Firm competitive advantage through relationship management : : a theory for successful sustainable growth / / Bartosz Deszczyński.

• Superior document: Palgrave pivot
• Author: Deszczyński, Bartosz.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2021.; ©2021.
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Palgrave pivot
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (294 pages) :; illustrations

Relationship management (RM) is an essential part of business, but its success as a business model can be hard to measure, with some firms embracing a model that is truly relationship-orientated, while others claim to be relationship-orientated but in fact prefer transactional short-term gain. This open access book aims to develop a mid-range theory of relationship management, examining truly relationship-orientated firms to discover not only what qualities these firms have that make them successful at the RM model, but also what benefits this model has for the firm. It addresses questions like how RM-mature companies achieve and sustain competitive advantage, and what determines the scale and scope of these firms, illustrating with case studies. This book will be of interest to scholars studying leadership and strategy, especially those interested in relationship management, business ethics and corporate social responsibility. It will also be of interest to professionals looking to develop their understanding of relationship management.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Preface -- References -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Research on the Competitive Advantage of the Firm -- 1.1 Dominating Schools of Strategic Management -- 1.2 The Discourse on the Locus of Competitive Advantage -- References -- Chapter 2: Theoretical Foundations of the Relationship Management Mid-Range Theory -- 2.1 The Domain of Relationship Management -- 2.2 The Boundaries of RM Mid-Range Theory -- References -- Chapter 3: Relationship Management Maturity -- 3.1 The Design and Introductory Steps of RM Maturity Conceptualization -- 3.2 The Strategic Dimension of RM Maturity -- 3.3 The Processual and ICT Dimensions of RM Maturity -- References -- Chapter 4: Validating the Relationship Management Maturity Concept -- 4.1 The Design of a Research Tool on RM Maturity -- 4.2 Analytical Strategy -- 4.3 The Empirical Results on RM Maturity and Competitive Advantage -- References -- Chapter 5: Developing the Relationship Management Upper Mid-Range Theory -- 5.1 The Final Proposal of the RM Maturity Model and Its Practical Interpretation -- 5.2 Relational Niche -- 5.3 Illustrative Examples of RM Practice -- References -- Final Note -- References -- Index.