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This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network approach (see, e.g., Axelsson & Easton, 1992; Håkansson & Snehota, 1995a). The study describes how adaptations initiate, how they progress, and what the outcomes of these adaptations are. Furthermore, the framework takes into account how adaptations spread in triadic relationship settings. The empirical context is corporate travel management, which is a chain of activities where an industrial enterprise, and its preferred travel agency and service supplier partners combine their resources. The scientific philosophy, on which the knowledge creation is based, is realist ontology. Epistemologically, the study relies on constructionist processes and interpretation. Case studies with in-depth interviews are the main source of data.

The industrial buyer-seller relational process models from the Eastern and Western worlds have not been combined. The Western world has dominated the development of the models, while there exist only a very limited amount of guanxi development models from the East. This paper is exploratory in nature, focusing on combining the development of these two worlds into one intercultural model. Four case relationships verify the proposed model.

This paper focuses on only one cultural context outside of the West, that is to say, China. In order to justify the model to be completely an intercultural one, research in other cultural contexts is necessary.

The librarian and researcher have to be able to uncover specific articles in their areas of interest. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume IV, like Volume III, contains features to help the reader to retrieve relevant literature from MCB University Press' considerable output. Each entry within has been indexed according to author(s) and the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus. The latter thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid retrieval. Each article or book is assigned its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. This Volume indexes 29 journals indicating the depth, coverage and expansion of MCB's portfolio.

The author investigate the effect which the delivery performance of a company's suppliers have upon the company's own delivery assurance and reputation. Alternative methods of evaluating supplier delivery performance are studied. An analysis is made of the extent to which the suppliers' poor delivery performance was adversely affected by factors under the control of the company's own sales, design, production and purchasing departments in requesting unrealistic dates from suppliers.

Provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of work done in the field of industrial diffusion, adoption and communication. Suggests that work done in the diffusion of industrial markets is a slow process, and highlights the problems of conditional and causal‐factors in its examination. Presents a summary of those firms thought to be likely to be innovators.

The interaction approach to studying international marketing activities of industrial firms is now an established research stream. Initiated by a team of European researchers, the interaction approach focuses on the process of managing interactions between supplier and customer units. In this article, the author elaborates on the features of the interaction approach and illustrates it using a company case study. Based upon the discussion, a number of managerial implications are offered regarding international market development.

Channels of distribution are basic to the marketing strategies of firms, and have been shown to be a key element in the marketing mix. The author here undertakes a comprehensive review of channels literature, primarily to identify and assess the adequacy of the various mainstream conceptual schemes which have emerged. Economic‐based arguments have largely been at the core of channels literature, although these have been partially offset by the concepts of the organisational and behavioural schools. The author concludes that whereas every conceptual approach reviewed has added something to our cumulative knowledge, no single approach has yet reached a point of adequate conceptualisation based on his own basic criteria. As yet channels literature is mainly descriptive, and has virtually no predictive power.

The extent of national export volume attributable to the small firm sector within the UK does not compare favourably with that of certain other European countries/ particularly Germany and Italy. In an attempt to enhance the export competitiveness of this firm sector recent policy, research and management attention has been devoted to influences underlying export development. This article contributes to this knowledge by reviewing extensive research studies that have reported on one aspect of this topic: the international orientation of the decision maker within the small firm.

The analysis of strategic groups has important implications for marketing in order to identify a firm’s competitive position. Aims to analyse the development of the competence in an industry. Hypothesizes that the analysis of strategic groups is only meaningful when it is determined that the groupings obtained are not random events within a particular industry. Uses multivariate statistical tests to determine the stable sub‐periods, the strategic groups, and their dynamic characteristics over the years. Applies this technique to the Spanish banking sector and detects a relative intra‐industrial instability, and a significant change in the number and strategy of the identified groups with the passing of time.

This is the fourth comprehensive register of current research in marketing to appear in this Journal. It is hoped that it will prove useful as a source of information to all those with interests in the subject. The projects listed do not include research work undertaken by commercial organisations or studies conducted in educational institutions where the results are not intended to be generally available. Otherwise, every effort has been made to obtain basic information from research workers willing to discuss their efforts with other interested individuals.