Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Acknowledgements -- The editors -- About this book -- Key strategic account management: where are we now? -- A definition of KSAM -- Questions for research -- Section 1: Strategic dimensions of KSAM -- Section 2: Value creation through KSAM -- Section 3: Developing KSAM programmes -- Section 4: Operationalizing KSAM -- SECTION 1: Strategic Dimensions of KSAM -- Making the case for managing strategic accounts -- Introduction -- Addressing customers -- Generalized pressures on traditional go-to-market strategies -- Increased competition -- PESTLE forces -- Globalization -- Increased selling costs -- Summary -- Pressures from customers -- Affirmative reduction in number of suppliers -- Rising importance of procurement -- Changes in the procurement process -- Impact of pressures on the firm -- Small account management -- Key, strategic and global account management -- Conclusion -- Drivers for key account management programmes -- Introduction -- Key account management -- Benefits of key account management programmes -- Internal and external driving forces for KAM programmes -- Managing industrial sales complexity: A tentative framework -- Research method -- Three key account management programmes at ABB -- KAM programme - ABB Swedish Market -- KAM programme in the ABB business area for industrial products and systems -- Key account management for organizational reorientation -- KAM programme drivers -- Conclusions -- KSAM as an organizational change: making the transition -- Introduction -- KSAM strategy -- Drivers of KSAM -- KSAM strategy implementation -- KSAM structure -- Positioning KSAM in the organizational structure -- Positioning KSAM and sales -- Key account teams -- Making the change -- The KSAM transitioning curve -- The early stages -- The later stages -- Conclusion.

Switching costs in key account relationships -- Conceptual framework and hypotheses -- Antecedents of switching costs -- Consequences of switching costs -- Data collection -- Results -- Discussion -- The strategic buyer: how emerging procurement strategies may support KAM/SAM relationships -- Introduction -- The strategic importance of purchasing -- The economics of trust -- Strategic alignment -- Power-based relationships -- Collaborative innovation -- The transformation of purchasing and supply -- Implications for future SAM/KAM research -- Conclusion -- Social and ethical concerns in strategic account management: emerging opportunities and new threats -- Introduction -- Strategic relationships between organizations -- Strategic account management relationships -- Broadening the management perspective on SAM -- Ethical dilemmas to be resolved in making SAM effective and sustainable -- Corporate social responsibility as a dimension of strategic customer relationship -- Ethical dilemmas in SAM and how to avoid them -- The good of the few versus the good of the many -- The unintended consequences of concessions to strategic accounts -- Moral dilemmas in implementing the SAM executive role -- Information sharing -- Partnership, trust and the principle of 'keeping promises' -- The hidden incentive for unethical behaviours -- Corporate self-harm -- Addressing the moral and ethical dilemmas in strategic account management -- SAM and corporate social responsibility -- The expanding scope and domain of CSR -- CSR and SAM relationships -- Conclusions -- SECTION 2: Value Creation through KSAM -- Value in strategic account management -- Introduction -- The changing role of strategic account management -- Value in business relationships -- The concept of value -- Value of a business relationship -- Generating value in business relationships -- 'Jointness'.

Solution enactment -- Balanced initiative -- Socio-cognitive construction -- Managing value generation in strategic account relationships -- Conclusions -- Counterpart mobilization -- Development agility -- Mindful experimentation -- Persistency and resilience -- Value dimensions and relationship postures in dyadic 'key relationship programmes' -- Introduction -- Value and key relationship programmes -- Key relationship value strategies -- Strategic matching of relationship postures -- A competence view of key relationship postures -- Conclusion -- 'Vertical coopetition': the key account perspective -- Introduction -- Exploring the concept of 'vertical' coopetition -- Exploring 'vertical' coopetition from the key account perspective -- Research objective -- Relational versus transactional benefits -- From horizontal to vertical coopetition -- Development of theoretical framework -- Field study -- Refined theoretical framework -- Case studies -- Key findings -- Discussion and managerial implications -- Contribution from the key account's viewpoint -- Contribution from the supplier's viewpoint -- Conclusion and directions for future research -- Key account management in business markets: an empirical test of common assumptions -- Introduction -- Key account management -- Central constructs and hypotheses -- Constructs drawn from the 'resource dependence' and the 'transaction costs' approaches -- KAM and uncertainty -- KAM and supplier's relationship specific investments -- KAM and supplier dependence -- KAM and formal contracts -- KAM process coordination -- KAM and relationship duration -- KAM and the number of actors -- Customer turnover -- Price level -- Empirical study -- Study design: sample and questionnaire -- Measures -- Tests of hypotheses -- Discussion -- Managerial implications -- Limitations.

Executive summary and implications for managers and executives -- Strategic account plans: their crucial role in strategic account management -- Introduction -- Essential elements of KSAM planning -- The purpose of strategies and plans for individual strategic and key accounts -- Planned value creation -- Planning for customer profitability -- Role of the key account manager in plan development -- The planning process -- KSAM plans in the context of corporate planning -- KSAM plan format and content -- Drivers of format and content -- Structure and format -- Plan quality -- Plan implementation -- Requirements for effective implementation -- Measuring KSAM value -- Value-chain analysis -- Shareholder value added -- Customer's perception of value -- Accountancy value add -- Conclusion -- Using customer profitability and customer lifetime value to manage strategic accounts -- Introduction -- Customer loyalty does not mean customer profitability per se -- Measuring customer profitability -- What is customer profitability? -- Why is customer profitability relevant? -- How can customer profitability be measured? -- Choosing a method -- What are the shortcomings of using customer profitability? -- Measuring customer lifetime value -- What is customer lifetime value? -- Why is customer lifetime value relevant? -- How can the CLV of an individual customer be measured? -- Defining the drivers of CLV -- Developing better relationships -- Adding more value -- Reduce time to money -- Define the optimal account development strategy -- Conclusions -- SECTION 3: Developing KSAM Programmes -- A configurational approach to strategic account management effectiveness -- Introduction -- State of KAM literature at the turn of the millennium -- An integrative conceptualization of KAM -- Approach to the conceptualization -- Fundamental dimensions of KAM -- Activities.

Actors -- Resources -- Formalization -- Additional descriptive variables -- Outcomes -- Sample -- Key account management configurations -- Top-management KAM -- Middle-management KAM -- Operating-level KAM -- Cross-functional, dominant KAM -- Unstructured KAM -- Isolated KAM -- Country club KAM -- No KAM -- Key account management effectiveness -- Discussion -- Comparison of KAM configurations with existing research -- Research contribution to KAM configurations -- Research contributions to KAM effectiveness -- Managerial implications -- Conclusion -- The appropriateness of the key account management organization -- Inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of key account management programmes -- The concept of key account management -- The strategic dimension of key account management -- The functional dimension of key account management -- The organizational dimension of key account management -- Key account management in the context of relationship marketing -- Transaction cost economics and marketing management -- The determinants of the decision model -- Asset specificity -- Uncertainty -- Frequency -- The decision on the most appropriate KAM organization -- The principles and structure of the decision model -- The economizing effects of the KAM organization alternatives -- Cost-benefit assessment of the KAM organization alternatives -- Conclusion -- Organizational structures in global account management -- Introduction -- Elements of a GAM organization -- Global general manager -- Global steering committee -- Global account manager -- Global account team -- Information management -- Executive sponsorship -- Local account managers -- Global reporting structure -- Customer councils -- Different forms of GAM organization -- Coordination GAM -- Separate GAM -- Control GAM -- Global account management at Hewlett-Packard.

Globalization drivers affecting the computer systems industry.