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The ubiquity of the social web has forced online recruitment to change dramatically. This paper introduces the first e-recruitment network business model, the Private Talent Network© to support the practice of online talent resourcing.

Grounded theory was the research approach adopted, using mixed method data collection and triangulation of results. A study of six FTSE100 companies was conducted from different industries. This was an explorative study into network theories and models in context of e-recruitment.

The key outcome was the identification of a positive candidate experience. This was central to realising cost benefits and candidate quality and was influenced by nine internal and external factors. Theoretically actor network theory provided a flexible and representative framework of the online ecosystem adopted by businesses for talent resourcing.

Limited to UK FTSE100 target group only, the research is presented as a first step in defining a structured e-recruitment business model.

Direct support to enable practitioners to improve or/and initiate e-recruitment initiatives and further this management discipline.

Drawing on actor network theory the Private Talent Network© is proposed as the first e-recruitment network business model.

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the characteristics and impact of “gifted amateurs” who are maximising the potential of Web 2.0 technologies to grow their businesses creatively and in a cost‐effective manner. They are “punching above their weight” in their dealings with larger competitors who are less exposed to these new skills and more restricted in their structures.

A total of 378 small businesses in the South East of England are surveyed and 30 detailed empirical case studies charting the activities of these “early adopters” of Web 2.0 tools are developed.

Proactive “gifted amateurs” can systematically raise their profile through blogging, networking and judicious use of search engine optimisation techniques. They are competing effectively against larger organisations by applying network effects to their marketing activities, often circumventing the need for increasingly complex IT systems by continuing to rely upon cost‐effective Web 2.0 tools and their own networking skills as the business grows.

Technology has now developed to the point where the entry costs and barriers to remote and collaborative working have disappeared. “Gifted amateurs” can acquire new online marketing skills and secure IT systems, plus the ability to network and collaborate globally if necessary on knowledge projects, by creating virtual (and even disposable) organisations without having to commit themselves to a traditional IT infrastructure. Therefore they can avoid reliance on IT suppliers and grow their businesses in more flexible ways.

By recording the characteristics and experiences of these early adopters, this paper is one of the first to document the significant changes in business growth patterns and priorities that these tools are starting to facilitate.

The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in online marketing strategy which demonstrate the growing power of online communities in building brand reputations and customer relationships.

The work draws upon the results of an ongoing research project which is investigating the use of new technologies by entrepreneurial businesses in the London area. A range of examples from our 30 case study businesses are drawn upon to illustrate some of the opportunities and threats associated with these new marketing priorities.

We conclude that social networks will play a key role in the future of marketing; externally they can replace customer annoyance with engagement, and internally they help to transform the traditional focus on control with an open and collaborative approach that is more conducive to success in the modern business environment.

Further research should aim to track this activity as it integrates with more mainstream marketing over time.

Developments in the technologies themselves, as well as a reduction in costs, will mean that more and more information will be available to consumers. This results in unprecedented levels of transparency of dealings between businesses and their customers. A key challenge when engaging customers through these social networks is how to give away power and control while at the same time avoiding embarrassment to the company.

The paper provides practical guidance on the opportunities and threats associated with marketing through social networks, based on lessons learned from “early adopters”.

The authors review recent developments in online marketing strategy that demonstrate the growing power of online communities in building brand reputations and customer relationships.

This work draws upon the results of an ongoing research project that is investigating the use of new technologies by entrepreneurial growing businesses in the London area. A range of examples from our 30 case study businesses are drawn upon to illustrate some of the opportunities and threats associated with these new marketing priorities.

The authors conclude that social networks will play a key role in the future of marketing; externally they can replace customer annoyance with engagement, and internally they help to transform the traditional focus on control with an open and collaborative approach that is more conducive to success in the modern business environment.

Further research should aim to track this activity as it integrates with more mainstream marketing over time.

Developments in the technologies themselves, as well as a reduction in costs, will mean that more and more information will be available to consumers. This results in unprecedented levels of transparency of dealings between businesses and their customers. A key challenge when engaging customers through these social networks is how to give away power and control while at the same time avoiding embarrassment to the company.

The paper provides practical guidance on the opportunities and threats associated with marketing through social networks, based on lessons learned from “early adopters”.

Examines whether business really is undergoing a revolution or just the latest in a series of incremental changes with the universal and seemingly exponential spread of Internet technology. While it is tempting to regard the Internet as a unique challenge through its dual role as a driver of change and provider of tools for change, the article begins by drawing on a number of historical precedents in order to question some of the “hype” surrounding current Internet developments. By analysing relevant literature and primary data from a number of case studies in the UK and the USA, the particular challenges facing marketing are then examined to establish whether there are any parallels in marketing history from which lessons for the future may be learned. From our examples it is concluded that many “new” developments have in fact been practised for centuries and traditional processes are an important constituent of “evolutionary” rather than “revolutionary” innovation.

While much attention has recently been focused on the problems facing Internet start‐ups, the challenge of e‐business affects a much broader constituency of organisations. For established companies, the key challenge is one of change. Such companies must rethink fundamental aspects of company strategy, which may lead to a radical overhaul of existing ways of doing business, with company structure and culture becoming much more customer‐focused. Resistance at all company levels may need to be overcome, with a need to build commitment and consensus around e‐business strategies. However, companies must also deal with a paradox in e‐business change. As the “dot.com” crash showed, there are many strengths in “bricks and mortar” companies. Evolving a new business model based around “e‐enablement” must therefore avoid the “baby and bathwater syndrome”. Only by recognising and rising to these challenges and dilemmas, and devoting sufficient time, resources and expertise to them, will companies make a success of their e‐business ventures.

The paper aims to report on an exploratory study into how small businesses use Web 2.0 information and communication technologies (ICT) to work collaboratively with other small businesses. The study had two aims: to investigate the benefits available from the use of Web 2.0 in small business collaborations, and to characterize the different types of such online collaborations.

The research uses a qualitative case study methodology based on semi‐structured interviews with the owner‐managers of 12 UK‐based small companies in the business services sector who are early adopters of Web 2.0 technologies.

Benefits from the use of Web 2.0 are categorized as lifestyle benefits, internal operational efficiency, enhanced capability, external communications and enhanced service offerings. A 2×2 framework is developed to categorize small business collaborations using the dimensions of the basis for inter‐organizational collaboration (control vs cooperation) and the level of Web 2.0 ICT use (simple vs sophisticated).

A small number of firms of similar size, sector and location were studied, which limits generalizability. Nonetheless, the results offer a pointer to the likely future use of Web 2.0 tools by other small businesses.

The research provides evidence of the attraction and potential of Web 2.0 for collaborations between small businesses.

The paper is one of the first to report on use of Web 2.0 ICT in collaborative working between small businesses. It will be of interest to those seeking a better understanding of the potential of Web 2.0 in the small business community.

To question the models of childhood implied within contemporary UK debate about advertising to children. The paper identifies a role for qualitative market research in establishing a more fully‐articulated account of childhood, with implications for both policy makers and marketers.

A brief literature review of contemporary sociological perspectives on childhood informs an account of controversy in the UK about the legitimacy of advertising to children. Adult versions of childhood from this debate are contrasted with children's own accounts of their experience of advertising, drawing on a pilot study using informal qualitative methods.

Illuminates the assumptions about childhood which divide industry advocates from their critics, and suggests that qualitative understanding of children's experience of advertising should have a greater role in complementing the predominantly positivist research on which the debate draws.

Limited to recent UK discourse on children and advertising (which may restrict its extendability to non‐European cultures), and draws on a very small pilot study. This does, however, point the way to future research using informal methods.

Intended to enrich understanding of debate and policy on advertising and children, and to encourage the informed use of qualitative research in this area.

This paper fills a gap in the predominantly empirical or polemical literature in this area by setting competing arguments in an ontological framework.

To broaden the scope of our knowledge of collective voluntarily simplified lifestyles in the UK, by exploring whether voluntary simplifiers achieve their goals by adopting a simpler life.

Radical forms of voluntary simplifier groups were explored through participant‐observation research. The methodology can be broadly classified as critical ethnography, and a multi‐locale approach has been used in designing the field.

Although for some of these consumers voluntary simplicity seems to have reinstated the enjoyment of life, certain goals remain unfulfilled and other unexpected issues arise, such as the challenges of mobility in the attainment of environmental goals.

This is an ongoing research, however many opportunities for further research have arisen from this study. Quantitative research could be undertaken on the values and attitudes buttressing voluntary simplicity specifically in the UK. The extent to which such communities influence mainstream consumers could be studied both quantitatively and qualitatively. Mainstream consumers' attitudes to the practices of such communities could prove useful for uncovering real consumer needs.

Despite these communities position in the extreme end of the voluntary simplicity spectrum, their role in shaping the practices and attitudes of other consumers is clear.

This paper provides new consumer insights that can re‐shape policy‐making and marketing practice aimed at achieving a sustainable future.

Despite growing awareness of ethical and social responsibility (E&SR) issues in academia and industry, investigation of their influence on consumers' buying decisions has been limited. To help fill this gap, this paper reports the findings of a preliminary investigation to establish the key E&SR factors affecting grocery shopping behaviour.

The study drew upon existing literature in the areas of ethics, social responsibility, shopping and store image to identify the individual elements of E&SR. An exploratory qualitative study of E&SR consumers (E&SRC) was then conducted, using seven focus groups, and a typology of key factors of concern to these consumers was derived from analysis.

The findings identify seven core categories, containing seventy‐one sub‐categories. These interlink to form three main clusters: food quality and safety, human rights and ethical trading, and environmental (green) issues. Shoppers trade off these E&SR factors against standard retail purchasing factors, in particular convenience, price and merchandise range when deciding which shops to use and what products to buy.

The typology derived from this exploratory research may be used alongside conventional store image factors in future research, to help predict those factors that influence purchasing behaviour. Similarly, it may assist brand and retail managers in profiling, and meeting the needs of, E&SRC.

The research distinguishes differences in how shopper types vary in their behaviour, and proposes a set of implications for managers of the research and areas for further investigation.