Value co-creation and resource integration in Italian drugs distribution

Purpose: The aim of the work is to explore the value co-creation process (Vargo and Lusch, 2008; Payne et al., 2008; Zhang and Chen, 2008; Vargo et al., 2008) in a complex and challenging context in Italy: drugs distribution, a business where recently liberalization occurred. In particular, we aim to highlight the role of the main players of this market as resource integrators (Vargo, 2008; Merz et al., 2009; Baron and Harris, 2008; Gummesson, 2008; Mele et al., 2010) and to analyze their contribution to the development of value co-creation process. We believe that the Italian drug distribution is a very interesting context to investigate the value co-creation process since it involves different stakeholders (consumers, retailers, chemists) and different interests (both business and social). Methodology/approach: We developed a twofold field study carrying out both qualitative (Eisenhardt, 1989; Mari, 1994) and quantitative research. Qualitative study aimed to better frame the research problem and has been developed through observation and in-depth interviews with chemists (100). Quantitative study focused on consumers and aimed to investigate their the point of view about liberalization process and their behaviour. We gathered 800 in-store interviews. Findings: The work investigated the value co-creation process and the resource integration in the Italian business of drugs distribution. According to the results, pharmaceutical network appears as a relational locus where value co-creation occurs. We observed that all the actors of the network interact with others to obtain individual relational, cultural and affective benefits. Inside the network is possible observe the diffusion of key benefits that are common for all the social and economic actors: i) the development of learning process, ii) the exchange and the transfer of knowledge, and iii) the diffusion of economic value due to the business. Research implications: Our study contributes to the debate on players’ engagement in co-creation as this specific topic has still not been deeply examined in the literature (Woodruff and Flint, 2006). It represents a starting point for further research on modeling the relationship between new and old actors of drugs distribution market. Practical implications: The work is an attempt to provide an integrated view of the value co-creation process considering main players perspectives, contributing to the scant research existing on the involvement of all parts of the relationship in the process of value creation. In particular, we consider that the place where the relationship occurs is very important for the activation of the value co-creation process. Originality/value: Our study analyzes the Italian pharmaceutical market under the new lens of the value co-creation and contributes to a better understanding of the role of its actors as resource integrator (Vargo, 2008). The originality of the work depends both on the analysis of the drugs liberalization in a marketing view and on the double-folded method used