With the rising popularity of the Internet, interactions between companies and their consumers have become more common and meaningful. Researchers often tend to apply the metaphor of community to these on-line networks of B2C relationships. However, this term implies durability and a long-term orientation. It does not cover more incidental, short-lived groups of consumers, who therefore should not be treated as communities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ability of these short-term, collective consumer phenomena (addressed as e-crowds within the scope of this paper) to create value. Based on a critical literature analysis that considers works from several different fields of knowledge (including management, economics, psychology and media studies) and empirical examples, we argue that while lacking a complex internal organization, e-crowds are capable of creating use, exchange and sign value when certain conditions are met. However, they are equally likely to perform value-destroying activities, which present real risks for companies that interact with e-crowds.

The aim of this paper is to indicate how the relational and digital competencies of individuals impact value creation processes during a cooperation between companies in a digitized environment. The paper applies the case study method and analyzes a digitized small company operating in Poland and its cooperators (confectionery shops, end commercial businesses, and individual customers). The study contributes to the literature on individual and managerial competencies by addressing both the relational and digital competencies of individuals needed for value creation. It proposes a novel approach to the conceptualization of individuals’ relational and digital competencies needed for value creation in a digitized environment by companies from both digital and traditional industries. It also presents managerial implications and identifies the individual relational and digital competencies of Polish managers that are needed to create value in a dynamic, digitized environment.

The objective of the article is to identify challenges and success factors related to the imitation of the digital platform business model in other industries. Research Design & Methods:We based our research on a single case study of an extra-industry imitation performed by a digital platform operating in Poland that connects confectionery shops and final customers. The case study was based on direct interviews conducted with the co-owners of the platform. Findings:The results indicated that successful extra-industry imitation faced certain challenges, including the different requirements of the new target industry and the related know-how, and attracting cooperating companies and customers. The success of an extra-industry imitation was determined by specific success factors linked mainly to prior experience regarding the digital platform business model, business relationships with technology/IT suppliers and companies from the new target industry, and personal competencies. Implications & Recommendations: Formal and informal business relationships and cooperation are crucial for extra-industry digital platform business model imitation. Moreover, specific personal relational competencies, including willingness to learn and take risks, allow managers to respond successfully to market opportunities and imitate digital platform business models in new industries. Contribution & Value Added:The main contribution of the article lies in assessing the challenges managers face during extra-industry business model imitation. In our model, we proposed a novel set of factors that impacts the successful implementation of the imitation business model process in a new industry. Article type:research article

The paper focuses on the interactions between authors/producers and consumers in the creation of products and services, whose value proposition rests on the story they tell – books, movies, games, etc. – narrative-based goods. We argue that their scope is not limited to the individual intrinsic experience and reinterpretation of the meanings of the story, described in the narrative consumption literature. We, therefore, propose a typology, which depicts the variety of possible instances of collective narrative consumption by distinguishing four types of interactions based on a hidden/open and confrontation-based/cooperation-based dialogue. Furthermore, we expand the analytical timeframe of transportation theories beyond the moment of consumption (narrative transportation). By incorporating insights from the concept of value co-creation based on the Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) literature we examine how value is co-created during the pre-, mid- and post-transportation phases in the case of all four interaction types. On this occasion, we also develop SDL by conceptualizing and providing examples for value co-creation that does not need direct individual producer-consumer interactions, whilst still significantly affecting both parties. The theoretical concepts are illustrated by practical examples of narrative consumption.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of power distribution within networks of relationships between companies and consumers (business-to-consumer (B2C) networks) and to examine the ways in which value is created and captured in such structures. To this end, we applied the network approach to multiple theoretical constructs describing collective consumer phenomena, carried over from the field of sociology to management science. Based on the literature and case study analysis, we managed to define a typology of B2C networks consisting of three types: (1) publics – centered around and dominated by a company, with no relationships between consumers themselves, creating value through crowd-sourcing; (2) communities – also centered around a company, but independent to a degree and more focused on consumer-to-consumer (C2C) relationships, creating value through consumer-managed projects; and (3) tribes – where companies serve only as peripheral actors, and their products – as potential symbols of affiliation, with value being created through creation and reinterpretation of the said products’ meanings (sign value).