IMCA Seminar - Daniela Corsaro - room A14 - 13:30

A Value Perspective on Relationship Portfolio

 

Abstract: As portfolio models have evolved in the area of business marketing, scholars have turned their attention from traditional customer or supplier portfolios to relationship portfolios based on business relationship attributes. In a parallel stream of research, the literature has increasingly explored the concept of relationship value; recent studies-especially from the Industrial Network Approach-have shown how specific features of business relationships and interaction processes have been neglected in value literature. Value considerations are the foundation of portfolio investment decisions; thus, the purpose of this paper is to recognize critical attributes of relationship value that have important consequences for portfolio analysis. Developing the concept of Relationship Value Portfolio provides a discussion on the need to integrate the two fields of research on relationship value and relationship portfolios in a more grounded conceptual framework. The theoretical framework proposed contributes to enriching the theoretical debate on both streams as well as offers important implications for managerial practice.