Η φαρμακευτική αγορά αποτελεί έναν κρίσιμο τομέα της οικονομίας και της κοινωνίας εν γένει, αφού το συναλλακτικό προϊόν της το φάρμακο, αποτελεί κοινωνικό αγαθό. Σχεδόν εδώ και έναν αιώνα η κύρια πηγή ενημέρωσης των γιατρών για τα φάρμακα ήταν και είναι οι ιατρικοί επισκέπτες. Η σχέση μεταξύ γιατρού και ιατρικού επισκέπτη είναι ιδιαίτερα πολύπλοκη και δεν περιορίζεται ως αυστηρά επαγγελματική, αλλά έχει και κοινωνικές προεκτάσεις. Βέβαια ο γιατρός έχει την επιρροή (δύναμη στη λήψη αποφάσεων), η οποία βασίζεται στην θέση και την επιστημονική του αυθεντία (κανονιστική δύναμη-normative power). Σε ένα τέτοιο πλαίσιο λήψεως αποφάσεων, οι σχέσεις ιατρών-φαρμακευτικής βιομηχανίας θα περιμέναμε να είναι μάλλον ασύμμετρες, ή μη ισορροπημένες. Με αυτή την έννοια, κάποιος θα περίμενε ότι οι σχέσεις γιατρών και ιατρικών επισκεπτών θα ήσαν περισσότερο διακριτές, χωρίς έρεισμα για ανάπτυξη μακροχρόνιων δεσμών. Από τη άλλη πλευρά, οι γιατροί χρειάζονται τις νέες γνώσεις των φαρμακευτικών εταιρειών, όπως αυτές εξελίσσονται μέσα από την διαρκή κλινική και εργαστηριακή έρευνα. Έτσι η διαδικασία στη λήψη αποφάσεων είναι πολύπλοκη- μη δομημένη σε μεγάλο βαθμό, οπότε και χρειάζεται πλούσια και άμεση διαπροσωπική επικοινωνία. Για παράδειγμα, το φαρμακευτικό προϊόν έχει μη άμεσα απτές ιδιότητες (intangible), διότι την δράση του (απόδοσή του) δεν μπορούμε να τη γνωρίζουμε, αν ο ασθενής δεν το καταναλώσει. Επομένως, ο γιατρός θα πρέπει να αναπτύξει εμπιστοσύνη σε κάποιες παραμέτρους κατά περίπτωση (π.χ. όνομα φαρμάκου, κλινικές μελέτες, αξιοπιστία ιατρικού επισκέπτη, κλπ), που πάντως καθιστούν την διαδικασία λήψης απόφασης αρκετά πολύπλοκη. Την ίδια στιγμή, οι φαρμακευτικές εταιρείες προσπαθούν να ασκούν και τον ρόλο ενός εμπειρογνώμονα, ασκώντας επιρροή γνώσης (referent power) κάνοντας έτσι την σχέση μεταξύ των παραπάνω δρώντων πιο ισόρροπη και συμμετρική. Παρόλο το αυξημένο ενδιαφέρον που υπάρχει στην υπάρχουσα φαρμακευτική αγορά και τις μεμονωμένες μελέτες, απ’ όσο γνωρίζουμε μέχρι σήμερα, δεν έχει εμφανισθεί ένα ολοκληρωμένο μοντέλο, που να εξετάζει συνολικά τις σχέσεις μεταξύ ιατρών και των αντιπροσώπων των φαρμακευτικών εταιριών (των ιατρικών επισκεπτών). Σκοπός της παρούσας ποσοτικής μελέτης είναι να καλύψει σε ένα βαθμό αυτό το κενό στην υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, ο σκοπός της παρούσας διατριβής συνίσταται στην μορφοποίηση ενός θεωρητικού μοντέλου ανάπτυξης μακροχρονίων σχέσεων μεταξύ γιατρών και ιατρικών επισκεπτών, που περιλαμβάνει αφ’ ενός μεν, ως ανεξάρτητες μεταβλητές τις επικοινωνιακές ικανότητες και ικανότητες ανάπτυξης σχέσεων εκ μέρους των ιατρικών επισκεπτών, αφ’ ετέρου δε, ως εξαρτημένες μεταβλητές μακροχρονίων σχέσεων, την εμπιστοσύνη και την δέσμευση των ιατρών και ως εξαρτημένες μεταβλητές αποτελεσματικότητας, την απόδοση των ιατρικών επισκεπτών και την ικανοποίηση των ιατρών. Το μοντέλο, επίσης, εξετάζει την ικανότητα περιβαλλοντικών μεταβλητών όπως είναι η αβεβαιότητα, ο δυναμισμός και η ένταση του ανταγωνισμού, της σύγκρουσης μεταξύ ιατρών-ιατρικών επισκεπτών, καθώς και των ψυχογραφικών χαρακτηριστικών των ιατρών, να παίξουν τον ρόλο των επιδρώντων παραγόντων (contingency factors) στις σχέσεις μεταξύ των ανεξάρτητων και εξηρτημένων μεταβλητών. Εκτός των άλλων, η έρευνα ειδικότερα επιχειρεί να αποτυπώσει και την εικόνα της ελληνικής φαρμακευτικής αγοράς, θεωρούμενης ως δυνητικό πλαίσιο ανάπτυξης σχέσεων γιατρών-ιατρικών επισκεπτών. Η μορφοποίηση του θεωρητικού μοντέλου βασίσθηκε στην υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία και αρθρογραφία που αντλήσαμε από τα επιστημονικά πεδία του μάρκετινγκ επιχειρήσεων (business-to-business marketing), του σχεσιακού μάρκετινγκ (relationship marketing), του φαρμακευτικού μάρκετινγκ, καθώς και της επιχειρηματικής ψυχολογίας. Επίσης βασίσθηκε σε πρωτογενή στοιχεία, με συνεντεύξεις από αντιπροσωπευτικούς συμμετέχοντες (key-informants), που αφορούσε κυρίως την προσαρμογή κλιμάκων μέτρησης στο περιβάλλον της έρευνάς μας. Τόσο η δειγματοληψία, όσο και οι στατιστικές αναλύσεις που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν, βασίσθηκαν στην σχετική επιστημονική βιβλιογραφία και αρθρογραφία. Το μοντέλο μας ελέχθηκε με μια σειρά αναλύσεων συσχέτισης, παλινδρομήσεων, t-test και ανάλυσης δομικών εξισώσεων (structural equation modeling), όλες βασισμένες σε αθροιστικές μεταβλητές (παράγοντες), οι οποίες είχαν προηγουμένως ελεχθεί ως προς την αντιπροσωπευτικότητα, αξιοπιστία και εγκυρότητά τους. Συμπερασματικά, όπως φάνηκε από τις αναλύσεις παλινδρόμησης, οι επικοινωνιακές ικανότητες και οι ικανότητες ανάπτυξης σχέσεων του ιατρικού επισκέπτη έχουν αρκετές στατιστικά σημαντικές συσχετίσεις με τις εξηρτημένες μεταβλητές του μοντέλου μας, την ανάπτυξη εμπιστοσύνης και δέσμευση του γιατρού, και στη συνέχεια με την αποτελεσματικότητα του ιατρικού επισκέπτη, επαληθεύοντας έτσι, τις περισσότερες από τις υποθέσεις της έρευνας. Επίσης, οι στατιστικοί δείκτες κατέδειξαν ότι το μοντέλο δομικών εξισώσεων που χρησιμοποιήσαμε συνολικά είναι δυνατό (έχει στατιστική σημαντικότητα). Ωστόσο, σύμφωνα με τα ευρήματα, φαίνεται να είναι διακριτός ο τρόπος ανάπτυξης σχέσεων των γιατρών με τους ιατρικούς επισκέπτες σε δύο επίπεδα, στο κοινωνικό και στο επαγγελματικό. Έτσι, εξαιρετικά ανεπτυγμένες προσωπικές σχέσεις με έναν γιατρό δεν συνεπάγονται αυτόματα και την συνταγογράφηση του φαρμάκου που εκπροσωπεί το ιατρικός επισκέπτης, από τον συγκεκριμένο γιατρό. Όσον αφορά την ανάλυση των ψυχογραφικών χαρακτηριστικών των γιατρών, προέκυψαν δύο ομάδες, οι αλτρουιστές και οι πραγματιστές. Από την συσχέτιση μεταξύ των δύο αυτών ομάδων με τις μεταβλητές της έρευνας φαίνεται ότι οι πραγματιστές εστιάζουν το ενδιαφέρον τους στην ανάπτυξη εμπιστοσύνης με τον ιατρικό επισκέπτη και στον τρόπο που αυτός ανταποκρίνεται στα αιτήματά τους. Από την άλλη πλευρά, οι αλτρουιστές φαίνεται ότι είναι στραμμένοι περισσότερο και προς την γενικότερη ανάπτυξη σχέσεων και την απόκτηση πληροφόρησης γύρω από τα φάρμακα, για αυτό και φαίνεται να δίνουν μεγάλη σημασία στην ικανοποίηση από την επικοινωνία. Αναφορικά με τους παράγοντες επιρροής (contingency factors) του περιβάλλοντος, παρατηρούμε ότι υψηλός ανταγωνισμός, υψηλός δυναμισμός (μεταβλητικότητα της τεχνολογίας) και υψηλή αβεβαιότητα επηρεάζουν τις σχέσεις μεταξύ των ανεξάρτητων και εξηρτημένων μεταβλητών. Το περιβάλλον είναι εκείνο μέσα στο οποίο λειτουργεί η σχέση και, όπως φαίνεται, επηρεάζει τις συνιστώσες της. Ομοίως, η σύγκρουση μεταξύ γιατρού-ιατρικού επισκέπτη, καθώς και η προσωπικότητα του γιατρού φαίνεται ότι επηρεάζουν τις υπό εξέταση σχέσεις της μελέτης μας. Tα συμπεράσματα οδηγούν σε ορισμένες επιπτώσεις και προτάσεις για τα στελέχη των φαρμακευτικών εταιρειών καθώς και σε προτάσεις για περαιτέρω έρευνα. / The pharmaceutical market is a key asset of the economy and the society in general, since drugs, its transaction products, are public goods. For almost a century, the main source of information for doctors, about medicines, are pharmaceutical representatives. The relationship between a physician and a pharmaceutical representative is particularly complicated, and it is not stringent professional but has also social implications. Of course, the doctor has the power in decision making, which is based on position and scientific authority (normative power). In such decision making context, relations between doctors and pharmaceutical industry would be expected to be rather asymmetrical, or unbalanced. In this sense, one would expect that the relationships of doctors and pharmaceutical representatives would be more distinct, without the basis for developing long term bonds. On the other hand, doctors need new scientific data, as knowledge progresses through the ongoing clinical and laboratory research of the pharmaceutical companies. So the decision-making process is complex, greatly unstructured, and requires frequent face to face communication. For example, medicines do not have directly tangible properties, because we cannot know the action (performance) of any medicine, if the patient does not consume it first. Therefore, the physician should initialliy develop confidence in some parameters of the drug as appropriate (e.g. brand name of the drug, clinical trials, pharmaceutical representative reliability, etc.), which, however, makes the decision process very complicated. At the same time, pharmaceutical companies are trying to perform the role of an expert, exerting influence knowledge (referent power) thus making the relationship between these actors more balanced and symmetrical. Despite the increased interest in the pharmaceutical market and the individual studies that exist to date, there has not emerged, to our knowledge, an integrated model that comprehensively address the relationships between doctors and representatives of pharmaceutical companies. The purpose of this quantitative study is to cater to a certain extent this gap in the existing literature. More specifically, the purpose of this study is to formulate a theoretical model for developing long-term relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives, which includes on one hand, as independent variables communication skills and relationship development skills by pharmaceutical representatives, and on the other hand as dependent variables of longterm relationships, trust and commitment of doctors and dependent variables of effectiveness, the performance of pharmaceutical representatives and satisfaction of physicians. The model also examines the ability of a.) environmental variables such as uncertainty, dynamism and intensity of competition, b.) conflict between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives, and c.) psychographic characteristics of physicians, playing the role of contingency factors in relationships between independent and dependent variables. Among other things, the research specifically seeks to capture the image of the Greek pharmaceutical market, viewed as a potential framework for developing relations between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives. In conclusion, as shown by the regression analysis, communication skills and relationship skills development of the pharmaceutical representative have several statistically significant correlations with the dependent variables of our model, trust and commitment of the doctor, and the effectiveness of the pharmaceutical representative, confirming thus, most of the hypotheses of the research. Also, statistical indicators show that the structural equation model is overall possible (is statistically significant). However, according to the findings it appears that doctors are developing relationships with pharmaceutical representatives in two distinct levels, social and professional. So highly developed personal relationships with one doctor, does not automatically imply prescribing the drug, the pharmaceutical representative promotes, from the individual physician. Regarding the analysis of psychographic characteristics of the physicians, emerged two groups, altruists and pragmatists. From the correlation between these two groups with the variables of the survey it seems that pragmatists focus their interest on developing trust with the pharmaceutical representative and on his responsiveness. On the other hand, altruists seem to be mainly facing towards overall development of relationships, the acquisition of information about medicines, and to give great importance to the satisfaction from communication. With respect to contingency factors, as far as environment is concerned, we observe that high competition, high dynamism (variability technology) and high uncertainty affect the relations between the independent and dependent variables. The environment is the one in which the relationship operates and as it is shown affects its components. Similarly, conflict between doctor and pharmaceutical representative, and doctor's personality appear to influence ongoing relationships of our study. These conclusions lead to some implications and suggestions for managers of pharmaceutical companies as well as suggestions for further research.

This study provides an understanding on how Relationship Quality is conceptualised in business-to-business marketing relationships. It investigates the relationships of Jordanian Banks with their small and medium sized enterprise (SMEs) customers in terms of Commitment, Satisfaction, Trust, Communication, Transparency, Understanding, and Cooperation. It examines the antecedents and outcomes of the quality of corporate customer relationships by developing a conceptual model which empirically tests this relationship. This research builds and validates a research model based on the literature survey and uses a mixed methods approach. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews to achieve the goal of refining the initial research model. The second stage is a quantitative empirical study that uses a questionnaire and tests the empirical model generated in the first stage. This integration of methods provides a more complete view of this emerging area of marketing theory. Using Structural Equation Modelling; research findings support the use of a secondorder relationship quality construct consisting of Trust, Commitment, and Satisfaction as a direct outcome of a relationship and is named 'Attitudinal Loyalty'. Antecedents including; Transparency, Communication, Understanding and Cooperation were found to have a positive impact on relational outcome in a business-to-business context in Jordan. The importance of Transparency emerged as one of the most significant determinants of Relationship Quality, which is considered to be a new finding and not common among previous studies. Communication appears to make the biggest contribution overall and have direct and indirect relationships with other variables. It is therefore a major source of success in a business relationship. This research has several implications for the theory and practice. An important issue is the affects on change management. It requires the establishment of business communications to strengthen existing relationships and to form new ones. This implies developing an interactive approach with other parties. This study gives the banking industry an insight for developing their marketing strategy. It also provides a tool to assess the portfolio of relationships, which helps in targeting specific customers. Furthermore, Transparency in the flow of information imposes cultural change. Studying the Jordanian market can help to provide an insight into an emerging economy. Several qualitative findings showed that the relationship between banks and their small and medium enterprises is interesting. All this enriches and adds to the originality of this work and contributes to existing theory by investigating how relationships between partners can be enhanced.

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om och hur medverkandet i en organisation som BNI kan hjälpa dess medlemmar att identifiera och etablera relationer. Organisationen erbjuder dess medlemmar en möjlighet att genom en serie av interaktioner med varandra utbyta referenser; genom utnyttjandet av varandras kontaktnätverk. Detta har undersökts genom en kvalitativ studie på BNI Uppsala. Studien består av djupintervjuer med regionsansvarig och fyra medlemmar, en observationsstudie av ett frukostmöte samt studerandet av diverse sekundärdata. Genom vår analys gentemot aktuell teori inom ämnet har vi kunnat påvisa medlemmarna erbjuds en plattform för både sociala och affärsmässiga interaktioner och därigenom etablerandet av relationer med andra aktörer. Medlemmarna hjälper genom konceptet även varandra att identifiera kunder och samarbetspartners utanför BNI:s nätverk.</p> / <p>The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if and how participation in an organization similar to BNI can contribute to identifying and establishing relationships for its members. The organization offers its member a possibility, through a series of interactions to exchange referrals with one another, through the use of each other’s personal networks. This has been investigated through a qualitative study on BNI Uppsala. The study consists of deep interviews with the region manager and four members, an observation study as well as the revision of various secondary data. Through our analysis towards relevant theories within the area, we have been able to show that the members are offered a platform for both social and business-to-business interaction and through that the establishments of relationships. The members also help each other in identifying customers and partners outside of the network of BNI.</p>

The thesis aims to describe the current sales climate in the context of complex sales in business-to-business. The purpose is to increase the clients knowledge of sales and test the clients hypothesis that the sales climate is changing from Solution Selling to Insight Selling, further the thesis aims to contribute to the scientific debate of sales. Solution Selling is characterized, as the name suggest, by selling of solution to the customers needs. With Insight Selling the seller has a provocative approach towards the customer and the seller is searching for customers in the need of change. This is a qualitative study conducted with eight interviews and one focus group. The analysis shows that the high availability of information and the digital development have a strong influence on the current sales climate. The customers have higher knowledge that leads to higher pressure on the sales representatives to understand the technology, processes, organization and business of the customer. The analysis also show that the automation of sales increases by e-commerce and CRM-systems, but the personal contact with the seller do play an important part in the customer relationship. In the context of complex sales there is a need for better and increased collaboration and communication within the seller organization. There is some support for a need to change the sales management systems from today’s financial short-term goals, to a management system that supports long-term growth and encourage innovation. The benefits of the short-term goals are that they are clear and specific which serves as a high motivator for some salesmen. The analysis suggests that sellers prefer stable customers with a regular buying behavior prior to customers in the need for change that Insight Selling states. It seems that Solution Selling still are a major part of todays sales, but Insight Selling may be a method of differentiation for new companies or in contact with new customers. / Denna uppsats ämnar till att beskriva nuvarande säljklimat i kontexten av komplex försäljning i business-to-business. Syftet är att bidra med en kunskapsbas om försäljning till uppdragsgivaren samt testa uppdragsgivarens hypotes om att säljklimatet förändras från Solution Selling till Insight Selling, vidare syftar uppsatsen till att bidra till den vetenskapliga debatten om försäljning. Solution Selling karakteriseras av försäljning av lösningar till kunders behov, i Insight Selling antar säljaren en utmanade strategi gentemot kunden och söker efter kunder i behov av förändring. Detta har studerats kvalitativt genom åtta intervjuer och en fokusgrupp. Analysen visar att nuvarande säljklimat är starkt präglat av tillgången på information och den digitala utvecklingen, det har höjt kundernas kunskap och detta ställer nya krav på säljarna att förstå kundernas teknik, processer, organisation, affär etc. Det framgår även att automatiseringen av försäljning genom e-handel, CRM-system och andra lösningar ökar, men att den personliga kontakten med en säljare fortfarande fyller en viktig funktion i kundrelationen. Vidare kan man se att komplex försäljning ställer högre krav på samarbete och ökad kommunikation internt i organisationen samt att detta brister i flera organisationer. Adamson et al. (2012) menar att detta kräver en förändring i säljstyrningen som idag består av kortsiktiga finansiella säljmål, förespråkarna av en förändrad styrning menar att dagens styrning inte gynnar långsiktig utveckling och ökad innovation. Fördelarna med de kortsiktiga målen är att de är tydliga och konkreta vilket motiverar vissa säljare. Analysen tyder på att säljarna föredrar stabila och återkommande kunder framför kunder i förändring vilket tyder på att Solution Selling fortfarande är mycket aktuellt. Insight Selling kan dock vara en metod för att differentiera sig mot nya företag eller i kontakten med nya kunder.

With widespread use of the Internet, data is often shared between organizations in B2B health care networks. Integrating data across all sources in a health care network would be useful to public health surveillance and provide a complete view of how the overall network is performing. Because of the lack of standardization for a common data model across organizations, matching identities between different locations in order to link and aggregate records is difficult. Moreover, privacy legislation controls the use of personal information, and health care data is very sensitive in nature so the protection of data privacy and prevention of personal health information leaks is more important than ever. Throughout the process of integrating data sets from different organizations, consent (explicitly or implicitly) and/or permission to use must be in place, data sets must be de-identified, and identity must be protected. Furthermore, one must ensure that combining data sets from different data sources into a single consolidated data set does not create data that may be potentially re-identified even when only summary data records are created. In this thesis, we propose new privacy preserving data integration protocols for public health surveillance, identify a set of privacy preserving data integration patterns, and propose a supporting framework that combines a methodology and architecture with which to implement these protocols in practice. Our work is validated with two real world case studies that were developed in partnership with two different public health surveillance organizations.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur varumärken och tillit samt sociala medier och engagemang betraktas utifrån företagskundens perspektiv. Detta för att kunna beskriva om kombinationen relationsmarknadsföring, varumärken och sociala medier är aktuellt i försörjningskedjans sista led gällande flödet av produkter som inte hör till inköparens kärnverksamhet. Studien syftar till att belysa företagskundens perspektiv när det kommer till affärsrelationer till företag som säljer inventarier och inredning till affärsmiljöer. För att uppnå syftet har studiens huvudsakliga forskningsfråga utformats: “Hur betraktar dagens företagskunder en kombination av komponenterna relationsmarknadsföring, varumärken och sociala medier?”. Därefter har delfrågor utformats som syftar till att underlätta besvarandet av den huvudsakliga forskningsfrågan. Studien avser därmed att forska inom det teoretiska området för relationsmarknadsföring, varumärken och sociala medier. Den metod som tillämpats är kvalitativ med en deduktiv ansats, kombinerat med en fallstudie av sex företagskunder för att fånga deras perspektiv inom ämnet. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsats är att dagens företagskunder är öppna för den presenterade kombinationen av komponenterna relationsmarknadsföring, varumärken och sociala medier men att det är en sammansättning som hör till framtiden. Detta på grund av att sociala medier utgör den komponent som inte kan betraktas som helt implementerad på dagens Business-to-Business marknad. Därför genereras praktiska rekommendationer kring att säljande företag bör introducera sociala medier till sina företagskunder och teoretiskt sett så bör framtida forskare ta avstamp från sociala medier ur ett relationsperspektiv när det kommer till att utveckla generaliserbart resultat.

Aim of the study is to understand the elements that can be used in terms of product customisation within the business to business spectrum, to gain a competitive advantage as a manufacturing company by meeting international customers needs. Methods for the study are single case-study with a qualitative research strategy of a using an inductive approach. A semi-structured interview approach was used, with interviews conducted face-to-face and over the phone. There were 10 interviewees all based in Sweden with at least 5 years of experience. Results and Conclusions showed that product customisation is an effective form of strategy in order to achieve a competitive advantage and successfully expand internationally for a company within the manufacturing industry operating in the business to business market. The research showed the elements, internationalisation, culture, product strategy and knowledge transfer, that businesses can use in order to achieve these benefits. Suggestions for further research is to conduct a similar qualitative study using a multiple case-study of manufacturing companies within the business to business industry. In order to gain a broader scope of information, a range of international markets is suggested. Additional to this a study into services customisation in the business to business industry could add further insights into customisation as an international business strategy. A product and services customisation mix too is suggested as further research and how the mix of the two can be used to gain competitive advantage. Contribution of the thesis in international business literature is the benefits and insights of product customisation within the manufacturing industry. It also shows some of the current trends and directions of the B2B manufacturing industry.

Este estudo aborda a relação entre o marketing de relacionamento e a competitividade no mercado empresarial. O tema é enfocado a partir de uma revisão teórica, considerando três tópicos: 1 marketing estratégico e competitividade, 2 marketing empresarial e 3 marketing de relacionamento, os quais dão origem às questões investigativas a serem analisadas. A pesquisa de campo, de natureza qualitativa, utiliza o método de estudo de caso único, seguindo o processo de construção proposto por Eisenhardt (1989, p.533). O estudo de caso analisa a subsidiária brasileira da empresa multinacional, em sua unidade produtora de defensivos agrícolas, que possui, desde 1998, o programa de relacionamento com o agricultor. O caso aponta alguns fatores externos e internos relacionados ao uso do marketing de relacionamento no mercado empresarial. Os fatores analisados levam a empresa a adotar uma estratégia de ida ao mercado baseada em uma atitude diferenciada para com os clientes de maior valor, como é o caso dos agricultores participantes do programa. A implantação do marketing de relacionamento para esses clientes se baseia em um atendimento diferenciado e na oferta de benefícios relacionados ao aumento da produtividade do agricultor ao longo do tempo, safra após safra. O trabalho finaliza com uma proposta de sistematização dos fatores, externos e internos, que induzem ao uso do marketing de relacionamento no mercado empresarial. / The subject of this study concerns the relationship between competitive strategies and relationship marketing inside the business-to-business market. The subject is reviewed theoretical considering three topics: 1 strategic marketing and competitive strategy; 2 business-to-business marketing and 3 relationship marketing. These topics were analyzed during the field research. This study is based on a qualitative research, following the process of building theory from case study research proposed by Eisenhardt (1989, p. 533). This case study analyses the crop protection division of a Brazilian subsidiary of a multinational enterprise, which counts with a customer relationship program since 1998. The Case indicated some external and internal factors related to the use of relationship marketing in the business-to-business market. These factors allow the company to define a go to market strategy based on treating different customers in different ways, as the company is developing the Program. In this case, relationship marketing is implemented by offering benefits that helps to increase productivity to the farmer, with an personalized service, internal support, time after time. This study proposes in the end a scheme that point the external factors and internal factors related with the adoption from relationship marketing in business-to-business industry.

The study examines how social media can be used in a business-to-business context. To understand the communication conditions, factors has been identified that affects the choice of communication channels for different types of information transferred between parts. Furthermore, the study investigates the underlying reasons for why certain communication channels are chosen before others, in different situations. The study results are based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with employees in a small engineering consulting company. The investigation has focused on employee communication and choice of communication tools primarily in relation to the business relationship. The study answers the following questions: What factors may contribute to the selection of different communication tools in business-to-business? What are the conditions and reasons for employees to use social media in business-to-business? What opportunities can social media pose for managing knowledge exchange with customers in business-to-business? The theoretical framework is based on Media Richness Theory and Social Influence Theory. The results show that factors that affect use of social media between businesses are 1) social environmental influences on attitudes towards social media (positive or negative), 2) individual analogue and digital values, 3) social media are primarily used in a private context 4) individual&apos;s role and level within the company. It is proposed that companies require strategies and increased knowledge to operate efficiently with social media in business to business. The results also shows that factors affecting the choice of communications channels between employees and business relationship are: 1) context-dependent, 2) the availability and accessibility, 3) the role and level in the company, 4) customer relationship development, 5) the information degree of ambiguity, 6) communication channel degree of &quot;richness&quot;, 7) urgency, 8) confirmation of agreement. / Program: Magisterutbildning i strategisk information och kommunikation

A gestão do valor para o cliente é uma estratégia de marketing fundamental para que as empresas em ambientes altamente competitivos obtenham vantagem competitiva e ofereçam valor superior aos clientes, contribuindo assim para suas estratégias de crescimento de forma sustentável. Neste contexto, esta tese teve por objetivo propor um novo esquema integrado para mapeamento e gestão do valor para o cliente, que contribuísse para melhorar as estratégias competitivas das organizações no mercado empresarial, de forma que ofertem e obtenham valor superior. Para atingir tal objetivo, foram analisadas inicialmente a hierarquia das estratégias, iniciando pelo estudo da estratégia de crescimento. Em seguida foram estudadas as estratégias competitivas, onde foram analisados em profundidade os modelos propostos por diferentes autores. Na seqüência, foram analisadas as estratégias funcionais, em específico as de marketing, no que tange à orientação para mercado, segmentação e posicionamento, com foco no mercado empresarial. Por fim, foram estudadas as teorias acerca da gestão de valor para o cliente, com foco no mercado empresarial, identificando suas implicações e impactos para as estratégias corporativas e competitivas das organizações. Ao final da revisão da literatura, foi proposto um esquema integrado para gestão do valor para o cliente, onde se procurou combinar os aspectos que melhoram o valor da oferta de uma organização ao mercado, a análise da mudança dos atributos valorizados ao longo do tempo pelo cliente, a melhor comunicação dos valores oferecidos e a análise da performance de mercado. Para complementar e enriquecer o esquema proposto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de campo por meio de um estudo de caso no mercado empresarial. A escolha da EMPRESA K se deu em função de sua relevante participação no segmento de mercado em que atua, e devido às importantes inovações tecnológicas que contribuem para o desenvolvimento do setor. Foram entrevistados dezesseis colaboradores de diferentes níveis hierárquicos, das áreas comercial, de marketing e de serviços. A análise das entrevistas realizadas na EMPRESA K foi importante para melhorar o esquema integrado proposto na revisão da literatura. Assim, foi possível delinear um novo esquema integrado, composto de seis etapas, visando contribuir para a elaboração de modelos de gestão do valor para o cliente e proporcionar às empresas do mercado empresarial uma ferramenta que contribuirá para a obtenção de performance superior. / Customer Value Management is a marketing strategy for companies in highly competitive environments that want to gain competitive advantage and deliver superior value to their customers, and as a consequence, to contribute to their growth strategies in a sustainable way. In this context, this thesis aims to propose a new integrated scheme for mapping and managing customer value, which contributes to improving the companies competitive strategies in the business to business market in order to provide and obtain superior value. To achieve this goal, the concept of strategy hierarchy was firstly analyzed taking into consideration the study of growth strategy. Secondly, the idea of competitive strategies was studied and it was developed an in-depth analysis of the models described by different authors. Then, the concept of functional strategies was analyzed, specially the marketing one, regarding market orientation, segmentation and positioning, focused on business to business market. Finally, the theories about Customer Value Management were researched, focused on business to business market, by identifying its implications and impacts to corporate and competitive strategies in organizations. At the end of the literature review, an integrated scheme was presented for Customer Value Management, which proposed to combine the aspects that improve the delivering value of a company in the market, the analysis of its changing attributes valued over time by the customer, the best communication of these values and the analysis of its market performance. To complement and enrich the proposed scheme, it was made a field research through a case study in the business to business market. COMPANY K was chosen since it has had a considerable market share in the segment in which it operates, and also due to its important technological innovations that have contributed to its sector development. Sixteen business collaborators from different hierarchical levels were interviewed, such as sales, services and marketing departments. The analysis of the interviews in COMPANY K was important to improve the proposed integrated scheme in the literature review. All in all, it was possible to outline a new integrated scheme, composed of six steps in order to contribute for the development of Customer Value Management models and to provide a tool which will help the companies to achieve a top performance in the business to business market.