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AbstractThis study explores value propositions in knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS). More specifically, this study investigates how to facilitate the effective communication of value to customers in the KIBS context by employing a qualitative case study method. The findings address the importance of trust in developing a solid client relationship to foster successful collaboration and open communication, thus creating a basis for constructing customer knowledge, and also indicate that the phase and intimacy of the relationship both influence which criteria are emphasised during the purchasing process. Consequently, this study challenges the idea that value propositions are always co‐created at every phase of the KIBS customer relationship, and it distinguishes the factors that facilitate the communication of value in these relationships. The understanding gained through this study offers practical insights and will help KIBS firms successfully communicate value to their clients.

AbstractKnowing your customers and their needs is a topic that has attracted increasing interest in the business and academic worlds. In line with this, constructing customer knowledge has come under examination in this study. A firm's ability to construct customer knowledge creates solid ground for responding better to its customers' needs. In the business‐to‐business markets, customers are demanding increasingly knowledge‐intensive services. Therefore, examining the topic is particularly important in this specific context. In this study, the purpose is to find out how customer knowledge is constructed in knowledge‐intensive customer relationships. To accomplish this purpose, a qualitative multiple case study is organized around seven case relationships allowing within‐case and cross‐case comparisons. The findings of this study describe a variety of practices knowledge‐intensive firms can utilize in constructing customer knowledge in their daily activities. This study helps KIBS organizations in their efforts to create a source of competitive advantage as customer knowledge is a critical asset for firms, especially in a fast‐changing knowledge‐intensive environment.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore what value dimensions and related value components are highlighted in the value proposition of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS), both at the relationship and project levels, how value propositions can differ between new and established customer relationships, and finally what is characteristic to the evolution of value proposition in the KIBS context.


Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a comparative, qualitative multiple case study method.


Findings
The aim is to offer a comprehensive picture of the variety of value components in KIBS relationships, likewise, how the nature and composition of value proposition changes as a relationship evolves from conducting a single project toward a more established customer relationship. Individual experts seem to possess a crucial role in that development.


Originality/value
This study contributes theoretically by providing insights into the current literature on core dimensions and components of value propositions in this specific context, and differences there can be between new and established customer relationships. The study also offers much-needed, context-specific knowledge of knowledge-intensive services for managers. Empirically, these findings reflect the perspectives of both the service provider and four of its customers, ensuring a multi-sided description of the phenomenon.

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of interaction in supporting value co-creation during pre-purchase customer journey stages when selling professional B-to-B services. First, value co-creation in professional service firms (PSFs) is reviewed, and, second, the role of interaction in the different stages of a customer's pre-purchase journey is explored, specifically in the context of B-to-B human resource management services.


Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative, semi-structured interview data was collected from potential B2B customers of a PSF in question, providing a broad coverage of prospective clients in architecture, engineering and IT sector.


Findings
In general, the findings of this study indicate that interaction plays a crucial role in pre-purchasing stages of a customer journey. In particular, these findings form understanding of how various interaction channels and content support PSF's ability to co-create value with its prospects.


Originality/value
The existing research tends to concentrate on how value is created for existing customers, and far less attention has been paid to the perspective of prospects. This study contributes theoretically by providing novel insights into the current literature on value co-creation in PSFs by providing an understanding of how interactions in pre-purchase phases affect the co-creation of value from the perspective of prospects, which is a less researched viewpoint. Empirically, this study offers managers much-needed, context-specific knowledge of PSFs by comparing differences and pulling together similarities from each customer journey stage of PSF prospects.

Organizations seek to manage varied customer segments using varied value propositions. The ability of a knowledge‐intensive business service (KIBS) provider to formulate value propositions into attractive offerings to varied customers becomes a competitive advantage. In this specific business based on often highly abstract service offerings, this requires the provider to have a clear overview of its knowledge and resources and how these can be configured to obtain the desired customization of services. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how a KIBS provider can match value propositions with varied customer needs utilizing service modularity. To accomplish this purpose, a qualitative multiple case study is organized around 5 projects allowing within‐case and cross‐case comparisons. Our findings describe how through the configuration of knowledge and resources a sustainable competitive advantage is created through creating the right kind of value propositions for varied customers with the help of modularity. Understanding gained through this research helps KIBS organizations in their efforts to increase organizational effectiveness through modular services.

Experienced stress by students and teachers in higher education has attracted increasing interest, but the two groups are rarely studied together. We combine their perspectives by considering the stress and coping among students and teachers concerning the development of study structures in a business school context. The findings indicate a strong connection between stress experienced by students and teachers, reflecting their interactive nature in this context. We categorize factors causing stress to those for which effective coping mechanisms exist, those causing tensions and requiring active management, and stressors that are difficult to remove because a coping mechanism for one group increases the stress of the other. Our findings add to existing knowledge on stress and coping mechanisms in higher education by combining the perspectives of students and teachers concerning study structures in business education.