bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Science, serendipity and the contemporary marketing condition
Authors: Brown Stephen 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this commentary is to summarise developments in the science of serendipity and urge marketers to pay more attention to the incorrigible incalculability of commercial life.Design/methodology/approachExplains how luck is a crucial component of business success and argues, citing examples of Shelby D. Hunt and Ted Levitt, among others, that it is perhaps time to abandon our fixation with customer focus and start taking serendipity seriouslyFindingsFortune, clearly, favours the brand. Indeed, the history of management in general and marketing in particular reveals that serendipity plays a significant part in the commercial equation.Originality/valueHighlights the latter day advances in the science of serendipity.
CRM: conceptualization and scale development
Authors: Sin Leo Y.M. , Tse Alan C.B. , Yim Frederick H.K. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeTo develop a reliable and valid measuring scale for customer relationship management (CRM).Design/methodology/approachA series of studies were conducted for the development and validation of multiple measures for the dimensions of CRM. Once the dimensions of CRM were identified, data from study 1 (n=150 business executives attending a part‐time MBA program) were used to select items based on factor analysis. Then, confirmatory factor analyses was used on data obtained from a mail survey of Hong Kong financial firms in study 2 (n=215) to examine factor structure, as well as to provide evidence of dimensionality, scale reliability and validity. Finally, in study 3, data from 276 business executives attending a seminar on CRM were used to test the scale generalizability of CRM measures in various industries.FindingsA reliable and valid scale was developed to measure the four dimensions of CRM: key customer focus, CRM organization, knowledge management and technology‐based CRM.Research limitations/implicationsSince this study was conducted in Hong Kong only, the generalizability of the CRM scale has to be tested in other countries. In addition, cross‐sectional data were used in this study. Future studies should collect time‐series data for the testing of the causal relationship between CRM and business performance.Practical implicationsThe findings validate the long‐held belief that CRM is a critical success factor for business performance. Firms wishing to improve their relationships with customers need constantly to monitor their behavioral and internal processes. The proposed scale in this study could be used as a diagnostic tool to identity areas where specific improvements are needed, and to pinpoint aspects of the firm's CRM that require work.Originality/valueThis is the first study to provide a comprehensive, psychometrically sound, and operationally valid measure of a firm's CRM.
The effect of market and learning orientation on strategy dynamics
Authors: McGuinness Tony , Morgan Robert E. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this research paper is to define a new construct, organisational change capability, which determines an organisation's effectiveness in implementing marketing strategy.Design/methodology/approachA framework is constructed based on a dynamic concept of strategy, implying that strategy implementation is a process of effectively leading and managing incessant organisational change. The new construct is defined by analysis and synthesis of key sources in prior literature on leading and managing organisational change.FindingsThe paper identifies organisational change capability as a distinctive new construct that integrates stages in leading and managing organisational change. The framework shows how the new construct relates to market orientation and learning orientation in jointly influencing the success of dynamic strategy outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is conceptual, and requires empirical development.Practical implicationsThe paper helps an organisation to understand the nature of change capability, and its role in effectively implementing marketing strategy.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in defining a new, distinctive construct that can be developed as an operational measure of an organisation's capability of effectively implementing marketing strategy.
Antecedents of conflict in marketing's cross‐functional relationship with sales
Authors: Dawes Philip L. , Massey Graham R. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of the factors that explain the level of interpersonal conflict between marketing managers and sales managers. The paper aims to establish the overall level of interpersonal conflict in the full sample and in the two sampled countries (UK and Australia).Design/methodology/approachThe study draws on two theoretical frameworks to develop the model, namely structural contingency theory and the interaction approach. More specifically, the conceptual framework uses three groups of variables to explain interpersonal conflict: structural, individual, and communication. Importantly, the study developed and tested nine hypotheses. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the validity of the measures while OLS regression was used in testing the hypotheses. The data were collected from 200 sales managers in the UK and Australia.FindingsOverall, the study finds that there was a surprisingly low level of interpersonal conflict between marketing managers and sales managers and that there were no differences across the two countries. Of the three groups of variables, the two communication variables – frequency and bidirectionality – had the strongest effects on interpersonal conflict. The next strongest effects were from the individual‐level variables – psychological distance and the sales manager's formal education. The findings also reveal that the level of the sales manager's marketing training and the marketing manager's sales experience had no influence on interpersonal conflict. Two of the three structural variables – use of lateral linkages and being part of a corporation – had the hypothesized negative impact on interpersonal conflict.Originality/valueThis is the first study to use a large empirical survey to examine the marketing and sales dyad. Also, it is one of the few studies to test the effects of communication behviours on peer manager conflict.
An investigation of crossmarket standardisation strategies
Authors: Chung Henry F.L. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe importance of the European Union (EU) to international business cannot be stressed too greatly. Recently it has expanded to 25 country markets. Its total population has reached 455 million people, which is the world's largest economic organisation. Previous international marketing standardisation (IMS) studies focused on the EU are mainly descriptive in nature and they have not specifically examined issues related to firms’ operations in two or more EU country markets at one time. The purpose of this study is to examine issues related to the crossmarket standardisation strategy, i.e. whether a standardised marketing programme and process can be used across the country markets in the EU.Design/methodology/approachUsing the pair‐wise comparison method originally developed by Sorenson and Wiechmann this study examines the marketing standardisation strategies selection process of 66 New Zealand firms which were concurrently operating in two or more EU markets. In total these firms were operating in 13 different EU country markets.FindingsThe outcomes of this study suggest that, although a complete similarity in the marketing environment is not likely to occur in the EU, it is possible for firms to locate a group of country markets which have shared similar marketing characteristics in the EU region. For instance, country pairs such as UK‐France, UK‐Germany, UK‐Ireland, Germany‐France, Germany‐Italy and Germany‐Sweden could offer some extent of similarity which allows firms to adopt a standardised marketing strategy across these countries.Originality/valueThis study generates a research framework for future studies and firms intending to operate in the EU region. The findings generated contribute to research in the areas of international marketing standardisation and international segmentation.
Factors affecting the termination propensity of inter‐firm relationships
Authors: Ellis Paul D. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe decline of inter‐firm relationships remains an important, although little studied, topic within the channel management literature. Existing research on the topic tends to be fragmentary and largely occupied with the cataloguing of switching incentives and deterrents. This aim of this paper is to articulate a more comprehensive explanation of the process of decline.Design/methodology/approachWith special emphasis on those channels spanning international borders, this paper outlines a mediational model of termination propensity which exploits the tension between the switching and opportunity costs of maintaining the status quo. Specifically, the study examines how switching motivators and deterrents interact to tip the balance towards, or away from, the inclination to terminate.FindingsTwo significant outcomes are achieved. First, it is proposed that the switching motivators identified in the literature are mediated through clients' satisfaction with their intermediary's current and anticipated performance. Significantly, it is shown that changes in the market, organisational and relational contexts can alter clients' perceptions independently of any changes in actual intermediary performance. Second, and in contrast with the direct links espoused in previous studies, switching costs are predicted to moderate the link between client satisfaction and termination propensity.Originality/valueIn contrast with past approaches examining a single cause of decline, this study develops propositions outlining a comprehensive, mediational explanation of termination propensity.
Understanding new product project performance
Authors: Pattikawa Lenny H. , Verwaal Ernst , Commandeur Harry R. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the accumulated body of knowledge on the performance of new product projects and provide directions for further research.Design/methodology/approachUsing a refined classification of antecedents of new product project performance the research results are meta‐analyzed in the literature in order to identify the strength and stability of predictor‐performance relationships.FindingsThe results reveal that 22 variables have a significant relationship with new product project performance, of which only 12 variables have a sizable relationship. In order of importance these factors are the degree of organizational interaction, R&D and marketing interface, general product development proficiency, product advantage, financial/business analysis, technical proficiency, management skill, marketing proficiency, market orientation, technology synergy, project manager competency and launch activities. Of the 34 variables 16 predictors show potential for moderator effects.Research limitations/implicationsThe validity of the results is constrained by publication bias and heterogeneity of performance measures, and directions for the presentation of data in future empirical publications are provided.Practical implicationsThis study helps new product project managers in understanding and managing the performance of new product development projects.Originality/valueThis paper provides unique insights into the importance of predictors of new product performance at the project level. Furthermore, it identifies which predictor‐performance relations are contingent on other factors.
Business communication in interactions between Mainland Chinese and Western firms through Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries
Authors: Trimarchi Michael , Liesch Peter W. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe paper aims to analyse the nature of business communication and its influence on relationships development between Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries sourcing from Mainland Chinese sellers involved in manufacturing for sale to Western buyer firms.Design/methodology/approachA case study‐driven methodology with purposeful sampling is applied to yield maximum variation in the sampling to elicit underlying tendencies and generative mechanisms that exist within and across the multiple cases of relationships.FindingsThe paper finds that Mainland Chinese sellers and Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries tend not to have the close ties that might be expected. Mainland Chinese sellers constrained their use of social information, requiring Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries to use commercial information transfers to evaluate the trustworthiness of their Mainland Chinese partners. An ingroup/outgroup bias exacerbates the modesty bias of the Mainland Chinese and also hinders learning through the transfer of technical information within these Chinese interactions. On the other hand, Western buyers tend not to prefer social information interactions with their Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries, requiring these intermediaries to emphasise commercial information interactions to evaluate the trustworthiness of their Western buyers.Research limitations/implicationsThis research uses a restricted sample of case study respondents. Representative sampling across multiple contexts will assist in testing the generality of the findings.Practical implicationsFor the West to source increasingly attractive manufactures from Mainland China, Hong Kong intermediaries will remain fundamentally important even though this creates further interactions. The aggregate of these multiple exchange arrangements is less problematic than would be the case if Western business were to deal directly with the Mainland Chinese.Originality/valueThis article sheds light on the nature of business communication interactions in a group of relationships between Hong Kong Chinese intermediaries and Mainland sellers, and buyers from the West. Implications for relationships development among the Chinese and Western actors are identified with propositions framed to guide further investigation.
Advertiser satisfaction with advertising agency creative product
Authors: Hill Railton M. 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore the satisfaction response in the context of an applied creative, business‐to‐business, professional service – that of advertiser satisfaction with agency creative services.Design/methodology/approachThe study is a based on a longitudinal questionnaire survey of advertising managers.FindingsThe paper finds that the disconfirmation of expectations model, previously utilised largely in goods categories and in consumer services, can be successfully applied within advertising creative services.Research limitations/implicationsUse of the key respondent method; the ability of managers to comply with the very specific conditions set out for choice of campaign; memory: the assumption that respondents could remember which campaign they had referred to in their initial questionnaire responses when completing the second questionnaire.Practical implicationsAdvertisers commit very large resources on the basis of their satisfaction with agency generated creative ideas, at a time when such product appears in a highly undeveloped, relatively intangible state. The study tests how satisfaction is formed in this context.Originality/valueThe paper has an application of the disconfirmation‐based model of customer satisfaction to advertising creative product. The literature on advertising creative ideas as a product category (and to “applied creative” products in general) is very limited.
Marketing action in networks
Authors: Mouzas Stefanos 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to describe and explain how organizations develop and implement marketing action within their surrounding business networks.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is an empirical case study research that covered periods 1993 to 1998 and 2002 to 2003 in manufacturer‐retailer networks in Germany. A conceptual model is developed and its applicability is illustrated.FindingsThe paper finds that marketing action is seen as an inventive stream of finding and doing what is possible for each organization in its respective network. Whilst organizations react to events as they unfold, marketing action in networks takes the form of creating and exercising a number of options that best reflect organizations' strengths and their capacities derived from network membership.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough based on marketing episodes related to the development and introduction of new products in a manufacturer‐retailer network, the proposed model has far wider managerial implications. The efficiency of the model is achieved through the reduction into three generative stages of the complexity of marketing action in networks.Practical implicationsThe model is explained in some depth, and its practical implications explained via the case study.Originality/valueThe development of a model of marketing action in networks based upon a network/option view of business‐to‐business marketing.
Power and control in international retail franchising
Authors: Doherty Anne Marie , Alexander Nicholas 
Published: January 2007

PurposeAs international retailers continue to employ franchising as a major method of market entry, the control of these international retail franchise networks becomes of significant importance. The aim of this paper is to examine the methods by which UK‐based international fashion franchisors control franchisees and their international franchise businesses.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a qualitative methodology and a multiple case design. Six UK‐based fashion retailers with international franchise operations form the empirical basis of the study.FindingsThe franchise contract, support mechanisms, franchise partner selection, the franchise relationship and the use of master/area franchising were found to be the major methods by which international retail franchisors exert control over their franchise networks. While coercive and non‐coercive sources of power were identified in the form of the franchise contract and support mechanisms, the paper also identifies sources of relationship power and organisational power.Practical implicationsThe paper provides practical information to existing international franchisors and those firms considering the move into the international marketplace via the franchise mode of operation. By highlighting additional sources of power in the form of organisational and relationship power, franchisors are offered further means by which to control their international businesses than hitherto identified in the international franchise literature.Originality/valueTraditional franchise research suggests that there is a dichotomy in the sources of power available to franchisors, that is, coercive or non‐coercive sources of power. While acknowledging the existence and importance of these sources of power and their related methods of control, this paper adds further dimensions to the academic debate by introducing relationship power and organisational power. Therefore, franchise partner selection, the franchise relationship and the use of master/area franchising emerge from the qualitative findings as further control mechanisms available to international retail franchisors.
Deriving and exploring behavior segments within a retail loyalty card program
Authors: Allaway Arthur W. , Gooner Richard M. , Berkowitz David , Davis Lenita 
Published: January 2007

PurposeDespite the proliferation of retail loyalty programs, little is known about differences in the behavior patterns of the consumers within them. There may be several unique segments within a loyalty program, and significant managerial implications may accrue from identification of these segments and analysis of differences among them. This paper aims to investigate the potential for deriving meaningful, managerially relevant customer segments within a retail loyalty‐type program.Design/methodology/approachData from the one‐year test of a retail loyalty card program by a major US retailer were used to derive patronage‐based segments and explore determinants of segment differences and strategy implications. A numerical taxonomy process was used to group 57,650 loyalty‐card program members into distinct segments. Cluster analysis was used to generate a range of potential market structures on a set of managerially relevant variables. The most appropriate market structure was selected using scree testing and discriminant analysis. Each of the resulting six segments was named profiled. Finally, a set of patronage‐related variables was regressed on to the clusters using multinomial logistic regression.FindingsThe results indicate that, at least for this card program, clearly defined segments with unique patronage profiles do exist both descriptively and statistically; only a small percentage of loyalty card program members demonstrate behaviors that can be considered truly loyal; and different marketing strategies appear appropriate to try and increase patronage among the segments based on their profile characteristics.Originality/valueThis study should prove valuable to academic researchers as well as managers. It is the first effort to generate meaningful, rigorously derived segments within a large loyalty program. It shows that behavioral variables can yield managerially relevant segments, and that the segments appear to call for individualized strategy initiatives.
Embodying experience
Authors: vom Lehn Dirk 
Published: January 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue that social interaction fundamentally underpins how people examine, experience and make sense of museum exhibits. It seeks to reveal how people collaboratively view and make sense of artwork and other kinds of exhibit, and in particular how the ways of looking at and responding to exhibits arise in social interaction.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis inspects in detail video‐recordings of visitors' conduct and interaction at exhibits. It draws on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis to reveal the social and sequential organisation of people's verbal, visual and bodily action and interaction.FindingsThe study finds that people explore museums and examine exhibits with companions while other visitors act and interact in the same locale. Which exhibits visitors look at and how they see and experience them is influenced by and arises in social interaction with others, be they companions or strangers. People display and share their experience of exhibits with others through verbal and bodily action and interaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings bear on current debates in marketing research. They suggest that there is a lack of understanding of people's experience of exhibits in museums. They show how video‐based studies can address this gap in marketing research. Further studies are currently being conducted to shed light on the quality of people's experience at the exhibit‐face and how it may be enhanced by the deployment of interpretation resources, such as labels, touch‐screen and handheld systems.Practical implicationsThe findings may have some implications for the work of curators, designers and exhibition evaluators. They suggest that social interaction needs to be taken into consideration when designing and deploying exhibits and interpretation resources, such as labels, touch‐screen information kiosks, hand‐held computers, etc.Originality/valueThe paper uses visual/video‐recordings as principal data and illustrates its findings by virtue of visual material. It introduces video‐based field studies as a method to examine cultural and visual consumption in museums. It employs an analytic and methodological framework from ethnomethodology and conversation analysis that previously have found little application in marketing and consumer research.