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Product information management challenges in B2B e-commerce : a case study in spare parts business

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Product information management challenges in B2B e-commerce : a case study in spare parts business

The purpose of this Master’s thesis is to define what product information management (PIM) challenges can arise in business-to-business (B2B) electronic commerce (e-commerce). The thesis is carried out as a unity of literature research and qualitative study, which was commissioned by an industrial manufacturing company participating to this study in need of declaring the management challenges of their product information in their spare parts e-commerce, so PIM can be enhanced and e-commerce customer experiences improved. First, a literature review is conducted to introduce prior research to the studied phenomenon and its background factors. Based on the literature review results, a theoretical framework is created and utilized as the basis of the following empirical research and the analysis of its results. The empirical research is carried out as a single case study through qualitative semi-structured interviews, created from the basis of the framework. Together, the literature review and the empirical study results show, that PIM challenges manifesting in B2B e-commerce are related to mainly information systems, organizational aspects, and product information. In more detail, information system -challenges are related to the use and integration of many systems, the data transfers and formats, and the system features and updates. Organizational challenges are associated with processes, standards, and people. Product information -challenges are related to the vast amount and heterogeneity of product information, defining its overall quality, ensuring the quality features, manipulation of product information and its quality, and customer requirements. As a conclusion it can be stated that the empirical study results strongly reflect the theoretical framework contents, and that the different challenges are highly interrelated. This thesis offers new information on the scarcely studied connection of PIM, B2B e-commerce, and after sales business regarding the possible challenges that could arise in e-commerce operations.

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