Kathleen Hastings and Chad Perry
Investigates whether success factors for Australian services firms that export to Asia are consistent with the theory of relationship marketing, and demonstrates the power of the…
Abstract
Investigates whether success factors for Australian services firms that export to Asia are consistent with the theory of relationship marketing, and demonstrates the power of the in‐depth interview methodology for exploring marketing theory. Relationship marketing theory suggests that services firms should adopt a relationship marketing approach while goods firms might use a transactional approach. To investigate this theory, a series of in‐depth interviews were conducted in firms marketing agribusiness products to Asia. We found that growth in the agribusiness services sector could be attributed to their strategy of “pairing” with Australian commodity exporters rather than to entering the market directly. Contrary to expectations, we found that Australian goods firms consider building relationships with Asian distributors and customers crucial to initiating and maintaining an export strategy. Furthermore, Australian agribusiness services firms do not seek to enter the market on their own but build relationships with Australian firms as a means of accessing the Asian market. The results demonstrate the power of qualitative methods for uncovering results that confirm or disconfirm existing theory.
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Janet Howieson, Meredith Lawley and Kathleen Hastings
Value Chain Analysis (VCA) is established as a diagnostic tool. The purpose of this study is to extend existing applications and develop an iterative and relational method. to…
Abstract
Purpose
Value Chain Analysis (VCA) is established as a diagnostic tool. The purpose of this study is to extend existing applications and develop an iterative and relational method. to facilitate the application of VCA to agri-food chains as a strategic process rather than a diagnostic tool.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multiple case study design, the new approach to VCA was applied to four Australian prawn fisheries. These fisheries varied in size, location, management structures and marketing arrangements and allowed the general applicability of the approach to be explored.
Findings
The application of the revised VCA revealed the importance of undertaking a strategic approach, with the outcome for all fisheries being a greater understanding of their consumers and an enhanced realisation of commercial opportunities. Two fisheries completed the revised VCA, and the findings show that a relational approach is crucial in creating value. In addition, it was shown that formalised structures and the informal behaviours of the value chain members have a strong positive impact on the relationship process.
Research limitations/implications
The research furthers the value chain literature and contributes an iterative approach to the application of VCA. The research also shows that obtaining improvements is not achievable for all chains, and, if the entire chain is not engaged with the process, the value of the results will be compromised. Further research is needed to confirm the validity of findings in other food industries.
Originality/value
The relational approach is an original contribution to the area of VCA research and provides industry with a blueprint for creating successful value chains. Specifically, the areas of implementation and evaluation make an original contribution to the theoretical and practical knowledge of value chains.
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Marilyn Healy, Kathleen Hastings, Les Brown and Michael Gardiner
The boundaries of relationship marketing have been discussed since relationship marketing was first investigated in the 1970s. Investigating these boundaries, this paper reviews…
Abstract
The boundaries of relationship marketing have been discussed since relationship marketing was first investigated in the 1970s. Investigating these boundaries, this paper reviews the links between relationship marketing and network theory. Three main themes of marketing relationships are identified: relationship marketing, neo‐relationship marketing and network theory. A framework is developed to allow for the positioning of these three themes of marketing relationships. While this framework has been developed in terms of a table, the intent is not to box theorists into neat positions but rather to develop an overall position statement for the three types of marketing relationships. Theorists can discuss marketing relationships depending on their position within the framework. Consequently, the framework allows for further development of relationship and neo‐relationship marketing by offering better applications for the practitioner, and enhances understanding of network theory. Suggestions are offered for the integration of marketing relationships into the marketing curriculum and further implications for marketing research are discussed.
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Kathleen Hastings, Janet Howieson and Meredith Lawley
The purpose of this paper is to identify the key characteristics of business-to-business relationships in the early stages of the relationship that will influence the successful…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the key characteristics of business-to-business relationships in the early stages of the relationship that will influence the successful creation of value chains. Identification of these characteristics will provide a decision-making tool for continuing the effective development of the value chain process.
Design/methodology/approach
Key characteristics necessary to develop strong relationships were identified from the literature. These characteristics will assist the relationship to evolve into a long-standing mature relationship. An expert panel evaluated four value chain analysis (VCA) case studies against these characteristics in order to identify patterns in relationships that could explain the varied performance of these cases.
Findings
In total, 15 relational characteristics were identified that must be present in the engagement stage before initiating the next step in the VCA process. An assessment of the activities associated with pre-relationships and early relationships within the value chain provide a strong indication of the chains ability to conduct successful VCA.
Research limitations/implications
This research furthers the understanding of value chains and adds an important and novel contribution of relationship characteristics to the early stages of relationship development within value chains.
Originality/value
The application of relationship development to the engagement of value chains is an extension to the VCA literature. Relationships are a proven foundation component of successful value chains, and yet relationship development research from business-to-business marketing has not been well incorporated into the value chain literature. The framework proposed in this paper facilitates an assessment on the level of chain engagement and readiness to take the next step in the value chain process, thus making a valuable practical contribution.
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Netflix is the market leader in the streaming entertainment industry. In 2020 and 2021, Netflix’s subscriber numbers and revenue increased. During the first two quarters of 2022…
Abstract
Purpose
Netflix is the market leader in the streaming entertainment industry. In 2020 and 2021, Netflix’s subscriber numbers and revenue increased. During the first two quarters of 2022, Netflix lost millions of subscribers, revenue and profit declined and its share price and market capitalization deteriorated. The purpose of this study is to investigate how and why a company with such a strong track record as Netflix can experience this crisis and, most importantly, how it overcame the crisis and returned to growth.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study investigates Netflix’s rise, fall and recovery between 2020 and 2023 using qualitative research methods. It examines earnings calls, transcripts and letters to shareholders as well as the views of investment analysts, journalists and academics.
Findings
Netflix turned its fortunes around because its leaders faced the crisis head-on. They acknowledged that previous strategic decisions were no longer working, that no advertisements were on the platform and that there was no account sharing and they reversed these decisions. Netflix also realized that it needed to innovate, so it partnered with Microsoft to execute its go-to-market with advertising. It also launched games, made strategic acquisitions of gaming studios and developed its capabilities with new products.
Originality/value
This is a valuable case study. Investigating how a company as successful as Netflix can encounter a severe decline and how it changed its strategies and tactics to reverse the decline provides important lessons for other companies.
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Kyle L. Bower, Kathleen D. Kelsey, Nicholas E. Fuhrman and Lauren Ledbetter Griffeth
Adult agricultural leadership programs (ALP) train people to address the needs of a diversifying society with pressing social, economic, environmental, and political challenges…
Abstract
Adult agricultural leadership programs (ALP) train people to address the needs of a diversifying society with pressing social, economic, environmental, and political challenges. Additionally, these programs offer transformative learning experiences that lead to a greater capacity of current and prospective leaders to become change agents in their communities. In a profession where vitality, strength, and perseverance are fundamental, the agricultural industry needs leaders who remain aware of the foundational knowledge contributed by their predecessors. At the same time, it also necessitates innovation that may revolutionize the agricultural industry for decades to come. In this mixed-method study, we asked participants of a state-based ALP to complete the Loyola Generativity Scale (N=48) that measures generative concern, with higher scores indicating stronger generative concern. Survey results (N=48) indicated average overall generative concern. However, there was a considerable variation among participants, scores ranging from 45 to 77. To understand the range of attitudes, we conducted interviews (N=11) with ALP participants. Generativity Theory provided the foundation of our qualitative analysis. We identified how participants are acting generatively in their leadership roles by promoting the sustainability of agriculture through social engagement, capitalizing on opportunities for teaching and learning, and expanding social capital through intergenerational professional networks. From this research, scholars and practitioners will gain a more nuanced understanding of how this ALP is facilitating generative leadership among today’s leaders so they may continue transforming their industry by connecting generational cohorts through the transmission of experience, knowledge, and expertise.
A great artist creates a mural which, bearing his name, eventually reaches the hands of a purchaser who objects to the nude figures that the creator had seen fit to incorporate…
Abstract
A great artist creates a mural which, bearing his name, eventually reaches the hands of a purchaser who objects to the nude figures that the creator had seen fit to incorporate into his tableau. The purchaser, therefore, employs another artist to drape the figures. In a now famous decree the German Supreme Court, in 1912, held that the transferee of the mural in a case involving these facts, could not have changed it to suit his individual preferences.
HASTINGS is now a memory of a conference in which the members of the L.A. heard papers of singular merit and one or two addresses of marked distinction. If we were to select the…
Abstract
HASTINGS is now a memory of a conference in which the members of the L.A. heard papers of singular merit and one or two addresses of marked distinction. If we were to select the Presidential Address of Mr. C. B. Oldman, the beautiful Annual Lecture by Mr. Bowen Thomas and the quite remarkable performance in English of Mr. Bengt Hjelmqvist, on the organization of his native Swedish libraries, as the highlights of the general sessions, and Nigel Balchin's model after‐dinner speech as another, we are not the less aware of the excellence of nearly all the papers submitted at every session; indeed, there was not really a bad paper throughout, although some were much too long. They averaged forty‐five minutes. Possibly the Conference Committee set this length; if so, we suggest respectfully that however long the written paper may be the time should be reduced by at least one third for which the audience is required to listen. One felt in several cases that even the authors of the papers grew weary, or were under a sense of hurry, before they reached the end. This was occasionally caused by extempore insertions, a most difficult performance in which few succeed. Fortunate is the reader who addresses a morning session; he escapes the afternoon somnolence.
THIS number will appear at the beginning of the Leeds Conference. Although there is no evidence that the attendance will surpass the record attendance registered at the Birmingham…
Abstract
THIS number will appear at the beginning of the Leeds Conference. Although there is no evidence that the attendance will surpass the record attendance registered at the Birmingham Conference, there is every reason to believe that the attendance at Leeds will be very large. The year is one of importance in the history of the city, for it has marked the 300th anniversary of its charter. We hope that some of the festival spirit will survive into the week of the Conference. As a contributor has suggested on another page, we hope that all librarians who attend will do so with the determination to make the Conference one of the friendliest possible character. It has occasionally been pointed out that as the Association grows older it is liable to become more stilted and formal; that institutions and people become standardized and less dynamic. This, if it were true, would be a great pity.
In April 1988, the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature (NRC) (see sidebar) published “AIDS: Law, Ethics and Public Policy.” As part of the NRC's Scope Note Series…
Abstract
In April 1988, the National Reference Center for Bioethics Literature (NRC) (see sidebar) published “AIDS: Law, Ethics and Public Policy.” As part of the NRC's Scope Note Series, the paper offered a current overview of issues and viewpoints related to AIDS and ethics. Not meant to be a comprehensive review of all AIDS literature, it contained selected citations referring to facts, opinion, and legal precedents, as well as a discussion of different ethical aspects surrounding AIDS. Updating the earlier work, this bibliography provides ethical citations from literature published from 1988 to the present.