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<p>The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of power distribution within networks of relationships between companies and consumers (business-to-consumer (B2C) networks) and to examine the ways in which value is created and captured in such structures. To this end, we applied the network approach to multiple theoretical constructs describing collective consumer phenomena, carried over from the field of sociology to management science. Based on the literature and case study analysis, we managed to define a typology of B2C networks consisting of three types: (1) publics – centered around and dominated by a company, with no relationships between consumers themselves, creating value through crowd-sourcing; (2) communities – also centered around a company, but independent to a degree and more focused on consumer-to-consumer (C2C) relationships, creating value through consumer-managed projects; and (3) tribes – where companies serve only as peripheral actors, and their products – as potential symbols of affiliation, with value being created through creation and reinterpretation of the said products’ meanings (sign value).</p>
</abstract>

The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of power distribution within networks of relationships between companies and consumers (business-to-consumer (B2C) networks) and to examine the ways in which value is created and captured in such structures. To this end, we applied the network approach to multiple theoretical constructs describing collective consumer phenomena, carried over from the field of sociology to management science. Based on the literature and case study analysis, we managed to define a typology of B2C networks consisting of three types: (1) publics – centered around and dominated by a company, with no relationships between consumers themselves, creating value through crowd-sourcing; (2) communities – also centered around a company, but independent to a degree and more focused on consumer-to-consumer (C2C) relationships, creating value through consumer-managed projects; and (3) tribes – where companies serve only as peripheral actors, and their products – as potential symbols of affiliation, with value being created through creation and reinterpretation of the said products’ meanings (sign value).

Power asymmetry and value creation in B2C relationship networks

Poznań University of Economics and Business

International Journal of Management and Economics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Power asymmetry and value creation in B2C relationship networks"}

The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of power distribution within networks of relationships between companies and consumers...

Characteristic	B2C Network type

	Public	Community	Tribe
Power asymmetry	High	Medium	Low
Position of the company in the network structure	Central	Central	Peripheral
Unifying trait	Consumption of company-produced content	Brand-related consumption and production	Symbols, ways of life, rituals
Character	Modern (Gesellschaft)	In-between modern and postmodern (Gesellschaft and Gemeinschaft)	Postmodern (Gemeinschaft)
Main mode of value creation	Crowdsourcing	Community projects	Creation of meaning

Power asymmetry and value creation in B2C relationship networks

Article Category: Conceptual Paper

Publié en ligne: 30 juin 2021

Pages: 161 - 176

Reçu: 20 févr. 2020

Accepté: 26 févr. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2021-0006

Mots clés
B2C relationships, B2C networks, consumer behavior, consumer communities, value creation

© 2021 Marcin Wieczerzycki, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Comparison between three types of B2C relationship networks

Power asymmetry and value creation in B2C relationship networks

Article Category: Conceptual Paper

Publié en ligne: 30 juin 2021

Pages: 161 - 176

Reçu: 20 févr. 2020

Accepté: 26 févr. 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2021-0006

Mots clésB2C relationships, B2C networks, consumer behavior, consumer communities, value creation

© 2021 Marcin Wieczerzycki, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Comparison between three types of B2C relationship networks

Mots clés
B2C relationships, B2C networks, consumer behavior, consumer communities, value creation