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1 – 10 of 21Competitors come a very poor second to consumers as the focuses forstudies carried out by marketing academics. Since the marketing conceptis so much at the heart of what many…
Abstract
Competitors come a very poor second to consumers as the focuses for studies carried out by marketing academics. Since the marketing concept is so much at the heart of what many academics think marketing is all about this should surprise no one. However, the emergence of the subject of marketing strategy with its concern over sustainable competitive advantage and the current popularity of competitiveness, however defined, as an adjunct or complement to marketing studies suggest that competitors and competition may be about to become a fashionable area for study. And not before time. The trinity of company, consumer and competitor, however stark as a framework, represents the minimum knowledge anyone would require before taking a major marketing decision.
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Two important, although neglected, dimensions of market exchange are thetemporal and the social. Exchanges, particularly those betweenorganizations, may be thought of as embedded…
Abstract
Two important, although neglected, dimensions of market exchange are the temporal and the social. Exchanges, particularly those between organizations, may be thought of as embedded in a social framework which rewards continuity. Similarly exchanges between the same entities which recur over time take on a different character from those which are instantaneous and atomistic. Such patterns of exchange create a framework, of among other things, expectations, trust, adaptations and investments which can be said to comprise the elements of a relationship. Addresses the many reasons why individuals, but especially organizations, choose to give up freedom of choice and the open market for the confines of a stable and long‐term relationship. Where such relationships exist they provide a measure of continuity in the workings of markets. This, in turn, gives rise to enduring structures which have been labelled industrial networks. Such structures provide an important framework for exchanges within a market since they introduce interdependence and stability into the system. Markets are thus networks of connected exchange relationships, among individuals and organizations, located in time and space, and whose identity is both the product and the outcome of these exchange patterns.
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James L. Bowey and Geoff Easton
The paper seeks to use the concept of net social capital to help explain the behaviour of a business constellation, a group of entrepreneurial firms in different businesses that…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to use the concept of net social capital to help explain the behaviour of a business constellation, a group of entrepreneurial firms in different businesses that cooperate to their mutual benefit.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper takes the form of an in‐depth case study of the Canadian Groupement Quebecoise.
Findings
The members of the group create and maintain net social capital among themselves in a variety of ways both social and economic and in turn use that net social capital outside the group in dealings with other organisations, profit and non‐profit.
Practical implications
The findings suggest ways in which firms can work with other non‐competing firms.
Originality/value
The concept of net social capital is novel and the study is the first of its kind that investigates such a tightly knit and productive business constellation.
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Geoff Easton, Judy Zolkiewski and Shona Bettany
The paper describes exploratory research into the nature of the International/Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) conference papers with particular focus on content. A…
Abstract
The paper describes exploratory research into the nature of the International/Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) conference papers with particular focus on content. A qualitative analysis of the Proceedings of the 16th Annual IMP Conference is presented. The results provide insights into the diversity of academic thought that fuels the development of the IMP network and allows us to begin charting the development of knowledge structures within past IMP conferences. Of particular interest are, first, the tentative knowledge structure that emerges, second, the depth of analysis that emerges from using multidimensional coding, and third, the utility of the process of successive categorisation.
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In considering my academic history as a professor both in marketing and management, I hope to demonstrate that it is possible to research challenging and interesting topics in a…
Abstract
Purpose
In considering my academic history as a professor both in marketing and management, I hope to demonstrate that it is possible to research challenging and interesting topics in a variety of guises.
Design/methodology/approach
The presentation is primarily chronological but also, to some degree, selective. I have focused on my research activities but not forgotten the importance, at least to me, of both academic administration and indeed a broader set of interests in more general terms.
Findings
While there is inevitably a significant degree of path dependency in my academic career, I have also been quite keen to explore more broadly both the boundaries of my subjects and the application of various different research methods. I have been particularly fortunate to have worked with some excellent academic colleagues and stimulating doctoral students.
Research limitations/implications
I believe there are a twin set of implications for other academics; however, I would emphasise that there is no single right way. For me it has been important to pick topics which are of interest to others and at the same time try and demonstrate some distinctive value added in my approach.
Originality/value
I hope that those who are earlier in their career will take heart from two principles, one being to do one’s best to be in interesting places and the other to work closely with colleagues who have challenging and different perspectives.
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The purpose of this paper is to celebrate the remarkable work of the late Emeritus Professor Michael J. Thomas, as Editor of Marketing Intelligence & Planning (MIP ) over 21…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to celebrate the remarkable work of the late Emeritus Professor Michael J. Thomas, as Editor of Marketing Intelligence & Planning (MIP ) over 21 years, and Founding Editor in perpetuity.
Design/methodology/approach
His long‐time Assistant Editor and eventual successor trawls the back issues and plumbs the depths of his own memory, to formalise the story of the man and his creation.
Findings
The undoubted success of MIP, at the time of the editorial handover the third‐most downloaded title in Emerald's massive stable, was entirely attributable to the work of its Founding Editor: his clear vision of an academic journal that was applicable to the real work of intelligence gathering and strategy planning; his extensive personal networks, his professional status, and the sheer force of his personality.
Practical implications
In the overheated current climate of academic research and publication, more journals should consider the merits of editorial prerogative as a precursor to formal double‐blind reviewing in the acceptance process. A strong and focused Editor is a prerequisite, of course.
Originality/value
The paper celebrates the history of MIP and, in the process, the life of Michael Thomas.
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Given the ways in which the research pressures on university staff are becoming seemingly ever greater, an issue of the European Journal of Marketing that is given over to a…
Abstract
Given the ways in which the research pressures on university staff are becoming seemingly ever greater, an issue of the European Journal of Marketing that is given over to a survey of the kinds of research initiatives which are currently being carried out is timely. The study which provides the basis for this was conducted between December 1994 and February 1995, with questionnaires being sent to staff in universities throughout Europe. At the time the final selection was made, a total of 150 responses had been received from 18 countries.
Frank Bogna, Aldo Raineri and Geoff Dell
Traditional approaches in qualitative research have adopted one research paradigm linked to an established typology. This paper addresses the unconventional application of two…
Abstract
Purpose
Traditional approaches in qualitative research have adopted one research paradigm linked to an established typology. This paper addresses the unconventional application of two research paradigms in one study. A critical realist approach was used to augment a constructivist analysis of data in a research project seeking to explore the meaning that managers in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) attach to hazard identification, the construction of a hazard profile reflective of the business and its use in assisting to manage hazards within the SME's safety management system framework. Critical realism offered a complementary but essential framework to explore causal mechanisms that led to a deeper understanding of the findings by searching for the processes and causality that lay beneath the social and organizational phenomena observed.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper compares the two research paradigms in order to seek junctures and apply them to a research project. Analytical tools applied to each research paradigm within the project are presented, followed by a new multiparadigm conceptual model that integrates critical realism and constructivism, providing an original contribution of knowledge to this field of qualitative research.
Findings
The adoption of a multiparadigm model enabled not only the interpretation of social phenomena but also the determination of its causality, enabling a more insightful answering of the research question and leading to a deeper insight into the phenomenology that was studied. This research approach widens the boundaries of qualitative inquiry within organizational research by promoting strategies that challenge more traditionally anchored research typologies, and consequently contributes to better research outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted across four organizations. Similar research is encouraged across a greater number of case studies to validate the process of using a constructivist and critical realist paradigm to gain a more insightful understanding of events and their causality.
Practical implications
The comparison of two research paradigms and consequent provision of a conceptual model (Figure 3) provides potential for the development of further multiparadigm models for research projects within the field of organizational management.
Social implications
This paper has the potential to promote engagement and collaboration between research scholars seeking to explore the use of multiple research paradigms.
Originality/value
Such an approach has not previously been widely discussed or adopted to examine qualitative data, and advances theory in qualitative research. The application of two research paradigms using such an approach can be applied to businesses in a number of different contexts to gain a more insightful understanding of research participant perspectives, observable events arising from those perspectives and their associated causality.
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