Purpose – This study aims to explore the role of learning in value co-creation in the context of new technological B2B services. The research objective is approached from the customers' viewpoint, in terms of their motivation to make sacrifices in learning and to embark on value co-creation with a service provider. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a qualitative case study. The main source of data is 17 interviews with retailers who tested a new m-advertising service. Findings – The findings show that the customer's motives to make sacrifices, their absorptive capacity and exploitative/explorative learning orientation are important in explaining the role of learning in value co-creation, because perceived value can vary significantly depending on the level of the absorptive capacity of the firm, the orientation towards learning, and the customer's sacrifices in learning. Practical implications – The study can be of use to providers of new technological business services in showing how to persuade customers to learn to use the service and engage in value co-creation. This is important since the active participation of both actors is required to co-produce the technological B2B service. Originality/value – The study contributes to the existing value theory by offering new critical insights into the essential role of customer learning in value co-creation. Closely related to this, the study explores customer motivation to make sacrifices in learning and to get involved in value co-creation with service provider, specifically in the context of new technological B2B services. In so doing, this study offers empirically-based insights into value co-creation and thus advances the current understanding of value phenomena.

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding about how to improve customer value and to make mobile banking services a profitable business for banks and other financial actors. The study explores the user experiences and related value of a new mobile banking service. Design/methodology/approach-The study is implemented as a case study that is phenomenological in nature and linked to an interpretive consumer study. Empirical data were collected through 14 semi-structured theme interviews and a diary method. The data were analysed by using a content analysis method. Findings-The findings illustrate the importance of customer centricity in the mobile banking context by identifying customer experience and related value in a new mobile banking service. The study extends current understanding of customer experience as a complex and multifaceted phenomenon by including value related to process, the use situation and the outcome, and it identifies temporality as influencing and connecting all these aspects. The study identifies several aspects that help us to understand what creates value for the customer while using mobile banking services. Research limitations/implications-As one limitation, this study was conducted in a developed country and the findings could be different in an emerging market context. Another limitation relates to the data, as the interviewees' age range is quite limited, ranging between 20 and 40 years. However, they represent the consumers who normally use mobile services well and thus provide reliable data about their use experiences. Practical implications-As the banking industry is currently experiencing rapid and widespread changes and customers become more demanding, it is crucial for banks and other mobile service providers to understand the everyday lives of their customers and to integrate their future services into the customers' value creation processes as smoothly and inseparably as possible. The findings of this study will help banks and other financial institutions to develop their strategies and operations in regard to customer-oriented thinking, which will further help them to create long-term, profitable customer relationships and improve future viability. Originality/value-The study contributes to bank marketing research and extends previous research on customer-centred service marketing by providing a framework that identifies the value related to customer experience in a new mobile banking service. It explores the experiences of actual mobile banking service customers' and the related value, and thus provides original implications for both theory and practice.

Entering foreign markets is often challenging for small firms due to the limited resources available for internationalisation. Through social networks, firms can gain access to and mobilise external resources in order to aid the initiation of internationalisation. The present study is concerned with the initiation of the internationalisation in small high-technology firms. The paper develops an empirically grounded framework for understanding the roles a social network can play in the initiation of internationalisation. The framework acknowledges personal relationships as sources of critical information about foreign business opportunities and potential international business partners. Moreover, social relationships can open doors in international business. This study brings forward the very active role that the social network can play as a mediator in the small firm's internationalisation. The mediation can provide the small firm publicity, contacts and legitimacy resulting in first international contacts and development of international business relationships.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine why retailers' perceptions of the value of a novel technology‐intensive mobile advertising service differ.Design/methodology/approachThe research design follows an abductive approach. The empirical data were gathered through a field experiment by interviewing retailers who used a mobile advertising service for the first time.FindingsThis study suggests a categorisation of customer‐perceived value sub‐elements in a novel technology‐intensive business‐to‐business (b‐to‐b) service consisting of two outcome‐level benefits, three process‐level benefits, and two types of sacrifices, i.e. monetary and non‐monetary. Furthermore, the study suggests that the value elements are not of equal importance. Different retailers value different threshold benefits that influence their willingness to use the service. Moreover, the retailers' participation in value co‐creation with a service provider influences the value perceived from the service.Research limitations/implicationsThis experimental empirical setting involves two limitations. The trial period was relatively short and, due to the development stage of the service, the use of the service was offered free of charge. Therefore, future research should be conducted with commercialised novel technology services.Practical implicationsRetailers differ according to their willingness and ability to use novel technology‐intensive services, which also reflects how they perceive value and what kind of value they perceive. Thus, mobile service providers need to consider offering different service packages to different types of customers. Service providers also need to ensure that retailers are aware of all the commercial and non‐commercial benefits of the novel service. Retailers should realise that the commercial potential of mobile advertising is different from the traditional means of advertising.Originality/valueFor a research audience, the study extends the existing research on value creation by focusing on retailers' different value perceptions of a novel technology‐intensive b‐to‐b service. For developers of an innovative technology‐intensive service, the study shows the different customer types and how they influence buying decisions.