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There are several ways of improving the response to mail surveys among industrial managers and business persons. Among the techniques to improve response are monetary incentives, free postage, use of postcards, a priori letters, open questions, different methods used by the questionnaire paper, and assured anonymity. This last incentive proved to increase response rate from 14 percent to 23.6 percent. Techniques such as pictures, color of questionnaire paper, and postscripts have proved not to have any effect in increasing the response rate from industrial executives. Follow-up letters also proved ineffective in getting more executives to answer questionnaires.

Operationalizing the segmentation concept for industrial products and making the segmentation research strategically relevant constitute a formidable challenge for marketing researchers and practitioners alike. This paper attempts to identify why many existing approaches to this question frequently lack operational meaning and strategic relevance. Next, a simple but practical benefit segmentation scheme is described which assists marketing managers in strategy formulation. The model is illustrated with a detailed case study of the air compressor market. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Current approaches to competitive analysis typically provide information that is too general to be integrated into sales management decisions. This paper presents an approach to competitive analysis which uses customer evaluations of competing suppliers to generate intelligence that is tailored to the needs of sales managers. The proposed framework was developed through field research which involved nine different companies and selling situations. A case example is used to illustrate concepts central to the implementation of this approach. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This paper emphasizes the importance of price differentials, charging different customers different prices for the same product or services, as a means of introducing flexibility into industrial pricing. Managerial, legal, and ethical aspects of this practice are discussed. Results of a survey of the awareness levels, attitudes, and behavior of industrial marketing managers are summarized. The study concludes that differentials are widely used, and are viewed quite favorably by managers. They are not well-managed, however, in part due to a failure to appreciate the underlying rationale for charging differential prices. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This article reports the findings of a 1985-1986 study of success and failure determinants for new industrial products that had recently reached commercialization. In particular, the paper seeks to identify underlying factors for success and to test whether perceived success and failure factors vary with new product 'experience' levels and-or with the degree of innovation in the company's new product program. The paper concludes that companies with more innovative and-or high-tech new product programs have significantly different success and failure factors at work than their less innovative and-or lower technology counterparts, and that across a sample of companies from many industries, wide variety of situation-specific success and failure variables need to be addressed by industrial marketers. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Marketers have been subjected to considerable criticism for not understanding the financial impact of their decisions. Although profitability reports using contribution analysis have been advocated as a tool that will help marketers make strategic decisions about their firms' product offerings and the allocation of scare corporate resources, this research found that the profitability reports used in major corporations varied significantly from company to company and from the format advocated in the literature. This paper identifies the shortcomings of corporate reporting methods and recommends ways to improve the current situation. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This article discusses the various formats of countertrade, a modern outgrowth of ancient barter. It presents a taxonomy for classifying the ways countertrade is conducted; delineates the advantages to the trading partners depending on the respective levels of economic development in their home countries; and discusses the process of countertrade generally enough to embed each of the countertrade formats. This article also addresses issues of product bundling including quantity ranges within which a trade will be profitable to both sides assuming that comparative advantage is enjoyed by the trading partners in their respective product lines. Lastly, the article discusses some principles of setting a corporate countertrade policy. All of the above issues are clearly generic, however, the paper shows some specific examples to illustrate countertrade with the People's Republic of China. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Many industrial companies are faced with a perplexing problem when advertising their products and services. The problem stems from the selection of an advertising agency and in the development of an appropriate control mechanism to manage the agency. The selection process proposed in this paper identifies five stages in the selection of a new advertising agency: (1) preplanning the agency selection; (2) agency visitation; (3) corporate visitation; (4) agency project presentations; and (5) selection decision and control process. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Traditional approaches of accounting for advertising expenditures have focused primarily on the campaign's direct communication effects. In this paper we develop a framework in which advertising is conceptualized as having multiple effects. These multiple effects account for the various ways an advertising campaign can facilitate favorable brand evaluations and subsequent purchase decisions. The framework is examined empirically using filed research conducted by a major industrial manufacturer. This research includes data collected from three distribution channel groups in an industrial market. the results identify these multiple effects of advertising and their relative importance in facilitating sales. These findings are conceptually extended to other sales promotional mix elements, and a process is proposed for the implementation and accountability of marketing communication efforts. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This article presents a model for determining the composition of the organizational buying center. It is the result of extensive study of the purchasing and marketing literature to identify key variables for determining the management level and functional areas of major importance in the buying process. The need for and background of the model are discussed in the first section of the paper. A general description of the model is then followed by sections on the key individual variables. The last section of the paper discusses the successful use of the model as a framework for a field investigation of purchasing transportation. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This paper discusses an industrial competitiveness model and describes an application of it in manufacturing industry. The model is not only instrumental in quantifying the overall competitiveness levels of manufacturing firms but also useful in identifying specific weaknesses and strengths of a given industrial firm. The paper also describes some areas of strategic decision making that may benefit from applying this approach. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This paper examines the relationships between product-market policy options, marketing performance, and the growth strategies adopted by 42 technology-based manufacturing firms. The results show that product-market policy options are significantly different for diversified firms compared with firms which pursue product or market-based strategies. Additional analysis indicates that the marketing performance of diversified firms is weaker than that of other firms. Few differences in performance were noted among firms pursuing product development, market development, or market penetration strategies, i.e., the marketing managers' perception and objective evaluations of marketing performance are similar for firms pursuing these strategies. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This paper examines the advertising message strategy practices of business-to-business advertisers. An integrated message strategy framework was developed from several managerial models to provide a framework for analysis. Results from this study suggest that guidelines from managerial models for message strategy development are not often used to develop business-to-business advertising message strategies. In addition, suggestions for improving strategy decisions are provided. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

A growing number of U.S. manufacturers and their suppliers are shifting from adversarial to cooperative exchange attitudes with a focus on long-term relationships rather than the individual transaction. A recent operational philosophy believed to epitomize the relational model is the just-in-time supplier-customer exchange concept. This paper describes the relational nature of this concept, proposes certain relational variables believed to be influenced by its adoption, and presents the results of an exploratory study of industry practice which tests the hypothesized relationships. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

This paper presents a proactive approach for use by large and small enterprises to seek out countertrade opportunities. The approach is based on an analysis of the demand and supply of countertraded goods, and on defining and using the Likelihood of Profitable Countertrade and the Market Synergy concepts. It directs the trader to those industries and specific enterprises that show the greatest countertrade benefit potential. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Many symptoms of patients seen in an outpatient practice are often poorly understood. This paper investigated the incidence, diagnostic findings and clinical outcome of 14 common symptoms. The authors reviewed the records of one thousand patients over a three-year period. The following information was noted for each symptom: patient characteristic, duration, suspected cause, evaluation, treatment and outcome of the symptoms. Cost estimates for making the diagnostic evaluation were calculated. A total of 567 new complaints were noted with 38 percent of the patients reporting at least one new symptom. Although diagnostic testing was performed in more than two-thirds of the cases, a proven cause could be found in only 16 percent. Only 55 percent of the cases were treated, often ineffectively. In cases where a clinical outcome was noted, 53 percent improved. Three favorable factors were associated with a good outcome: organic (physically identifiable) cause, symptom lasting less than four months, and a history of two or fewer symptoms. The cost of discovering a diagnosis was high: headache ($7,778), back pain ($7,263). The authors conclude that the classification, evaluation and management of common symptoms need to be refined. Diagnosis emphasizing organic causes may be inadequate.

A possible connection between aortic stenosis, a condition caused by the narrowing of the aorta, and malformations of arteries and veins (arteriovenous malformations or AVM) of the intestines has never been rigorously studied. This paper studied the association of aortic stenosis and arteriovenous malformations of the gastrointestinal system. The presence or absence of aortic stenosis was determined by the use of ultrasound technology (including Doppler) in 29 men with gastrointestinal AVMs. Although other cardiovascular difficulties were seen, none of the men in this study were found to have aortic stenosis. The authors conclude that, although previous case reports and retrospective studies have suggested the association of aortic stenosis and AVM, this study does not support the previous findings.

Weakness of the bones in alcoholics (ethanol-associated osteopenia) is not fully understood. This paper explores the role that ethanol consumption may have in producing this condition in alcoholic patients with alcoholic liver disease. Twenty-eight patients who continued to drink alcohol, and 12 who claimed to have not consumed alcohol for at least 6 months were studied. Non-alcoholic control subjects (35) without evidence of liver disease were also included in this study. Various measurements of bone health were used (including biopsy and biochemical and endocrinologic tests). Bone mineral levels were significantly lower in alcoholic patients than in the controls. There was no difference between those which continued to drinking or those which had abstained for 6 months. However the drinkers had less bone formation than the abstainers. Both groups of drinkers had similar levels of bone resorption, a kind of bone loss. The authors conclude that ethanol may be responsible for a dysfunction resulting from a reduction in new bone formation and bone mineralization.

This paper studied the decision process and costs for routine testing for gonorrhea infections of the cervix. /Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infectious disease.~ The authors compared performing cervical cultures of all women seeking routine gynecologic care to a no-test strategy. Routinely testing for gonorrhea reduced overall medical costs when the general prevalence of infection exceeded 1.5 percent. The result was most sensitive to variations in cost and the assumption that treatment prevents the subsequent occurrence of further difficulties. The authors advocate the strategy of testing and treating selected women with risk factors for gonorrhea, as they believe that this will both reduce the likelihood of further problems and result in a reduction of medical costs.

Increased numbers of granular lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell associated with immunologic factors and a decrease in number of neutrophils (neutropenia), is thought to occur in some cases of rheumatoid arthritis. (A neutrophil is a granule-containing white blood cell, granulocyte.) Felts's syndrome is the association of neutropenia and an enlargement of the spleen. This paper attempts to associate the occurrence of Felts's syndrome in patients with granular lymphocyte proliferation with rheumatoid arthritis. The authors conclude that proliferation of granular lymphocytes, and decreased levels of neutrophils (with or without increased spleen size) in rheumatoid arthritis commonly resembles Felts's syndrome. However, the relatively large fraction of deaths (due to cancer and infection) in typical Felts's syndrome patients suggest that their survival time may be comparatively less than those with granular lymphocyte proliferation.

This paper examined sleep apnea (temporary attacks of respiratory failure during sleep where a patient stops breathing for 10 or more seconds) in patients with an advanced stage of severe kidney disease and who were being treated with kidney dialysis. In a sleep laboratory, the authors evaluated 26 patients suffering from end

This paper reviews the benefits of the increasing number of autopsies being performed. The paper deals with specific procedures for obtaining consent to autopsy from the next of kin. The paper presents advice to physicians for dealing with families that will lead to a general increase in the number of autopsy permissions obtained, and for an improvement in overall physician performance and satisfaction.

This study examines the effect of changes in how patients are currently evaluated before being sent to the surgeon with a diagnosis of appendicitis. Since cost-cutting measures have gone into effect, the rate of patients with later stages of the disease seeking surgery has increased. As a result, the number of patients requiring a prolonged period of hospitalization has also lengthened. The rate of postsurgical complications has also risen. The authors state that this deterioration in patient care and the failure at cost containment comes from not performing surgery which is known to be effective. The authors note that surgeons understand the value of performing a small number of appendectomies which will, at the time of surgery, prove unnecessary. The authors conclude that the gatekeepers (business officers) of hospitals must accept certain hospitalizations which prove to be unnecessary in order to protect others.

This paper explores symptomatic improvement in patients with an obstructing ulcer of the stomach after cutting the Vagus nerve, the nerve which is involved in normal secretion and motility of the stomach. A frequent but temporary complication of this surgery is loss of muscle tone in the stomach. Six of 71 patients who had the Vagus cut at its trunk and only one of 30 patients who had the Vagus cut higher experienced a temporary period of gastric atony. (During a three year follow-up study, no significant differences arose in the quality of the surgery, which was judged to be good to excellent in most cases.) The authors conclude that gastric atony is a frequent complication of cutting the Vagus nerve, and that cutting the nerve above the trunk may reduce, but probably not eliminate a period of gastric atony.

This paper examined the result and course of 36 different surgical procedures on 29 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). (SLE is a multiorgan system disease believed to be caused by the body being allergic to itself an autoimmune disease.) In persons with the disease, individual organs are inflamed, and a frequent method of treatment is steroids. In 19 cases surgery was performed on an emergency basis. Most patients had more than one organ affected by the disease and many were being treated by some form of medication. Twenty patients representing 37 complications were further examined and compared to the other patients who did not have complications of surgery. More of the patients in the former group had been treated with steroids before surgery, more of their organs were diseased, and more had been treated surgically on an emergency basis. The authors conclude that these factors failed to predict the outcome of patients with SLE. The authors also note that surgical complications are frequent in patients with lupus erythematosus., Thirty-six surgical procedures were performed on 29 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Nineteen cases involved active lupus at the time of surgery and 11 were performed on an emergent basis. Most patients had multiple organ involvement and were on some form of systemic therapy at the time of surgery. Thirty-seven postoperative complications were confined to 20 of these cases. Comparing this complicated group with the remaining 16 uncomplicated cases, the patients in the former group had a higher mean dose of steroid preoperatively, more organ involvement by SLE, and more frequent renal involvement; a higher percentage of the cases in this group were emergent rather than elective. The majority of factors examined failed to show predictive value in the outcome of surgery in lupus patients. We conclude that surgical complications are frequent in SLE patients and have identified four factors predictive of increased morbidity.

This paper questioned the need to reline the area of the gallbladder with lining (mesothelial cells) following the surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). Eighty-eight patients undergoing elective removal of the gallbladder were randomly divided into two groups. In one, the raw surface that resulted from the removal was left uncovered, in the other group the area was resurfaced with lining cells. No significant difference in the amount of local drainage could be demonstrated in the two groups.

This paper chronicled the authors' experience with 45 patients who had painful infections of the pancreas. All patients had their diagnosis confirmed by studies of the pancreatic and bile ducts, findings of decreased pancreas liver production, and microscopic examination (following surgery). All patients underwent a simultaneous removal of the stomach and pancreas. Alcohol was found to be the main cause (alcoholic abuse in 84 percent). Follow-up at four years showed the following results: good (56 percent), fair (23 percent), and poor (21 percent). The operative mortality rate was less than five percent. Poor results of the surgical procedure were related to the use of tranquilizers and postoperative alcohol consumption. Eighty-three percent survived the operation by at least eight years.

This paper showed that in a successful gut transplant, the level of enzymes which break down various sugars is of normal value. The reduction of these levels in transplanted bowel was correlated with a microscopic confirmation of transplant rejection. These results suggest that monitoring specific enzymes involved in the breakdown of specific (disaccharide) sugars may be useful in monitoring bowel transplant rejections.

This paper provided a simple classification scheme for recording and communicating the anatomic and functional differences in common hernia of the groin (inguinal hernia) cases. The author presented the scheme as a valuable method for providing the surgeon with a follow-up method for each case and with a means of correlating this experience with a better documentation of the type of hernia under treatment. The author concludes that the classification of inguinal hernias is intended to provide surgeons with a better method of evaluating their own methods, and with a means of more clearly communicating results to others.

The authors evaluated the sharpness of surgical needles using a model of the skin (laminated synthetic membrane) and examined the needles by a method of surface electron microscopy (using a scanning electron microscope). The products of several manufacturers are reviewed and are reported in order of sharpness: Ethicon (the sharpest), Davis & Geck and then Deknatel. Measurements of various physical properties including tensile strength were also made. The superior sharpness of the Ethicon surgical needles could be explained by their use of a particular and superior stainless steel alloy which also allowed the manufacture of longer, narrower points.