Internal market orientation as a value creation mechanism

Purpose This conceptual paper aspires to re-examine the nature, aim and scope of Internal Market Orientation (IMO) and introduce it as a value creation mechanism for the firm’s internal market. A service-dominant logic (SDL)-based perspective of the IMO notion is advanced and the key steps and phases for value creation in the internal market are outlined. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper bridges the IM discourse with the service-dominant logic literature and the latter’s implications for internal marketing theory and practice are discussed. Findings Drawing on the premises of the service-dominant logic, IMO re-surfaces as an interconnected operant resource that can be enacted through performing three sets of activities central in the value creation process for internal stakeholders (i.e. value-identifying, value-generating and value-enhancing activities). These groups of relevant value-enabling activities required for IMO enactment are extensively discussed and their role in the value creation process is scrutinized. Originality/value This conceptual paper aspires to provide a managerially relevant understanding of value creation in the firm’s internal market. A SDL-driven understanding of IMO is advanced setting it as a value creation mechanism appealing to a wider range of organizations

Exploring the implications of blockchain technology for brand-consumer relationships: a future research agenda

Purpose This conceptual paper delves into the implications of blockchain technology adoption for brands and consumers. Drawing on existing branding literature and real-life applications of blockchain, the challenges, risks and opportunities from blockchain adoption for four important areas of the branding literature are canvassed (i.e., brand positioning and corporate brand image, consumer-brand relationships, online brand communication and consumers’ trust in the brand). Also, a future-oriented discussion is provided that highlights some important avenues for researchers in the field. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual discussion sheds light on the potential implications of blockchain technology for brand-consumer relationships. To do so, an analytical review of the blockchain literature is conducted, the nature of blockchain technology is presented and its unique features and functions for brand-consumer interactions are discussed. Findings This work ignites an exploratory discussion around how blockchain applications and platforms can affect consumer-brand relationships, drawing on a number of real-life examples of blockchain adoption. This discussion sheds light on how blockchain features can impact on various areas of interest for strategic brand management, such as the adoption of digital currencies, brand storytelling, the use of blockchain-enabled loyalty programmes, the role of intermediaries in online advertising, counterfeit consumption, brand transparency and trust for brands in online marketplaces, among others. Originality/value This is one of the first conceptual efforts in the branding literature that draws on the scarce existing knowledge around blockchain adoption and discusses the potential implications of blockchain technology for brands and consumers while also providing directions for future research

Internal market orientation, the management of NSD multifunctional teams and implications for NSD project success

The study of the new service development (NSD) processes has been, for more than three decades, one of the major priorities in the field of Marketing (cf. De Brentani, 1995, Papastathopoulou and Hultink, 2012). Nonetheless, in spite of the considerable progress made so far, the extant literature has overlooked a number of issues. Little is known regarding the management of the team that is actually involved in the NSD project and how does this affect the outcome of the project. One such gap concerns the organizational conditions that influence the performance of multifunctional NSD teams in NSD projects (Froehle et al., 200; Zomerdijk, and Voss, 2011). The past research is also replete with empirical studies relying on the key-informant approach, a method subject to significant limitations when it comes to understanding the functioning of NSD teams. As a result, the extant literature remains fairly grey in picturing the differences between different stakeholders’ views regarding how multifunctional NSD teams integrate and work seamlessly to manage NSD projects and deliver the expected outcomes (Crevani, Palm and Schilling, 2011; Bertels, Kleinschmidt and Koen, 2011). Addressing such questions requires identifying a relevant marketing theory that will enable academics to produce a rigorous and relevant theoretical framework upon which the Marketing function will be able to rely in managing the NSD process more successfully

Fast pyrolysis of biomass in a circulating fluidised bed reactor

The objective of this work was to design, construct, test and operate a novel circulating fluid bed fast pyrolysis reactor system for production of liquids from biomass. The novelty lies in incorporating an integral char combustor to provide autothermal operation. A reactor design methodology was devised which correlated input parameters to process variables, namely temperature, heat transfer and gas/vapour residence time, for both the char combustor and biomass pyrolyser. From this methodology a CFB reactor was designed with integral char combustion for 10 kg/h biomass throughput. A full-scale cold model of the CFB unit was constructed and tested to derive suitable hydrodynamic relationships and performance constraints. Early difficulties encountered with poor solids circulation and inefficient product recovery were overcome by a series of modifications. A total of 11 runs in a pyrolysis mode were carried out with a maximum total liquids yield of 61.50% wt on a maf biomass basis, obtained at 500°C and with 0.46 s gas/vapour residence time. This could be improved by improved vapour recovery by direct quenching up to an anticipated 75 % wt on a moisture-and-ash-free biomass basis. The reactor provides a very high specific throughput of 1.12 - 1.48 kg/hm2 and the lowest gas-to-feed ratio of 1.3 - 1.9 kg gas/kg feed compared to other fast pyrolysis processes based on pneumatic reactors and has a good scale-up potential. These features should provide significant capital cost reduction. Results to date suggest that the process is limited by the extent of char combustion. Future work will address resizing of the char combustor to increase overall system capacity, improvement in solid separation and substantially better liquid recovery. Extended testing will provide better evaluation of steady state operation and provide data for process simulation and reactor modeling

Gasification of biomass in supercritical water, challenges for the process design—lessons learned from the operation experience of the first dedicated pilot plant

Gasification of organic matter under the conditions of supercritical water (T > 374 °C, p > 221 bar) is an allothermal, continuous flow process suitable to convert materials with high moisture content (<20 wt.% dry matter) into a combustible gas. The gasification of organic matter with water as a solvent offers several benefits, particularly the omission of an energy-intensive drying process. The reactions are fast, and mean residence times inside the reactor are consequently low (less than 5 min). However, there are still various challenges to be met. The combination of high temperature and pressure and the low concentration of organic matter require a robust process design. Additionally, the low value of the feed and the product predestinate the process for decentralized applications, which is a challenge for the economics of an application. The present contribution summarizes the experience gained during more than 10 years of operation of the first dedicated pilot plant for supercritical water gasification of biomass. The emphasis lies on highlighting the challenges in process design. In addition to some fundamental results gained from comparable laboratory plants, selected experimental results of the pilot plant “VERENA” (acronym for the German expression “experimental facility for the energetic exploitation of agricultural matter”) are presented

Internal market orientation determinants of employee brand enactment

This study aims to explore how the adoption of internal market orientation (IMO) can enhance front-line employee brand enactment within an interpersonal service setting. Insights from equity theory and the person – environment paradigm are drawn upon to develop a theoretical model describing the impact of IMO on employee – organization fit, employee – supervisor fit and employee – job fit and the consequences of IMO on employee brand knowledge and brand identification. Second, the role of various types of fit and brand knowledge/identification for front-line employee brand enactment is confirmed