Staying in business

The paper analyses factors which help a small, entrepreneurial firm to stay in business. The time-scale for the analysis is three years (1985–1988). The main issue that the paper is concerned with is the role of market and financial variables. Primary source data are used. An estimated probit model indicates that, for this sample, product range and gearing are the key maket and financial variables, respectively. The greater the product range, and the lower the gearing, ceteris paribus, the better the chances of staying in business.     

An interactive perspective on business in practice and business in theory

For nearly a quarter of a century researchers engaged in business exchange have met on the annual IMP Conferences to share their experiences, with the phenomenon of interaction and business relationships; its sources, content and effect for the larger business landscape. This special issue’s selection of papers from the 2008 IMP Conference gives a nice illustration of the width and depth in this research. The issue includes considerations of interdependencies in dyadic business relationships, in connected business relationships and among business and non-business organizations. Finally, it includes a discussion of the emergences of research communities like IMP, and stresses the importance of the organically emerging interaction among researchers representing both similar and dissimilar theoretical and empirical interpretations of the dynamics of the business landscape.     

Management of business information

The increased costs of market penetration dictate the need for better, early warning information about government- produced or demographically induced changes in the marketplace. More and better information is becoming available in increasingly sophisticated forms, but the corporate structure has yet to provide a central point in the organization for its administration and use.     

商机是这样打造的第二届深圳国际时装周暨2004深圳国际面辅料、纺织制衣设备展览会圆满落幕

北京、上海、深圳……中国的几大关于时装的盛会,在2004年的时空里,沿着以上路径划出了一条优美的弧线,在美丽的南国城市深圳,画上了句号.     

Ending-competence in business closure

Business closure and ending-competence are highly relevant concepts in a globalizing world economy where structural change is common. However, ending-competence in business closure situations is a rarely studied phenomenon, and prior theoretical development is modest. In this paper a conceptual model of ending-competence in business closure is developed. A case study examination of a business closure, involving a car manufacturing plant owned by Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd., allows further development of the model. The model consists of four elements: (1) earlier experiences of ending; (2) an understanding of different types of commitment; (3) the interdependence between parties; and (4) coordinating and timing the ending. The model illustrates the different roles played by upper and operational management during a closure process. An understanding of ending-competence is important to managers of large firms and to educators of future managers.     

Making business ethics useful

Strategic management cannot ignore the place of applied business ethics in organizational planning and decision making. This article establishes some of the aspects that make business ethics unique, together with the necessary steps for making them an effective contributor to business performance. The focus is upon applied business ethics—patterns of conduct. The usefulness of business ethics is discussed in terms of its dependence upon the total objectives of the firm, the identification of relationships and interests of affected parties in the relevant environment, and the recognition of the need for consensus and for positive implementation procedures. These structural requirements and constraints constitute a system through which effective action can be attained as management addresses the various moral, social and human elements with which business ethics has to deal. In this paper the author is not presuming to offer substantive answers to all, or even a few, of the ethical dilemmas and conflicts that business firms (or anyone else) cannot escape. Instead, what is proposed is a pragmatic approach outlining a path that can help to determine where we are, who is involved, what are the options, what are the dimensions and parameters of the problems in a businesss context, so that ethical issues (even those where uniquely ‘right’ answers are unattainable) can be treated with intelligence and fairness.     

Competition in business networks

Most of those who write about marketing or strategy appear to view competition as the overarching logic of business. Commentators have usually associated competition with improved economic efficiency and customer well-being: they have regarded it as “a good thing”, at least in the abstract or when it only affects others. In contrast to the widespread interest of other researchers and the preoccupations of managers with competition, researchers within the IMP tradition have devoted hardly any attention to the issue in over thirty years of research and the term occurs only infrequently in the IMP literature.     

A new business venture

This paper describes the action which was taken by the Pharmaceuticals Division of ICI Limited to move into a New Business Venture, the experiences so far and some of the lessons learned which either have confirmed or contradicted the original ideas.
The venture is into the business area of Medical Aids. The first steps were taken by the Division just over three years ago.     

海尔的"人单合一"--来自丰田和戴尔的启发

从战略作用上看，“人单合一”是海尔为了成为真正的国际名牌而提出的一种新的国际化战略．也是其实现持续发展的新模式，从形成机理上看，“人单合一“是海尔市场链思想的深化．是“每一个人都是一个SBU”理念在广度和长度上的延伸。     

A new business venture

The venture is into the business area of Medical Aids. The first steps were taken by the Division just over three years ago. This paper describes the action which was taken by the Pharmaceuticals Division of ICI Limited to move into a New Business Venture, the experiences so far and some of the lessons learned which either have confirmed or contradicted the original ideas.     

Buyer animosity in business to business markets: Evidence from the French nuclear tests

Academic studies of buyer reaction to unpopular political events in the country of origin of products have focused on consumer markets. This paper aims to extend Klein, Ettenson and Morris' [Klein, J., Ettenson, R., & Morris, M. (1998). The animosity model of foreign product purchase: An empirical test in the People's Republic of China. Journal of Marketing, 62(1), 89-101] concept of consumer animosity to industrial markets by comparing industrial and consumer buyer reaction to the nuclear tests conducted by France in the Pacific in the mid-1990s. It investigates whether firms in the B2B sector were affected more than those in B2C markets, whether entry mode was significant, and examines the way in which firms in the two market sectors responded. The results show that buyer animosity was less pronounced in industrial than in consumer markets. They also show that entry mode can influence the experience of animosity.     

The darker side of sustainability: Tensions from sustainable business practices in business networks

While the current literature generally assumes that implementing sustainable business practices (SBPs) will lead to improved wellbeing and positive outcomes, relatively little research has explored the potential tensions and conflicts that SBPs may cause in multi-actor networks. To address this issue, we conduct a qualitative multiple case study in a regional business network, including interviews with 43 managers in 17 firms in different industries. The findings of this study identify four types of tensions (economic, structural, psychological, and behavioral) that tend to emerge when firms implement SBPs in networks, and illustrate how different stakeholders (implementers, suppliers, customers, other network partners) perceive them. Overall, this study contributes to the current literature by highlighting the underexplored “dark side” of sustainability, and illuminating how organizational decisions aiming at improving collective wellbeing can also lead to tensions and conflicts. For managers, this study offers insights into how to anticipate, manage and mitigate potential tensions that might arise in business networks when one stakeholder decides to implement a SBP.