Key Account Management in Business-To-Business Markets: An Assessment of Its Economic Value

ISBN-13: 9783835005174 / Angielski / Miękka / 2006 / 294 str.

Stefan Wengler; Prof Dr Michael Kleinaltenkamp

Opis

Key account management as an alternative organizational form of marketing management became increasingly popular in many companies during the last years. In its beginning, key account management was particularly applied in the consumer packaged goods industry with respect to wholesalers as well as large department stores; for some time, key account management has also been applied time by suppliers in industrial markets as well as by companies offering product-related services in order to serve their most important customers. Despite its practical relevance in marketing management, the implementation of key account management as well as its integration within the supplier's organization is hardly realized on an adequate economic evaluation. Similarly, key account management controlling of an already implemented key account management organization is also lacking. These organizational units are, once implemented, neither controlled nor evaluated concerning their economic performance. With respect to these rather surprising findings in marketing management practice the author develops a theory-based decision support model, which seems capable of overcoming the previously described deficits. Based on a comparative analysis, the efficiency of alternative key account management organizations is evaluated using criteria developed from transaction costs economics. This decision model enables companies to evaluate each organizational key account management alternative on the basis of transaction cost economizing effects. In addition, set-up costs which arise due to the implementation of the organizational unit are also included in the cost-benefit calculation.

Spis treści

State-of-the-art of key account management in academia and science Key account management controlling Analyzing key account management from the perspective of transaction cost economics Challenging the organization: the implementation of key account management Determining the economic value of key account management in business relationships Management implications

O autorze

Dr. Stefan Wengler war wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter von Prof. Dr. Michael Kleinaltenkamp am Institut für Marketing der Freien Universität Berlin. Er ist als Assistent der Geschäftsführung des Logistikdienstleisters LEHNKERING tätig.

Blurb

In times of fierce competition in business-to-business markets strong and economically sound business relationships with a company's customers rank among the main success factors. As a well established marketing management conception, key account management is of particular significance in this context. Interestingly enough, empirical research studies have recently proved that relationship marketing, and particularly key account management, does not achieve the economic value originally expected.

Stefan Wengler provides a well founded answer to the question of the economic value and shows the need for the implementation of key account management. He presents a comprehensive, but easy-to-handle decision-making model that supports the decision on the most efficient key account management organization for individual companies. In addition, the author gives a comprehensive overview on the key account management conception and its controlling tools.