Choosing and upgrading financial services dealers in the US and UK

This paper addresses a gap in the international literature aimed at understanding the impact of the marketing mix on choosing and upgrading business-to-business financial services dealers. This study involves two important financial services markets (foreign exchange and bonds) in two leading countries in financial services (the United States and the United Kingdom). It provides a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of marketing mix variables (“price”, “product”, and “promotion” in this case) in determining (a) choice of dealers and (b) how a utilized dealer may achieve the sought-after status of being among the top three dealers of a customer. The impact of the marketing mix variables on the choice of dealer is significantly greater in the US relative to the UK. However, a two-stage analysis shows no significant country differences in the impact of the marketing mix on how a dealer is upgraded to a top three status with a customer. Further, the effects of the individual marketing mix variables are more nearly equal in the determination of whether a utilized dealer is among the top three dealers relative to the choice stage. Finally, consistent with our hypothesis, the bond market is more price sensitive relative to foreign exchange and the foreign exchange market is more product sensitive than the bond market.     

Marketing Innovativeness on Marketing Performance: Role of Religio-Centric Relational Marketing Strategy

Abstract

This paper is an empirical study aimed at investigating the effect of marketing innovativeness, market sensing capabilities and customer relationship management on marketing performance. The researchers tried to develop and solve the problem of the gap between marketing innovativeness and marketing performance. The respondents of this study were 318. Some of them are leaders or owners of SMEs Muslim fashion in Central Java, Indonesia. Data was analyzed by using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the study show that marketing innovativeness (MI) has no significant effect on marketing performance (MP), while market sensing capabilities (MSC) and Customer Relationship Management Capabilities (CRMC) have a significant effect on marketing performance. Likewise, marketing innovativeness, market sensing capabilities, and CRM capabilities have a significant effect on the religio-centric relational marketing strategy. Furthermore, religio-centric relational marketing strategy (RRMS) is able to mediate the relationship between marketing innovativeness and marketing performance.     

营销渠道中的渠道关系、权力使用与投机行为

文章基于营销渠道行为及关系营销理论,以制造商与其经销商之间的关系为研究平台,检验了制造商的关系营销导向以及跨组织私人关系对其使用权威机制以及经销商投机行为的影响。研究结果表明:制造商的关系营销导向对于其使用非强制性权力有显著的正向影响,对其使用强制性权力虽然没有直接影响,但会通过跨组织私人关系(情感性与工具性)产生负向影响;制造商与其经销商之间的跨组织私人关系(情感性与工具性)会抑制制造商使用强制性权力,工具性私人关系会促进其使用非强制性权力;制造商使用强制性权力会加重经销商的投机行为。最后,讨论了研究结果与应用及未来的研究方向。     

广州化肥市场供求状况研究

通过对广州化肥市场的供求信息、经销商与农户对化肥营销策略的偏好进行调查,研究广州市场的行为特征,针对性地提出经销商管理农户需求信息、建立经销商品牌形象、提供满足农户意愿的营销策略等建议。     

Close to the customer: But is it really a relationship?

Everyone is developing relationships. Customers are being invited to have relationships with telephone companies, banks, auto dealers, airlines, and other suppliers of products and services. Relationship marketing is being touted as an effective strategy to guide companies into the next millennium. Recently there has been widespread reference to relationship marketing in the popular literature, and the concept has been embraced by many companies and organizations. There is little consensus, however, on what the concept means and even less consistency in how it is practised. What is relationship marketing? Practising marketers and articles in the trade press use the term in one way, while authors in academic journals seem often to be referring to something quite different. This paper reviews how the concept has been viewed by marketing authors and draws from social psychology to shed light on the characteristics of relationships. Some insights are drawn from a preliminary analysis of the results of focus group interviews that suggest how consumers describe their relationships with businesses.     

Virtual Community

Abstract

While previous marketing activities were primarily focused on increasing market shares in terms of a mass marketing based on single transactions, the past few years saw a paradigmatic shift towards relationship management. In this respect, virtual communities are becoming increasingly significant for online customer relationship management. A major aspect of virtual communities is the concept of social capital. It will be shown that virtual communities that provide social capital are a key instrument to establish satisfaction, trust, and commitment within a business relationship.     

Customer Satisfaction in the Property and Casualty Automotive Insurance Industry

Abstract

This study addresses the important issue of service quality and customer satisfaction in the highly competitive property and casualty (P & C) insurance industry. Automotive dealers and related customer groups were surveyed about their perceptions of the service quality they received from their P & C insurance companies, and about their intentions to change carriers.

Strong relationships were found between intention to change the carriers and all dimensions of service quality. No statistically significant relationships were found between the length of coverage and service quality dimensions. The findings suggest that consistent delivery of high quality service is imperative to retain customers and that the customers' loyalty toward the company is short lived at best.     

The Internet,Strategy and Performance: A Study of Australian Export Market Ventures

ABSTRACT

This study examines the impact of the Internet, firm-specific characteristics, market characteristics, and export marketing strategy on export marketing performance. The unit of analysis was an individual product/market export venture. Data were gathered via a self-administered mail survey of 315 Australian firms involved in exporting. The findings indicate that, when the Internet was used for communication purposes and to provide the firm with a competitive advantage, it had a significant impact on export marketing performance. Firm-specific characteristics and export marketing strategy also had a significant impact on export marketing performance.     

Customer Orientation in Chinese Industrial Firms and Global Marketing Implications

Abstract

The study focuses on the moderating role of environmental context (demand unpredictability and technological turbulence) and technological context (production technology routineness and product complexity) on the relationship of customer orientation with market performance relative to the industry in Chinese state-owned industrial firms. The results show significant moderating effects of technological turbulence and production technology routineness: the greater the technological turbulence and the more routine the production technology, the stronger the customer orientation-market performance relative to the industry relationship. The results also show that market performance relative to the industry is positively affected by customer orientation, but inversely affected by demand unpredictability. The findings have implications for global marketing as well as for theory development.     

The moderating effect of brand orientation on inter-firm market orientation and performance

Abstract

While prior research has shown that market and brand orientation are key contributors to successful business performance, research to date has not fully explored how inter firm collaboration for these two key orientations can enhance business performance. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the relationship between inter-firm market and performance; to test for the moderating role of brand orientation in that relationship. A total of 169 completed pairs of surveys were collected of small and medium enterprises operating internationally in a variety of industries in Switzerland. The results show that inter-firm market and brand orientation are two antecedents of marketing and financial performance. The impact of inter-firm market on marketing and financial performance is significant when the brand orientation is favorable. This study extends previous research by examining the moderating role of brand orientation on inter firm market orientation, which is important, especially for firms wanting to increase their brand reputation by entering into partnerships with other firms. Further research is indicated, to identify the key moderators of the driving force of inter-firm market in relation to business performance and the reason why maintaining a strong brand presence is important in the international marketplace.     

“Relationship marketing” and the “markets‐as‐networks approach”—a comparative analysis of two evolving streams of research

Predating the increased attention by marketing academics on relationship marketing, European marketing scholars developed a network approach to the study of industrial markets that is also based on relationships between seller and buyer as a fundamental concept. This article aims to analyse the similarities and the differences between relationship marketing studies and network studies. After comparative analyses of definitions, empirical and research foundations, attributes related to governance structures and to the marketing mix approach and of major issues addressed in the research agendas, the conclusion is: relationship marketing in its limited interpretation is just a development within the marketing mix approach. Relationship marketing in its extended interpretation is, or rather could become, close to the markets‐as‐networks approach. However the basic attribute in network studies of “embeddedness” is largely missing in relationship marketing. To develop relationship marketing as a generic concept, researchers need to address also the issue of the generic nature of the market. Because when relationships are regarded as the generic governance form for transactions, then the market itself becomes network‐like!     

Marketing planning: Operationalising the market orientation strategy

Abstract

Despite strong empirical validation of the relationship between market orientation and business performance, the literature is inconclusive on the implementation of the strategy. This paper reviews the implementation of market orientation, and investigates the associations between market orientation and marketing planning and their associations with business performance. A survey of 216 Australian larger business organisations was conducted to find evidence of these relationships. The results highlight a close association between market orientation and marketing planning, with virtually the same level of association between them, and the business performance measures used. This evidence suggests that they arguably represent the same domain. The results suggest that marketing practitioners may use the marketing planning technique as an intangible productive resource to operationalise the market orientation strategy, and use it to design a specific style and magnitude of market orientation suitable for an organisation.     

A Comparison of Buyers and Nonbuyers of Extended Service Contracts

ABSTRACT

Only a few empirical research studies about extended service contracts have appeared in the services marketing literature. This study used Chi Square analysis as a methodology to distinguish between buyers and non-buyers of extended service contracts. The findings suggest that while buyers and non-buyers were very similar demographically and psychographically, there were considerable differences in motivation for purchasing or not buying. Of the ten motivation variables, eight were significant at or beyond p < 0.05. Moreover, some ethical implications for professional salespeople marketing these service contracts were discussed.     

Competitive advantage: A longitudinal analysis of the roles of data-driven innovation capabilities,marketing agility,and market turbulence

While data-driven innovation capabilities have received considerable attention from academics and practitioners, there is insufficient longitudinal evidence on how they might contribute to improved marketing agility and competitive advantage. In this study, we make a preliminary effort to address this gap by developing a model based on the dynamic capabilities view. We also explore the moderating effects of market turbulence on the link among marketing agility and competitive advantage. We used two-waves data (T = 677 and T+1 = 569) and the cross-lagged panel approach was utilised to analyse the longitudinal data. Our findings provide robust empirical evidence on the causal and predictive temporal impact of data driven innovation capabilities on marketing agility and competitive advantage. It also indicated that marketing agility mediates this relationship over time. Moreover, the analysis suggested that market turbulence reinforce the influence of marketing agility on competitive advantage. We provided significant implications for theory and practice.     

Performance implications of market orientation,marketing resources,and marketing capabilities

Abstract

Drawing on the competitive capability theory, this paper examines how market orientation, marketing resources, and marketing capabilities contribute to firm performance. The empirical results show that being market oriented influences the level of marketing resources firms possess and the capability to deploy such resources. The findings show marketing resources and marketing capabilities are significant drivers of firm performance, and their impact is greater when they are complementary to each other.     

Coupon Usage and Frequent Buyer Club Participation by Lower,Middle, and Upper Social Classes

Abstract

More than 75% of households belong to at least one frequent-buyer club program and over 90% of these households use their cards almost every time they shop. Presently, customer-loyalty efforts are a major promotional priority for 56% of marketers. However, marketing scientists have not compared the social class participation levels of frequent-buyer club members to those of coupon-users and “ordinary” customers. By performing this comparison, it was found that the coupon-user (p < 0.01) and frequent-buyer (p < 0.01) groups had lower social class standings than did the “ordinary” households. Moreover, because there were no significant (p < 0.20) differences between the upper, middle, and lower social class standings of coupon-users and frequent-buyers, managerial substitutions of frequent-buyer promotions for coupon efforts seem rational.     

The quality of British marketing: A comparison with US and Japanese multinationals in the UK market

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study comparing the marketing strategies and organisations of a matched sample of British companies and their US and Japanese competitors in the UK. Hypotheses about Japanese marketing are tested and provide a framework for the comparative analysis of the marketing effectiveness of the three sets of competitors. The findings highlight significant weaknesses in the marketing effort of British companies, these being exacerbated by excessive focus on short‐run financial gains. The US competitors, equally concerned with short‐term profits, were less committed to the UK market than their Japanese rivals, their market position being in danger of deteriorating further as the Japanese close the technological gap between them. The Japanese were unmistakably aggressive, single‐minded in their pursuit of market share and undeniably more market‐oriented than their US and British counterparts. This research was funded by the ESRC.     

Pre-Production Relationship Marketing

Abstract

The benefits of relationship marketing and customer relationship management have been well documented in the marketing literature and in business practice. Relationship marketing instruments (RMIs) are specific methods that can help bring about those benefits. The authors describe a unique type of RMI, one that can be used prior to product or service production. Designed to market season tickets for new or remodeled professional football stadiums before the stadium is built, Permanent Seat Licensing has been used effectively over the past decade for nine National Football League teams. The authors propose that this type of pre-production RMI has possible application for marketers of other products and services .     

Commentary on “Business-to-Business Marketing Textbooks: A Comparative Review”

ABSTRACT

The proposal by Backhaus, Muehlfeld, and Okoye (2002) to design a business marketing text around a framework of customer-relationship types is provocative and spawns a useful debate on the issue of what should actually be taught in the business marketing course, particularly at the undergraduate level. We believe that the approach may increase the attention given to relationship marketing but do so by sacrificing coverage of core content that students and informed business marketing managers need to know. In the end, we opt for a more comprehensive approach in exploring strategy making for the business market while they chart a narrower and more specialized path.     

Re-examining the deployment of market orientation in the public leisure sector

Abstract

This paper examines the moderating effects of market orientation's intelligence generation and dissemination components on the response–performance relationship. We offer valuable insight into the application of, and subsequent returns to, market orientation in the public leisure sector, thereby helping to broaden the appeal, relevance, and usefulness of this important marketing theory to other contexts. The research involved a national survey questionnaire to 1060 public leisure managers of local government leisure facilities in England. Empirical testing through structural equation modelling revealed two important findings. First, intelligence generation efforts of the organisation can in part affect the performance returns to an organisation from its responsiveness to market intelligence. Second, intelligence generation coupled with organisation-wide dissemination of intelligence can have a destructive impact on the response–performance relationship, demonstrated by a negative significant moderating impact on this relationship. This paper provides an alternative explanation to the deployment of market orientation as a means to create value and an explanation that transcends its current linear portrayal in public-service delivery.