Industrial selling is considered to be one of the highly challenging tasks and sales personnel are exploring new strategies and tools to stay ahead of the competition to achieve organizational objectives. The study has focused on adding to the academic knowledge of the use of an innovative and creative sales tool to enhance the performance of the function. For this purpose, with the professional experience of research team members, the use of Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is taken into the account as the tool. Though the LCCA is generally accepted as an instrument used by organizational procurement departments, it has been observed that there is a strategic and functional importance of academically studying the role of the during the industrial sales process, how it has been utilized during the interaction with various members in the organizational decision-making process and the role of the other internal departments in applying it. It was our utmost faith, it would be an interesting and insightful area of academic exploration while addressing relatively considerable the drought in academic studies on industrial sales. The topic was selected based on the researchers’ previous experience followed by thorough literature research in identifying the knowledge gap on the topic. The empirical data collection was carried out over two industries, namely, Protective Coatings (Industrial paints) and Luxury bathroom fixtures and fittings in India Subcontinent. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with sales professionals who have been selected based on the researchers’ personal contacts. The gathered data were analyzed using qualitative techniques.  The study showed that the LCCA plays a significant role in different stages of the Industrial sales process as a sales tool and it has helped the sales personnel to a greater extent during their interaction with various members of the organizational buying unit. Unanimously, it was accepted by the members of the sales department that the other departments are instrumental in the effective use of the LCCA. The LCCA is a tool that can be utilized in the industrial sales process and that other industries can use as well. The idea might be used by sales teams in other companies, such as those that build bridges, railways, and roads, recycle, enforce traffic laws, manufacture building materials, and so forth. The study found that LCCA is used by enterprises as a tool in the industrial sales process. In the Presentation and Demonstration phase of the sales process, the instrument is heavily utilized. The sales team's satisfaction with LCCA has increased due to its proactive role in lowering DMU objections.

The amount of people in Sweden who were made redundant during the corona pandemic exceeds both the Swedish financial crisis in 1990 and the global financial crisis in 2008.  The negative economic development led to more pressure on people to work harder and perform better in order for their firm to survive. The purpose of this thesis was to explore if and how the value creation process between service providers and their customers, from a business perspective, had been influenced by the corona pandemic.  A conceptual model based on service-logic was created to shed light on potential disruptions affecting the value creation. Empirical data was collected through qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with sales-associates employed by a mobile-operator firm in Sweden. Findings resulted in five main insights of disruptions that impact the provider and its value-creation with its customers. These include managerial decisions, unreasonable goal-setting, social distancing, new provider-customer frictions and foot-traffic, which all stemmed from decisions taken by the firm and government restrictions.   This dissertation has contributed to additional insights in how the service-logic and its various concepts regarding value creation, from a firm’s perspective, is affected during a major crisis. The difficulties experienced by sales-associates during the corona pandemic is two-fold. The sales-associates have to adhere to decisions made by the firm which often leads to more pressure to perform, and the restrictions implemented by governments leads to poor conditions for creating customer-relationships in turn. These conditions impact the firm’s ability to facilitate and co-create value with its customers.

廣告量的文獻中，一派是以實驗設計為主的研究，多以廣告的展露 (exposure) 次數與時間，以及廣告版面尺寸等替代性指標做為衡量廣告量多寡的依據，並探討其對消費者心理變數的影響；另一派則是以經濟計量模型為主的研究，著重於探討廣告支出與其他行銷投入變數對銷售量或市場佔有率的影響。為了彌補以往廣告量文獻中的計量模型研究未能探討消費者心理變數的缺口，本研究以計量模式，加入消費者對品牌的態度做為中介變數，探討廣告支出對消費者的品牌態度與購買率的影響。 本研究採用資料庫資料針對廣告量對於消費者的品牌態度與購買率的影響進行分析，分別探討廣告量函數的形狀、廣告的階層效果、遞延效果、與競爭效果，並採用panel data分析法進行分析。研究樣本包括三大類的常購品與四大類的選購品，以及連鎖店的品牌。另外，連鎖店品牌的架構中，納入店數為自變數，因為店數愈多表示其在消費者展露的次數也愈多，類似廣告量的效果。 研究結果發現，不論在常購品、選購品、亦或是連鎖店品牌都顯示廣告量佔比的確對於消費者對該品牌的態度與購買率都有正向的影響。在廣告量佔比對購買率的函數形狀部份，常購品中的食品類與飲料類產品呈現向原點凹進的concave函數，而常購品中的家庭用品類、選購品，以及連鎖店品牌皆顯現出線性函數。 採用Baron and Kenny (1986) 三步驟，檢驗消費者對產品的品牌態度為廣告量佔比與購買率關係的中介變數，進而推論廣告的階層效果。結果顯示，食品類、飲料類、與電器機車類產品中，為呈現部份中介效果，而金融產品類的產品，如信用卡、保險、存款等金融服務，因與長期的金錢投入有關，消費者也較為謹慎，此時消費者對於品牌的評估較為完整與週延，呈現出完全中介效果。 另一方面，透過九年的資料分析並以Koyck model探討廣告量的遞延效果，從結果分析中無法得到前期的廣告量效果影響本期消費者的購買率，反而是前期的廣告效果透過影響消費者前期品牌態度或者是前期購買率，進而間接地影響本期的購買率，說明廣告的展露會隨著時間的經過，轉化成為公司的一項無形資產。 相對廣告量的效果與品牌知名度所帶來的競爭效果顯示，品牌之間相對的廣告投入對標的品牌的購買率有正向影響；而知名度高的品牌較不易受到知名度低品牌所進行的廣告活動所影響，唯獨在服飾配件類產品中，品牌知名度所產生的競爭力並無法在本研究中觀察到，可能與服飾的產品特性有關。 最後，依據分析結果建議行銷人員不應只注重廣告帶來的短期或當下的利益，對於廣告的長期與持續的投入，在日常生活中，逐漸改變消費者的態度，使得廣告在長期投資下，發揮其效果。因此，廠商若能規劃長期的廣告投入，便能夠在廣告持續效果消失之際，減緩消費者對廣告印象消退的速度。再者，新加入市場的品牌愈來愈多，再加傳統的大眾傳播媒體已部份被新興媒體所替代，這些現象已侵蝕了以往最有效率的電視廣告，稀釋了廣告的效果。然而，這些新興媒體的績效尚未有一明確的指標或工具予以衡量之，但其對廣告效果的衝擊不容小覷。企業在面臨前有競爭者不斷地進入市場，還得應付後起之新興媒體帶來的更多無法掌握性，建議行銷人員除了建立品牌的權益之外，更應該時時檢視自己與競爭者之間的相對地位，才能保有品牌的競爭力。 / Most experimental literature took advertising exposure time, frequency, and/or size to substitute real advertising amount, and analyzed how the effects of advertising amount on consumers’ psychological variables. But econometric literature focused on the effects of advertising outlay and other marketing mix variables on sales and/or market share. This study is inspired by these two streams of research and trying to mix them together, that is taking consumers’ brand attitude as mediator of the “ad-sales function”; moreover, explores how the advertising outlay affect consumes’ brand attitude and purchase rate. The current research aims to study the relationship between advertising expenditure and consumers’ attitude and purchase rate. In addition, the store number is included in the framework of chain store brands because the larger store number, the more ad exposure. To fulfill the research purposes, three datasets, Rainmaker XKM’s advertising outlay report, Eastern Integrated Consumer Profile (E-ICP), and Taiwan Chain Store Almanac are adopted. After matching these three databases, 76 frequent purchased brands, 81 selective purchase brands, and 21 chain store brands with 10-year period data are generated. Panel data analysis is selected since it can avoid the estimation bias from single cross-sectional or time-series analysis only. The results show that the higher ad share of voice (ad share), the better consumer’s brand attitude and higher purchase rate in all kinds of product categories. The shape of ad share-purchase rate function is concave in food and drink products, but linear in others. In addition, the shape of ad-attitude function is similar to ad share-purchase rate function. Brand attitude is considered a mediator of the relationship between ad shares and purchase rate base on advertising hierarchy models (e.g. AIDA model) that the advertising influences consumers’ attitudes prior to their behaviors. Baron and Kenny’s (1986) three steps of testing mediation effect is adopted to check the role of consumers’ brand attitude. The results reveal partial mediation effect in food, drink, and electronic product, full mediation effect in financial products, such as credit card, insurance, and saving account. The lagged effect of advertising on the consumers’ purchase rate makes the effect of advertising last from four to eight months, or even one year (Dekimpe and Hanssens, 1995; Winer, 1980). Koyck model shows better model fit than prior ad share direct effect model. Therefore, ad investment is transferred into a business reputation and affect consumers’ purchase rate in the long run. Advertising and brand awareness competition effect are also discussed in this research. The business with higher relative advertising outlay, the higher purchase rate it has. Moreover, the purchase rate of brand with higher awareness is not affect by the advertising of brand with lower awareness. But the clothing is an exception. Because the clothing brand has clear segmentation and position, the consumers loyal to certain brand. Thus, the consumers’ purchase rate of target brand might not be affected by the advertising of other competitive brands. Summary of above results, marketers should not only focus on short run advantages, but also long run advertising investment. Through day-to-day advertising exposure to change or transform consumers’ brand attitude. Therefore, the business could plan a long run advertising exposure schedule to lessen the speed of consumers’ advertising attenuation. Suggesting the marketers should build up their brand equity and identify the position among competitors to survive in the uncontrolled environment.