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This article investigates the relative impact which marketing growth strategies have on profit performance as opposed to strategic debt utilisation, asset management, and margin management. A structural equation approach is used to assess which areas deserve the greatest attention in the process of making strategic decisions. Implications for management and future research are offered.

Theory is needed for a discipline to mature. This research aims to provide a summary analysis of the theories being used in contemporary logistics and supply chain management (SCM) studies.

A comprehensive literature review of articles appearing in five top tier logistics and SCM journals is conducted in order to identify how often theory is used and to classify the specific theories used. An analysis of the theoretical categories is presented to explain the type and frequency of theory usage.

Over 180 specific theories were found within the sampled articles. Theories grouped under the competitive and microeconomics categories made up over 40 per cent of the theoretical incidences. This does not imply all articles utilize theory. The research found that theory was explicitly used in approximately 53 per cent of the sampled articles.

Two implications are central. First, in the minds of editors, reviewers and authors is approximately 53 per cent theory use enough? Literature suggests there continues to be a need for theory‐based research in the discipline. A first step may be to increase our theory use, and to clearly describe the theory being used. Second, the vast majority of theories used in recent logistics and SCM research originated in other disciplines. Growth in the discipline dictates the need for greater internal theory development.

Despite multiple calls for the use of theory in logistics and SCM, little formal research has been produced examining the actual theories being used. This research provides an in‐depth review and analysis of the use of theory in logistics and SCM research during the period 2004‐2009.

The purpose of this paper is to compare aggregate differences in perceptions of supplier‐customer relationship structures of managers in the USA and Taiwan.

Two studies used a survey method to assess graduate student perceptions of supplier‐customer relationships. Those graduate students had been responsible for managing business exchange relationships in their previous positions. The surveys were administered at different times in executive MBA classes at a major US university and a major Taiwanese university. An analysis was conducted to understand similarities and differences in relationship perceptions between US managers and Taiwanese managers.

Differences exist between US and Taiwanese managers' perceptions of their supplier‐customer relationships. This indicates that US managers and Taiwanese managers differentiate among such relationships. However, the application of those differences may be unique to the nature of the business environments in the USA and Taiwan.

Managers should be careful when negotiating between US and Taiwanese firms to insure that they do not make decisions about how they anticipate the other party will view the supplier/customer relationship based on generic cultural assumptions. In addition, Taiwanese managers may be better able to classify their relationships into common groups than US managers, indicating that US managers may be less likely to try to segment their suppliers or customers into different groups for development of interaction and negotiation strategies. In addition, this research demonstrates a critical need for future comparative studies to assess relationship perceptions from other parts of the globe. The lack of similarities between the responses of the US and Taiwanese managers indicates potential differences in supplier/customer relationship perceptions around the world. This becomes critical for improved understanding of how interactions and negotiations (as well as the development of operating strategies by firms) should occur in global exchange.

This research offers initial insight into the importance of understanding relationship perception differences based on global business operations. As the world becomes “flatter,” managers from around the globe will need to understand how those perceptions differ for development of effective negotiating strategies between suppliers and customers.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effects of service quality and service satisfaction on intention in a business‐to‐business setting.

This research addresses three unanswered questions regarding satisfaction and service quality: the distinction between customer satisfaction and perceived service quality; their causal ordering; and their relative impact on intentions. The data were collected using a large survey of buyers in a business setting.

The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that service quality has a larger impact on intentions than does customer satisfaction. The results also show that the effects of individual transactions on intentions are mediated by corresponding cumulative constructs.

The primary implications for theory include demonstrating the distinction between satisfaction and service quality; specifying, based on theory and logic, the causal ordering between transaction constructs and cumulative constructs, and between service quality and satisfaction; and assessing their relative impact on behavioral intentions.

The results show that one negative transaction outcome may not be sufficient to cause the customer to switch if the cumulative levels are sufficiently positive. Thus, a negative outcome may be discounted by the user if it is seen as a unique occurrence. However, a series of successive negative transaction outcomes may cause the cumulative constructs to become less positive, resulting in lower intentions to repurchase from the same supplier.

Meta-synthesis of the research evidence adds value to the process of literature reviewing, providing useful knowledge for researchers, practitioners and policymakers. The aim of the chapter is to explain what meta-synthesis involves and how it illuminates our understanding of concepts. Previous papers on meta-synthesis (by the author) have reviewed research strategies in information behaviour research and methods for meta-synthesis, discussed application of meta-synthesis to research on information behaviour of women, and proposed methods suitable for integrating information literacy research. Meta-synthesis methods have been applied to many areas of social science research. The literature review examines how to reduce the risks involved in suitable for integrating qualitative research or qualitative and quantitative research; outlines the main approaches used in meta-synthesis before explaining the processes used in a meta-synthesis of research on information behaviour of women, reflects on the meta-synthesis methods used, and which might have been used, and shows what meta-synthesis achieves. Meta-synthesis should be used more in information behaviour research, but it is a rigorous process, requiring time and effort to get useful results. On the other hand, meta-synthesis provides more new knowledge, and a deeper understanding of our ideas, than a conventional literature review.