Terje I. Vaaland

Corporate social responsibility: investigating theory and research in the marketing context

Purpose – This review article aims to develop an integrating overview of the present status of the theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) applied in the marketing context and asks whether, to what extent and how the discipline of marketing has addressed CSR.Design/methodology/approach – After clarifying core concepts and proposing a new definition of CSR, 54 articles in leading marketing journals between 1995 and 2005 are analyzed in terms of publication characteristics, research design, variables, sampling, level of analysis, issues raised, and key findings.Findings – Recommendations include a broadened perspective in empirical research to address CSR in its entirety, expand the focus beyond consumers, include a broader range of samples and conduct more inductive, exploratory empirical studies. These steps will contribute to a multidimensional view of the future customer.Research limitations/implications – The number and specific choice of journals was subject to a compromise between comprehensi...

Can the SME survive the supply chain challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the extent to which they are prepared to meet SCM challenges through the use of modern planning and control methods.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a cross‐sectional survey of 200 Norwegian companies with informants mainly related to the SCM function and from top management.Findings – The findings clearly indicate that SMEs give less attention to planning and control methods than LEs. SMEs are less satisfied with the methods applied; less concerned with methods supporting SCM on product quality, rationalisation of operations and capital cost rationalisation; less focused on system integration with other actors in the supply chain; and less focused on EDI and e‐based solutions.Research limitations/implications – The study focuses primarily on managerial components and excluded logistics structures and business processes that are more or less inter‐related.Practical implications – Horizontal ...

Business relationships facing the end: why restore them?

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss business relationships drawing to an end, and the reasons why company managers should attempt to restore the relationship instead of terminating it.Design/methodology/approach – The study applies a qualitative method and in‐depth interviews with companies in the North Sea oil industry.Findings – The paper offers two contributions. First, it suggests an empirically grounded categorization of attenuating factors, i.e. the reasons to restore a relationship. Second, the categorization is extended to attenuating analysis, through which the value of the troubled relationship can be clarified. Thereafter, if the relationship is considered worth restoring, the managers may actively engage in restoring actions.Research limitations/implications – Because this study is limited to one business setting, future research applying the attenuating analysis to other industries by using action research is suggested.Practical implications – The study improves the awareness of inter‐organi...

Managing corporate social responsibility: lessons from the oil industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the manner in which companies deal with key stakeholders in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR), focusing in particular on how companies can handle critical incidents related to CSR and utilize these experiences in enforcing their regular social responsibility.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study methodology.Findings – CSR should be managed by a combination of handling unexpected episodes that threaten existing social responsibility (incident recovery) and the long‐term reduction of gaps between stakeholder expectations and the company performance (CSR enforcement). Furthermore, CSR implies building and maintaining relationships with society through interplay between actors, resources and activities.Practical implications – The study contributes to managerial decision making by identifying seven types of implications and activities necessary to actively manage key aspects of social responsibili...

Why Do Business Partners Divorce? The Role of Cultural Distance in Inter-Firm Conflict Behavior

ABSTRACT This research discusses reasons for dissolution of business relationships. By means of a case study of a dispute that ended in a lengthy court battle, an exploration of one predisposing factor that existed before the unfortunate relationship was established is undertaken. Factors addressed are cultural distance in terms of different degree of relative uncertainty avoidance and power distance. Conclusions indicated that, under certain circumstances, cultural distance is so wide that the relationship should never have been established in the first place. The aim is to increase managers awareness when selecting new business partners, and to improve strategies for recovering faltering relationships. The article ends by discussing managerial implications.

Local content and struggling suppliers : a network analysis of Nigerian oil and gas industry

The study investigates how local content can be enhanced in the oil and gas industry in a developing country like Nigeria. The empirical base was 18 in-depth interviews of professionals directly or indirectly related to the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The interviews revealed barriers for indigenous companies in accessing the industry. These were related to three major capabilities; capital, competence and delivery possibilities. It is suggested that the barriers can be solved by recognition of the interdependencies between actors associated with these capabilities. The actors include in addition to the foreign companies and the indigenous companies, educational institutions, legal system, educational and R and D institutions, financial institutions, industrial regulators and providers of infrastructure. The paper suggest framework for understanding the oil industrial network of Nigeria. The findings have implications for local content in all developing nations having a significant natural resource extraction industry.

Can University-Industry Linkages Stimulate Student Employability?.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify important university-industry linkage (UIL) activities that can stimulate the likelihood of employability among students. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 404 respondents located in Tanzania, comprising students, faculty members and employees from 20 companies operating within the oil and gas industry and mining constitute the empirical basis for the study. Descriptive analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to help analyse the data. Findings – The results reveal that UIL activities were strongly perceived to raise the employability of students, in particular student internships in companies followed by joint projects and the involvement of companies in modernizing university curricula. Adoption and diffusion internship strategies are suggested for foreign companies and for local firm, respectively, as vehicles for increasing employability. Research limitations/implications – Perceived effects on the likelihood of ...

When Conflict Communication Threatens the Business Relationship: Lessons from the “Balder” Story

ABSTRACT This paper explores the importance of selecting appropriate communication styles when facing conflict in client-contractor relationships. By means of a case from the Norwegian oil and gas industry, which ended in a lengthy and fierce court battle, important sources to the outcome are identified. Communication strategies employed by the project partners, characterized by high degrees of “self-orientation” and “indirect” communication, prevented a “beautiful exit”. The paper suggests that managerial awareness of how conflict episodes should be communicated not only reduces the risks of a devastating dissolution process, but can bring the parties back to a “normal” level of interaction. The managerial awareness is specified in terms of four propositions that conclude the paper.

The “agent effect” on business divorce

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the introduction of agents, such as consultants and lawyers, when the continuation of a business relationship is threatened by conflict.Design/methodology/approach – Based on findings in a distorted business relationship in the oil industry, describes an “agent effect” on managerial decisions.Findings – The “agent effect” reduces uncertainty in the decision process by adding information, but also increases the uncertainty. This implies that their advice in fact may increase managerial uncertainty to a level of which the relationship may end up in a business divorce. The study is explorative and based on a single case study design where written communication between the battling parties, public media and court writs are investigated. Primary and secondary data sources are combined.Research limitations/implications – Although the papers strength lies in it being an in‐depth analysis of a single case, this approach is also a limitation when claiming new knowl...

University-industry linkages in developing countries: perceived effect on innovation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the perceptions of both universities and the resource-extractive companies on the influence of university-industry linkages (UILs) on innovation in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach A total of 404 respondents were interviewed. Descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression models were applied to analyse the data. Findings The findings revealed significant differences between the three informant groups across the three main groups of linkage activities. The industry informants consider all three groups of UILs important for enhancing innovation, in terms of bringing student closer to the industry. The faculty members consider consultancy and research arrangements more important than collaboration, in training and educational activities. The student perceptions on all UIL activities were relatively weak on UIL activities as a vehicle to improve innovation. Research limitations/implications Based on the findings, it seems that the universities should take advantage of a positive attitude among industrial actors and intensify efforts to develop UILs. Practical implications The research can be used for sharpen international oil companies effort towards universities in petroleum rich developing countries. Social implications Implications for policymakers and universities in developing countries, and for the local industrial base. In a broad sense the UIL stimulated innovation has implications on poverty reduction in natural resource-rich host countries. Originality/value Research on UILs in developing countries is rare, particularly in a context in which international companies are faced with host country expectations and legal requirements to invest in knowledge sector and local industry.