An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial practice of intellectual capital sharing (ICS) with client organizations and assess its potential for collaborative business-to-business (B2B) relationship building. B2B collaborations within the traditional marketing paradigm are...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
Emerald Publishing Limited
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/968/ |
| _version_ | 1848766612206780416 |
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| author | Donald, P. Addison II Tony, Lingham Can, Uslay Lee, Olivia F.* |
| author_facet | Donald, P. Addison II Tony, Lingham Can, Uslay Lee, Olivia F.* |
| author_sort | Donald, P. Addison II |
| building | INTI Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial practice of intellectual capital sharing (ICS) with client organizations and assess its potential for collaborative business-to-business (B2B) relationship building. B2B collaborations within the traditional marketing paradigm are restricted due to perceived opportunism.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on the grounded theory approach and involves 22 semi-structured interviews with the employees of a focal organization and its five client organizations regarding 36 implemented projects. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed via constant comparison to surface codes, categories, concepts and themes from which the authors developed propositions based on the particular context of this study.
Findings
ICS approach helps customers to reconstruct sellers’ identity from one characterized by opportunism and arm’s length relationships to one defined by openness and collaboration. Identified benefits of ICS include higher trust, commitment, social bonding, value co-creation, individual and organizational performance and learning. Eight propositions and a model of ICS consequences are presented.
Research limitations/implications
The context of the study is limited to a single industry – financial services – however, the findings should be highly relevant for other sales contexts characterized by low buyer trust.
Practical implications
Entrepreneurial marketers can engage in ICS approach quickly at minimal cost, as the capabilities and talent are typically already internal to the organization.
Originality/value
This paper examines a unique relational approach to serving clients called ICS that de-emphasizes the sale. Subject matter experts help buyers overcome challenges outside the scope of the traditional marketing paradigm. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:53:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | intimal-968 |
| institution | INTI International University |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:53:55Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Emerald Publishing Limited |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | intimal-9682017-11-17T07:29:57Z http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/968/ An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing Donald, P. Addison II Tony, Lingham Can, Uslay Lee, Olivia F.* HF Commerce Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurial practice of intellectual capital sharing (ICS) with client organizations and assess its potential for collaborative business-to-business (B2B) relationship building. B2B collaborations within the traditional marketing paradigm are restricted due to perceived opportunism. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on the grounded theory approach and involves 22 semi-structured interviews with the employees of a focal organization and its five client organizations regarding 36 implemented projects. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analyzed via constant comparison to surface codes, categories, concepts and themes from which the authors developed propositions based on the particular context of this study. Findings ICS approach helps customers to reconstruct sellers’ identity from one characterized by opportunism and arm’s length relationships to one defined by openness and collaboration. Identified benefits of ICS include higher trust, commitment, social bonding, value co-creation, individual and organizational performance and learning. Eight propositions and a model of ICS consequences are presented. Research limitations/implications The context of the study is limited to a single industry – financial services – however, the findings should be highly relevant for other sales contexts characterized by low buyer trust. Practical implications Entrepreneurial marketers can engage in ICS approach quickly at minimal cost, as the capabilities and talent are typically already internal to the organization. Originality/value This paper examines a unique relational approach to serving clients called ICS that de-emphasizes the sale. Subject matter experts help buyers overcome challenges outside the scope of the traditional marketing paradigm. Emerald Publishing Limited 2017 Article PeerReviewed Donald, P. Addison II and Tony, Lingham and Can, Uslay and Lee, Olivia F.* (2017) An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, 19 (1). pp. 2-25. ISSN 1471-5201 https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-09-2016-0032 https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-09-2016-0032 |
| spellingShingle | HF Commerce Donald, P. Addison II Tony, Lingham Can, Uslay Lee, Olivia F.* An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title | An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title_full | An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title_fullStr | An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title_full_unstemmed | An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title_short | An entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to B2B selling: The case for intellectual capital sharing |
| title_sort | entrepreneurial relationship marketing approach to b2b selling: the case for intellectual capital sharing |
| topic | HF Commerce |
| url | http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/968/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/968/ http://eprints.intimal.edu.my/968/ |