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.

It is not easy to apply XML in e-commerce development for achieving interoperability in heterogeneous environments. One of the reasons is a multitude of XML-based Frameworks for Internet Commerce (XFIC), or industrial standards. This thesis surveys 15 frameworks, i.e., ebXML, eCo Framework, UDDI, SOAP, BizTalk, cXML, ICE, Open Applications Group, RosettaNet, Wf-XML, OFX, VoiceXML, RDF, WSDL and xCBL. This thesis provides three models to systematically understand how the 15 frameworks meet the requirements of e-commerce. A hierarchical model is presented to show the purpose and focus of various XFIC initiatives. A relationship model is given to show the cooperative and competitive relationships between XFIC. A chronological model is provided to look at the development of XFIC. In addition, the thesis offers guidelines for how to apply XFIC in an e-commerce development. We have also implemented a B2B e-procurement system. That not only demonstrates the feasibility of opensource or freeware, but also validates the complementary roles of XML and Java: XML is for describing contents and Java is for automating XML documents (session handling). Auction-based dynamic pricing is also realized as a feature of interest. Moreover, the implementation shows the suitability of e-procurement for educational purposes in e-commerce development. / <p>Report code: LiU-Tek-Lic-2001:19.</p>

This thesis explores how organisations communicate and perform marketing nowadays, with social media platforms at the core of their strategic plan. Due to its high relevancy in B2B, the research is focused on LinkedIn and the effect of its affordances which will help dig deeper into the possibilities of using this particular social media platform as a means to define, build and shape company image and brand identity. It is a qualitative research that was conducted using mixed methods of case study, ethnography and corporate ethnography, where I benefited from my privileged role as a researcher and an employee to gather and use restricted and confidential data and information. This gave the study a broader perspective and, therefore, a better understanding of the phenomena from different focal points. However, knowing the limitations that being professionally involved with the company might bring, I have built my research on extensive literature and framed it within theories of 1. Social Media Marketing, 2. Brand Identity, and 3. LinkedIn Affordances, finding objectivity by justifying my thoughts or personal experiences with existing literature and theories. The study was conducted by gathering all LinkedIn posts after the launch of the company’s new website, considered the greatest event regarding communications. Hence, A total of 59 posts were then analysed and coded into the six main LinkedIn affordances (1. Networking, 2. Building a Connected Identity, 3. Personal and Professional Branding, 4. Professional Knowledge and Skills, 5. Communication and Etiquette, 6. Seeking and Securing Opportunities). The presented empirical data revealed how this case study located in Finland is no exception to the high potential organisations see in social media as part of their marketing and communications strategy and manifests several behaviours and uses explained along the 3. Literature Review, and 4. Theoretical Framework sections.

Banker har i stor utsträckning övergått från traditionella interpersonella leveranser till digitala alternativ, genom användandet av självbetjäningsteknik (SST) (Johns &amp; Perrot, 2008). Detta har medfört minskning av antalet bankkontor, framförallt i Norden (Dallerup et al. 2018; Svenska Bankföreningen, 2020). Samtidigt visar forskning att företagskunder önskar en nära och personlig relation vid anskaffandet av komplexa tjänster (Chalmers &amp; Stubs 2019). Studien adresserade därför detta genom att öka kunskapen om företagskunders uppfattning av tjänstekvalitet vid nyttjandet av banktjänster och interaktioner med deras bank genom följande forskningsfrågor: FF1: Hur kan företagskunders förväntningar på banktjänster beskrivas? FF2: Hur kan företagskunders upplevelser av banktjänster beskrivas? Metoden som nyttjades för detta var en deduktiv kvalitativ ansats med kvantitativa inslag, där semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomfördes baserade på SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1985) och SSTQUAL (Radomir och Nistor, 2012) kvalitetsdimensioner, följt av en tematisk analys. Studiens resultat pekade på följande faktorer som viktiga för hög tjänstekvalitet i banksektorn: God, tillitsfull och personlig relation Tillgänglighet och snabba beslut/handläggning Lokal närvaro/kontor Vidare sågs digital självbetjäningsteknik (SST) som ett fundamentalt behov hos företagskunderna och påverkade upplevd tjänstekvalitet vid banktjänster i liten utsträckning. Konklusionen är därför att det idag är svårt att fullt ut ersätta ansikte-mot-ansikte interaktioner med digitala SST-tjänster för företagskunder. Vid de tillfällen lokala bankkontor stängts ned uppfattade samtliga av studiens respondenter det som negativt och har som en följd antingen bytt bank eller funderar på att göra det. Banker rekommenderas att anpassa sin verksamhetsstyrning i linje med de viktigaste faktorerna för upplevd tjänstekvalitet hos företagskunder.  Framtida studier rekommenderas att undersöka; (1) Om väsentlig ökad utbredning av videomöten under 2020-2021 över tid kan ersätta behovet för lokal förankring och fysiska möten, (2) Huruvida bankers leveransmodell mot företagskunder behöver anpassas och bli mer proaktiv, för att överbrygga de få interaktioner som finns i dagens digitala värld. Detta för att bygga upp de nödvändiga relationerna och tilliten som värdesätts så högt. / Banks has largely shifted from interpersonal service deliveries to digital alternatives through the  use of self-service-technologies (SST) (Johns and Perrot, 2008). This has led to a reduction of bank branches, especially in the Nordic countries (Dallerup et al. 2018; Svenska Bankföreningen, 2020). Simultaneously research shows that banks B2B-customers wants a close and personal relationship as well as interpersonal meetings, especially in the procurement of complex services (Chalmers &amp; Stubs 2019). The study addressed this by increasing the knowledge of B2B-customers perceptions of service quality when using bank services and interactions with their bank through the following research questions:  RQ1: How can B2B-customers expectations of banking services be described? RQ2: How can B2B-customers perceptions of banking services be described?  The method used was a deductive qualitative approach with quantitative elements. Semi-structured interviews based on the quality dimensions of SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1985) and SSTQUAL (Radomir and Nistor, 2012) were conducted, followed by a thematic analysis. The study’s results deemed the following factors as important for high service quality in the banking sector:  Good, trusting, and personal relationship Availability and quick decisions/processing Local presence/branches  Furthermore, digital self-service-technologies (SST) was seen as a fundamental need among the B2B-customers and affected their perceptions of service quality in banking services to a small extent. The conclusion is that its difficult to fully replace face-to-face interactions with digital SST services for B2B-customers. At the times when local bank branches were closed, the study’s respondents perceived it as negative, and as a result they have either changed their bank or were considering doing so. It is recommended for banks to adapt their managerial strategy in line with the most important factors for perceived service quality among B2B-customers. Future studies are recommended to investigate the following: (1) If the significant increase of digital meetings during 2020-2021 over time can replace the need for local presence and physical meetings, (2) If banks delivery model towards B2B-customers needs to become more proactive to increase the number of interactions between the bank and its B2B-customers. To enhance the necessary relationships and trust that they highly value.

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered job demands and resources for international sales professionals, who faced unprecedented challenges such as the inability to travel and increased isolation due to remote work. According to the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, changes in job demands and resources significantly impact well-being, often leading to burnout. Given that international sales are already considered a highly stressful occupation understanding these changes is not only crucial for academic research but also for providing practical support to these professionals. Despite the critical importance of this issue, previous studies have yet to extensively explore the post-pandemic shifts in job demands and resources for international salespeople. This thesis presents qualitative research investigating these changes and their impact on the well-being of international sales professionals during the pandemic. Using semi-structured interviews with six international sales professionals in Japan and Sweden, the study uncovered a surprisingly positive impact of the pandemic on their overall well-being, challenging the traditional JD-R theory. This paradox has brought attention to the oversimplification of the JD-R theory.

Background: Chatbots have developed from simple algorithmic tools to advanced systems that automate and personalise B2B customer interactions, therefore improving CRM through the efficiency of service and customer satisfaction. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore the potential of chatbots as a solution to address the challenges faced by B2B customer service in today's business environment. Method: This chapter explains the utilisation of semi-structured interviews in relation to discovering challenges and later on the possible chatbot solutions for B2B customer service. It includes details on the selection of participants, data collection, and methods for data analysis. Findings: The study explores challenges and strategies in B2B customer service, where high inquiry volumes, after-hours contact, and the need for more staff are prominent issues. Factors for quality service include time, staff training, and efficient communication channels. Trust and consistency are upheld through internal communication tools and CRM technology. The participants commented on the need for quick responses and discussed the future use of technologies like chatbots. Conclusion: This thesis focuses on how chatbots can enhance B2B customer service through efficient handling of high-volume inquiries, ensuring GDPR compliance, and balancing automated responses with personalised engagement. These capabilities further service responsiveness and personalization, leading to increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty in B2B environments.

In the digital era, the question of however the role of traditional relationship marketing methods is still relevant in the landscape of business-to-business (B2B) interactions. This thesis highlights the gap of understanding how traditional and digital relationship marketing coexist within a B2B context. While the magnitude of literature has primarily focused on business-to-consumer marketing, the B2B area remains unexplored in comparison to its economic significance. This thesis therefore aims to contribute to the literature by investigating how traditional and digital relationship marketing coexists for building and maintaining relationships that have a positive impact on business development. To address our purpose, we have conducted a qualitative study, using semi- structed interviews, an inductive approach and exploratory research design, investigates the coexistence of traditional and digital relationship marketing within a B2B context. Further aiming to clarify their roles in fostering business development and network establishment. We collected primary data from six local businesses embedded in B2B networks to help us answer our research question How does traditional and digital relationship marketing coexist? Based on a combination of historical perspective, theoretical framework, and empirical data, this thesis finds that both methods are essential for fostering successful relationships. With traditional methods, like face-to-face (F2F) interactions building trust and commitment, while digital tools facilitate efficient communication and global reach. The thesis conclude that the coexistence of traditional and digital methods allows firms to balance relationship depth and efficiency, driving mutual value and sustainable growth in dynamic business environments.

Die Konzeption und Durchführung komplexer und auf Innovation ausgerichteter Produktentwicklungsprojekte ist ein fester und wesentlicher Bestandteil des Curriculums im Studiengang M.A. Produktgestaltung an der Fakultät Gestaltung der HTW-Dresden. Praxisnah und in möglichst authentischen Entwicklungsumgebungen wird in Form eines Kooperationsprojekts eine konkrete Aufgabe für ein Unternehmen bearbeitet. Für die Unternehmen sind solche Projekte Teil ihrer mehr oder weniger bereits etablierten kollaborativen Wertschöpfungsnetzwerke. Im gegenteiligen Fall werden solche Modelle von unserer Seite her an die Unternehmen herangetragen und diskutiert. In der Regel entstehen an die Semesterzeiten gebundene und ergebnisoffene Machbarkeitsstudien. Die Studierenden erhalten im Gegenzug die Möglichkeit, ihr theoretisches Wissen ganz eng an der Wirklichkeit zu üben, entsprechende Erfahrungen zu sammeln und sich über solche Projekte für die spätere Berufspraxis zu empfehlen. Die Fakultät Gestaltung hat in diesem Sinne bereits mit einer Vielzahl von Kooperationspartnern zusammengearbeitet und sehr viel positive Erfahrung sammeln können Das Projekt mit dem Arbeitstitel \"Abkantmaschine für die Industrie 4.0\" wurde für die Bystronic AG in Gotha/Thüringen erarbeitet. Die Bystronic AG ist Tochter eines schweizer Unternehmens und stellt Laserstrahlschneid-, Wasserstrahlschneid- und Abkantmaschinen her. / The design and implementation of complex and geared to innovation product development projects is an integral and essential part of the curriculum in the course MA Product design at the Design Faculty of HTW Dresden. Practical and in authentic development environments a specific task is processed for a company in the form of a cooperation project. For companies, such projects are part of their more or less established collaborative value networks. In the opposite case, such models are brought and discussed by our side to companies. Usually caused bound to the semester dates and open-ended feasibility studies. The students receive in return the opportunity to practice their theoretical knowledge very closely to reality, to gain experience and to advise on such projects in their later professional applications and practice. The Faculty of Design has worked in this sense, with a number of partners and gained a lot of positive experience. The project with the working title \"pressbrake for industry 4.0\" has been developed for Bystronic AG in Gotha/Thuringia. The Bystronic AG is a subsidiary of a Swiss company and produces laser cutting and waterjet systems as well as pressbrakes.

Under de senaste decennierna har hantering av leverantörsrelationer blivit en viktig konkurrensfaktor för företag världen över. Denna uppsats kommer delvis att presentera teorin bakom hantering av leverantörsrelationer och integrera den med värdesamskapande vilket är ytterligare en viktig aspekt för företag som önskar att implementera ett vinn-vinn-tänk med sina samarbetspartners. Studien har genomförts på inköpsavdelningen på Valmet i Karlstad med syfte att identifiera vad som är värdeskapande i ett leverantörsförhållande. Den empiriska datan har analyserats för att sedan omvandlas till aktiviteter som kan appliceras i ett tidigt skede av en produkt/projektcykel. Detta leder in på Design to Cost vilket utgör den tredje och sista grunden för litteraturstudien av detta arbete.   Denna studie inleddes med en litteraturstudie, med fokus på de tre huvudämnena; hantering av leverantörsrelationer, värdesamskapande och Design to Cost. Denna studie sammanställdes sedan i ett teoretiskt ramverk som följdes upp med en kvalitativ datainsamling. Semistrukturerade intervjuer användes under två olika delar av studien, först intervjuades anställda på Valmet i Karlstad och därefter företagets leverantörer. Under analysen jämfördes insamlad data med det teoretiska ramverket.   Resultaten visar att värdesamskapande i studiens kontext främst bygger på kommunikation och tillit. Det är också viktigt att veta i vilken fas involveringen av leverantörer bör uppnås. Eftersom det här är en studie som fokuserar på Design to Cost, rekommenderas det att involvera leverantörerna i ett tidigt skede. Som ett resultat ökar antalet möjligheter och samarbetet är mindre begränsat av tekniska designbeslut etc.   De identifierade aktiviteterna från analysen har prioriterats i en matris och en rekommendation har skapats delvis till Valmet, men också till liknande branscher. Eftersom resultatet bygger på empirisk data analyserad ur ett teoretiskt perspektiv, kan det därför motiveras att lösningarna är generella i en viss utsträckning och därmed tillämpbara i andra kontext. Aktiviteterna har delats in i 4 teman; kommunikation, samarbete, informationsdelning och kategorisering. Förslagen på aktiviteter berör bland annat utbildning, uppföljning och återkoppling, intern benchmarking, utvecklingsplaner, tvärfunktionella team, kvalitetssäkring, prognostisering, kostnadsnedbrytning samt kategorisering av leverantörer/kund och produkter. / In recent decades supply relationship management have become a competitive factor for companies worldwide. This master thesis will partly address the theory of supply relationship management and integrate it with value co-creation, which is an additional important aspect for companies wanting to implement a win-win thinking with their collaborative partners. The study have been conducted at the purchasing department at Valmet in Karlstad with the purpose of identifying value creation in a supplier relationship. The empirical data have been analyzed to represent activities that can be applied in an early stage of a product/project cycle. This leads to Design to Cost, which constitutes the third and last foundation for the literature study of this work.   This study started with a literature review, focusing on the three main subjects; supply relationship management, value co-creation and Design to Cost. This review was then concluded by a theoretical framework and followed up with a qualitative data collection. Semi-structured interviews were used in two different parts of the study, first with employees at Valmet in Karlstad and then with their suppliers. During the analysis the data was compared to the established theoretical framework.   The results show that value co-creating in the study's context is based foremost on communication and trust. It is also important to know at what phase the involvement should be accomplished. As this is a study focusing on Design to Cost it is recommended to involve the suppliers at an early stage. As a result more opportunities are given and the cooperation is less restrained by any technical design decisions etc.   The identified activities from the analysis have been prioritized and a recommendation have been created partly to Valmet, but also to similar industries. As the result is based on empirical data analyzed from a theoretical perspective, it can therefore be justified that the solutions are general to a certain extent and thus applicable in other contexts. The activities have been divided into 4 themes; communication, collaboration, information sharing and categorization. For instance, the proposals for activities concern education, follow-ups and feedback, internal benchmarking, development plans, cross-functional teams, quality assurance, forecasts, cost breakdown as well as categorization of supplier/customer and products.

The after-sales pricing industry has, as many other industries, transformed with the digital era which have enabled automatization and scalable solutions. For companies pricing over 35 000 after sales items, scalable, digital solutions is needed. “The Company” International AB offers their SaaS solution Price, which integrates with the company’s ERP system and helps gain as much profits as possible by assisting with value-based pricing.  But lately, “The Company” has realized to be able to be market leading they need to ensure a better user experience (UX). This research’s aim was to understand how design affect customer value by understanding what UX factors are important to succeed in a B2B after-sales spare part market. The main research question were thereby: How do the UX design affect the customer value on an after sales digital service?. An important note to make is that this study will focus on the market, UX design trends and customers and their needs – not how the design should be done per se (e.g. “this button should be green, not blue”).  From the literature review, the sub-elements of UX were found to be Functionality, UI Design, Usability and Affect. Moreover, Organization is found to be a vital part to enable as good the UX as possible. The review suggested all sub-elements and their units could play a part of creating enhanced customer value.  The study is based upon qualitative interviews, followed up by a quantitative validation form studying the sub-elements and CSI. The interviews were held online with video calls and lasted for about 1–1,5 hr.  The findings verify earlier studies and implications, that all UX sub-elements do affect customer value significantly. The factor with least correlation to CSI is functionality which could be explained by being a hygiene factor, not motivator factor. Another finding, in contrary to B2C research, suggests that positive emotions is not wished for in B2B software’s as the users are “forced” to use the software as it is a part of their job, but this implication need to be further researched.  To be able to use UX as a market strategy “The Company” is advised to, within the product development team, not only prioritize new functionalities but also improving existing functionalities. It is also advised to share UX goals and vision throughout the different division working with Price. Some actions advice to take to enhance Price’s UX is making error messages actionable, enabling the user to save drafts in wizards and make it possible for the user to terminate any actions in the system.