STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND VALUE CO-CREATION VIA SOCIAL MEDIA: A CASE STUDY OF CONTAINER SHIPPING COMPANIES

Abstract

The importance of value co-creation through value propositions of the companies has been studied considerably from the lens of Service Dominant Logic (SDL). Although the main focus has solely been on customers, increasing role of stakeholders in value co-creation should also be considered. Social media has been suggested as an effective tool for establishing close relationships with stakeholders. Although businesses give priority to their communication with their customers in social media, it is also known that their stakeholders other than customers are influenced by the social media messages. The present study aims to figure out the social media interactions of two selected container shipping companies through their relationships with stakeholders and to identify how such interactions constitute the value-in-use. For this purpose, a case study approach was employed and both interviews and desk research was conducted. Findings revealed that customization with regards to stakeholder and social media channel and content creation was critical in value propositions. Stakeholders as operant resources contributed greatly to the creation of value-in-use. Knowledge sharing, continuous communication, sensing, and adaptation were suggested as the main enabler for value-in-use. The study contributed to the theoretical discussion over stakeholders’ role in the value co-creation processes of the companies via social media.