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Most recent work in the area of new product development has been of a theoretically prescriptive basis, ignoring, to a large degree, the current state of affairs in US corporations. The study examines, on a comparative basis, consumer and business products organizations, practices being utilized to guide the development process and key factors influencing the success/failure of the process. Results from an empirical study reveal that: (1) there is no one best means to structure the process; (2) top management commitment to and support of the process is a critical factor; (3) knowledge of markets and customers remains elusive; and (4) more similarities than differences exist between the practices undertaken by and the factors influencing success/failure in consumer versus business products organizations.

The purpose of this paper is to examine practices of and differences between small and large organizations as they relate to the training of sales managers.

Utilizing a survey approach, data were collected from a sample of sales managers and trainers employed by firms across the USA. Analysis was conducted between “small” and “large” organizations based on sales force size.

While many similarities do exist between small and large firms' sales manager training practices, some significant differences also exist in terms of teaching approaches, types of instructors, training locations, methods, and content utilized. Results of the current study exhibit both similarities and differences as compared to results of sales manager training practices found in earlier studies.

The study was based on a sample of sales managers and trainers employed by firms within the USA. Sales manager training practices could differ due to cultural differences, the industry the firm competes in, and other factors.

First, sales manager training activities show more similarities than differences between small and large firms. Second, internet‐based training methods are becoming prevalent in large firms while still struggling for acceptance in smaller ones. Third, no one type of instructor is viewed as being highly effective in either small or large firms. Fourth, senior management must support and encourage positive behavioral changes associated with sales manager training or else efforts will fail.

The current study answers the call for research to identify contemporary sales manager training practices, building upon results of previous studies.

Knowledge about the external environment is essential for an organization to remain competitive in the marketplace. To this end, a marketing information system (MKIS) can be used as a powerful tool for translating raw data into useful information to assist managers in making strategic and operational decisions. However, even with the vast technological advances of the past decade, research has found that current information systems, in many instances, still exist in rudimentary stages of development, exhibiting disappointing degrees of success. Focusses on examining reasons for this state of affairs and then proceeds to present the knowledge, in a managerially relevant and understandable format, needed to develop and implement an MKIS effectively. Presents applications of effective MKISs along with managerial implications.

One of the most popular topics in American business today is reengineering. Rarely has such a misunderstood term been embraced so widely in theory and in practice. Numerous definitions and lists of key components to successful reengineering have confused managers as to what reengineering is in theory and in practice. Brings together the diverse literature and identifies clearly the activities, questions and process changes theorized to be necessary in reengineering efforts. In addition, reports the results of a survey designed to assess which of these purported activities, questions and process changes are, in practice, part of reengineering efforts as perceived by marketing professionals. Over 200 marketing professionals revealed their perception of firms’ involvement in reengineering, and evaluated involvement in key activities, process changes and asking of fundamental questions. The results reveal interesting discrepancies between theoretical reengineering and reengineering in practice. Implies that reengineering may not be a black‐and‐white issue, but rather exist on a gray continuum.

As consumer marketers have become increasingly disenchanted with traditional “shotgun” mass‐media approaches to reaching customers, database marketing has emerged as the answer to marketers’ woes. Despite its widespread use by direct marketers, database marketing is relatively new to consumer marketers and, as such, leaves some consumer marketers confused as to why it works and how to implement a database program. Presents a managerially relevant introduction to database marketing. Defines database marketing, outlines its advantages and disadvantages and describes application examples. Provides managers with a practical approach to developing a database marketing program. Reviews some trends in database marketing to prepare the consumer marketer for changes in the database marketing program.

This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation.

This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis.

The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry.

First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed.

The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation.

This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

Bad service experiences potentially leading to long‐standing grudges can be quite costly for an organization. In many cases, corporate actions and policies cause grudges as consumers grow more and more frustrated about their interactions with large, impersonal companies. The primary objectives of this study were to examine through empirical research the causes of consumer grudgeholding, the behaviors undertaken by grudgeholders in response to their outcome, the impact of grudges against businesses, and whether differences exist depending on the grudgeholder’s age. The findings suggest that older consumers are more likely to discuss their concerns with store, company or organization employees, and in addition, they can be expected to tell more people outside of the firm than younger consumers. While neither younger nor older consumers appear highly inclined to purchase products or services from the firm following a bad experience, older respondents displayed a stronger aversion to the company, store or firm in question.