Wesley J. Johnston

How Firms Relate to Their Markets: An Empirical Examination of Contemporary Marketing Practices

The authors examine 308 firms in the United States and four other Western countries to understand how different types of firms relate to their markets. Comparative analysis shows that though there is some support for consumer and goods firms being more transactional and business and service firms being more relational, there are many exceptions. The results also show that firms can be grouped into those whose marketing practices are predominantly transactional, predominantly relational, or a transactional/relational hybrid. Each group constitutes approximately one-third of the sample and includes all types of firms (consumer goods, consumer services, business-to-business goods, and business-to-business services). This suggests that marketing practices are pluralistic and managerial practice has not shifted from transactional to relational approaches per se.

Theory Testing Using Case Studies in Business-to-Business Research

Abstract The strength of any confirmatory research method depends on two factors. First, the relationship between theory and method, and, second, how the researcher attends to the potential weaknesses of the method. Case research has typically been criticized as lacking objectivity and methodological rigor. As such, case research has been thought to be applicable to exploratory research. By addressing the traditional criticisms of case research, a systematic case methodology is developed that can be useful for testing theory. Central to this confirmatory case method are three elements. First, the research must begin with hypotheses developed by theory. Second, the research design must be logical and systematic. Third, findings must be independently evaluated. By designing research projects around these aspects, case studies become theory-based, systematic, rigorous, and more objective. As such, case research can provide marketers with one more tool to investigate business-to-business marketing phenomena.

Organizational buying behavior: Toward an integrative framework

Abstract This article analyzes and summarizes the 25 years of research on organizational buying behavior that followed the seminal works of Robinson, Faris, and Wind (1967), Webster and Wind (1972), and Sheth (1973). Based on a review of 165 articles, the authors present an integrated model of organizational buying behavior that both combines the propositions of the original three works and incorporates several new constructs that have emerged over the past 25 years. In addition, the authors identify some of the important findings associated with the past research in organizational buying behavior. Each article citation in the Reference Appendix includes a list of the organizational buying behavior constructs examined within the article.

Measuring network competence: some international evidence

Исследуется компетенция сети фирм, а точнее то, как она проявляется в деятельности сети организаций как единого целого. Статью условно можно разделить на три части. Первая и вторая части посвящены исследованию компетенции германских и английских фирм соответственно, а в третьей проводится сравнительный анализ и обосновывается необходимость измерения компетенции сети организаций как единого целого. Обсуждаются в основном два параметра: принадлежность сети к определенной стране и характер ее рыночной ориентации. Параметр принадлежности есть нечто большее, чем просто географическая близость фирм; он учитывает общность культурных интересов и правовой сферы. Исследование показало, что при измерении компетенции сети фирм фактор принадлежности к одной и той же стране оказывается гораздо менее существенным, чем степень рыночной ориентированности.

The dynamics of long-term business-to-business exchange relationships

A framework for business-to-business interaction is proposed that integrates approaches to bargaining from social psychology and economics to provide a conceptual paradigm emphasizing long-term exchange relationships rather than individual transactions. The authors propose a classification of negotiation behavior along two continuous dimensions and examine the mechanics of the dyadic negotiation process that translate negotiation behavior into long-term relationships. They suggest that exchange relationships are formed by achieving mutually beneficial outcomes from a series of exchange transactions and that there is a bi-directional link between negotiation behavior and exchange relationships mediated by negotiation outcomes. The framework also explores the determinants of negotiation behavior in dyadic negotiations between businesses in terms of organizational, individual, and “other party” influences. Propositions are developed, using both role theory and economic bargaining theory, to support the overall framework. Finally, the classification of negotiation behavior is revisited to examine the evolution of exchange relationships over time.

Relationship marketing theory in practice: A case study

Abstract Six constructs associated with current relationship marketing theory and research are discussed in this article: relationship dependence, trust, commitment, communication, cooperation, and equity. These variables are used as descriptors to develop profiles of a successful partnering relationship and a typical relationship between a wood products distributor and two manufacturing principals. In particular, the partnering relationship is characterized by a high level of trust, a long-term relationship orientation, intensive information exchange, and a high level of mutual cooperation.

The social psychology of industrial buying and selling

Abstract New ways to view industrial marketing are offered in order to clarify some currently existing confusion in the area. The dyadic or two party model and the systems model are offered as reconceptualizations leading to a better understanding of industrial marketing management. Action implications for business managers and academic researchers are suggested.

Segmenting U.S. firms for export development

In attempting to aid firms in their exporting efforts, various segmentation approaches have been developed by government agencies and research groups. Each of these segmentation schemes aims at the identification of specific export needs within different groups of firms. The four major approaches suggested in the literature propose to differentiate firms into groups based on the level of international activities, managerial attitudes, size, and service orientation of firms. The research presented in this article investigates these four segmentation approaches by applying them to common data collected from small and medium sized U.S. manufacturing firms and investigating their effectiveness in differentiating among groups of firms. The results indicate that the differentiation of firms according to their level of international activities is the most effective one of the four approaches investigated. Subsequently, various specific needs of exporting firms are presented and a redirection of current export promotion efforts is suggested.

Customer Relationship Management Implementation Gaps

Customer relationship management (CRM) implementation initiatives have been marred by failure, which many in the popular and academic literature attribute to limited technology acceptance among end users. This paper presents a conceptual model that depicts how the extent of alignment between the three constituent elements of a firm’s CRM program (employees, processes, and technology) influences end user acceptance of CRM technology. In particular, the model proposes that perceived process–technology, technology–employee, and employee–process gaps within CRM programs generate cognitive dissonance among end users, and that the level of dissonance generated ultimately determines whether individuals will adopt or resist the new technology. Research and managerial implications stemming from the literature are provided.

Learning to improvise, improvising to learn: a process of responding to complex environments

Abstract This paper extends recent work on improvisation by focusing on the role of information flows and the action–learning interaction as an organization responds to a changeable environment and/or to a crisis. Novelty, speed and coherence are presented as dimensions of improvisation and we show how environmental factors influence the effectiveness of these. A typology of improvisation is offered that suggests that improvisational skills can themselves be learned with more effective improvisation resulting.