portfolios, as they are based on maximized return and minimized risks. Portfolio managers handle electricity contracts for customers with the aim of offering competitive electricity contracts and at the same time achieving profit. This study therefore aims to investigate how electricity trading companies can optimize the energy portfolio for corporate customers in the Swedish electricity market. In addition, it is analyzed how these companies can adapt portfolio optimization to the challenges of the electricity market and what kind of digital systems are needed to support portfolio optimization. Previous studies in the subject have mainly focused on a quantitative approach. In this study on the other hand, a qualitative method is used. This in order to use interviews, models and theories to investigate how electricity trading companies can optimize the portfolio for their corporate customers. The study is divided into an empirical part that includes interviews with 12 electricity trading companies, as well as a theoretical part. The theoretical part deals with theories for risk management, including portfolio optimization, price hedging with electricity derivatives and the Risk Management Payoff model. In addition, the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) model is included, with the aim of strengthening relationships. The theoretical framework has been used to analyze the empirical data of the study and has resulted in conclusions that answer the research questions. The results show that in order to achieve energy portfolio optimization, futures contract is the derivative that provides the lowest risk and can be used as the optimal hedging tool. For larger corporate customers, however, forward contract is a more suitable hedging tool. This is because larger customers prefer to secure monthly contracts, rather than daily settled contracts with futures. To support portfolio management with electricity contracts, there is a need for support systems. Electricity trading companies are in need of a common system for both financial and physical trading to enable easier management. In addition, security functions in systems as well as more informative and customer-friendly systems are of interest. Portfolio optimization is customer centric, thus a strong relationship between portfolio manager and customer, with good trust and reputation, is important. Finally, adaptation in portfolio management with diversification and automation with AI, can be a way to achieve competitiveness in the electricity market also in the future.