This study examines the effect of big data powered artificial intelligence on customer knowledge creation, user knowledge creation and external market knowledge creation to better understand its ...impact on B2B marketing rational decision making to influence firm performance. The theoretical model is grounded in Knowledge Management Theory (KMT) and the primary data was collected from B2B companies functioning in the South African mining industry. Findings point out that big data powered artificial intelligence and the path customer knowledge creation is significant. Secondly, big data powered artificial intelligence and the path user knowledge creation is significant. Thirdly, big data powered artificial intelligence and the path external market knowledge creation is significant. It was observed that customer knowledge creation, user knowledge creation and external market knowledge creation have significant effect on the B2B marketing-rational decision making. Finally, the path B2B marketing rational decision making has a significant effect on firm performance.
•Effect of BDAI on customer knowledge creation, user knowledge creation and external market knowledge creation is examined.•Theoretical model is grounded in Knowledge Management Theory.•Knowledge gained from BDAI application can keep firms up-to-date in terms of their competitive position.•Knowledge generated through BDAI can help B2B marketers to be cautious about their brands and eliminate any threats that arise from fake news.
Business-to-business (B2B) customer interactions and customer journeys increasingly occur in digital spaces, often aided with diverse digital and artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered tools. This ...requires more in-depth understanding of how to manage such journeys and interactions, particularly with AI-empowered tools that enhance B2B companies' diverse and crucial marketing management operations, ranging from forecasting to managing relationships. To reach this research goal, this paper integrates the current scattered understanding of B2B customer journeys and their management into AI research and presents a two-phase empirical study. First, through an integrative literature review, this study analyzes the relevant contemporary B2B management activities for managing customer journeys and identifies four key management activities: analyze, design, engage, and guide. Second, through mapping over 150 digital tools under 16 marketing management–tool categories and identifying and analyzing AI functions within those tools, the study examines how AI supports companies in the B2B customer journey management activities. The study makes contributions to B2B digital marketing, management and sales research, as well as customer journey management. It also provides guidance for B2B marketers and AI tool technology developers on how AI-empowered tools can be applied and developed to support B2B marketing management, particularly B2B customer journeys.
•B2B customer journey can be managed via digital, AI-empowered tools.•Our twofold study maps needed management activities and AI-empowered tools.•Our review identifies four management activities: analyze, design, engage, and guide.•Our tool mapping analysis categorizes 16 AI-empowered tool types for management.•Managing complex B2B customer journey requires integration of diverse AI tools.
Given the indirect role of social media in value creation, the article “Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales” by Agnihotri, Dingus, Hu, and Krush (2016) is notable for ...highlighting the role of social media as an antecedent to value generation within the sales process. Considering the fast pace at which knowledge of the impact of social media within B2B sales is developing, we critically appraise Agnihotri et al.'s work and position it within the emerging literature on social media communication in the sales process. We conclude with a research agenda identifying a diverse set of new directions for investigating social media within the sales process.
This paper addresses the emergence of greenwashing and examines its implications for the development of green marketing strategies. It starts from the premise that companies face vigilant ...environmental activism when developing B2B marketing strategies, focusing on identifying discrepancies between intended marketing messages and actual practices, as well as an increasingly tightening regulatory environment. The core of the paper is a systematic review of interdisciplinary research on greenwashing in the B2B context with a focus on B2B marketing implications. In particular, this study contributes to a modern understanding of greenwashing by providing a new framework for the typology, drivers, and consequences of greenwashing. It also contrasts theories that help explain the greenwashing phenomenon through an interdisciplinary perspective. Finally, this study points out the gaps in existing research on this phenomenon and offers rich future research directions.
•SLR provides a new framework for the typology, drivers and consequences of greenwashing in B2B marketing context.•SLR contrasts theories that help explain the greenwashing phenomenon through interdisciplinary perspective in B2B context.•SLR provides research agenda with highlighted research gaps and future research questions.
Given the economic importance of the business-to-business (B2B) sector, scholars and practitioners devote significant resources to understanding B2B marketing and strategy. Yet, utilization of ...academic scholarship among senior B2B executives remains low. This article describes three issues relevant to senior B2B executives and scholars: (1) factors inhibiting the utilization and value of B2B scholarship among senior B2B executives; (2) challenges faced by B2B CEOs in customer based execution and strategy; and (3) the B2B strategy journey framework as a means of aligning executive and academic perspectives. Taking an outside-in perspective, this article provides a framework for senior B2B executives to formulate customer based strategy and execution and outline a range of future research opportunities for B2B scholars.
Social media are increasingly becoming a valuable tool for Business-to-Business (B2B) organizations. However, social media research in B2B lacks a comprehensive overview from a strategic perspective, ...with most research to date having been focused on the tactical use of social media platforms, that is to say, in describing specific tools to implement a strategy. In the present systematic literature review we address this deficiency. Our findings reveal that prior B2B research predominately investigated social media as short-term tactics with context-specific limitations. Our thematic analysis extends beyond these boundaries and extracts from the literature three relationship-orientated themes in social media, namely their use as a tool for: 1) sales-facilitation, 2) integrated communication, and 3) employee engagement. These three themes are distinct yet interdependent and are each necessary if organizations are to develop a competitive advantage within the social media environment. The descriptive statistics and thematic analysis in the study present a set of five key findings that reflect the research gaps presently in the literature and thus highlight significant future research directions. The study also highlights the utility for organizations to employ social media in a strategic manner rather than simply as a tactical tool.
•The study provides a review of strategic social media research in the B2B domain.•Five key findings and research priorities are identified around three themes.•Social media (SM) acts as a sales-facilitation tool enabling relationship building.•SM is an integrated communication tool through compelling content creation.•SM drives employee engagement resulting in empowerment and a sense of belonging.
In a volatile environment with huge opportunities for implementing digital technologies the concept of customer loyalty needs further exploration. This paper examines the effects of strategic ...management of digital technologies on the effectiveness of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and customer loyalty in the B2B sharing economy context. We draw from research on digital adoption and eWOM alongside the theory of planned behavior (TBP) to develop a dedicated model that encompasses novel constructs depicting strategic management of digital technologies, eWOM, and customer loyalty. We test our model using a unique data set comprising information on customers' digital adoption status, eWOM usage, and repurchasing behavior. Our study reveals interesting and innovative findings demonstrating how adopting digital technologies decreases customer loyalty in the B2B sharing platform. The results of this study further explain this outcome by the decrease in the eWoM value that directs the repurchasing behavior of customer firm's representatives. Building on these outcomes, managerial implications are provided for strategic management of digital technologies to maximize the trust in eWOM and enhance value for B2B customers.
Circular supply chain management (CSCM) is required for the tea industry to transition from a linear economic model to a more productive circular economic model. However, tracking reusable and ...recyclable materials over the life cycle of the tea supply chain involves multiple stakeholders. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology driven by blockchain technology (BCT) can help to manage the complexities of circular tea supply chain management (CTSCM), establishing transparency and traceability in the industry. This study takes the first step in developing a distributed and service-oriented system architecture that embraces an RFID-integrated BCT-enabled circular supply chain practice model for a business-to-business (B2B) tea industry network. The study provides a deeper understanding of inventory performance, resource use, and the industry's processes. Furthermore, the results will aid enterprises in the B2B tea industry to better understand the factors influencing supply chain performance. Managerial and social implications of implementing RFID-integrated blockchain-driven technologies in service of the circular economy agenda are discussed.
•The study determines the importance of RFID-integrated BCT-driven circular supply chain model in the tea industry.•The research is based in India, the world's second-largest tea producer andunder-researched sector in the circular economy.•It creates an interpretive structural model to explain the complexities of system architecture for the B2B tea industry.•This study responds to a demand for further research on the performance of blockchain-driven circular supply chains.
•Discussed B2B digital marketing ethical issues and ethical principles of cognitive computing.•Proposed a theoretical framework to measure improved organisational effectiveness.•Demonstrated how ...organisational effectiveness influences organisational reputation.•Demonstrated the moderator role of ethical work climate.
Cognitive computing is ushering in the fourth industrial revolution through its promises of improved accuracy, scalability and personalisation. Therefore, business-to-business (B2B) organisations are wavering in the decision for adoption into their digital marketing initiatives. However, embracing moral rules and/or moral judgments in their digital marketing innovation can be challenging, since making mistakes could damage reputations. Therefore, this study applies the ethical principles of cognitive computing in B2B digital marketing business-centric ethical challenges. An integrated theoretical framework grounded on multidisciplinary studies is proposed. The primary data were collected from 300 respondents within B2B businesses. The results of this research led to the conclusion that good ethical practices are essential for the improvement of both organisational effectiveness and organisational reputation. Increased organisational reputation delivers a competitive edge in fast-growing marketplaces. B2B businesses need to look for proactive ways to achieve continuous improvement.
In recent years, academics and professionals have proposed omnichannel management as the best approach to offering multiple channels to end customers. This approach has been reinforced by the recent ...crisis caused by Covid-19 and the consequent demand for digital channels. In the current literature there is an evident gap in the study of omnichannel management for manufacturing or wholesale companies and their relationships with other companies, which typically use B2B models. This article includes a model that permits the identification of causal characteristics in omnichannel management based on fuzzy cognitive maps (FCM), the simulation of possible scenarios and the impact that changes in the environment or in the organization's internal activities may have on omnichannel management.
From the results of a Delphi process based on an international Panel of Experts and using complexity theory, a Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM) was built that can serve as a reference for B2B omnichannel management. The main value of the research is provided by the practical model that allows simulating what-if scenarios, that is, with the modification of the input conditions with respect to a base scenario and thus favors directing the omnichannel strategy to be followed in a B2B field.
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