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Service innovation has been often conceptualized as a linear multi-stage development process within a main innovator system. In this logic, innovation is communicated through certain channels over time and adopters play a key role in the process of innovation diffusion. This study moves away from this conceptualization and proposes service innovation diffusion as an emergent process of co-construction and sense-making by companies, customers and other partners. Such actors enact practices by interacting and integrating resources in a social, economic and cultural context. In particular, thanks to the analysis of 10 case studies we identify specific practices of service innovation diffusion in which actors make sense and share meanings about the newness, both individually and collec-tively. They are enabling confidence on service innovation, creating shared meanings among actors, and leveraging on actors’ competen-cies. The study also shows the dual role of users which can act both, and simultaneously, as adopters and rejectors.

Il valore è da sempre considerato il principale punto di ancoraggio delle decisioni del management e, come tale, esso ha una lunga tradizione negli studi di economia e gestione d’impresa. La diffusione di una prospettiva relazionale dei mercati ha portato nel tempo alla nascita del concetto di valore delle relazioni, o relationship value. Gli studi di marketing sul valore delle relazioni di business sono stati fortemente influenzati dalla disciplina economica, tralasciando però l’influenza dei soggetti, delle reti sociali, e delle dinamiche dei sistemi relazionali sul comportamento economico e sulle sue conseguenze. Il presente volume si propone di rileggere il concetto di valore delle relazioni attraverso l’analisi delle percezioni dei manager e delle caratteristiche del contesto d’interazione in cui le relazioni si svolgono. A tal fine, la teoria economica sul valore è stata integrata con contributi provenienti da discipline quali la psicologia organizzativa e la sociologia. Lo studio prende a riferimento i processi di valore considerati critici nel business to business ̶ creazione, comunicazione, appropriazione, misurazione, e un quinto processo emergente, la rappresentazione del valore ̶ individuandone le implicazioni all’interno delle relazioni, e le possibili strategie relazionali value-based finalizzate alla loro gestione. La ricerca è supportata da uno studio empirico suddiviso in due fasi: una survey ad un campione di 171 manager e 76 interviste in profondità a manager operanti in diversi mercati industriali, dalla manifattura ai servizi. Il volume fornisce un approccio allo studio del valore il più possibile olistico, multidisciplinare e orientato in senso pratico.

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Spostare l’attenzione da una visione strutturale dei contenuti delle relazioni a una basata sui processi di valore, porta a un progressivo avvicinamento tra la nozione di valore propria dei mercati industriali e quella dei mercati di consumo. Alcuni autori si sono addirittura spinti ad affermare che non esista una differenza sostanziale tra i due ambiti, giacché tutti gli attori di mercato, siano essi imprese o consumatori, fanno la stessa cosa, ovvero co-creano valore attraverso l’integrazione delle risorse e lo scambio di benefici reciproci. In questo capitolo si cercherà di integrare la nozione di valore propria dei mercati di consumo con quella dei mercati industriali. Infatti, seppur si tratti di ambiti differenti, essi costituiscono comunque parte degli stessi processi di valore.

Innovation is more and more the result of sophisticated interactions between a number of actors (Tsai et al., 2009; Powell et al., 1996), which makes the innovative process complex, chaotic, non-linear and characterized by both diverging and converging directions (Van de Ven et al., 1999). Actors coordinate day-to-day activities with various partners to create value for customers (Håkansson et al., 2009). As stated by Gulati (2010), “In order to redefine innovation more broadly than before, companies must involve more voices in the innovation process” (Hakansson and Snehota, 1989; Powell et al., 1996). Interaction and resource allocation occur through a network that involves different individuals and institutions engaged in reciprocal, preferential and supportive actionsThe first special issue includes seven papers, which can be grouped into the following areas: - exploring the different sources of heterogeneity among actors; - exploring the various goals of actors in INs; and - mediating actors’ heterogeneity.

Purpose. Service innovation is more and more framed as a process of value co-creation within a multistakeholder service system. Due to the heterogeneity of actors and contexts involved in service innovation, the social dimension appears to be important, even if not adequately analyzed until now. In this paper we adopt social construction theories as a lens to explore the relationship between service innovation and value co-creation in a multi-stakeholder setting. In particular, we focus on the role of sense-making and boundary objects in enabling service innovation through resource integration. Design/Methodology/Approach Close to relativist epistemology, this study is the outcome of contextual knowledge. An interactive, qualitative, multi-case-study approach is applied to gain insights into the investigated phenomena. We studied service innovation in practice within networks of the service system. We deepened the role of social context and social structures affecting and being affected by value-enabling innovation. In this paper, findings concern a judgment sample formed by ten cases operating in the food market Findings In a multi-stakeholder system service innovation takes place through networked resource integration, where the resources to be integrated can be cultural, social, collective, and linked to live contextual experiences. As a matter of fact, in the cases investigated innovation is seen as a new value proposition about food provision that allows a different way of integrating resources for actors: the process of serving food changes, as well as the practices involved. Practical implications There is great potential in applying the concept of boundary objects to the food industry, where boundary objects could link not only the worlds of scientists and nonscientists, but those of (expert) producers and (lay) consumers. Originality Service innovation is framed as a collective phenomenon based on the creation and sharing of new meanings within multi-stakeh

Scholars are increasingly recognizing the importance of contextual elements in determining the value of resources in business to business markets. This value, in fact, depends from how resources are used and combined within different interaction contexts. To stress this point, the concept of value in context has been recently developed; however, it is quite common that resources move from one context to another one. Given the multiplicity of contexts a resource is used this paper is aimed at identifying the key elements that determine the value in use of a resource across different contexts. Empirically, we studied the case of Gottifredi Maffioli Group (GMG), a company that operates in the business of ropes for yachting and which is moving to other business exploring new application of the rope. In particular, we made 47 interviews in the company’s business network. The study will find out that considering the value of a resource across contexts implies managing some key elements: technological aspects, meanings associated to the resource, the value for the user, and to activate the network.

The importance of services in contributing to the individual and collective well-being is growing in recognition. With the emergence of the transformative service research (TSR) paradigm scholars are increasingly highlighting the transformative role that services may play both at micro and macro-level. By integrating insights from the TSR literature with the network approach, this paper focuses on the networked nature of the transformative role of services. In order to investigate how organizations drive this change over time in a networked environment and the well-being outcomes, we analyze the evolution of the business model of Edenred, a leading global company, with expertise in delivering end-to-end solutions for rewards, compensations, incentives and loyalty programs to employees and the public in general. Results from our study show that we can identify stages in the evolution of the business model in a transformative fashion, each characterized by a specific driving force as well as patterns of value creation and value appropriation.

Business markets are characterized by interdependences between business actors. How these actors make sense of such interdependencies is a matter of both theoretical and practical importance. Research on cognitive foundations for competition in business markets, based on organization and strategic management, has evolved considerably since the 1980s. Also, researchers on business markets that are based on marketing and adopt a network perspective, have become increasingly interested in cognition and sense-making over the last two decades. The concepts network pictures and network understanding have been in focus for this research, which has resulted in a demand for improved clarity of the interplay between cognition, action and outcome, as well as for a stronger integration between parallel research developments from related disciplines and research approaches. A better understanding of how individual and collective views are developed is also required. This Special Issue, originated in the network perspective of business markets, is aimed to address these issues.

Representation is a key overarching process that drives the four processes: value creation, communication, appropriation and measurement. We contribute to the literature by exploring value representations as layered and changing objects with a degree of common meaning between actors in a business network. We apply two case studies, the first in the automotive crash repair industry and the other in the cloud computing space, to ground our theoretical work on layered representation objects. The cases are organized around three periods to capture the change in representations in a dynamic network context. Our analysis shows that: (1) representations are discrete, (2) they rely on past representations, and (3) they have meaning in preparing for the next. Past representations are no longer visible, but become assumed within the next, so affecting the way resources are combined and activities pursued. For the effectiveness of value processes, representations are not only relevant with respect to the space dimension, i.e. different actors with different value representations, but also in time.

Nel mondo globale e digitalizzato di oggi, sono saltati i confini che in passato separavano luoghi e settori, creando spazi aperti - trans-territoriali e trans-settoriali - in cui ci sono molte opportunità, ma anche molta confusione. Per rispondere a questo mutato contesto, occorre sempre più abilitare forme di intelligenza relazionale in grado di mettere in connessione chi è dotato di capacità (conoscenze, risorse finanziarie, competenze professionali, legami, macchine, prodotti materiali ecc.) con chi potrebbe usare utilmente quelle capacità per rispondere alle proprie esigenze o ai propri bisogni. L'intelligenza relazionale è, quindi, una risorsa connettiva che, nelle filiere globali e differenziate di oggi, ha sempre più valore, perché i collegamenti tra chi offre e chi domanda non sono più dati o scontati, ma vanno di volta in volta ripensati e costruiti anche a distanza, scegliendo tra una molteplicità di possibili soluzioni. Non è facile farlo in modo efficace e con un esito garantito, o per lo meno affidabile: questo crea lo spazio per investimenti cognitivi e strutture organizzate che mettono a disposizione l'intelligenza relazionale di cui c'è bisogno nelle filiere di oggi. In questo volume i ricercatori del T-Lab del CFMT (Centro di Formazione Management del Terziario) hanno voluto affrontare questo tema di frontiera, attraverso l'analisi di una serie di casi di successo nell'uso creativo dell'intelligenza relazionale nelle diverse forme in cui questa può declinarsi. Ciò che emerge è la prospettiva di una economia dei servizi che - grazie all'investimento in intelligenza relazionale - costruisce trame flessibili e abilita un'ingegnosità collettiva, capaci di sfruttare il crescente potenziale che il contesto complesso in cui si muovono le organizzazioni e gli individui può offrire.

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This issue represents the second in response to the call for papers pertaining to Innovation Networks. While the first special issue primarily focused on the effects of actors' heterogeneity in innovation networks, the second issue is dedicated to organizational efforts to support innovation networks. The second special issue includes eight papers, which can be grouped into the following areas: * Dynamics of an innovation network. * Business models in innovation networks. * Coordination in innovation networks. * Different types of innovation networks

The aim of this paper is to explore the role of actors’ heterogeneity and the context of interaction on collective innovation.

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Theory on the value of business relationships has considerably improved in the latest years, also thanks to cross-fertilization from psychology and sociology studies. Anyway, while the contribution to the academic field has been substantive, theory on the value of business relationships has not found a real and effective application to managerial practice. This paper is aimed at identifying which are the key factors managers face in dealing with relationship value and find out possible relational strategies value-based to manage them. The empirical research is based on a mixed method study, composed by a survey to 171 managers and 84 interviews. Evidences will show that, notwithstanding the complexity of the value concept in a relational and interactional contexts, specific relational strategies value-based are needed to manage value processes. These strategies can be effective only if they consider all value processes simultaneously. Managerial implications relate to the need for tools, software and CRM systems addressed to support managers in their decision making rather than providing disconnected pieces of information.

This study addressed service innovation as a process of co-construction and sense-making by companies, customers and other partners. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of communication in fostering service innovation as a process of social construction. Five key communication practices intervening in service innovation were identified.

Scholars are increasingly recognizing the important of the context in determining the value of resources in business to business markets. This value, in fact, depends from how resources are used and combined within different interaction contexts. To stress this point, scholars recently also developed the concept of value in context; however, there is no clear evidence until now about value across contexts, which we this is particularly evident given the multiplicity of contexts a resource is used. This paper is aimed at identifying the key elements that determine the value in use of a resource across different contexts. Empirically, we studied the case of Gottifredi Maffioli Group (GMG), a company that operates in the business of ropes for yachting. In particular, we made 47 interviews in the company’s business network. The study will find out that considering the value of a resource across contexts implies managing the meanings associated to the resource, the value for the user, and activate the network. This has important managerial implications by increasing the effectiveness of resources with respect to different contexts of application.

Recent developments in management have highlighted the need for research on corporate sustainability strategies at the value chain level and in particular in the context of franchising. Although franchising is a widespread phenomenon, there is little empirical evidence of how companies approach the issue. By employing a multi-method research approach, this study explores the importance that franchisors assign to sustainability and the way they deal with it. Our findings show that franchisors adopt three main different sustainability strategies, with an increasing relevance of social sustainability as an enabler of environmental sustainability. The study sheds some light also on the interplay between the franchisor-franchisee relationship features and the company's approach toward sustainability. Preliminary propositions are presented as a starting point for further research in this area.

explores the role of symbols in value cocreation in order to develop a deeper understanding of how actors communicate, interact, and reconcile perspectives as they integrate and exchange resources to create value for themselves and for others. We draw on a service ecosystems approach to value cocreation and propose a conceptual framework that highlights varying views of value and articulates the way in which value cocreation results from the integration of resources and interactions among multiple actors. We argue that symbols guide actors in enacting particular practices that enable the cocreation of shared meanings, which help actors determine the value of current and future interactions. In this way, symbols support the coordination of interaction, the communication of information, the integration of resources, and the evaluation of value, among actors. We provide an empirical example of our conceptual framework as supporting evidence for the role of symbols in value cocreation and point toward directions for future research.

Developing strategic approaches to value creation for their firms and others is among the most fundamental challenges that managers face in all businesses. This implies the need to better understand both how value is created and the roles various parties within and outside the firm play.

La complessità del contesto in cui imprese e individui si muovono è destinata a crescere ulteriormente per effetto delle due grandi onde che stanno cambiando ormai da tempo la fisionomia dell’economia: la globalizzazione dei mercati e la smaterializzazione del valore. Si tratta di un momento che non si può più definire di crisi ma di transizione; ciò implica la necessità di un salto evolutivo che metta in condizioni le imprese e i manager di cambiare il modo di rapportarsi col futuro possibile, dove il futuro non si prevede ma si fa. La tesi che viene proposta in questo volume dai ricercatori del T-lab del CFMT è che per fare il futuro bisogna essere capaci di immaginarlo, progettarlo, raccontarlo e dotarlo di significati abbastanza coinvolgenti da convincere altri a seguire lo stesso cammino. Se da un lato irrompe nella vita quotidiana di ciascuno l’innovazione tecnologica, che ha ormai assunto forme dirompenti rispetto agli equilibri ereditati dal passato, dall’altro gli oggetti, le esperienze, le marche assumono sempre più valore agli occhi delle persone che li realizzano o li usano in funzione del senso che li accompagna. Sempre più, quindi, cambiamento tecnologico e sense-making si sostengono a vicenda nella creazione di mondi nuovi e diversificati, sperimentali, che consentono di esplorare il vasto continente del possibile, come ci dimostrano le esperienze delle imprese che vengono qui presentate. Si tratta di realtà che usano la leva del senso per alimentare il valore prodotto, attraverso alcune declinazioni particolarmente efficaci: il senso dell’appartenenza a una rete, il senso dell’esperienza condivisa, il senso della creatività e del design, il senso del consumo responsabile e il senso del lavoro. Il cammino è già tracciato, come emerge in questo volume, ora occorre solo percorrerlo., The emergent service-view of innovation in networks has led to rethink how service innovation shapes value creation, rather than services per se. The attention shifts from the content of the innovative offering to the processes through which the innovation is created in service networks. In this study we explore service innovation as a collective phenomenon of new meanings creation and sharing. We find out that the process of service innovation occurs through actors participating and sharing new value co-creation logics. Service innovation becomes a story of social construction through a process of sense-making, where boundary objects assume a relevant role in coordinating the ideas and actions of the different actors. Our study also sheds some light on the relevance of the service support system for service innovation and thus value creation.

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Issues around innovation have seen considerable increase of academic and managerial interest over the last decades. In parallel, the role of business relationships and networks has also attracted growing attention. Consequently, the concept of innovation networks (INs) is positioned at the interface of these two streams. At the core of the concept of INs is the proposition that relationships, i.e. interactions with other business partners, are critical for key innovation activities. However, research on INs has focused mostly on network structure-related aspects, while not providing enough insights into the processes of organising for interactions. In particular, this study explores the role of actors’ perceptions and interpretations regarding business relationships on how actors organise for innovation activities. Furthermore, this paper sheds light on the reciprocal influence that exists between cognition and action in such contexts, something that has been discussed in the field of organisational and cognitive science but not within innovation networks setting as part of business marketing studies. Longitudinal exploratory case study research was conducted, which analyses two ser- vice innovation processes in an innovation network in a district within a municipality of a North European country. Our study shows how INs evolve over time as actors shape (and reshape) the network through specific interactions within and between realms of the IN, whereby the diverse views held by different actors are confronted. In particular, we find that perceptions and interpretations of power distribution and strength of relationships emerge as relevant aspects to determine actors’ intentions toward organising both in the innovation development and the implementation phases. At the same time, the changes (such as initiation, development, and termination) in the relationships with other actors, actor groups, or realms of the IN affect the actors’ interpretations, thereby generat- i

It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the shift from innovation as a firm level phenomenon to a networked one. Innovation is more and more considered a collective process that involves a multitude of business actors, sometimes very different among them, such as companies, universities, private research centers, governmental institutions, and many others. This has lead to the emergence of the concept of innovation network, and the related concern of how innovation networks are composed by. In this paper we study the roles of actors’ heterogeneity in the development of collaborative innovation, a research area recently highlighted as relevant in marketing studies, but with scarce empirical evidence to support it. We developed the case of two projects –ESASIM and NeWTech– where the innovative outcome (simulation software) developed in the first has been applied in the second to develop a further innovation (wireless sensors). By using the six sources of heterogeneity by Corsaro et al. (2012) –goals, competences and skills, knowledge bases, power and position, perceptions and cultures– we find out the processes which describe the role of actors’ heterogeneity both in the development of collaborative innovation (de-contextualizing of the joint innovative outcome with respect to the different actors’ specific features) and in its application (re-contextualizing of the innovative outcome into the specific context of each actor). Even if our findings are preliminary, important marketing implications arise from our study.

The research aims to explore the role of symbols in value co-creation in order to develop a deeper understanding of how actors, communicate, interact and reconcile perspectives as they integrate and exchange resources to create value for themselves and for others. We draw on a service-ecosystems approach to value co-creation and propose a conceptual framework that highlights varying views of value and articulates the way in which value co-creation results from the integration of resources and interactions among multiple entities. We argue that symbols assist actors in co-creating shared meanings that help actors make decisions regarding current and future interactions. In this way, symbols support the coordination of interaction and communication, as well as the computation or evaluation of value, among actors. We provide an empirical example of our conceptual framework as supporting evidence for the role of symbols in value co-creation, and point toward directions for future research.

Starting point of our study is that service innovation is a collective phenomenon where new meanings emerge and are shared among actors. The attention shifts from the outcome (the innovative offering) to the process of service innovation. Concepts from social construction help us in better framing service innovation as a process of co-construction and sense-making by companies, customers and other partners as inter-subjective actors in a social, economic, cultural context (Edvardsson et al. 2010).

As portfolio models have evolved, scholars have turned their attention from traditional customer/supplier portfolios, mainly product-oriented, to relationship portfolios based on business relationships’ attributes. In a parallel stream of research, the literature has increasingly deeply explored the concept of relationship value and suggested variables to measure it. Notwithstanding the two frameworks share the common aim of understanding how to evaluate business relationships, surprisingly, they remained quite separated. The purpose of this paper is to recognize which are the critical attributes of the relationship value concept that have important consequences for relationship portfolio analysis. The paper provides a discussion on the need to integrate the two fields in a more grounded conceptual framework. This paper contributes both to enrich the theoretical debate on relationship value and relationship portfolio and also provides some suggestions on how to deal with five relationship value’s attributes that should be carefully managed in order to increase the effectiveness of relationship portfolio analysis.

In this study we explore service innovation as a collective phenomenon of new meanings creation and sharing. We shift the attention from the content of the innovative offering to the processes through which the innovation is created in service systems. Empirically we present the case of three companies operating in the food industries, Diet to Go, Eat’s and Gambero Rosso. We find out that the process of service innovation occurs through actors participating and sharing new value co-creation logics. A recursive on-going process arises where meanings are built collectively. Service innovation becomes a story of social construction through a process of sense-making.

“Combining the Social and Technological Aspects of Innovation: Relationships and Networks” was the title of the 28th IMP Conference held in Rome, at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in 2012. The relevant topics emerged during the Conference could be synthesized in: Network structure and its dynamics; Understanding Interaction; Actors: identity and role; Solutions and Value Creation; and Business Behavior in Networks. Analyzing the several papers presented the following issues were raised: what is the link between past tradition in IMP studies and innovative insights from the IMP conference held in Rome? which are the spaces for future research they open up?We propose some suggestions.

Combining the Social and Technological Aspects of Innovation: Relationships and Networks” was the title of the 28th IMP Conference held in Rome, at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in 2012. The relevant topics emerged during the Conference could be synthesized in: Network structure and its dynamics; Understanding Interaction; Actors: identity and role; Solutions and Value Creation; and Business Behavior in Networks. Analyzing the several papers presented the following issues were raised: what is the link between past tradition in IMP studies and innovative insights from the IMP conference held in Rome? which are the spaces for future research they open up?We propose some suggestions

Purpose – According to S-D Logic, institutions are governance mechanisms for service for service exchange and value co-creation in service ecosystem. Empirical evidences aimed at observing how institutions emerge and affect resources integration and value co-creation in service ecosystems are scarce. Methodology/approach – In this paper we studied the Lego Group service ecosystem, with a particular attention to some loci for value co-creation: the company, two relevant communities (Afols and Gamers) and the distributors’ network. Findings – Results - In our study we provide empirical evidences that institutions, emerging from the consolidating of practices, have a critical role in determining the evolution of the service ecosystem. Institutions allow actors to coordinate, integrate resources and co-create value. Originality/value – Our study addresses a substantial gap in the literature about the role of institutions in the evolution of a service ecosystems as they impact both on resource integration and value co-creation.

Literature on relationship value is increasingly stressing the complexity of the concept in addition to the traditional economic view. Such complexity has been translated into five key features of relationship, which have shown to have important consequences for relationship management. This paper is aimed at understanding the implications deriving from the 5 characteristics of relationship value and the way they can be managed. The study is based on 72 interviews in the Mikron Tool’s business network.

The emergent service-view of innovation has led to rethink how service innovation shapes value creation, rather than services per se. The attention shifts from the content of the innovative offering to the processes through which the innovation is created in service systems. In this study we explore service innovation as a collective phenomenon of new meanings creation and sharing. Empirically we present the success cases of three innovative companies operating in the food industry: Diet to Go, Eat‟s and Gambero Rosso. We find out that the process of service innovation occurs through actors participating and sharing new value co-creation logics. Service innovation becomes a story of social construction through a process of sense-making, where boundary objects assume a relevant role in coordinating the ideas and actions of the different actors. Our study also sheds some light on the relevance of the service support system for service innovation and thus value creation.

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This paper explores the role of actors’ heterogeneity in the development of innovative projects. An increasing number of studies suggest that innovation is created by the interplay of different and committed stakeholders, where the innovation activities of the firm must take account the complementary innovation activities of others in the network.This has lead to the emergence of the concept of innovation network, and the related concern of how innovation networks are composed by. In this paper we study the roles of actors’ heterogeneity in the development of collaborative innovation, a research area recently highlighted as relevant in marketing studies, but with scarce empirical evidence to support it. We developed the case of two innovative projects related to mechatronics where the innovative outcome developed in the first has been applied in the second to develop a further innovation. By using the six sources of heterogeneity by Corsaro et al. (2012) –goals, competences and skills, knowledge bases, power and position, perceptions and cultures– we find out the processes which describe the role of actors’ heterogeneity both in the development of collaborative innovation (de-contextualizing of the joint innovative outcome with respect to the different actors’ specific features) and in its application (re-contextualizing of the innovative outcome into the specific context of each actor).

SI ANALIZZANO LE MODALITA' DI APPROPRIAZIONE DEL VALORE NELLE BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

Combining resources to develop complex solutions (e.g., products or services) involves a varied set of business actors. Research tends to assume that actors aremore or less autonomous in combining the resources they use. Presenting findings from a study of the construction of the first two pre-discharge homes for patients with cognitive and motor disabilities, we show that the autonomy of the single actor in combining resources is limited and that resource combinations are collectively enacted. Consequently, the features of the emergent resource combinations depend on the set of actors involved. We also argue that each actor takes part in resource combination both as provider and as user of resources; the two roles imply different perspectives that lead to different focal points which, in turn, impact how resources interface. The two roles orient the conduct of parties and, as confronted in business relationships, they shape the development of business relationships and resource combinations.

This Chapter is aimed at exploring how the main features of value creation processes in a relational and networked setting affect value appropriation. This study is predominantly conceptual, and the use of empirical data is limited to exemplifying the conceptual considerations. We provide some illustrations drawn from previous studies on relationship value conducted with respect to different industries, including the mechanical industry, information and communication technologies (ICT), the toy industry, and healthcare.

The importance of service networks has been recognized both in service research and in btob marketing. In btob, in particular, business networks have been defined as highly dynamic structures subject to a continuous organizing process. Even though, the issue of how services in the context of business networks –i.e. service networks– evolve over time still remained unexplored. Through a longitudinal case study, we analyze the evolution of Edenred’s service network, a leading global company in delivering end-to-end solutions for rewards, compensations, incentives and loyalty programs to employees and the public in general. Our study shows that different states and specific interaction patterns characterize the evolution and transformation of a service network. It also shows that the internal organizational structure of the focal company reflects the evolution of the external network.

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A growing body of scholars are advocating a better understanding of how value is created in business networks, rather than merely in business relationships or at the level of single actors. Among such networks, innovation networks, i.e. the configurations of strategic entrepreneurial nets aimed at improving the effectiveness of innovation performance, have come under scrutiny in the business marketing literature. However, research that explicitly connects value considerations with innovation network configurations is still in its infancy, with empirical evidence being notably scarce. This study is aimed at identifying if and how network configurations affect value constellation aspects in business networks, in terms of value recipients and value outcomes. We interviewed key informants representing 46 high-technology entrepreneurial firms co-located in an innovation network (Daresbury Science and Technology Park - UK). Our study identifies that different network configurations can co-exist in the same overall network; these, nevertheless, are not alternative independent structures, but rather they interact with each other through actors spanning their boundaries. Our study thus provides an understanding of network configurations relating to specific value consequences, but also provides evidence relating to the interactions between different configurations. By doing this, we establish a bridge between a business marketing and a strategy perspective on value in networks. Important managerial implications and implications for policy makers also emerge from our study.

Despite the extensive research conducted on Science and Technology Parks (STPs) examining their nature, formation, evolution and outcomes, limited research can be found using a network level of analysis. Instead, most research is conducted at the team or entrepreneurial firm level, with limited attention given to either relationships or the embedding network surrounding entrepreneurial firms in STPs. On the other hand, studies focusing on entrepreneurship are characterized by a growing network-based research tradition. What this stream of research lacks, though, are further qualitative studies to enrich our understanding of the content of relationships and of the structures within entrepreneurial networks. With this paper, we integrate these two areas of research (i.e. STPs and entrepreneurship) from a business marketing perspective and address the identified research gaps. This is achieved by undertaking a network study to analyse different strategic net configurations of the 46 entrepreneurial high technology firms within a UK-based STP. Three different strategic net configurations are identified, with entrepreneurial firms being classified accordingly as believers, seekers or doubters. Unlike what is often hypothesized, the strategic net configuration chosen by an entrepreneurial firm within a STP has no association with the firms’ developmental stage. The paper reinforces the perspective that an inter-organizational network approach based on business marketing theory is beneficial for undertaking research on STPs and entrepreneurship, providing entrepreneurs, STPs and policy makers with a clearer understanding of what new ventures may seek and achieve as part of their presence within a STP.

This paper is aimed at integrating literature on S-D L with the interaction approach by IMP, in order to elaborate a model for representing business interaction in S-D Logic. A particular attention is devoted to the interactive and networked nature of value creation (Gummesson, 2006; Vargo & Lusch, 2008; Cova & Salle, 2008) and to the pivotal role of interactions in reciprocal value-creating processes (Gronroos, 2007; Gronroos & Ravald, 2009).