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Seeks to address directly two assumptions that are inherent in current discussions concerning business and the role of technology. First, that business intelligence is, in fact, a feature of the business rather than the staff within that business. Businesses are simply entities with assets and capabilities but no cognitive processes, intelligence is a unique property of humans. Therefore there is a greater need to understand the social processes concerned in order to recognise this resource effectively. Second, that “e‐business” is distinct from “business”. Uses original research in the area of technological innovation as the basis for developing a wider argument with respect to e‐business. Argues that what is currently referred to as e‐business is a relatively poorly developed bundle of technologies that have yet to achieve full application in order to deliver optimum benefit. Also discusses the e‐business phenomenon, the role of technology and the importance of a social perspective of business to give more insightful understanding of the interactions between these areas.

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study conducted with 256 senior marketers in industrial and technological organisations. The results confirmed that the status of marketing in such organisations is low, but that this is likely to change due to a number of factors. Managers identified objectives that they prioritised for future success, which were positively correlated with intuitively appropriate strategies. The managers also identified the skills and abilities that they considered important in the future, providing valuable guidance for management educators.

The paper describes the development and system design of REFLES, a microcomputer‐based system for in‐house data files, in both its prototype and next‐stage versions. Specifics of hardware selection and configuration are outlined, as are details of file and record structures. Program functions are discussed, and samples are presented. The REFLES prototype is described in its test form, followed by presentation of the working environment, problems, and evaluation of the current version. Finally, the future of REFLES, or a REFLES‐like system, is outlined, both in respect to actual and proposed versions, as well as from a speculative viewpoint.

Analysis of organizational decline has become central to the study of economy and society. Further advances in this area may fail however, because two major literatures on the topic remain disintegrated and because both lack a sophisticated account of how social structure and interdependencies among organizations affect decline. This paper develops a perspective which tries to overcome these problems. The perspective explains decline through an understanding of how social ties and resource dependencies among firms affect market structure and the resulting behavior of firms within it. Evidence is furnished that supports the assumptions of the perspective and provides a basis for specifying propositions about the effect of network structure on organizational survival. I conclude by discussing the perspective’s implications for organizational theory and economic sociology.

The literature discusses the relationship between marketing practice and leadership style and suggests that these are dynamic and linked. Providing empirical data, this paper seeks to investigate this relationship between marketing practices and leadership styles.

A model was developed and tested using a survey methodology based on two well‐validated research instruments, one from the Contemporary Marketing Practices research group and the other the MLQ leadership questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach.

The results showed that a transformational style of leadership is positively associated with interaction and network marketing. Transactional leadership is positively associated with database and network marketing. Passive/avoidant leadership has no effect on any of the marketing practices.

The research is unique and exploratory, and was conducted in a UK context. The use of moderators within the model would have been preferable. For these reasons, generalizability is somewhat constrained.

The research adds weight to the argument that leadership styles need to be consciously adapted with respect to marketing practices. There are also implications for managerial training and development needs.

To one's knowledge very few studies have considered the relationship between marketing practices and leadership styles. The paper, therefore, reports work in an area not previously researched empirically.

In spite of the high interest in thermally sprayed aluminium (TSA) to protect offshore structures, pipelines, risers, etc., data correlating the exposure of TSA-coated steel in hot seawater to its performance are lacking. No information is available on the performance of TSA in hot seawater, especially when damaged. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap and report the corrosion performance of damaged TSA on carbon steel exposed to boiling synthetic seawater for different periods (up to 5,000 h). It also attempts to understand the mechanism of formation of calcareous deposits in boiling synthetic seawater by using various characterisation tools.

Twin wire arc spray was used to coat carbon steel specimens with commercially pure aluminium. Holiday was drilled on the coated surface to expose the underlying steel, amounting to 4 per cent of the specimen surface area. These specimens were then exposed to boiling synthetic seawater for different periods: 2, 68, 188, 335 and 5,000 h. During exposure, the potential was monitored (vs standard calomel electrode [SCE]) and linear polarisation resistance (LPR) method was used to calculate the corrosion rate (CR). After exposure, these specimens were analysed by using characterisation tools such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM)/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).

The TSA-coated steel samples with 4 per cent holiday showed a CR of approximately 0.008-0.015 mm y⁻¹ and a stable potential (E_corr) around −800 mV (SCE), when exposed to boiling synthetic seawater for approximately 5,000 h. Microstructural characterisation established that the deposits comprised brucite [Mg(OH)₂] only (this is very different to what has been reported at ambient temperatures). The stable potentials obtained after 5,000 h suggest that the brucite layers provided effective corrosion mitigation. Thus, TSA seems to show the potential to protection hot carbon steel risers, even when damage exposing the external steel surface to the seawater is present.

The mechanism of calcareous deposit formation has been studied for many years, but most of the previously reported studies concentrate on low or ambient temperature behaviour. The reported studies mainly concentrate on the application of cathodic protection, rather than the effect of TSA. This is the first journal paper where the behaviour of damaged TSA in boiling synthetic seawater has been reported. The formation of brucite-only layer in the damaged area adjacent to the steel surface in boiling synthetic seawater is novel. And the mechanism of formation of this layer has been explained in the paper.

This paper aims to investigate the trend and/or paradigm shift to relationship marketing as a dominant framework that has shaped the way in which relationships are understood, and also to consider how the understanding of relationships can be improved.

A case‐based study was conducted in order to examine issues concerning relationships. A series of constructs was elicited from the relationship marketing literature to be used as the basis for this study.

Relationship development is explained by stages or state theory, whereby relationships develop over time or simply emerge. Confirmation is offered to the states theory, which suggests that relationships are relatively static and develop in less well‐defined ways.

This study is limited in scope, bounded by the context of the cases, which were limited to business‐to‐business suppliers of manufactured industrial goods.

Managers should be cautious of attempting to tactically change relationships as in practice this is more challenging than continuum‐based models would imply.

Continuum models imply that the process is one of tactical implementation rather than strategic redirection. This is not confirmed by the research, which provides an alternative model to understand and manage relationships.

The objective of the Contemporary Marketing Practices (CMP) research program is to develop an understanding of how firms relate to their markets in a manner that integrates both traditional and more modern views of marketing, and incorporates an understanding of both the antecedents and consequences of different practices. This paper aims to review its first decade.

The paper adopts a theoretical approach. It reviews the history of CMP research and its outcomes. The assessment concludes with a discussion of the program's contribution to marketing knowledge and some issues and challenges for future research.

Now a decade old, the CMP research program has undertaken research in over 15 countries. The study finds that it has made a unique contribution to marketing knowledge by bridging the gap between theory and practice.

By adopting a multi‐paradigm philosophy and a multi‐method approach, a broad perspective has been achieved that integrates the traditional managerial view of marketing with relational and process arguments.

This paper aims to demonstrate how a Contemporary Marketing Practices (CMP)‐based living case study approach can be used to enhance student learning, and to develop new theory about marketing practice.

The paper compares and contrasts teaching cases and research cases to create context. It then describes two examples of the living case study approach: one project directed at understanding the impact of information technologies (IT) on marketing practice, and the other at examining managerial understandings of customer value.

The study finds that a living case approach extends insight into antecedents and consequences of marketing practice, consistent with CMP research objectives. New conceptual frameworks for the IT adoption process and conceptions of customer value are co‐created by executive students and the authors. It shows that managers are able contributors to theory development. The paper concludes that the living case approach provides a rich “zone of mutuality” between research and teaching.

Action learning can be used in business schools to enhance theoretical and practical understanding of complex process‐based phenomena.

The living case study is suited to post‐experience students rather than undergraduates. In addition to considering the nature of the student body, faculty should also consider fit with their personal competencies and the curriculum prior to taking this approach. However, it should be done so advisedly.

The study stimulates reflection on alternative approaches to teaching and learning in executive education, and to theory development in marketing practice.

The purpose of this article is to challenge the applicability of the traditional micro‐economic framework for analysing marketing situations and actions in the contemporary marketing environment. To assess the validity and value of relationship marketing as an alternative paradigm. To identify fruitful directions for further research.

The literature of relationships and relationship marketing was systematically reviewed and thoroughly analysed, and a conceptual framework built from the findings.

Three key schools of thought are identified, examined and discussed, and their main components explained and examined. Various perspectives on exchange relationships are discussed. Two specific tools for implementation of relationship marketing are evaluated. With a clear conceptual frame of reference thus established, the second part proposes a number of fruitful directions for further research. These include a bibliometric study to assess whether or not a consistent theory of relationship marketing exists, and a rigorous identification of contextual factors determining different marketing styles.

The second part of the paper explicitly discusses research directions to take the new paradigm forward, in theory and in practice.

The combination of a more rigorous conceptual framework and a clear research agenda holds the promise of significant progress in the practical implementation of a young sub‐discipline.

The paper presents a distinctively wide‐ranging and thorough overview of the subject of value to both academic researchers and marketing practitioners.