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This paper addresses a major impediment to business‐to‐business service innovation. The focus is on the role played by the client in a service dominant offering, compared to product dominant offerings. Part of this concerns the concept of customer input uncertainty includng the diversity of customer demand and the customer’s disposition to participate in the innovation process. The paper concludes by tracking and innovation process in a consultation between a major global consulting firm and one of its clients.

Reports results from in‐depth interviews with 80 senior managers in 16 US‐based multinational firms and from group discussions with 388 senior‐level executives from 241 firms. The results indicate an attempt by the majority of firms to move from product dominance towards a service orientation. Identifies two major strategic hurdles: a rethinking of the client′s role as co‐producer, including measurements of client productivity; and the design and management of a new service development process. The study identifies the client productivity measurement issue as a major strategic hurdle and the authors suggest that techniques used internally (such as behaviour modification, training, and self‐motivation) be turned externally onto the client to increase productivity. The area of new service development (NSD), another significant strategic hurdle, is an emerging and relatively untouched subject. Identifies differences between new service and new product development.

There is some acceptance of the idea that services and products are so intertwined that the process for development is the same, but there has been no rigorous empirical evidence to support that contention. Uses data collected in in‐depth interviews with 80 senior level managers in 16 different firms, 25 group discussion sessions with 388 executives in 241 additional firms, and from a mail survey of 217 senior managers in firms from 11 differing service categories. In all three phases, elements of the service innovation process were examined. Examines the general similarity to new product development and concentrates on the major factors differentiating successful from unsuccessful service innovation. Concludes that there is some similarity between product and service innovation processes, but that significant differences exist, with the service arena demonstrating more of a lack of new service strategic planning, reliance on competitive imitation for new concepts, and less presence of innovation champions. Successful firms in new service development more closely fit innovations with the current business than do unsuccessful firms. They also present more of an opportunity for a champion to stay and manage a new offering after launch. There is no apparent difference in the formality of the process between successful and unsuccessful managers, with most service firms reporting a more ad hoc process.

Examines the differences in internal and external inputs to the new service development process for two innovations within the same firm. The differences are explored for the most versus least successful innovations. The article is an extension of earlier work on services innovation that compared successful firms to unsuccessful firms. Here the focus shifts from the firm to the individual innovations. Significant differences were found in the innovation level of success within the same firm for input by senior management; input by customer contact and non‐contact personnel; direct input from customers themselves; and in the amount of information used about that customer at three major stages of the development process.

Focuses on the client in a management consulting relationship. Argues that any measure of service productivity must include some component that focues on the client side of the service encounter. Client productivity – measurement and structure – requires more attention and research into the stage/backstage issues.

Examines the mature market, defined as consumers age 50 years or older, and reviews 33 segmentation methods for the mature market and identifies five key segmentation criteria: discretionary income, health, activity level, discretionary time, and response to others. Integrates methods devised by other researchers and provides marketers with a step‐by‐step, actionable segmentation method based on these five criteria. Offers implications for managers.

For many years the senior citizen market has been eclipsed by the youth market. This has been especially true in the market for apparel. While manufacturers, such as Levi Strauss, have offered fuller‐cut clothing and jeans for the mature consumer, a void still exists in the fashion clothing market for older Americans.

There are two basic theoretical views of how advertising affects competition. One school of thought suggests that advertising decreases competition. Kaldor (1950) argued that through economies of scale in advertising, advertising increases market concentration. Also, Bain (1956) suggested that advertising causes strong product differentiation and brand loyalty, which are barriers to entry and will lead to higher concentration.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.