Key Account Management Network
The European Network for Key Account Management at the Chair of Sales and Marketing focuses on the successful design and implementation of key account management, global account management and related concepts for managing strategically important customer relationships.
For many years, the Chair has cooperated in this research field with partner universities as well as with large and medium-sized companies. The aim is to develop academically grounded knowledge and make it useful for research, teaching and practice.
Research and Know-how
The network’s know-how is developed through qualitative and quantitative studies, academically grounded surveys, company-based research projects and doctoral research. The focus is on the organization, management and further development of strategic customer relationships.
Research findings are shared at international conferences, in academic journals, in university courses, MBA programs, workshops and seminars with practice partners.
Publications
The network’s publications address key topics in key account management, sales management and price management. These include the selection and management of strategically important customers, the role of key account managers, internal KAM networks, KAM as an organizational capability, and questions of implementation, integration and governance.
Selected recent and foundational publications:
| Authors | Publication Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Peters, L. | “The more we share, the more we have”? Analyses of knowledge sharing by key account managers | 2024 |
| Niersbach, B., Kadam, N., Quero, M. J., Török, J., Nguyen, N., Winninger Lemarquis, G. | Exploring gender diversity in key account management: A comparative global perspective on gender-specific roles and competencies for customer success | 2024 |
| Ivens, B. S. | Gender issues in key account management research: A systematic literature review and avenues for future research | 2023 |
| Kadam, N., Niersbach, B., Ivens, B. S. | The cultural factors in global account management: The case of Indian buyers and German suppliers | 2022 |
| Peters, L., Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C. | Key account managers' identification profiles and effectiveness | 2022 |
| Feste, J., Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C. | Key Account Management Formalization and Effectiveness | 2022 |
| Herhausen, D. B., Ivens, B. S., Spencer, R., Weiber, M. | Key account management configurations and their effectiveness | 2022 |
| Feste, J., Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C. | Key account selection as a political process | 2020 |
| Peters, L., Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C. | Identification as a challenge in key account management | 2020 |
| Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C., Leischnig, A., Niersbach, B. | Key account management as a firm capability | 2018 |
| Leischnig, A., Ivens, B. S., Niersbach, B., Pardo, C. | Mind the Gap: A Process Model for Diagnosing Barriers to Key Account Management Implementation | 2017 |
| Ivens, B. S., Pardo, C., Niersbach, B., Leischnig, A. | Firm-internal key account management networks | 2016 |
Doctoral Research
Several doctoral projects on key account management have emerged from the network. They focus, among other topics, on internal KAM activities, intercultural face-to-face interaction, digital transformation in key account management and identity work in KAM.
Completed doctoral projects:
| Name | Dissertation Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jasmin Maria Schäfer | Shedding light on Customer “Keyness”: Conceptual Considerations and Empirical Analyses on KAM Formalization and Key Account Selection as Levers for Effectiveness | 2025 |
| Nayan Tukaram Kadam | Cultural Dynamics in Global Account Management: Exploring India-Germany GAM Relationships Through Mixed Methods Research | 2024 |
| Leonore Peters | Unlocking the Key Account Manager Black Box: Exploring the Identities of Key Account Managers through Conceptual Considerations and Empirical Analyses | 2024 |
| Nikolaij Schmid | Identitätsarbeit im Key Account Management | 2023 |
| Martin Schunke | Veränderung des Key Account Managements durch die Digitalisierung | 2019 |
| Lisa Drahmann | Relationship Management und Face-to-Face Interaktion im Key Account Management im interkulturellen Vergleich | 2018 |
| Barbara Niersbach | The internal key account management activities of supplier firms | 2016 |
Partners
The network is based on cooperation with researchers from various European universities and business schools as well as with practice partners from companies.
- Prof. Dr. Björn Ivens, University of Bamberg
- Prof. Dr. Alexander Leischnig, TU Bergakademie Freiberg
- Prof. Dr. Barbara Niersbach, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences
- Prof. Dr. Catherine Pardo, EM Lyon Business School