Establishing Collaborative Business Education Programs in China

ABSTRACT

American universities have a valuable product for export to China, a world-class business education. Currently, the demand for Western-style business education far exceeds the supply. The undergraduate university system in China offers an excellent, though under-utilized, venue for providing Western-style business education to large numbers of China's next-generation business leaders. This paper describes the official procedures for establishing joint business education programs in Shanghai as well as the benefits and challenges of international collaboration.     

Advertising and the Department of Energy's Campaign for Energy Conservation

Abstract

Motivating consumers to conserve energy has proven to be a difficult task in the United States. One tactic that has been used on a limited basis by the Department of Energy is paid advertising. This paper examines the role of conservation within the country's broader energy problems, delineates several consumer issues that affect the success of government conservation programs, discusses the controversy surrounding the use of paid advertising to promote consumer conservation efforts, and describes those DOE programs that have used paid advertising as an integral component of conservation program strategy.     

eBusiness applications in SMEs of Italian industrial districts: the textile and wood/furniture cases

The paper presents the results of a study dealing with the adoption of eBusiness applications in two Italian industrial districts: the textile district in Como and the wood/furniture district in the area of Brianza. These two districts are part of important “made in Italy” industries, with a high volume of worldwide exports. The goal of the paper is to show how Internet technology is changing the behavior of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these two local (but with worldwide relevance) districts and to understand how the potential benefits and constraints for SMEs pointed out in several literature contributions are really acting in these districts.

A Commentary on Business Marketing: A Twenty Year Review and an Invitation for Continued Dialogue

ABSTRACT

This article is a commentary on the literature review conducted by Reid and Plank. The objective of the paper is to both critique and complement the review and to provide a forum for debate as to the future direction of research in business-to-business (B2B) marketing research. The paper begins with a challenge to the reader to think beyond the traditional role of B2B marketing and think about how future B2B research could be more relevant and more strategic in focus. The concept of the new competition is offered as a framework for presenting future research issues. The new competition converges on the role of the extended enterprise as the reference point for thinking about competitive forces in a global marketplace. The implications for B2B marketers are discussed.     

A Framework for Determining Success Factors of an E-Commerce Initiative

Abstract

Businesses and entrepreneurs are rushing to the Internet to do business and reach new markets. While the Internet is used for cutting cost and generating revenue by conducting business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce (EC) and business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce, existing businesses and entrepreneurs are finding tremendous challenges to succeed. This paper examines the factors that are critical to the success of any company's e-commerce initiative and makes recommendations to businesses and entrepreneurs so they can overcome the challenges and exploit the opportunities presented by the Internet.     

North Carolina's Social Marketing Matrix Team: Using Social Marketing Concepts to Institutionalize Social Marketing Capacity in a State Health Department

SUMMARY

The North Carolina Division of Public Health has employed traditional marketing concepts to increase the capacity of its programs to use the social marketing process. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Turning Point grant enabled this capacity building. During a three-year period there has been over a two-hundred-percent increase in programs attempting to use social marketing in the division. This article describes the division's application of social marketing concepts, reviews other theories useful to the incorporation of a social marketing approach in a social-change organization, makes suggestions for their application, and presents lessons learned.     

Promoting Awareness of Government Export Assistance Programs in the International Marketing Course

ABSTRACT

One of the features of international marketing which distinguishes it from purely domestic marketing is the role of government-sponsored programs in helping firms start and indeed succeed in overseas markets. There is evidence that American firms make much less use of these programs than their foreign competitors. One possible contributing factor to this situation is limited classroom coverage which American instructors of international marketing devote to this area.

Two hundred and six U.S.-based members of the Academy of International Business (A.I.B.) were surveyed. Results indicated that while instructors of international marketing feel that government export assistance programs are important for export sucess, they are not very familiar with most of these programs and do not have positive perceptives about the quality of services currently offered. Little class time is devoted to most of the programs and lecture remains the dominant pedagogical tool. The connection between instructor familiarity with these programs and perceived importance and quality is also addressed.     

Regional strategies for injury prevention: Experiences from six county-wide programs in Sweden∗

Abstract

Community approaches predominate in safety promotion, and most experience has been gained at the local municipal level. Regional and national programs are also underway, partly influenced by the same theoretical and methodological principles as applied locally. In this paper, six already initiated regional (county-wide) injury prevention programs in Sweden are examined with regard to strategic considerations and in the light of principles discussed in the literature. It is argued that the community approach is less suitable for larger settings, such as counties, and that there is a need for additional and complementary approaches for higher societal levels and formal governmental and administrative structures.     

The Rainmaker in Today's Professional Service Organizations

ABSTRACT

Professional service firms have relied heavily in the past on a small number of rainmakers-people who have influence and bring business into their firms. In today's competitive marketplace, everyone in the organization must be involved in the practice development process. This paper, based on a series of interviews with accounting professionals, identifies the roles and responsibilities for practice development inherent at every stage of the professional accountant's career path. Additionally, the roles and responsibilities of marketing professionals in professional service firms are also considered.     

Looking at Your World Through Your Customer'S Eyes

Abstract

There has been a great deal of discussion about firms moving away from transactions towards building long-term relationships with key customers. This is especially true in business-to-business markets and with larger companies with major customer accounts. But what is the reality of the situation? What do we find when we move beyond the rhetoric of relationship marketing to examining the extent of customer focus in large firms? This paper describes a major empirical study of some of the world'S largest B2B buyer-seller alliances in five countries representing each element of the Triad-England, France, Germany, Japan, and the U.S. We find that there are significant gaps between how customer focused manufacturers think they are and how customer focused their key customers perceive them to be. Further, these gaps vary by country and region. We explore the reasons for these differences in the context of cross-cultural organizational theory with implications for the strategic management of cross-national buyer-seller alliances.     

The Survival of Internet-Based B2B Exchanges

Abstract

Researchers have suggested that businesses are undergoing a paradigm shift due to the emergence of the Internet. In the business-to-business arena, fundamental process changes are taking place due to the emergence of Internet-based B2B exchanges. Three types of B2B exchanges have emerged-independent or third party industry specific B2B exchanges, buyer or supplier coalition-based B2B exchanges, and corporate B2B exchanges. While the costs savings associated with Internet-based B2B exchanges are well understood, this paper highlights the critical role that relationships will play in the success or failure of B2B exchanges. Using transactional cost framework, we analyze the various types of Internet-based B2B exchanges and conclude that corporate exchanges have a comparative advantage over open market exchanges, as well as over buyer or supplier coalition-based exchanges. It is our expectation that this paper will serve as a catalyst for future research in this area.     

A Taxonomy of Cause-Related Marketing Research: Current Findings and Future Research Directions

ABSTRACT

Cause-related marketing is an increasingly popular method of improving marketing relationships with customers, both for the sponsoring company and for the participating cause. This paper outlines the rewards and risks for the company and the cause as they consider this type of partnership, as well as the benefits and drawbacks for the customers asked to participate in these programs through the purchase of the sponsored product or service. Future directions for research are recommended in order to (1) expand the findings within this domain, and (2) to maximize sales results from cause-related marketing initiatives for businesses and causes.     

An Integrated B2B Guanxi Model: A Taiwan Perspective

Abstract

Due to the uniqueness of Chinese culture, relationship marketing cannot be interpreted directly from the extant theories developed in Western society. Using qualitative research, the study constructed an integrated model of B2B gaunxi and proposed seven observations through the interviews with Taiwanese small and medium enterprises. The proposed model describes a complete process of building guanxi with five levels: evaluation of the target firm, channels for building guanxi, exchange of B2B guanxi, evaluation of guanxi quality, and evaluation of guanxi performance, which can be applied for developing business relationships in China. The use of interviewees’ real dialogs provides a “hands on/real world” view of the role of guanxi for building and maintaining business relationships, which have here-to-fore been treated in comparatively esoteric ways.     

Increasing the Effectiveness of Export Assistance Programs

Abstract

This study focuses on the export assistance needs of small and medium-sized firms in the California EnviroTech industry. The objectives of this study are to: (1) provide public sector assistance providers research-based recommendations to increase the effectiveness of their export assistance programs to the EnviroTech industry; and (2) promote the advantages of a single industry study as the basis for providing public sector export assistance.     

A Fast Track to Cultural Immersion

ABSTRACT

The internationalization of the business curriculum remains a priority for preparing students for a global workforce. Business schools continue to stress the importance of semester-long study abroad programs. Yet in colleges and universities with a growing population of non-traditional, working adult students, it is challenging to provide international study abroad opportunities. Options for such intensive immersion are limited and may include non-credit travel, travel as a small part of a credit course, or travel with a trade mission group. In short term international travel, quickly introducing students to culture shock and moving toward some minimal acculturation is the primary goal. This article describes a nine-day study abroad trip to Monterrey, Mexico that quickly exposed students to the local culture via a day-long structured scavenger hunt exercise. Suggestions for implementing such experiential activities into the curriculum of other study abroad programs are provided as well as a discussion of students and faculty learning.     

Professional Mexican Employees: The Essential Element in Mexican Maquiladora Quality Improvement Initiatives

ABSTRACT

As global competition continues to increase, quality is a crucial factor for firms to survive. Regarding quality in Mexican maquiladoras, Mexican professionals are suggested as the essential factor in successful quality programs. In this study, the literature related to quality in Mexico is reviewed, and propositions designed to test the main thesis are suggested. Additionally, exploratory data about professional Mexican worker perceptions of quality programs in maquiladoras are examined. Based on these results and the literature reviewed, Mexican professionals seem to hold significant promise in maximizing quality results.

RESUMEN. A medida que continúa aumentando la competencia global, la calidad se convierte en un factor de vital importancia para la supervivencia de las empresas. Con respecto a la calidad de las maquiladoras mejicanas, los programas de calidad exitosos consideran como elemento esencial del logro a sus profesionales. En este estudio examinamos la literatura relacionada a la calidad en México, ofreciendo propuestas trazadas para probar las principales tesis sugeridas. Además, también analizamos los datos exploratorios sobre la percepción que los trabajadores profesionales mejicanos tienen de los programas de calidad implantados en las maquiladoras. Con base en estos resultados y la literatura analizada, parece que los profesionales mejicanos representan una promesa importante para maximizar los resultados de la calidad.

RESUMO. A medida que a competição mundial aumenta, a qualidade passa a ser um fator primordial para a sobrevivência das empresas. Os profissionais mexicanos são considerados elementos essenciais para os programas de qualidade bem sucedidos nas maquiladoras mexicanas. Neste estudo, a literatura referente à qualidade no México é revista, e propostas para testar as principais teorias são sugeridas. Além disso, são examinados dados exploratórios sobre as percepç[otilde]es do trabalhador mexicano especializado em relação aos programas de qualidade nas maquiladoras. Com base nestes resultados e na literatura revista, os profissionais mexicanos parecem ser os responsáveis pela expressiva confiança na maximização dos resultados de qualidade.     

QUALITY,OPERATIONAL LOGISTICS STRATEGY,AND REPURCHASE INTENTIONS: A PROFILE DEVIATION ANALYSIS

Emerging thoughts on quality suggest that three principal sources of customer‐based value creation exist for firms operating in the online marketplace. These include a focus on delivering (1) service quality, (2) product quality, and (3) eBusiness quality. Drawing on strategic choice theory coupled with configuration theory, we conducted a profile deviation analysis among customers of online grocery firms using the “ideal” quality profile for four operational logistics strategies as the benchmark (semi extended strategy, fully extended strategy, de‐coupled strategy, and centralized extended strategy). The findings suggest that service, product, and eBusiness quality‐based fit with operational logistics strategy type are associated with customers' behavioral (repurchase) intentions. This lends support to the notion that capitalizing on the appropriately weighted quality‐focus represents a strategic vehicle to create superior outcomes in online businesses. The makeup of these ideal quality profiles that represent the strongest repurchase intentions of customers is also provided.     

Developing an Interdisciplinary Major in International Business

ABSTRACT

Since the change of the accreditation standards by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) requiring internationalization of the business school curriculum about twenty years ago, different models of internationalization have been developed and tried by different types of business schools across the nation. However, no single model has emerged as an ideal model suitable for all kinds of institutions, large or small, urban or rural. At small and rural universities, internationalization efforts pose some extra challenges because of the general lack of global exposure and practices among its faculty and students, lack of adequate resources, financial crunch and locally centered vision of its leadership. This paper describes how a small and rural university has successfully implemented its own model to internationalize its business programs in spite of all the financial and non-fiscal challenges. Such a model could be emulated by similar small and rural institutions across the country.     

Custom Publishing

Abstract

The field of “custom communications” is a growing multi-billion dollar market. Custom publishing of magazines and books is a significant segment of the pie, proving the continuing value of print for creating stronger bonds with customers. This article describes a variety of applications for custom publishing in marketing products and services, with important implications for the promotional products industry. The author, who has ghost-written a book for a small advertising agency, focuses on the high potential for specialized magazines and well-written books that target an audience accurately. Included is cogent advice to promotional products professionals on how to go about creating an effective custom publication.     

Challenges for B-to-B Doctoral Programs: A Commentary on “Doctoral Programs in Business-to-Business Marketing: Status and Prospects,” by Erwin Danneels and Gary L. Lilien

ABSTRACT

The fast-paced development of the Internet as a mechanism for efficient communication and transactions has led to the growth of diverse forms of electronic business-to-business marketing linkages. Such linkages have profound implications for the development and exploitation of newer constellations of supply chains as well as for the re-design and re-orientation of existing ones. Newer sources of value and competitive advantage enable firms to better manage their existing relationships with suppliers and customers. Moreover, firms are now equipped with better tools for engaging in advantageous alliances with other firms possessing complementary resources.

While various Internet-based business-to-business (B2B) business models have failed in recent times, most existing B2B exchanges can be classified into a general typology based on the type of linkages, access and governance. Three major types of B2B buyer-seller linkages are identified as “net marketplaces,” “industry consortia,” and “virtual private networks.” This paper evaluates the comparative properties of these major types of exchanges and identifies various antecedent factors that would impinge on a firm's decision to participate in any of these types of exchanges.