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Filoumena Zlatanou

Filoumena Zlatanou

Email: f.zlatanou@qmul.ac.uk

Project title

Emotions in Business Relationships

Project description

This dissertation investigates the role of emotions in business relationships. It addresses a significant gap in the business-to-business marketing literature, which has traditionally been centered around deliberative and structural mechanisms to explain business relationships. The dissertation proposes a mediating role of (positive or negative) emotions for the effect that different types and different degrees of relational norms (non)fulfilment have on trust in business relationships, a key attitudinal characteristic of well-performing relationships. In doing so, an alternative mediation logic model is developed that operates on the (inter-personal) level of boundary spanners in business relationships.


The research follows by a multi-method design: First, a systematic literature review (SLR) maps the fragmented evidence on emotions in business relationships, and highlights conceptual gaps. Then, sensitising interviews with senior managers are Gioia-analysed to provide insights grounded in practice (i.e. Theories-in-Use) about emotional triggers, outcomes, and contingencies. Second, the findings from the SLR and the Theories-in-use inform three inter-locking experimental vignette-based studies. These studies explore the mediation effect of emotions from norm fulfilment to trust, and consequently performance, while also investigate possible contextual and individual moderators, and investigates the counterintuitive effects of over-fulfilment, showing curvilinear patterns and negative emotions.

Across studies, emotions emerge as pivotal and previously under-specified mechanisms for trust development. Findings extend Relational Norm Theory, as well as the literature on business relationships, qualify existing theories (e.g., performance norms exert stronger effects than interaction norms), and build consensus by showing stage-contingent effects (performance-norm emotions are stronger early; interaction-norm emotions are stage-invariant). Evidence that excessive over-fulfilment can backfire advances linear propositions, providing a more nuanced account in the interorganisational literature. The dissertation also provides managers with actionable strategies for managing emotions on firm as well as boundary spanner-level to better sustain long-term business relationships.

Supervision

  • 1st Supervisor: Professor Stephan C. Henneberg
  • 2nd Supervisor: Dr. Stephan Dickert

Biography

A career that bridges academia and industry defines my professional journey. At Queen Mary University of London, I teach as a Teaching Associate and research (PhD Candidate) in the areas of business-to-business marketing, consumer behaviour, and business networks. My academic expertise is enriched by over a decade of professional managerial experience in B2B marketing, corporate communications, advertising, and brand management across diverse sectors such as construction, mining, aviation, energy, maritime, healthcare, and consulting. Holding two Master’s degrees with distinction and recognised with awards for both academic excellence and leadership, I bring together rigorous scholarship, practical insight, and a passion for teaching. This unique blend enables me to contribute to academia with research that is both conceptually strong and managerially relevant, while inspiring students to connect theory with real-world practice.

Centre and Group Membership

  • MINDS - Marketing Insights & Digital Societies

Teaching and Membership

Postgraduate Modules:

  • Relationship and Network Marketing
  • Understanding Consumer Behavior
  • Research Methods in Marketing

Areas of Expertise

  • Business-to-Business Marketing (B2B)
  • Relationship Marketing
  • Business Networks
  • Consumer Behavior
  • Actor-Customer Engagement
  • Research Methods
  • Digital Marketing

Publications

Zlatanou, F., Dickert, S., & Henneberg, S.C. (2025). The mediating effect of emotions in business relationships. Proceedings of the 2025 AMA Winter Academic Conference, USA, 36, 776–779.

Media

https://akam.org/bulletin/bulletin-q3-2025/

Article: “How emotions shape key account relationships”

 

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