Social media has been around for 20 years and has profoundly affected the dynamics of interactions between companies and customers. Studies have increasingly focused on how firms effectively use ...social media in their marketing strategies. However, the literature appears highly fragmented. Scholars have tended to investigate individual facets of social media marketing (SMM) behaviours, adopting a narrow perspective on their antecedents and outcomes. This approach hinders a comprehensive understanding of the overall phenomenon. Against this background, we conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 169 articles to develop a causal‐chain framework based on inputs, contingency factors, and outputs to illustrate the interrelationships among different research constructs explored so far. This framework contributes to overcoming the isolated perspectives of firms’ SMM that have characterized the extant knowledge, thus offering clarity and an overarching view of SMM in firms. The findings also provide concrete guidance for future research endeavours in this area.
Digital technologies (e.g. Industry 4.0, Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, blockchain, etc.), are profoundly affecting companies' activities and processes, thus leading to changes in ...firms' value creation, value delivery, and value capture mechanisms. Yet, despite significant investments in digital technologies and digital transformation, firms are struggling to yield the most out of them, thereby facing a digital paradox. This scenario has drawn the attention of academics and practitioners leading to a growing body of literature on the relationship between digital technology and business model innovation. Yet, the extant academic research in this area appears highly fragmented. Hence, this study conducts a systematic literature review to gather and synthesize the extant knowledge on this topic. The review identifies four main thematic areas, provides an interpretative framework, and suggests valuable future research directions within each thematic area. The article contributes to the theoretical and managerial discussion on digital-driven business model innovation.
•Understanding the relationship between digital technology and business model innovation remains a research priority•The study is based on a systematic literature review of 106 articles•The study identifies five major investigated research areas•The study provides an interpretative framework and valuable future research avenues
Business markets are facing major changes due to an increasing digitalization trend and consequent changes in buying behaviors. Practitioners and academics alike have started to emphasize social ...selling as a novel way to tackle these emerging opportunities and challenges at the sales force level. Since research in this area remains embryonic and fragmented, we adopt a discovery-oriented research approach and conceptualize social selling and its key facets based on a systematic literature review and a field study involving thought leading social selling professionals. The findings indicate a need to extend the research focus from social media usage into a concept which comprehends social selling as a broader application of digital marketing principles at the individual salesperson level. Social selling leverages social and digital channels for understanding, connecting with, and engaging influencers, prospects and existing customers at relevant customer purchasing journey touchpoints for building valuable business relationships. We relate the construct to other close selling approaches and explicate its organizational strategy components as well as performance outcomes. The findings advance current understanding of the role of sales in contemporary business markets and have implications for sales and marketing theory and practice.
•We conceptualize social selling based on a discovery oriented study.•It leverages social and digital channels for building business relationships.•It focuses on understanding, connecting with, and engaging relevant actors.•It reflects implementation of digital marketing principles at personal selling.•We identify its key outcomes and organizational strategy elements.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide an in-depth understanding of the B2B customers’ perspective regarding salespeople’s social media use.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopts a ...qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 26 key informants performing their job in customer role in various industries.
Findings
The authors inductively identify five themes regarding the B2B customers’ perspective of social media use in B2B selling. These themes allow for valuable implications for social selling activities and expected outcomes.
Originality/value
Against a growing body of literature on drivers, best practices and outcomes of social media use by B2B salespeople, less attention has been paid to the customer’s side. The authors extend current research by providing a more complete picture of social selling activities and expected outcomes.
Despite the many benefits associated with the Industry 4.0 megatrend, researchers and practitioners alike have warned against an overly technocentric implementation of such a paradigm. Industry 4.0 ...should be corroborated by an awareness of its wider social implications, otherwise it might threaten human and societal well-being. Notably, firms should innovate and maintain competitiveness by respecting human values and developing collaborative relationships between humans and robots, while improving the wider societal well-being as well as recognizing ethical and socio-cultural factors. Yet, firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), face several challenges concerning a more human-centered evolution of Industry 4.0, as they lack adequate resources, competences, and cultural mindsets. In this regard, extant literature has suggested that external actors, such as governmental institutions, universities, and research centers might assist SMEs in effectively implementing Industry 4.0. Still, the role of such actors has yet to be explored. Therefore, this article aims to empirically investigate the role of competence centers (CCs), which bring together the main actors within innovation ecosystems, in supporting SMEs towards a more human-centered implementation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm. By conducting a multiple case study among Italian CCs, the article contributes to the formalization of the role of CCs in assisting SMEs during the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies, utilizing a more holistic vision.
Purpose
This paper aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on social media adoption in business-to-business (B2B) contexts to propose an inclusive and theoretical viewpoint to understand the ...antecedents of this phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review. For this purpose, 29 studies published in academic journals, books and conference papers in the field of marketing and management from 2001 to 2017 were analysed.
Findings
The results show that the number of studies has increased in the past five years. Three different groups of antecedents are identified by considering the nature of these factors (personal, organisational and external) and analysed at two different levels of adoption: individual and firm/function. Managerial implications and future research insights are provided.
Research limitations/implications
This research area deserves much more attention, both theoretical and empirical, to analyse the existing classifications and develop new categories of antecedents of social media adoption in B2B. Further studies are needed on the individual level of adoption, on new skills and capabilities required to use social media as well as on the social factors influencing usage.
Practical implications
The literature review allows to understand the role of personal, organisational and social antecedents and suggest ways to improve the level and quality of adoption.
Originality/value
Despite a considerable interest in research on social media, this paper provides the first complete framework in the new field of study concerning social media adoption in B2B.
