It takes two to tango: The interaction paradox in management education

In this paper, we argue that we face an interaction paradox in management education. We thus have a situation where students want to talk to their teachers and teachers want to engage in dialogue but neither side seems to get anywhere. Using qualitative and quantitative data from both business school students and teachers, we explore the reasons for this paradox and look for possible solutions. Based on our analysis and interpretation of the data, we propose a conceptual model that shows how feedback is fundamental for effective learning. The conceptual model can be used to understand the interaction paradox. It has implications for both individual teachers and, on an institutional level, for creating conditions conducive for effective feedback and dialogue between students and teachers

MANUFACTURER AND RETAILER BRANDS IN FOOD RETAIL ASSORTMENTS Notes from a shopping trip across Europe

Food retailers present consumers with a complex market offering. They offer consumers an assortment of products sourced from numerous suppliers, along with various services within a retailer-controlled environment (Burt & Sparks 2002). Food retailers aim to offer an assortment of products and perform a variety of activities and services, which provide added value in the eyes of consumers (Burt 2000). In this connection, branding is becoming increasingly important, as food retailers develop their own brands within and across product categories. Many retailers are attempting to cultivate an overall brand identity in order to protect and identify their market offering (Burt & Sparks 2002). The assortment of products food retailers offer typically includes manufacturer brands, re-tailer brands and generic or unbranded products. In recent years, increasing competition in food retailing has made food retailers focus on whether they offer the "right" assort-ment to consumers. Under headings such as efficient consumer response (ECR) and cate-gory management (CM), retailers have been readjusting their assortments, delisting many brands that were deemed to be under-performing and including retailer branded products in an attempt to differentiate themselves by offering goods only available in their stores. Despite the importance of branding to retailers, the branding literature has focused on how manufacturers develop and maintain strong brands. Relatively little work has been done in the area of retail brands and even less about the interaction between retailer brands and manufacturer brands. In contrast, this paper develops a concept of retailer brand architecture, which captures that retailers typically offer an assortment of manu-facturer brands, retailer brands and generic products. In doing so we adapt the concept of brand architecture to a retail context. The concept of 'brand architecture', as originally developed by (Aaker & Joachimsthaler 2002), describes how the different brands used to market a range of products from the same manufacturer are related. The concept of brand architecture is based on the assumption that brands are not evaluated in isolation, but are placed in and evaluated within a broader context. This assumption is also important in a retail context. Consumers do not look at an isolated product or brand on the shelf. Their evaluation of the individual brand depends on the context; for instance, what other products are offered in the product category and in the retail outlet, previous experiences with the product or other products from the same manufacturer, as well as previous experiences with the retailer in question. In this paper, we take the concept of brand architecture and apply it to food retailers, con-ceptualising the brand architectures of food retailers as the portfolio of brands (gene-ric, retailer and manufacturer brands), which are included in the assortment of a retail concept (ie, a retail chain). In addition to developing a concept of 'retailer brand archi-tecture', we use this concept to investigate the brand architecture of a number of European food retailers in order to determine similarities and differences in brand architecture strategies. The paper is structured as follows: firstly, the concept of brand archi-tecture is presented. Secondly, the concept of brand architecture is applied to a retail setting and a number of other concepts important for understanding the brand architecture strategies of food retailers are introduced and discussed. Thirdly, the methodology used to investigate the brand architectures of European food retailers is discussed. Then, the findings from a shopping trip across Europe are presented. Finally, a discussion of the findings is provided and it is briefly considered how the findings of this study were used as input for a study of consumer perceptions of the brand architectures of food retailers. This subsequent study investigated whether consumers notice differences between the brand architectures of food retailers and how these are evaluatedNo keywords;

Retailers and technology-driven innovation in the food sector: caretakers of consumer interests or barriers to innovation?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that retailers play in innovation in the food sector.  Design/methodology/approach – Analysis is based on interviews with retailers and food suppliers from Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom.  Findings – The findings show that in different ways retailers act both as caretakers of consumer interests and as barriers to innovation. Retailers are not interested in new technologies per se, but whether new technologies and the products made using them provide clearly identifiable benefits to consumers. These products must carry minimum risk for the retailer and there is a clear need for benefits to be communicated in commercial rather than technological terms to both retailers and consumers.  Research limitations/implications – The main limitation is that the study is based on interviews with retailers and suppliers in three countries.  Practical implications – Food suppliers developing new products based on novel technologies need to identity and communicate clear benefits to consumers if their products are to be adopted by grocery retailers.  Originality/value – This paper extends our understanding of the important role that retailers play in the diffusion of new innovative food products, services and technologies to consumers

An Economic Comparison of Biological and Conventional Control Strategies for Insect Pests in Cashew and Mango Plantations in Tanzania

This study was undertaken to compare alternative methods of pest control for insect pests in order to determine which methods has the highest efficacy against insect pests and the least detrimental side effects, while maintaining production and profits. The analysis was based on the experimental trials for three treatments: weaver ants, chemical insecticides and control. Data on yields, quantities and prices of inputs and output were collected and analyzed using inferential statistics (t-test), partial budgetary technique and marginal analysis involving dominance analysis. The results of partial budget analysis shows that a change from chemical insecticides treatment to weaver ants returned net benefits greater than zero by Tsh. 692 923 and Tsh.1019665 in cashew and mango plantations respectively. Similarly, positive net benefits was obtained when growers change from control to weaver ants treatment by Tsh. 504 989 and Tsh. 891 297 in cashew and mango plantations. The dominance and MRRanalyses shows that if cashew and mango growers change from conventional agricultural practices to weaver ants, they would earn MRR of 1621% which is above minimum acceptable rate of return (MARR) of 100%. The t-test analyses show that weaver ant treatment is superior over conventional agricultural practices. The study concludes that weaver ant treatment was economically feasible and financially undertaking. Further field experimental trials will be repeated in the next two growing seasons to confirm results obtained in 2012. Key words: Conventional, weaver ants, partial budgeting, yield, cashew and mang

Diffusion of open innovation practices in Danish SMEs

Within a short timeframe, the notion of open innovation has been established as an important, if also contentious, topic for both researchers and practitioners. Thus some observers have suggested that open innovation is the next big thing in innovation, while others argue that it is merely old wine in new bottles. This paper investigates the extent and diffusion of open innovation practices in small and medium-sized Danish manufacturing firms, while hinting at some relations with innovative performance. Both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data are used for analysing the extent of open innovation in Danish SME’s. The paper finds that many firms are rather narrow in their adoption of open innovation whether defined as relationships or as open innovation practices. However, the paper also finds that there is a complementarity effect rather than a crowding out effect of utilising both interorganizational relationships and open innovation practices. The paper discusses these stimulating findings in the conclusion

Consequences of information technology usage on retailer-supplier relations

Executive summary 1. Retailers and suppliers increasingly tend to form long-term co-operative relationships. In the literature, the use of information technology is an enabling factor behind this trend. Nevertheless, our understanding of how information technology influences retailer-supplier relationships is still limited. The purpose of this paper therefore is to study the consequences of information technology usage on retailer supplier relationships, focusing on inter-organisational systems. 2. The paper begins by discussing the nature of retailer-supplier relations, noting that whereas these relationships have traditionally been adversarial, retailers and suppliers are beginning to realise that they can benefit from co-operating. Further, developmental processes in co-operative inter-organisational relations are discussed and the important role of social exchange in inter-organisational relationships is stressed. 3. Then the usage of information technology in retailer-supplier relationships is discussed. A typology of inter-organisational information sharing systems based on various types of interdependencies between retailers and suppliers is presented. It is argued that retailers and suppliers use a variety of inter-organisational systems depending on the level of co-operation and interdependence. 4. Based on the discussions of the nature of retailer-supplier relationships and the uses of information technology in these relationships, six propositions regarding the consequences of information technology usage on retailer-supplier relationships are developed. Specifically, propositions are developed regarding the choice of governance mechanism, the relationship development process and the exchange of information and joint value creation activities. 5. The paper concludes with a discussion of managerial implications and areas for future research. Based on the propositions developed in the paper, it is stressed that managers need to carefully consider the consequences that the use of inter-organisational systems may have on inter-organisational relationship. Further, managers need to realise that the use of inter-organisational systems is becoming a strategic necessity and is not in itself a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Finally, it is pointed out that the propositions developed in this paper have been developed based on previous empirical and theoretical papers and need to be empirically validated.Information technology; Retailing; Supplier relations

Retail and wholesale buying behaviour for two different food products in six Eastern European countries». MAPP working paper no. 66. Aarhus, The Aarhus School of Business

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. The structure of retailing and wholesaling in Eastern Europe has been significantly altered by privatisation and liberalisation in the transition from central planning to market economy. Furthermore, many western retailers faced with saturated domestic markets have expanded into Eastern Europe in an attempt to take advantage of the opportunities created by the liberalisation. 2. The aim of this study is to increase our knowledge of retail and wholesale buying behaviour in Eastern Europe by examining the buying behaviour for fish and cheese products in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. 95 semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry experts, retail buyers and wholesale buyers of fish and cheese. 3. To structure the discussion of buying behaviour for fish and cheese in Eastern Europe, a simple model of buying behaviour is constructed by combining elements from 4. With regards to retail buying behaviour, results show that buying functions are organised differently. Retailers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are smaller than their counterparts in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland and hence do not have the resources necessary to employ people whose sole task it is to buy fish or cheese. Buying therefore often becomes a management responsibility. Furthermore, whereas buying committees are in widespread use in Central Europe, none of the Baltic retailers had such committees. 5. The most important criteria used by retail buyers in Eastern Europe to evaluate products and suppliers of fish and cheese are price and financial conditions, the suppliers' range of products, the way the supplier does business as well as quality. 6. The differences in the organisation of buying functions found between retailers were also found for wholesalers. The most important evaluative criteria used by wholesale buyers are price and financial requirements, quality, reliability of suppliers and marketing support offered. 7. The paper concludes with a discussion of managerial and theoretical implications and areas for future research. We propose that in the long term, the best strategy for Danish food exporters is to approach a number of key retailers and establish close relationships with these retailers in order to fulfil their specific requirements. Theoretically, we conclude that retail and wholesale buying behaviour in Eastern Europe can be analysed using concepts developed for studying retail buying behaviour in Western Europe. Finally, we believe that further research is needed regarding the importance of individual criteria, the relationship between economic development and the buying behaviour of retailers and wholesalers, and the decision-making processes of retail and wholesale buyers in Eastern Europe