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This study reports and analyzes a questionnaire administered to US and European logistics managers soliciting their perceptions regarding changes in background and skill preferences for logistics managers operating in the new European Union environment. The combined sample of respondents appeared to indicate the importance of being a manager first and a functional/technical specialist second. While no statistically significant differences between the two subgroups were found with regard to background preferences, there were eight statistically significant differences between the two subgroups with regard to preferred skill requirements in the contemporary environment. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are suggested. Finally, implications of the survey findings for employers, practitioners, educators, and students are discussed.

Developments in the EU over the past ten years or so have brought new opportunities and challenges to logistics operations. The harmonization of customs procedures and the promise of greater integration seemed to offer advantages but inconsistent implementation within different states and industries can limit progress. Environmental concerns also place pressures on business as a whole and logistics in particular. Nevertheless the opportunities for the rationalization and integration of logistics services are developing in new ways. It is vital therefore that the people in control of these operations are fully trained and prepared. This research looks at the skill preferences of logistics managers for people operating in the EU.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Marketing Intelligence & Planning is split into seven sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing Strategy; Customer Service; Sales Management/Sundry; Promotion; Marketing Research/Customer Behaviour; Product Management; Logistics and Distribution.

This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of the Journal of Product & Brand Management is split into six sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Marketing strategy; Customer service; Pricing; Promotion; Marketing research, customer behavior; Product management.

This paper aims to illustrate a useful classroom exercise that addresses this challenge. International experiences help university students develop global cultural awareness and better understand culture’s impact on decision-making. As more companies grow their global operations, they seek students with global competency (Eaton and Kleshinski, 2014). However, less than 7 per cent of US university students have basic cultural intelligence according to Lopes-Murphy (2014). This presents faculty with the significant challenge of developing students’ global competency within the walls of the classroom.

This paper describes a phenomenological research classroom activity titled the “Global Consumer Exchange” (GCE) to help business faculty authentically build students’ global awareness, understanding of culture and understanding of global consumer behavior. In addition, the GCE offers a context to help faculty highlight the economic, logistical and technological concerns that global businesses must consider. The GCE was administered in an undergraduate consumer behavior course in cooperation with students from the Republic of Panamá.

Following the GCE, US students reported new awareness of issues they had never considered before and also indicated an increased interest in understanding other cultures. The students also expressed a newfound willingness to personally reach out to international students.

This GCE offers business faculty an easy-to-implement and easily adaptable activity to authentically broaden students’ intercultural awareness and develop a deeper understanding of international business concepts. Through this activity, students are able to gain experience applying phenomenological research methods. The GCE can also be adapted for any course and applied to a wide variety of countries partnerships with university international student organizations and/or English as a second language programs.

The purpose of this paper is not only to gauge the extent of technical efficiency in 31 state road transport undertakings (SRTUs) operating in India but also to explore the most influential factors explaining its variations across SRTUs.

Three popular data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, namely CCR, BCC and Andersen and Petersen's super‐efficiency models, have been utilized to compute various efficiency scores for individual SRTUs. A censored Tobit analysis is conducted to see which factors significantly explain the inter‐SRTU variations in efficiency.

The key findings of the DEA analysis are only five SRTUs define the efficient frontier, and the remaining 26 inefficient undertakings have a scope of inputs reduction, albeit by the different magnitude; the extent of average overall technical inefficiency (OTIE) in these SRTUs is to the tune of 22.8 percent, indicating that the sample SRTUs are wasting about one‐fourth of their resources in the production operations; managerial inefficiency (as captured by the pure technical inefficiency) is a relatively more dominant source of OTIE; and operation in the zone of increasing returns‐to‐scale is a common feature for most of the undertakings. The multivariate regression analysis using Tobit analysis highlights that the occupancy ratio is the most significant determinant for all the efficiency measures, and bears a positive relationship with overall technical, pure technical and scale efficiencies. Further, scale efficiency is also impacted positively by the staff productivity.

The results of this paper can be applied from management's perspective. The managers can assess the relative efficiency of their SRTUs in the industry and take corrective measures to improve efficiency by altering input‐output mix.

This paper provides more robust estimates of relative efficiency of the SRTUs and highlights the key determinants of overall technical efficiency.