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Papers by Aino Halinen-Kaila

Industrial Marketing Management, Apr 1, 2022

Industrial Marketing Management, Aug 1, 2023

Journal of Business Research, 2023

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Jul 25, 2023

Industrial Marketing Management, Feb 1, 2018

International Journal of Service Industry Management, Aug 1, 2006

PurposeEffective customer‐specific knowledge transfer is the cornerstone of customer value creati... more PurposeEffective customer‐specific knowledge transfer is the cornerstone of customer value creation in professional service organizations. In order to formulate a coherent service offering across different expertise areas, it is crucial to share customer‐specific knowledge between professionals, business functions and units. The purpose of this study is to offer insights into the role of key account management (KAM) systems in facilitating this process.Design/methodology/approachThe work is based on an explorative case study in which the implementation of the KAM system in two consulting and training companies was investigated. Comparison of the two cases in terms of KAM design and success in knowledge transfer enabled conclusions to be drawn about the role of KAM as a knowledge carrier and a “linking pin” in a loosely coupled organization.FindingsOrganizational fragmentation and insufficient communication channels among experts and subgroups of professional organizations cause problems in relation to knowledge transfer. This also makes it more difficult to combine expertise and to create innovative service concepts for customers. A KAM system, if managed effectively, provides a powerful tool for counteracting these problems. It functions as a linking pin in a loosely coupled organization, helping to maintain customer‐specific knowledge transfer and continuity in customer relationships.Originality/valueVery little research has been conducted on customer‐specific knowledge transfer in professional service organizations in spite of its central role in the creation of customer value. This study is unique in offering empirical evidence of the role of KAM systems in facilitating knowledge transfer. In the future, it would be interesting to study the role of different organizational conditions and practices, including organizational structures, the use of technological knowledge tools and cooperative working methods. The effectiveness of KAM systems in terms of financial performance and the creation of value for clients also deserve more research attention.

1. Introduction 2. The Research Setting 3. An Interaction Framework for the Development of Advert... more 1. Introduction 2. The Research Setting 3. An Interaction Framework for the Development of Advertising Agency-Client Relationships 4. Empirical Research Design 5. Development of the Advertising Agency-Client Relationship Studied 6. A Modified Process Model of Advertising Agency-Client Relationships 7. Assessment of the Study 8. Summary

Journal of Service Management, Jun 20, 2016

Purpose – Management of customer participation (CP) in service production and delivery is of crit... more Purpose – Management of customer participation (CP) in service production and delivery is of critical concern for service managers, as CP can result in various positive but also negative outcomes. However, an integrated understanding on how service providers can manage CP is still missing. The purpose of this paper is to gather and synthesize the extant knowledge on the constituents of CP management into a comprehensive framework, and to offer an extensive agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review of existing research is conducted. A total of 181 journal articles are analyzed in five steps: attaining basic understanding, coding, categorization, comparison, and further analysis. Findings – The authors provide identification and categorizations of the customer inputs, their antecedents, the management approaches, and the outcomes of CP. To date, CP management has been addressed from three distinct perspectives: human resource management that treats customers as partial employees; operations management that focusses on customer functioning during the service process; and marketing that highlights the roles and value outcomes for customers. Research limitations/implications – The authors call for further research that addresses the relationships between the antecedents, customer inputs, management approaches, and outcomes of CP, and argue for extension of contextual diversity. The detailed research agenda provided is helpful for interested researchers. Practical implications – The study offers managerial insights on how the degree and quality of CP can be improved by applying the various management methods examined in academic research. Originality/value – As the first comprehensive review on this topic, this paper brings together the dispersed knowledge on CP, integrates it into a comprehensive framework of CP management, and paves the way for future focussed research.

This paper takes its starting point in the so called business network approach, which is based on... more This paper takes its starting point in the so called business network approach, which is based on the notion that companies build exchange relationships with other companies; relationships that, in turn, are the building blocks of business networks. Through business relationships the companies become connected, both directly and indirectly, to other parts of the business network, for example, to customers’ customers and suppliers’ suppliers. The connectedness of relationships means that changes taking place in one part of the network may spread far into its other parts. The change of business networks has generally been discussed from the perspective of a focal company or a focal business relationship and of relationships directly connected to it. Usually indirect business relationships (e.g. with customers’ customers) are ignored. Thus, we still know very little of how change spreads further in business networks. Business network change is, however, a strategic concern for companies, who compete in networked environments and are increasingly dependent on external linkages as a source of resources. In this paper the purpose is to propose an event-based approach to the study of business network change. Events form the principal point of access to social action in time and can thus be used as windows for network dynamics. So far network change has been examined from the perspective of network structure, taking a defined network as a starting point, and studying the trajectory, change pattern or development process of the structure. We adopt an alternative approach here, taking the change itself as a starting point and selecting discernible change episodes, i.e. events, as the focus of our discussion. This offers a dynamic view on networks, and releases the investigator from strict ex ante limitation of the network in focus. Events are seen as manifestations of change forces causing various changes in business networks, ultimately leading to other important events. Events such as mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies are often connected to each other, creating event sequences that may restructure significantly the business network in which companies realize and enact their strategy. In the best case, events provide opportunities for firms to restructure the network and to improve their positions within it. However, our results pinpoint the complexity and dynamics of network environments and the challenge strategic management faces in such environments. In the context of merger and acquisition waves and various simultaneously occurring events, it may be extremely difficult to choose one’s own actions, and to see the long-term ramifications of one’s own and others’ actions.

Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management

Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks, 2016

Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Oct 31, 2012