Strategic Positioning of Alliances

In this paper we use a simple linear demand structure to analyze firms’ and alliances’ strategic positioning with regard to cost reduction and product differentiation. In particular, we compare investment decisions under competition and in alliances and analyze comparative static properties concerning changes in market size. In contrast to Porter (1980 Porter, M.E. 1980. Competitive Strategy, New York: The Free Press. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]), this model explicitly allows firms to allocate their budget between the two strategies. The analysis reveals that the optimal allocation of resources for strategic positioning changes markedly when a firm enters an alliance: the general investment level decreases with a shift towards more cost reduction and less product differentiation. Another finding is that alliances (as well as independent firms) in larger markets invest more in both strategies and investment is driven towards product differentiation. These results are in line with Klepper’s (1996 Klepper, S. 1996. Entry, exit, and innovation over the product life cycle. American Economic Review, 86(3): 562–83.  [Google Scholar]) findings as they show that the attractiveness of following cost leadership or differentiation strategies changes through industry evolution.     

Child Influence: Depth Interviews with Pre-Operational Child Consumers and Their Parents

The purpose of this research was to investigate the phenomenon of pre-operational child consumers (age 2–7; Piaget, 1928 Piaget, J. 1928. The child's conception of the world, New York, NY: Harcourt.  [Google Scholar]) and their influence on household purchases. The conceptual framework was based on research on family interaction, child development, and consumer socialization. The research methodology utilized depth interviews with both pre-operational children and their parents. The analysis of the depth interviews revealed the pervasive use of child influence strategies in typical shopping excursions and significant parental yielding in response to those child influence attempts. Study results were consistent with consumer socialization and family interaction theories that surmise the prevalence and power of child influence.     

The Influence of Innovative Organizational Culture on Marketing Strategy Formulation and Results

ABSTRACT

This article's objective is to analyze the influence innovative organizational culture has on marketing strategy formulation and results, and how this relationship affects organizational performance. The theoretical basis lies in Menon et al.'s (1999 Menon , A. , Bharadwaj , S. G. , Adidam , P. T. , and Edison , S. W. ( 1999 ). Antecedents and consequences of marketing strategy making: A model and a test . Journal of Marketing , 63 , 18 – 40 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) model. The methodology included a survey with medium to large Brazilian companies in different sectors. The final sample consisted of 153 questionnaires that were valid for analysis. Techniques for statistical analysis including singular and multivariate methods were used, from which the relationships between constructs were established by structural equation modeling. Results show a positive relationship between innovative organizational culture, the marketing strategy process, and organizational performance. However, innovative culture does not have a direct influence on performance.     

A Measure for Companies' Customer Portfolio Management

Purpose/Contribution: Customer portfolio management (CPM) is one of the key areas of customer-relationship and network management in business markets. However, there is scant research about the implementation of this concept in business. This article contributes to this conceptually rich but empirically nascent field of CPM research by (1) conceptualizing customer portfolio management, (2) forming a measure for it, (3) validating the suggested measure, and (4) suggesting implications for future research and management.

Methodology: A CPM construct is proposed based on the synthesizing of the theory and the findings from a qualitative field study of companies' management practices. The suggested construct is formative and consists of the following four dimensions: analysis efforts, analysis design, responsiveness efforts, and responsiveness design. Hence, this conceptualization takes into account both the strength and style of companies' CPM practices. The measure is validated following Diamantopoulos and Winklhofer's (2001) Diamantopoulos, A. and Winklhofer, H. 2001. Index construction with formative indicators: An alternative to scale development. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2): 269–277. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] guidelines for developing formative measures. Together with the content validity established in the conceptual phase of the research, the results from a cross-industry survey of 212 companies give support to the construct validity of the suggested CPM measure. Partial least squares modeling is applied in validating the measure.

Implications: This study gives an extensive, up-to-date review of customer portfolio management and provides measures for future research on companies' CPM practices and performance. Further, the theory and the field study highlighted several central topics that should be addressed in future CPM studies. The resulting managerial implications derive from the discussion on the key aspects of developing CPM practices in business.     

Towards a history of critical marketing studies

Abstract

In this paper, I outline a history of critical marketing studies. The argument put forward that marketing lacks any substantive critical edge is questioned. In surveying our history and finding extensive engagement with a variety of critical perspectives, I connect these with appropriate literature from non-marketing sources to flesh out an account of our critical marketing heritage. I devote considerable attention to the period 1940 to 1990, as this is the historical range of critical marketing literature that most scholars will be unfamiliar with, linking this through citation and discussion to more recently published work. In this way, this paper provides a guide to sources of literature that may have passed marketing scholars by because they violate our disciplinary demands for ‘recency’ (Baker, 2001 Baker, M.J. 2001. “Introduction”. In Marketing: Critical perspectives on business and management, Edited by: Baker, M.J. 1–25. London: Routledge.  [Google Scholar]). As I document, critical marketing studies examines a variety of areas that represent consumer culture theory's (CCT) ‘next frontier’ if we accept Arnould and Thompson's (2005 Arnould, E.J. and Thompson, C.J. 2005. Consumer culture theory (CCT): Twenty years of research. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(4): 868–882. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) diagnosis. In opposition to Arnould and Thompson's assertion, CCT's new frontier, this paper contends, is a frontier that has long been of interest to critical marketing scholars whose work might usefully be re-examined.     

Considering Technological Impacts When Selecting Food Suppliers: Comparing Retailers' Buying Behavior in the United States and Europe

Purpose: The research investigates the impact of emergent technologies, specifically supply-chain technology and food-production technology (i.e., genetically modified organisms [GMO]), on global food retailers' supplier decisions.

Methodology/approach: Qualitative research is conducted to examine technology-related vendor selection criteria of food retailers in 5 European countries comparing to those in the US.

Findings: Our findings show that global food retailers view supply-chain technology as a competitive advantage and is integrated as an important selection criteria; however, selection criteria differ for food-production technology between the United States and the European countries. European food retailers explicitly oppose food-production technology (GMO), while U.S. food retailers implicitly accept food-production technology. Emerging from this opposing view, global food retailers establish similar criteria for organic food (non-GMO) supplier selection: reliability, distance, consistent quality, and relationships with suppliers.

Research implications: Applying the supplier choice criteria framework (Lehmann and O'Shaughnessy 1982 Lehmann, D. R. and 'Shaughnessy, J. O. 1982. Decision criteria used in buying different categories of products. Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 18: 9–14.  [Google Scholar]) to further analyze organic food suppliers, we find that reliability (adaptive criterion), distance (integrative criterion), consistent quality (performance criterion), and relationships with suppliers (economic criterion) are essential, but price is not.

Practical implications: This study suggests that to sustain competitiveness in the global food market, food suppliers not only need to ensure technological compatibility in supply-chain, but also adapt to the local food-production restriction (GMO) and organic food selection criteria preferences.

Originality/value/contribution: Supply-chain technology is strategically important and is adopted by global food retailers for competitive advantage; yet, there are dramatic differences regarding the acceptance of food production technology. This research contributes to the better understanding of how technologies exert significant and strategic weight in the food supplier selection process.     

Assurance of Learning and Study Abroad: A Case Study

Most academic programs are now held accountable for measuring student‐learning outcomes. This article reports the results of an assurance of learning (AOL) project designed to measure the impact of study abroad on the development of ethical reasoning, intercultural sensitivity, and environmental attitudes. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB) AOL guidelines (2007 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. 2007, November 20. AACSB assurance of learning standards: An interpretation (AACSB White Paper), Tampa, FL: AACSB International Accreditation Coordinating Committee and the AACSB International Accreditation Quality Committee. Retrieved May 16, 2009 from http://aacsb.edu/accreditation/papers/AOLPaper‐final‐11‐20‐07.pdf [Google Scholar], 2008 Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International. 2008, January 31. Eligibility procedures and accreditation standards for business accreditation, 12, 15, 71, &; 74Tampa, FL: Author. Retrieved March 12, 2009 from http://aacsb.edu/accreditation/process/documents/AACSB_STANDARDS_Revised_Jan08.pdf [Google Scholar]) are used to frame the overall assessment process. Hammer and Bennett's (2002 Hammer, M. R. and Bennett, M. J. 2002. The intercultural development inventory (IDI) manual, Portland, OR: Intercultural Communication Institute.  [Google Scholar]) intercultural development inventory (IDI); Dunlap, Van Liere, Mertig, and Jones' (2000 Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G. and Jones, R. E. 2000. Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale.. Journal of Social Issues, 3: 425–442.  [Google Scholar]) new ecological paradigm; Forsyth's (1980 Forsyth, D. R. 1980. A taxonomy of ethical ideologies.. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39: 175–184. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) ethics position questionnaire (EPQ); and Richins' (1987 Richins, M. L. 1987. “Media, materialism, and human happiness.”. In Advances in consumer research, Edited by: Wallendorf, M and Anderson, P. 352–56. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.  [Google Scholar]) materialism scale are the primary measurement rubrics used in the study. Results support the proposition that study abroad does have a positive impact on the development of cross‐cultural sensitivity and environmental attitudes. Although study abroad appears to have no direct impact on moral reasoning, changes in ethical reasoning do appear to be related to intercultural development and environmental attitudes. The AOL project demonstrates how assurance of learning programs can be extended to include experiential learning outcomes and can serve as a guide for the furthering of the globalization of a business curriculum.     

Analysis of Competences for Innovation in Technology-Based Enterprise Incubators

ABSTRACT

Incubators are rated as public policy mechanisms driving innovation in companies. The purpose of this project was to ascertain the level of development of competences for innovation in Technology-Based Enterprise Incubators (TBEI) as perceived by businesspeople in associated companies. With regard to technological innovation, it was decided to use a neo-Schumpeterian approach, and with regard to competences, the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory was used, which evaluates internal attributes that contribute directly to the innovative capacity. Four constructs were taken into consideration for analyzing the development levels of competences for innovation, grounded on the model of François and colleagues (1999 François , J. P. , Goux , D. , Guellec , D. , Kabla , I. , and Temple , P. ( 1999 ). “Décrire lês Compétences pour l'innovation: une Proposition d'enquête.” In: Foray , D. , and Mairesse , J. (Eds.), Innovation et Performance, Approaches Interdisciplinaires , Editions EHESS . [Google Scholar]) and Munier (1999 Munier , F. Taille de ( 1999 ). La Firme et Innovation: Appoches Theóriques et Empiriques Fondées sur le Concept de Compétence , Thèse (Doctorat en Économie)—Estrasburgo: Université Louis Pasteur . [Google Scholar]). Competences for innovation were examined through a questionnaire that tries to identify and assess development levels of competences in TBEI. The findings were analyzed through construct reliability tests: summated scales and cluster analysis. It was noted that the means competences representing the basic resources needed for the development of the company were assessed favorably by the businesspeople, indicating the development of this competence. In terms of technical and relational competences, it was noted that the businesspeople assessed these aspects unfavorably, indicating that these competences are not well developed by the TBEI. It was also ascertained that corporate development levels and operating sectors also influence the assessment of these businesspeople in terms of competences for innovation. This leads to the conclusion that its effectiveness must be assessed as an agent of innovation, with indicators being defined to measure the effectiveness of its role as a mechanism driving technological innovation.     

How Managers Handle Conflict in Supply Chain Collaborative Relationships in Ghana

To contribute to a broader understanding of how conflict impacts the emergence of collaborative relationships in the supply chain, the authors conduct a series of simulation games among supply chain collaborative teams in Ghana, West Africa. Results lend support to a theoretic proposition that managers' responses to conflict differ on the basis of their evaluative judgments about the favorability of processes and fairness of outcomes as predicted by the process and outcome discrepancy model (Kumar & Nti, 1998 Kumar , R. , & Nti , K. O. ( 1998 ). Differential learning and interaction in alliance dynamics: A process and outcome discrepancy model . Organizational Science , 9 , 356 – 367 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Further, results show that most collaborative relationships are prone to only a moderate level of conflict (contentious) as opposed to being highly conflict-prone (hostile) or conflict-free (harmonious), but the incidence of contentious and hostile relationships has a greater negative impact on collaboration decisions than the incidence of harmonious relationships. These findings demonstrate the importance of the process and outcome discrepancy model and the loss aversion tenet in prospect theory to supply chain collaboration research and strategy formulation.     

Consumers' value perceptions across retail outlets: shopping at mass merchandisers and department stores

Today value is considered a key hallmark of US shoppers. Although research has examined consumer perceived value (CPV) in the context of shopping in general, this study provides specifics about CPV in the context of consumers’ shopping experiences in two dominant retail outlets – mass merchandisers and department stores – where value provision and value seeking may be shifting. Using Dewey's (1939 Dewey, J. 1939. Theory of valuation. InInternational encyclopedia of Unified Science, Edited by: Neurath, O., Carnap, and, R. and Morris, C. Vol. 2: Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.  [Google Scholar]. Theory of valuation. In International encyclopedia of Unified Science, ed.O. Neurath, R. Carnap, and C. Morris, Vol. 2, 1–67. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.) value theory as a framework and conducting both qualitative and quantitative analyses, the research identified, validated, and tested nine value dimensions sought by consumers when shopping in mass merchandisers and department stores: acquisition, transaction, efficiency, choice, exploration, esthetic, self-gratification, social interaction, and social status value. The study findings suggested that mass merchandisers may want to be careful in moving too far from their historic value proposition of low price and convenient shopping, while department stores may want to improve their provision of the exchange values currently so important to consumers, while finding new, creative ways to provide their historic value offerings of service and entertainment.     

An Empirical Quest to Identify the Most Dominant Negotiating Styles Among American Sales Managers

SUMMARY

This study addresses the proposition as to whether the collaborative negotiation style is the most prevalent among American sales managers in the competitive landscape created by the global economy. It also examines whether there are relationships between the sales managers' negotiation styles and selected personal and organizational characteristics that may affect negotiation styles. The findings of the study reveal that the collaborative style is indeed the most predominant. However, some sales managers do still emphasize the competitive style. This variation may imply Weitz's (1981) Weitz, B. 1981. Effectiveness in sales interactions: A contingency framework. Journal of Marketing, 45(1): 85–103. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] adaptive behaviors. There are also significant relationships between the sales managers' negotiation styles and personal and organizational characteristics.     

Conceptualising market orientation in non-profit organisations: definition,performance, and preliminary construction of a scale

Abstract

This paper applies Narver and Slater's (1990 Narver, J. and Slater, S. 1990. The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(2): 20[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) conceptualisation of market orientation to non-profit organisations. The study constructs a reliable and valid scale of the market orientation in non-profits in order to test the relationship between non-profits' market orientation and their performance outcomes in the context of a developing country. We surveyed 211 Indian non-profits and received 102 usable responses. We used principal axis factoring with oblique rotation to analyse the data. The scale was tested for its dimensionality, reliability, and various validities. The findings show a positive link between non-profits' market orientation and their performance in the context of a developing country. Market-oriented non-profits were found to be more effective in achieving their organisational mission, beneficiary satisfaction, and peer reputation than those that were less market oriented.     

Firm growth in the Swedish retail and wholesale industries

To identify the determinants of firm growth in the Swedish retail and wholesale industries during 2000–2004, we analyse a sample of 400 limited liability companies using quantile regression techniques. Firm growth was mainly found to depend upon time-invariant firm-specific effects, supporting Penrose's [1959 Penrose, E. 1959. The theory of the growth of the firm, 4, New York: Oxford University Press.  [Google Scholar]. The theory of the growth of the firm (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press] suggestion that internal resources such as firm culture, brand loyalty, entrepreneurial skills, and so on are important determinants of firm growth.     

Joint Venture Conflict: The Case of Thai International Joint Ventures

ABSTRACT

International Joint Ventures (IJVs) have become an important means of market entry for many firms, particularly those seeking entry into Asia (Lin and Germain, 1999 Lin, X. and Germain, R. 1999. Predicting international joint venture interaction frequency in U.S.-Chinese ventures. Journal of International Marketing, 7(2): 5–23. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). As such, it is important to understand what causes some IJVs to fail and others to succeed. This study examines the relationship between partners' needs, commitment, control, and conflict between the IJV partners in a developing country of South East Asia. The findings revealed that IJV inter-party conflict was significantly influenced by all three variables, namely, partners' needs, commitment and control thereby providing support for previous research in a different national setting.     

Performance implications of capital structure: evidence from quoted UK organisations with hotel interests

The objective of this article is to foster research on the relationship between capital structure and corporate performance with hotel companies. Using data collected from 43 UK quoted organisations which possess an interest in owning and managing hotels, Modigliani and Miller's (1958 Modigliani, F and Miller, MH. 1958. The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment. American Economic Review, 48(No.3): pp.261–97 [Google Scholar]) capital structure irrelevancy theorem is tested. Empirical analysis revealed no significant relationship between the level of debt found in the capital structure and financial performance. These results are consistent with Modigliani and Miller's theorem. Results also highlight that low levels of returns on equity are a feature of the sample. This latter point appears to an important issue for hotel investment, as hotel companies are continually looking to raise external finance to fund expansion. The findings of the study suggest that Chief Financial Officers of the sample organisations need to identify novel ways of expanding the business without increasing the levels of debt. The article concludes by providing examples of how some Chief Financial Officers are responding to the challenges of capital structure.     

A Subcultural Analysis of the Brazilian Knowledge Industry: When Nation,Industry, and Organizational Cultures Collide

ABSTRACT

This exploratory research seeks to better understand the relationship between national and industry culture, concentrating particularly on the case of the Brazilian knowledge industry. Perceptions of real and ideal corporate values were obtained from 98 professional and managerial staff from Brazil and 40 from the United States. The results were also compared to those of a multi-industry Brazilian sample reported in Nelson and Gopalan (2003 Nelson , R. E. , and Gopalan , S. ( 2003 ). “Do Organizational Cultures Replicate National Cultures?” Organization Studies , Vol. 4 , pp. 115 – 152 . [Google Scholar]). The Brazilian knowledge industry respondents' view of their organizational culture was much more favorable than the US knowledge industry respondents' perceptions. The Brazilian knowledge industry sample also contained unique subcultures that varied by employment regime and favorably reflected on the industry's ability to adapt to modern trends. This configuration of results does not clearly favor any of the major theories of organizational culture but suggests a complex pattern of interaction between country, industry, industry position, and employment regime. The results do, however, suggest that interaction effects of country by industry may be much stronger than the main effects of either industry or nation.     

A framework of Corporate Social Responsibility for advertising accountability: The case of Australian government advertising campaign

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a dominant theme guiding business practice. Governments have embraced this philosophy and legislated to encourage socially responsible business practice in its many forms. While governments' endorsement of CSR practice is expressed in policy, the successful integration into its own practice is not evidenced in the literature. Using a case research method, this paper analyses the nature of Australian government advertising processes, developing a modified framework founded on Wood's (1991 Wood, D. 1991. Corporate Social Performance revisited.. Academy of Management Review, 16(4): 691–718. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) Corporate Social Performance model and Maignan and Ferrell's (2004 Maignan, I. and Ferrell, O. 2004. Corporate Social Responsibility and marketing: An integrative framework.. Academy of Marketing Science, 32: 1 [Google Scholar]) CSR principles. This research is important because it provides an application model for CSR practice and provides government with a decision‐making vehicle for CSR.     

Long- versus short-term orientation: new perspectives

Long- versus short-term orientation, a national value dimension originally found by Bond among students in 23 countries, became Hofstede's (1991 Hofstede, G. 1991. Cultures and organizations: software of the mind, London: McGraw-Hill.  [Google Scholar]) fifth dimension of national cultures. Recent analyses by Minkov (2007 Minkov, M. 2007. What makes us different and similar: a new interpretation of the World Values Survey and other cross-cultural data, Sofia: Klasika i Stil.  [Google Scholar]) of World Values Survey data, collected from representative samples of national populations, allow the calculation of a new version of this dimension, this time across 93 countries. National scores on the dimension correlate with certain family values, with school results, with business values, with environmental values and, under favorable historical conditions, with economic growth. In 1988 the dimension scores led to a prediction of China's economic success. The new scores allow new predictions for economic developments in different parts of the world.     

Learning Approaches and Outcome‐Based Teaching and Learning: A Case Study in Hong Kong,China

Outcome‐based education is a pedagogical process which focuses on the achievement of certain specified results. Outcome‐based teaching and learning (OBTL), therefore, is concerned with curriculum design and ensuring that the contents, delivery, activities, and assessments are all aligned to help facilitate students to attain specific intended learning outcomes. This study explores whether and how outcome‐based teaching impacts on the learning approaches of one cohort of undergraduate business students at a university in Hong Kong, China to undergo outcome‐based teaching, newly introduced as part of a university‐wide policy to adopt OBTL. The learning approaches of these business students were measured using John Biggs's (1987 Biggs, J. 1987. Student approaches to learning and studying, Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.  [Google Scholar]) Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) to determine whether these students tended to favor surface learning approaches, deep learning approaches, or achieving learning approaches upon initial entry into the university. Changes in learning approaches were tracked, after a semester's exposure to OBTL, through survey and focus group interview methods. Findings indicated a significant amount of transference between learning approaches deployed by these students, demonstrating a high level of adaptability.     

Empowering Chinese Service Employees: A Reexamination and Extension

ABSTRACT

This article extends the knowledge in the area of empowerment of Chinese service employees by addressing the possible conceptual and methodological problems identified in Hui, Au, and Fock's (2004) study. The findings show that the lack of positive effect of discretionary empowerment on the job satisfaction and intention to comply with customer request of the Chinese subjects in Hui et al.'s (2004) Hui, M. K., Au, K. and Fock, H. 2004. Empowerment effects across cultures. Journal of International Business Studies., 35: 46–60. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] study likely resulted from their use of hotel/hospitality management students as subjects. Without the confounding effect from the shared internalized values of the subjects, discretionary empowerment can have a positive effect on the job satisfaction and job behavior (e.g., intention to comply with customer request) of Chinese service employees. Furthermore, the findings show that explicit management support can further enhance the positive effect of discretionary empowerment on the job satisfaction and job behavior of Chinese service employees. The current article also discusses the theoretical contributions, managerial implications, limitations of the study, and future research directions.