Introducing the innovative concept of Interactive Network Branding (INB), this book offers academics and professionals a theoretical framework, alongside practical examples, to develop INB in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Introducing the innovative concept of Interactive Network Branding (INB), this book offers academics and professionals a theoretical framework, alongside practical examples, to develop INB in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Sustainability is a top priority for organizations and a key strategy in corporate agendas, but the effective deployment of any strategy demands that the strategy is consistent, functional, and aligned. This Handbook advocates sustainability strategies that encompass environmental, social, and economic dimensions at department-level.

The business world consists of interlinked entities, which require acting cooperatively in order to reach the desired aims. Individuals are at the core of business-to-business (B2B) marketing and are responsible for making decisions, negotiating, networking, branding, and all other of the firm’s vital processes. Especially in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the role of individuals is important, as those in charge of the SMEs are often the face and the mind of a company. However, the role of the individual in B2B marketing literature has often been overlooked. This book covers the gap by providing a variety of novel perspectives that involve individuals as central figures in the B2B marketing environment. This book will provide practical implications on the topics in focus, which will bring the role and importance of individuals to the fore in the understanding of how B2B marketing works. It introduces readers to the role of embedded individual managers in developing and changing business systems and networks and consists of three core sections: cognition (individual sensemaking within a business environment), action (decision-making in business networks), and finally, contextualization (interrelation between micro- and macro-levels). Each section is supported with case studies to exemplify the research ideas presented. Individuals in B2B Marketing offers a comprehensive investigation into this much overlooked topic and will be a valuable resource for marketing, entrepreneurship, and international business scholars and graduate students in particular.

Following recent growth of ethical consumerism, customers and other stakeholders increasingly pressure organizations to be socially responsible and minimize their negative impact on the environment. Accordingly, a plethora of firms have integrated corporate social responsibility (CSR) at the center of their business strategies and actions. Whilst this has resulted in many firms meeting their broader responsibilities toward society and the environment, some firms have used CSR in a manipulative and insincere way. As stakeholders become aware of such misuse of CSR, largely thanks to the rapid evolution of information technologies, they start to penalize firms by spreading negative word of mouth about them, and specifically about their CSR knowledge, values, and actions. Now, more than ever before, stakeholders are increasingly critical and cautious in their assessments of firms’ CSR knowledge, values, and actions. On this background, this edited volume sheds light on different internal and external perspectives spanning CSR knowledge, values, and actions. It shares theoretical, practical, and case-based insights on the broader topic and can be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and advanced students in the fields of CSR and business ethics, knowledge management, strategy, and marketing.

This book presents an in-depth exploration of contemporary business-to-business branding practices. Bringing together both theoretical and practical views on the subject, the editors curate a range of business case studies, offering guidance on strategy in B2B contexts, use of the brand, how mistakes can be avoided, and which channels to use.

Written for undergraduate and MBA courses in business-to-business marketing or industrial marketing, this text explores the process of understanding, creating and delivering value to targeted business markets and customers. It provides an analytical framework for determining value.

Social media has become an integral part of society as social networking has become a main form of communication and human interaction. To stay relevant, businesses have adopted social media tactics to interact with consumers, conduct business, and remain competitive. Social technologies have reached a vital point in the business world, being essential in strategic decision-making processes, building relationships with consumers, marketing and branding efforts, and other important areas. While social media continues to gain importance in modern society, it is essential to determine how it functions in contemporary business. The Research Anthology on Strategies for Using Social Media as a Service and Tool in Business provides updated information on how businesses are strategically using social media and explores the role of social media in keeping businesses competitive in the global economy. The chapters will discuss how social tools work, what services businesses are utilizing, both the benefits and challenges to how social media is changing the modern business atmosphere, and more. This book is essential for researchers, instructors, social media managers, business managers, students, executives, practitioners, industry professionals, social media analysts, and all audiences interested in how social media is being used in modern businesses as both a service and integral tool.

The concept of open innovation (OI) has become a very popular topic during the last decade, with an increasing number of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) embracing OI practices to gain competitive advantage. With the majority of publications focusing on large firms, open innovation in SMEs has received scant attention from both scholars and practitioners. This book seeks to correct this imbalance by providing an in-depth study for both business managers and graduate-level students. Using rich, in-depth case studies from successful companies, it examines different approaches to managing OI in order to develop practical guidelines for implementation. It also highlights important differences between OI strategies in SMEs and large companies. Its findings will be of use to those studying or working in innovation management, open innovation, small business management and entrepreneurship.