Non-trading relationships

Non-trading relationships are an important part of the fabric of a network. These relationships exist between competitors, as well as in various ownership structures (such as, subsidiary-parent, co-owners, siblings etc) and in authority relationships (government organisations, unions, and associations). Non-trading relationships also exist between business which provide complementary activities in the same industry, for example, plumbers and electricians in the building industry. Despite the ubiquity of the non-trading relationship little is known about them. This paper seeks to address this in an empirical study of relational mechanisms (and in particular information exchange) in non-trading relationships

Competing interests : the challenge to collaboration in the public sector

Purpose: Managers working within organizations that are part of public-private collaborations comment on their "diabolical" nature and seek guidance as to their administration. Set in an organization involved in a public-private "service delivery contract", the purpose of this paper is to report research into the collaboration and challenges experienced within the organization. It also seeks to consider to the significance of narrative and story-telling in understanding these complexities. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using in-depth interviews and observation. The emerging discourse was analyzed using a machine-based, lexigraphic tool to provide a framework for interpretive story analysis. The significance and value of each approach are illustrated as are the effective synergies between them. Findings: The paper identifies a number of different competing interests, including the needs of the clients vs the governmentally imposed goals and performance metrics of the organization. The limitations of this network form are highlighted; through contrasting of manager and consultant stories it becomes plain that collaborative networking only occurs at the management levels. Research limitations/implications: The role of the story-teller and the story context emerge as significant. Further research that pays greater attention to the stories' context, subtext, roles of narrator and others in the story is recommended. Originality/value: The paper demonstrates the value of extending machine-based analysis with more interpretive approaches. The significance of story analysis in understanding the embeddedness of narrative is highlighted as the range of synergies that can arise from multiple analytical techniques

Concerning trust and information

Communication and the associated information exchanges are key drivers of the development of relationships and of the trust embedded within them. This paper considers the development of business relationships in terms of the continuing co-evolution of trust and information exchange and the issues associated with researching these processes. The interconnections of trust and information exchange are examined in a survey of business relationships involving information exchange (n = 355). Analysis of variance shows few, if any, of the aspects of the standard conceptualizations of information exchange are associated with increased levels of trust. It is information exchange norms that have the greatest (positive) association with the level of trust. These norms emerge as part of the long term co-production of the relationship itself. This has important managerial implications. We conclude there are few managerial actions involving managing communication that can “manufacture” trust and improve or develop relationships in the short term. The paper concludes with a discussion of alternative ways of envisaging communication and relationship management and the nature and future of research into the evolution of business relationships

Model to model replication : outlining a docking process

Wilensky and Rand (2007: 6) highlight that all complexity modellers need to develop a suite of "best practices" allowing them to validate and verify the computational simulation models they develop. Such practices are critical if computational simulation models are to be accepted by the wider academic community, rather than just by computational modellers themselves (Maguire et al., 2006). This paper presents a docking validation procedure conducted between a fuzzy logic model and an agent-based model (ABM). Both models simulate the flow of resources within innovation networks. The paper presents the steps taken, problems encountered and strategies used to dock the two models

Beyond the ideal : a pragmatic view of agents' role in innovation in developing countries

The increasing influence of agents to facilitate the diffusion of innovation (DI) in developing countries may be linked to rate of maize diffusion in the Third World. Traditional DI studies offer a relatively idealised view of agents in diffusion process (Abrahamson (1991). These studies assume that innovation is beneficial and that the agent acts at the herald—spreading the word to the uninitiated (see for example Rogers and Shoemaker, 1971). We refute this idealised view of the agents’ role in the innovation process and present a case study that uses narrative event histories (Buttriss and Wilkinson 2008) to reveal a more pragmatic critical view

Luxury brand extensions and perceived luxury : insights from the Australian market

Luxury-brand managers must balance optimising brand value while simultaneously maintaining the exclusivity of the brand. Corporate interests increase the focus towards strategies that return greater profit for the business. For example, managers may consider brand extensions or greater channel exposure to increase revenues. However, these strategies may have an adverse impact on brand exclusivity. The damage to over-stretched brands like Pierre Cardin and Gucci has been attributed, in part, to the use of brand extensions and increased distribution. This article examines the impact of brand extensions on consumer perceptions of luxury. Careful consideration of the degree of fit of the extension with the luxury brand as well as the channel exposure offers mechanisms for brand managers to extract greater profit from the brand while maintaining luxury-brand perceptions

Alternative ways of verification and validation of computational models : a case of replication in the innovation networks

Conventional practice in modelling requires checking that the model implementation is correct with respect to its conceptualisation (verification) and that corresponds to and explains the real world phenomenon modelled (validation). Agent-based models (ABM) have been applied in many scientific fields, but only recently researchers have started to realise that the lack of verification and validation protocols/approaches is one of the main challenges and criticisms in fully adopting the models. Verification and validation assure the external and operational validity of a model and when data for estimation is not readily available, the behaviour of the computational model cannot be operationally validated and thus, the results are ‘questionable’. Alternative approaches have recently gained increasing attention. Docking or replication of the models is one of them, based on the reflection that if different implementations of a conceptual model produce similar findings, that lends support to the models in mimicking the real world phenomenon. This paper reports on the docking experience (using fuzzy logic) and other approaches to validate an agent-based model (ABM) in the context of innovation in business networks. Using two modelling paradigms and software programs, we modelled in 18 months’ interval a network of three categories of agents (R&D organisations, venture capitalists VCs, and manufacturing companies M). The two models were developed for exploring innovation creation and change of resources in business networks. Agent-based and fuzzy logic approaches capture inter-relations between heterogeneous organisations/agents and between organisations and their environment, and cumulative network effects explain changes in the system. The organisations are autonomous and they exchange resources in a decentralised manner, the result in the system as a whole being dependent on the degree of interdependence of agents in the network

Using case data to ensure ‘real world’ input validation within fuzzy set theory models

Fuzzy set theory models have considerable potential to address complex marketing and B2B problems, but for this methodology to be accepted, models require validation. However, there is relatively little detail in the literature dealing with validation of fuzzy simulation in marketing. This limitation is compounded by the difficulty of using case-based and qualitative evidence (data to which fuzzy models are well suited) when applying more general validation. The chapter illustrates a fuzzy model validation process using small-N cased based data and concludes with recommendations to assist researchers in validating their fuzzy models

Educational development : evaluating efficiency and effectiveness

Educational institutions must balance demands for the delivery of quality programs in the face of increasing fiscal pressure. This paper identifies how this can be accomplished by viewing subject development as a long-term activity that balances process inputs and outputs. A case study is used to illustrate the significance of this long-term multiple outcome approach. It is argued that changes in educational policy and in particular the focus of quality audit processes (which tend to emphasise satisfaction outcomes) are necessary to ensure more productive quality enhancement programs