Irene Samanta

Α survey of relationship marketing, branding, and the family business life cycle is conducted to determine the extent to which these variables ensure their path to the next generation. The study examines whether interpersonal relationships apply to family SME businesses and how they adopt relationship marketing as their main strategy. The study provides an insightful benchmarking approach between family businesses in early stage (1st and 2nd generation) and well-established (3rd and 4th generation) companies. In addition, the adopted branding process is examined. A qualitative method was chosen for the interviews with five B2B Greek family companies in the trading sector. Family businesses are Greek, have a known brand name, and family members are involved in the decision-making process. All participants agree that personal or friendly relationships of the owner-founder with customers, suppliers, and staff are crucial at the launch of businesses, and growth is a synonym for business survival. Data analysis revealed that relationship marketing is not related to the stages of development, as different perceptions were observed among participants of well-established and companies in the early stage. The results also show a significant relationship between different stages of family business’s development and branding strategies, documenting that owners of well-established family businesses focus on organizational structure and culture. In contrast, owners of family businesses in the early stage rely on personal relationships. Branding strategy seems to be the appropriate approach for a family-owned business to survive in the marketplace and have succeed pass on to the next generations.

The study investigates the impact of internal marketing philosophy on implementing strategic goals to leverage an innovative internal marketing concept for business growth. In the context of firms’ strategic orientation, the organization’s development, market position, and practices used to promote the desired organizational behavior are being examined. The paper focuses on large companies in Greece, which belong to the retail, manufacturing, and healthcare sectors. Moreover, these companies have been certified by “Great place to work.” A qualitative method via Nvivo software was used. Data were collected from 10 semi-structured interviews. Participants are executives with significant working experience and different managerial positions. The findings document the impact of the internal marketing concept on company development through policies concerning strengthening the organization’s presence and recruiting qualified employees. Moreover, the influence of the internal marketing concept on an organization’s market position with regard to a positive working environment and management style is highlighted. Finally, team environment emerges as a dominant trait in the organizational context, while values such as honesty, integrity, and reliability appear as critical features of the desired behavior. The study provides an updated managerial perspective by establishing a link between the theory of internal marketing and business process mapping. The results enable executives to focus on elements that better serve the implementation of strategic goals.

Acknowledgment
This study has been funded by the University of West Attica / Special Account for Research Grants.

The purpose of this study is to explore how internal marketing practices affect the commitment of organizations’ “green” intellectual capital. It examines the relationship between internal marketing practices and the commitment to its “green” intellectual capital’s components: human, relational, and structural. Moreover, it investigates to what extent internal marketing practices are applied to strategic, operational, and implementation levels, affecting “green” intellectual capital commitment. A 27-item questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Six hundred nine employees from large companies operating in various business sectors in Greece participated in a survey from July to November 2020. The findings documented a strong impact of internal marketing practices (90.5%) on the commitment to “green” intellectual capital. Internal marketing practices applied at operational levels have the most substantial effect on the commitment of “green” intellectual capital (t = 17.387), while practices at implementation levels are not significant (t = 3.668). The results also indicated that internal marketing practices applied at strategic levels significantly influence the commitment to “green” intellectual capital (t = 15.747). Finally, the study discusses the theoretical and managerial contributions.

Acknowledgment
This study has been funded by the University of West Attica / Special Account for Research Grants.