Relationskommunikation över landsgränserna : - En studie om relation, kommunikation och strategi i ett litet samhälle med en stor närvaro

Sammanfattning: Research ProblemToday, the great focus is on the organization’s place on different digital platforms as well as in the more traditional print world. A lot of research has been done on the factors that are included into an organization’s success; product quality, pricing, visitor satisfaction and availability, to name a few. However, a direct correlation has been identified between a company’s relationships and its success. Social media provides new opportunities for organizations to create and maintain relationships with individuals. However, previous research does not appear to have its focus on the relationship-building work made by destination organizations based on the growth of digitization. Purpose and research question The purpose of the paper is to investigate the Norwegian company Flåm AS communicative relation-building, before and after they were digitized, as well as looking at how their relationship strategy has changed since the digitization process. What does Flåm AS relationship-building work look like? • What has the digitization process looked like? • What characterized the relationship-building work before the digitization process? • What does the relationship-building work look like after the digitization process? MethodUsing a qualitative approach, this thesis has conducted three semi-structured telephone interviews. The respondents are all employed by Flåm AS. In addition to these, a qualitative analysis has been carried out, using documents belonging to the organization. Results There are significant differences to be observed in the relationship-building work done by Flåm AS before and after the organization was digitized. The differences are not only to be found in their distribution strategies but also in the type of recipient the organization has. With the changes in the behavior of visitors and their approach to travel, the organization has adapted its strategies in communicative relationship-building work. Research grants This paper offers an insight into how an organization has adapted its strategies to meet the perceptions and expectations of potential visitors. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of different types of relationship-building work done by an organization.