Elliot Maltz

Reducing Marketing’s Conflict with Other Functions: The Differential Effects of Integrating Mechanisms:

To operate effectively, marketing must work in harmony with other functional departments in a firm. This study focuses on marketing’s interactions with three functions that play a key role in the achievement of marketing goals—finance, manufacturing, and R&D. The authors combine insights from previous studies and interviews with practicing managers to identify six integrating mechanisms proposed to mitigate manifest interfunctional conflict (behavior that frustrates marketing initiatives). In addition, they investigate the role of internal volatility (turbulence within an organization) in shaping manifest conflict. Based on a large-scale, multi-informant empirical study, the authors identify the more effective of these six integrating mechanisms. Furthermore, they argue and demonstrate these mechanisms are differentially effective across the marketing-finance, marketing-manufacturing, and marketing-R&D interfaces. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Influencing R&D/marketing integration and the use of market information by R&D managers: Intended and unintended effects of managerial actions

Abstract A model is developed relating important organizational and contextual variables to the information processing behaviors of R&D managers. The model is tested on questionnaire data collected from 718 respondents at 256 high-technology organizations. The results indicate inter-functional rivalry severely reduces R&Ds use of information supplied by marketing personnel, rivalry lowers the perceived quality of information transferred. Rivalry also increases political pressures to ignore useful information provided by marketing. The study also demonstrates R&D managers use information in two ways. Information may be used to make immediate decisions (instrumental use). It may also be used to change the R&D managers mental model of the marketplace (conceptual use). Several techniques commonly employed to improve inter-functional relations are studied in the model (e.g., co-locating functions, cross-functional teams, joint customer visits). Most were found to improve information use. However, they affect use through different processes. The integrating mechanisms affect instrumental use indirectly through their effects on rivalry and perceptions of information quality. On the other hand, integrating mechanisms affect conceptual use both directly and indirectly. The impacts of the degree of fluctuation in the organization structure were also tested. Fluctuating structural changes in the organization were found to reduce instrumental use by encouraging rivalry. However, increased change within a firm also appears to enhance conceptual use . Implications of these findings for theory and practice are discussed.

An Enhanced Framework for Improving Cooperation Between Marketing and Other Functions: The Differential Role of Integrating Mechanisms

In order to compete effectively in the marketplace,it is critical for marketing and other functional departmentsto work in harmony with each other. Building on the work of Griffinand Hauser (1996), an enhanced framework is proposed to furtherour understanding of when integrating mechanisms designed toincrease cooperation between marketing and other functions arelikely to be most effective. The framework suggests that theefficacy of an integrating mechanism varies across marketing‘sinterfaces with different functions—manufacturing, finance,and R and D. Further, the effects of internal and externalvolatility of an organization‘s environment on cooperation areincorporated into the framework. Implications for theory andpractice are discussed.

Impact of culture on supplier selection decision making

Purpose – Source location decision making is a contemporary problem facing many businesses as they globalize their supply chains. This paper seeks to empirically determine the influence of culture on the industrial procurement managers perception of the different characteristics of potential global sourcing locations, with a view to integrating the influence of culture operating at different levels into a global sourcing location decision framework; thereby enhancing managerial insights to the role played by culture in making decisions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies factor analysis and multiple regression on a survey sample of 181 responses gathered from native eastern and western procurement managers. The authors investigate how 12 procurement attributes drawn from the literature relate to each other with respect to low‐cost regions.Findings – The research results show that procurement managers select regions for low‐cost sourcing based on both specific measures and individual and/or gr...

Transformative subsistence entrepreneurship: A study in India

There are millions of “subsistence” entrepreneurs around the world, located primarily in developing countries, engaging in micro enterprise to eke out a survival living when other labor market options become unavailable. However, the vast majority of them are trapped in a “survival and maintenance” cycle. This article focuses on a phenomenon involving a subset of subsistence entrepreneurs who do manage to thrive and grow their enterprise. We label the phenomenon “transformative subsistence entrepreneurship,” reflecting (1) significant positive change in their personal, social and economic well-being, and (2) significant positive influence on their immediate communities. Drawing on 18 in-depth qualitative interviews, we show how the phenomenon plays out and how transformative subsistence entrepreneurs carry out vital marketing activities in their local exchange contexts, rising above substantial life challenges and end up improving the economic capacities of their communities as well. We contend that the contributions of a network of such transformative subsistence entrepreneurs, each seen at a micro enterprise level of analysis, can accumulate and coalesce to emerge as the backbone of the informal economy at a macroeconomic level.

Decision support for university enrollment management: Implementation and experience

Enrollment management is a process critical to many universities that rely on tuition for a significant portion of their operating budgets. This study describes how the development and implementation of a system to support decisions in the enrollment process allowed for increased responsiveness and real-time management as well as substantially increased institutional knowledge of the process itself. This, in turn, led to dramatic improvements in both operational performance and in the attainment of strategic admission objectives.

The effects of flexible firm orientations on market information use: intended and unintended consequences

The current business environment, characterized by rapidly shifting marketplace conditions, is pushing firms to create flexible organizational orientations. At the same time, in order to respond effectively to shifting market conditions, managers throughout the firm must be willing and able to disseminate and respond to market research designed to alert firms to shifts in market conditions. However, little work has focused on how creating a flexible firm orientation affects the way market research is disseminated and used. This article reports the findings of a study designed to enhance our knowledge in this area. The study suggests that firms attempting to create flexibility can lean toward an innovation orientation (encouraging new ideas) or a speed orientation (encouraging a rapid response). The study also suggests that firms which have an innovative orientation tend to use disseminated market research in a way that is consistent with the findings of the research. On the other hand, firms which have a speed orientation tend to use market research in a way that is less consistent with its findings.

A Tough-Minded, but Sympathetic, Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility

As John D. Donahue explains: sometimes corporate social responsibility is simple hokum. More often it is sincere but incoherent, wishful thinking. Introducing social objectives that might, in the misty long run, align with shareholder interests threatens to muddy private-sector accountability. Corporate social responsibility can thus become both irresponsible and anti-social. With this in mind, we draw on the notion of externalities from economics and cost-benefit analysis from capital budgeting literature to suggest some rules that could help managers make wiser choices. The first rule: Pay attention to competencies when developing program alternatives and attend carefully to their execution, remembering always that management attention is a scarce resource. The second rule: Develop a framework to assess all corporate initiatives, not just social programs or short-term, profit-driven programs in isolation.