Mary T. Holden

Affirming Communication's Primary Role in a Manufacturer-Retailer Context

Contrary to most extant relationship research which has relegated communication to a minor relational role, we found communication to be a central relationship variable. Communications importance arose in a qualitative stage of our research which involved four manufacturer-retailer case studies. To affirm communications central relational role, we tested the link between relationship governance and communication in a quantitative study of 280 retailers of the manufacturers product, and found a positive link. Additionally, to aid future research in this area, this study brought together measures of communication from several U.S. studies and tested them in their totality.

A Relational Communication Strategy for Successful Collaborative Innovation in Business-to-Business Markets

This chapter contributes to our understanding of interorganisational relationships (IORs) through the presentation of a relational communication strategy that incorporates a set of propositions about the features and mechanisms of the communication process in successful collaborative innovation. We propose that relational communication provides the lubrication to the process of collaborative innovation facilitating border-less interaction between parties. We examine the nature of collaborative innovation and the importance of communication to collaborative innovation’s effective functioning in relationships. Features of our relational communication strategy in densely knit partnerships considered to be important in a successful collaborative innovation setting, include (1) high frequency, bidirectionality, informality, and indirect modalities; (2) high communication quality, dense participation, and openness of information sharing of tacit and implicit knowledge; and (3) a shared meaning base and an open communication climate. The mechanisms that we propose that firms can and do use to increase the effectiveness of communication in successful collaborative innovation include (1) interpersonal modes of communication and affiliation; (2) loose teams; (3) electronic virtual communities and open information repositories; and (4) interorganisational communities of practice. A number of examples and case vignettes are presented in order to support the need to focus attention on these issues.

Engaging Entrepreneurs with a Blended Problem-based Learning Degree Programme

While larger tourism enterprises benefit from a graduate management intake and continuing executive development, the owner of the small tourism operation is limited in continuing education and professional development opportunities due to resource poverty, lack of appropriate and available tertiary tourism education. This chapter details the pedagogical and technological challenges faced by the education team at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in developing and implementing an innovative blended learning degree, customised to meet the requirements of the entrepreneur for a sense of involvement, relevance and flexibility. Understanding how to harmonise blended learning with face-to-face PBL was the cornerstone of success in the design and implementation of the programme and the insights gained will provide guidelines to educators who are responsible for the development of relevant and accessible business degree programmes for owner/managers of micro/small business enterprises.