No abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the use of Twitter in business as a medium for knowledge sharing and to crowdsource information to support innovation and enhance business relationships in the context of business-to-business (B2B) marketing.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a combination of methodologies for gathering data in 52 face-to-face interviews across five countries and the downloaded posts from each of the interviewees' Twitter accounts. The tweets were analysed using structural topic modelling (STM), and then compared to the interview data. This method enabled triangulation between stated use of Twitter and respondent's actual tweets.FindingsThe research confirmed that individuals used Twitter as a source of information, ideas, promotion and innovation within their industry. Twitter facilitates building relevant business relationships through the exchange of new, expert and high-quality information within like-minded communities in real time, between companies and with their suppliers, customers and also their peers.Research limitations/implicationsAs this study covered five countries, further comparative research on the use of Twitter in the B2B context is called for. Further investigation of the formalisation of social media strategies and return on investment for social media marketing efforts is also warranted.Practical implicationsThis research highlights the business relationship building capacity of Twitter as it enables customer and peer conversations that eventually support the development of product and service innovations. Twitter has the capacity for marketers to inform and engage customers and peers in their networks on wider topics thereby building the brand of the individual users and their companies simultaneously.Originality/valueThis study focuses on interactions at the individual level illustrating that Twitter is used for both customer and peer interactions that can lead to the sourcing of ideas, knowledge and ultimately innovation. The study is novel in its methodological approach of combining structured interviews and text mining that found the topics of the interviewees' tweets aligned with their interview responses.

The critical success factors that contribute to the successful implementation of electronic health (e-health) records are still not clear from the literature. Although many studies have been conducted on the successful adoption of technology, they rarely consider the context of adoption. Given that the health sector in most countries provides a complex environment for the implementation of technology, the context becomes highly significant. The authors use case studies from Slovenia and Australia to identify the factors impacting on successful e-health implementation. Although Slovenia has progressed much further down the road of e-health than Australia, the contextual factors were important in both cases. The systemic implications for research and practice are discussed

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Purpose -The purpose of the paper is to describe the impediments to information technology (IT) adoption and possible solutions in the context of business relationships by drawing on case studies conducted in both Australia and Finland in the heavy manufacturing sector. Design/methodology/approach -The in depth case studies were conducted in the steel manufacturing industry in Finland and in the marine defence (shipbuilding) industry in Australia. Findings -The findings indicate that doubts about the security of shared information, missing mutual benefits, incompatibility of IT systems, inadequate IT resources, uncertainty about the future directions of the relationship, information rich working routines, i.e. face to face communication, IT deployment not being part of the industry standard and investments not justified by the relationship seems to be the most significant impediments to IT adoption in heavy manufacturing in Australia and Finland. Research limitations/implications -This paper focuses on one industry sector using case studies. Further work could be conducted in other industry sectors to determine if the same impediments arise. Practical implications -Through the cases discussed an attempt is made to identify some of the impediments to IT adoption, strategies for overcoming them and by doing so, adding to the body of marketing knowledge on business relationships. For managers this paper provides some insights to manage IT adoption in the heavy manufacturing industry. Originality/value -Across various industry sectors managers have adopted different types of IT tools to coordinate their relationships with their counterparts. However there has been little academic research in this area until recently, as the research has been focused on large firms in technology rich industry sectors. This paper broadens the discussion on IT adoption in the context of business relationships in industry sectors that have not been traditionally targeted.

Bled eConference, organized by University of Maribor, Faculty of Organizational Sciences, has been shaping electronic interactions since 1988. Bled eConference is the oldest, most traditional and well renowned conference in the field with more than 30 years of tradition. The theme of this year's conference is dedicated to "Digital Transformation -Meeting the Challenges".The evolution of digital technologies and solutions has significantly impacted the way in which business is conducted and have big implications on our lives. Nowadays digital economy calls for transformation of businesses, governments, education and societies as whole. It also calls for enabling policies and politics for cross border and global digital business.In this year's conference, we address various aspects of digital transformation and provide directions and guidelines for organizations to meet and overcome these challenges on their way towards successful digital transformation. Themes covered in the papers of these proceedings are focused on: digital transformation; business model innovation; blockchain and social media; big data, data science, and decision support systems; ehealth, digital wellness and wellbeing; new applications and organizational models; and novel approaches and cases in education in digital economy.