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A national survey of small manufacturing businesses (fewer than 100 employees) reveals prevailing attitudes about doing business with public agencies. Respondents describe a two tiered, nine variable model as representative of the public sector procurement process. Findings provide government agencies and private sector marketers with operational clues on what may help initiate and sustain procurement relationships with smaller suppliers.

Physical distribution organisations may be defined as organisational units whose duty is to administer economic activities that impact upon the flow of finished goods between points of production and consumption. Physical distribution components occupy a unique role in the organisation. Their mission has been defined as “getting the right assortment of materials to the right location in an efficient manner timely to marketing and manufacturing requirements”. To accomplish this mission there must be continual interaction between suppliers of materials and receivers of materials. Material suppliers can be thought of as the rest of the organisation of which the physical distribution component is a part, primarily the production or manufacturing component. Receivers of materials are the organisation's customers or distribution points. The physical distribution organisation, by virtue of the activities it performs, must deal with both the internal suppliers and the external receivers.

Deals with the structural problem of how to allocate work to sub‐units or departments within physical distribution organizations. Asks what bases or criteria should be followed in assigning duties to the various parts of physical distribution structures. Concludes with managerial implications.

In this empirical study, export strategies of 131 California exporting manufacturers were examined. A factor analysis of fifty variables yielded five factors which were analysed subsequently through multiple discriminant analysis. Two of the five factors, strategic planning and export strategies, were found to be meaningful in discriminating between small and large exporters. Implications for managers are offered.

Addresses the standardization of the measurements and the labels for concepts commonly used in the study of work organizations. As a reference handbook and research tool, seeks to improve measurement in the study of work organizations and to facilitate the teaching of introductory courses in this subject. Focuses solely on work organizations, that is, social systems in which members work for money. Defines measurement and distinguishes four levels: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. Selects specific measures on the basis of quality, diversity, simplicity and availability and evaluates each measure for its validity and reliability. Employs a set of 38 concepts ‐ ranging from “absenteeism” to “turnover” as the handbook’s frame of reference. Concludes by reviewing organizational measurement over the past 30 years and recommending future measurement reseach.

The extent of national export volume attributable to the small firm sector within the UK does not compare favourably with that of certain other European countries/ particularly Germany and Italy. In an attempt to enhance the export competitiveness of this firm sector recent policy, research and management attention has been devoted to influences underlying export development. This article contributes to this knowledge by reviewing extensive research studies that have reported on one aspect of this topic: the international orientation of the decision maker within the small firm.

The aim of this study was to integrate the hierarchical model of the perceived service quality (PSQ) theory with the bottom-up theory of satisfaction. It was hypothesised that satisfaction with sporting events would mediate the relationship between PSQ and life satisfaction. Study 1 was conducted to translate the Perceived Service Quality questionnaire (PSQQ) (Brady & Cronin, 2011) into Chinese and to validate it for sporting events. Study 2 was conducted to examine the main hypothesis. The results indicated that satisfaction-withevent partially mediated the relationship between PSQ and life satisfaction. The results are discussed in terms of both the examined theories.

While profitability improved for a sample of 260 downscaling firms in 46 industries, productivity declined dramatically. We propose and critically examine five competing hypotheses to explain these findings: (1) learning curve effects associated with new technologies; (2) experience curve effects associated with the introduction of new products or entering new markets; (3) systemic problems within the firm; (4) unexpected loss of more productive employees, and (5) reduced commitment among remaining employees.

Strategic alliances involve uncertainty, interdependence, and vulnerability, which often create adverse situations. This paper seeks to understand how alliance managers respond to these adverse situations by examining the influence of four exchange variables on response strategies.

A scenario‐based experiment provides empirical support for a typology consisting of seven conceptually and empirically distinct response strategies: exit, opportunism, aggressive voice, creative voice, considerate voice, patience, and neglect.

The results indicate that economic satisfaction, social satisfaction, alliance‐specific investments, and the availability of attractive alternatives differentially and interactively affect response strategies.

The study offers two main contributions to alliance literature. First, the seven response strategies accurately represent reactions that alliance managers use to deal with adverse situations. Second, the study findings validate and extend previous alliance research by highlighting that a comprehensive response strategy typology is necessary to disentangle the effects of the four exchange conditions on response strategy use, which fosters theory development and managers' ability to manage their alliances effectively.

The study contributes to the process perspective on strategic alliances by highlighting the various response strategies that alliance managers use to deal with adverse situations and their antecedents.