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States that firms in many industries are seeking strategic partnerships with suppliers, distributors and customers. Discusses Customer‐Linked Strategy (CLS), a type of partnership being used by some firms. Evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of CLS and specifies appropriate circumstances for adopting CLS, together with information on implementing the partnership. Considers the consequencesof CLS and finds that it is of great benefit to many firms. Recommends that those businesses not currently using the technique but whose situation is suited to the strategy should reconsider their action.

Many industrial firms are adopting new selling methods such as telemarketing, national account management, and the like. Unfortunately, there are few guidelines for division managers who pioneer the use of these techniques in their firms, particularly in terms of changes in appraisal, coordination, and planning systems that accompany the adoption of new selling methods. This article details the development and implementation of new selling methods at an industrial firm, and provides guidelines to managers for using these techniques in their own firms.

Proposes that grouping industrial market transactions into separate segments can be aided by use of individual dimensions and combinations of dimensions. Examines the idea that knowledge about the composition of the decision‐making unit or buying centre in specified situations helps marketers to design or modify communication programmes – concentrating attention on those market segments to which the competitive advantages are most meaningful. Uses interviews with purchasing personnel (over several years with more than 30 organisations in the USA, of differing products/services, location and size). Says there is a four dimensional classification system for industrial buying situations and these are: buyers' familiarity with the buying task (new or rebuy); product type; importance of the purchase to the buying organisation; and principal type of uncertainty present in the purchase situation. Goes on to discuss these and uses tables for extra emphasis in explanation. Concludes that interview data suggest that the use of situational segmentation, when combined with segmentation based on ability to refine market programmes, select the most promising on which to focus.

Presents a portfolio model for multi‐sales channel effort deployment. Shows how the approach can help sales management restructure sales channels. Notes that combining an organization′s selling effort into multiple sales channels can be facilitated through an analytical approach that considers variations in customer requirements, buying power and contact costs. Concludes that implementing a successful multiple sales channel strategy offers impressive productivity opportunities.

An experimental study was conducted in a sample of America’s most successful entrepreneurs and one of comparable large company managers to examine three research questions: Why do some individuals choose riskier ventures than do others? Do managers and successful entrepreneurs perceive new venture risk and potential differently? What accounts for differences, if any, in their decision‐making behavior? The findings are equally interesting for the effects we found and did not find. We found that differences in risk propensity and in situational factors like the market competencies brought to a particular venture influence risky new venture decision‐making; that perceptions of new venture risk and potential differ between managers and successful entrepreneurs, though in a direction opposite to that we hypothesized; and that individual differences, rather than group‐level differences, are primarily responsible for the degree of risk taken by managers and successful entrepreneurs. Taken together, our results call for further research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface and research into differences between managers and entrepreneurs, using samples of highly successful entrepreneurs and comparable managers in established firms.

The use of the case study method in management training and education is a subject about which few people associated with management remain neutral — they either abhor it or are one hundred per cent in favour. Far too often in the past management teachers have been known to suggest ‘I'll give them a case study and then split them into syndicates to discuss it later!’ Whilst this may allow the teacher already working long hours breathing space and the opportunity to deal with a backlog of administrative matters, it nevertheless represents a debasement of the value of the case study. Yet far too often this approach has been students' first introduction to the study of cases.

This monograph progresses from a consideration of definitional issues to the development of a conceptual model for marketing‐logistics interaction and finally to a discussion of the issues of implementation of the model within the context of marketing strategy. Thus, following an introduction, Part II begins with definition of the field and examines the position of physical distribution in relation to marketing. Part III discusses the relationship of physical distribution and macro‐marketing, and is thus concerned about the social, aggregative goals of logistics systems, including the costs of distribution. Part IV continues this argument, examining specifically the influence of physical distribution on channel structure. Part V then focuses on the assumptions underlying the customer service function, asking how physical distribution can influence final demand in the market place. Part VI presents a conceptual model of marketing‐logistics demand stimulation. The operational issues concerned with its implementation are shown in Part VII; and a summary of the relevant points is presented in Part VIII. The concern has been not with presenting either new computational models nor empirical data but with presenting a new perspective on the marketing‐logistics interface. There is a need to reduce the barriers between these fields and to present more useful ways for co‐operation.

How does a company develop the optimal product while holding down development costs and shortening lead times for introduction? The authors have developed a scaling technique that does both.