An investigation of marketing capabilities and upgrading performance of manufacturers in mainland China and Hong Kong

Although Chinese manufacturers are considered as latecomers or followers in global commodity chains, they have also been experiencing rapid progress in upgrading performance from own equipment manufacturing (OEM), original design manufacturing (ODM) to own brand manufacturing (OBM). Current literature on the global commodity chain has focused primarily on economic conditions that help explain manufacture upgrade while giving limited attention to what marketing capabilities support and sustain firm competitiveness through upgrading. This article examines eight different marketing capabilities to assess influence on manufacture upgrade performance. A survey of electronics manufacturers in mainland China and Hong Kong shows the significance of individual marketing capabilities and implications of their interdependency for manufacture upgrade performance. In particular, product development, marketing communication and channel management capabilities are crucial for manufacture upgrade. The results also highlight the importance of selective marketing capability development and the potential of secondary support for the relationship between substantive and dynamic capabilities.     

国内期刊品牌营销研究述评

本文总结国内期刊在品牌营销方面的研究。依托CNKI数据库,选用2000-2014年间学者发表在国内期刊上关于期刊品牌营销的研究论文,系统整理期刊品牌营销的文献研究。学者们对期刊品牌营销研究主要集中在品牌的影响因素、品牌的塑造、品牌的延伸三个方面。目前的期刊品牌研究大都从营销者的角度出发,未来应多从作者和读者的角度出发进行研究。     

Review of emotions research in marketing, 2002–2013

Study of emotions has been an important area of research for past several decades. Since emotions play an important role in purchase decisions, this area has particular importance for marketing scholars. In this study, we review the emotions research conducted within the marketing field between 2002 and 2013. Within the broad domain of emotions, this study focuses on social/personality issues, cognitive factors, the development of emotions and their interactions with other consumption factors. We found a total of 340 emotion-related articles, published in 19 marketing journals. There was a gradual increase in number of articles published every year with the trend peaking in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The review of extant literature offers interesting insights into emotion-related research, and helps in identifying clear directions for future studies.     

Marketing channel relationships in China: A review and integration with an institution-based perspective

Because marketing channel research is predominantly conducted in the Western world, marketing channel theories and practices may not be generalizable to Chinese markets. Despite the rapid growth of Chinese economies and their increasing importance to the global economy, our understanding of marketing channels in China is limited. This research reviews and integrates studies of marketing channels in the Chinese context. From an institution-based perspective, we develop a set of propositions focusing on issues such as guanxi, trust and dependence. We explore the impact of Chinese institutional environments (regulatory, normative and cultural) on marketing channels. Lastly, we offer suggestions to help firms adapt their channel operations to Chinese markets.     

The Role of Marketing Channels in Supply Chain Management

This paper synthesizes five decades of supply chain-related research from premier managerially oriented marketing journals and provides a state-of-the-art integration and forecasting of where the field is heading. Such a review identifies where the field of supply chain management (SCM) has been, where it is, and where it is likely to go within the domain of marketing. Importantly, our paper involves a strategic discovery of the anchoring of SCM thought in marketing. A prominent feature of this paper is a set of takeaways, delineated from the cross-section of SCM literature bases (marketing channels, logistics, purchasing, and operations management) that will facilitate the development of the topic of SCM in marketing. These takeaways serve as agenda setters for future research and potential applications of SCM in marketing. Overall, we contribute to the marketing and SCM literatures by (1) reviewing the breadth of the most impactful literature on SCM that is directly connected to the field of marketing, (2) summarizing the state-of-the-art of the SCM in marketing literature, and (3) forecasting via a series of integrated takeaways what research is needed and where the SCM in marketing is likely to progress.     

Market entry barriers in China

Although industrial economists and strategy theorists provide a considerable amount of research regarding market entry barriers in the context of industrialized countries such as those in North America and Western Europe, few studies focus on entry barriers in the business context of China. Consequently, an understanding of the barriers to entry to Chinese markets as perceived by Chinese business executives is limited in the marketing literature. This research, based on the development and administration of a self-completed survey of one hundred and ninety three Chinese executives, attempts to ascertain the dimensions and order of importance of market entry barriers in this context. The findings of the research indicate seven dimensions of marketing entry barriers and show that business executives in China perceive advertising effects as the most important entry barrier and capital requirements as the least important.     

Business Marketing Comes of Age: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT

Since 1978 business marketing has seen a great deal of research activity. It is reasonable to ask whether this has led to advances in theory development and a general increase in our level of knowledge of business marketing. This article reviews the business marketing literature from 1978–1997 from twenty-three journals, five sets of proceedings, and selected books of articles in an attempt to answer that question. Over two thousand articles were examined to assess the current state of the field and suggest directions for future development. As the sheer number of articles since 1978 would suggest, the field of business marketing has attracted a considerable amount of attention. Close examination of the past twenty years of research, however, clearly indicates that certain areas have received a disproportionate share of the research effort. Organizational buyer behavior, strategy and planning, and sales management accounted for over forty percent of the articles published. Important areas such as computers and technology in business markets, marketing to the government, ethics in business markets, and pricing, in contrast, have received relatively little research attention. Regardless of the uneven coverage, the research in business marketing over the past twenty years has been conceptually and empirically strong. Changes in the way business is done has also resulted in a recent surge in theory development in the area of buyer-seller relationships within the context of relationship marketing. Increased attention has also centered on cross functional issues, networks, and strategic alliances.     

论邓小平流通经济思想的现实意义

邓小平始终强调以经济建设为中心,其流通经济思想内容十分丰富。他科学预见了流通国际化的发展趋势,为我国开展国际贸易、引进外资和进行流通体制改革提供了理论基础与政策依据;阐明了我国参与国际流通经济的方式,进而实现经济高速发展和改善我国的国际经济地位;揭示了科学技术这一重要生产要素的流通规律,明确了技术流通在现代流通经济中的重要地位。邓小平运用马克思主义基本原理科学分析了中国国情,研究了具有中国特色的流通经济发展的客观规律,并成功进行了一系列改革,形成了比较完整的流通经济思想体系。     

Accounting research in China: commemorating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up

This study reviews the influential accounting literature on China topics published both in international and Chinese journals in the recent four decades to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up in China. We first review the literature published in the first two decades, where normative research is dominant and financial accounting and managerial accounting are the main topics. Then, looking more in-depth at the most recent literature, we separately discuss the articles published from 1998 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2018, in which many topics are covered including financial accounting, managerial accounting, financial management and corporate governance, auditing and tax. Finally, conclusions and future suggestions are raised based on the issues explored over the past four decades.     

Sustainability marketing research: past,present and future

Abstract

This paper provides a synthesis and critical assessment of the sustainability marketing literature, from the period 1998–2013, building on a previous assessment from 1971 to 1998. It details research within major marketing journals and critically assesses this research in relation to the on-going conversation which focuses on marketing’s relationship with the natural environment. Differences in the content and depth of sustainability coverage in marketing journals are considered. Potential avenues for future sustainability marketing research are proposed, with a particular call for theoretical and managerial reflections which tackle broader systemic and institutional issues within the discipline.     

我国营销理论研究现状评估与分析

市场经济是营销存在的天然土壤,中国改革开放以来的三十多年是我国市场经济不断发展和完善的三十多年,也是我国营销理论不断引入与吸收的过程,同时还是我国市场营销理论建设不断创新与丰富的过程。随着我国经济体制改革纵深化推进,及时总结我国过去三十多年的营销成果及现有研究存在的问题,并找出其未来发展方向,是当前我国营销理论研究必须做的一项工作。本研究既针对我国营销理论研究现状做一个评估与分析,并对我国营销理论发展作进一步的探讨与展望。     

Sponsorship leveraged packaging: An exploratory study in FMCG

The concept of 'internal marketing' has received considerable coverage in the literature, but even its most ardent supporters have noted problems in translating the concept into reality. This paper discusses the findings of an exploratory case study carried out within 35 UK high street retail banks. Internal marketing is an initiative adopted by the organizations studied in order to nourish a marketing orientation.The implementation approach shapes the nature and form of the internal marketing communications that organizations adopt. Even though UK retail banks intend to implement internal marketing effectively, in reality the current implementation approach appears to be counter-productive to the achievement of the core aims of the initiative. The core finding from this exploratory research suggests that there are substantial barriers to the successful implementation of internal marketing within the banks studied, barriers such as the focus on short-term sales goals, the lack of a formal and 'holistic' implementation approach and the creation of 'personnel discrimination' and negative internal competition.     

The role of context in SME internationalization – A review

This article reviews how context has been considered in studies on SME internationalization. It examines 333 articles published during the period 2010–2020 in leading international business, entrepreneurship, strategy and international marketing journals. It identifies their key findings, discusses the theoretical perspectives informing this literature, analyzes conceptual and methodological challenges, and suggests paths for theory development and future research. The review also provides a platform from which to address some of the limitations in international business [IB] theories when applied to SMEs, including organizational size as a boundary condition.     

Marketing’s role in multi-stakeholder engagement

In 2019 the CEOs of more than 180 of the largest U.S. firms signed a statement of corporate purpose indicating that corporations are responsible for providing economic benefits to all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Although stakeholder theory states that there are several stakeholders (internal and external) whose continuing participation affects a firm’s sustainability and long-term profitability, the marketing literature has focused primarily on customer engagement. This research argues for a broadened focus by marketing scholars and introduces a stakeholder engagement framework based on a triangulation approach including a systematic review of marketing research from a stakeholder perspective, the results of a survey of 254 editorial review board members from top marketing journals, and business case examples. The framework identifies three dimensions of firms’ stakeholder engagement strategies (stakeholder recognition, support, and dialogue) linked to stakeholder responses (stakeholder contribution to the firm or retaliation) that ultimately influence firm performance (financial, reputation, and risk). Two core propositions of multi-stakeholder engagement provide a foundation for a detailed future research agenda for marketing.     

Marketing operations efficiency and the Internet: An organizing framework

A business can leverage the potential of the Internet to enhance the effectiveness of its competitive strategy as well as the efficiency of its operations. While the former has received considerable attention in literature, there is a dearth of research on the later. This paper focuses on leveraging the Internet for enhancing the efficiency of a business' marketing operations. We propose an organizing framework that provides insights into opportunities for achieving marketing efficiency gains in the context of the interactivity, personalization and addressability characteristics of the Internet.     

Regional institutional development,political connections,and entrepreneurial performance in China’s transition economy

While previous research emphasizes the role of political connections in facilitating entrepreneurial performance during China’s early reform period (1978–1999), this study argues that regional institutions were increasingly conducive to entrepreneurial activities and, thus, also played a key role in China’s entrepreneurial success during that period. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, it aims to demonstrate how regional institutional development facilitated entrepreneurial performance in China. Second, it aims to understand how formal institutional development among Chinese regions affected the role of political connections. Using a two-level hierarchical dataset on Chinese private enterprises, this study finds that not only legal protection of property rights but also the development of market systems mattered for entrepreneurial performance. In addition, it shows that political connections played a diminishing role during regional institutional development in China.     

Marketing performance assessment and accountability: Process and outcomes

Marketing accountability, and how it may be achieved via performance assessment and metrics, have been central topics in both the marketing literature and practice (Katsikeas et al. 2016). Recent developments in digital channels, the accompanying explosion of data and emergence of marketing automation, the globalization of markets, and the rise of customer experience as a key firm priority have further magnified interest in and the importance of understanding how potential marketing outcomes are and can be achieved (CMO Survey, 2021; Mintz et al., 2021). As a result, gaining clarity on how to design and manage performance assessment systems to deal with these issues has never been more important. This paper argues that further progress in this research domain requires a deep understanding of the marketing performance assessment (MPA) process to provide both a catalyst and foundation for the next generation of research. Although there has been considerable research in the areas of marketing metrics and marketing accountability, much less attention has been paid to the MPA process that links them. Yet, the MPA process is essential to successful marketing management. To address this, we first review past research in this broad domain to answer the “Where have we been?” question that identifies theneed for a new conceptual model. Second, drawing on research findings both within the broad MPA domain and allied areas within and outside of marketing, we develop and detail a new conceptual model of the MPA process and use it to identify what really needs to be known but is currently unclear in this domain (i.e., “Where do we need to go?”). Third, we suggest how these areas of needed inquiry may best be investigated (i.e., “How do we get there?”) by identifying new perspectives, theories, data sources, and analysis approaches that may be productively employed in future research.     

Social media influencers and consumer engagement: A review and future research agenda

The rise of social media influencers (SMIs) in the recent decade garnered wide interest from academicians and marketers. Academicians try to understand the effect of influencers on consumer behaviour, while marketers use influencers as part of their strategy to achieve marketing objectives. Although, plenty of practical and conceptual research is available in this area, literature reviews in the domain of SMIs and consumer engagement are scarce as it is still developing, and most of the studies have focused on these two concepts separately. In this study, the authors attempted to combine and understand how social media influencers affect consumers engagement. This systematic review of the literature offers a comprehensive view of previous research on social media influencers and consumer engagement. The study reviewed articles published in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC), Scopus, and Web of Science indexed journals till 5 June 2021. To understand consumers' engagement with SMIs, authors identified and theorized the antecedents, decision and outcome of such engagement. It also discusses the influencer-follower parasocial relationship on different social media platforms. The study proposes an integrated conceptual framework that can be further used to test and validate the impact of social media influencer's marketing efforts on consumer engagement. This framework also may serve as a foundation for marketers to develop effective influencer strategies for brand promotions. The review concludes the discussion by highlighting theories, methodology, and context of studies conducted by past researchers.     

The indirect effect of online marketing capabilities on the international performance of e-commerce SMEs

International e-commerce is a strong global trend pushed by a tail wind of bolstering economic policies, changing customer behaviors, and improved logistics and technologies. This study investigates the reasons for performance variations among international e-commerce SMEs. Building on the capabilities perspective and market orientation literature, a research model is developed and tested with linear regression and mediation analysis on an effective sample of 99 Swedish SMEs which use e-commerce as an international sales channel. Our study shows that online marketing capabilities are necessary but not sufficient to increase performance among these companies. Our results show that marketing ambidexterity, reflected by both market-driven and market-driving approaches, is instrumental to leverage the effect of online marketing capabilities.     

A non-linear causal network of marketing channel system structure

This article takes a systems perspective to study marketing channel system structure dynamics and their interactions with economic system dynamics. A novel, non-linear method from ecology is used to establish a causal network of mostly bi-directional causal forcing between economic variables and marketing channel system structure. This resulting causal network facilitates a comprehensive understanding of a marketing channel system. The study finds a highly endogenous and non-linearly interrelated subsystem encompassing online/offline retail channel structure, retail/wholesale channel structure, the ratio of import to consumption and the competitive dynamics of the economic system. Surprisingly, marketing channel system structure is rather resilient to changes in economic growth. In contrast, changes in retail/wholesale channel structure affect economic growth. The results may help to caution marketing managers changing their marketing channel structures too routinely. Moreover, the identified causal network presents a starting point for further empirical marketing channel system analyses. Implications particularly affect future empirical marketing channel system studies based on linear structural models.