{"title":"Global account management: Knowledge resources and capabilities for relationship management","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ibusrev.2024.102315","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates what knowledge resources and capabilities are needed at the unit and individual levels to manage international intra- and inter-organizational relationships in global account management (GAM). These GAM units and individuals need to manage various relationships with different locations within the globally spread supplier firm (international intra-organizational relationships) and with the global client (international inter-organizational relationships). We find that, in GAM units, international intra-organizational relationships are managed using relationship internal knowledge resources and capabilities, while international inter-organizational relationships are managed with external knowledge resources and capabilities. Interestingly, the opposite is found for GAM individuals. The core finding of our research is that managing the GAM relationships is not a one-size-fits-all affair. Balancing relationships and internal and external knowledge resources and capabilities is critical for GAM units and individuals to offer high-quality, innovative services. Implications of our research on GAM literature and the knowledge-based view are discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51352,"journal":{"name":"International Business Review","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Business Review","FirstCategoryId":"91","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593124000623","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"管理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"BUSINESS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This study investigates what knowledge resources and capabilities are needed at the unit and individual levels to manage international intra- and inter-organizational relationships in global account management (GAM). These GAM units and individuals need to manage various relationships with different locations within the globally spread supplier firm (international intra-organizational relationships) and with the global client (international inter-organizational relationships). We find that, in GAM units, international intra-organizational relationships are managed using relationship internal knowledge resources and capabilities, while international inter-organizational relationships are managed with external knowledge resources and capabilities. Interestingly, the opposite is found for GAM individuals. The core finding of our research is that managing the GAM relationships is not a one-size-fits-all affair. Balancing relationships and internal and external knowledge resources and capabilities is critical for GAM units and individuals to offer high-quality, innovative services. Implications of our research on GAM literature and the knowledge-based view are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The International Business Review (IBR) stands as a premier international journal within the realm of international business and proudly serves as the official publication of the European International Business Academy (EIBA). This esteemed journal publishes original and insightful papers addressing the theory and practice of international business, encompassing a broad spectrum of topics such as firms' internationalization strategies, cross-border management of operations, and comparative studies of business environments across different countries. In essence, IBR is dedicated to disseminating research that informs the international operations of firms, whether they are SMEs or large MNEs, and guides the actions of policymakers in both home and host countries. The journal warmly welcomes conceptual papers, empirical studies, and review articles, fostering contributions from various disciplines including strategy, finance, management, marketing, economics, HRM, and organizational studies. IBR embraces methodological diversity, with equal openness to papers utilizing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method approaches.