Editor’s note

Citation

(2013), "Editor’s note", Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 34 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/jbs.2013.28834aaa.001

Editor’s note

Article Type: Editor’s note From: Journal of Business Strategy, Volume 34, Issue 1

We begin the new year with a strong line-up of articles that business practitioners and scholars alike should find compelling reading. This year, 2013, also marks the beginning of my second decade as editor of Journal of Business Strategy, a milestone that appeared almost unexpectedly since I wasn’t keeping track. But I can more easily celebrate the passage of this past decade as editor than I can acknowledge my personal birthdays, which certainly appear too quickly.

As JBS has evolved, the values of rigor and relevance have guided our progress, two values recently cited as paramount at a Strategic Management Society conference session in October 2012 in Prague. Years ago, the SMS attracted an “ABC” of participants to its annual conference – academics, business people and consultants. The SMS always drew many more academics than representatives from the other two categories, but at least there was a presence from all three groups. The goal was to create a smooth trajectory from academia, and research rigor, to the real world of business and profitability (the relevance part of the value statement). As many participants noted at the 2012 conference, however, the gathering now comprised almost only academics. The gap between academia and business has only widened.

This is the junction where JBS attempts to create a wedge. Our articles, we believe, reflect scholarly rigor and intellectual originality while they focus on practical implications and target the business executive. We insist that every article be written as if it were intended for the CEO, the senior team and the broader group of corporate leaders and managers. Combining research strength with readability does not come easily to many authors, especially academics, but we encourage the pursuit. Readers seem to agree with this approach because JBS readership, measured by downloads, reflects double-digit growth year after year.

Upon reading the L’Oreal case study by Professor Laurent Tournois, I found a reason to be very grateful, personally. The French beauty giant changed the perception of dyed hair from that of a questionable intervention practised by disreputable women to an essential part of the beauty routine for millions of women, beginning in the early twentieth century. There would be many more gray or white heads without L’Oreal and the competitors who followed.

The L’Oreal case study treats corporate competition as a war, and the terminology reflects this approach. Women’s heads form the battleground where hair care manufacturers and marketers are waging war. Fortunately, the outcome is more beautiful hair, not casualties. Anyone who has shopped recently for shampoo knows that the conflict has escalated, as store shelves overflow with hundreds of selections. Today, of course, the beauty market is huge beyond imagination and women (men being a minor part of the buying market) don’t even have to enter a physical store to purchase products. It is a fascinating business, in part because it is so discretionary and there is so little scientific evidence that certain products fulfill their promise. But the promise of beauty draws us in.

In the paper on price discounting, Rob Docters and his co-authors remind us that discounting is a complex undertaking that too often fails to place the customer (the buyer) at the center of decision-making. Once a company places the customer at the center of the price framework, decisions on discounting assume a new relevance and better outcomes.

Even if so inclined, corporations can no longer ignore or discount the power of NGOs, which can now harness social media and the internet to force companies to contribute to or participate in their cause or to desist from certain practices. Professor Burgos explores the evolving relationship of NGOs with corporations in his paper. Next, Paul Davis highlights the gap that distances boards of directors from full involvement in the companies whose boards they occupy. He suggests a number of ways that companies can, in essence, train their boards to understand their strategies better. Crystal Scott’s paper rounds out our offerings with a discussion of the qualities most valued in senior marketing leaders.

We invite comments and criticisms from readers and hope that 2013 proves to be a good year in all respects.