Building Business Relationships Through the Web: How Medical Technology Companies Enroll Stakeholders in Innovation Development and Uptake

Abstract: Websites are perceived as an additional communication space where public and private institutions and their stakeholders can interact and develop sustainable relationships. Although public relations scholars argue that both companies and consumers may benefit from virtual interactions, the growing online direct-to-consumer advertising and sale of health-related products has raised social and ethical concerns. Our study seeks to clarify the scope and nature of the virtual relationships that are specific to medical devices companies. Through a qualitative analysis of website, we show how four Canadian medical technology companies sought to enroll three types of stakeholders into their innovation development and commercialization strategies: investors, healthcare providers and patients. Our findings show that by reinforcing stereotypical relationships with investors, the websites maintain certain disconnect between the worlds of business and healthcare, and by creating proactive roles for healthcare providers and patients, they contribute to forge ethically convoluted relationships.