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Since Theodore Levitt's seminal article was published in 1983, globalization has become a dominant theme of international strategy. The popularity of the concept has led to overuse and misuse, so that companies may speak of “global” strategy when they actually mean “international” and are speaking in a general sense of anything connected with doing business outside the domestic market.

An extensive literature has been devoted to defining and analysing the unique qualities of professional occupations. Professionals are usually thought of, both by themselves and the general public, as independent practitioners working in private practice and therefore following different patterns of work and different values or standards from those of people employed by organisations.

To identify and discuss the changes arising within very large law firms from the pressure to provide global services and the issues for firms in implementing cross‐border integration.

The research is qualitative, case‐based and exploratory, using a piloted topic guide. The study is of very large UK “City” law firms (i.e. those operating in over 20 countries) using in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with: managing partners, senior partners, partners and associates at “City” law firms, clients, US lawyers in London and non‐legal professionals. Data are triangulated with information from trade press, trade associations and firm reports.

Identification of managerial issues of global integration common to law firms interviewed. These include: a shift to a “managed” firm and decline in professional autonomy; post‐acquisition integration and merger process issues; operationalization of global practices (such as common technology platforms, common systems practices, common human resources management practices and cross‐border intra‐firm working relationships) to achieve consistency throughout the integrated firm.

Data set is derived from UK firms only and dependent on respondent views. Findings indicate that law firms have become less distinctive and more like other service businesses.

The paper identifies the processes by which consistent cross‐border service to the client may be achieved within globally integrated firms.

Law is an under‐researched industry. This research adds to knowledge of the legal services industry; explores globalization in a professional service firm context; extends the global strategy literature into the services domain. This is also one of the few papers on law firms based on primary data.

There are few valuable services brands, which may be due to the lack of services branding knowledge and the inappropriate use of product‐based branding advice. To contribute to services branding knowledge the authors undertook a review of the services management and services branding literature and postulated a model of services branding. In‐depth interviews with 28 leading‐edge consultants showed the appropriateness of this model. The study found a need for ruthless clarity about positioning and the corporation's genuinely felt values. Success is more likely when everyone internally believes in their brand's values. When management behaviour is based on genuine conviction, shared values are more likely. Through shared values, there is a greater likelihood of commitment, internal loyalty, clearer brand understanding, and importantly, consistent brand delivery across all stakeholders. By viewing these factors within a systems perspective, greater services brand consistency can result.

Reviews journal articles and worldwide hospitality and tourism trends research entries relating to three themes: business performance and performance measurement, process and quality improvement and teamworking. Draws on generic and industry‐specific material to identify “best practice” approaches adopted in other industries that might be applied in the context of hospitality and tourism settings.

This chapter examines the topic of internal branding from an organizational/behavioral science perspective, theoretically and empirically investigating how organizational members actually enact corporate brands. A mixed method research procedure serves to surface conscious (i.e., deliberate) and unconscious (i.e., tacit) internal brand meaning enactments in an internationally operating Austrian corporate business-to-business brand. The results are evidence of the potential complexity of real-life internal branding processes that limit the possibility of achieving a cohesive intended internal implementation of corporate brands. The chapter concludes with the managerial implication that purposeful managerial interventions necessitate an understanding of the social system that is the target of an internal branding initiative.

This chapter examines the topic of internal branding from an organizational/behavioral science perspective, theoretically and empirically investigating how organizational members actually enact corporate brands. A mixed-method research procedure serves to surface conscious (i.e., deliberate) and unconscious (i.e., tacit) internal brand meaning enactments in an internationally operating Austrian corporate business-to-business (B2B) brand. The results are an evidence of the potential complexity of real-life internal branding processes that limit the possibility of achieving a cohesive intended internal implementation of corporate brands. The chapter concludes with the managerial implication that purposeful managerial interventions necessitate an understanding of the social system that is the target of the internal branding initiative

The purpose of this study is to examine the consumer-side effects of “under new management” (UNM) signs. The authors integrate cue-utilization theory and relevance theory to guide hypotheses about the conditions under which these signs are and are not beneficial.

Two consumer-based experiments were used to examine the quality and reputation effects of restaurants signaling a management change on potential and existing customers.

The results suggest that positive and negative effects are possible. The direction of these effects is contingent upon consumers’ prior experience, type of service (i.e. search/experience) and the relevance of the signal.

The study is limited to one industry (i.e. restaurants) and examines the effects of market signals on perceived quality and reputation. In addition, this research brought forth the notion of “signal relevance” and suggested that it may be explicitly tied to attributions. However, this assertion must examine multiple signals (relevant/irrelevant) and their contingent effects on consumer perceptions.

The findings advise businesses to use caution when using signals such as an “UNM” sign, as they appear to have different effects depending on the experience of the consumer with the service and the relevance of the signal.

This research contributes to the literature on cue utilization theory to understand the effects of marketplace cues on consumer perceptions. It contributes to marketing theory and practice by proposing a model of cue effects based on prior customer experience, type of service and cue relevance.

The failure to manage the firm's brand successfully with trading partners is a potentially fatal obstacle to success in today's hypercompetitive global economy. Strong brands serve as an important point of differentiation for firms, assisting customers in their evaluation and choice processes. Considerable research exists on the branding of consumer goods, and the literature on business-to-business (B2B) brands and service brands is increasing. However, research on branding in the context of B2B services is relatively sparse. This paper integrates research in B2B brands and service brands to explore B2B service brands. The paper reports a multiple methods study of brands and brand management in the logistics services industry as a specific case of B2B service branding. The study addresses two research questions that are relevant for B2B service brands. First, how are brands perceived when the customer is an organization rather than an individual? Second, how do brands differentiate intangible offers that customers often consider as commodities? The first study reports data collected in an exploratory investigation comprised of depth interviews with representatives of logistics services firms and customers. The study supports the extendibility of Keller's brand equity framework into the B2B services context. The second study tests the framework using data collected in a mail survey of logistics service providers and customers. Results suggest that brands do differentiate the offerings of logistics service providers and that brand equity exists for this commodity-like B2B service. However, findings reveal differences in perceptions between service providers and customers. Specifically, brand image is a stronger influence on customers' perceptions of service providers' brand equity, whereas brand awareness is a stronger driver of the service providers' perceptions of their own brand equity. The paper discusses implications of these differences for managing B2B services.