Both marketing researchers and practitioners realise that having customer relationships that enhance a firm's competitive advantage is an important strategic issue and that there is a need for relationship value measurement. But the research on relationship value measurement is limited, especially from a seller's perspective, despite numerous calls for it. The reason for the limited research might be that the nature of customer relationships is complex, largely intangible, and long-term oriented. Baxter and Matear's (2004) study directly addresses the issue of the measurement of the intangible part of the value of a business-to-business relationship from a seller's perspective. Synthesising an intellectual capital model into the relationship marketing literature, Baxter and Matear (2004) propose an intangible relationship value (IRV) model for assessing the value of the intangible part of the resources that sellers gain through their relationships with their business buyers. The IRV model has been empirically tested and supported in New Zealand's manufacturing industry. The current study replicated Baxter and Matear's (2004) study in order to further assess the validity of the IRV model and its scales. Exploratory factor analysis was used first to identify the dimensionality of the IRV. Then the four aspects of construct validity - reliability, and convergent, discriminant, and nomological validities - were examined. The exploratory factor analysis of the focal relationship value items in the questionnaire found six first-order dimensions of the IRV. As expected, these six first-order value dimensions are the same as in the Baxter and Matear (2004) study: competence, attitude, intellectual agility, relationships, organisation, and renewal and development. Further exploratory factor analysis of the summated scales of these six first-order values found two higher-order value dimensions: the human intangible value dimension and the structural intangible value dimension. Thus the dimensionality of the IRV model is supported in the current study. The exploratory factor analysis retained 36 out of the initial 42 measures developed by Baxter and Matear (2004). These 36 retained measures include 20 of the 22 measures in Baxter and Matear's (2004) final purified scales. The validity of these 36 measures was then further investigated. The reliability examination found that the measurements of the six first-order IRV constructs are reliable in the current study. Evidence was also found for the convergent and discriminant validities in the measurements of the human and structural intangible value, the convergent validity in the measurement of the IRV, and the nomological validity of the IRV construct. Thus, the 36 measures retained in the final results of the current study are valid for the respondents in the current study. The findings suggest that Baxter and Matear's (2004) intellectual capital approach to measuring IRV is appropriate. It has potentially provided a way to assess intangible value in relationships. Based on the dimensions and the measures provided by the IRV model, sellers can systematically assess the potential IRV of their current and potential customer relationships, and make their strategic decisions on how to manage these customer relationships accordingly.

Both marketing researchers and practitioners realise that having customer relationships that enhance a firm's competitive advantage is an important strategic issue and that there is a need for relationship value measurement. But the research on relationship value measurement is limited, especially from a seller's perspective, despite numerous calls for it. The reason for the limited research might be that the nature of customer relationships is complex, largely intangible, and long-term oriented. Baxter and Matear's (2004) study directly addresses the issue of the measurement of the intangible part of the value of a business-to-business relationship from a seller's perspective. Synthesising an intellectual capital model into the relationship marketing literature, Baxter and Matear (2004) propose an intangible relationship value (IRV) model for assessing the value of the intangible part of the resources that sellers gain through their relationships with their business buyers. The IRV model has been empirically tested and supported in New Zealand's manufacturing industry. The current study replicated Baxter and Matear's (2004) study in order to further assess the validity of the IRV model and its scales. Exploratory factor analysis was used first to identify the dimensionality of the IRV. Then the four aspects of construct validity - reliability, and convergent, discriminant, and nomological validities - were examined. The exploratory factor analysis of the focal relationship value items in the questionnaire found six first-order dimensions of the IRV. As expected, these six first-order value dimensions are the same as in the Baxter and Matear (2004) study: competence, attitude, intellectual agility, relationships, organisation, and renewal and development. Further exploratory factor analysis of the summated scales of these six first-order values found two higher-order value dimensions: the human intangible value dimension and the structural intangible value dimension. Thus the dimensionality of the IRV model is supported in the current study. The exploratory factor analysis retained 36 out of the initial 42 measures developed by Baxter and Matear (2004). These 36 retained measures include 20 of the 22 measures in Baxter and Matear's (2004) final purified scales. The validity of these 36 measures was then further investigated. The reliability examination found that the measurements of the six first-order IRV constructs are reliable in the current study. Evidence was also found for the convergent and discriminant validities in the measurements of the human and structural intangible value, the convergent validity in the measurement of the IRV, and the nomological validity of the IRV construct. Thus, the 36 measures retained in the final results of the current study are valid for the respondents in the current study. The findings suggest that Baxter and Matear's (2004) intellectual capital approach to measuring IRV is appropriate. It has potentially provided a way to assess intangible value in relationships. Based on the dimensions and the measures provided by the IRV model, sellers can systematically assess the potential IRV of their current and potential customer relationships, and make their strategic decisions on how to manage these customer relationships accordingly.

A firm�s relationships with its customers contribute to its organizational capital and represent an important part of its shareholder value, so the nature of the value in these relationships needs to be understood well and managed carefully. Marketing managers therefore require techniques that will assess relationship value comprehensively in order to manage their portfolio of customer relationships effectively and in order to argue for a sufficient share of the firm�s resources to develop these market based assets for competitive advantage. At present, there is a well-established technique for assessing customer profitability analysis which assigns revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities to customers and algebraically sums their value to reach a profitability figure for each customer. However, even in its more sophisticated forms, the primary focus of customer profitability analysis as it is currently used tends to be the management of profitability by way of the management of existing situations, and particularly of cost, rather than the management of the value that is potentially available in the future from the intangible aspects of a relationship. Without knowledge of the dimensions of intangible value in the relationship, the technique is restricted to assessing those relationship aspects that can be easily quantified in dollar terms by the modification of existing accounting information. This leaves a gap in the available toolbox for managers in assessing relationship value, because much of the value of a relationship may be in its intangible aspects, which at present can not be readily assessed other than by a manager�s experience and intuition. In order to develop techniques specifically for intangible value assessment, it is necessary to understand the dimensions of this intangible value. Development of scales to measure the dimensions of this intangible relationship value and development of an understanding of its structure is thus a useful research goal, which is supported by calls in the literature for the quantification of market-based assets and their value Elucidation of the dimensions and structure of intangible relationship value is therefore the goal of this thesis. Although there are recent reports in the literature of studies that include the intangible aspects of relationship value, most of those that have been conducted in a business-to-business context appear to be primarily concerned with investigating the drivers of value rather than its dimensions, and those that deal with the business-to-consumer context describe techniques to assess the aggregated value of many consumers, rather than an individual buyer as is required for business-to-business applications. The thesis therefore proposes a conceptual framework, synthesised from the intellectual capital literature, which provides a set of six dimensions and a structure of intangible business-to-business buyer-seller value. The six proposed dimensions are unique in that they cover the human aspects of the relationship extensively. The thesis describes the testing of the proposed conceptual framework. This was achieved primarily by the use of the structural equation modelling technique on survey data that was collected from managers in the New Zealand manufacturing industry, following qualitatively analysed interviews with managers. The tests support the framework and its value dimensions. The thesis therefore concludes that this research provides a contribution to the literature on value assessment and that future research should be conducted to validate its findings.

A firm�s relationships with its customers contribute to its organizational capital and represent an important part of its shareholder value, so the nature of the value in these relationships needs to be understood well and managed carefully. Marketing managers therefore require techniques that will assess relationship value comprehensively in order to manage their portfolio of customer relationships effectively and in order to argue for a sufficient share of the firm�s resources to develop these market based assets for competitive advantage. At present, there is a well-established technique for assessing customer profitability analysis which assigns revenues, expenses, assets and liabilities to customers and algebraically sums their value to reach a profitability figure for each customer. However, even in its more sophisticated forms, the primary focus of customer profitability analysis as it is currently used tends to be the management of profitability by way of the management of existing situations, and particularly of cost, rather than the management of the value that is potentially available in the future from the intangible aspects of a relationship. Without knowledge of the dimensions of intangible value in the relationship, the technique is restricted to assessing those relationship aspects that can be easily quantified in dollar terms by the modification of existing accounting information. This leaves a gap in the available toolbox for managers in assessing relationship value, because much of the value of a relationship may be in its intangible aspects, which at present can not be readily assessed other than by a manager�s experience and intuition. In order to develop techniques specifically for intangible value assessment, it is necessary to understand the dimensions of this intangible value. Development of scales to measure the dimensions of this intangible relationship value and development of an understanding of its structure is thus a useful research goal, which is supported by calls in the literature for the quantification of market-based assets and their value Elucidation of the dimensions and structure of intangible relationship value is therefore the goal of this thesis. Although there are recent reports in the literature of studies that include the intangible aspects of relationship value, most of those that have been conducted in a business-to-business context appear to be primarily concerned with investigating the drivers of value rather than its dimensions, and those that deal with the business-to-consumer context describe techniques to assess the aggregated value of many consumers, rather than an individual buyer as is required for business-to-business applications. The thesis therefore proposes a conceptual framework, synthesised from the intellectual capital literature, which provides a set of six dimensions and a structure of intangible business-to-business buyer-seller value. The six proposed dimensions are unique in that they cover the human aspects of the relationship extensively. The thesis describes the testing of the proposed conceptual framework. This was achieved primarily by the use of the structural equation modelling technique on survey data that was collected from managers in the New Zealand manufacturing industry, following qualitatively analysed interviews with managers. The tests support the framework and its value dimensions. The thesis therefore concludes that this research provides a contribution to the literature on value assessment and that future research should be conducted to validate its findings.

[pt] As empresas definem suas estratégias de marca visando maximizar lucros, aumentar competitividade e, conseqüentemente, seu valor de mercado, que é composto por ativos tangíveis e intangíveis. É fato que, o poder competitivo de uma empresa reside cada vez menos nos ativos tangíveis - como estoques, edifícios, equipamentos e máquinas - se concentrando mais em esforços para geração de valor através de ativos intangíveis. Estudos contemporâneos apontam evidências de que os ativos intangíveis têm sido responsáveis pela geração de valor adicional para empresas, sendo a marca o ativo que tem o maior destaque . Apesar de inúmeras pesquisas em branding, é observável que, empresas interpretam de forma distinta quando a questão está na melhor estratégia da marca, daí emergindo diferentes formas de administração de portfólios de marcas, com denominações diversas, até entre empresas que atuam no mesmo mercado. Diante deste contexto, a presente pesquisa objetivou analisar o impacto da adoção de determinada estratégia de marca no valor intangível das empresas, através do modelo de regressão linear múltipla, proposto por Rao, Agarwal e Dahlholf, que utiliza o quociente de Tobin (q de Tobin) como variável dependente para medir os ativos intangíveis e um conjunto de variáveis independentes que interferem no seu valor. O estudo baseou-se em uma amostra de 83 empresas do mercado brasileiro que têm suas ações negociadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo (BOVESPA), durante os anos de 2003, 2004 e 2005 e considerou a taxonomia de estratégias de marca adotada pelos citados autores, que inclui três categorias: Corporativa, Casa das Marcas e Mista. Os resultados obtidos indicam que o modelo se mostrou robusto, sinalizando que as estratégias de marca, assim como as variáveis de controle, têm impacto no valor intangível das empresas. Entretanto, os coeficientes apresentados para cada uma das variáveis independentes, bem como para as estratégias de marca diferem daqueles obtidos no estudo conduzido nos EUA. A estratégia Casa das Marcas apresentou um relacionamento positivo rejeitando a hipótese de que esta estratégia estaria relacionada a um coeficiente negativo. Em oposição a isto, o valor do coeficiente da estratégia Corporativa se mostrou positivo em linha com a hipótese sugerida, mas em amplitude inferior a da Casa das Marcas. Este fato não foi observado na pesquisa americana evidenciando a diferença de avaliação entre os dois mercados. O estudo indica, entre outros aspectos, que os investidores e consumidores avaliam de forma distinta tanto as estratégias de marca como as variáveis de controle utilizadas. / [en] Companies define their branding strategy in order to maximize profits, increase competitiveness and, as a result, their market value, which is, in its turn, composed by the company´s both tangible and intangible assets. The corporation s competitive edge is less and less based on its tangible assets - such as inventory, facilities, equipments and machinery - focusing on efforts to create value through intangible assets. Recent studies display evidence that intangible assets have been responsible for creating additional value for a company, the brand being the most relevant asset. In spite of numerous researches in branding, corporations have their own interpretation of the best branding strategy, hence the various ways to manage brand portfolios, with various denominations, even among companies operating in the same market. Regarding those aspects, this research aimed to analyze the impact caused by the deployment of a certain branding strategy in a company s intangible value, through a multiple linear regression model, developed by Rao, Agarwal and Dahlholf, which uses Tobin´s quotient (Tobin´s q) as a dependent variable to measure the intangible assets and an array of independent variables that interfere in their value. The present study was based on a sample of 83 companies operating in the Brazilian market and negotiated in São Paulo´s stock exchange (BOVESPA), between 2003 and 2005, and considered the branding strategy taxonomy used by the authors mentioned, which include three categories: Corporate, House of brands and Mixed. The results point that the model is robust, showing that branding strategies, and the control variables, cause impact in a company´s intangible value. However, the coefficients shown for each of the independent variables, and also for the branding strategies, differ from those found in the research developed in the USA. The House of Brands strategy turned out with a positive connection, rejecting the initial hypothesis that such strategy would be connected to a negative coefficient. On the other hand, the value associated with the Corporate strategy´s coefficient turned out positive, resonating with the suggested hypothesis, though in an inferior amplitude than House of Brands´. That particular point was not part of the North-American research, showing how the evaluations of the two markets differ from one another. The study indicates, among other aspects, that investors and consumers weight differently both branding strategies and the control variables used.

No description available.

The purpose of this master thesis is to provide a deeper understandingof managerial innovation impact on companies through Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR). For this objective, IKEA Karlstad was chosen for theempirical part in order to apply the theoretical framework to practicalrelevance. The method used for this thesis was a case study design includingdata collection from literature in different databases: Emerald, BusinessSource Premier, Scopus as well as Google Scholar. Regarding data collection forthe case study, three qualitative questionnaires were also distributed to IKEA:two designed for the local IT and sustainability coordinator Magnus Engstrandand one targeting employees. A quantitative questionnaire was distributed toIKEA employees too. An interview was set up with Magnus Engstrand according tothe unstructured interview guidelines. The theoretical framework focuses notonly on understanding the links between managerial innovation and CSR,managerial and technological innovations but also on the companies’ motivationto implement these actions and their impact on employees, organizations andcommunity. From our analysis of the literature it can be stated that managerialinnovation is stimulated by an internal element of the company. Managerialinnovation helps partly or entirely to develop CSR actions resulting in thecreation of positive value: tangible or intangible; or negative value accordingto value resonance or value dissonance. The case study analysis broughtexamples of how managerial innovation brings value without involvement of anytechnological innovation contradicting certain theories exposed in thetheoretical framework. At IKEA, the three different types of managerialinnovations are management, administrative and organizational innovations whichare used to develop CSR actions and constitute a minor or major part of theirimplementation. The impact of managerial innovation on CSR is translated atIKEA Karlstad as an intangible value for the company and its stakeholders. Thisthesis contributes to a better comprehension of managerial innovation conceptsin general as well as its application in a CSR strategy through concreteexamples. It can also be used as a demonstration of how managerial innovationcan be used to improve the internal and external images as well as employees’welfare and perceptions. Further qualitative research is needed to measure themanner of managerial innovations as well as quantitative studies to generalizeits impact on a larger scale.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:13:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Bonassi Ribeiro.pdf: 86191745 bytes, checksum: e31297214a676971375b552dda82dd89 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-25 / This research aims to identify the framework called environmentalism promoted by the brands and goods in print advertising in magazines Veja and Exame. It begins from a mapping of modalizations of speakers that are built in societies permeated by a disposable consumer culture. The corpus consists of a total of sixty brands that during the years 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010, have had contracts that the communication strategically follows a logical structure, environmental ethics and aesthetics to be unveiled by the semiotic analysis. The advertisements analyzed showed that syncretic sets divided into thematic groups from environmentalists had discursive currents defined by Alier as ecofriendly, worship the wild and / or environmentalism of the poor. The discursive modalizations were built in its logic biopolitics around five nodal points described by Laclau and Mouffe. When considering the process of semiosis brands as an important element in the construction of the intangible value of the goods, a second stage of analysis was done using the theory of Peirce. For this second phase of the analysis of the corpus, the brand Natura enunciator was chosen, who developed 13 advertisements. The communication contract proposed by this brand has become exemplary in terms of modalizations that summon the enunciatee to the identity of the values of the environmentalists consumers in its capitalist societies. Finally, it is concluded that the brand is the subject that transforms states, and is the sender-handler whose competence is in the modal values: want-to-do, must-do, know-how and can-do green environment / A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo identificar os regimes de convocação ao ambientalismo promovidos pelas marcas e mercadorias na publicidade impressa nas revistas Veja e Exame, partindo de um mapeamento das modalizações dos enunciadores, construídas em sociedades impregnadas por uma cultura de consumo descartável. O corpus é constituído por um total de sessenta marcas que, durante os anos de 1995, 2000, 2005 e 2010, apresentam contratos de comunicação que estrategicamente seguem uma estrutura lógica, ética e estética ambientalistas a ser desvendada pela análise semiótica. As publicidades analisadas apresentaram conjuntos sincréticos que se dividiram em grupos temáticos a partir das correntes discursivas ambientalistas definidas por Alier como ecoeficientes, de culto ao silvestre e/ou ecologismo dos pobres. As modalizações discursivas foram construídas, em sua lógica biopolítica, em torno de cinco pontos nodais, segundo conceito de Laclau e Mouffe. Ao considerar-se o processo de semiose das marcas como um elemento importante na construção do valor imaterial das mercadorias, uma segunda etapa de análise foi feita utilizando a teoria de Peirce. Para essa segunda fase da análise do corpus optou-se pela marca enunciadora Natura, que construiu 13 peças publicitárias. O contrato de comunicação proposto por essa marca tornou-se exemplar em termos das modalizações que convocam os enunciatários aos valores identitários ambientalistas de consumo nas sociedades capitalistas. Por fim, conclui-se que a marca é o sujeito que transforma estados; é o destinador manipulador cuja competência modal está nos valores: querer-fazer; deverfazer; saber-fazer e poder-fazer o ambiente verde