María José Quero

The present research investigates the influence of gender on the roles and competencies in Key Account Management (KAM) across various cultural settings. Twenty-six managers from the following six countries participated in this study: Germany, France, Spain, Hungary, India, and Vietnam. The five major themes uncovered through thematic analysis shed light on the gender dynamics in KAM. Insights into gender-specific approaches to KAM are provided by our findings, which also emphasize the distinct contributions of various genders in KAM. The result highlights the potential advantages that organizations can derive from incorporating gender diversity into KAM teams. This study, which is among the initial ones to examine gender perspectives in KAM on an international scale, addresses a substantial void in the current body of literature and offers noteworthy implications for applied theories.

In the last decades, several studies related to the Service-Dominant Logic approach were carried out, where the tourism industry is not an exception. As such, multiple works associated with this research stream have been developed, with a special focus on the tourist value co-creation. This article presents a conceptual model that aims to aggregate the various dimensions of customer value co-creation with its antecedent and consequent factors in the tourism industry. On the other hand, it proposes practical implications for the tourist organizations building on conceptual contributions. Thus, this article reveals the importance of other constructs of tourist value co- creation which surpass the behavioral dimension of the customer, namely, attitude, significance and recognition. Furthermore, this study systematizes the multiplicity of antecedent and consequent factors, recognizing that they may be grouped into factors associated to the company as well as to the customer.

Purpose: Linkages play a strategic role in improving actor disposition and resource density in university–industry ecosystems. Due to the importance of interconnected ecosystems for the development of engaged universities, applying the service-dominant logic (SDL) perspective, the authors aim at developing theory on linkages that lead to a higher level of actor commitment and in turn result in increased actor disposition and greater resource density. Design/methodology/approach: Data from semistructured interviews from four in depth case studies, known internationally as successful cases of university linkages development (Columbia Lab-to-Market Accelerator Network, Oxford University Innovation, Auckland Uniservices and the Münster Center for Interdisciplinarity), undergo qualitative analysis according to the Gioia methodology. Findings: The results represent a contribution to the theory, as they highlight the strategic role of linkages in improving actor disposition and increasing resource density. Due to its shown importance, linkage is an element to be considered on its own in the innovation ecosystems configurations in the context of universities. Practical implications: The results of the research have implications for university management, since they focus on how resources are mobilized and linked. The interactive roles of actors in ecosystems imply that the locus of value creation moves beyond the borders of the organization toward the linkages. Strategies for managing university–industry linkages (UIL) are presented. Originality/value: To date there has not been sufficient theoretical or empirical contribution in the university–industry ecosystem context about the role of linkages to improve resource density through increased actor disposition.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the change of institutional logics in actors’ practices within crowdfunding platforms, seen as open collaborative ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach: The research follows an abductive approach, wherein data collection and analysis, and the search for complementary theories, constitute parallel iterative processes. A main case study was carried out, complemented by an expert panel. Findings: Balanced centricity (BC) as the main institutional logic in crowdfunding platforms delineates actors’ practices (aims, resources and behaviors) into four issues: the development of an open and collaborative community; the overcoming of resource limitations; the changing roles of actors; and the co-creation of mutual (societal) value. Research limitations/implications: This study context limits the results. The COVID-19 crisis put all actors in the medical field into an extreme situation in which they had to maximize their potential to achieve a common aim. Once the crisis has passed, further research should address whether BC is maintained as actors’ institutional logic. Originality/value: This paper offers a unique perspective on BC as an institutional logic that impacts actors in collaborative open ecosystems.

Purpose: This paper explores whether, in the context of university–industry (U–I) collaboration, new innovation strategies can be developed through actors' interactions, the exchange of resources and the co-creation of value for and within the system. In the context of the U–I relationship, the innovation perspective can highlight the need to develop strategies that elicit new formulas of value co-creation, which then facilitate innovation as a result of actor collaboration.Design/methodology/approach: A total of 45 public universities in Spain, representing 95% of the total, participated in qualitative research. Personal in-depth interviews with technology transfer officers (TTOs) were conducted by an external firm; in a second phase, two of the researchers conducted eight interviews with the directors of TTOs in those universities with higher rates of transfer.Findings: Findings reveal that enterprises with a technological focus are strengthening their relationships with universities and attempting to build a university business ecosystem by designing strategies for value co-creation such as co-ownership, co-patenting, and co-invention.Research limitations/implications: The empirical research is conducted in Spain, and results should be interpreted according to this context. Future research should examine new contexts (other countries) to improve the robustness of the data and enrich the results, thus enabling generalization of the management consequences.Originality/value: The results provide a means to design strategies under a new collaborative and innovating logic. The theoretical framework contributes to theory, with implications for management.

The aim of this article is to explore whether the ecosystem approach is required to understand the new service model of crowdfunding. The value proposition approach offers different interpretations for each of the eight levels of value co-creation as seen in the service ecosystem. A qualitative multiple case-study approach is used to analyze the two most representative crowdfunding platforms in Spain, Verkami and Lánzanos, in terms of the amounts of funds provided. This article offers an analysis of specific cases of crowdfunding in the arts and cultural sector through the biggest platforms in Spain. The sampling design could be improved by including the experiences of crowdfunding projects in other countries in the analysis. The findings could assist service managers and practitioners to improve planning of value cocreation through the value propositions approach, with a variety of actors within the service ecosystem. This article is a contribution to the development of service-dominant (SD) logic in relation to FP 7 and FP 10. Managerial contributions include the development of a crowdfunding service ecosystem model for arts managers, which offers not only a method of generating finance or economic value but also opportunities for strengthening bonds with customers and other stakeholders. This article is unique in that it integrates value proposition categories in micro-, meso-, and macrocontexts and analyzes the different kinds of cocreation that exist in the crowdfunding context.