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The Internet is rapidly changing the way in which information is displayed and accessed on a global level. Taking into consideration the new communication opportunities offered on line, businesses will be forced to alter both their internal and external communication strategies, and be prepared to flow with the changes. One of the sectors that can benefit from the global expansion of Internet communications is biotechnology. In order to understand the on‐line corporate communication model used by biotechnology companies, the Internet sites of 600 firms were accessed and analysed. The data presented highlight the type of on‐line messages, their function (marketing or PR oriented), the targeted audiences, and the level of on‐line interaction provided by the company’s site. Finally, the interpretation of results concludes with an integrated on‐line communication model for biotechnology companies.

The present field-based case study is related to topics in marketing area, more specifically brand management, strategic marketing and business strategy.

This case is primarily meant for second-year students in a postgraduate program in business management (MBA). The case could also be discussed in an executive development program on marketing/business strategy.

The present case is based on Aava natural mineral water, the brainchild of Mr Behram Mehta, Chairman of Shelpee Enterprises. The case explores at the various marketing strategies adopted by Aava in India. The case traces the brand's foray into the Indian bottled water market as a regional players and its growth as a pan Indian brand. However, in early 2012, the majority of Aava's sales were coming through institutional sales. The brand was facing a challenge of trying to find a foothold in the retail market. The balance between becoming a mass and a premium brand was also looming large. The major question that Aava needed to answer is whether it should restrict itself to the B2B market or whether it should try to penetrate the retail market. Given the latter is more beneficial for the company, the issues of product, pricing and brand communication needed to be revisited since these are not similar for B2B and B2C brands.

The various learning outcomes of the case include: understanding the differences between B2B and B2C marketing and the need for different strategies for both, apply marketing research findings to introduce a product in a market, evaluate and execute marketing communication strategies based on human behaviour for more effectiveness, evaluate alternatives leading to the right choice of branding/marketing strategy, understand the role of 4Ps of marketing for successful business and industry analysis.

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Every business can be described in terms of flows – both of materials and of information. Materials flow into the company, between activities within it, and in the form of finished goods and services from the company to its customers. Simultaneously, there are flows of information in the reverse direction that provide valuable data for the system: feedback from the marketplace in the form of customers’ orders, customer reaction, and information on needs and wants; flows of information within the company that provide data in the form of inventory schedules, production schedules, etc., and orders from the company to outside suppliers. In one sense the whole company and the market in which it operates can be regarded as a series of linkages and relationships, and the company’s operating efficiency can be seen to depend on how well these connections work. If the system can be made to flow smoothly, at minimum cost, then the chances are that the overall company performance, measured by any criteria, will be high. In practice, however, it is very common to find bottlenecks and poor integration between different parts of this system, with consequent unsatisfactory performance.

This case study was made possible by the co‐operation of the managing director of Cosyfeet, Mr David Price, to whom we are very grateful. The case was prepared as a basis for class discussion and as an illustration of what may or may not constitute success in a small business context.

Successful marketing strategies depend very much on an organisation's ability to implement them. As the role of technology grows apace in marketing, it is important to understand how IT and organizational processes impact on the implementation of marketing strategies. This paper attempts to show how technology is changing the nature of marketing and then shows its interaction with people and processes. It also offers organisations an opportunity to undertake a self‐evaluation exercise to determine how well integrated are their implementation policies. In general, the argument outlined indicates that for successful implementation of strategies an organisation has to integrate people, processes and IT.

The accelerated globalisation of world markets in the last 30 years has increased the importance of internationalisation models for both academics and practitioners. The internationalisation process of SMEs is one of the newest developments in this area, with major implication for the strategic orientation of small firms. However, this phenomenon has to be considered in relation with the specific characteristics for various market environments and industrial sectors. This study attempts to analyse the impact of the domestic market profile on the internationalisation process of biotech SMEs in US and UK, outlining the similarities and the differences between these two countries.

The trade off between customer privacy and Web site personalisation is currently moving to the forefront of academic and practical debate in marketing. The new Internet applications allow marketers to develop detailed customer databases where personal information is connected with buying patterns, providing a detailed behavioural profile. The collection and use of the data is regulated differently in the European Union and the USA. While Europe considers it important to implement formal legislation for the protection of customers’ privacy rights, the US authorities consider privacy policy to be determined through voluntary regulation by industry. Considering these different approaches, the present study explores and compares the privacy/personalisation dimensions of French, British and US Web sites.

Investigates the application of the Internet marketing and information exchange strategies in the Biotechnology sector. The Internet is particularly valuable in this context because not only does it offer instant information about products and services, but it also allows an interactive medium for value added activities such as “virtual” molecular modeling. This type of activity can foster important joint research operations between companies on a worldwide basis.

This paper aims on one hand to provide a comparison of mobile consumers' perceptions regarding privacy issues in three different national and cultural contexts (England, France and Romania), and on the other hand, to investigate the strategic approach taken by respondents for protecting their privacy.

Both secondary and primary data are collected and analysed. Secondary data collection focuses on the topic of consumer privacy issues in mobile commerce. Primary data collection was realised between March‐June 2008, when 300 mobile device users answered to a face‐to‐face questionnaire, in each of the three investigated countries.

Both the country of origin and the personal profile of users, are influencing their perception regarding privacy threats in the mobile commerce environment, as well as the privacy protection strategy they adopt.

This study has an exploratory approach, the results being mostly descriptive. The findings can provide a useful insight for marketers, legislators and consumers regarding the privacy related concerns and behaviours in the mobile commerce environment.

This study realises a multi‐country comparative analysis regarding the perceptions of mobile device users, and investigates the influence of their profile on the personal privacy protection strategy adopted in the mobile commerce environment.

The utilization of the Internet and Internet marketing for marketing research has received considerable attention. Although there is a growing body of research devoted to this issue little has been done to explore the impact of Internet technology, e‐mail users’ on‐line skills and experience, on their choice of the new survey medium. This study is based on a sample of 122 responses from UK marketing executives using e‐mail and mail questionnaire surveys respectively. The research instrument included measures of respondents’ extent of e‐mail use, their general knowledge of online communications and their time of using the Internet. Some significant impact of these factors has been identified. The empirical evidence supports the hypotheses that the use of e‐mail survey methods is positively connected with high technology awareness and extensive e‐mail use. The findings imply that proper survey planning and administration are important for Internet‐based marketing surveys and suggest the existence of certain user patterns among different Internet user populations.