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This study investigates the relationship between small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) participation in global value chains (GVCs) and the use of environmental management practices. The study examines the role of national governments in shaping this relationship, specifically exploring the role of trade facilitation. The emphasis lies on understanding the extent to which GVCs and governmental policy interaction relate to improved environmental management practices among SMEs.

The study builds on several publicly available data sources, including the World Bank’s Archival Enterprise Surveys and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Trade Facilitation Indicator. The sample includes 1,462 SMEs in 18 countries. To test our hypotheses, we use regression analysis employing bootstrapping techniques for rigorous testing of direct and indirect associations.

Results indicate that SMEs tend to use environmental management practices when entering GVCs but not after exiting. Moreover, the study suggests that a non-linear feature of trade facilitation plays an important role in mitigating the relationship between SMEs exit from GVCs and SMEs abandonment of environmental management practices.

The relationship between SMEs entering and exiting GVCs and environmental management practices is not well understood. It is still unclear whether the external pressures and governmental policies to stimulate trade contribute to improving the sustainability behaviour of SMEs. This study adds to the operations management literature by relating government policies with the use of environmental management practices, providing insights on the relationship between deglobalisation and SMEs sustainability activities.

Examines the issue of growth within the small firm and considers the main influences that impinge on the evolution of the enterprise. An interpretative methodological technique, causal mapping, is examined, evaluated and used to analyse the decision‐making processes made by the owner‐manager of a small Irish‐owned electronics firm. This method allows the researcher to trace the positive and negative consequences of the decisions on the subsequent growth and development of the company. The role which business and marketing planning plays in such a process is a recurring theme which is given close scrutiny throughout this paper.

Examines the complex relationship between listening and training practices and service performance by deconstructing an earlier model of service management developed by the London Business School and Warwick Business School in the UK. This research hypothesizes that the nature of the practice‐performance relationship is far too complex to be represented by a total aggregated index of practice. Hence the composite practice index is decomposed into a listening and a training index. The concept of the “listening” organisation is employed as one facet, and training climate measured by employee training activities is a second facet. These two facets are related to service performance. Reports on empirical research, which investigated the link between listening, and training practices and service performance. The data obtained from a survey of 143 service organisations in the Republic of Ireland show a clear pattern. By taking listening practices, including information technology, as a holistic view of a constellation of information‐related practice type factors, demonstrates that there is a close relationship with service performance. Extensive training activities enhance this relationship.

Considers the concept of the “listening” organisation and its influence on service and business performance. Specifically reports on empirical research which investigated the link between service quality information practices, the listening organisation and service and business performance. In this respect, builds on an earlier model of service management developed by the London Business School and Warwick Business School in the UK. This extended model employs two composite performance indexes as moderator variables. Surveyed 438 service organisations in the Republic of Ireland; the loglinear model used to analyse the data shows a clear pattern. By taking listening practices, including information technology, as a holistic view of a constellation of information‐related practice type factors, demonstrates that there is a close relationship with service performance, which in turn influences business performance. Furthermore, technology type and competitive intensity, moderate this relationship. Establishes that the relationship between listening practices and service performance is much more important for the sophisticated task technology sector and that competitive intensity has a very minor interactive effect on the relationship. The results of the survey mirror recent empirical research in market orientation and organisational learning.

The marketing of small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) can face many challenges, particularly for those operating within the creative industries. The purpose of this paper is to describe an inductive and exploratory case study approach to empirically investigate the issues and complexities uncovered when taking a mainly internal, organisational perspective to creativity, identity and the brand.

Issues of commitment, identification and alignment were considered and how these relate to the SME brand. Then the relevance and advantages associated with adopting an inductive case study approach, from an interpretative perspective were discussed. This incorporates multi‐level interviews and thematic analysis with the aid of various qualitative data analysis software packages (C‐I‐Said, NVivo and QDA Miner).

The themes uncover and explore some of the subtle complexities involved with organisational marketing for SMEs within the creative industries. These themes also present a number of important implications for the academic and practitioner communities to reflect upon, particularly in relation to the relevance of attempting to achieve a “desired” or “ideal” identity and brand. Issues relating to the evolving nature of SMEs, various forms of employee egos as well as multiple foci of employee commitment have been identified. The authors' research has also uncovered a number of instances of “disidentification” amongst creative employees. Rather than being seen as a threat or risk, some creative organisations see a benefit for encouraging, or at least not suppressing deidentification or disidentification, in relation to their creative brand and image.

By taking a rigorous exploratory and inductive approach, a grounded understanding of the problematic nature of organisational creativity and organisational marketing in relation to SMEs in the creative industries have been provided. Practitioners can also benefit from the observations as they are empirically based upon a number of case studies.

The aim of this paper is to review the debate on the purpose, focus and necessity of UK undergraduate marketing education.

Assumptions in this debate are challenged by the collection and analysis of interview data from practitioners, alongside additional data from UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in respect of their current marketing programmes.

The results indicate that there is a large degree of commonality between the offerings at UK HEIs, and that some significant gaps between the teaching offered by the academy, and the knowledge and abilities required by practitioners do exist.

The data sets have limitations of depth and scope. Further research is needed in which the details of marketing education and the requirements of marketing practice are examined more closely, and at levels other than undergraduate, and in countries other than the UK.

This paper should be of interest to marketing programme managers, and also to marketing module co‐ordinators as a basis on which to consider the future development of their educational practices.

The collation of data about marketing modules offered by UK HEIs will be of interest to most marketing teachers. Further value will be obtained if this paper is used as part of the re‐engineering of a marketing programme.

To examine the service performance of a number of internet retailers and to identify differences (if any) in internet retailers' service performance across a series of attributes based on consumers' assessments.

To compare the perceived service performance across internet retailers with respect to several areas: core service performance, web site features, recovery service, consumer satisfaction and intentions. A structured questionnaire was used to gather the data. The internet retailers are two budget airline retailers, a book retailer, and a multi‐channel bank.

Internet retailers' service performance was generally at an acceptable level. The variation of their online service performance was dependent on industry factors and the effectiveness of online service management. Consumers' perceptions of the internet retailers' performance were significantly different on several service attributes. However, consumer online service satisfaction levels across internet retailers were similar.

Convenience sampling and the limited number of internet retailers do not permit results to be generalised to the larger population. Future investigation with a larger sample could provide a more comprehensive coverage.

Provide useful information for internet retailers who plan to improve their service performance. This study indicated that retailers' experience from managing the physical store‐based retail service might not contribute towards their online service performance.

This paper analyses service performance of different retailers in the same industry or across industries to provide valuable indication of online service performance and attributes that contribute to differential performance levels.

The key to any successful organization must be its communication network. Bold statement, but is it true? It is, of course, a sweeping generalization and one with which anyone would have difficulty in picking an argument. One way to determine what is, and what is not, vital to your organization is by eliminating it from the equation and asking yourself where you would be without it. Do away with your communication system, apart from the most basic, and see what you are left with? If the answer is not a great deal, then you can hopefully appreciate the importance of what you have, and realize the attention it deserves. Taking things for granted is an all too common phenomenon. When developing new systems and new strategies, it is important to remember the existing systems so as not to ignore their development too. Distribution and logistics management is an area which is experiencing many changes and, because of this, it is important for the communication system to be first class.

Facilities management is becoming a key issue in many organizations as change is, as Charles Handy et al. have recognized, the only way forward. Companies which remain stagnant eventually fall behind their competitors or have change enforced on them. The latter is obviously undesirable for many reasons owing to hastily planned measures which have probably not been properly thought through. This will have an obvious knock‐on effect to staff with potentially enormous strategic problems. Change is something we all have to get used to in order to progress and develop, and it is against this backdrop that the right type of facilities are needed to enhance the smooth transition of the change process. People normally associate change with an organization which is shrinking or off‐loading unwanted space and facilities which are no longer any use. This would probably be quite undesirable owing to the recession‐hit 1990s in which companies either have gone into liquidation or have made radical changes to meet the demands of the modern industrial era. But successful organizations also make radical cuts in staffing and facilities. Barclays Bank, for example, cut 2,000 branch jobs in the UK during 1994 while it increased its profits by 181 per cent to £1.86bn. This controversial strategy of cutting back on staffing levels and making better use of facilities while continuing to make huge profits is quite obviously a contentious one, as many organizations are looking for “smarter” ways of working. This entails examining alternative working practices to maximize the use of current facilities.

The key to any successful organization must be its communication network. Bold statement, but is it true? It is, of course, a sweeping generalization and one with which anyone would have difficulty in picking an argument. One way to determine what is, and what is not, vital to your organization is by eliminating it from the equation and asking yourself where you would be without it. Do away with your communication system, apart from the most basic, and see what you are left with? If the answer is not a great deal, then you can, it is hoped, appreciate the importance of what you have, and realize the attention it deserves. Taking things for granted is an all too common phenomenon.