Jim Blythe

Innovativeness and newness in high‐tech consumer durables

This study concerns consumer responses to new product offerings in the category of high‐tech audio equipment. For the purposes of the study, consumers were categorised as high‐innovators or non‐innovators. The general objective of the research was to determine how differing groups of consumers view innovativeness, and how innovativeness is assessed, with particular reference to high‐tech product offerings. The research was carried out in two stages; a series of focus groups was run to determine the dimensions of the problem, and a questionnaire derived from this. The questionnaire was then administered to visitors at a consumer‐oriented trade show. Statistical analysis of the questionnaire revealed that there are significant differences between groups of consumers regarding the relative importance of various factors in the process of assessing innovativeness.

Visitor and exhibitor expectations and outcomes at trade exhibitions

Examines the relationship between visitor expectations and exhibitor objectives at trade exhibitions. Drawing on both UK and US research, as well as original research conducted at four UK exhibitions, the author provides evidence that exhibitors and visitors not only have differing expectations of exhibitions and trade fairs, but that these differing expectations are incompatible in many cases. Comparisons are made between frequent exhibitors and infrequent exhibitors, and also between those who commit a large proportion of their marketing budgets to exhibiting and those who do not, in terms of their objectives and expectations for the exhibition; the conclusion is that even those exhibitors who exhibit frequently or commit large sums to the activity take scant account of visitor needs. Concludes with a set of recommendations for practitioners.

Objectives and Measures at UK Trade Exhibitions

Exhibitions are a major promotional activity for firms in the UK and, indeed, in the rest of the world. The received wisdom is that exhibitions are an effective promotional tool, and large sums are spent on them, yet little evidence exists to demonstrate that exhibitions are effective. Furthermore, few firms routinely collect information regarding the effectiveness of their exhibition activities. This paper reports on a study of 104 firms who exhibit in the UK. Firms were asked about their objective setting activities, their reasons for exhibiting, and their methods of evaluating the effectiveness of the exhibition. It was found that most firms set few or even no objectives for the exhibitions, that they do not evaluate effectively, and that a surprisingly large number of firms do not evaluate their activities at all.

The evaluation of non‐selling activities at British trade exhibitions: an exploratory study

Exhibitions are widely regarded as powerful tools in the promotional mix, yet few studies have been undertaken to establish whether exhibitions are actually effective in meeting the objectives of the exhibitors. Reports on a survey of firms in the Midlands in which marketing managers were asked how they evaluate exhibitions, particularly in terms of non‐selling activities. Finds that firms have virtually no way of evaluating non‐selling activities, even if the managers concerned regarded these activities as a main purpose of exhibiting. Furthermore, few firms had any rigorous way of evaluating selling activities, and often could not make any objective judgement about whether exhibitions are cost‐effective.

A guide to a more effective World Wide Web presence

The Internet is currently regarded as an important communications tool for businesses and is likely to become even more important in the future. The on-line travel market has a particularly optimistic future: on-line bookings have consistently shown a higher growth rate than most other on-line markets. The research reported in this paper examined the extent to which Danish tour operators adhere to current theoretical recommendations for generating and sustaining traffic to their home pages. The paper focuses on some of the more important and observable techniques: in the case of Danish tour operators, the research found that few of them adhere to current thinking regarding the optimum use of World Wide Web sites. The authors make recommendations for improvements of the techniques that operators use and for further research to be carried out in the future. This research used Danish tours operators as an example, but the traffic-generating and traffic-sustaining techniques are applicable to all sorts of companies across industries and countries.

Does size matter?-objectives and measures at UK trade exhibitions

This paper examines the evaluation of exhibition activity by firms at UK trade shows. Despite the widespread use of trade exhibitions as a promotional tool and the large sums of money committed to the activity by firms of all sizes, most firms do not have any meaningful means of evaluating the effectiveness of the activities. The research was conducted among firms of varying sizes who had attended either of two UK exhibitions. It was found that, while firms of differing sizes had much the same reasons for attending the exhibitions, the propensity to set objectives differed according to the size of firm and also the methods used to assess the outcomes of the exhibition varied in both the quantity and type according to the size of firm.

Learning by doing - frequency of exhibiting at UK trade exhibitions

The paper examines an evaluation of exhibition activity by firms at UK trade shows. Despite the widespread use of trade exhibitions as a promotional tool and the large sums of money committed to the activity by firms of all sizes, many firms do not have any meaningful ways of evaluating the effectiveness of the activities. The research was conducted among firms of varying sizes who had exhibited at either of two UK exhibitions. It was found that, while firms with differing levels of exhibition activity had much the same reasons for attending the exhibitions and the propensity to set objectives remained similar across the board, the methods used to assess the outcomes of the exhibition varied in both quantity and type according to the frequency of exhibiting. This is ascribed to the learning process the firms undergo as a result of more frequent exhibiting.

Communication and innovation: the case of hi‐fi systems

Looks at the relationship of communications and innovation in the case of hi‐fi systems. States that the manufacturers’ problem is to ensure that an appropriate perception of the hi‐fi equipment is presented to the consumer. Presents a classification of consumers and shows how these consumers react to information. Suggests that information gathered from these consumer reactions can be used by the manufacturer to target audiences.

Managing cross-cultural dysfunction in higher education – an exploratory study

In recent years, UK universities have followed a policy of recruiting extensively from overseas, in particular from Third World countries. This has been done without paying much regard to the cultural difficulties raised by imposing an essentially Western education onto students from very different backgrounds. This paper reports on a study undertaken with African students at a UK university, using a grounded theory approach to extract meanings about inclusion and exclusion, connectivity, practical barriers, and survival strategies from the reported experiences of the students. Evidence of social exclusion and of discrimination was found, but this was not as surprising as the evidence of poor connectivity between the students and the courses on which they found themselves.

Twenty years on—Europe after 2012

In this paper the author uses the methodology of futurologists to paint a picture of Europe 20 years after the Single Market comes into force. The paper sets out to demonstrate that there is a paradigm shift under way in Europe which will lead to major changes for both marketers and educators during the first part of the 21st century.