Victoria L. Crittenden

Reducing conflict between marketing and manufacturing

Abstract The competitive strategies of an industrial firm may be jeopardized by interfunctional conflict and myopic functional-level decisions. Conflict and misunderstanding can be particularly intense between the marketing and manufacturing functions. This article presents a typology of decisions where strong potential exists for friction between marketing and manufacturing. Company examples are included to provide a degree of face validity for the frequency of such problems. Four major facilitating mechanisms suggested by past research are discussed. Finally, the potential of group decision support systems as a fifth mechanism for facilitating interfunctional cooperation and understanding is examined. Several applications of group decision support systems are presented to illustrate their promise as linking mechanisms.

The Use of Digital Technologies in the Classroom: A Teaching and Learning Perspective.

Today’s college students, often referred to as the “digital generation,” use an impressive assortment of technological tools in a wide variety of ways. However, the findings reported here suggest that students prefer more traditional instructional technology for effective engagement and learning. Faculty members, however, prefer the use of course-learning technology offered by their universities or publishers. In addition to this potential mismatch between preferences of students and teachers, the research finds that there are vast differences in preferences and usage across disciplines, in particular, business and economics instructors and students having stronger technology preferences than instructors and students of the fine arts and life sciences.

Planning for Growth: Life Stage Differences in Family Firms

Applying insights from the generational perspective, this study explores when strategic planning and succession planning are most conducive to privately held family firm growth. The results show that the degree to which strategic planning and succession planning are associated with family firm growth depends on the generation managing the firm. Both forms of planning are most conducive to the growth of first–generation firms; however, neither form of planning confers much growth for second–generation firms. For third–and–beyond–generation firms, the benefits of succession planning appear to reemerge. However, strategic planning is negatively associated with their level of growth.

Technology and Business-to-Consumer Selling: Contemplating Research and Practice

Selling to consumers is becoming increasingly complex and difficult due to changes in the channel structure of the marketplace. These changes are being driven in part by a technological revolution incorporating interactive digital media. This introduction to the special issue presents a brief overview of technology-focused research in business-to consumer selling. The goal of the introduction is to suggest and illustrate a research agenda that depicts the role and implications of technology in business-to-consumer selling.

The Facilitation and use of Student Teams in the Case Analysis Process

Cognitive psychology views learning as a problem-solving process, and the case method has evolved as an excellent mechanism for developing the critical thinking skills essential to effective decision making. Focusing upon the student-led approach to case teaching, we present a framework for helping students develop skills for improving the group case process. The intent of the approach is to increase interest in student-led presentations, from the perspectives of the presenting team and the audience. The focus is on providing an educational environment that allows students to develop the interpersonal, analytical, oral communication, and written communication skills demanded by contemporary organizations.

An Exploratory Study of Cross-Functional Education in the Undergraduate Marketing Curriculum

In response to calls from both business practitioners and educators, this research explores the extent to which undergraduate marketing education is delivered with a cross-functional perspective. Given that marketing is often recognized as a boundary-spanning role within companies, marketing department chairs were asked to report on cross-functional teaching and learning activities within their departments and schools. While it appears that cross-functional teaching and learning does take place in the marketing classroom, it does not appear to be widespread among marketing departments within undergraduate business programs in the United States, and what is done tends to be accomplished within traditional pedagogical formats. These exploratory results point to several considerations for the implementation of crossfunctional teaching and learning initiatives, as well as provide provocative material for stimulating marketing faculty discussions on the topic.

An uneasy alliance: planning and performance in nonprofit organizations

The research presented here contributes to our understanding of strategic planning and its relationship to performance in nonprofit organizations. Based on a sample of 303 nonprofit organizations, the study emphasizes individual and diverse elements of the planning process. Multiple measures of performance highlight a nonprofits need to garner resource contributions from several constituencies. Using factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis, we find a positive association between scope of planning and executive satisfaction and a negative association between administrative informality and volunteer involvement. Our results suggest that two critical resource contributors, executive directors and donors, may not value formalized decision-making and planning to the extent previously assumed.

Social Learning Theory: A Multicultural Study of Influences on Ethical Behavior.

We propose Social Learning Theory as a theoretical foundation for understanding the ethical standards of future business leaders. Using data drawn from students from 115 four-year undergraduate institutions in 36 different countries, the relationships among role models, capitalism, and laws were examined. The data suggest that future business leaders educated in environments espousing all moral philosophies except virtue ethics are influenced by their role models. However, differences in unethical behavior are found as related to the social influences of capitalism and laws.

Advocating Avatars: The Salesperson in Second Life

Interactive digital media are revolutionizing the marketing landscape. The virtual world is a dominant player in this new panorama, with exchanges in the virtual marketplace approaching

Deregulation of professional accounting services in the United Kingdom: integrating marketing and accounting

2 billion annually. While virtual, like real world, exchanges require buyers and sellers, there is little or no understanding of this disembodied sales process. The current study seeks to address this gap in knowledge by employing an ethnographic methodology in which researchers incarnate in Second Life to explore the personal selling process. Specifically, the various notions of the “self ” that constitute the avatar salesperson are explored. Findings from this exploratory study suggest a relationship between the nature of the self and the type of exchange. From this, a conceptual model for the study of the virtual selling self is presented, propositions developed, and managerial implications for the virtual sales force suggested.