Based on data from 85 large business-to-business Slovenian companies, this study analyses the direct impacts of adaptation, trust and relationship value on positional advantage. In addition, the study investigates the moderating role of relationship value on the links between adaptation, trust and positional advantage. In the preliminary phase, we have tested the research model with the interpretive structural modelling framework, while in the empirical detail study, we have used a non-parametric approach to structural equation modelling – partial least squares modelling. We have found that both relationship value and trust directly affect positional advantage, while adaptation does not. However, relationship value positively moderates the link between adaptation and positional advantage. Our research contributes to the existing literature and managerial practice by demonstrating the possible impacts of the relationship orientation of B2B companies on positional advantage.

Background/Purpose: This article explores consumers’ perception of the benefits of intelligent service robots (ISR) in the purchasing process, their trust in artificial intelligence (AI), their perception of AI-related threats, and the impact of these variables on consumer attitudes toward AI. Additionally, the study examines the moderating effect of perceived AI-related threats on the relationship between perceived benefits and trust on one side and the formation of consumer attitudes toward AI on the other. Methods: The research was conducted in the first half of 2024 on a judgmental sample of 224 employed consumers in the Republic of Slovenia. Data were collected through a structured online questionnaire. For the empirical analysis, a non-parametric approach using SEM-PLS modelling was applied to examine relationships between the studied research constructs. Results: The findings indicate that perceived benefits of ISR have a strong and positive impact on consumer attitudes toward AI, while perceived AI-related threats strongly and negatively influence these attitudes. Moreover, the results reveal that perceived AI-related threats significantly and negatively moderate the effect of consumers’ perceived trust in AI on the formation of their attitudes toward AI. Conclusion: The results of this study contribute significantly to the theoretical understanding of employed consumers’ attitudes toward AI. They also provide practical implications for companies in developing predictive models of consumer behaviour and defining effective marketing strategies to encourage AI adoption in the purchasing process.

Praktikum je namenjen študentom prvega letnika dodiplomskega študija na Ekonomsko-poslovni fakulteti za delo pri vajah predmeta Osnove marketinga in se uporablja kot dopolnilo k drugi izdaji monografije Marketing – Temeljni koncepti in njihova uporaba v digitalnem okolju. Praktikum zajema 10 poglavij in zajema naslednja osnovna področja marketinga: opredelitev marketinga, marketinško okolje, temeljni marketinški koncepti, spoznavanje odjemalcev, raziskave za potrebe marketinga, načrtovanje strategij marketinga, izdelek, cena, marketinške poti in marketinško komuniciranje. Vsako poglavje sledi enaki strukturi: študijski primer, vprašanja iz primera, vprašanja za utrjevanje in vaje za utrjevanje, ki so namenjene poglobljenemu razmisleku o obravnavni temi.