Value co-creation in the B2B context: a conceptual framework and its implications

Pathak, B., Ashok, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9827-9104 and Tan, Y. L. (2021) Value co-creation in the B2B context: a conceptual framework and its implications. The Service Industries Journal, 42 (3-4). ISSN 1743-9507 doi: 10.1080/02642069.2021.1989414

Abstract/Summary

This study aims to bring a renewed focus on Value Co-Creation (VCC) between an organisation (service provider) and its customers in the business-to-business (B2B) context. From the literature review, a conceptual framework of factors affecting VCC was developed by adding Customer to the Technology-Organisation-Environment framework (T-O-E). The enhanced Customer-Organisation-Technology-Environment (C-O-T-E) framework was empirically investigated from the focal firms’ perspectives using semi-structured interviews with seventeen executives from knowledge-intensive service organisations. The research captured a total of sixteen factors affecting VCC and highlighted co-conception for competition as a new form of co-creation, where the customer-service provider’s long-term relationship positively enables a competitive strategy. These findings have significant implications for how service providers achieve competitive advantage in a challenging B2B marketplace.