Product life cycle research: A literature review

The purposes of this paper are threefold: to review the scope of product life cycle (PLC) research; to pinpoint areas requiring further investigation; and to provide guidelines for future researchers. Because of the paucity of empirical evidence, only tentative conclusions are advanced. For example, the most common PLC pattern is the classical, bell-shaped curve, but it is not the sole shape. The application of various forecasting techniques across the PLC have met with merely moderate success. Very little research has been conducted either on how different characteristics of the firm influence the PLC or on the actual use of various PLC-strategy theories by business planners. Finally, investigators have focused almost exclusively on validating the existence of the PLC concept among nondurable consumer goods. Industrial items, as well as major product changes, have been nearly ignored. The main conclusion is that additional research-more diversified and extensive in nature-is needed on many PLC topics.     

Marketing to associations that specify or approve industrial products

This article introduces the concept of indirect marketing. It examines a situation where individuals, groups, and organizations other than the purchasing organization have a major say in the purchase decision. Implications for a marketing program to meet this situation are discussed.     

Beta adjustment methods

This study is an analysis of the forecasting ability of adjusted and unadjusted betas. Based on the Canadian data for 252 stocks, random errors in betas are the most important reason for the poor predictive ability of individual security betas. Most of this random error is eliminated if securities are grouped into portfolios. However, further improvements in forecasting ability are gained by adjusting the security betas for bias and inefficiency. Five methods of adjusting the naive beta estimates have been tried, including two methods not tested before. These two, Vasicek's two-stage method and order-bias adjustment method, gave results generally superior to others.     

More on public information and stock price

In a recent issue of this journal [2] McCain and Millar examined whether “favorable” and unfavorable” stock analyses appearing in the Wall Street Journal column “Heard on the Street” could be used to predict one-day, seven-day, and six-month price movements of the affected stocks. In this note we question the conclusions of that study based upon methodological grounds.     

Personal characteristics of salespeople and the attractiveness of alternative rewards

How do personal characteristics of salespeople affect their desire for the various rewards available to them? Do younger salespeople desire different types and levels of rewards than older salespeople? Are there differences due to job tenure, marital status, family size, and so forth? In this article, the authors attempt to answer these questions. Based on an extensive investigation of the industrial sales forces from two large companies, the authors examine the relationship between personal characteristics and the sales force's valence for various rewards. Although some of the findings are consistent with current sales management practices, some are not, suggesting that present day thinking with respect to the design and administration of rewards may need more careful scrutiny.     

Problems in Demand Estimation For a New Technology

It is difficult to estimate demand for a new product or service when a prelaunch test market is not practical. This is often the case for products that incorporate advanced technology. In this article, Robert Thomas reviews 29 different research methodologies used to measure demand for a new telecommunications service. He found several problems in how the research was designed and executed and offers a number of suggestions for improving the accuracy of demand estimates.     

高举旗帜 解放思想 扎实工作努力实现嘉兴学院又好又快的发展

改革开放30年是嘉兴学院不断扩大办学规模、提升办学层次、增强办学实力、实现跨越式发展的30年。30年的艰辛探索和办学实践告诉我们，要实现学校又好又快的发展，必须坚持解放思想、改革创新与实事求是、脚踏实地相结合，进一步解决办学中的突出问题；坚持提高质量、以内涵发展为主与拓展外延、扩大办学空间相结合，提升办学综合实力；坚持学科建设为龙头与突出学科专业特色相结合，培育办学特色；坚持办学以教师为主体与教育以学生为主体相结合，充分调动广大师生教与学的积极性；坚持办学为区域经济发展服务与办学跟国际合作交流相结合，拓展办学的国内外空间；坚持加强学校管理工作与完善院校二级管理体制相结合，进一步调动二级学院办学的积极性；坚持加强校园文化建设与社会主义核心价值体系建设相结合，进一步营造良好的育人氛围；坚持加强党的建设与民主办学相结合，进一步促进和谐校园建设。学校正处在实施第二步发展战略的关键时期，必须以科学发展观为指导，高举旗帜，解放思想，扎实工作，努力实现嘉兴学院又好又快的发展。     

新形势下如何加强大学生心理健康教育

新形势下,如何加强大学生心理健康教育,帮助大学生解决心理困惑和心理问题,显得尤为迫切和重要。分析社会环境变迁形势、找准大学生心理困惑动因,坚持以人为本、关注大学生发展,树立全面协调、统筹兼顾的教育理念,有助于做好新形势下大学生心理健康教育工作。     

延安大学非体育专业学生课余体育锻炼的调查与分析

通过实际的调查研究、问卷调查、查阅资料等方式,结合学生的实际,对延安大学非体育类专业的部分学生进行研究,并对问卷进行分析。结果表明,大部分学生比较喜欢参加课余体育锻炼,可是由于各种原因不能持续参与的占相当大的比例。针对出现的问题进行分析,提出可行性的意见和建议,以便对大学课余体育锻炼有所帮助。     

北大:请不要轻易改变自己

北大之所以为北大,正是因为老校长蔡元培当年倡导的"兼容并包、思想自由"的办学方针,至今还被称作北大精神的一部分,追求"自由民主"也一直为老北大人所津津乐道.大学精神寓于大学自治、学术自由的传统之中,保持"独立之思想,自由之精神."拥有绝对的理想主义色彩,一定程度上超越世俗社会,实现真正的学术自由,完成独立地位的回归.