Industrial Marketing And Purchasing Group Research Articles

Agency in business networks: combining IMP research with a relational sociological perspective to challenge views on sustainability and ethics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to clarify the ontological assumptions regarding the concept of agency and sociality within business networks in the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) research by refining these assumptions with a relational sociological (RS) perspective. This paper reinforces the robustness of the actors-resources-activities (ARA) model with an in-depth investigation of the actor dimension, where local interactions between interdependent individuals play a central role in building common futures within business networks through organisational reflexivity.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper investigates the social ontology of research. It challenges the implicit assumptions of IMP research regarding agency and sociality within business networks with a problematisation strategy (Sandberg and Alvesson, 2011). Combining IMP views on agency with the RS perspective, it sets this combined framework as an alternative for the analysis of sustainability and ethics within business networks.FindingsCombining IMP research and an RS perspective allows us to extend the knowledge of sociality within business networks, highlighting the centrality of meaning sharing in the process of network change. By focusing on symbolic interaction processes, an RS perspective contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of the relationship between local communication and business network patterns. Combined with an IMP perspective on agency, it provides researchers with an alternative conceptual framework for examining sustainability by considering ethics and leadership dialectically.Research limitations/implicationsRS is still an emerging stream within sociology, characterised by diverse views. Not all relational sociologists, as scientists, feel obliged to engage with sustainability research. Thus, the paper is a two-sided invitation to IMP researchers and relational sociologists to delve into the adaptation processes in business networks in highly uncertain environments.Practical implicationsRS focusing on the centrality of communication in local interactions, business network researchers can show that organisational leaders are not the ones with a charismatic vision isolated from any natural and social environment; rather, they are the people with “the capacity to assist the group to continue acting ethically, creatively and courageously in the unknown” (Stacey,2013).Social implicationsAdopting an RS perspective on agency in business networks can help managers and researchers determine how business networks can be managed in a more sustainable way. Combined with a dialectical and processual understanding of ethics, the IMP-RS perspective emphasises day-to-day local communication practices within and between organisations that challenges microeconomic views on nature, strategy, ethics and leadership. This paper thus places the social at the centre of sustainability approaches.Originality/valueFrom an RS perspective, business networks are analysed as patterns of interactions between many organisations and individuals. The value of this conceptual paper is in showing that change within business networks is negotiated through local interactions and symbolic communication between individuals. Thus, it suggests the need to combine the individual and the organisational levels to analyse agency within business networks and to examine the adaptation of business networks to sustainability.

The knowledge interconnection process: evidence from contract manufacturing relationships

PurposeThe main goal of the paper is to describe the knowledge interconnection process embedded in an interactive business relationship. The purpose of this study is to understand the knowledge interconnection inside the supplier-buyer relationship in the field of contract manufacturing. The knowledge interconnection process is defined by the authors as a process linked to business relationships, which contains different types of knowledge and various sub-processes related to them.Design/methodology/approachThe Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) research framework has been applied and the contribution is a better understanding of the role of knowledge in the interactive business world. The empirical evidence is based on a case study of a Hungarian contract manufacturing company. This paper describes empirical, qualitative research about knowledge interconnection processes applying an abductive research design.FindingsThe knowledge interconnection process is linked to business relationships. It is a complex process, which contains three types of knowledge and five sub-processes. The knowledge evolution indicates the links between the different types of knowledge. The sub-processes relate to different types of knowledge and allow the flow of knowledge between the supplier and the buyer. In the business relationship, this flow of knowledge makes possible the new knowledge creation. A model of the knowledge interconnection process has been developed.Research limitations/implicationsSingle case studies can create rich descriptions of complex phenomena, but the possibility for generalization is limited. Another limitation is that the knowledge interconnection process has been studied only from the supplier’s perspective. The present research extends IMP’s knowledge of embedded knowledge. In addition, empirical research contributes to the emerging field of IMP research that explores knowledge as a resource but lacks an empirical foundation.Practical implicationsThe knowledge interconnection process is a decisive factor in the development and maintenance of long-term customer relations in the field of contract manufacturing. The evolution of knowledge types – from the body of knowledge to knowledge in use – demands the management of different sub-processes. Knowledge selection, knowledge recombination, knowledge mobilization and new knowledge creation processes are more strongly related to the supplier-customer dyad, while the knowledge relocation process has a network character. The knowledge interconnection process influences the company’s body of knowledge and its relationship management capability.Originality/valueThe originality of the study is, on the one hand, an empirical examination of the process of knowledge interconnection. On the other hand, the development of a model of the knowledge interconnection process. A further feature is that empirical research has been conducted in the field of contract manufacturing.

Charting the reach and contribution of IMP literature in other disciplines: A bibliometric analysis

The acknowledgement of a research tradition by other disciplines shows its contribution to the development of the broader body of scientific knowledge. This paper investigates the contribution of IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) research to broader research disciplines by analyzing how researchers within and beyond IMP have cited core IMP articles. First, through quantitative bibliometric analysis, the paper identifies the diffusion to other research disciplines. Thereafter, through qualitative analysis, the impact of the IMP perspective is captured to understand how strong these imprints are. The analyses show that IMP research has been noticed among a range of adjacent research disciplines. However, the use of IMP references has generally been rudimentary, and without a deeper understanding of the IMP ontology, meaning that IMP still has some “weak ties” to the other disciplines. Establishing IMP's contribution through enduring imprints would need further engagement with researchers from other research disciplines and publications in top journals. The paper contributes empirically with how the IMP perspective has spread beyond the IMP Group and theoretically by adding insight into how research ideas travel and transform to other disciplines.

Viewing lean supply from the IMP perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss key elements of lean supply (LS) in light of core concepts in the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) perspective. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors examine the literature on LS and identify and discuss important characteristics and key elements of LS. Second, the authors present key concepts in the IMP Perspective, in particular the dyad versus network levels, and the ARA model, capturing activities, resources, and actors. Third, the authors cross-fertilize the concepts from these two streams of research. Findings The authors identify 12 key LS elements. Relating these to core IMP frameworks, they identify areas of LS that can be expanded. First, the authors found that key elements in LS mainly focus on the dyadic level and that the network level is addressed to a much lesser extent and primarily captures serial “chain” connections among relationships. Second, it was found that key elements in LS predominantly focus on the activity layer and pay much less attention to resources and actors. Research limitations/implications The authors suggest that LS theory and practice can benefit from taking a network perspective, and by paying more attention to resource and actor concepts and issues. The study is purely theoretical. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous studies combine LS and the IMP perspective. The authors add to LS by elaborating how 12 key elements in LS can be expanded.

The role of strategy in business network

The focus of this paper is the conceptualisation of strategy and strategy development in the philosophy of IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) Group - a research group which examines business organizations from the network theory perspective. The most important factor of the IMP strategic approach is that it talks about actors embedded in business networks through their business relationships and therefore they’re in mutual dependence. The main purpose of the paper is to better understand the strategy, namely, ‘strategizing’ activity through using the mentioned theoretical approach and analysing two customer relationships of a Hungarian contract manufacturer by using case study research. After the theory interpreting the paper is presenting a research framework which is adapted to the empirical findings. In the strategy of contract manufacturer it is important to realize how partners are able to synchronize key activities, resources and actors while taking the network of the companies into consideration.

The role of actors in interactions between “innovation ecosystems”: drivers and implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the role of the actors (especially firms) in interactions between contexts defined as “innovation ecosystems.”Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a conceptual framework. A review of the literature to frame the concepts of innovation ecosystems and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) approach is presented. A possible integration of the two concepts is then discussed.FindingsThe paper adds new discursive inputs to the concept of innovation ecosystem that validate its use in the context of the knowledge economy and extends the theories of knowledge, by analyzing the role that various actors who populate an innovative ecosystem play in the creation, learning, use, and dissemination of knowledge.Originality/valueThe paper furnishes an approach to the research on knowledge management and innovation, in the attempt to relate the IMP Group approach with the perspective of the “innovation ecosystems” concept.

The Role of Relationships in Initiating the Internationalisation Process in B2B Markets

Objective: The objective of this paper is to evaluate how companies use the relationship capital when initiating the internationalisation process and how the development of a business network affects this process. Research Design & Methods: The paper presents a comparative analysis of case studies of seven companies based in Poland and operating in foreign markets. This set of primary data and a comprehensive literature review served as a stimulus for the development of a typology of relationship capital mediating agents. Findings: The cornerstone of the article is the assumption that in order to accelerate internationalisation, entities trying to enter foreign markets have to “borrow” relationship capital from one or more of several mediating agents. The article identifies these agents and outlines the role of different types of relationships during the market entry phase. Implications & Recommendations: The article proposes a typology of relationship capital mediating agents such as: foreign and domestic intermediaries, individual insiders, own international and corporate network, own network expansion, and corporate or personal referrals. It also outlines the limited role of social relationships in concluding a successful market entry, placing them as one of the possible, but not necessary, options. Contribution & Value Added: The originality of this work lies in the application of the concept of the relationship assets/capital to the network approach in internationalisation as proposed by the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) and the development of a typology of relationship capital mediating agents.

A Black Swan in the district? An IMP perspective on immigrant entrepreneurship and changes in industrial districts

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the changes of the Italian textile district of Prato, considered an exemplary case of the industrial district (ID) model, using a business network perspective. The “Black Swan” metaphor is used to address the changes in the Prato textile district in order to understand whether such changes have been an unexpected and unpredictable phenomenon, or they can be explain with a different theoretical tool-box, namely, that developed by the industrial network approach.Design/methodology/approach– The paper utilizes already published studies on the changes of the textile/fashion companies located to the Prato area. Both studies that have been carried out within an ID approach and those carried out with an Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) point of departure are considered in the research. Both types of studies were utilized to identify empirical observed changes of the producer, respectively user setting that the Prato located companies was related to, including identification of changes affecting both the local setting and the larger network it was related to.Findings– The utilization of the IMP model proposes a learning ground that exceed the local context and open ups of investigations of opportunities and threats stemming from interactions across spatial borders. Analysed from an interactive point of view, in the specific context of Prato, the exploitation of the opportunities given by establishing relationship between natives and migrants actors goes through the creation of interactions among actors representing specific resource combinations and activity structures – within and outside the local community.Originality/value– The paper concerns how the same research object – the changes of the Prato district – appears from another perspective different from the ID theory, namely, the industrial network approach developed by scholars of the IMP Group.

Enhancing service system design: An entity interaction pattern approach

The notion of system thinking and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP)'s findings have been emphasizing that "interaction is the basis analysis unit" of service systems or enterprises. Service system design is an attempt to change the outcome of a service ecosystem and make it more innovative in terms of figuring out not only who those entities are and what their outcomes are, but more importantly how they interact to realize their service values. The design of a service system could accordingly be viewed as changes made to the interactions. In the paper, system entity interactions are classified into patterns to become more analyzable, and different patterns can serve as measurements and guidelines for enterprises to follow and use to gain higher service value. To justify the important role of interaction in the service value creating process, a particular information system is developed and evaluated to explore the benefits of using interaction patterns for enterprise users to create their service values.

COMMITMENT IN MARKETING RESEARCH SERVICES: TWO ALTERNATIVE MODELS / ĮSIPAREIGOJIMAI ATLIEKANT RINKODAROS TYRIMUS: DU ALTERNATYVŪS MODELIAI

The paper aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on client commitment in business-to-business professional services by developing and testing two alternative models: one based on the Relationship Marketing (RM) approach and the second on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP) approach. Both models include the same mediators (components of commitment) and consequences (attitudinal and behavioral loyalty), yet they differ in the antecedents of commitment. By using SEM, both models are tested and compared on a sample of 150 firms. The results show that affective commitment is the only component of commitment that influences both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. In the RM model affective commitment is positively influenced by trust, social bonds and satisfaction, while in the IMP model it is positively influenced by trust and knowledge transfers. Although differences in the sizes of effects can be found, the two models perform comparably well in terms of the model fit and their explanatory power of loyalty. Santrauka Straipsnio tikslas - nustatyti žinių lygį, kurį yra pasiekę profesionalai, organizuojantys paslaugų teikimą pagal modelį verslas verslui. Autoriai pasirinko du modelius: vienas pagrįstas rinkodaros ryšių (MR), kitas - gamybinės rinkodaros ir prekybos grupių (IMP) požiūriu. Abu modeliai apima tokius parametrus, kaip įsipareigojimai, ir tokius rezultatus, kaip vartotojų lojalumas, požiūris, tačiau skirtingas pradines sąlygas. Atliekant tyrimus modeliai buvo pritaikyti 150 įmonių. Kaip teigia straipsnio autoriai, gauti tyrimo rezultatai rodo, kad emocinis įsipareigojimas yra sudėtinė įsipareigojimų, turinčių įtakos lojalumui bei vartotojų požiūrio formavimui, dalis. Pritaikius pasirinktus modelius gaunami atitinkami rezultatai.

Asymmetric customer–supplier relationship development in Taiwanese electronics firms

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship development stages of asymmetric customer–supplier relationships. The structure of relationships between larger customers and smaller suppliers has been the focus of a number of studies in IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group) research. But, there is a paucity of research that examines development stages in relationships where a difference in size between the parties exists. The paper links the characteristics of asymmetric customer–supplier relationships and the relationship development stages through a literature review. The findings from a set of five in-depth case studies of asymmetric customer–supplier relationships in the Taiwanese electronics industry are presented. The case studies involved 50 semi-structured interviews with customer and supplier executives and, in addition, multiple observations of customer–supplier interactions within each case study. Individual and cross-case analysis was conducted to examine the links between the characteristics of asymmetric customer–supplier relationships and relationship development stages. The findings revealed that asymmetric customer–supplier relationships in the Taiwanese electronics industry were very unbalanced and vulnerable in the exploratory stage of development. In the developing stage relationships were more likely to develop if suppliers and customers mirrored each other's behaviour and echoed each other's priorities. In the stable stage suppliers and customers worked on shared and balanced contributions to the relationship. The paper contributes to the understanding of how smaller suppliers and larger customers can identify and develop key sets of relationship characteristics through the exploratory, developing and stable stages of asymmetric relationship development from both customer and supplier perspectives.

A NICE agenda for IMP research

The IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) Group has engaged in a number of interesting developments in the past few years. Particularly adventurous have been the agendas of ‘pictures’ and sense-making and of time. In this paper we argue that borrowing and combining contemporary foci within social science on narratives, identity, culture and epoché temporality (for which we use the acronym N.I.C.E) allows the construction of an approach that can integrate these IMP agendas into a new research direction for the group that will keep it at the leading edge of marketing research. The purpose of our paper is to introduce and integrate discursive and temporal elements into the understanding and research of business networks to develop a more dynamic and hermeneutic approach. Our purpose is to provide a contribution to the field in exploring how identities are formed within business networks through narrative episodes in interconnecting relationships over time. We bring together all of the elements of a NICE agenda in an attempt to provide an integrative, ‘multi-lens’ theory of business networks focussed within the IMP research tradition. In doing so, we construct meaning as itself networked; sense-making involves relating presently narrated episodes to symbolic and material aspects of other narrative network episodes and events through emplotment and storying.

IMP and service-dominant logic: Divergence, convergence and development

This article arose directly from discussions at the 2nd Otago Forum on Service-Dominant (S-D) logic held at the University of Otago in December 2008. It builds on the papers presented and discussions at the forum, on previous papers within the S-D logic field and relates these to the research of the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) Group. The article focuses on two important conceptual issues that appear to need further development by both S-D logic and IMP researchers: Firstly, the identity and characteristics of the business actor in an interacted business landscape and second, the nature of value and its creation and delivery. The article also seeks to use some IMP ideas on business interaction in an attempt to refine and clarify the central S-D logic concept of ‘service’ between companies. Finally, the article attempts throughout to draw tentative conclusions about the implications of this conceptual analysis for practitioners.

International research teams as analysts of industrial business networks

Abstract This paper analyzes case studies in the context of industrial business networks, and in particular from the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group) perspective. Two features have been prominent in this research tradition: collaboration in international research teams and interest in business between international customers and their suppliers. Still, researchers seldom discuss the challenges with the international aspects of the research team (as the subject of study) or of the business relations (as the object of study). This paper shows the complications of analyzing international business relations, namely, relations that cross national boundaries, and investigates how an international research team can tackle the challenges of international business network studies. The key contributions are, firstly, to indicate the lack of attention on the methodological requirements and opportunities that the international features create for the analysis of business networks and, secondly, to investigate how collaboration in an international research team may advance the analysis of both international industrial marketing relations and broader business networks.

Modeling the synergy level in a vertical collaborative supply chain through the IMP interaction model and DEA framework

This work develops a mathematical programming model that characterizes the main variables present in the interaction dynamics of each agent in a collaborative vertical logistical system, such as a supply chain, and measures the synergy level of such system. The model is based on the interaction model developed by the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) group and also on the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) framework. The basics of these two approaches allow modeling of the characteristics of an agent as well as the collaborative relationships with other agents within the chain. The model was validated using information of supply chain of leather and its products, classified by DANE (Departamento Nacional de Estadistica—Colombia) as the sector CIIU323.

International research teams as analysts of industrial business networks

This paper analyzes case studies in the context of industrial business networks, and in particular from the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group) perspective. Two features have been prominent in this research tradition: collaboration in international research teams and interest in business between international customers and their suppliers. Still, researchers seldom discuss the challenges with the international aspects of the research team (as the subject of study) or of the business relations (as the object of study). This paper shows the complications of analyzing international business relations, namely, relations that cross national boundaries, and investigates how an international research team can tackle the challenges of international business network studies. The key contributions are, firstly, to indicate the lack of attention on the methodological requirements and opportunities that the international features create for the analysis of business networks and, secondly, to investigate how collaboration in an international research team may advance the analysis of both international industrial marketing relations and broader business networks.

The key capabilities required for managing tourism business networks

This article applies the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) Group approach to the analysis of the coordination of cooperative activities. It challenges the sustainability of the ‘manipulating’ demand approach in favor of the Value System Continuum in tourism business networks. It is hypothesized that local tourism businesses must develop new key capabilities in order to face future global competition. The study uses case methodology and in-depth interviews to examine organizational realities as a product of the subjective enactments or social constructions of individual actors through the perceptions of two coordinators. The case-analysis findings identify the coordination of cooperative activities in tourism business networks as a prerequisite for (1) enhancing the value-creation process, and (2) building the brand-identity process across the network. The empirical evidence in the article is limited to one country. Future work will broaden the study context by including the analysis of international networks.

Exploring the concept of asymmetry: A typology for analysing customer–supplier relationships

In seeking to understand relationships between smaller suppliers and larger customers, there is a growing interest in examining the characteristics of asymmetry in relationships. However, there is a paucity of research that looks at the consequences of size asymmetry for smaller suppliers. Building on IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group) research, this paper presents a typology for analysing the consequences of size asymmetry in customer–supplier relationships from the smaller supplier's perspective. The paper reports on the findings from a study involving a total of 48 interviews and eight in-depth case studies of suppliers in the UK textile industry involved in relationships with larger customers. The findings from the study show that the consequences of size asymmetry may vary widely across different relationship characteristics, with both positive and negative outcomes for suppliers. The implications of these findings are that suppliers may take advantage of the positive and constructive consequences of size asymmetry to capitalise on developing their current relationships with customers. In addition, by focusing on the positive consequences of size asymmetry, suppliers may develop the confidence and assurance to develop constructive and more balanced new customer relationships. The paper concludes by identifying the managerial implications for the development of opportunities and customer relationship options for suppliers in asymmetric relationships and proposes that it is important for suppliers to have an assessment instrument to identify the extent of asymmetry or symmetry across their customer relationships.

A network perspective of the port wine sector

PurposeThe paper aims to develop an understanding of the port wine sector from a relational, holistic, and dynamic perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopted a qualitative methodological approach. Primary data were collected through semi‐structured interviews. The analysis focused on the relationships established among both economic and non‐economic actors.FindingsThe paper offers an overview of the port wine sector on the basis of the conceptual background of the IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) Group. The study suggests that the dynamics of the sector is not solely determined by economic and technological variables, but also by interests assuming both an economic, social and political nature.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research should develop and test the findings by using other cases and methodological approaches.Practical implicationsManagers must be aware that firms are embedded not only in economic systems but also in political and social networks whose dynamics cannot be neglected.Originality/valueWhile most studies on the dynamics of economic systems have focused on the role played by technological factors, relatively few have addressed the importance of collective actions. In this line, the paper contributes for a better understanding of the role of collective actors created to defend the interests of their members. Moreover, since the port wine sector is not an idiosyncratic case because most of its features are also present in other wine regions, the conclusions of the paper are likely to be used for the understanding of other wine regions.

Guest editorial: The IMP Group and international marketing

This paper introduces the special issue on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group and international marketing. The history and aims of the IMP Group are briefly discussed, and the papers in this issue, taken from the IMP Group's annual conference, are introduced.