Bruce J. Walker

Service marketing and franchising: A practical business marriage

Abstract Service businesses and franchising both have shown steady growth in the last 15 years, and the authors say thats no accident. In fact, they claim, the two are made for each other.

A method to improve response to industrial mail surveys

Abstract Mail surveys play a critically important role in industrial marketing research. This article reviews previous literature, presents a process model of the major elements involved in constructing industrial mail surveys, and overviews a comprehensive approach to mail survey design known as the Total Design Method (TDM). The TDM is relatively exhaustive and covers all facets of questionnaire design and implementation. The value of the TDM is illustrated by reviewing two industrial marketing studies that attempted to follow the TDM guidelines. The results of a cost-benefit analysis indicate the TDM can provide excellent value to industrial marketing researchers.

The Channels Manager: Marketing's Newest Aide?

Because of institutional and environmental changes, marketing executives of the 1980s face new challenges in managing their firms distribution channels. What is a channels manager, and why would todays marketing organization need one?

Advertising Trends and the Small Retailer

The new decade brings a number of challenges and opportunities to the retailer. Among them are important developments in the advertising area. This article discusses the major trends in retail advertising and then provides guidelines to assist the small retailer in developing effective advertising programs within a volatile business environment.

Analysis Of Marketing Experiments with a Categorical Response Variable

The analysis of experimental data with a qualitative response variable is a problem confronted in many marketing research studies. This paper illustrates a methodology based on generalized least squares that properly handles a response variable that is discrete. The methodology is illustrated on several sets of marketing data and software packages that can be used for computations are noted.

The Channels Manager: Now, Soon or Never?:

This paper examines the adoption and viability of the channels manager concept in large manufacturing organizations. Results of a survey indicate that only 14 percent of respondents have a channels manager position within their companies. However, these respondents from companies with a channels manager position strongly support the establishment of the position within their own company and within other large companies. Among all respondents, executives tend to reject the need for a channels manager position within their own organizations, and estimate that the likelihood of implementation of the position within their company is low. The major impediment to implementation is concern about proliferation of organizational positions and cost of implementation.The study indicates that the channels manager position is still more a concept than a reality. However, favorable views of those respondents representing firms with a channels manager position suggest the concept does have potential value in certain types of companies.