The value of market relations

Value has always been considered the main anchoring point for management decisions and, as such, it has a long tradition in economics and business management studies.
The spread of a relational perspective of the markets has led over time to the emergence of the concept of relationship value. Marketing studies on the value of business relationships have been strongly influenced by economic discipline, leaving aside the influence of subjects, social networks, and dynamics of relational systems on economic behaviour and its consequences.
This volume aims to re-read the concept of the value of relationships through the analysis of the perceptions of managers and the characteristics of the context of interaction in which relationships take place. To this end, economic theory on value has been integrated with contributions from disciplines such as organisational psychology and sociology.
The study takes as a reference the value processes considered critical in business-to-business - creation, communication, appropriation, measurement, and a fifth emerging process, the representation of value - identifying the implications within relationships and possible value-based relational strategies aimed at their management.
The research is supported by an empirical study divided into two phases: a survey on a sample of 171 managers and 76 in-depth interviews with managers operating in different industrial markets, from manufacturing to services.
The volume proposes an approach to value study that is as holistic, multidisciplinary and practical as possible.