What are relationships in business networks?

Holmlund Maria, Jan-Åke Törnroos

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    101 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    An understanding of business networks and the specific processes affecting change in networks is intimately connected to the understanding of the nature of relationships. Relationships constitute the core aspect which connects actors, resources and activities in a business network. Presents an overview of basic features of relationships. Groups relational concepts from the business marketing literature into structural, economic and social dimensions. Outlines a marketing model of three network layers in business networks based on different types of actors. The proposed network layers in the model constitute the production network layer, the resource network layer and the social network layer. Finally, assigns relational concepts to their related network layers in a relationship  matrix.

    Original languageUndefined/Unknown
    Pages (from-to)304–309
    JournalManagement Decision
    Volume35
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1997
    MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

    Keywords

    • business interaction
    • Business relationships
    • Theoretical perspectives
    • qualitative content analysis
    • Business strategy
    • Business networks
    • Relationship marketing

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