Wal-Mart’s Impact on Local Revenue and Expenditure Instruments in Ohio, 1988–2003

This research estimates fiscal impacts of Wal-Mart in Ohio from 1985 through 2003. Using a panel of counties, and accounting for spatial autocorrelation in an instrumental variable model I estimate impact of Wal-Mart and Super-Centers on selected revenues and transfer payments. Among the findings is that the presence of a Wal-Mart increases local commercial property tax assessments resulting in collection increases of between $350,000 and $1.3 million. There is also an 18–43% reduction in per capita EITC claims in a county. However, Medicaid expenditures experience growth which amount to roughly 16 additional cases attributable to a single Wal-Mart. The magnitude and statistical certainty of these findings, suggests that local fiscal intervention, either through incentives or a “Wal-Mart Tax” is unwarranted.

Key problems facing industrial distributors

This article reports on a survey of the problems faced by industrial distributors. Five major problem categories are identified and managerial implications are derived from the findings.     

Industrial buying behavior: A need for an integrative approach

In recent years many conceptual and methodological developments have contributed to our understanding of industrial organizations as consumers. Yet there is still a lack of purpose and no sense of direction to much of the research in the area of industrial marketing/organizational buying. This paper develops a framework for approaching organizational buying research in a more conceptually rigorous and methodologically sound fashion. Within the proposed framework current problems in the area are discussed and needed research is highlighted.     

Reaffirming the management ethic in industrial firms

These then are the ground rules underlying what I call “the manegement ethic.”They are based on common sense, logic, and a sense of fair play—but then, that is quite simply what good management is all about. There is nothing original about these ideas; nor, as can be seen from the following quotation, is there anything new about them.We trained hard—but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing. And what a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization.     

The use and value of qualitative research studies

Qualitative research provides rich insights into many marketing problems and, with appropriate interpretation, will provide detailed solutions. This article describes the benefits of conducting qualitative research and cites its appropriateness to specific marketing questions. Examples of qualitative research and its application to marketing and business decisions are provided.     

Municipal aggregation and retail competition in the Ohio energy sector

Ohio allows communities to vote to aggregate the loads of individual consumers (unless they opt out) in order to seek a competitive energy supplier. Over 200 communities have voted to do this for electricity. By 2004 residential switching reached 69% in Cleveland territory (95% from municipal aggregation) but by 2006 had fallen to 8%. Savings are now small, but customer acquisition costs are low and the cost to consumers is negligible. Aggregation and retail competition have been thwarted by Rate Stabilization Plans holding incumbent utility prices below cost since 2006. In the Ohio gas sector, rate regulation has not discouraged aggregation and competition, but market prices falling below municipally negotiated rates can be politically embarrassing. Municipal aggregation thus works when conditions allow it, and enhances competition. How it would fare against individual choice in a market conducive to retail competition remains an open question.      

Evaluating the newer salesperson

This article reports the results of an experiment examining the effect pattern of performance and information format have on sales managers performance appraisal.     

The R&D-Marketing Interface in High-Technology Firms

It has become part of the traditional wisdom that good relationships between the R&D and marketing departments are essential for effective new product development. But in so many firms it still just doesn't happen. How come? In this article, three pragmatic researchers, Professors Gupta, Raj, and Wilemon, take another look at what causes the significant barriers that exist at the interface of two of the key product innovation functions. What they discover is disagreement between marketing and R&D people about what they should do together. They also find that R&D people are the more reluctant cooperators. They draw some interesting opinions from the parties as to why the barriers exist.     

Export attitudes of industrial manufacturers

Small and medium-sized firms in three “high-tech” manufacturing industries were analyzed, in terms of their export attitudes and behavior, in order to provide beginning exporters and export promotion agencies with guidance to avenues of export success. Based on industry differences investigated, the study finds that managers in firms involved in exporting in each industry have similar attitudes toward international marketing opportunities, but that each industry exhibits different characteristics and strategies for exporting. Help is mainly needed in the areas of international communications and service delivery. The authors propose fewer government subsidies for export financing and more emphasis on encouraging joint ventures for service delivery purposes.     

Analysis of brand preference segments

Market segments are defined in this article on the basis of a vector of preference levels for alternative brands. The proposed analytical procedure does not require the usual assumption of homogenous perceptions. The resulting segments are shown to differ in perceptions of the brands, correlations of attribute-specific perceptions with preference, and product-oriented AIO measures. A common joint space developed from a common discriminanr configuration of brand perceptions is compared with separate joint spaces for two of the segments. The results reveal unique brand configurations and attribute orientations for these segments, and the fit of preference vectors in these unique spaces is superior to that in the common joint space. These findings lead to the conclusion that the commonly made assumption of homogenous preceptions is unwarranted and can lead to erroneous managerial implications.