Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Component Finding and Relationship Strengthening through E-commerce at the Company

Abrahamsson, Cecilia and Arnander, Louise (2013) MIO920
Production Management
Abstract
Background: The Company sells many of its products through
external sales channels. Two important goals for the
Company are to increase the sales of components
and decrease the cost of sales by making the ordering
processes more effective. The Company is today
vending a limited number of components and
products through e-commerce to the sales channels.
One of these products, in this report referred to as the
Product, is however not sold through e-commerce.
Neither are its components. One step in increasing
the total component sales and decrease the costs of
order expediting is to launch a new e-commerce
platform that is customer oriented and that will
enable sales of more types of products, models and
components.
Problem... (More)
Background: The Company sells many of its products through
external sales channels. Two important goals for the
Company are to increase the sales of components
and decrease the cost of sales by making the ordering
processes more effective. The Company is today
vending a limited number of components and
products through e-commerce to the sales channels.
One of these products, in this report referred to as the
Product, is however not sold through e-commerce.
Neither are its components. One step in increasing
the total component sales and decrease the costs of
order expediting is to launch a new e-commerce
platform that is customer oriented and that will
enable sales of more types of products, models and
components.
Problem description: In the new e-commerce platform the components of
the Product will be sold to the sales channels. The
Product, and its components, has not previously
been sold through e-commerce and there is no tool in
place in order to be able to do so. The Company
acknowledge the opportunity of tying its sales
channels closer to the Company through the new ecommerce
platform. How this could be done has not
been investigated.
Purpose: The purpose of the project is to explore the external
sales channels needs regarding how to find the right
component on the new e-commerce platform. It is to
also investigate how to tie the external channels
closer to the Company by use of the new e-commerce
platform. Correspondingly, benchmarks will be
performed in order to investigate how other firms
VI
enable their customers to find the right component
and how they use their e-commerce platforms as a
means to strengthen the relationship to their
customers.
Deliverables: The main deliverable is a developed and tested
project process for establishing a platform for
extended e-commerce. Three process documents
have been delivered to the company. The first
process document of the project is a functional
specification of a component finder that meets the
needs of the sales channels when searching for
components. The second process document is a
conceptual specification of features that are aimed at
strengthening the relationship between the Company
and its sales channels. The third process document is
an executive summary of the project in its entirety,
used in the stakeholders’ evaluation of the project
process.
Method: The project is approached with a qualitative study
aimed at exploring the sales channels needs and
today’s ordering processes. Benchmarks are
performed to other firms with similar processes to the
Company. A literature study gives the authors the
relevant theory in order to approach the project in a
scientific manner. Grounded theory is used as a
means of analysis. The output from the analysis of
data will be used further in a problem solving study,
aimed at finding a solution well suited for the
Company.
Conclusion: The authors see that the multi-faceted needs of the
sales channel must be tended to in different ways.
The benchmarks regarding component finding have
revealed that seven out of eight means of searching
for components could be suitable for the Company’s
channels, at least with some modification to the data
input. By enhancing different relational variables
determined to be of great importance in the stages of
the relational life cycle that the partnership is in, and
by also taking consideration to the values explicitly
expressed by the channels, the channels different
needs will be tended to. The component finding and
the relationship building conclusions can generate a
complete platform solution that the channels need in
order to perform their business and hence grow with
the Company. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Abrahamsson, Cecilia and Arnander, Louise
supervisor
organization
course
MIO920
year
type
M1 - University Diploma
subject
keywords
Relationship marketing, e-commerce, channel marketing, component finding, relationship strengthening.
other publication id
13/5444
language
English
id
3732392
date added to LUP
2013-04-30 11:11:22
date last changed
2013-04-30 11:11:22
@misc{3732392,
  abstract     = {{Background: The Company sells many of its products through
external sales channels. Two important goals for the
Company are to increase the sales of components
and decrease the cost of sales by making the ordering
processes more effective. The Company is today
vending a limited number of components and
products through e-commerce to the sales channels.
One of these products, in this report referred to as the
Product, is however not sold through e-commerce.
Neither are its components. One step in increasing
the total component sales and decrease the costs of
order expediting is to launch a new e-commerce
platform that is customer oriented and that will
enable sales of more types of products, models and
components.
Problem description: In the new e-commerce platform the components of
the Product will be sold to the sales channels. The
Product, and its components, has not previously
been sold through e-commerce and there is no tool in
place in order to be able to do so. The Company
acknowledge the opportunity of tying its sales
channels closer to the Company through the new ecommerce
platform. How this could be done has not
been investigated.
Purpose: The purpose of the project is to explore the external
sales channels needs regarding how to find the right
component on the new e-commerce platform. It is to
also investigate how to tie the external channels
closer to the Company by use of the new e-commerce
platform. Correspondingly, benchmarks will be
performed in order to investigate how other firms
VI
enable their customers to find the right component
and how they use their e-commerce platforms as a
means to strengthen the relationship to their
customers.
Deliverables: The main deliverable is a developed and tested
project process for establishing a platform for
extended e-commerce. Three process documents
have been delivered to the company. The first
process document of the project is a functional
specification of a component finder that meets the
needs of the sales channels when searching for
components. The second process document is a
conceptual specification of features that are aimed at
strengthening the relationship between the Company
and its sales channels. The third process document is
an executive summary of the project in its entirety,
used in the stakeholders’ evaluation of the project
process.
Method: The project is approached with a qualitative study
aimed at exploring the sales channels needs and
today’s ordering processes. Benchmarks are
performed to other firms with similar processes to the
Company. A literature study gives the authors the
relevant theory in order to approach the project in a
scientific manner. Grounded theory is used as a
means of analysis. The output from the analysis of
data will be used further in a problem solving study,
aimed at finding a solution well suited for the
Company.
Conclusion: The authors see that the multi-faceted needs of the
sales channel must be tended to in different ways.
The benchmarks regarding component finding have
revealed that seven out of eight means of searching
for components could be suitable for the Company’s
channels, at least with some modification to the data
input. By enhancing different relational variables
determined to be of great importance in the stages of
the relational life cycle that the partnership is in, and
by also taking consideration to the values explicitly
expressed by the channels, the channels different
needs will be tended to. The component finding and
the relationship building conclusions can generate a
complete platform solution that the channels need in
order to perform their business and hence grow with
the Company.}},
  author       = {{Abrahamsson, Cecilia and Arnander, Louise}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Component Finding and Relationship Strengthening through E-commerce at the Company}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}