Abstract
The ability to facilitate superior customer value
creation is critical for firms' long-term success. The
topic has been studied extensively in marketing
literature, but less consideration has been given to
customer orientation and customer value creation in the
forestry context. Through 18 qualitative interviews with
suppliers and customers in the Finnish sawn timber value
chain, sawmills' customer orientation was analyzed. We
find that the concept of customer orientation was
realized rather narrowly at sawmills and customer
orientation appeared as random actions instead of a
systematic part of firms' organization culture.
Customers' needs are more manifold and extend beyond
product characteristics and process efficiency. The main
challenge hindering the renewal of product-oriented
business models toward service logic and customer
orientation seems to be in attitudes and traditions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 94-106 |
Journal | Journal of Forest Economics |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | Part B |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2017 |
MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
We appreciate the support received for funding of this publication from the TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Innovation) and the Federation of the Finnish Woodworking Industries.
Keywords
- customer orientation
- sawmill industry
- wood products industry
- Wood products industry
- value creation
- customer value