Service-dominant logic as a framework for exploring research utilization

This article links service-dominant (S-D) logic to the call for better theoretical frameworks to understand research utilization in business and management. It contributes to explaining what happens in cocreating knowledge between researchers and research users and also contributes to the development of midrange theory on S-D logic. A framework is utilized, based on Vargo and Lusch’s (2016) update on S-D logic. To demonstrate application, the framework is applied to an example of the authors’ research on marketing agencies and their clients. Implications for theory and academic practice and policy are put forward. The S-D logic framework is not tied to any particular research method or way of working and has benefits in being applicable to marketing research and across the wider field of business and management. The idea of resource enhancement is put forward as a learning process in explaining what happens to the actors’ resources in the course of resource integration.

Account manager turnover and the influence of context: an exploratory study

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to investigate the contextual factors that influence the impact of account manager turnover on the client–agency relationship, an under-researched area of relationship management literature.

Design/methodology/approach

– A case study approach and one-to-one interviews are used to conduct the exploratory study, analysing client–agency relationships within the UK design industry. A conceptual framework covering individual and organisational characteristics is used to examine the contextual factors impacting account manager turnover.

Findings

– The findings identify both organisational and individual contextual factors that influence the outcome of turnover. Categorized into three core contexts (client-specific knowledge, multiple relationship ties and turnover process management), factors such as agency structure and culture, agency knowledge management policies and client experience were all found to impact on account manager turnover.

Research limitations/implications

– This small, qualitative, exploratory study suggests the need for further research to investigate the transferability of the findings to a broader range of organisational types and industries and to highlight additional contextual factors that influence the impact of turnover.

Practical implications

– Account manager turnover does not necessarily mean the end of the client–service firm relationship. Agencies can create contexts that mitigate the potential negative effects. Small firms appear to have advantages inherent in their size, but larger firms can take steps to emulate some of the conditions found in micro firms.

Originality/value

– This paper adds to the limited number of studies into account manager turnover, making a theoretical and practical contribution, enabling marketing managers to take steps to ensure staff turnover does not result in client switching.

Attitudes Toward, and Use of, Textbooks Among Marketing Undergraduates

While textbooks remain a key part of the teaching and learning process, evidence suggests that student completion of reading assignments is lower than teacher expectations. Although there is a small body of literature examining textbook use, studies relating specifically to marketing textbooks are sparse. This article seeks to explore how marketing students perceive and use textbooks, what barriers inhibit their use, and how these barriers might be overcome. Qualitative exploratory and quantitative confirmatory research conducted at a British university reveals that reading assignments from the textbook are rarely completed. The textbook is primarily used as a handbook of definitions to help with the completion of coursework and as a revision aid for exams. The explanation for the lack of reading is less clear. The qualitative research suggested textbooks are cumbersome, inaccessible, and boring and that students perceive reading assignments to be unimportant because of their lack of integration into classwork. However, the quantitative study was less emphatic and revealed a neutral attitude toward textbooks, with less confidence that changes to the style of textbooks would encourage more reading. The article goes on to discuss implications for professional practice and incorporates tentative suggestions as to how to encourage regular and “active” reading.