Marketing Science and the Ivory Tower

How much has quantitative "marketing science" contributed to the practice of marketing? In my view, not much. In this article, based on extensive consulting experience, it is argued that well-established quantitative techniques like econometric models and diffusion models have produced little of either practical or scientific value. Other quantitative techniques, such as conjoint analysis, have been more useful for marketing decision-makers. But what is needed is a more pluralistic culture, drawing on a range of complementary disciplines.     

Firm resources,competitive actions and performance: investigating a mediated model with evidence from the in‐vitro diagnostics industry

Building on the resource‐based view (RBV) and competitive dynamics literatures, this paper proposes that considering resources or actions independently offers an incomplete understanding of the drivers of superior performance. Instead, we hypothesize that resources enable competitive actions and that when these actions leverage the firm's resources, superior performance results. We tested these hypotheses with panelized data on the technological resources and competitive actions of firms in the in‐vitro medical diagnostic substance manufacturing industry. The results provide substantial support for our hypotheses, specifically with respect to mediation. Our theory and results underscore how the integration of the competitive dynamics and RBV literatures can significantly improve our understanding of firm performance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Von der Inflationsphobie bis zur „schwarzen Null“

The article examines some of the key statements of the supply-side economic theory that rejects debt-financed government investment programs for stabilizing high employment. It turns out that supply-side objections are not empirically proven. Subsequently, the author attempts to explain why nevertheless the supply-side paradigm stubbornly remains the prevailing theory in economics. It shows that the mechanisms of deliberative democracy in the economic decision-making in Germany do not work.     

Crowding standards at Petra Archaeological Park: a comparative study of McKercher's five types of heritage tourists

To achieve sustainability in heritage tourism, tourists should be placed at the heart of the management and planning processes. Indicators and standards-based frameworks were developed in the field of outdoor recreation management to manage and measure crowding and other problematic issues in parks and related areas. Using normative theory and visual research methods, this article aims to examine crowding standards of tourists at Petra Archaeological Park, and compare these standards between the types of heritage tourists suggested by a model developed by Bob McKercher. Results showed that tourists’ acceptability levels go down with an increasing number of tourists, and tourists who are highly motivated to visit heritage sites (i.e. purposeful and sightseeing heritage tourists) had the most restrictive acceptable number of tourists at the park. The normative standards formulated in this article provided a guidance to manage crowding at Petra.