John W. Barnes

Case study: strategic alliances in international franchising ‐ the entry of Silver Streak Restaurant Corporation into Mexico

The study examines the process of international market expansion by a relatively new and small franchisor. Particular emphasis is placed on the company‘s efforts to identify a suitable partner in the host country, the adaptation of the concept to address differences in the new market, and the multitude of critical decisions that need to be made when franchising in international markets. The authors also discuss the role that strategic alliances play in the success of international franchising efforts. The paper concludes with the implications of this case for both researchers and practitioners.

The PHEV Charging Infrastructure Planning (PCIP) Problem

Increasing debates over a gasoline independent future and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has led to a surge in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) being developed around the world. The majority of PHEV related research has been directed at improving engine and battery operations, studying future PHEV impacts on the grid, and projecting future PHEV charging infrastructure requirements. Due to the limited all-electric range of PHEVs, a daytime PHEV charging infrastructure will be required for most PHEV daily usage. In this paper, for the first time, we present a mixed integer mathematical programming model to solve the PHEV charging infrastructure planning (PCIP) problem for organizations with thousands of people working within a defined geographic location and parking lots well suited to charging station installations. Our case study, based on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) campus, produced encouraging results, indicates the viability of the modeling approach and substantiates the importance of considering both employee convenience and appropriate grid connections in the PCIP problem.

A study of strength of relationship between music groups and their external service providers: impacts on music group success.

Abstract Very little academic research exists on the marketing and management of musical groups. Music is a service industry, but it has some special characteristics in terms of its relationship with external service providers that make this study particularly critical. What are the relationships between music groups and their external service providers like? Are these service providers doing a good job in the eyes of the musicians? The purpose of this paper is to examine the attitudes of musical groups toward external service providers, and test whether more successful musical groups share the same attitudes with less successful groups.

An Investigation of the Perceptions of Business Students Regarding Non-Traditional Business Education Formats

ABSTRACT Business education programs labeled as “non-traditional” continue to grow in importance and popularity and have accordingly continued to receive attention in the business educational literature. Generally lost in this literature, however, is the perception of business students regarding these programs. The purpose of our study was to examine student perceptions of non-traditional programs and to uncover the major latent themes regarding a variety of issues related to these programs. Our findings suggest that business students consider non-traditional education as a viable option to traditional education. However, respondents also voiced a number of disadvantages of non-traditional programs such as cost, external validity of degrees, and impersonalized learning environment. Implications for educators and/or administrators are offered.

Business attributes of successful music groups: an analysis of three measures of success.

Abstract Very little research exists on the marketing and management of musical groups. The purpose of this paper is to examine the business practices of musical groups through exploratory research. Music is a service industry, but it has some special characterisitcs in terms of the standard criteria used to define a service and in its relationship with stakeholders. Success of a musical group was hypothesized to be related to use of outside professionals and using the Internet for promotion, and attitudes towards stakeholders. The questionnaire was distributed through the Louisiana Music Directory. Three items from the questionnaire were used as measures of relative success of the bands: • I (we) sold the following number of units of the last recording I (we) produced (closed choice). • The typical amount of money I or my band makes from a gig per person is (closed choice). • My band has gone on tour within the past year (yes/no). Our exploratory results indicated generally that the success measures were significantly related to outsourcing activities, with mixed results for promotional activities. Additional research is needed to (1) identify other indicators of success, and (2) to explore in more depth what factors may predict success among musical groups.

An Exploratory Study of Retailing to the Mexican National Consumer in the Border Zone

In this exploratory study, we examine factors that affect how U.S. retailers on the U.S.–Mexican border manage the elements of the retail mix with respect to Mexican national consumers. Several propositions concerning the effects of competition from Mexican retailers and the recent Peso devaluation on variables of the retail mix and traditional measures of perceived retailer outcomes are advanced. Results indicate that while perceptions of the devaluation of the Peso have an impact on the planning of the retail mix as well as on perceived retail outcome measures, competition from Mexican retailers is not perceived to be an important factor.