Data analysis of the roles of third actors in supporting the BSRI within the turbulent business network
| Exemplary quotes and field notes | Codes (Micro-roles) | Categories (Macro-roles) |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Many people, especially friends and acquaintances, have asked me: Do you know that restaurant? And this One?.. Come on, let us go together… One thing leads to another’. –Alpha’s CEO – Vignette 7 ‘‘… so, in this turbulent context, the need to have contact with people who open up new opportunities is even stronger’. –CEO of Alpha | Opportunity seeker (evolution of the previous scouter role) | Behind-the-scenes operator |
| ‘I remembered Alpha when I was looking for wines for my e-commerce site; my brother-in-law had spoken well of them… –Teta’s owner – Vignette 1 Sigma’s owner recalls Alpha from the third actor’s mention –Filed note – Vignette 5 | Awareness builder (role already observed) | |
| ‘… I immediately thought of Alpha, which was a winery I had heard a lot of good things about…’ –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘… we have tried to connect with as many people as possible because a person can know many realities, and therefore, among these, there might be One that suits us. –CEO of Alpha ‘Especially in a turbulent environment like the One we live in today, a person exposes himself only if he is sure of the reality he is recommending. if he knows it meets our needs’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Matchmaker (role already observed) | |
| ‘… I was interested in being present with my wines. the insurance broker gave me the opportunity to contact her…’ –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 2 ‘So, I spoke to the former owner, who advised me to arrange a meeting with Alpha’. –CEO of restaurant Gamma – Vignette 5 | Need booster (evolution of the previous need creator) | |
| ‘…plus, it had been recommended to me by my brother-in-law.. I think contacting it was the logical thing to do…’ –Teta’s owner – Vignette 1 As it was One of his clients, the insurance broker acted on his initiative to introduce Alpha to the wine shop. –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘Sometimes they suggest restaurants… usually they tell me how much they work, the volume they are capable of, and if they are a good outlet for my wines’. –CEO di Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Advocate seller/buyer (evolution of the previous advocate seller) | Expectation setting |
| ‘The PhD student met Alpha’s CEO at Alpha’s wine cellar to explain the conference organisers’ needs’. –Field note – Vignette 3 ‘So, I went to meet the owner of Alpha, who welcomed me to the winery and explained to me which products she had available best suited our needs’. –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘The third party is important for both. For the buyer, the third party assures them that I have a good product and can guarantee a certain supply. For me, their intermediation lets me know whether the other party is serious, honest, whether they pay on time, and so on’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Evaluation assistant (role already observed) | |
| ‘I must say that Alpha’s willingness to collaborate right away made all the difference. She was also willing to invoice us immediately and be paid comfortably after the event to meet our tight deadlines and other bureaucratic delays’ –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘… you go more confidently to a place where a third party has already referred you and talked about you. with their intermediation, everything is easier, especially when they accompany me’. –CEO of Alpha When a third party introduces us, we are already placed in the best possible contractual conditions, because the buyer trusts this third party, and I must say that there is not a great deal of negotiation in this regard. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Power equaliser (evolution of the previous power balancer) | |
| ‘The insurance broker personally exploits its personal bonds to favour the match’ –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘The common friend manages the introduction between the parties’. –Field note – Vignette 7 (Common acquaintances) …allowing you to get straight to the meeting in person…After COVID-19… I feel that… to close a business deal, I have to get to human interaction with the other party as soon as possible’ –CEO of Alpha | Personal bonds sharer (new role observed) | Trust transfer |
| ‘When we are introduced to it by someone we trust. you have already stepped forward regarding trust in that company… you have fewer doubts’. –Sigma’s owner – Vignette 4 ‘… she also trusted my intermediation’. –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘When someone introduces you well, you’re already halfway to starting a new business relationship’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Risk initiation avoider (evolution of the previous risk reducer) | |
| ‘Convinced by the relationship they had with the former owner, I decided to buy from them too’. –CEO of restaurant Gamma ‘The trust that Alpha’s owner gave me, I immediately made my superiors. perceive it’. –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘The third actor brings with him his experiences with us as proof of our trustworthiness’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Provider of concrete evidence (role already observed) | |
| ‘… One of these friends once told me: I know this restaurant very well, if you want, I will take you there, will you come? So, I went there –Alpha’s CEO – Vignette 7 The third actor shares the contact of the business counterpart –Field note – Vignettes 2, 4, 5 | Access provider (role already observed) | Deal maker |
| ‘… my distributor. made me put Alpha wine directly into the dispensing system without asking me anything‘. –Delta’s owner – Vignette 6 Thanks to this friend… we immediately started a business relationship that continues to this day…’ –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 7 ‘Common acquaintances allow you to skip the classic steps of requesting information and gradually contacting the other party’ –CEO of Alpha | Accelerator (role already observed) | |
| ‘… you know, having children who are friends and go out together, it is as if we almost know each other.’. –Sigma’s owner – Vignette 4 The insurance broker chairs the interaction between the parties –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘… he kept telling me: I would introduce you, so you could talk to him and show him your products.’. –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 7 ‘The third party we trust puts its face on the line at the beginning, so you do not want to disappoint it. I try to make things go well’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Commitment creator (new role observed) |
| Exemplary quotes and field notes | Codes (Micro-roles) | Categories (Macro-roles) |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Many people, especially friends and acquaintances, have asked me: Do you know that restaurant? And this One?.. Come on, let us go together… One thing leads to another’. –Alpha’s | Opportunity seeker | Behind-the-scenes operator |
| ‘I remembered Alpha when I was looking for wines for my e-commerce site; my brother-in-law had spoken well of them… –Teta’s owner – Vignette 1 Sigma’s owner recalls Alpha from the third actor’s mention –Filed note – Vignette 5 | Awareness builder | |
| ‘… I immediately thought of Alpha, which was a winery I had heard a lot of good things about…’ –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘… we have tried to connect with as many people as possible because a person can know many realities, and therefore, among these, there might be One that suits us. –CEO of Alpha ‘Especially in a turbulent environment like the One we live in today, a person exposes himself only if he is sure of the reality he is recommending. if he knows it meets our needs’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Matchmaker | |
| ‘… I was interested in being present with my wines. the insurance broker gave me the opportunity to contact her…’ –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 2 ‘So, I spoke to the former owner, who advised me to arrange a meeting with Alpha’. –CEO of restaurant Gamma – Vignette 5 | Need booster | |
| ‘…plus, it had been recommended to me by my brother-in-law.. I think contacting it was the logical thing to do…’ –Teta’s owner – Vignette 1 As it was One of his clients, the insurance broker acted on his initiative to introduce Alpha to the wine shop. –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘Sometimes they suggest restaurants… usually they tell me how much they work, the volume they are capable of, and if they are a good outlet for my wines’. –CEO di Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Advocate seller/buyer | Expectation setting |
| ‘The PhD student met Alpha’s | Evaluation assistant | |
| ‘I must say that Alpha’s willingness to collaborate right away made all the difference. She was also willing to invoice us immediately and be paid comfortably after the event to meet our tight deadlines and other bureaucratic delays’ –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘… you go more confidently to a place where a third party has already referred you and talked about you. with their intermediation, everything is easier, especially when they accompany me’. –CEO of Alpha When a third party introduces us, we are already placed in the best possible contractual conditions, because the buyer trusts this third party, and I must say that there is not a great deal of negotiation in this regard. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Power equaliser (evolution of the previous power balancer) | |
| ‘The insurance broker personally exploits its personal bonds to favour the match’ –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘The common friend manages the introduction between the parties’. –Field note – Vignette 7 (Common acquaintances) …allowing you to get straight to the meeting in person…After COVID-19… I feel that… to close a business deal, I have to get to human interaction with the other party as soon as possible’ –CEO of Alpha | Personal bonds sharer | Trust transfer |
| ‘When we are introduced to it by someone we trust. you have already stepped forward regarding trust in that company… you have fewer doubts’. –Sigma’s owner – Vignette 4 ‘… she also trusted my intermediation’. –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘When someone introduces you well, you’re already halfway to starting a new business relationship’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Risk initiation avoider | |
| ‘Convinced by the relationship they had with the former owner, I decided to buy from them too’. –CEO of restaurant Gamma ‘The trust that Alpha’s owner gave me, I immediately made my superiors. perceive it’. –PhD student – Vignette 3 ‘The third actor brings with him his experiences with us as proof of our trustworthiness’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Provider of concrete evidence | |
| ‘… One of these friends once told me: I know this restaurant very well, if you want, I will take you there, will you come? So, I went there –Alpha’s | Access provider | Deal maker |
| ‘… my distributor. made me put Alpha wine directly into the dispensing system without asking me anything‘. –Delta’s owner – Vignette 6 Thanks to this friend… we immediately started a business relationship that continues to this day…’ –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 7 ‘Common acquaintances allow you to skip the classic steps of requesting information and gradually contacting the other party’ –CEO of Alpha | Accelerator | |
| ‘… you know, having children who are friends and go out together, it is as if we almost know each other.’. –Sigma’s owner – Vignette 4 The insurance broker chairs the interaction between the parties –Field note – Vignette 2 ‘… he kept telling me: I would introduce you, so you could talk to him and show him your products.’. –CEO of Alpha – Vignette 7 ‘The third party we trust puts its face on the line at the beginning, so you do not want to disappoint it. I try to make things go well’. –CEO of Alpha, confirmatory evidence | Commitment creator |
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