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Introduction
Value plays a vital role in companies’ business operations. As value is a key outcome of “combining and recombining resources, coordinating activities and connecting individuals within and across businesses” (Ford et al., 2017: 30), it is not only the reason for interactions and the development of business relationships (Corsaro and Snehota, 2010; Nätti et al., 2014) but also it constitutes a crucial concept to understand managerial decisions (Corsaro, 2019; Eggert et al., 2019). Even if already many studies have covered the phenomenon of value creation (e.g. Baraldi and Strömsten, 2006; Håkansson and Ford, 2002; La Rocca and Snehota, 2014), still “little is known about the interplay among different value dimensions, characteristics of dyadic relationships, and different forms of value capture” (Minerbo et al., 2021: 164).
Furthermore, the rapid changes taking place in the modern business world mean that the processes and bases for creating value change as well. Increasing internationalization of activities, the search for favorable production locations and cheaper resources on the one hand, and global value chain disruptions and identified deglobalization processes on the other, mean that the context of companies’ activities, relationships, and networks is changing, which again affects the processes of value creation. Moreover, as in the present business reality, all companies “to a varying degree [are] embedded in both domestic and international networks” (Ratajczak-Mrozek, 2017: 10), the question arises of the differences between locally and internationally embedded processes of value creation, as well as between challenges faced by companies of different sizes (e.g. micro companies versus large ones which could be further linked to the analysis of global joint ventures (Wang et al., 2023)). Similar challenges are posed by requirements for sustainable solutions and digitalization which impacts value creation processes as well (Corsaro and Anzivino, 2021; Falkenreck and Wagner, 2022; Hauke-Lopes et al., 2022). These current challenges, including digitalization, requirements for sustainable solutions, and disruptions of global value chains will be addressed by the special issue taking the perspective of value created and appropriated in relationships and networks, and how B2B organizations and networks can develop the resilience needed in a change.
The indicated changes and challenges of a modern business landscape lead to questions about not only creating but also appropriating and destructing values in business networks (Järvi et al., 2018; Makkonen and Olkkonen, 2017). As business processes encounter challenges or problems, both in local and international markets, more research analyzing tensions in value processes (Huang and Nenonen, 2022; Tóth et al., 2018) is of high importance.
Therefore the aim of this special issue is threefold. First, it is to present the multidimensionality of research on the value and explore new research directions concerning value creation, appropriation or even destruction taking the network and relationships view. The second is to expand the understanding of the specifics of value creation processes from both local and international perspectives in rapidly changing business relationships and networks. And finally, to identify empirically verified successful and sustainable business practices concerning the management of relationships leading to value creation.
With the above in mind, we encourage research devoted to various aspects of value in business networks, which can take both the perspective of individual cases embedded in a single country context and the analysis of value processes taking the international perspective.
Value is of interest to various theoretical perspectives. This special issue focuses on the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) approach, as it allows to investigate value from the interactive process at the level of resources, relationships, and networks (Baraldi et al., 2012; Ford and Mouzas, 2012; Håkansson and Waluszewski, 2013). However, we encourage also the research taking other theoretical perspectives on value processes in inter-organizational relationships and networks (Bocconcelli et al., 2020). Submissions to the Special Issue can be both conceptual and empirical and should contribute to a better understanding of value-related processes in relationships and network context.
List of Topic Areas
- The influence of global challenges (like value chain disruption) on networked business processes and value outcomes, both in international and global contexts.
- The tensions in business relationships and their impact on value appropriation and destruction in international and local contexts.
- Empirical analysis of core concepts necessary to understand rapidly changing value processes and the measurement of their outcomes for sustainability, especially in terms of value co-destruction.
- The comparison of value-related concepts taking different theoretical and practical perspectives (for instance IMP and Service-Dominant Logic) in terms of sustainable value chain activities (sourcing, production, relationships with customers).
- The interplay between digitalization, companies’ activities and value as well as the role, impact and outcomes of value in sustainable business practices.
- The means to facilitate resilience in business relationships and networks for sustainable value creation when facing rapid changes, both locally and internationally.
- SMEs' perspective on value creation and appropriation in local and global contexts - activities undertaken to face challenges stemming from globalization and increased competitiveness.
- Value processes in non-profit organizations and their networks - practices leading to responsible development.
- The new approaches towards operationalization and measurement of value in international relationships and networks.
- The importance and role of competencies for value creation and appropriation in interorganizational relationships.
- The role of entrepreneurs in value processes in local and international networks.
Submissions Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jbim
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jbim
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”. Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Key Deadlines
Submissions Open: 25 Sept 2023
Submissions Close: 27 Apr 2024
Guest Editors
Ratajczak-Mrozek, Milena, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of International Marketing, Poland, [email protected]
Hauke-Lopes, Aleksandra, Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of International Marketing, Poland, [email protected]
Nätti, Satu, University of Oulu Business School, Unit of Marketing, Management and International Business, Finland, [email protected]
References
Baraldi, E., Gressetvold, E., Harrison, D., Cantù, C., Corsaro, D. and Snehota, I. (2012), “Roles of actors in combining resources into complex solutions”, Journal of Business Research, Elsevier Inc., Vol. 65 No. 2, pp. 139–150.
Baraldi, E. and Strömsten, T. (2006), “Embedding and utilising low weight: value creation and resource configuration in the networks around IKEA’s Lack table and Holmen’s newsprint”, IMP Journal, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 39–70.
Bocconcelli, R., Carlborg, P., Harrison, D., Hasche, N., Hedvall, K. and Huang, L. (2020), “Resource interaction and resource integration: Similarities, differences, reflections”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 91 No. October, pp. 385–396.
Corsaro, D. (2019), “Capturing the broader picture of value co-creation management”, European Management Journal, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 99–116.
Corsaro, D. and Anzivino, A. (2021), “Understanding value creation in digital context: An empirical investigation of B2B”, Marketing Theory, SAGE Publications Ltd, p. 147059312110015.
Corsaro, D. and Snehota, I. (2010), “Searching for Relationship Value in Business Markets: Are We Missing Something?”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 986–995.
Eggert, A., Kleinaltenkamp, M. and Kashyap, V. (2019), “Mapping value in business markets: An integrative framework”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 79, available at:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.03.004.
Falkenreck, C. and Wagner, R. (2022), “From managing customers to joint venturing with customers: co-creating service value in the digital age”, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 643–656.
Ford, D., Mattsson, L.-G. and Snehota, I. (2017), “Management in the Interactive Business World”, No Business Is an Island, Emerald Publishing Limited, pp. 27–45.
Ford, D. and Mouzas, S. (2012), “Service and value in the interactive business landscape”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 42 No. 1, pp. 9–17.
Håkansson, H. and Ford, D. (2002), “How should companies interact in business networks?”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 55 No. 2, pp. 133–139.
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Hauke-Lopes, A., Ratajczak-Mrozek, M. and Wieczerzycki, M. (2022), “Value co-creation and co-destruction in the digital transformation of highly traditional companies”, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, available at:https://doi.org/10.1108/jbim-10-2021-0474.
Huang, L. and Nenonen, S. (2022), “Challenges in co-creating solution value during utilization phase: Insights from three failed projects”, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 150, pp. 1–11.
Järvi, H., Kähkönen, A.-K. and Torvinen, H. (2018), “When value co-creation fails: Reasons that lead to value co-destruction”, Scandinavian Journal of Management, Vol. 34, pp. 63–77.
Makkonen, H. and Olkkonen, R. (2017), “Interactive value formation in interorganizational relationships: Dynamic interchange between value co-creation, no-creation, and co-destruction”, Marketing Theory, Vol. 17 No. 4, pp. 517–535.
Minerbo, C., Kleinaltenkamp, M. and Artur Ledur Brito, L. (2021), “Unpacking value creation and capture in B2B relationships”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 92, pp. 163–177.
Nätti, S., Pekkarinen, S., Hartikka, A. and Holappa, T. (2014), “The intermediator role in value co-creation within a triadic business service relationship”, Industrial Marketing Management, Elsevier, Vol. 43 No. 6, pp. 977–984.
Ratajczak-Mrozek, M. (2017), Network Embeddedness. Examining the Effect on Business Performance and Internationalization, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, available at:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56511-8.
La Rocca, A. and Snehota, I. (2014), “Value creation and organisational practices at firm boundaries”, Management Decision, Vol. 52 No. 1, pp. 2–17.
Tóth, Z., Peters, L.D., Pressey, A. and Johnston, W.J. (2018), “Tension in a value co-creation context: A network case study”, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 70, pp. 34–45.
Wang, Q., Bai, X. and Li, J.J. (2023), “Achieving value co-creation through cooperation in international joint ventures: A two-level perspective”, International Business Review, Vol. 32 No. 1.
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