Kumulative Dissertation, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2026

This dissertation examines how organizations build, manage, and transform relationships with their suppliers and customers in increasingly digitalized and interconnected business-to-business (B2B) environments. It explores the dynamics of buyer–supplier relationships from both upstream (supplier-facing) and downstream (customer-facing) perspectives, with a focus on the domains of supplier relationship management (SRM) and customer experience management (CXM). Although both concepts are closely linked to customer relationship management (CRM), they remain less developed in B2B theory and practice.
Drawing on a combination of conceptual and empirical research, the dissertation comprises three complementary studies. Study I systematically maps the fragmented SRM literature across B2B marketing and supply chain management, identifying central themes, overlaps, and research gaps. Study II adopts an exploratory qualitative approach to conceptualize the supplier journey and investigates how digital technologies reshape SRM throughout its lifecycle. Study III shifts the focus downstream to analyze how augmented and virtual reality technologies transform CXM in B2B settings, emphasizing their strategic potential across complex, multistakeholder customer journeys.
Taken together, the three studies advance a journey-oriented, holistic understanding of how firms can effectively manage both supplier and customer relationships in today’s dynamic B2B environment. The findings contribute to theory by integrating fragmented SRM perspectives, strengthening the conceptual clarity of research on CXM in B2B contexts, and highlighting the role of emerging digital technologies in transforming interorganizational relationship journeys. The business model canvas serves as an integrative framework that links these upstream and downstream insights by illustrating how SRM and CXM jointly shape the firm’s value proposition. Practically, this dissertation provides actionable insights for managers seeking to develop more strategic, resilient, and digitally enabled B2B partnerships—demonstrating that in modern business, success truly depends on being in good company.