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Channels of distribution are basic to the marketing strategies of firms, and have been shown to be a key element in the marketing mix. The author here undertakes a comprehensive review of channels literature, primarily to identify and assess the adequacy of the various mainstream conceptual schemes which have emerged. Economic‐based arguments have largely been at the core of channels literature, although these have been partially offset by the concepts of the organisational and behavioural schools. The author concludes that whereas every conceptual approach reviewed has added something to our cumulative knowledge, no single approach has yet reached a point of adequate conceptualisation based on his own basic criteria. As yet channels literature is mainly descriptive, and has virtually no predictive power.

The aim is to describe the analysis conducted by a leading company in the dairy (yogurt and fermented milk) sector in Brazil regarding the decision to implement a door‐to‐door distribution channel, in which one of the authors was involved.

A brief overview of the marketing channels is presented and the descriptive case study method was used to present the main company information.

The paper describes the decision‐making process that was used to define how basic services like breaking bulks, product variety, special convenience and wait time should be performed in this case. It also emphasizes the main channel decisions, the channel objectives and the chosen door‐to‐door structure for the company described in the case study.

Even though case analysis has a theoretical background, the decision process used here cannot be generalized, being only a guide for academics and practitioners about how company A addressed the direct marketing issue.

The paper presents specific analysis of the Brazilian yogurt market and use as theoretical background the strategic environmental analysis. As a real case, it can be useful for practitioners as reference for decision making, as well for teaching purposes for case studies with college and MBA students. Finally, the paper presents as main contribution a “method for developing new marketing channels”.

The paper's objective is to investigate the relation between direct and indirect marketing channels applied by French wine producers, and to identify the elements that can enhance the success of direct distribution methods.

Secondary data collected though a questionnaire survey, and published in a study of Viniflhor was analysed in order to identify the distribution channels used by French wine producers. In the second part of the study, primary qualitative data obtained through face‐to‐face interviews with 17 wine producers was used to explore their direct marketing approach.

The findings indicated that French wine producers use a large variety of both direct and indirect marketing channels, although the importance of these distribution methods varies with the size of the producer (defined in terms of vineyard area and wine production). An integrated distribution strategy is applied by more than a half of the respondents. Although the strategic planning process is applied informally and intuitively, a series of innovative elements are combined in order to enhance the value of the product offer and to develop long‐term relationships with satisfied customers.

The low response rate obtained in the application of data collection methods raises questions regarding the possibility to generalize the findings to the entire population of study.

The paper applies a three layer analysis to the situation of the French wine producers from various regions, creatively combining focused investigation with an integrative perspective.

The paper seeks to examine the changing landscape of supply chain management, marketing channels of distribution, logistics and purchasing.

The authors examine and take stock of the changing nature and landscape surrounding the related disciplines of supply chain management, marketing channels of distribution, logistics and purchasing. This examination highlights the considerable evolution and significant advances occurring within and between these disciplines.

The authors find that this new landscape provides both opportunities and challenges for future scholarship and practice in these related disciplines.

The examination and findings should be of value to those attempting to understand the evolving nature and interrelationship of these fields, and those who currently practise within them.

Globalization of organizations necessitates the development of a network organizational configuration. This new form of organization requires managers to become boundary spanners between the various organizations aligned in the global business network. The question becomes how are these boundary‐spanning managers going to be identified and selected for global assignments. This paper examines the staffing options for marketing managers of integrative (i.e. relational) and market (i.e. transactional) modes of norm‐based control of global channels of distribution. Both transaction cost analysis and focus theory are used to identify which control mechanism would be most appropriate for each inter‐organizational situation.

This study aims to identify the key drivers influencing the success of farmers who employ direct marketing at wholesale markets. The diversification of the distribution system in Thailand has created many challenges for farmers, with diversified farm businesses struggling to survive and to ensure profitability across channels. Direct marketing channels at wholesale markets provide farmers the opportunity to develop a new farm business division.

The study consists of qualitative and quantitative approaches. First, in-depth interviews with farmers were conducted, and selected case studies were employed to develop a research framework and design the questionnaire. Second, the questionnaire survey was conducted. Using factor analysis and logistic regression, farmers' data were studied to define the factors of success in direct marketing.

Three key drivers were examined and verified. The findings indicate that the development of direct marketing channels requires farmers to efficiently allocate family labour, possess negotiation skills and manage a farmer network. Particularly, the presence of negotiation skills coupled with digital technology can enable farmers to expand the market and build their network.

Two marketing channels have been explored. However, more choices in marketing channels utilizing digital resources should be addressed in future research.

This is the first empirical study to define the drivers leading Thai farmers to continue employing a direct marketing channel.

The selection of marketing channels by vegetable producers directly affects the income of producers and is important for the maintenance of a stable supply of vegetables and food control. The purpose of this paper is threefold: to investigate the cooperative selection of vegetable marketing channels; to identify the factors that influence the selection of marketing channels by professional vegetable cooperatives by comparing emerging and traditional circulation modes; and to solve the problems related to vegetable circulation channels in Beijing.

A total of 187 valid questionnaires were collected from seven main vegetable production districts in Beijing urban areas from September to December 2017, with a response rate of 89 percent. Binary logistic regression was used for analysis in this study.

Results revealed that the cooperatives mainly selected large wholesalers, wholesale markets, supermarkets and electronic commerce as their marketing channels for their vegetables. Estimation results showed that among the 18 influencing factors in the four categories, the educational level of the person in charge and some other factors significantly influence the selection of these four distribution channels by the cooperatives.

Due to the lack of time and energy, this paper does not analyze the factors influencing a cooperative’s choice of different e-commerce platforms. If this problem can be solved, it will definitely promote the development of e-commerce in rural areas.

The results obtained in the present study and their implications could help policy makers establish a science-based and reasonable policy to encourage vegetable producers to participate in the new circulation modes of vegetables in Beijing and ensure their income in the vegetable supply chain. This study suggests methods to improve the vegetable sector in other cities facing similar issues.

Marketing channels exist in an increasingly competitive international and global environment. Consequently, many firms have reengineered their marketing channels systems by placing greater emphasis on fostering higher levels of cooperation among international channel participants. However, there are relatively few studies that explore cross‐cultural issues in marketing channels. Thus, investigating whether cultural differences influence how channel participants react to a firm’s channel strategies is an important issue that needs to be addressed. This study comparatively examines channel leadership styles, cooperation, and channel member performance across three divergent national cultures. More specifically, the study seeks to assess whether employing uniform channel strategies produces similar responses from channel members in different countries. Using data drawn from a sample of automobile dealerships in the USA, Finland, and Poland, inconsistent results were found, which suggest that using leadership stylesto foster cooperation among channel members across different national cultures on a standardized basis is not an appropriate channel strategy. Based on the findings, international channel management implications, limitations, and directions for future research are proferred.

Key components of the logistics mix are described in an effort to create an understanding of the total logistics concept. Chapters include an introduction to logistics; the strategic role of logistics, customer service levels, channel relationships, facilities location, transport, inventory management, materials handling, interface with production, purchasing and materials management, estimating demand, order processing, systems performance, leadership and team building, business resource management.