Product liability in industrial markets

Major changes have been proposed in product liability law at the federal level. These changes are of strategic importance to marketing decision makers. A brief overview of the crisis in product liability is given along with proposed changes in the law. Strategic implications of passage and nonpassage of federal legislation are discussed.     

Account portfolio analysis for strategy development

This article proposes a method of composing and complementing industrial marketing strategy. A new approach to industrial marketing strategy is presented. It has the customer as the core of the analysis and considers some of the most important elements of industrial marketing, such as derived demand and buyer/seller relationships. This new approach, called account portfolio analysis, offers some indications to industrial managers and scholars for the analysis of marketing strategies tailored expressly for industrial companies.     

Co-branding on industrial markets

During the last decade branding has developed to be one of the main focus areas in consumer marketing. In the industrial marketing area there has only been limited attention to this phenomenon. In this paper we focus on how co-branding can be used on industrial markets to increase value. Through an empirical study of professional purchasers' attitudes towards co-branding activities between two companies, we explore the potential of this strategy.     

Demand supply network opportunity development processes in emerging markets: Positioning for strategy realization in Russia

This paper aims to shed light on the management of supply chains, or rather, demand supply networks (DSN) in emerging markets by foreign companies. According to our definition, specific DSN opportunity development processes are directed towards better functionality and coordination of product, finance and information flows across the DSN. As a consequence, improved performance of the DSN may be achieved, in order to support and realize competitive business strategy and facilitate value creation for customers. To illustrate the concepts and the model, empirical evidence is presented that establishes the role of changing network structures and incumbent capabilities as constraints for DSN opportunity capture, especially in emerging markets. Our results show that DSN positioning strategies designed to overcome these constraints and facilitate opportunity capture, must be proactive, well-timed and innovative.     

Buyer/seller relationships in international industrial markets

This article examines the hypothesis that industrial purchasers' assessments of their suppliers are not based on views of suppliers' technical and commercial skills in isolation. Instead they are closely associated with their assessment of suppliers' skills in developing a relationship with them.     

Customer service as a marketing strategy

Customer service in distribution is increasingly becoming a requirement for an integral part of marketing strategies for physical distribution. Customer services, many of which herefore were considered ancillary in allowing shippers and other transportation users to differentiate product/service offerings, are now necessary in order to compete successfully in the marketplace. This trend should gain considerable momentum as prices become higher and use of discretionary prices decreases. Therefore, it is imperative for marketing and distribution managers to accurately appraise and reevaluate the role of customer services.     

Effects of collaborative communication on the development of market-relating capabilities and relational performance metrics in industrial markets

Research in marketing suggests that collaborative communication is important for firms to sustain competitive advantage, especially in industrial markets. This study integrates relational and resource-based views to articulate how collaborative communication influences different relational performance metrics. Based on a survey of 167 marketing executives in Taiwan's electronics industry, empirical findings indicate that market-relating capabilities (i.e., market-linking and marketing capabilities) completely mediate the collaborative communication–financial performance relationship, while market-relating capabilities partially mediate the collaborative communication–customer-focused performance relationship. In addition, collaborative communication directly influences customer cooperation performance instead of indirectly affecting it through the development of market-relating capabilities. The results of this study provide new insights into the role of collaborative communication as well as important theoretical and managerial implications.     

Technology transfer from government laboratories to industrial markets

The first purpose of this article is to explore the interface between Marketing and R&D. The intent is to illustrate the nature of the relationship that must be developed and maintained to assure the successful transfer of technology from Federal laboratories to the civilian and commercial sectors of the nation. The second purpose of this article is to explore how government participation affects the R&D—Marketing interface and other dimensions of the innovation process.     

Managing knowledge in industrial markets: New dimensions and challenges

Managing knowledge in industrial markets has become an increasingly important task in the last 10 years. Many industrial firms paid little attention to the topic, since it was felt that knowledge was easily handled internally and was a simple process. The growth of information technology that centered on the collection, analysis and dissemination of information during the 1990's and early 2000's has necessitated that managing knowledge be taken seriously by industrial marketing managers. By doing so industrial firms can make available increased knowledge content in the development and provision of products and services to industrial marketing managers on all levels of the firm, achieve shorter new product development cycles, and facilitate and manage organizational innovation and learning. This article outlines the new dimensions in knowledge management in industrial marketing that are important for industrial managers, academic researchers, and business firms to understand for the future.     

Multi-channel strategy in business-to-business markets: Prospects and problems

Multi-channel marketing strategy has become a major force in business-to-business distribution channels, especially since the option of Internet-based online channels emerged less than a decade ago. Making products and services available to business markets via a wide array of different channels can provide increased levels of customer choice and service. But the task of coordinating and integrating multiple channels that operate at high levels of efficiency has forced managers responsible for channel management to deal with a variety of challenging issues. These include the role of e-commerce in the multi-channel structure, finding an optimal channel mix, creating synergies across channels, building strategic alliances, creating sustainable competitive advantages, managing more complex supply chains, dealing with conflict, and providing the leadership necessary to attain well integrated multiple channels.     

Resources and capabilities driving competitive advantage in export markets: guidelines for industrial exporters

In the context of the quest for the factors that determine competitive advantage, this study adopts a resource-based view and applies it to industrial goods' manufacturers engaged in exporting activities. The notion of organizational process is used as a filtering mechanism for the development of a classificatory scheme for firms' sources of competitive advantage in export markets. Different combinations of export-related resources and capabilities are identified as drivers of cost, service, and product advantage. Nonetheless, the capability to build enduring relationships with customers emerges as essential in achieving all three types of export competitive advantage. The findings of this inquiry have important implications for business practitioners in export manufacturing firms of industrial products. Limitations of the study are considered, and future research directions are identified.     

Matching new manufacturing technologies to industrial markets and strategies

Major developments are occuring in the manufacturing technologies used in many industries—especially the metal manufacturing and fabricating industries and the electronic manufacturing industries. These developments provide a basis for developing a firm's distinctive competence but this can only be exploited to the full if Marketing personnel are aware of and take account of the new capabilities offered by these technological developments.     

Service innovation and adoption in industrial markets: An SME perspective

Service innovation is essential, particularly for companies operating in highly competitive environments, as it can lead to innovation adoption behaviors, which in turn influence overall business performance. Drawing upon the innovation adoption and relationship marketing literature, and grounded within the structure-conduct-performance paradigm and social exchange theory, this study examines the reputational and relational mechanisms through which service innovation influences the innovation adoption decisions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A survey of 336 Australian SME representatives reveals the critical role of suppliers’ sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and affective commitment in mediating the relationship between service innovation and innovation adoption behavior. However, industry-relevant moderators in the form of technological turbulence and long-term orientation constrain the mediating effects. Specifically, perceived SCA has stronger mediating effects among short-term-oriented customers, whereas affective commitment has stronger mediating effects when technological turbulence is low. The findings provide useful insights for organizations in terms of capitalizing on their reputation and relationship with customers to encourage the adoption of innovation by SMEs.     

Supply-chain pricing—A new perspective on pricing in industrial markets

There is growing recognition that collaborative business relationships within the supply chain provide interesting opportunities for mutually increased benefit. However, while efforts on improving collaboration within the supply chain are indeed already widespread in some aspects of goods and services—for example, many manufacturers integrate their logistics function with those of their suppliers—such efforts are lacking when it comes to pricing. In contrast to the predominant position of pricing in most industries, the following article will investigate the opportunities for suppliers and customers to collaborate on pricing in order to establish mutually beneficial relationships. The article will demonstrate that this goal can only be attained when price is no longer regarded as an ex ante distributive parameter between market partners, but as a joint tool for outcome optimization within the overall supply chain process. We will clarify this new perspective with a calculation example and point out managerial implications for practical implementation.     

The current situation and future conceptualization of power in industrial markets

This article offers overview of research on power in industrial and business markets, conducted through the 10 articles in the special issue. These contributions are catalysts for defining the history, context, current situations, and future developments and prospects for power in the business world. Therefore, this article presents a conceptualization and understanding of power, using the special issue as a lens through which to view past antecedents, present understanding, and future directions. In addition to studies that mine past and present academic and practical rationales for power, the empirically based contributions test and explore power. This article identifies and thematically draws out and labels the principal manifestations across these contributions, to link origins with current principal foci and identify the most likely emphases of theory and practice for the future business-to-business arena.