Purpose This paper aims to present the first systematic review of the literature relating to the relationships between organisations and their marketing agencies, the agency–client relationship, and presents a concept matrix that identifies the key areas of investigation, and topics where...

Traditionally marketing as it is perceived all over the Western world is based on definitions agreed on in the US by the American Marketing Association and presented in American textbooks. This definition is, however, based on American conditions and, moreover, mainly geared to the customer...

This article examines industrial channel management in an international context by analysing whether the industrial firm performs export functions itself or whether it transfers these functions to an export middleman. Export theory suggests that certain firm and market characteristics determine...

This article describes a framework for manufacturers to predict the level of channel conflict that they will probably experience based on channel design, channel policies and differences from their resellers in key factors. Three levels of conflict are described and different management...

This article reviews factors necessitating the application of effective selection and motivation criteria when using independent distributors. It reports findings concerning the criteria utilised by South African manufacturing companies and compares these with findings based on another study...

An important consideration when designing new product services for a marketing channel is the extent to which the service should be differentiated to meet the requirements of alternative customer groups. This article is a report on whether a new wool testing service, which has potential...

The ways in which market boundaries are defined and markets structured are reviewed. The basic concepts formulated by economists which underpin much marketing literature are examined and differences between the strategic management and marketing management approaches to boundary definition found...

A survey of European marketing managers showed that product quality and consumer information are seen as the two main consumer issues of the late 1980s. It is marketing management's responsibility to incorporate consumer rights, needs and wants into product offerings and marketing practices, and...

Discusses consumers' attitudes and buying behaviour and how they have played a major part in the classification of goods, which has been devised to influence marketing strategy. Proposes that consumers have changed the importance that they have attached to different product attributes and, as a...

Concerned with marketing of services but focuses on the service of incoming tourism as it is applied to the UK. States this study is in four sections. First, briefly examines the nature of services; second, examines the survey results; third, discusses the consequences of these results relative...