Dale Littler

The adoption of direct banking services

The adoption of new products and services is of increasing importance to many industries. This is especially so for those organisations that are marketing technological innovations. In this paper a model of the perceived innovation attributes and the personal characteristics of adopters and non‐adopters was developed, based on literature and consumer research. These are then tested using a questionnaire concerned with the UK market for direct banking services. The results are presented in detail which indicate that the model presented is an excellent predictor of adoption behaviour. From these results a number of interesting implications have been highlighted for marketing practice.

Complexities of collaborative product development

Abstract The complexity, shorter lead times and high costs of product development have lent momentum to collaborative ventures. So much so that part of the ‘received wisdom’ of information and communication technology (ICT) suppliers is that collaboration is the preferred route for product development. In this paper, it is argued that the alleged benefits of collaboration may not always be achieved in practice and consequently it is important to pay attention to managerial and other factors that may influence the outcome of collaborative product development.

Collaboration in new technology based product markets

The surge of enthusiastic interest in inter-organisational collaboration, especially in technology-intensive sectors, over the last decade has tended to mask the longer-term trends towards increased co-operation. The paper uses recent empirical research by the authors to discuss these trends and to examine some of the significant problems involved in the management of collaborations. We conclude that collaboration is an evolutionary process in which management skills of learning, mutual adaptation and accommodation can be more important to the eventual success of a collaboration than rigid adherence to an ab initio schedule of targets and objectives. Collaborative product development may be more costly, slower, less efficient and more difficult to manage than independent product development — but our research also suggests that, where successfully managed, the benefits can substantially outweigh these problems.

Repertory grid technique – An interpretive research framework

Examines some of the underlying assumptions, research objectives and practical applications of the repertory grid technique (RGT) in consumer research. It explains why the use and evaluation of the RGT should be grounded in the assumptions of the theory from which it derives, George Kelly’s personal construct psychology (PCP), and examines the way in which it is both congruent with and can contribute to the development of the emerging interpretive paradigm in consumer research. The specific questions that the RGT can help to answer about consumer behaviour experience are identified and illustrated with the findings from a short empirical study. Overall, it is argued that when the RGT is employed within the guidelines of PCP it provides a useful interpretive research framework for exploring some of the similarities and differences in the content and structure of consumers’ subjective meaning systems.

Joint ventures for product development: Learning from experience

Abstract Collaboration is increasingly promoted as an effective strategy in dealing with some of the more problematic aspects of the product development process. Yet joint ventures involve significant risks. This article reports on a study of product development joint ventures amongst UK information and communications technology firms and suggests that management practice can lessen the risks of collaborative development. A number of factors are presented as being of particular importance, grouped here into six categories: selecting a partner, establishing the ground rules, setting up a task force, managing the process, ensuring equality and maintaining an external focus.

Evaluating alternative research paradigms: A market‐oriented framework

This paper examines the relationship between the underlying assumptions of two alternative research paradigms, positivism and social constructionism, and five key marketing principles. It is argued that social constructionism is the more market‐oriented paradigm in the sense that it advocates explicitly: (1) the full involvement rather than detachment of marketers and consumers in the research process (marketing research); (2) the analysis of markets from the consumers rather than the marketers viewpoint (market segmentation); (3) a model that depicts consumers as active agents rather than passive organisms (consumer behaviour theory); (4) the creative licence of consumers rather than marketers in developing alternative products (product development); and (5) an understanding of the consumers language and what they “do with” promotional communications rather than what communications “do to” them (marketing communication).

Where are we and where are we going?: The status and future of research in marketing

Purpose – The paper strives to assess the current status of research in marketing.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines statistics showing the current position of market area studies. The paper also looks at the range of supply and demand factors affecting the quality and volume of research in marketing.Findings – The paper argues that there is a range of extrinsic factors that affect in some way how research in marketing is undertaken, how it is perceived more widely and the form of its output. Research in marketing also has its own internal drivers that reflect in particular the current position of its knowledge base, and the manner in which those engaged in research perceive research potential. Finally, on the basis of the analysis the paper suggests some practical means of enhancing research in marketing.Originality/value – This is important in identifying areas of concern that can be addressed in order to enhance the status of marketing.

Exploring consumer product construct systems with the repertory grid technique

Examines some of the applications of repertory grid technique and theory to qualitative market research. In particular, it shows how together they can be used to explore five basic components of the network of subjective meanings that consumers attach to their consumption experiences, what are termed here consumers’ product construct systems (PCSs): consumption domains: how do consumers categorise different products and services?; decision rules: what search strategies and evaluative criteria are employed for each category?; values: what core beliefs underpin different decision rules?; construct complexity: how discriminating are consumer’s decision rules and values?; and construct commonalities: what are the similarities and differences in consumers’ PCSs and how are they mediated by their demographic backgrounds?

Using Information Technology Effectively: A Study of Marketing Installations

The use of information technology (IT) in marketing is clearly on the increase, with numerous studies proclaiming its benefits. Yet as usage increases, reports of the potential difficulties and barriers to using IT effectively and productively for marketing have also emerged. Against this background, we report one aspect of a major research programme examining the impact of IT on the marketing function: the factors associated with the effective implementation of IT. It is concluded that, while it is possible to identify a number of issues linked to the effective adoption of marketing IT applications, many of these issues can be ambiguous when examined in specific instances, and the complexity of contingent circumstances surrounding IT adoption means that broad-based prescriptions for success should be treated with caution. While much of the previous work in this area has focussed on surveys of senior managers, what is needed is more qualitative case-based research accessing a wider range of sources.

The role of IT in the reshaping of marketing

There would appear to be a view in common currency that IT is revolutionizing marketing, offering the possibilities of enhanced operational efficiency, the facilitation of the development of innovative products and services as well as the potential for reconfiguring marketing in the organization. Addresses the manner in which IT has affected and may significantly affect marketing by references to an empirical study of the existing and projected impact of IT on marketing activities, as well as analysing the factors which are likely to facilitate or impede the process. IT can be the handmaiden to the erosion of marketing as a major organizational function, with many of the traditional customer oriented activities being more widely diffused throughout the organization. On the other hand, it may be that marketing retains its position by adopting the role of guardian of the customer orientation, taking responsibility for defining the form and content of information that is an acceptable basis for organizational discourse.