Directions for marketing knowledge development: Opinions of marketing research managers

If future academic research is to make a meaningful contribution to marketing practice, we must know more about the strengths and gaps in our existing marketing knowledge base. This article reports the findings of a survey of marketing research managers employed by firms serving both consumer and industrial markets. Data were collected on researchers' perceptions of (1) importance of decision making areas, (2) need for additional knowledge accumulation, and (3) type of additional knowledge development. Survey results suggest that some decision areas are perceived to be in far greater need of further study than others, and that academic research output does not always correspond to the information requirements of marketing practitioners. General Electric Company     

Contractually integrated systems for the marketing of industrial supplies

Increasingly competitive pressures during the past decade have caused both industrial buyers and suppliers to search for new economies and means for achieving greater profitability. Industrial wholesaler-distributors have responded with a variety of contractually based “systems” that are designed to simplify customers' purchase of supplies while ensuring distributor profits. The two main varieties of such Systems are popularly called “Blanket Orders” and ”Systems Contracts,” but the latter are more comprehensive extensions of the former. Specifically, Systems Contracts imply a total commitment by a distributor toward solving his customers' supplies problems. Such agreements typically involve a shifting of the supplies warehousing function back to the vendor, where items are then automatically reordered by plant-level users as opposed to purchasing agents. Rounding out the System is an extensive array of vendor-supplied services: 24-hour item delivery, computer-processed item usage reports, a control feature, and vendor consultation and problem solving. The Contract effectively links buyer and supplier together in a harmonious, profitable relationship.     

The comparative test in marketing research and theory development

The comparative test has traditionally been viewed as a theoretical and methodological technique that was useful for making rapid advances in the development of marketing as a science. Enthusiasm for the comparative test is rooted in logical empiricism. Unexplored implications for the use of the comparative test in marketing are offered from the sophisticated methodological falsificationist and the social constructionist perspectives. A proposed solution to the problems that are created from using the comparative test in the traditional manner is presented. The solution proposed is relevant to methodology in science in general and should aid research and the development of theory in marketing.     

The customer value proposition: evolution,development, and application in marketing

The customer value proposition (CVP) has a critical role in communicating how a company aims to provide value to customers. Managers and scholars increasingly use CVP terminology, yet the concept remains poorly understood and implemented; relatively little research on this topic has been published, considering the vast breadth of investigations of the value concept. In response, this article offers a comprehensive review of fragmented CVP literature, highlighting the lack of a strong theoretical foundation; distinguishes CVPs from related concepts; proposes a conceptual model of the CVP that includes antecedents, consequences, and moderators, together with several research propositions; illustrates the application of the CVP concept to four contrasting companies; and advances a compelling agenda for research.     

Methodological problems in the comparative analysis of international marketing systems

This article investigates the methodological problems relevant to comparative studies in the field of international marketing. The comparative method is defined as a search for similarities and differences which can be found in various foreign marketing systems. In this paper, we survey much of the recent literature of the social sciences in an examination of current methodological problems and issues, as well as some of the proposed solutions. Throughout the literature we found major recurring themes in the discussions of comparative studies in nearly all disciplines of the social sciences, although there seem to be a lack of an integrative theory or framework which can be used as a basis of cooperative and mutual support by researchers. Furthermore, we found that major issues may have been over-emphasized. Our findings indicate that the major categories of the comparative approach in marketing consist of documentary studies, the case method, cross-cultural surveys and the use of aggregate statistical information.     

Elevating marketing: marketing is dead! Long live marketing!

Marketing must be elevated to a higher level of consciousness. A consciousness that grows beyond solving small, immediate problems to addressing long-term, large problems that goes beyond individual customer satisfaction and short-term financial performance to encompass the total value creation system. The discipline, in theory and practice, must move beyond a narrow focus on customers to a broader concern for them as citizen-consumers. This necessitates a recommitment of marketing to its fundamental purpose in society, which is improving the standard of living for all citizens by co-creating value at all levels within a socio-economic system. An elevated (systems) concept of marketing must focus on micro, meso and macro systems with an understanding of the purpose and shared vision for each system, a clear identification of responsibilities, and a focus on resource effectiveness and efficiency.     

我国寿险营销体制发展的探讨

近几年,随着我国经济的快速发展,寿险业也得到了长足的发展,而良好的营销体制是保证其发展的前提条件.目前,国内寿险还是以个人营销制度为主的营销体制,对于国外寿险业新兴四种销售方式即个人理财顾问、银行保险、分销伙伴、直效营销方式,我国可以借鉴并灵活运用,扬长避短.今后,我国寿险营销体制发展总体趋势仍将以代理制为主,其中个人营销仍将是我国寿险业销售的主要方式,专业代理公司将有所发展,银行保险、网络保险等也将迅速地发展起来.     

Twenty-first-century organizations: Implications for a new marketing paradigm

Conclusion To conclude this commentary, it may be worthwhile to clearly state the research direction that the Achrol article has launched. First, the article begins by identifying the forces that are causing network forms of organizing to spread. If network organizations continue to proliferate, as they are likely to do, then marketing as both a function and discipline must change, too. Second, Achrol helps us to understand network organizations by providing a comprehensive typology that describes the commonly found network forms. Third, the article specifies some of the key variables that need to be examined to build an integrated theory of network management. It is hoped that at some point in the not too distant future, managers can be shown how to design and operate each of the major types of network organizations. Finally, Achrol urges marketing to adopt a paradigm more consistent with the reality of today’s and tomorrow’s organizations. His article is certainly a step in the right direction. His research interests are in new organizational forms, strategic human resource management, and transnational teams. He has written many articles and chapters on strategic management and has coauthored five books, the most recent of which isFit, Failure, and the Hall of Fame: How Companies Succeed or Fail (1994). He has been a visiting scholar at The Amos Tuck School (Dartmouth College) and the Norwegian School of Management. He is currently conducting a study of human resource management practices of 21st-century organizations, which is funded by the Carnegie Bosch Institute for Applied Studies in International Management.     

Societal marketing: A strategic view of the marketing mix in the 1970's

The marketing environment has experienced dramatic changes in the late 1960's and the 1970's. This article deals with the design of the marketing mix in the 1970's to meet the demand of its changing environment. It encompasses a conprehensive review of the marketing literature pertinent to the subject.     

How intrafirm intermediary salespeople connect sales to marketing and product development

This research reveals the ways that salespeople manage intrafirm relationships by acting as intermediaries, connecting intrafirm members that would otherwise be unconnected. Using a two-study, multimethod design, the authors establish that (1) salespeople act as representative intermediaries positioned between peers in sales and those in marketing and product development; (2) the effects of representative positions with marketing and product development on performance are non-linear; and (3) selling-related knowledge moderates representative effects on performance. Representative salespeople act as the exclusive connection between a peer salesperson and a non-sales contact (marketing or product development), controlling non-redundant knowledge to gain influence over their peers. This research contributes to marketing by identifying non-linear effects for how salespeople mediate relationships between their peers and others in key intrafirm functions, and showing that salespeople with high selling-related knowledge realize enhanced effects of the representative position on sales performance.

     

Historical research in marketing: Retrospect and prospect

The history of historical research in marketing is reviewed as background to an examination of the state of the art. We focus on the major current contributors to historical research in marketing, their recent works, and opinions about future prospects for this field.     

Development of models for marketing decisions

Practical, useful marketing models are a function of the skill and ingenuity applied during their development. A good deal of creative art, within a framework of systematic, scientific procedure, goes into the building of new marketing models. In practice a marketing organization may do well to gain experience with off-the-shelf models and to proceed to specific, tailor-made projects gradually as experience and skills grow. guidelines for over-all programs and specific procedures in model building are provided and illustrated with examples.     

Revealed reader preference for marketing journals

In this paper we assess the reading preference for marketing journals by deriving a journal utility scale based on click responses to table of contents postings to the ELMAR virtual community. Use of ELMAR data provides a unique window into journal importance, allowing us to look at table of contents reading behavior rather than citing behavior or attitudinal constructs as has been the case in previous studies. At the time of the study, there were more than 5,100 ELMAR subscribers, easily making this the largest journal ranking study ever undertaken. The external validity of our sample is high since ELMAR subscribers include a high percentage of the population of those interested in scholarly research in marketing. Our results are based on actual choice behavior of subscribers as they simply decide what tables of contents to read. The list of journals included in the study contains 165 different titles posted during the study period, which spanned a year. During that period there were multiple issues posted of these 165 journals, resulting in a replicated field study with high reliability. In fact, our journal reading utility measurement yielded a model with an R² value of .95. We use this model to suggest ways that researchers might come to a richer understanding of the journal consumption process.     

A communications model for marketing decisions

The purpose of this paper is to report the development of a communications model which could be helpful in making marketing decisions. The proposed model shows relationships between persuasibility, self-esteem, source credibility, and communication discrepancy. The importance of these variables is explained in the context of a general marketing situation. Because a major goal of marketing activities is to influence buyer attitudes, it is important to know how the buyer's self-esteem, the seller's credibility, and attitude discrepant communications may influence the effectiveness of persuasive efforts. Knowledge of these relationships can aid decision making on the part of manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and other channel members. The proposed model can be used to optimize efforts in choosing target markets, selecting advertising media, selecting price levels, developing advertising formats, and in making a multitude of additional marketing decisions.     

Marketing with integrity: ethics and the service-dominant logic for marketing

This paper examines a tendency within existing marketing scholarship to compartmentalize ethical issues. It also shows how this tendency can cause ethical tensions and conflicts in marketing practice. The emerging service-dominant (S-D) logic for marketing, as proposed by Vargo and Lusch, is explored as an example of an approach to marketing that overcomes this tendency. The S-D logic is found to be a positive development for marketing ethics because it facilitates the seamless integration of ethical accountability into marketing decision-making. Specific recommendations are made for improving the ethical climate in marketing using marketing performance measurement theory and practice.

Resource-based theory in marketing

The use of resource-based theory (RBT) in marketing research has increased by more than 500% in the past decade, which suggests its importance as a framework for explaining and predicting competitive advantages and performance outcomes. This article provides a comprehensive review of RBT, including a contemporary definitional foundation for relevant terms and assumptions and a synthesis of empirical findings from marketing literature. This multidimensional analysis of RBT also evaluates extant marketing research according to four perspectives: the marketing domains that use RBT, the characteristics and uses of market-based resources that differentiate it from other research contexts, the extension of RBT to the “marketing exchange” as a unit of analysis, and the connection of RBT to related theories. This analysis also reveals some common pitfalls associated with prior research, offers tentative guidelines on how to improve the use of RBT in marketing, and suggests research directions to advance the theorization and empirical testing of RBT in the future.     

Unstructured data in marketing

The rise of unstructured data (UD), propelled by novel technologies, is reshaping markets and the management of marketing activities. Yet these increased data remain mostly untapped by many firms, suggesting the potential for further research developments. The integrative framework proposed in this study addresses the nature of UD and pursues theoretical richness and computational advancements by integrating insights from other disciplines. This article makes three main contributions to the literature by (1) offering a unifying definition and conceptualization of UD in marketing; (2) bridging disjoint literature with an organizing framework that synthesizes various subsets of UD relevant for marketing management through an integrative review; and (3) identifying substantive, computational, and theoretical gaps in extant literature and ways to leverage interdisciplinary knowledge to advance marketing research by applying UD analyses to underdeveloped areas.     

Social exchange in marketing

Exchange is a fundamental and universal aspect of human behavior. Economic exchange models have dealt with the buying and selling of material goods and services, while social exchange models have broadened their scope to include social and psychological aspects of interactions. In its present form, however, the social exchange model exhibits serious shortcomings for the marketing scholar and practitioner; it is largely atheoretical, unrealistic, narrow in applicability, and lacking in its depiction of important facets of man's behavior. In light of these criticisms, the notion of an exchange system is proposed and illustrated as an explanatory framework. Finally, it is suggested that marketing can be viewed as a component of the social system functioning as both a cause and consequence of social change.     

广告营销中的博弈

本文主要是将博弈的思想引入企业的广告营销策略中,试图给企业在进行广告竞争时提供一些建议.文章从四个部分展开论述,先概述了博弈和广告营销的含义,然后着重分析博弈理论在广告营销中的运用并辅以现实的案例进行解释,最后给企业提供一些解决广告策略运用中所出现的问题的建议,以期提高企业的广告效益和整体赢利水平.