During the past decades, since the phenomenal event of globalization, more businesses have expanded abroad as they continue to grow as an MNE. Which has led to them growing larger and with more people and relationships to manage, bringing us to the founding of the KAM system. A system with the purpose of guiding companies in how to manage both its internal and external relationships, though mainly those who are key accounts. As the system grows more popular amongst companies it has been found that the structure of it does differentiate between them. This has been in terms of how formalized it is. This brings the question of whether or not the level of formalization has an affect on how effective the system is in fulfilling its purpose in the company. Thus, that is what this research paper aims to examine in a few MNEs. By studying what level of formalization their system has, how it impacts their KA relationship management, and how effective the system is perceived to be by them in achieving this. By combining these three aspects a logical conclusion could be drawn. To achieve this, the study has been designed with an abductive and qualitative research approach, more specifically with case studies to allow for a more in-depth investigation on the topic. This would allow for a deeper understanding for how the system has functioned for and in the company, whilst considering its purpose. Thereafter, the findings are discussed in relation to relevant theories, concepts and framework. While the concepts have provided themes to the analysis, the findings have been used to validate or challenge the theories and frameworks. The discussion finally concludes that the level of formalization in a KAM system does have an impact on its effectiveness in fulfilling its purpose at the company.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:lnu-130308 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Schröder, Philip, Palusaar, Rachel |
| Publisher | Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för marknadsföring och turismvetenskap (MTS) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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