Conflict in Supplier–Retailer Relationships in the Brewery Industry in Cameroon

The authors develop a theoretical framework to explain conflict in supplier–retailer relationships. In addition to traditional influence strategy variables, the framework links conflict to retailer dependence and supplier formalization. The framework is empirically tested in the Cameroonian brewery industry. The findings support the view that channel conflict is inversely related to retailer dependence and supplier formalization. Contrary to expectations, the use of noncoercive influence strategies (information exchange and recommendations) has no significant effect on conflict, while, as expected, the use of coercive influence strategies (threats and promises) increases conflict.     

Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions in China: An Industry Panel Study, 1991–2005

Employing a panel database, this article investigates empirically the behaviour, at an industry level, of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the People's Republic of China for the period 1991–2005. The study reports that many of the cross-border M&As over the past decades in China have been driven by broad fundamental factors, such as industry size and profitability. Moreover, technological intensity is significantly associated with the level of acquisition activity, indicating the tendency that intangible resources and intellectual capability favour more acquisition into China. It is found that deregulation, as a specific industry shock, affects acquisition activities significantly. The findings, it is concluded, have important managerial and policy implications.     

Developments in the Pharmaceuticals Industry

China's pharmaceuticals industry is one of the industries making use of foreign funds and running three kinds of foreign-funded enterprises from an early date. In 1980, it signed a contract with the Japanese Pharmaceu-tical Enterprise to establish the China Otsuka Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.---the first joint venture in China's pharma-ceuticals industry. According to incom-     

China＇s Cultural Industry Development in Governments＇ Eyes

The implementation of the Cultural Industry Promotion Plan will have a very significant impact not just on China＇s cultural development, but also the entire national economic and social development. The impact will be in four aspects： first, changing the way of economic development andadjusting the economic structure; second, expanding domestic demand, increasing employment, and actively responding to the current financial crisis; third, achieving prosperity of socialist culture and better meeting people＇s cultural need; last, promoting Chinese culture and enhancing our country＇s cultural soft dower.     

An NGO Providing Services to Your Need——-China Machinery Industry Federation

Since 1979, along with the imple mentation of economic reform and opening policy, China has attained miraculous high-speed development. In the recent twenty-some years, the Chinese Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) have shot up like bamboo shoots after the spring rain. They are playing a more and more important role in promoting economic and social     

The Politics of Protection: An Institutional Approach to Government–Industry Relations in the British and United States Cotton Industries, 1945–73

Internationally, the establishment of the GATT marked the beginning of a shift to greater trade liberalism. Against this background the governments of developed economies have generally treated textiles as a special case. This essay focuses on the differing level of political bargaining power exerted by the cotton industry interest groups in Britain and the United States, in their quest for protection, since 1945. It demonstrates that, to understand why pressure groups in the United States gained more concessions than those in Britain, it is necessary to consider the differing institutional and political environments in which they operated and the historical forces which shaped them.     

Client Relationship Marketing Practices: An Exploratory Study of the Legal Industry

This article aims to identify and examine the responsibilities of the marketing specialists and legal practitioners in the legal industry at different stages of the client relationship development process. A conceptual framework is proposed to analyse the single case study of this research. The relationship marketing practices of a global law firm were examined through fifteen in-depth semi-structured interviews with key personnel. Ten client relationship marketing practices were identified. Whereas organising and attending social events, managing the communications or interactions process, managing the cross-selling, service recovery, changing the impression, truly understanding clients' businesses and industries and other small little gestures are similar to the findings of Claycomb and Martin (2002), social bonds beyond the professional level, treating every job seriously regardless of the size, and utilising client relationship management software were three practices that emerged from this study. Although the ten practices presented are pivotal in contributing to a successful client relationship, further research is needed to examine the effects of each practice and the quality of the client relationship. This article demonstrates that in order to succeed in the highly competitive marketplace, law firms need to understand not only the potential outcomes of each relationship marketing practice but also how to practice it systematically. A new relationship development process model incorporating the essence of the customer relationship life cycle was developed and its practicality was confirmed by the research findings.     

An Analysis of the Current Investment Situation and Developing Trends in China''''s Tourism Industry

An interview with Wei Xiaoan,the Director of Planning,Development and Finance Department for the State Tourism AdministrationQuestion: After over twenty years of incessant efforts since Chi- na's opening up to the outside world,China has been transforming itself.Once merely a resource-rich country, it later became an Asian tourism destination. And now it has been steadily advancing towards be- coming one of the world's premier tourist destina- tions.China's tourism industry has been attracting increasingly attention from every corner of the world.     

Ethically Questionable Behavior in Sales Representatives – An Example from the Taiwanese Pharmaceutical Industry

Recent corporate disgraces and corruption have heightened concerns about ethically questionable behavior in business. The construct of ethically questionable behavior is an under-portrayed area of management field research, and deserves further studying, especially in sales positions. This study uses four variables from the human resource management field to explain the ethically questionable behavior of sales representatives in the pharmaceutical industry. These variables include frame pattern, commission structure, behavior control type, and marketing norm perceptions. This work uses a 2*2*2*2 subject experimental design, and 328 fully completed questionnaires for logistic regression analysis. Results suggest that a medical representative in a loss frame (compared with a gain frame), in a high commission structure (compared with a low commission structure), in loose behavior control (compared with strict behavior control), and in a low perception of marketing norm (compared with a high perception of marketing norm), is more likely affected by heuristic biases and make an ethically questionable choice.     

Development of the Insurance Industry in China

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Current Trends and Future Challenges in the South African Advertising Industry—An Introductory Review

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide an introductory review of the structure of the South African Advertising Industry, to identify and discuss the main issues and future challenges in the South African Advertising Industry, and to recommend applicable managerial strategies to the main role players.

The South African society has been involved in a process of transformation, a search for identification, and a conscious effort towards non-discriminatory practices, direct or indirect, for the past eight years. This is apparent in current marketing and advertising practices, which remain firmly focussed on the new breeds of consumers-including the growing young black market. This new challenge to marketers includes a paradigm shift from established practices to an embracing of new research methods, which could address the complexities of reaching, communicating, and meeting the demands of a multicultural consumer society in South Africa. The marketing challenge also indicates the necessity of redefining the largest audience groups in categories that reinterpret race from a South African perspective.

A review of the literature was undertaken, followed by discussions with knowledgeable industry spokesmen. The survey of racial issues in South Africa forms part of an on-going project, as it is envisaged that the shape of the industry will change dramatically during the next decade.

Key managerial implications focus on perspectives and attitudes towards changing employment and empowerment ratios, that would require innovative interpretative studies to contribute towards an understanding of the current challenges. This includes the elimination of stereotypes and linguistic ethnocentrism, black empowerment, training in multicultural advertising communication, and the aligning of conflicting cultures with corporate vision.     

International buyer behaviour–commitment relationship: An investigation of the empirical link in importing

Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm this article examines relationships between knowledge, trust, communication, volatility and sustainable competitive advantage as the exogenous and endogenous variables with importer commitment as the dependent variable. The primary data was gathered from a survey of 224 commercial and industrial firms, headquartered in Bangladesh, coming from a wide cross section of industries. Statistical analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modelling via AMOS. The study's key findings revealed that all exogenous/endogenous variables had a significant impact on importer commitment. That is, knowledge, trust, communication, volatility and sustainable competitive advantage had a significant direct impact on importer commitment. Additionally, cultural similarity, communication, volatility and supplier opportunism all had a significant indirect impact on importer commitment. This finding makes a significant contribution to the relational side of the RBV.     

Current Developments in the South African Automotive Industry

Success is built upon success and prospects for the automotive industry hold well for the future.     

Sport Industry in the 11th Five-year Plan

Beijing, the city to host the 2008 Olympic Games, is attracting more and more focus from all over the world. On August 8, Mayor Liu Qi announced the beginning of the 2-year count down of the 2008 Olympic Games. According to the experiences of other host cities, Olympic Games will generate abundant opportunities for the economic development. Here, for the sake of people's interests, China's Foreign Trade opens the column "Economy·Olympics" to present you the development of China's sports industry and the effort that sports enterprises make to show their love for sport and for the people around the world. Here is the interview with the officials of General Administration of Sport.     

Key State Projects in the Building Materials Industry

ChangchunShuangyangCementPlantTheplantisabletoproduce2,000tonsofclinkerdaily.ItisakeyStateprojectbuiltintheperiodoftheEighthFive-YearPlanandatthesametimeascienceandtechnologyprojectwhichturnsoutcementbyastreamlinedmethodusingdomestically-mademachinery.ThetotalinvestmentintheprojectisRMB529.42million,andtheplanthasanannualproductionof670,000tonsofNo.525silicatecementandNo.525ordinarysilicatecement.Indesign,theplantincorporate19itemsofthelatesthomeandforeigntechnicalsuccesses,andtheproduct…