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A case study of IT-based and human interaction in industrial business relationships
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Industrial Economics and Organisation.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-7334-2480
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Industrial Economics and Organisation.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1463-1746
Mälardalen University, School of Business, Society and Engineering, Industrial Economics and Organisation.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0826-7052
2014 (English)In: Coping with recurring issues in BtoB research: The Sisyphus effect? or a Rolling stone syndrome?, 2014Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Consumer-oriented firms (B2C) have grasped the benefits of modern integrated information technology (IT) systems as CRM and web-shops that allow them to capture, store, and manage consumer data to fulfill their expectations and needs on an individual and customized basis. This means that firms acting on consumer markets can use ‘high tech’ for ‘high touch’, i.e. using IT to met the consumer on a personal level. Based on the findings in a large case study spanning multiple business relationships (dyads) between buying and selling industrial firms we propose that the high tech/high touch logic is different at industrial markets (B2B). Here, industrial firms strive towards an increased use of interorganizational integrated IT systems (high tech) to lower interaction costs and at the same time increase the reliance in their business relationships. This is at the same time challenged by the employees’ preference for human interaction (high touch) as a mean to uphold trust and solve what they perceive as equivocalities. While consumer market’s high tech is based on the collection of consumer behavior high tech in industrial markets is much more a two-way street were partner firms work for integrated IT systems at the same time as the interacting employees appreciate the social dimension of business. This explorative study indicate that high tech and high touch in industrial markets is more a case of ‘either or’ rather that ‘and’ as in consumer markets. The study is explorative and presents a number of propositions that can be used for further studies.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2014.
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-26729OAI: oai:DiVA.org:mdh-26729DiVA, id: diva2:767052
Conference
30th Annual IMP Conference, KEDGE Business School, Bordeaux, France, 1-6 September 2014
Available from: 2014-11-29 Created: 2014-11-29 Last updated: 2014-12-01Bibliographically approved

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Ekman, PeterErixon, CeciliaDahlin, Peter

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CiteExportLink to record
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  • apa
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