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Marketing, which was traditionally a tightly defined discipline, has in recent years become all things to all people. This development has encouraged a proliferation of specialists, in theory and practice, while marketing generalists have sought with difficulty to conceptualize the dimensions of marketing in its broader meaning. Whether marketing is really generic is a question approaching crisis proportions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many large corporations have had only partial or minimal success with the deceptively simple venture management system for managing product innovations. A field study of 21 venture failures at twelve large multidivisional corporations has revealed a number of causal factors which provide guidelines for more successful venture management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the findings of a survey among members of the Academy of Management concerning publications that have significant contribution to the management literature. Among 1,694 total article citations, 653 different journal articles were cited. The most frequently cited articles include "The Management Theory Jungle," "A Theory of Human Motivation" and "The Human Side of Enterprise." There was a greater agreement among respondents in the book category. The most cited books include "Human Side of Enterprise," "The Functions of the Executive" and "Organizations."

The article looks at a follow-up to a report which compares the changes in the profile of the Academy of Management members of 1967 with the members of 1972. The author notes that not only has the average age lowered from 46 to 43, but the Academy is also comprised of a larger percentage of members who have not yet completed their doctorates. More than one half of all respondents had not received a promotion, with 80 percent reported receiving only one in their professional career. There is also a minor shift toward the increased size of respondents' institutions.

The article looks at a survey which examined the influence of behavioral science journals on academicians and personnel managers in the U.S. A survey of academicians and practitioners was conducted first to determine which journals were most influential in the field of management. Researchers analyzed the number of bibliographical references to anthropological, psychological, and sociological journals within the management literature. The author concludes that academic and industrial respondents are influenced by many of the same journals.

The use of operant principles and of behavior modification techniques in the management literature is reviewed and critiqued. Included are studies explaining operant principles, organizational research testing these principles, and work done to date regarding applications of behavior modification in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although management theorists and practitioners have accepted the model of man which assumes an almost infinite capacity for education and adjustment, recent evidence from ethology studies suggests that this assumption may be misleading and dangerous. It is proposed that there are constraints set by man's genetic endowments which determine his educability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges conventional descriptions of planning as necessarily tied to setting specific goals. The author describes a more intuitive planning process which proceeds by identifying arenas of activity and preferred styles of acting. The choice of planning mode is contingent upon task, organizational, and people characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the viewpoints of executives in a midwestern industrial area regarding the participatory management practices. It was found that younger executives are more liberal. The results found that thirty six percent of those questioned favor voting as a means of decision making. Of those, all feel that once voting is allowed, the decision should be accepted by management. Ninety one percent of executives felt that the hiring of minorities is not an issue on which voting should be used as a decision making tool. They feel that hiring members of minority groups can take place only through leadership on the part of the top managers of organizations.

A comprehensive review of the literature on control theory, this paper examines the state of the art and provides a basis for rejecting the view that the executive can find very little knowledge to assist him in performing the control function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically reviews one of the most important but least understood concepts in management--organizational climate. A contingency approach is proposed, various measures are discussed, and the studies are reviewed. Recommendations for future research are enumerated based on an analysis of the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An empirical study relates the perceived role performance of 95 scientists in three large research laboratories to the organic system of management conceived by Burns and Stalker. The results indicate that the more organic the system of management, the higher the perceived role performance of the individual scientist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research which examined the theory of aspiration levels in a simulated goal setting environment of a firm. The study included four tasks which were selected to test the primary hypothesis which include return on investment, market share, product market opportunities and number of plants. A management simulation game was used to simulate the complexity of the task and environment of goal setting in the firm. The statistical results of the study support the hypothesis that previous goals, previous performance, and competitor's previous performance form an effective predictor of aspiration levels in a subsequent time period.

In the previous decade the management paradigm was elaborated by systems theory. Presently, however, forces in the environment may shatter old values upon which this paradigm rests. New values may require management to replace the classical and systems models with a radical model. A paradigmatic revolution is possible in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between influence methods of project managers and their project performance are investigated. Findings indicate that influence methods emphasizing work challenge and expertise are postively and significantly associated with the performance ratings of the project managers, with the openness of upward communication, with project involvement, and with project support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of efforts designed to aid in the alleviation of the terminological conflicts existing within the field of management is presented in this paper. Included are reviews of both currently available and out-of-print general management dictionaries and glossaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an evaluation of the personalized system of instruction (PSI), PSI-exposed students performed significantly better and retained more knowledge for extended periods than did students taught by a traditional lecture approach. These conclusions support other studies and indicate that schools of business should investigate PSI for use within their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships among type of management system, organizational uncertainty, and economic success in continuous process organizations were studied. An organic management system was found to be significantly more successful overall, but there were important distinctions between autonomous and nonautonomous organizations. Implications for organization theory, prior research, and managerial practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role clarity and the need for role clarity are investigated empirically as interpreted by a total of 261 salesmen, supervisors, and operating employees in a medium-size electronic manufacturing plant. It was found that a high need for clarity moderates the relationship between role clarity and a number of variables for the three occupational groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frederick Taylor is cited as the father of scientific management. His account of the loading of pig-iron has been accepted virtually without question. An investigation of that story reveals it to be more fiction than fact. The authors suggest that management history may require reevaluation based on careful research and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to identify apparent inconsistencies between research and application in the field of Production/Operations Management. The authors focus on three key areas: Assembly Line Balancing, Scheduling, and Information Systems. Research topics and pedagogical recommendations incorporating a more systemic approach to the field are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selected variables related to a Management by Objectives system were examined to determine their relationship to manager attitudes toward the system. Two variables, ability of MBO to contribute positively to intraorganizational communication and the perceived attitude of one's superior toward MBO, were found to be strong predictors of manager attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between three organizational control variables and measures of effectiveness is examined. The findings indicate that organizational performance at the first level of management is enhanced under various conditions involving the interaction of the control variables. Implications are drawn for the development of a contingency theory of organizational control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents commentary on the address "The Necessary Ingredients of a Theory of Business Finance," by Carl A. Dauten, included within the issue addressing the relationship between financial and generic management policies within firms and their impact on the broader economy of the nation. Additional comments are given extending the implications of Dauten's views regarding business finance's relevance to law and accounting, its treatment of risk and control elements, and cash-capital focus debates.

The development of utilization of a dynamic simulation model for long-range planning of physical distribution systems is described in this article. LREPS, or Long-range Environmental Planning Simulator, incorporates a number of unique features not found together in other simulation models. The author reviews existing physical distribution planning models and establishes the LREPS research objectives. The LREPS model is described and attention is directed to planning applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the use of management science techniques to solve marketing problems facing retailers. The author notes several areas that retailers can benefit from the use of management science techniques, including decisions surrounding the location, building and layout of retail stores. Also discussed are decisions facing retailers surrounding their products. The author notes that by combining test market results with estimated capital requirements and operating costs, retailers are able to estimate the amount of return each product will bring and therefore more effectively choose which products they will carry.

The article reports on marketing processes in the U.S. A synthesis of the systems and functional approaches to marketing is presented. The author provides definitions and background information about the two approaches in an effort to effectively combine them. Managerial implications of synthesizing the two approaches are examined. The primary functions of marketing, to obtain consumer demand and then cater to that demand, are discussed in detail. Advertising methods including sales promotions, merchandising, and propaganda are also discussed.

New and complex problems are developing at the public-private interface. There exist few effective mechanisms for their analysis and solution. The author proposes an interdisciplinary systems approach transcending traditional boundaries placed on studies in both government and business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumer preference test can be a valuable source of information in effective management of the firm's product offering. In this article, some specific suggestions are offered on ways to utilize preference tests and to avoid costly neglect of the "contents of the package." The author suggests that preference tests can be made even more valuable when management uses a well-developed conceptual framework for planning and analyzing preference studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of the systems approach to marketing management promises to breathe new life into marketing research. In this article the authors present their views of the relationship between decision-information flows and the management process in marketing, and state the case for expanding traditional marketing research into marketing information systems." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many products follow a predictable pattern in international trade. Understanding the International product life cycle may lead to improved policies resulting in increased exports and a reduction in the effectiveness of import competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management executives-especially in marketing-are striving to become more scientific. Disciplines for evaluating, measuring, and predicting are the current growth fields of business. But are these disciplines carrying management further away from where the problems really are? The ideas expressed in this article run somewhat counter to the schools of thought so dominant in today's front offices and some schools of business-and some different answers are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite significant improvements in methodology, many corporate executives are skeptical about the profit contribution being made by marketing research. Does management fail to appreciate the true value of research? Or have some research practitioners neglected a key part of their responsibilities? This article identifies a gap between marketing research practice and its profitable application to day-to-day business problems. The author goes on to suggest an approach for narrowing the gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation is an approach to problem solving which has as its focus the construction and study of computer models as descriptions of the problem being analyzed. Its usefulness in marketing comes from the fact that problems too complicated for analysis by conventional methods may be solved. The author gives several examples of how this is coming true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All business executives agree that pricing decisions are important. But far too many do not fully associate THE pricing decision and absolute dollar profitability. Here is a description of a special technique for measuring relationships between alternative prices and demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing executives and mathematicians have joined forces in a search for improved decision models to handle such problems as new-product development, media selection, retail inventory control, and size of sales force. The author of this article explains and illustrates those operations research models which hold the greatest promise in the marketing area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently a novelty in the world of business, Operations Research is still something of a mystery to most people. Although the author of this article does not claim to dispel this mystery completely, he does lighten it considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses three topics: a brief summary of decision theory as a tool of marketing management; a description of the nature and sources of wholesale bakers' present marketing problems; and a step-by- step account of the use of decision theory in the analysis of one of these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Year by year, almost day by day, the flow of criticism reflecting upon the value of marketing concepts appears to be intensifying. The question is what posture should "Organized Marketing" properly assume in the situation? The authors offer a program under which both the intellectual and activist elements of marketing may work to solve their problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operations research, a confusing and mysterious concept to many in marketing, is finding a significant role in analysis and integration of other business functions in support of marketing. The author shows that the notion of operations research as a collection of special mathematical techniques is breaking down. The field is showing its power in building concepts and methods for research in business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In industrial marketing, decision making has been moving from "intuitive judgment" to "considered opinion" to "scientific decisions." Some examples are developed here of the scientific approach in relation to industrial marketing--especially linear programming, empirical demand projections, and input-output analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the contributions made to the fields of marketing and retail distribution and merchandising by Edward Albert Filene and Lincoln Filene, founders of the retail store Filene's Basement. According to the author, the brothers developed a method of operation for their store in which merchandise was progressively discounted and if unsold over a designated period, donated to charity. The author notes that the Filene brothers placed much emphasis on applying scientific management practices to their business.

The article discusses an area of operations research, sensitivity analysis, which deals with the impact that changing factors or conditions have on decision rules. The author explains and illustrates how decision makers should think in terms of a decision range rather than a single-valued decision parameter. The article addresses the decision range, models of behavior, business information, data collection and processing, and presents a series of marketing management decision problems. The author emphasizes that single-valued decision rules fail to take into account differences in the values of parameters. An optimal-sensitive decision rule is a more effective tool.

The article discusses the marginal preference model and its applicability in operations research. The article discusses how mathematical models used in operations research are developed and how these models provide measurements that are needed and used to help satisfy human needs. The article discusses measurements, qualitative measurements, and replication. In describing the use of the marginal preference model, the article highlights the preference defined, optimization within constraints, and a test of the model. Discussion of the applicability of the model is also presented.

The article presents an analysis of sales personnel performance and seeks to explain the learning curve concept. In the process of training sales employees, they reportedly go through times of progress and times of stagnation. A mathematical model for evaluating the learning pattern of an employee is presented. The learning pattern calls for measuring total sales to date, and taking the average monthly sales volume. This method will enable an easier evaluation of performance. Concepts for interpreting the learning curve are provided and remedies for assisting employees are provided. This model is intended for commission based sales employees.

The article discusses the concept of marketing theory and its relations to economic theory, purchasing, production, the distribution of goods, consumption and related economic concepts. The requirements of a marketing theory are evaluated. Several factors which are reportedly critical to marketing policy are addressed; they include technical capacity, organizational possibilities and financial position, among others. Managerial policy is discussed with its primary goal being the long term profitability of the organization.

The article focuses on the use of operation research in marketing and related management problems. A manufacturing company's use of operations research is discussed. In the past, the company used market research methods to set up sales quotas. The company set up an operations research group with the task of finding explicit customer behavior. After investigating the sales records of its customers, the operations research group concluded that the dollar value of customer orders gave no information about the customer itself. The research led the company to focus on two major geographic locations. The author feels that operations research is best utilized as a complementary tool as opposed to a replacement of other kinds of research.

The article discusses the functions of the International Association of Department Stores. The author places emphasis in particular on "critical store visits," a process by which members of the association visit a department store within the association to provide suggestions for improvement. According to the author, visiting members are assigned to specialized committees, focusing on areas including general management and research, selling and sales promotion and finance and accounting. The author provides a list of perceived strengths and weaknesses of the process.

The article discusses organizing research in such a way as to increase the efficiency of the distribution of goods. According to the author, at the time of publication, manufacturers on average receive 50 cents of every consumer dollar, the remainder of which is absorbed through distribution costs. The author notes that one school of thought asserts that relative to production costs, distribution costs have been cut through the improvement of materials handling, transportation methods, and retailing and consumer transaction methods.

The article discusses the relationship between scientific management and marketing. Scientific management in marketing calls for the application of research with respect to all types of marketing problems. Marketing problems are difficult because the facts requiring study are not as accessible as those pertaining to other disciplines of business. Some managers rely on intuition and experience for solving marketing problems. Industry experts argue that marketing decisions should be based on facts. They explain that facts are developed through research.