Bridging the B2C and B2B Research Divide: The Domain of Retailing Literature

As the oldest academic journal in marketing, Journal of Retailing publishes research dealing with all sorts of B2B and B2C retailing-related topics. However, there appears to be a perception that Journal of Retailing welcomes only research pertaining to B2C issues. In this article, we debunk that perception through an analysis of the content of Journal of Retailing articles published during the 2002-2008 period. In particular, we find that only 18.7% of Journal of Retailing's content is devoted exclusively to B2C or C2C (consumer-to-consumer) topics. The remainder focuses on B2B research issues. We explore the implications of these findings for researchers who wish to pursue retailing-related B2B research.     

Commentary: Relative Presence of Business-to-Business Research in the Marketing Literature: The Demand-Oriented Path Forward

In this article we discuss the relative presence of business-to-business (B2B) research in the marketing literature. We concur that B2B research is underrepresented in marketing literature and business school curricula. Avenues for remedy, improvement, and future research are presented.     

Commentary: Relative Presence of Business-to-Business Research in the Marketing Literature: Review and Future Directions

In this commentary we reaffirm the position taken by LaPlaca and Katrichis (2009 LaPlaca, P. J. and Katrichis, J. M. 2009. Relative presence of business-to-business research in the marketing literature. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 16(1–2) [Google Scholar]) that there is an underrepresentation of business marketing research in the marketing literature. Our comments highlight the sector size of business marketing in the economy, document the degree of difference on the inherent nature of business versus consumer marketing, compare the relative representation of business versus consumer emphasis in the marketing literature with other subfields, and close by suggesting means for enhancing business marketing research.     

Relative Presence of Business-to-Business Research in the Marketing Literature

Relative to its contribution to the U.S. and other developed countries economies, industrial and business-to-business marketing have been underrepresented in the marketing literature. To determine the extent of this underrepresentation, the authors have evaluated thirty-one marketing journals beginning with the initial publication of the Journal of Marketing in 1936. Without the introduction of journals whose specific focus is industrial marketing, the underrepresentation would have been even more severe than it is currently. Six general research areas were also looked at to determine what trends in industrial marketing research have existed. These areas are: buyer behavior, sales management, marketing relationships, innovation and new product development, marketing strategy, and channels of distribution.     

外资零售企业在中国的经营战略研究

外资零售企业的进入 ,是影响我国零售业未来发展态势和我国本土零售企业未来经营状况的一个关键因子。对外资零售企业进入中国市场后在中国市场的经营战略体系进行了较为全面和深入研究的基础上 ,剖析了外资零售企业经营战略的组成特点。     

The Journal of Retailing 2006–2011: A Nostalgic Retrospective

This article concludes our five years at the helm of the Journal of Retailing. In it, we make a few announcements, review some highlights of our tenure as JR co-editors, provide some insights into the review process, offer some bits of advice for authors, and recount our vision for the Journal.     

The Retailing Literature as a Basis for Franchising Research: Using Intellectual Structure to Advance Theory

This study evaluates the foundational intellectual structure of franchising research over the last four decades. Based on 1718 articles from a sample of 40 journals, we use co-citation analysis, employed in both multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis, to evaluate 67,073 citations and determine the theoretical underpinnings of franchising research. As the results indicate, the retailing literature has had an integral influence on studies related to franchising. To advance this research domain, we develop a three-dimensional typology (franchise structure, consumer exchange, and strategic intention) based on established and emergent franchise-related topics. The typology indicates six suggested topics for examination to advance franchising research based on the domain's accomplishments to date.     

零售业多渠道库存策略研究

本文运用报童模型研究了在B2C电子商务模式下开辟多渠道的零售商普遍采用的三种库存运作策略,并通过数值算例分析了不同库存运作策略下的零售商、供应商的最优库存,同时分析了需求的不确定性程度对零售商、供应商及供应链整体的利润水平的影响。研究结果显示零售商分散化管理库存策略和供应商共享库存策略有利于零售商和供应商分别发挥各自优势,实现风险共担,利益共享,提高供应链整体利润水平。     

我国农村零售商业发展战略研究

本文认为,经济全球化对农村零售商业的影响是全面和深远的,主要表现在:市场全面启动,容量不断扩大;全方位竞争格局逐渐形成,现代流通体系不断完善;转型加速,新兴业态层出不穷和受世界经济影响更加快速、直接等四个方面。文章提出,我国农村零售商业应抓住机遇,准确定位,统筹规划,合理布局,以连锁经营的发展为突破口,实现从传统向现代的转变,重视商业人才的引进和培养,更好地服务于社会主义新农村建设。     

The Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing at 21 and My Perspective on the Field of B to B Marketing

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The author shares his thoughts on the progression of the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing and the field of business-to-business (B to B) marketing over the last 21 years. The author discusses the field of B to B marketing research and examines the gaps that exist between theory and practice and in the quality of papers among the top-tier marketing journals and the three journals that are dedicated to B to B marketing research.

Methodology[#x0002F]approach: Because the article represents both the author[#x02019]s perspective on the current state of B to B research and his views on how well the Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing has contributed to and influenced the field, the approach taken is primarily conceptual. Also, the approach allowed the author to opine as to the future direction of the field.

Findings: Although much progress has been made in improving the quality and relevance of B to B research, there still exists a relative gap in the number of submitted papers, the quality of these papers, and the impact, with some exceptions, that B to B scholars have on marketing theory and practice. Much of the gap can be attributed to the lack of adequate doctoral training. The gap is more a relative comparison to those who would follow a business-to-consumer (B to C) research path.

Research implications: Doctoral training for those interested in B to B marketing need to explore other fields of study (e.g., political science, sociology) as well as to be better equipped in more rigorous methods by which to examine the phenomenon that they select to study. The quality of the research in the domain referred to as B to B marketing has improved over the years. The belief that it is more difficult to conduct B to B research than it might be in the B to C world is no longer an excuse for a poorly conceived and executed study. The journal gives a voice to those who wish to study and conduct research in B to B marketing.

Practical implications: The implications for practice are immediate and would result in an increase in the dialogue between academics and practicing managers. Given the importance of B to B marketing to the world[#x02019]s economy, B to B scholars ought to pursue problems that are relevant to the world of practice.

Originality[#x0002F]value[#x0002F]contribution: In light of the fact that this is the 21^st anniversary of the journal, I was asked by Editor-in-Chief David Lichtenthal to present my

opinions as to the state of both the journal and the state of the field. I believe that the article builds on the work of others and hopefully sets a direction for future B to B scholars.     

Exit and Upgrading in Response to Entry: The Case of Gasoline Retailing

Spatial competition models have established the importance of localized competition in determining competitive outcomes. However, few empirical studies attempt to determine to what extent actual local market conditions affect strategic decisions. This paper uses data provided by the acquisition of the Vancouver area Super‐Save chain of retail gasoline stations by ARCO to study the role of geographic space in competition, and the spatial response of the major competitors in the market to entry. The possibility of both accommodating and aggressive capacity responses by the major incumbent firms to entry are considered. While the empirical results show that proximity to ARCO increased the probability that a station shuts down, proximity to ARCO can explain only a limited amount of shutdown after ARCO’s entry. There is no evidence that incumbent firms used station locations and capacity changes to respond aggressively to ARCO’s entry with a spatial predation strategy.     

江苏零售企业成长特征研究

江苏零售企业在不同的经济环境下,其成长演变呈现出不同的特征。扫描其成长过程发现,江苏零售企业实际上是受经济体制转变的推动、江苏制造业高速发展的拉动、社会资本进入的驱动以及外资零售企业的震动下逐步发展起来的,表现出挤压型、推动型、学习型与探索型并存性的成长性特征。     

Sensory Aspects of Retailing: Theoretical and Practical Implications

Sensory elements are an important aspect of both offline and online retail stores and can non-consciously influence consumer judgments and purchase behavior. In offline settings, ambient factors like scent, lighting, and music have been shown to influence customers’ shopping experiences and their buying behaviors. For online retail outlets, sensory factors related to color, display patterns, and layouts can have significant effects on consumer behavior. Sensory elements have strong managerial relevance since they can non-consciously influence behaviors and because they are relatively easy to change; for example, it requires minimal effort to change the lighting or the music at a physical retail store or the display pattern for an online store. The eight papers in this special issue address theoretical and practical issues related to how different sensory elements can strongly influence retail practices. These papers focus on underexplored topic areas and also on emerging technologies, which stimulate thoughts for further research in these areas.     

The Purposes of Multivariate Data Analysis Methods: an Applied Commentary

Unlike univariate and bivariate statistical methods, multivariate statistical methods are capable of analyzing more than one relationship at a time. There are a number of multivariate data analysis methods, each with its own purpose. For nonexperts in statistical analysis, it can be daunting to determine what method is appropriate for a given application. The goal of this commentary is to introduce the multivariate data analysis methods in practical terms that do not require a strong statistical background. The emphasis is describing the purpose of each method, so that readers can choose the methods appropriate for their research questions. The use of multivariate statistical methods in the Journal of African Business also is explored.     

The Current Status of Women in US Department Store Retailing: 2004

This study replicates the work of Gable, Fiorito and Topol () that examined the status of women in managerial ranks of department store organizations. Women now constitute 67% of all lower-level management positions, approximately 45% of middle-level positions, and 24% of those positions at upper levels. While some progress has been made since the 1994 study, females are not close to parity with males at the highest level positions. Further, a comparison was made of the gender composition of the boards of directors of the 25 largest industrial organizations (in annual sales volume) with that of the 25 department store organizations.     

Exploring Point of Sale Strategies for Improving Seafood Retailing: The Case of the Australian Oyster Industry

The commodification of many food products, combined with increasing market share of supermarkets, has increased the importance of point of sale (POS) strategies in specialty food retailers such as fishmongers. This study seeks to develop strategies to improve the retailing of seafood in fishmongers, specifically oysters, an underutilized species; although they are eaten by many consumers, purchase frequency is low. A literature review identifies the key drivers and barriers to oyster consumption and the information consumers want at POS. Based on these findings, a retailing strategy is developed and tested in two consumer focus groups with results informing revisions to the recommended retail strategy, importantly including a change in collateral from a production focus to a consumption focus. This study contributes to theory and practice by bringing together the existing literature on drivers and barriers and consumer information requirements about oysters to develop and to test practical retail strategy concepts.     

The Theoretical Domains of Retailing Research: A Retrospective

In a previous review article [Brown, James R. and Dant, Rajiv P. (2008a), “Scientific Method and Retailing Research: A Retrospective,” Journal of Retailing, 84 (April), 1-13], we had discussed the substantive domains, the methodological approaches, and the inferential tools that researchers used to test their conceptual frameworks in 164 articles published in the Journal of Retailing during 2002-2007. In this article, we continue this introspective process, by reviewing the theories used in 173 articles published in the Journal of Retailing in the 2004-2009 (to Issue 2) time period, and classifying those theories according to their application to various substantive issues. A total of 119 different theories were used across these 173 articles, which we sub-grouped into twelve broad-based theoretical categories: (1) marketing theories, (2) microeconomic theory, (3) consumer choice theory, (4) social exchange theory, (5) information processing theory, (6) satisfaction theory, (7) reference price theory, (8) competitive theory, (9) attribution theory, (10) other psychological theories for individuals, (11) other social psychological/sociological theories, and (12) other theories. We also examine the methodological approaches and tools used to test those theories. A number of research gaps are identified for future retailing scholarship.     

Retailing in the Transition Economies of Poland and Romania: A Comparative Analysis

This research compares and contrasts the current state of development in the retailing industry in the transition economies of Poland and Romania. Two issues examined in this research are (a) the process of market reforms and resulting developments in store-based and non-store retailing, including the competition among large multinational retail chains and small local retail stores, and (b) the structure of the retail industry in terms of market share of 17 different categories of retailers within their respective sectors, namely, grocery retailers, specialty retailers, and non-store retailers, and overall growth registered by these retailers in the last 5 years (2004–2009). Managerial implications of the findings in terms of the opportunities and challenges in different categories of retailing business in the two countries are discussed, and directions for future research are identified.     

An empirical analysis of the stage model of Business-to-Business relationships in South Korea: a longitudinal study

In this study, we develop and evaluate a framework for investigating the relationship between firm performance and exit intentions—that is, when the termination of Business-to-Business (B2B) relationships involves both conflict and cooperation. This study adds to extant research by demonstrating the importance of temporal changes; the proposed framework highlights the change processes in B2B relationship exit intentions. At time point T, the results suggest that the long-term relationship stage is stable. At time point T + 1, we find that the final relationship stage is dynamic. We demonstrate that several structural-temporal relationships among the investigated links (i.e. conflict-cooperation, conflict-firm performance, and cooperation-firm performance) decrease.