DIGITAL BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS IN EMERGING MARKETS – Developing Business Marketing in Russia

The core idea of this Master's Thesis was that five key characteristics – market heterogeneity, sociopolitical governance, chronic shortage of resources, unbranded competition, and inadequate infrastructure – of emerging markets are radically different from the traditional industrialized capitalist society and they will require us to rethink the core assumptions of business-to-business marketing, such as business relationships, marketing communication elements, and digitalization. In this research, Russia is considered to be an emerging market that reflects the aforementioned theoretical characteristics. The research was a qualitative case study and furthermore a collective case study. In the beginning three digital marketing professionals were interviewed to better understand digital B2B marketing. The actual research data was collected through seven structured theme interviews with representatives of the case companies operating in Russia. The selection of case companies included three business consulting companies and four industrial companies. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand and clarify how business marketing exploits digital marketing methods as a part of the chosen business marketing strategy under emerging markets’ special conditions. This objective was divided in three research questions: 1) How the chosen marketing strategy reflects in the business marketing process? 2) How digital marketing communication contributes to business marketing? 3) How are the emerging markets’ characteristics reflected in the business marketing process? The main research findings indicate that digital business-to-business marketing communications can be useful and effective. Moreover, business DMC can be defined and structured in a reasonable way. The company's prevalent marketing paradigm and the chosen marketing strategy reflect in the business marketing process, and in utilizing digital marketing communications. The assumption that emerging markets set an environment with special characteristics for business marketing was supported by the study. However, the business environmental aspects were not considerably disturbing digital B2B marketing, but making it even more reasonable to harness in Russia.

Dynamic Ownership in Family Business System – A Portfolio Business Approach

Family businesses are among the longest-lived most prevalent institutions in the world and they are an important source of economic development and growth. Ownership is a key to the business life of the firm and also one main key in family business definition. There is only a little portfolio entrepreneurship or portfolio business research within family business context. The absence of empirical evidence on the long-term relationship between family ownership and portfolio development presents an important gap in the family business literature. This study deals with the family business ownership changes and the development of portfolios in the family business and it is positioned in to the conversation of family business, growth, ownership, management and strategy. This study contributes and expands the existing body of theory on family business and ownership. From the theoretical point of view this study combines insights from the fields of portfolio entrepreneurship, ownership, and family business and integrate them. This crossfertilization produces interesting empirical and theoretical findings that can constitute a basis for solid contributions to the understanding of ownership dynamics and portfolio entrepreneurship in family firms. The research strategy chosen for this study represents longitudinal, qualitative, hermeneutic, and deductive approaches.The empirical part of study is using a case study approach with embedded design, that is, multiple levels of analysis within a single study. The study consists of two cases and it begins with a pilot case which will form a preunderstanding on the phenomenon. Pilot case develops the methodology approach to build in the main case and the main case will deepen the understanding of the phenomenon. This study develops and tests a research method of family business portfolio development focusing on investigating how ownership changes are influencing to the family business structures over time. This study reveals the linkages between dimensions of ownership and how they give rise to portfolio business development within the context of the family business. The empirical results of the study suggest that family business ownership is dynamic and owners are using ownership as a tool for creating business portfolios.

Working capital management in the small and medium-sized enterprises Case: Project-based business environment in Flowrox Oy

This Master´s thesis illustrates how growing a business ties up the company´s working capital and what the cost of committed capital. In order to manage a company´s working capital in rapid business growth phase, the thesis suggests that by monitoring and managing the operating and cash conversion cycles of customers´ projects, a company can find ways to secure the required amount of capital. The research method of this thesis was based on literature reviews and case study research. The theoretical review presents the concepts of working capital and provides the background for understanding how to improve working capital management. The company in subject is a global small and medium-sized enterprise that manufactures pumps and valves for demanding process conditions. The company is expanding, which creates lots of challenges. This thesis concentrates to the company´s working capital management and its efficiency through the supply chain and value chain perspective. The main elements of working capital management are inventory management, accounts receivable management and accounts payable management. Prepayments also play a significant role, particularly in project-based businesses. Developing companies´ working capital management requires knowledge from different kind of key operations´ in the company, like purchasing, production, sales, logistics and financing. The perspective to develop and describe working capital management is an operational. After literature reviews the thesis present pilot projects that formed the basis of a model to monitor working capital in the case company. Based on analysis and pilot projects, the thesis introduces a rough model for monitoring capital commitments in short time period. With the model the company can more efficiently monitor and manage their customer projects.

Media Library Online (MLOL). Business Models for E-Book Lending in Libraries

Esitys Kirjastoverkkopäivillä 23.10.2012 Helsingissä

Benefits and challenges of supply chain finance business process automation : A case study in ING Bank

Supply chain finance, a financial product provided by the bank, has gained increasing attention and popularity over the last few years. Supply chain finance helps the corporate clients to optimize their financial flows along the supply chain. One characteristic of supply chain finance is that it aims to provide automated solutions. Therefore, the business process automation of supply chain finance is a very interesting and important topic for study. In this study, the business process automation of supply chain finance within the case organization, ING, is analysed. The purpose is to: (1) Identify the benefits to understand the importance to automate supply chain finance business process; (2) Find out the existing automation degree in the supply chain finance business process within the case bank to see what’s the situation now and how to improve in the future; (3) Discover the challenges in the further automation of supply chain finance business process. Firstly, the study finds out that supply chain finance business process automation can bring many benefits to the bank. Automation can improve productivity by using less time and human labour in the business process, and by providing scalable solutions. Automation can also improve quality of the service by reducing the human errors. Last but not least, automation can improve internal governance by providing enhanced visibility of the business process. Because of these potential benefits, many banks are actively seeking solutions to automate their supply chain finance business process. Then, the current automation situation with the case bank is analysed with the help of business process modelling. The supply chain finance business process within the case bank can be further divided into several sub processes: daily transaction, buyer sales and setup, supplier onboarding, contract management, customer services and supports, and contract termination. The study finds out that the daily transaction process is already a highly automated, which is carried out through the web-based trading platform. However, for other business the automation degree is relatively low. Among these business processes, supplier onboarding is most needed for further automation. Then, some solutions are also suggested to automate the supplier onboarding business process. In the end, the study also foresees some challenges during the further automation of supply chain finance business process in the case bank. Some suggestions are also given to deal with these challenges.

Business on demand and its mobile solution - study with SAP ByDesign

Business On-Demand solutions are widely used by SMEs in the world today. When I started working in SAP, SAP had just launched its first version mobile solutions for Business On-Demand solutions. SAP ByDesign mobile solution is great, but I believe we could do something even better on mobile phones. My job is focusing on mobile application development. Therefore, I have lots of thoughts about how we could make the mobile solutions better serve desktop solutions and how to distinguish the mobile solutions. Finally I decide to have a further research into this area. The purpose of this thesis is trying to find out how to improve the mobile solutions for Business On-Demand, find out its benefit and limits, and distinguish SaaS mobile solutions from desktop ones. In order to conduct this research, I had some online literature search to find out the Business On-Demand market and major players in this area. I compare the materials from public internet with the ones that are used internally in SAP. I had some interviews with SAP solution manager and SAP‟s potential customers. I finally made some pro-posals for mobile SaaS solutions which I believe will make the solutions better present and much helpful to the customers.

The Present State and Future Prospects of a Manpower Pool as Part of Project Business

This research focused on operation of a manpower pool within a service business unit in Company X and aimed to identify how the operation should be improved in order to get most out of it concerning the future prospects of the service business unit. This was done by analyzing the current state of the manpower pool related operations in means of project business, project management and business models. The objective was to deepen the understanding and to highlight possible areas of improvement. The research was conducted as a qualitative single-case study utilizing also an action research method; the research approach was a combination of conceptual, action-oriented and constructive approaches. The primary data was collected with executing a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured theme interviews. The main results described how the manpower pool operates as part of the service business unit in project business by participating in different types of delivery projects; process flows for the project types were mapped. Project management was analyzed especially from the resource management point of view, and an Excel-based skills analysis model was constructed for this purpose. Utilization of operational business models was also studied to define strategic direction for development activities. The results were benchmarked against two competitors in order to specify lessons to be learnt from their use of operational business models.

The Impact of Service Quality and Relationship Quality on Customer Loyalty in Business-to-Business Context

The main objective of this Master’s Thesis was to examine the interrelations of service quality and relationship quality (customer satisfaction, trust and commitment), and find out are they antecedents for customer loyalty in business-to-business context. Literature review revealed some research gaps concerning these focal concepts, which should be studied more closely. The theoretical basis for this research was collected for evaluating a strategic increase of customer’s perceptions of service quality and relationship quality as well as customer loyalty in business-to-business environment, and it was tested empirically in a sample of 164 corporate customers, who responded to the Internet-based survey. The measures, used in the survey, were first assessed by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and then the hypothesized relationships were further verified using structural equation modeling (SEM) in LISREL 8.80. There was found support for a half of the hypothesized construct relations. The results of the research confirm the direct influence of trust and commitment on customer loyalty. Also, service quality turned out to have an indirect impact on customer loyalty through trust. No support, however, was offered for the proposed impact of customer satisfaction on loyalty in this case. The research provides managerially relevant and actionable results that may help service providers execute more specific customer relationship quality strategies that lead to higher customer loyalty.

Measuring effects of strategic utilization of social media in business-to-business marketing: Case Greenlux Finland Oy

Utilization of social media is increasingly common in B2B marketing. Social media is an efficient and cheap marketing and communication channel available for everyone, and thus extremely attractive marketing medium. The more companies get involved in social media the more failures are reported. It is not enough for a company to just be present in social media. Succeeding on it requires hard work, investing time and money, and ability to measure and to monitor performance. With an increasing number of companies failing in utilizing social media, together with lack of research on strategic utilization of social media focusing on B2B marketing, measuring, and monitoring create a purpose for this research. The aim of this research is to discover methods for measuring and monitoring effects of strategic utilization of social media in B2B marketing. Most relevant financial and non-financial indicators are discussed, and the methods by which these can be monitored and measured. In addition, effects of strategic utilization of social media on the case company are measured and analyzed. The research methodology used in this research is a participatory action research, which includes elements of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The case company examined in the research provides a unique opportunity to follow through all phases of strategic utilization of social media for B2B marketing purposes concluding real effects of social media to the case company, and thus gain a deep understanding about this new marketing medium in the perspective of B2B marketing. Duration of the research period is seven months. During this time, information is collected, measured, and analyzed. Case company does not have any other marketing activities simultaneously which makes it possible to examine social media apart from effects of other visible marketing activities. Effects of strategic utilization of social media can be monitored and measured in many ways. Methods that should be used depend on goals set for social media. Fundamental nature of social media requires multidimensional assessment, and thus effects should be measured, and monitored considering both financial and non-financial indicators. The results implicates that effects of strategic utilization of social media are relatively wide ranged. According to the findings, social media affects positively on brand, number of web page visitors, visitor behavior, and on distribution of awareness. According to investment calculations social media is a legitimate investment for case company. Results also implicate that by using social media case company gains conversation, arouses interest, gets attention, and creates interactivity. In addition and as a side note, winter holiday season appears to have a great effect on social media activity of B2B companies’ representatives.

Effective Social Intranet. Case: Mobile Routing Business Unit, Tellabs

The purpose of this thesis is to examine what the normative, effective social Intranet solution is for Tellabs Mobile Routing business unit in terms of sharing knowledge more openly and effectively, fostering innovation, and improving team spirit and positive employee experience. Additionally, these aspects are researched from the intra- and inter-organizational points of view. The research is based on previous literature and empirical interviews. Based on these two items, an eight-fold recommendation proposal was created to change the current Intranet to become an effective social Intranet.

From network pictures to network insight in solution business – the role of internal communication

Operating in business-to-business markets requires an in-depth understanding on business networks. Actions and reactions made to compete in markets are fundamentally based on managers‘ subjective perceptions of the network. However, an amalgamation of these individual perceptions, termed a network picture, to a common company level shared understanding on that network, known as network insight, is found to be a substantial challenge for companies. A company‘s capability to enhance common network insight is even argued to lead competitive advantage. Especially companies with value creating logics that require wide comprehension of and collaborating in networks, such as solution business, are necessitated to develop advanced network insight. According to the extant literature, dispersed pieces of atomized network pictures can be unified to a common network insight through a process of amalgamation that comprises barriers/drivers of multilateral exchange, manifold rationality, and recursive time. However, the extant body of literature appears to lack an understanding on the role of internal communication in the development of network insight. Nonetheless, the extant understanding on the amalgamation process indicates that internal communication plays a substantial role in the development of company level network insight. The purpose of the present thesis is to enhance understanding on internal communication in the amalgamation of network pictures to develop network insight in the solution business setting, which was chosen to represent business-to-business value creating logic that emphasizes the capability to understand and utilize networks. Thus, in solution business the role of succeeding in the amalgamation process is expected to emphasize. The study combines qualitative and quantitative research by means of various analytical methods including multiple case analysis, simulation, and social network analysis. Approaching the nascent research topic with differing perspectives and means provides a broader insight on the phenomenon. The study provides empirical evidence from Finnish business-to-business companies which operate globally. The empirical data comprise interviews (n=28) with managers of three case companies. In addition the data includes a questionnaire (n=23) collected mainly for the purpose of social network analysis. In addition, the thesis includes a simulation study more specifically achieved by means of agent based modeling. The findings of the thesis shed light on the role of internal communication in the amalgamation process, contributing to the emergent discussion of network insights and thus to the industrial marketing research. In addition, the thesis increases understanding on internal communication in the change process to solution business, a supplier‘s internal communication in its matrix organization structure during a project sales process, key barriers and drivers that influence internal communication in project sales networks, perceived power within industrial project sales, and the revisioning of network pictures. According to the findings, internal communication is found to play a substantial role in the amalgamation process. First, it is suggested that internal communication is a base of multilateral exchange. Second, it is suggested that internal communication intensifies and maintains manifold rationality. Third, internal communication is needed to explicate the usually differing time perspectives of others and thus it is suggested that internal communication has role as the explicator of recursive time. Furthermore, the role of an efficient amalgamation process is found to be emphasized in solutions business as it requires a more advanced network insight for cross-functional collaboration. Finally, the thesis offers several managerial implications for industrial suppliers to enhance the amalgamation process when operating in solution business.

A global transport packaging guideline for selected business areas

In this Master’s Thesis a global transport packaging guideline for selected business areas was compiled for the Fiskars the company, which provides branded consumer goods for home, garden and outdoor use. The business areas included were Home and Garden business areas. The aim of the guideline was to be a comprehensive guide for the suppliers, product development, operations and external vendors of the company. The guideline consists of written instructions, tables and illustrations that provide useful information for players working with transport packages from sourcing through to shipments. As the role of corporate responsibility and sustainability has grown, a part of responsible manufacturing strategy includes using materials that are re-usable, recyclable or recoverable as energy or through composting. Hence packaging waste management implementations of different regions were also inspected. The resulting guide covers a range of topics concerning packaging and its transport. The topics include legal requirements, restricted materials and substances, preferred materials, markings, labeling of boxes, logistics and distribution center requirements, physical testing and an inspection checklist.

The role of customer perspective in organizational renewal. A comparative case study of knowledge-intensive business services.

The objective of this thesis was to study organizational renewal from the customer orientation perspective. Customer orientation is divided into customer relationship management and customer knowledge, which both are important components of customer related organizational renewal capabilities. The study was conducted in knowledge intensive business service firms, which are required to renew their strategy, operations and processes constantly in order to gain and sustain competitive advantage. In the empirical research, two companies were studied, both offering services to their customers. The analysis was done in two phases; first each case was analyzed individually and then the cases were compared in a cross-case analysis. The most important finding was that customer orientation is considered important but it is not being utilized for organizational renewal in full capacity.

Improving customer service by identifying critical success factors and utilizing business process outsourcing

Consumers increasingly demand convenience when dealing with companies and therefore it is important to provide professional, diverse and speedy service via customer’s preferred communication channel. These interactions between the customer service and customer have a critical role in customer’s future purchasing decisions. Those customers who don't receive satisfactory customer service are willing to do business with another company that charges more but offers better customer service. This study identifies the critical success factors for the customer service in order to improve the customer service according to the company’s mission and meet customer expectations. Case study is used as a research method and data is collected via observation, archival records and interviews during a time span of fourteen months. The analysis suggests three critical success factors: voice support, scalable and flexible customer service and customer service champions. The study further analyzes the improvement measures according to the critical success factors concluding the Business Process Outsourcing to be the most proper to proceed with. As a conclusion of the study, critical success factors enable achieving the goals of the customer service and align operations according to the company’s mission. Business Process Outsourcing plays important role in improving the customer service by allowing fast expansion of new service offering and obtaining specialized workforce.