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Reports on a comparative study of the types and degrees of horizontal and vertical integration within the seed potato industries of The Netherlands and Northern Ireland. Using an integration analysis grid, presents descriptive models of the integrative functions in both industries. Given the superior marketing performance of the Dutch industry, and the way in which this is facilitated by its highly integrated organizational structure, makes a case for the utilization of both horizontal and vertical integration in improving marketing performance in seed potato industries.

The purpose of this article was to explore why small wine producers in one of Australia’s premium wine regions engage in horizontal networking within both their sub-regions and at a state-wide level. The benefits of these formal network relationships are investigated from a collaborative marketing perspective.

Qualitative data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 33 wine producers. Industry informant interviews and secondary data collection enabled triangulation of the research findings.

Overall the study found that producers join horizontal networks for commercial, social and strategic reasons. These motivations evolve over time as the owner/managers gain experience and presence in the region. Horizontal networks assist regions to build goodwill and industry norms, and share knowledge. Such social capital encourages collaboration among wineries and enables networks to effectively pursue shared objectives. Horizontal networks at a sub-regional level also play a key role in establishing and promoting wine tourism.

The paper shows how horizontal wine networks develop over time and the key motivations for membership. Those looking to establish networks can benefit from knowledge of the key drivers which influence and enhance participation.

To date most network studies in the sector have focused on informal relationships between wineries, or networks and clusters comprising firms vertically integrated in the supply chain. The paper contributes to understanding why small wine producers join horizontal networks and examines how collaborative marketing can assist boutique and developing wine regions to increase the competitiveness and market penetration of their products.

The paper provides insights into destination marketing and the conditions and outcome of competitor co‐operation in a local, horizontal hotel network. The specific purpose is to uncover the mechanics of such a network and offer a theory together with recommendations for practice and future research.

In contrast with manufactured goods, which are distributed to the market, destination marketing distributes customers to a service production site. This basic prerequisite has effects on marketing strategies and the networking of competitors, and so has the fact that the services are in part delivered in interaction with customers and between customers at a physical place. The paper is based on inductive case study research, and the observations and conclusions from the empirical case data are given precedence over extant theory. The case, the Hotel Group, is a hotel network in the town of Östersund, Sweden. The case is directed towards certain strategic business‐to‐business elements of destination marketing.

The study shows that the Hotel Group has found a success formula. Among the results are that a drive for action, both planned and improvised, is more decisive for success than plans and expressed intentions; that networking is facilitated when local competitors build social capital through trust and commitment in action; and that competitors have to adhere to certain basic principles, strike a balance between seemingly contradictory strategies, and live by an agreed code of conduct.

The case study lays bare the need to rethink certain mainstream vantage points used in research. These include departure from the notion of small‐ and medium‐sized businesses as autonomous economic entities and consider them part of networks; recognition of the social context and synergy of a network organization and its code of conduct; and learning to manage a social network by balancing seeming paradoxes and opposites. The study is temporally limited and does not forecast the sustainability and robustness of the network and its success formula over time and under changing conditions.

The study offers normative and actionable insights about the success of a horizontal tourism network. The network members should adhere to three basic principles: show enthusiasm, give time, and contribute to financing; they have to perform balancing acts between the collective and individual, co‐operation and competition, and planning/intention and action; and they have to follow a seven‐point code of conduct.

The paper contributes to a theory of co‐operation in marketing networks. It empirically examines network mechanics when local competitors take action to improve their individual situation by improving the collective competitive position on the market, provides insights into destination marketing and the conditions and outcome of competitor co‐operation in a local, horizontal hotel network.

Supply chain management (SCM) emerged in the early 1980s as a result of the rapidly changing and challenging business environments in many industries. SCM is a consequence of the increased necessity for holistic considerations in, between and across companies’ business activities and resources in and between marketing channels, in order to improve the overall performance towards the ultimate consumer in the marketplace. SCM’s generic theoretical foundations are derived from time‐, functional‐, and relationship‐dependencies in, between and across companies’ business activities in marketing channels. There are major similarities and minor differences in the theoretical boundaries between SCM and Alderson’s interpretation of a functionalist theory of marketing. The author argues that the theoretical origin of SCM is derived from, and underpinned by, a part of this functionalist theory of marketing. Furthermore, there is a need for a generic re‐definition and expansion of the theoretical boundaries of SCM towards the incorporation of horizontal dependencies between marketing channels in the marketplace.

Distribution research, both in Europe and in the United States, is fragmented into two seemingly disparate disciplinary orientations: an economic approach and an organisational approach. The former attempts to apply micro‐economic theory and industrial organisation analysis to the study of distribution systems, focusing on horizontal as well as vertical markets. The latter attempts to apply behavioural and organisational concepts and theories to vertical distribution channel phenomena. Typically, economic and organisational studies have made only occasional references to each other, and very little integration has been achieved. Sometimes the two approaches have been in rivalry, economic researchers ignoring organisational variables, and organisational researchers ignoring economic variables.

Market selection in business‐to‐business (B2B) market transactions is more complex than the one‐step market segmentation decision in consumer markets. This article models market selection and procurement decision‐making in B2B markets as a five‐step procedure involving choice of vertical and horizontal markets. Vertical market choice decisions are shown to encompass choice of output markets, value adding that the organization will perform internally (the “make” decision), and input markets (the “buy” decision). Horizontal market choice decisions are shown to encompass choice of macro segments in the output market and micro segments within each of the macro segments selected. Explores how we can draw on theoretical developments in industrial organization economics to help make these strategic decisions. The article suggests how to set the boundaries of the organization and determine what markets to serve, what to make, and what to buy with the help of transaction cost and market structure analysis.

This chapter describes the main issues in scientific literature related to industrial branding. First, we set the background focusing on industrial branding, followed by brand equity and measurement, and brand orientation in business markets. The second section relies on controversies and problems inherent in the gaps in theory and implementation of branding. The third section proposes several solutions and recommendations for academics and practitioners, followed by proposals for future research directions and conclusions. We also present a case study and several case questions arising.

To investigate the influence of national or sub‐national culture and company size on inter‐firm cooperation in marketing among cluster‐based firms, with specific respect to the salmon‐farming industry.

Case study analysis of data collected from semi‐structured personal interviews with senior managers in two samples of different sized companies, located in industry clusters within Scotland and Chile.

Small firms in this industry in Scotland are more proactive in building inter‐firm cooperation, for international marketing activities. National culture has only a limited effect on the level inter‐firm cooperation, but sub‐national culture in distinctive communities can enhance it.

Though the samples were representative and the data rich, this was designed to be a qualitative, exploratory study. Further research is indicated.

The findings shed light on strategies for the enhancement of formal and informal social networks as a route to effective inter‐firm cooperation in marketing, of particular value marketers in small‐and‐medium sized enterprises. They may also be of interest to public bodies, with respect to the role of trade associations.

This industry makes a substantial contribution to the rural and regional economies of both the countries. The findings and conclusions are potentially useful to marketing researchers and planners in aquaculture, and may be transferable to other industries and locations.

This study aims to improve understanding of companies’ motives and concerns in relation to cooperation through a joint commercial product portfolio.

The qualitative research method was used to study 17 companies based on two case projects.

The joint commercial product portfolio is introduced as a new type of co-marketing. The possible business drivers, targeted benefits and perceived challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in relation to cooperation through a joint commercial product portfolio are identified. The companies seem to be motivated by and concerned about similar issues that also apply to other forms of co-marketing.

The study consisted of two case projects in the same country and, thus, share fairly similar business environments and cultures. Therefore, the same results may not be obtained for a study that is conducted in a different location.

Managers of SMEs can benefit from the results of this study by improving their understanding of co-marketing opportunities through the creation of a joint commercial product portfolio with suitable companies. In addition, the results provide managers with insights into the challenges that should be considered when planning marketing cooperation.

The study provides new perspectives on the existing co-marketing literature by discussing the creation of a joint commercial product portfolio as a vehicle to support companies’ business objectives. The study contributes to the increasing business-to-business co-marketing literature by presenting the business drivers, targeted benefits and perceived challenges related to SMEs cooperation through a joint commercial product portfolio.

There is increasing recognition that a marketing, customer-based perspective in merger and acquisition (M&A) processes is needed. However, there is still limited information about how customers experience an acquisition and whether merging firms perceive their customers as assets to trade or as stakeholders to engage. In this chapter, the authors aim to contribute to this knowledge gap by developing a research agenda that incorporates a customer-based perspective in the investigation of M&A. The authors achieve this aim by reviewing 40 articles published in economic, marketing and management journals that examine customer and marketing issues in M&As. By engaging with existing studies and their hidden assumptions and drawing inspiration from current trends in the analysis of consumer behavior, the authors suggest four research avenues to inform future studies and to increase our understanding of M&As from the customer perspective.