Barriers to Marketing Development in the Barristers’ Profession

This paper focuses on the marketing of professional services, and on the very specific context of barristers in the British legal professions. We examine the background provided by this sector of professional services, and then present the results of a set of qualitative investigations into the role of marketing as it is perceived by members of this profession, and identify a series of perceived by members of this profession, and identify a series of considering the implications of our findings for how marketing concepts can be productively employed in this area of activity and the needs for conceptual as well as practical extension, but remain largely pessimistic about the current prospects for extending marketing activities into the area of barristers’ marketing.     

Interpreting value in the customer service experience using customer-dominant logic

Abstract

Traditionally, customer value has been examined from the perspective of the firm. New understandings of customer value from the customer-dominant logic perspective of services emphasise the need to move away from the service-dominant perspective and adopt a customer-based approach that considers value within the broader context of a customer’s lifeworld. This article explores how individual customers make sense of their participation in an extraordinary, commercially-driven consumption experience. A phenomenological approach is taken to understand the lived experience of these participants. The findings of this exploratory study reveal the highly complex nature of value in the experience in the chosen context of luxury driving experience days. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

The Effect of ‘State Aid’ on Market Shares: An Empirical Investigation in an EU Member State

This paper empirically investigates the impact of fixed asset subsidies to firms on market shares. By means of a tobit regression on a sample of over 13 000 Belgian firms we find a significant and positive joint influence of all fixed asset subsidies on market shares, acknowledging that this is not the objective of the subsidies. This effect only becomes visible 2 years after the subsidy has been granted. Apparently, even under the current European legislation with regard to State aid, having as one of its aims to prevent distortion of competition, giving subsidies to firms for a variety of reasons still impacts on market shares and hence may not go without consequences for competition.     

DHL Bangladesh: Managing headquarters‐subsidiary relations. Comment on DHL Bangladesh: Managing headquarters‐subsidiary relations

This case revolves around Nurul Rahman, a DHL Bangladesh (DHLB) manager who must recommend which of the two human resource information systems (HRISs) DHLB should adopt to alleviate the escalating workload on its human resources (HR) department. The choice between these systems is difficult: the HRIS favored by regional headquarters is significantly more expensive and likely unsuited to DHLB's unique needs, whereas the HRIS favored by DHLB—although likely effective —seems to be incapable of meeting headquarters' strong preference for streamlining human resource systems across disparate Asian subsidiaries. Rahman must carefully balance conflicting stakeholder interests and do so against the backdrop of a politically powerful headquarters that can “make or break” managerial careers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Exploring the forms of dysfunctional customer behaviour: A study of differences in servicescape and customer disaffection with service

Abstract

Although wide agreement exists between scholars and marketing practitioners concerning the prevalence of dysfunctional customer behaviour, to date empirical research into this phenomenon is lacking. This article aims to identify empirically grounded categories of dysfunctional customer behaviours and examine the extent to which customers' perceptions of physical servicescape environments, social facets of servicescape, and customer disaffection with service differ for each category. Based on a quantitative sample of 380 consumer perpetrators, cluster analysis reveals three clusters of dysfunctional customer behaviour forms labelled ‘petty norm infringements’, ‘felonious norm infringements’, and ‘belligerent norm infringements’. Subsequent variance analysis assesses the perceived differences between perceived physical servicescape, social servicescape, and customer disaffection for each identified form cluster. Specifically, the study findings reveal statistically significant differences between the forms of dysfunctional customer behaviour that are perpetrated across different service environments. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the study for theorists and practitioners.     

Introduction to the Special Thematic Symposium on the Ethics of Controversial Online Advertising

The field of marketing and consumer ethics has evolved considerably over the past 20 years, yet research on specific areas of advertising ethics remains limited. This limitation persists despite developments in digital technologies, and the impact they have had on advertising practice generally and online advertising more specifically. Online media are becoming increasingly populated by advertising content, as consumers continuously navigate ever-evolving mediascapes. Thus, there is a need to examine the ethical issues associated with the use of controversial advertising online, as well as consumers’ responses to such ads. This special thematic symposium addresses this literature gap, which is at the intersection of consumer ethics, e-marketing, and controversial advertising. The two papers in the special thematic symposium present new research in this area, along with some initial ethical implications as well as potential for future research.     

Early Experiences of the Enforcement of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive in Scotland

This exploratory study examines the early impact of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC on enforcers in Scotland within the context of current policy developments regarding the use of civil and criminal enforcement mechanisms within the UK. The Directive has been implemented in the UK by means of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 SI 1277 and the duty to enforce the Regulations falls primarily to local authority trading standards services. Twenty-one in-depth interviews were conducted with a range of officers employed within the trading standards service based in eight local authorities in Scotland on their perceptions of the new Regulations. The main findings were that officers’ views of the new Regulations and the civil and criminal enforcement routes available to them was affected by structural, operational, and cultural issues which varied from one authority to another. A number of officers were finding the Regulations a challenge to old ways and there was evidence that many felt unprepared for the Regulations. A number of positive views were expressed regarding the flexibility of the new Regulations and the advantages of the provisions relating to misleading omissions. Overall officers’ experiences of the Regulations were heavily influenced by the complaints received by their particular local authority service.