Irish Marketing Review, vol. 3, 1988.

The Irish Marketing Review deals with issues, developments, research and practice in marketing

Irish Marketing Review, Vol. 20, no. 2, 2009

Special Issue: Finding an Irish Voice: Reflections on Celtic Consumer Society and Social Change, Edited by Alan Bradshaw, Pierre McDonagh and David Marshal

Creating and Managing EU Funded Research Networks: An Exploratory Case

The collaborative European funded research and development landscape drives competitiveness among innovative organisations. Recently it has seen the rise of public private partnerships significantly impacting the dynamics of these networks. Thus, the complexity of managing research networks has intensified with the increased diversity of research network members. Additionally, the emergence of the academic entrepreneur has augmented the focus of educational institutions to include innovation and building start-up organisations. The impact of research is scalable if an optimum research network is created and managed effectively. This paper investigates network embeddedness; the nature of relationships, links and nodes within a research network, specifically their structure, configuration and quality. The contribution of this paper extends our understanding for establishing and maintaining effective collaborative research networks. The effects of network embeddedness are recognized in the literature as pertinent to innovation and the economy. Network theory literature claims that networks are essential to innovative clusters such as Silicon valley and innovation in high tech industries. The concept of embeddedness is what differentiates network theory from economic theory. This study adopts a qualitative approach and uncovers some of the challenges of multi-disciplinary research through case study insights. One challenge is competition between network members over ownership and sharing of data. The contribution of this paper recommends the establishment of scaffolding to accommodate cooperation in research networks, role appointment, and addressing contextual complexities early to avoid problem cultivation. Furthermore, it suggests recommendations in relation to network formation, incubation and operations. The network capability is enhanced by the recognition of network theory, open innovation and social exchange with the understanding that the network structure has an impact on innovation and social exchange in research networks and subsequently on research output. The research concludes that the success of collaborative research is reliant upon establishing a common language and understanding between network members to realise their research objectives

Towards a Model for Integrating Management and Communications Theory in Sustainability/CSR Research

To answer the question of how organisations should communicate effectively their sustainability and CSR claims, this paper adopts a broadened integrative approach. It proposes a model to identify and assess the linkages and relationships between the management of sustainability/CSR – in particular, the stage of a firm’s adoption of sustainability/CSR principles and practice – and the type and approach of marketing and corporate communications most appropriate and efficacious for this stage. The paper identifies the substantial body of work currently available on the management and communication of sustainability/CSR. Further, it highlights the importance of understanding the ethical and philosophical underpinnings of the various types and levels of embrace, and promotion, of sustainability/CSR. Thinking holistically becomes key in finding a solution

Reconsidering Community-based Retailing

One of the areas with great potential for economic, social and environmental benefit is community-based retailing. The concept of community based retailing can incorporate a number of different tenets. We suggest that it is retailing that is based close to the community it serves, usually within the town or village centre rather than out-of-town locations, and which is composed of a diverse range of small and medium sized business that are often independently or co-operatively owned. These community-based businesses form part of the social and community infrastructure. We first of all explore the broad benefits of community-based retailing. We focus on local food where local food economies in combination with community-based retailing can help to combat ‘food desserts’, areas (usually low income areas) with little or no access to affordable, nutritious food. We examine the, at times, vexed role of multiples in community-based retailing, and consider the future, in particular retailing and sustainability issues. The retailer is perceived as a key gatekeeper or catalyst in achieving sustainability outcomes for a wide range of stakeholders. If the retailer adopts sustainability practices, his customers, as well as his suppliers, will be encouraged, or have little choice but, to follow suit

Colorcare

The issues this case study deals with are: Managing in the marketing function in regard to product development, pricing, promotion and channel selection; in particular how distribution channels non only evolve but can change dramatically, and the consequence reconfiguring of the marketing mix

K-Line Kitchens

This case study deals with the following issues: developing a basic marketing awareness and direction in the case of a small company; understanding consumer behaviour and market research; analysing company capability and competitors; price/quality issues, product development, distribution channels and promotion

Understanding the Attitude-Behavior Gap for Renewable Energy Systems Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory

Consumer adoption of renewable energies is an important step towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems. But despite growing ecological awareness and articulated preferences for green products, renewable energies face slow rates of diffusion in consumer markets. This has been hard to explain given consumers’ favorability to the concept of products that lower one’s impact on the natural environment. This study uses data from 254 homeowners in Ireland to investigate the psychological process of adopting a renewable energy system – solar energy panels. Applying Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this research examines a proposed model in which reasons both for and against adopting solar panels mediate the relationship between consumers’ attitudes, values and adoption intentions. Results suggest the model is generally supported with both reasons for adoption and reasons against adoption having countervailing influences in the psychological processing of adoption intentions. These findings suggest that researchers and marketers should include mediating constructs, such as (i) reasons for adoption, (ii) reasons against adoption, and (iii) attitudes toward a technology when attempting to explain how consumers think about the adoption of renewable energy systems

Discovering Diversity in Marketing Practice

Marketing practice varies among firms. However, the prescriptive literature emphasises a universal view of practice, a “one-size-fits-all” view. This paper addresses the issue of explaining diversity in competitive space and over time. Diversity in competitive space reflects the existence of different routes to high performance. Diversity over time reflects some combination of change in the individual firm and change in a population of firms. In the former case, diversity is shaped by organisational change; in the latter by the disbandment and founding of firms in the population. Miles and Snow’s typology is taken as a main point of departure in the search for explanation, and ecological and evolutionary concepts are also drawn upon. The paper starts by examining the discussion of diversity in the literature of strategic management and organisation theory, and then finds evidence of an emerging interest in diversity in the domain of marketing. Based on a number of cross-sectional and longitudinal case studies, it proceeds to explore diversity in company marketing practice. How such variety evolves at industry level is then addressed. Finally, a view of industries as business systems with complex adaptive mechanisms, enabling both evolutionary and revolutionary changes in marketing practice, is offered

Configurations to Superior Environmental Innovation Strategy: A Both–And Approach

An effective climate change action involves the critical role that companies must play in assuring the long-term human and social well-being of future generations. In our study, we offer a more holistic, inclusive, both–and approach to the challenge of environmental innovation (EI) that uses a novel methodology to identify relevant configurations for firms engaging in a superior EI strategy. A conceptual framework is proposed that identifies six sets of driving characteristics of EI and two sets of beneficial outcomes, all inherently tensional. Our analysis utilizes a complementary rather than an oppositional point of view. A data set of 65 companies in the ICT value chain is analyzed via fuzzy-set comparative analysis (fsQCA) and a post-QCA procedure. The results reveal that achieving a superior EI strategy is possible in several scenarios. Specifically, after close examination, two main configuration groups emerge, referred to as technological environmental innovators and organizational environmental innovators