KOREASCHOLAR

Internet of Things (IoT) research is devoted to the idea that a wide array of devices, including appliances, vehicles, buildings, and cameras, can be interconnected to collect and share their abundant sensory information to use for intelligent purposes. IoT technologies are universally seen as transforming the manufacturing and services sectors. Service-Dominant (S-D) logic focuses on a dynamic, ongoing way to co-create value through resource integration and service exchange. Based on research data from business-to-business and business-to-government customers, as well as feedback from employees and managers of two different manufacturers, our study addresses four questions: (1) In the light of the IoT-does the second axiom of the S-D logic—value is co-created by multiple actors, always including the beneficiary—still hold true for B-to-B and Business-to-Government (B-to-G) customers? (2)With reference to the IoT—is there a difference in the acceptance of digital services between B-to-B and B-to-G groups? Does the age group of the customers have to be considered? (3) Are there digital customer services already perceived as being ―co-created‖ in the sense of the S-D logic? (4) Marketing management in the digital age—how to implement IoT projects in buyer-manufacturer relationships considering the abovementioned chances and challenges. Discussing a background of disruption management and S-D logic, we examine factors that influence IoT buyer–manufacturer project success in organizational networks, and compare the attitude of different customer groups towards these projects. Our findings show that in the IoT-driven digital projects even long term customers that trust in their manufacturers have very strong reservations with regards to data safety. We propose a modular concept of a relationship alignment model to enhance trust in manufacturer's credibility in the context of disruptive IoT projects. The evaluation of our empirical studies revealed serious reservations of managers and service employees towards an active integration of customers into digital product maintenance. If manufacturers are not willing to incorporate customers in digital platforms and networks and provide them with digital services they are interested in, this will hamper A-to-A co-creation of value in digital IoT projects.

• Christine Falkenreck(Hof University, Hof, Germany)
• Ralf Wagner(University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany)