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The purpose of this paper was to review the effectiveness of telephone interviewing for capturing data and to consider in particular the challenges faced by telephone interviewers when capturing information about market segments.

The platform for this methodological critique was a market segment analysis commissioned by Sport Wales which involved a series of 85 telephone interviews completed during 2010. Two focus groups involving the six interviewers involved in the study were convened to reflect on the researchers’ experiences and the implications for business and management research.

There are three principal sets of findings. First, although telephone interviewing is generally a cost-effective data collection method, it is important to consider both the actual costs (i.e. time spent planning and conducting interviews) as well as the opportunity costs (i.e. missed appointments, “chasing participants”). Second, researchers need to be sensitised to and sensitive to the demographic characteristics of telephone interviewees (insofar as these are knowable) because responses are influenced by them. Third, the anonymity of telephone interviews may be more conducive for discussing sensitive issues than face-to-face interactions.

The present study adds to this modest body of literature on the implementation of telephone interviewing as a research technique of business and management. It provides valuable methodological background detail about the intricate, personal experiences of researchers undertaking this method “at a distance” and without visual cues, and makes explicit the challenges of telephone interviewing for the purposes of data capture.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Dave Morrison.

In this case study, Dave provides a short biography of his background and is then interviewed by Jerome.

Dave has had two careers. The first as a scaffolder. The second as a nursing assistant in mental health services. He has ended up bruised and battered in both.

Every case study tells a different story. The effects of stress can be cumulative.

There are many accounts of how hospitalisation has traumatised service users. Yet, working in these services can also be traumatic for the care staff.

Professor Tony Butterworth used to say “Happy nurse equals happy patient”. If you look after staff needs, they will provide better care. Have we ever really looked after the needs of mental health-care staff?

Dave’s story is unique. As Nicola Adams says, “Fall down eight times, get up nine”. Dave has fallen down many more times than this. Eventually, it gets harder to get back up.

In the past ten years there has been an unprecedented growth in the number of small firms. This growth has taken place within the hospitality industry as well as within other elements of the service sector. Examines some of the factors which have prompted growth of the small firm as well as some of the personal characteristics of the individuals who run these small firms. Draws on research into small firms undertaken throughout Northern Ireland and takes an in‐depth look at one successful small firm, Manor House Catering Services.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Chantelle Garth.

Using a case study approach, Chantelle provides a short account of her background and is then interviewed by Jerome.

Chantelle gives an account of her very troubled childhood and adolescence. Her adult life has been no easier. Life is a continuous challenge.

It is hard to imagine a tougher life than Chantelle’s, yet her ambition has carried her through. A single account, yet one of the most powerful accounts in this series.

There are few better accounts of resilience in the face of at times what seem like insurmountable obstacles.

The belief that can be instilled by a single professional can have a profound effect in encouraging someone facing adversity.

There are numerous accounts of individuals facing difficulties in life, then there is Chantelle’s. This is in a category of its own.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on two questions that are especially pertinent to international marketers. Is a strong ethnic identity (EID) generally incompatible with a globally‐oriented disposition (cosmopolitanism: COS), and to what extent is the EID‐COS relationship stable across cultures and countries? What roles do EID and COS play on consumer behavior alongside key demographic variables, and how do these relationships vary across countries and across consumption contexts?

Using a sample of consumers drawn from eight countries, this study identifies and compares bases for international market segmentation. The antecedent roles of EID, COS, and the four demographics variables on the behaviors associated with nine product categories are examined.

The findings imply that consumers are complementing an identity rooted in their traditional culture with one that is globally‐oriented. The roles played by demographic and psychographic variables varied considerably, not only across product categories, but moreover, across country samples.

The study focuses more on consumer goods and less on intangible services. The sample and sampling approach place some limits on generalizability.

The results provide insights for international managers into when (i.e. product categories) and where (i.e. locations) marketing strategies could be standardized across national frontiers, and when and where these strategies should be customized or “glocalized.”

The paper makes a significant contribution to the international market segmentation literature, demonstrating the variable impact of demographics and identity across consumer behaviors. The findings bolster the notion that many cultures have the innate facility to glocalize, that is, to absorb foreign or global ideas with the best practices and bond these with native customs. The results further imply that globalization takes on many forms throughout the world.