Bryr sig företagskunder om leverantörens corporate image? : Betydelsen av leverantörens corporate image vid köp av kunskapsintensiva IT-konsulttjänster.

• Main Authors: Marder, Gabriella, Sjöblom, Yvonne
• Format: Others
• Language: Swedish
• Published: Södertörns högskola, Institutionen för ekonomi och företagande 2010
• Subjects: corporate brand; corporate image; knowledge intensive services; buying process; business to business; Business studies; Företagsekonomi
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-5211

Background: Critical conditions to become an attractive supplier of knowledge based IT-services in the B2B market are many. Besides the fact of supplying a service of high quality one must as a supplier communicate values which are understandable and desirable for a new buyer. Buying a knowledge based IT-service involves several risks; the consultant might not have sufficient knowledge or have difficulties understanding the corporate culture and collaborating with other staff within the client’s organization. Since services are intangible offers and it can be intricate to put right price level for something which can only be evaluated when the project is finished, puts severe strain on suppliers competing with other companies in the same market when looking for new clients. The question is whether a supplier’s corporate brand can play a decisive role for buyers when choosing between similar offers from numerous companies? Problem formulation & main purpose: To examine if a supplier’s corporate image has a significant impact on a company’s buying decision of knowledge based IT services. Method: Case study, interviews Conclusion:  A strong corporate image can reduce the notion of several risks and increases the feeling of security and confirmation of making the right decision when choosing a new supplier. Hence it is critical to deliver what the brand promise offers. A long buying process is time consuming and hence costly and naturally a shorter buying process is preferred. Buyers tend to listen to recommendations from other companies’ which already have experience from working with the supplier. Therefore it is important to continually work on relations with existing customers to retain a good image. A buyer can perceive a knowledge based IT-service as a low involvement offer but still fear the fact that it involves many risks. A supplier’s strong corporate image can decrease such thoughts.