社群商務(Social Commerce)最早在2005年在雅虎官方部落格Yahoo Search Blog首次成為一個字詞，其後十幾年變化出更多形式，包括團購、募資、購物網站的論壇、社群網站等多元形式。本研究著重於探討在社群網站上的社群商務行為。 社群網站除了友誼聯繫與資訊交流的功能外，也提供越來越多服務及平台機制，其中一項即是社群商務。依台灣網路用戶來看，超過九成的網路用戶每月都會使用Facebook，是亞太區滲透率最高的市場，因此本研究將以Facebook作為觀察社群商務的代表社群平台，觀察賣家在社群平台上進行關係行銷的方式。 依照賣家面向的顧客類型可以分成主要面向認識的人與主要面向陌生人等兩種經營社群商務模式，由於不管是認識的人或陌生人，大家在Facebook上大家都互為「好友」，因此賣家向Facebook好友銷售商品的行為稱為「熟人經濟」。本研究透過個案訪談法分析社群商務中熟人經濟之商業模式與賣方進行關係行銷的作法。 / The term social commerce was first introduced by Yahoo Search blog in 2005. Since then, the scope of social commerce has expanded to include group buying, crowdfunding, forum of online store, and social networking site. The study focuses on the activities of social commerce on social networking site. Social networking site provides more and more services besides the functions of keeping connections and sharing information, and one of them is social commerce. More than 90% of the Taiwanese internet users are Facebook monthly users, so Facebook will be the observational social platform in this study. The way that sellers do relationship marketing will be analyzed in this study. This study classifies two social commerce categories according to whether the major customers that sellers sell products are to people that the seller knew or to strangers. Owing to whether seller knew the customer before or not, they call each other “friend” on Facebook, and the behavior that sellers sell goods to friends is called “acquaintance economy.” This study analyzed the acquaintance economy and relationship marketing of social commerce through interview method.

This research study provides a view of the relationship between organizational leaders and relationship executives of financial institutions and their exchange partners. It does so by analyzing data on the networking efforts of 20 executive directors in qualitative interviews and 124 relationship executives in research questionnaires. Network marketing within the financial services sector is becoming increasingly important. We proposed a model that seeks to offer an explanation of Executive network marketing in financial institutions in LDCs where the market system is underdeveloped. The proposed model identified four categories being: firm characteristics, Executives’ personal contact groups, Executives’ business contact groups and issues of commitment and trust in exchange relationships. Multiple factor analysis established the regression model as significant in establishing a formal relationship between the dependent variable (network marketing) and the independent variables (firm characteristics, business contact, personal contact and commitment and trust). It was confirmed that there are differences in Executives’ level of network marketing among the different age groups. Also there were significant differences in the network marketing of the Executives with regard to their level of education. It was observed that there were significant differences in the network marketing of the Executives with respect of their fields of study. Finally it was observed that owner managers were more involved in network marketing than the professional managers and those in partnerships. Not only did the study confirm the research model, but it also revealed that, to a considerable extent, network marketing is practiced by the Executives in the financial services sector in Ghana. The study concluded that business contact networks are the most effective of the Executives’ network marketing in financial services sector in Ghana. It is therefore important that state policies are directed towards enhancing the business environment within the financial services sector. Government should desist from being a regulator and a player in the same market.

Frågeställning: Hur kan sociala medier användas för att engagera B2B kunder till relationsskapande? Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet är att analysera och tolka vad som engagerar B2B kunder till relationsskapande och hur sociala medier kan användas i detta sammanhang. Som delmål ämnar examensarbetet även att ge fallföretaget Leax Falun AB en inblick i ett nytänkande sätt att nå ut till kunder på, samt ge underlag för beslut om att förändra den befintliga marknadsföringsstrategin för att nå ut till kunder. Metod: Det här examensarbetet har en induktiv ansats med ett explorativt syfte och har utförts med kvalitativa forskningsmetoder. Datainsamling har skett genom personliga intervjuer. Insamlad empiriska data har analyserats genom en kvalitativ dataanalys. Resultat och slutsatser: Det har visat sig finnas fördelar med vissa av sociala mediers funktioner som B2B kunderna menar kan ge dem ökat värde i den informationssökande processen, när de letar nya leverantörer. Informationskommunikation på sociala medier, om det sker på rätt sätt, kan engagera B2B kunder på såväl ett rationellt som ett emotionellt plan. Teoretiskt och praktiskt bidrag: Teoretiskt bidrar det här examensarbetet till att fylla ett identifierat kunskapsglapp i teorin, detta genom en reviderad undersökningsmodell. Praktiskt bidrar det här examensarbetet till att ge samarbetsföretaget LEAX Falun AB rekommendationer till hur de kan förbättra sin användning av sociala medier i affärssyfte och på ett nytänkande sätt nå ut till kunder. / Research question: In what way can social media be used to engage business-to-business customers to relationship-building? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and interpret what engages customers to relationship-building, and how social media can be used in this context. I also intend to give the company LEAX Falun AB a glimpse of an innovative way to reach out to customers. Furthermore, I aim to provide a basis for the company’s decision making about changing the existing marketing strategy to reach out to customers. Method: This thesis has been conducted as a qualitative research with an exploratory purpose and an inductive approach. Data has been collected through interviews and analyzed through a qualitative data-analysis. Results and conclusions: I can conclude that there is potential in some of the features of social media that B2B customers believe, can give them increased value during the information seeking process, when they are searching for new suppliers. Informationcommunication on social media, if done properly, can engage B2B customers on both a rational to an emotional level. Theoretical and practical contributions: Theoretically, this thesis contributes to fill an identified knowledge gap, this by a revised research model. Practical contribution is given through this thesis by providing LEAX Falun AB with recommendations regarding how they can improve their use of social media for business purposes, and by showing them an innovative way to reach out to customers.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The medical scheme industry of South Africa has been exposed to fundamental changes during the last decade. We have been witness to various amalgamations and scheme closures as a result of financial pressure and changes to legislation. Never before has it been more important for medical scheme administrators to become more customer focused and find solutions for medical schemes to stay viable into the future. Relationship marketing, a widely acknowledged concept, has been recognised as an appropriate tool to manage relationships and improve customer loyalty over a long-term period. A number of studies have investigated the viability of relationship marketing strategies across different industries. No such studies have however been performed for the medical scheme industry of South Africa. The study therefore aims to investigate how loyalty between medical schemes and their respective administrators is currently maintained. It further aims to determine if the medical scheme industry would benefit from relationship marketing initiatives to encourage long-term loyalty. An in-depth literature study was performed. The underlying aspects under investigation include relationship marketing, customer relationship management (CRM) and customer loyalty. It is thus important to investigate the influence of these three components on the strength of relationships and customer retention. The second phase of the study consisted of in-depth semi-structured interviews with various scheme representatives from the industry. This study is based on an exploratory case and the qualitative data was analysed using pattern finding techniques and qualitative content analysis. The study investigated the factors that have an impact on loyalty in the medical scheme industry. It was determined that relationships between administrators and medical schemes are multilevel and although relationship marketing literature indicates that key account managers are essential for the successful use of relationship based strategies, it was evident that expertise needs to extend beyond only those in key customer management positions. It is evident from the findings of this study that the medical scheme industry of South Africa could benefit hugely from correctly implemented and well researched relationship marketing strategies. This study may therefore be useful to the medical scheme industry in that it provides insight into relationship marketing in the South African context.

Thesis (PhD (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Since relationship marketing re-emerged as an approach to marketing, the concept was met with a great deal of interest. This interest resulted in relationship marketing being researched extensively, whilst businesses started to look for ways to build relationships with their clients. Relationships with clients can, however, only be managed if the dimensions contributing to the relationship are adequately identified. From an academic viewpoint, once all the relevant dimensions have been identified, these dimensions can be used to construct a model that can guide the management of long-term marketing relationships. The aim of this study was to identify the dimensions that are important when longterm marketing relationships in business-to-business (B2B) financial services are managed. The study started with a comprehensive review of the marketing literature. The literature review was followed by two empirical studies. The first empirical study was conducted among relationship managers, while the second empirical study focused on both the relationship managers and clients of a leading South African financial services provider. Both the relationship managers as well as the clients were part of the afore-mentioned financial services provider’s B2B domain. Phase 1 of the empirical research (the exploratory study) focused on an assessment of the perceptions of 75 relationship managers in respect of the importance of a number of pre-determined dimensions. A web-based approach was used and a questionnaire was developed according to the requirements of the Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) method. Based on the literature review and the results of the exploratory study, a set of 11 dimensions emerged as important for the management of long-term relationships in B2B financial services. The second phase of the empirical research focused on the perceptions of both relationship managers (the relationship manager sample) and B2B clients (the client sample). In the case of the relationship manager sample, a web-based questionnaire was sent to 300 relationship managers, while 400 clients participated in the client study. Relationship manager data were analysed by means of regression analysis whereas the client data were analysed with the aid of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The LISREL 8.80 software program was used to fit both the measurement model and the SEM model. The results of the study confirmed the important roles of especially trust and commitment on a person’s intention to stay in a relationship. Furthermore, the study found that relationship managers and clients appear to view the process of relationship management as an intricate process. Although relationship managers and clients differ on the importance of some of the further dimensions, agreement existed for the importance of especially satisfaction and communication. It was also found that relationship managers appear to over-estimate their performance levels on some of the identified dimensions. The uniqueness of the study lies in the simultaneous consideration of the perceptions of both relationship managers and clients. The most important contribution of the study is the construction of a model through which long-term marketing relationships in the B2B financial services industry can be managed.

<p>This essay describes the Swedish furniture business and its strong competition between domestic and foreign producers. As the demand on higher development speed grows stronger, alongside a fierce competition between the companies, long lasting and unique qualities such as customer relations and strong brand names become crucial. Nowadays many furniture producers chose to sell their products through retailers and they therefore miss out on invaluable direct contact with their customers. Consequently, this means that they lack the perquisite to build relations or more importantly, to communicate their brand.</p><p>To illustrate the problem a case study and a survey have been carried out. The study compares the strategic marketing works between producers who have own concept stores and those who uses retailers. In addition to this the customer’s image perception has also been examined.</p><p>The theories are based on Branding, relationship marketing and Event Marketing. The result of the study is supported by an analysis of the theories and the studies. It indicated that the producers with own concept stores have better prerequisite to build relations and to communicate with their customers than those who use retailers.</p><p>The conclusion is that the work with branding and relations is a way for the Swedish furniture producers to strengthen their image and to give their customers an added value. The added value will in the long run lead to loyal customers and a positive reputation.</p> / <p>I bakgrunden framgår att möbelbranschen kantas av stor konkurrens både mellan inhemska och utländska producenter. Kraven på ökad utvecklingstakt i kombination med intensiv konkurrens gör att uthålliga och unika konkurrensmedel som varumärken och relationer söks. Då många möbelproducenter har sin försäljning via återförsäljare saknar de direktkontakt med kunderna och har inte förutsättningar för att skapa relationer eller att kommunicera sitt varumärke.</p><p>För att belysa problemet har en flerfallsstudie och en surveyundersökning gjorts. Undersökningarna jämför arbetet med den strategiska marknadsföringen hos svenska möbelproducenter med konceptbutiker och de som använder sig av återförsäljare. Dessutom undersöks kunders imageuppfattning av företagen.</p><p>Teoridelen grundas på teorier om varumärke, Branding, relationsmarknadsföring och Event Marketing. Resultatet baseras på en analys av teorierna och undersökningarna. Studiens resultat tyder på att företag med egna konceptbutiker har bättre förutsättningar för att skapa relationer och kommunicera med sina kunder än de som använder sig av återförsäljare.</p><p>Slutsatsen är att arbetet med varumärke och relationer är ett sätt för svenska möbelproducenter att stärka sin image och ge sina kunder ett mervärde. Mervärdet kommer på sikt att leda till lojala kunder och ett positivt rykte.</p>

<p>Dagens företag lever i en alltmer komplicerad och komplex omvärld där bilden av dem skapas genom ständig samverkan mellan vad de egentligen gör och hur det förklaras vilket i sin tur skapar bilden av företaget. I Jönköpingsregionen finns det ett flertal kommunikations-, PR- och reklambyråer, definitionerna är många, men i stort erbjuder de liknande tjänster. För att kunna differentiera sig gentemot konkurrenter har positionering blivit ett allt viktigare ledningsinstrument, konsumentens bild av företaget är den avgörande faktorn mellan misslyckande och framgång och i sin tur överlevnad. Utvecklingen har medfört att nyckeln till framgång ligger i företagets förmåga att värdera och kommunicera sin interna och externa identitet i relation till sin önskade profil och inte som tidigare genom kvalité eller produktöverlägsenhet. Konsumenternas uppfattning och känsla för företaget blir den avgörande faktorn vid valet av samarbetspartner, ett finansiellt värde kan i sin tur tillskrivas varumärkesidentiteten när den bidrar till att skapa en positiv och fördelaktig bild av företagets tjänster och produkter. Dokumentationen består av en studie som redovisar hur kommunikationsbyråer i Jönköpingsregionen strategiskt arbetar med sina varumärken och hur det i sin tur uppfattas och tolkas av kunderna. Syftet är i korthet att redovisa vilka budskap som företagen vill representera och i sin tur förmedla till sina kunder för att sedan jämföra profilen med den uppfattade imagen från kunderna.</p><p>Resultatet visar att ett strategisk uppbyggt varumärke inte behöver vara synonymt med framgång. I vår undersökning visade det sig att profil och image inte nödvändigtvis behöver stämma överens för att skapa ett starkt och konkurrenskraftigt varumärke. Vidare visar undersökningen att byråernas kärnvärden är av en så pass generell art att de inte kan särskilja byråerna ur ett konkurrensperspektiv. Undersökningen visar även att kunderna skapar relationer med personerna inom byrån och inte med byrån i sig, därigenom blir byrån som varumärke sårbart då deras konkurrensfördel bara ligger i deras potentialitet att anställa kompetent personal.</p> / <p>To live as you learn</p><p>- a study about positioning of communication firms in the region of Jönköping</p><p>Companies of today live in a more intricate and complex world then ever before, where the cooperate identity is created from a combination of what they in reality carry out and how this in turn is explained. In the region of Jönköping there is a wide collection of different PR, advertising and communication firms, all with different designations, but with similar services. To be able to differentiate themselves towards their competitors, positioning has become a crucial instrument, and the perceived image of the company has turn out to be one of the most vital factors of survival that determines whether the companies are successful or not. Through this the key to success today lies within the company’s ability to value and communicate their inner and external identity in relation to their sought profile and not through for example quality or technical superiority, the consumers emotions and over all awareness has become the most important differential feature when choosing and creating relations. The financial value can in turn only be ascribed to the brands identity when it contributes in creating a positive and advantageous image of the companies’ products and services.</p><p>Our study consists of a presentation of the strategic brand management of a selected number of communication firms in the region of Jönköping, and how this in turn is perceived and interpreted by their clients. Our objective is in short to present what main messages the firms wants to communicate and how these in turn are perceived by their clients, after which a comparison is made between the conveyed profile and the perceived image. Our results show that a strategically managed brand isn’t synonymous whit success. Our study also implies that profile and image not necessarily need to coherer to create a strong and competitive brand. The study also shows that in our case the core values of the firms are of such a general nature that they can’t distinguish the bureaus from a competitive perspective. To summarize our result show that clients create relations with the employees within the firms and not with the firms themselves, this leaves the firm as a brand, vulnerable when their competitive advantages only lies within the firm’s potential to attract qualified employees.</p>

<p><strong>Title:</strong> Volvo Trucks' Customer Value Proposition</p><p><strong>Authors:</strong> Ekaterina Storubleva, Gregor Milosch, Christian Neumann</p><p><strong>Tutor:</strong> Erik Hunter</p><p><strong>Date:</strong> May 2009</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>Volvo Truck Corporation, truck industry, customer value, value drivers, retail strategy, communication, relationship marketing</p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the general composition of Volvo Trucks' customer value proposition in Europe and to examine possible ways of enhancing it using Volvo's retailing strategy as a tool.</p><p><strong>Background:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The concept of customer value gains more and more importance in modern companies. Firms have to truly understand what their customers expect in order to provide the right products for them.Truck manufacturing is a very cyclical industry, which is why in times of crisis, when trade volumes go down, they need to excel even more in order to maintain good business relations with their customers. Volvo Trucks, one of the world's leading truck producers, has adopted a special retailing strategy, in which it owns strategically important dealerships, in order to improve customer understanding and consequently customer value. This paper discusses in how far they succeed at this.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The authors followed a triangular approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative part was covered by a communication chain study and a value driver study, both developed by the authors. In the qualitative part, each participant answered ten open questions, which were then used for internal consistency checks and contributed additional thoughts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The Volvo Truck Corporation (VTC), by adapting its retail strategy, realized the importance of establishing long-term customer relationships and generating adequate intelligence about customer needs. The company not only incorporated influential elements of relationship marketing but also strives for sustainable improvements in customer-perceived value. However, some conflicts between the stakeholder groups involved have been discovered. The corporation's core values were found to be in line with customer preferences.</p><p>In essence, it is crucial for Volvo Trucks to implement the ideas of relationship marketing, establish superior communication channels, and to promote a common understanding of customer value.</p>

廣告界有句名言「我知道廣告費有一半是浪費掉了，但問題是，不知道浪費的是哪一半?」 隨著網路普及與近幾年關鍵字廣告興起，可以看出廣告主越來越要求廣告的精準與效益，網路廣告的進化過去傳統以CPM（Cost Per Thousand impressions）每千人的曝光數來計算、到CPC（Cost Per Click）以點擊數來計算如關鍵字廣告、到後來有人提出CPA（Cost Per Action），即保證績效型廣告，以實際銷售業績來計算廣告費，本論文就是在研究一家專門在做保證績效型廣告的公司，也就是通路王。 繼Web2.0被提出後，後來有人提出EC2.0的概念，強調社群的參與，而所有的成交交易均來自網友的推薦。國內前幾名的EC網站都不約而同地推出網路推薦分紅計畫：例如PChome的分紅網、Yahoo!購物中心的興奇大聯盟、博客來的AP策略聯盟。他們的目的無非是想要透過網友的推薦力量以吸引更多新顧客以及增加銷售。而這樣的機制就是所謂聯盟行銷或夥伴計畫。 聯盟行銷在國外行之多年，相關介紹或研究多以推廣者角度，說明如何在上班之外增加其他收入，方法例如可以寫文章賺錢、運用聯盟行銷賺錢等，較少著墨於網路聯盟平台與廣告主之間的合作關係。為使國內聯盟行銷能發展更成熟，本研究除列舉國內外幾家運用聯盟行銷之實例，另以個案「網路聯盟平台」業者之經營模式及其合作廠商之關係，以本研究相關文獻理論進行檢視與驗證，並選定三家廣告主以深度訪談方式進行分析。 從研究結果發現，網際網路之聯盟行銷技術，對於建立顧客關係、增加商品銷售為有幫助之作法；網路聯盟平台的推廣者是成交的關鍵，推廣者品質關係到銷售力道，因此建議通路王應加強平台推廣者的訓練與管理，以強化與廣告主的合作關係。

La thèse cherche à comprendre comment les perceptions de responsabilité sociale des marques influencent le processus d’engagement des consommateurs. Pour cela, nous nous intéressons aux attentes spécifiques des consommateurs en termes de responsabilité sociale des marques qu’ils consomment. Nos résultats indiquent qu’un consommateur perçoit une marque comme socialement responsable si cette dernière assume, en plus de sa responsabilité environnementale et philanthropique, une responsabilité sanitaire du respect de la santé de ses consommateurs. Nos résultats confirment l’influence des perceptions de responsabilité sociale sur l’engagement des consommateurs envers la marque et offrent une nouvelle lecture du processus relationnel à l’oeuvre. L’identification du consommateur à la marque joue en particulier un rôle central dans ce processus. Les consommateurs souhaitent établir des relations durables avec des marques qu’ils jugent socialement responsables principalement pour combler leurs besoins identitaires. Notre approche relationnelle des effets de la responsabilité sociale des marques présente de nombreux apports pour identifier les leviers managériaux d’une relation durable entre le consommateur et la marque. Cela nous permet d’émettre quelques recommandations à destination des professionnels du marketing à utiliser de tels arguments dans leurs stratégies de marques. / The thesis seeks to understand how perceptions of social responsibility of brands influence the consumer engagement process. Thus, we are interested in the specific needs of consumers in terms of social responsibility of brands they consume. Our results indicate that a consumer perceives a brand as socially responsible if it assumes, in addition to hisphilanthropic and environmental responsibility, health responsibility of its consumers. Our results confirm the influence of perceptions of social responsibility on consumer engagement with the brand and offer a new reading of the relational processes at work. The identification of the consumer to the brand plays a particularly central role in this process. Consumers want to establish lasting relationships with brands they deem socially responsible primarily to meet their identity needs. Our relational approach of the effects of the social responsibility of brands has many contributions to identify managerial levers of a lasting relationship between the consumer and the brand. This allows us to make some ecommendations to marketing professionals to use such arguments in their branding.