On the 4th and 5th of September 2014, I attended the International Marketing and Purchasing Conference (IMP 2014) in Bordeaux, France. The event was organized by KEDGE Business school.
Impression of Kedge Business school
IMP (Industrial Marketing and Purchasing) group’s researchers are focused on the studies of business networks and look into dynamic and interactive relationships within buyer-supplier network in B2B and B2C contexts.
On the conference there were presented many papers and there was a big number of parallel tracks, for example, CSR & Sustainability, QCA Case Study & Configurational Methods, Start Up Development, Understanding Value Processes, Welfare Innovation, and so on. Cases presented and discussed during the conference are coming from different industries: biotechnology, nano technology, health care, smart cities, construction, pharmaceutics, and so on. Hence, a variety of topics has been discussed. It was nearly impossible to catch everything, but just some examples:
- Discussion of new technology based firms and their mediating role in the business network using the example of university spin-offs;
- Network effect on innovation performance in nanotechnology looking more precisely into cycles of innovation;
- B2B relationships in terms of loyalty, dynamic capabilities of relationships (specifically commitment, perceived quality, satisfaction, and trust);
- Ways how new technology transforms healthcare practices in different countries (specifically in heart surgery, remote patient monitoring, and elderly health care);
- A number of papers were addressing IMP research methodology questions;
- Problem of science research (knowledge) transfers into industry, what kind of benefits existence of international research centers can give to local municipalities or countries; and so on.
During the event I presented a paper: “The Effect of Innovation on Business Networks”.
