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To achieve a full understanding of the role of marketing from plan to profit requires a knowledge of the basic building blocks. This textbook introduces the key concepts in the art or science of marketing to practising managers. Understanding your customers and consumers, the 4 Ps (Product, Place, Price and Promotion) provides the basic tools for effective marketing. Deploying your resources and informing your managerial decision making is dealt with in Unit VII introducing marketing intelligence, competition, budgeting and organisational issues. The logical conclusion of this effort is achieving sales and the particular techniques involved are explored in the final section.

The purpose of this study is to design a new type of cold plate to improve the thermal performance of liquid-cooled thermal management system of lithium-ion batteries.

A cold plate with leaf type channels is proposed to enhance the cooling performance. Effects of the leaf type channel parameters (i.e. channel angle 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°; coolant mass flow rate 0.25 × 10^–3, 0.50 × 10^–3, 0.75 × 10^–3, 1.00 × 10^–3, 1.25 × 10^–3 kg·s⁻¹; channel number 1, 3, 5, 7) on the performance are numerically investigated by using a 3D mathematical model.

Compared to the traditional I type channels, the leaf type channels have better cooling performance. It is found that the battery temperature variation and channel pressure drop are decreased with decreasing channel angle and increasing channel number. In addition, the cooling performance can be improved by increasing the coolant mass flow rate.

This study can provide guidance for the development of novel effective cold plates.

The design of cold plates with leaf type channels can be used in liquid-cooled thermal management system to reduce the battery temperature difference.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate employers’ recruitment strategies to address distinct job-related agency problems before establishing an employment relationship. Insights from agency theory and the social embeddedness perspective are combined to hypothesize whether and why employers adapt their recruitment strategies to the job type (differing in level of discretion) for which they are externally hiring.

The hypotheses are empirically tested using data from a survey of 288 Dutch employers. Questions were asked about the two types of jobs. Multi-level logistic regression analysis is applied to investigate the effect of social context on the choice of recruitment strategy. In addition to that, separate analyses are conducted for the two job types, using logistic regression analysis.

As predicted, employers have the tendency to use informal recruitment channels more often for jobs with high degree of discretion (i.e. managerial, professional, and specialists jobs (MPS)) than for jobs with low degree of discretion (i.e. administrative and supporting jobs). In addition, the type of information transmitted through employers’ social contacts matters for their recruitment strategies. In particular, the reliable and trustworthy information from contacts with friends and family is more important for MPS jobs. This seems to be the way employers deal with the high agency costs characterizing this type of jobs.

This study extends prior research as follows. First, while earlier studies more closely looked at why organizations use formal or informal recruitment, this study specifically focusses on the role the job type plays in the hiring process. Second, it provides an extension of agency theory by including job type in the analyses. And, third, the study examines how the networks of employers, rather than employees, affect the hiring process.

This study investigates the impacts of return channel type on the relationships between return service quality (RSQ) and customer loyalty (CL) in an omnichannel retailing environment.

Data comes from Chinese customers having a return experience in omnichannel retailing that uses the channel type of both buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS) and buy-in-store-return-to-online warehouses (BSROW). The authors use the structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses and the bootstrapping method to test the mediation and moderation effect.

For BORIS channel, satisfaction of customer returns (CRS) partially mediates the relationship between convenience and CL, and fully mediates that between CL and responsiveness, transparency and competence, respectively. For BSROW channel, CRS partially mediates the relationship between responsiveness and CL, and fully mediates that between CL and convenience, transparency and competence, respectively. The mediation effects indicate that omnichannel customers may feel more satisfied due to higher omnichannel fulfillment (responsiveness and convenience) and omnichannel trust (transparency and competence) provided by retailers. Return channel type moderates the relationship between RSQ-convenience and CL. The results show the different expectations between BORIS and BSROW customers in the return process.

This paper serves as a pioneering study to apply cognition-affect-behavior paradigm into the field of return management in omnichannel retailing.

The findings suggest retailers develop their strategies on customer returns and post-sales service quality improvement in the omnichannel. Also, retailers should develop an integrated return system across channels to provide convenient service to BORIS customers and quick response to BSROW customers.

Studying return service management in the omnichannel from customer's cognition appraisal, this study contributes to the literature of the reverse service management by bringing in the effect of omnichannel type to explore the relationship between RSQ and CL.

The restructuring of service channels, driven by deregulation, intensifying global competition and emerging information technology, is forcing every company to re‐evaluate the adequacy of current customer services. Introduces a normative model, called service process analysis (SPA), that properly differentiates the concept of service from the specification of the delivery channel so as to facilitate the analysis of repositioning strategies. In SPA, efficient matching of services and channels is determined on the basis of the trade‐off between production costs and transaction costs involved. Compares the SPA model with some well‐known frameworks and measurement schemes and illustrates its implications for the repositioning of service strategies in selected industries.

This study provides an insight into and a solution for the conflict among marketing channel members in China. It also examines the application of a Western channel conflict management (CM) model in China and suggests future research directions for CM of marketing channel members.

A replication research study with extensions was conducted following previous studies' suggestions. Using a Chinese sample, the author further evaluates a Western conceptual framework with hypothetical relationships of variables. Different from the original study using students in a simulated network environment, this study used channel members involved in actual network activities. Data were collected by a questionnaire survey and analyzed.

The results show CM of channel members in China and do not fully support the hypotheses in the Western model. This study identifies the determinants of an effective approach toward resolving conflicts among members from the perspectives of network outcomes, conflict types and management styles. The choice of CM style is imperative to member performance, especially for achieving specific network outcomes or CM goals.

This study contributes to existing studies of CM of marketing channel members by providing empirical evidence of managing conflict of members in the Chinese channel, revealing the effectiveness of CM of members with different cultural norms, providing managers with practical solutions to effectively manage conflicts among members and providing future research directions regarding this topic.

While remanufactured products represent an increasingly researched phenomenon in the literature, not much is known about consumers' understanding and acceptance of such products. This study explores this issue in the context of the theory of perceived risk (TPR), investigating return policy leniency and distribution channel choice as potential factors to foster remanufactured products' sales.

This research utilizes an experimental design composed of a pre-test and a scenario-based main experiment to explore how return policy leniency might mitigate consumers' perceived risk and how their related purchase intention differs across two types of retail distribution channel structures (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online).

The investigation into the efficacy of return policy leniency within two retail distribution channel settings (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online) illustrates that providing a lenient return policy is an effective “cue” in increasing consumer purchase intention for remanufactured products. While prior literature has established that consumers value return policy leniency for new products, the authors provide empirical evidence that this preference also applies to remanufactured products. Notably, that return policy preference holds true in both channel settings (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online) under consideration. Additionally, and contrary to the authors’ predictions, consumers perceived remanufactured products sold via both channel settings as equally risky, thus highlighting that both are appropriate distribution channels for remanufactured products. Finally, while research on new products provides some initial guidance on consumer perceptions of quality and risk, the study provides empirical evidence into the difference of perceived risk with regard to new versus remanufactured products.

By employing the TPR, this research explored the role played by two supply chain management related factors (returns policy and channel structure) in reducing consumer's perceived risk and increasing purchase intention. In doing so, this study answers the call for more consumer-based supply chain management research in a controlled experimental research setting.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the use of alignment practices between manufacturers and retailers; it focuses on the Italian fashion industry.

A qualitative approach is adopted (case studies of fashion retailers in Italy), involving both documentary analysis and structured interviews with retail and store managers, with the aim of assessing the level of channel alignment between manufacturer and retailer.

The paper gives an overview of the extent to which fashion retailers in Italy pursue channel alignment; it suggests a relationship between the degree of alignment and two relevant drivers (channel type and lifecycle phase).

A descriptive analysis with exploratory purpose is provided. The overall research plan includes expanding the analysis and final testing through quantitative methods.

The paper analyses the role of retail channel alignment in the fashion industry from an operational point of view; helps understanding the need for alignment with respect to channel type and lifecycle phase.

The comparative analysis of channel structures may offer early warning of changing distribution requirements

One of the essential components of China’s economic open door policy is the reform in its distribution system. So far the distribution reform has transformed China’s distribution system from being non‐responsive and supply‐driven to increasingly responsive and market‐ driven and the nature of exchange relationships among channel members has also changed. Consequently, the China market has become more accessible. This paper reviews a series of distribution reform programs and the emerging trends, highlights major changes in China’s distribution system, identifies the unresolved marketing and administration issues, and assesses their implications for the design of channel strategy, market entry strategy, and effective channel management in China.