Tim Hughes

Scholarship That Matters: Academic–Practitioner Engagement in Business and Management

Our research explores academic–practitioner engagement by undertaking interviews with academics, practitioners, and other experts with relevant engagement experience. The findings highlight the problem of thinking narrowly about the different ways in which engagement takes place, as well as defining narrowly what is a worthwhile activity for management academics. We develop a framework that encompasses the main ways in which engagement takes place, and that relates these to different attitude groups among both academics and practitioners. This could provide a starting point for business schools and individual academics to develop plans and put in place the processes for better engagement. ........................................................................................................................................................................

Service co-creation and value realisation

Abstract The notion of value co-creation is central to the discourse of Service-Dominant Logic (S-D logic) yet there remains little agreement among academics seeking to explain or research the value co-creation process. We distinguish service co-creation from the S-D logic notion of value co-creation, and conceptualise service co-creation as a process comprising value potential, resource integration, and resource modification. Value, being a personal evaluative judgement, cannot be co-created; rather it is realised by actors as an outcome of service co-creation. We define service co-creation as planned resource integration behaviours by actors intended to realise a value proposition. We provide guidance to assist practitioners seeking to enhance the value their customers might realise.

Value Co-Creation in Social Marketing: Functional or Fanciful?

Purpose – Value co-creation thinking is reshaping the understanding of markets and marketing and presents a significant opportunity to develop the theory and practice of social marketing. However, whilst value co-creation offers thought-provoking new directions for the field, applying this theory and its core concepts in social marketing is not without significant challenges. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper that seeks to integrate lessons from social marketing practice with the value co-creation discourse from commercial marketing. Drawing upon two projects that have applied principles of collaboration and co-design, the paper provides a critical perspective on the adoption of value co-creation in social marketing. Findings – The collaborative and emancipatory ambitions of co-creation seem highly compatible with social marketing. However, the paper notes some significant conceptual, ethical and practical obstacles in the path of a workable t...

New channels/old channels: Customer management and multi-channels

Purpose – This paper seeks to concern itself with the implications for the management of customer relationships of pursuing a multi‐channel approach.Design/methodology/approach – The case study method is used in analysing the situation of four organizations from the UK financial services industry. A conceptual framework covering structural, people and process elements is utilized to examine the challenges to be overcome in providing an integrated approach to customer management.Findings – The addition of new channels alongside those already in existence opens up new areas of the organization to customer contact and creates significant challenges in relation to staff roles and existing processes for interacting with customers. Channel integration is a strategic issue potentially requiring structural changes to the organization and changes in the behaviour of customers.Research limitations/implications – This exploratory research suggests the need for studies in relationship marketing to take cross‐discipli...

The effectiveness of knowledge networks: An investigation of manufacturing SMEs

Purpose – Although considerable attention in the extant literature has been devoted to knowledge acquisition and transfer within firms, there is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of outside sources of knowledge for technology‐based small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). Furthermore, the majority of empirical studies in this area focus on large firms while research on smaller firms is underdeveloped. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of the sources of knowledge on the performance of technology manufacturing firms and the implications for higher education institutions (HEIs) providing advice to this sector.Design/methodology/approach – Following interviews with managing directors of manufacturing firms, a number of sources of technical advice were identified. A survey of small and medium‐sized UK electronic and engineering firms was then carried out to investigate the relationship between sources of knowledge and performance and also to establish whether there is a relationship b...

Market orientation and the response of UK financial services companies to changes in market conditions as a result of e‐commerce

The UK financial services industry is changing rapidly, particularly as a result of developments in distribution, notably with e‐commerce. The aim of this study is to apply the conceptual framework of market orientation to explain how a number of financial services companies are responding to this fundamental distribution change. The fieldwork consisted of multi respondent semi‐structured interviews conducted in four major UK financial services companies from December 1999 to August 2000. This paper puts forward some initial findings and observations from these interviews. E‐commerce is recognised by the great majority of respondents as being fundamentally important as a new way of providing information, purchasing certain products, automating transactions, providing self service and lowering costs. In the new standalone operation studied, the instant and centralised communication made possible by e‐commerce promotes the ability to respond to customer requirements in a way that corresponds to many aspects of the major market orientation models. However in trying to integrate e‐commerce with more traditional channels, in existing organisations, there are some major challenges to overcome.

New technology and the changing role of marketing

Marketing practice is increasingly being affected by new technologies, creating opportunities and threats for marketing practitioners. Much of the literature has concentrated on effects external to the firm such as the Internets impact on market structure, or new business paradigms. However, the research reported on here highlights how new technologies are acting as internal agents of change, forcing firms to adapt to new processes, which in turn are disrupting existing hierarchies. The paper makes the case that this disruption will create opportunities for marketers, who have hitherto failed to be seen as key players at board level. It has been argued that marketings focus needs to move to internal management and facilitation in order to enable enterprise‐wide market orientation to emerge as the dominant ethos of the firm. The respondents’ often blunt views on marketers’ abilities to lead this change are reported, making rather sombre reading for the profession. A number of possible routes were explored through which marketers could address these weaknesses, improve their influence within the firm, and capitalise on the internal disruption caused by new technology.

Co-production and self-service: The application of Service-Dominant Logic

Abstract Service-Dominant Logic (S-D logic) theory and related literature is reviewed to demonstrate S-D logics potential to provide new insights for understanding an important contemporary issue in service delivery: the application of self-service technology (SST) to customer service. S-D logic considers operant resources to be the key to gaining a competitive advantage. Consequently, the most important aspect of the application of SST is the requirement for the customer to provide the operant resource at the point of transaction. It is argued that the implementation of SST could be improved by encompassing an understanding of the resources available to the customer and the value (or lack of value) experienced by the customer in using SST. Gaps in existing knowledge are identified, particularly in relation to the application of SST in business-to-business (B2B) contexts. An agenda for further research is outlined and a range of management implications are discussed.

Marketing Challenges in E-Banking: Standalone or Integrated?

One of the most significant developments in bank marketing in recent years has been the use of technology in creating new channels through which customers can transact their accounts and interact with their bank. The literature shows how e-banking has developed rapidly and become a mainstream channel, but concerns have been raised about the ability of banks to manage customer relationships effectively through this new channel. The case studies presented in this paper are chosen to exemplify two approaches to e-banking: integration into an existing operation and separation (through a standalone operation). Analysis of these case studies shows how a market oriented approach to customer service can be implemented particularly effectively at an operational level in the standalone case. However, while the need to manage customers far more holistically is recognised in the integrated case this has not yet been achieved in practice. The reasons for this highlight challenges for marketing in the banking sector.

Why ‘soft science’ is the key to regaining leadership in marketing knowledge

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight what the authors regard as serious problems with the continuing dominance of a “hard science” view of what constitutes “top quality” research, and to present evidence that a “softer” approach will yield work that more closely aligns with the everyday reality of marketing.Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a contrast between the marketing discipline and chemistry to illustrate their concerns about the use of “hard science” in academic marketing. This was supplemented with analyses of academic marketing work already published to illustrate particular points.Findings – The authors propose that academic marketers need to take a “horses for courses” approach and ground their research in the reality of the discipline. Different areas within the discipline of marketing are debated, and it is concluded that some areas may still respond well to scientific approaches, while others may benefit from a relaxation into interpretive approaches. The paper arg...