Browsing by Author "Davies, Iain A."

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    Alliances and Networks: Creating Success in the UK Fair Trade Market
    (2009-06-03T13:32:32Z) Davies, Iain A.
    Data from a longitudinal study into the key management success factors in the fair trade industry provide insights into the essential nature of inter-organizational alliances and networks in creating the profitable and growing fair trade market in the UK. Drawing on three case studies and extensive industry interviews, we provide an interpretive perspective on the organizational relationships and business networks and the way in which these have engendered success for UK fair trade companies. Three types of benefit are derived from the networks: competitive developments through virtual integration in which the organizations remain flexible and small while projecting size to the market; intellectual developments through the sharing of intellectual capital with a diverse network of organizations in many fields; and ideological developments through an ideological network of like-minded individuals by which the companies can prevent the co-opting of the original purpose of fair trade. However, relative success at leveraging these benefits is influenced by three managerial factors: partner choice, partner use and partner management.
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    The changing role of sales: viewing sales as a strategic, cross-functional process
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009-07-01T00:00:00Z) Storbacka, Kaj; Ryals, Lynette; Davies, Iain A.; Nenonen, S.
    Purpose – Although there is substantial practitioner evidence for changes in the role and functioning of sales in the twenty-first century, there is little academic research charting new directions for the sales function in a business- to-business context. This paper aims to report on four case studies that illustrate how sales is changing. Design/methodology/approach – The case studies involve large global companies who were changing their existing sales process to adapt to changing circumstances. The organizations comprised four global industries: construction, power solutions, building technology, and electronics and software. Findings – The results demonstrate that sales is changing in three interrelated aspects: from a function to a process; from an isolated activity to an integrated one; and is becoming strategic rather than operational. Originality/value – The results suggest that changes in the role of sales will affect sales processes and the way that the sales function liaises with other depa
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    The diffusion of e-commerce in UK SMEs
    (Westburn Publishers, 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z) Wilson, Hugh; Daniel, Elizabeth; Davies, Iain A.
    The concept of the Internet as a cluster of related innovations, along with the staged approach to organisational learning exhibited by SMEs in other domains, suggest that e-commerce is likely to be adopted in a sequence of stages. This exploratory survey, carried out by means of a postal questionnaire with 678 respondents, uses cluster analysis to derive a grouped classification of e- commerce adoption. Four groups of organisations emerge, which we term developers, communicators, promoters and customer lifecycle managers. Through inductive analysis of these groups we are able to suggest that they represent four stages in the adoption of e-commerce. Five factors found to influence this adoption are top management support, management understanding of business benefits, presence of IT skills, availability of consultancy, and prioritisation of e-commerce. In addition to these factors, several other factors influence the value of e-commerce to the enterprise for any given adoption level, notably perceived risk and customer demand. Further research is encouraged to validate and extend the stage model: further stages are hypothesised, for example, termed supply chain managers and virtual value deliverers. Implications for practitioners include the need to include customer demand information and a risk assessment in decisions on adoption, and the importance of building in-house skills as part of the adoption plan.
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    The Eras and Participants of Fair Trade
    (Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2007-08) Davies, Iain A.
    Purpose: This paper investigates the increased mass-marketing in the fair trade industry to provide a robust analysis of the industry, participants and growth for use as both a starting point for researchers in this field and as a case study for readers with an interest in any ethical trading initiative Methodology: Utilising data from a longitudinal exploratory research project, participant observation from two organisations and in-depth interviews from a total of 15 organisations are combined to build strong theory grounded in the data. Findings: The paper provides insight into the nature of participants and industry structure in fair trade over time. Four distinct eras are identified which reflect both current literature and the practitioners’ perspective. The four eras can be split into 3 extant eras - the solidarity era, niche-market era and mass-market era, and the fourth - the institutionalisation era – depicts participants’ beliefs about the future for the industry. Research implications: The three principle theoretical contributions are the definitions which are provided for the different eras of the market’s progression, the view of industry structure and the newly defined participants from both the commodity and under-considered craft markets. Practical implications: Practical contributions are provided since the paper offers a holistic view of the fair trade market, so acting as a starting point for those new to fair trade. Originality/Value: This paper provides deep empirically grounded theory from which fair trade research can grow. It also provides future insights from participants in the industry advancing current theory.
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    Relationship Management: a sales role, or a state of mind? An investigation of functions and attitudes across a business-to-business sales force
    (Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2010-10-01T00:00:00Z) Davies, Iain A.; Ryals, Lynette; Holt, Sue
    Commentators suggest that the business-to-business sales role is changing and evolving into relationship management. Previous research indicates that a relationship management role is very different from ‘traditional' sales, and that it may require a different attitude on the part of the relationship manager. This research explores attitudes towards various aspects of relationship management across an entire international business-to-business sales force in a service industry context. We find that attitudes towards relationship management do not in fact align with job role. A cluster analysis reveals three attitudinal types of sales person: Self-Directed; Team Leaders; and Strategic Sellers. Our findings suggest that some individuals may have attitudes that are inappropriate to their roles, and that attitudes should be taken into account when selecting relationship manager
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    The rise and stall of a fair trade pioneer: The Cafedirect story
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z) Davies, Iain A.; Doherty, B; Knox, Simon
    This is a case study investigating the growth of fair trade pioneer, Cafédirect. We explore the growth of the company and develop strategic insights on how Cafédirect has attained its prominent position in the UK mainstream coffee industry based on its ethical positioning. We explore the marketing, networks and communications channels of the brand which have lead to rapid growth from niche player to a mainstream brand. However, the company is experiencing a slow down in its meteoric rise and we question whether it is possible for the company to regain its former momentum with its current marketing strateg
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    The Role of Social Capital in the Success of Fair Trade
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2010-10-01T00:00:00Z) Davies, Iain A.; Ryals, Lynette
    Fair Trade companies have pulled off an astonishingtour de force. Despite their relatively small size and lack of resources, they have managed to achieve considerable commercial success and, in so doing, have put the fair trade issue firmly onto industry agendas. We analyse the critical role played by social capital in this success and demonstrate the importance of values as an exploitable competitive asset. Our research raises some uncomfortable questions about whether fair trade has ‘sold out' to the mainstream and whether these companies have any independent future or whether their ultimate success lies in the impact they have had on day-to-day trading behaviou