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Reliance on self-report survey data is pervasive across social science disciplines; therefore, understanding the accuracy, or inaccuracy, of such data is important. We identify forms of inaccuracy in survey responses [...]

The authors develop a method for studying buyer-seller relationships.

Tanner (Organizational Buying Theories: A Bridge to Relationships Theory. Industrial Marketing Management, 28, 245-255 (1999)) contends that we as journal reviewers and editors should be more lenient when it comes to reviewing findings of survey research with low response rates. The problem with this argument is that it seems to condone the acceptance of poorly conducted research. Data from surveys with low response rates are likely to be affected by self-selection bias. Consequently, results from such survey data are lacking in external validity. Work of Woodside and Ronkainen (How Serious is Nonresponse Bias in Advertising Conversion Research? Journal of Travel Research, 22, 34-37 (1984)) is reviewed to illustrate the disparity between respondents and nonrespondents in survey research. Finally, clarification is offered regarding Tanner's presentation of Katrichis' work (Katrichis, J.M.: Exploring Department Level Interaction Patterns in Organizational Purchasing Decisions. Industrial Marketing Management 27, 135-146 (1998)), as an example of a study with a low response rate. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The work of Robinson, Faris, and Wind (RFW) (1967), Sheth (1973), and Webster and Wind (WW) (1972) had a substantial impact on the field of organizational buying behavior; these were [...]

Purchasing professionals and researchers alike acknowledge the fact that the changing atmosphere in buyer-sup-plier relationships is due largely to the globalization of the marketplace. Partnering strategies, which necessitate closer ties between buyers and suppliers, are becoming increasingly common for U.S. firms. Such strategies, in turn, allow buyers and suppliers in the United States to compete more effectively with international firms abroad. How has this changing business climate affected buyers' choice decisions in supplier selection? That question is the focus of this study. The relative importance of supplier selection criteria is examined longitudinally by reviewing the findings of studies published during the past two decades. Those results are then compared with the findings of this study to gain insight about the relative importances of decision criteria used by purchasing professionals in selecting suppliers., Since the late seventies and early eighties, the U.S. market-place has become increasingly global, with foreign competitors gaining market share at the expense of domestic producers.[1] To compete effectively with [...]

How do business customers evaluate the level of service quality they receive from buying certified public accounting services? How can CPAs help nurture long-term relationships with their clients? Based on an in-depth survey of CPA client perceptions, this article answers these two key questions. How well CPAs manage working relationships with their clients and CPAs responsiveness to client needs are two major forces affecting clients' judgments of the service quality provided. Clients' perceptions of working relationships and their service quality judgments affect their intentions to recommend their CPA friends and business associates. The research approach used here may serve as a useful guide for CPA marketing managers who are planning to conduct marketing audits of their firms' working relationships with clients. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

What characteristics distinguish high- versus low-performing distributors for new products? How can new product managers among manufacturers and distributors use such information for improving the effectiveness of their marketing strategies? This article answers these questions based on the results of an exploratory study of high- versus low-performing distributors that were included in the marketing channel strategy for a new product. One critical factor found to be associated with distributor performance level is the share of total business the new product represents for the distributor. The strategic implication is that gaining a substantial share of distributor commitment and resources to market a new product requires convincing evidence that the new product will provide substantial sales for the distributor. In addition, the new product sales level relative to total distributor sales may be more important than absolute dollar sales for achieving distributor commitment to market the new product. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

The authors develop a contingency paradigm involving two situational factors (the nature of the buying task and the degree of perceived risk) to explain the predictive abilities of seven formal models of group choice and to see how the mechanism of buying center choice is affected by situational factors. In an empirical test of the models and the paradigm involving 104 procurement decisions made by buying centers, they found that the paradigm does significantly better than any single model in terms of predicting group choice. The contingency paradigm predicted accurately in 49% of the cases whereas the best alternative single model predicted correctly in only 20% of the cases. The results provide empirical support for several propositions in the organizational buying behavior literature. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This project characterized the system of childhood obesity-related programs and functions based on a socioecological framework within the Kansas City region to determine strengths, weaknesses, and leverage points for informing collective impact. A mixed-method approach was employed to identify and collect data ∼260 childhood obesity-related programs provided by 89 organizations. Findings indicated no major gaps in population or location served although few programs specifically focused on service to minority groups or neighborhoods. The region has many programs working within the system, yet the distribution of programs does not occur as expected throughout the dimensions of a standard socioecological model or community health system. In addition, several organizations perform certain leadership functions such as coordination, resource allocation, or monitoring, but none perform all, indicating the lack of a traditional “backbone” organization. These findings demonstrate how a region's childhood obesity prevention and treatment programs can be evaluated using a socioecological framework.

Offshore wind energy has the potential to play a critical role in fostering a renewable energy transformation in the United States. This owes to its massive technical potential, strategic location near densely populated coastlines, and—relative to onshore wind and solar—high capacity factors and consistent production. The Biden Administration's target to build 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 (from 0.04 GW today) requires the creation and swift development of a new industry that interlinks the wind and power industries with the maritime sector. Critical to its success is financing. While financial capital is abundant, deploying it for offshore wind faces major challenges. We identify and describe five grand challenges affecting offshore wind finance in the U.S. Failing to address these challenges may put deployment targets at risk. The challenges include (1) Early years financing: navigating the complexities, timing mismatches, and high costs of projects in the development phase; (2) Policy support for project financial solvency: addressing the uncertainty and systematic transfers of tax credits away from offshore wind, characteristic of the U.S. Investment Tax Credit; (3) Workforce development: building a skilled workforce for an emerging market; (4) Transmission and integration barriers: upgrading the power grid to reliably support large scale offshore wind integration; and (5) Floating wind development: financing the development and scale-up of floating offshore wind technologies. The second challenge has already been solved to a large extent by the Inflation Reduction Act.

A new definition of case study research is provided and the core criticisms made by the researchers of large sample survey are outlined. A deep understanding of processes and other concept variables is identified as the principal objective of a case study research.

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text.Multilevel factors were examined as predictors of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) attendance and adherence among 171 underserved patients at a safety-net hospital. Controlling for insurance, lack of time predicted attendance. Revascularization rather than medical management of cardiovascular disease predicted adherence. Staff should encourage patients to recognize benefits from the time invested in CR.

Decision making is an important process both from the side of the business executives and consumers. Comparing their thought processes is essential in understanding the subtleties involved in decision making. The similarities and differences of executives marketing decision making and consumers buying decision making are evaluated.

College graduates need better preparation for and experience in data analytics for higher-quality problem solving. Using the curriculum innovation framework of Borin, Metcalf, and Tietje (2007) and case study research methods, we offer rich insights about one higher education institution’s work to address the marketing analytics skills gap. Specifically, we describe how a focal marketing department developed an innovative curriculum based on foundational pillars of learning styles (Bloom’s Taxonomy), experiential learning theory, and marketing analytics. The effectiveness of the curriculum is reviewed in light of criteria such as established learning goals and student satisfaction.

Changes in the electricity sector since the turn of the century have brought significant penetration of wind generation resources onto the electric power grid. Creating a low-carbon and sustainable electric systems to respond to climate change and meet societal energy needs requires different technologies and changes in supporting policies and institutions. But just how these institutions are creating and implementing new policies has emerged as an important area of inquiry. Changing how the electricity system works requires coordinated interaction across many different stakeholder groups and multiple levels of governance. We explore these emerging processes of policy implementation by examining how wind energy resources are changing the operation of the electric grid. To do this, we develop an in-depth, grounded case study examining decision making within the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a U.S. Regional Transmission Organization. We use a multi-method approach to the strategic action field theory (SAF; e.g. Moulton and Sandfort, 2015) to examine how MISO created and implemented policy, changing energy markets and power systems operation to allow for the integration of wind resources. Our study examines the critical and understudied role of energy policy implementation in practice and focuses on how stakeholders are making decisions which are shaping the use and value of new and existing energy technologies and, in doing so, transforming the energy system.

A case study of buying distribution poles in the utilities industry indicates the various steps in the buying process. The steps identified as common to any industrial buying or purchasing decisions are: recognizing a need, selecting a vendor, assessing vendors' prices, negotiating a contract for purchase and evaluating vendor performance following the contract signing. The degree to which each step in the process affects the buying decisions is dependent upon the particular purchase situation.

In the Western United States, widespread growth of wind and solar resources is putting pressure on state policy makers, electricity system operators, and utilities to integrate renewable resources into the grid, while maintaining reliability, affordability, and improving efficiency. These resources are creating new challenges because their variability can contribute to transmission constraints and system imbalances. This paper examines a recent initiative to make energy imbalance market services available throughout the Western Interconnection and provides insight into evolving electricity system governance. Drawing on boundary organization and interorganizational collaboration literature, this research explores the processes and practices used to create a new interorganizational collaboration. The research supports theoretical claims that facilitating policy innovation requires discursive formation of a collective identity.

In the fifth volume of this JAI Press series on business marketing and purchasing, editor Arch Woodside offers an interesting and insightful group of papers related to industrial buying decisions [...]

An excerpt from the article "Interstate Transmission Challenges for Renewable Energy: A Federalism Mismatch" by Alexandra B. Klass and Elizabeth J. Wilson in the "Vanderbilt Law Review" is presented which focuses on challenges for U.S. transmission lines to support renewable energy development.

A valuable, although little-used, case data analysis technique, Degrees of Freedom Analysis, is the subject of this article. Given the richness of case data and its prevalence in business marketing research, Degrees of Freedom Analysis has the potential to become an important addition to one's 'research workbench.' The technique, first proposed by Donald Campbell (Campbell, Donald, T.: 'Degrees of Freedom' and the Case Study. Comparative Political Studies, 8, 178-193 [1975]), is described. Three business marketing applications are presented; the first two involve use of the technique to compare the extent to which four theories of group decision making are manifested in organizations. The third application illustrates how the technique can be used for theory development in the context of manufacturer-distributor relationships. Our contribution is in demonstrating how researchers can link 'traditional' (i.e., logical positivistic) hypothesis testing procedures to examine the theoretical propositions in case study research. This approach is one way of achieving a critical test (Carlsmith, J. Merrill, Ellsworth, Phoebe C., and Aronson, Elliot: Methods of Research in Social Psychology. Addison Wesley Publishing Company, Reading, MA, [1976]), that is, testing the relative empirical strengths of competing theories. Our applications highlight the value of generalizing case data to theory versus the inappropriate attempt to generalize such data to a population (Yin, Robert K.: Case Study Research Design and Methods, second edition. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA, 1994). The explication and demonstration of this technique is not available elsewhere to the degree provided here. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Generic skills (problem solving, information management, communication, numeracy), or employability skills, are increasingly demanded of marketing graduates by employers. The Customer Response Function Analysis exercise provides an integrative learning experience for developing generic skills. The exercise uses a Buying Game to examine customer response to health/fitness club products using a conjoint-analysis process. The exercise is described, the Buying Game is presented, and the analysis procedure is demonstrated using data from 200 respondents. The CRFA exercise can be used “as is” (or modified) as a learning approach for generic and discipline-specific skill enhancement.

The long interview is an intensive questioning of respondents selected for their special knowledge, experiences, and insights (or ignorance) of the topic under study. The objectives of the long interview include learning the thinking, feeling, and doing processes of the respondents, including an understanding of the respondent's worldview of the topic under study in her or his own language. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of the long interview to other primary data collection methods. We describe a research application of the long interview in direct marketing. The study was designed to: a) learn about the rich complexities in the lives of household gardeners buying and using seeds/plants after responding to direct marketing appeals, and b) resolve the conflicting “theories-in-use” of how and why different customer types purchase products. These differing theories were proposed by different managers in the firm sponsoring the study. The development and critical testing of competing theories-in-use are described. The study was designed to learn about five customer types. The results include thick descriptions of the processes of buying and using seeds and plants purchased through direct marketing offers and store visits.

Although there are a wealth of studies which examine the use of minority models (particularly African American models) in advertising, we found no research that addresses the use of black models in direct marketing vehicles, that is, specialty catalogs. We conducted a content analysis of 111 clothing and gift catalogs to determine benchmarks on the use of black models in catalogs. Generally, we found that black models in specialty catalogs tend to be used in similar proportions to magazine advertisements and less than the proportion of black models in television advertisements. The average proportion of black models in catalogs is roughly 4 percent. While this percentage does not reflect the proportion of African Americans in our society (12%), it is close to the proportion of black Americans that shop from specialty catalogs (7.5%). Other findings were that black models are shown with relatively high-price/value merchandise; medium-brown completed models tend to be used more than models who are very dark or very light in complexion; and nine percent of models on catalog covers are black. We compare our findings to those in the advertising literature and offer implications for direct marketing management and strategy.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. Information on the book "Sisterhood: The True Story of the Women Who Changed the World"; Discussion on child rearing of lesbians; Comment on the motion picture "The Good Mother."

ABSTRACTTransitioning to low-carbon energy systems depends on fundamental changes in technologies, policies, and institutions. In Western democracies, public perceptions and engagement with energy have encouraged innovation while also slowing deployment of low-carbon energy technologies (LCETs).Transitioning to low-carbon energy systems requires re-engineering technologies and changing the ways people interact with energy. This shift involves both technological and social changes including modifications in policies and institutional configurations. In Western democracies, public perceptions and engagement with energy have encouraged innovation while also slowing deployment of low-carbon energy technologies (LCETs). To aid understanding of how energy systems are evolving toward lower-carbon technologies in Western democracies, this study reviews the literature on public perception of and engagement with emerging LCETs. Focusing primarily on electricity generating technologies, we explore how multiple factors related to place and process shape public perceptions of and engagement with LCETs, thereby influencing their development and deployment. This study first reviews literature related to how place and process influence emerging LCETs and then provides a comparative example of differential development of wind energy in Texas and Massachusetts (USA) to demonstrate how place and process may interact to influence the patterns of LCET deployment.

While risk is a fact of life, managing risk is complex. This is particularly true today in considering how to address climate change. We know that we must act, and act quickly, to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to avoid dangerous climate change. Failure to act risks catastrophic climate impacts. We also know, however, that deploying technologies to significantly cut greenhouse gases will fundamentally change the way society produces and uses energy. Carbon capture and geologic sequestration (CCS) technology promises to provide deep emissions cuts, particularly from coal power generation, but deploying CCS creates risks of its own. This article first considers the risks associated with CCS, which involves capturing CO2 emissions from industrial sources and power plants, transporting the CO2 by pipeline, and injecting it underground for permanent sequestration. This article then suggests ways in which these risks can be minimized and managed and considers more broadly when or if CCS should be deployed or whether its use should be limited or rejected in favor of other solutions.