School of Business and Economics

Academics

• John W Cadogan (Professor of Marketing)
• Belinda Dewsnap (Lecturer in Marketing)
• Cathy Hart (Senior Lecturer in Retailing and Operations Management)
• Cristiana Raquel Lages (Lecturer in Marketing and Retailing)
• Professor Angus Laing (Dean of Business and Economics)
• Mohammed Rafiq (Reader in Retail and Marketing)
• Jim Saker (Ford Professor of Retail Management)
• Anne L Souchon (Professor of International Marketing, Head of Group)
• Philip Stern (Professor of Marketing)

Researchers

Visiting Academics

• Professor Adamantios Diamantopoulos, Chair in International Marketing, University of Vienna, Austria.

• Murali Mantrala (Visiting Honorary Professor of Marketing)

Overview

The Group's research activities strongly reflect an international perspective. This is exemplified in ongoing projects relating to export marketing and performance measurement, international comparisons of marketing strategy and competitive positioning, international retailing, market orientation and international competitiveness, cross-cultural perceptions of product newness and consumer behaviour in international contexts. Many of these projects involve collaboration with international marketing scholars, and the Group’s national and international network is extensive. Furthermore, several colleagues work jointly or in parallel on themes relating to both marketing and retailing challenges within the context of both the financial services and automotive industries. In addition to these convergent interests, the Group’s multi-disciplinary emphasis means that members also research in topics of relevance to retailing, marketing and business competitiveness from not only marketing, but also economic perspectives.

The group has a very active, high-quality research programme. Since 2001, members have published over 127 refereed journal articles, more than 155 conference proceedings, 14 book contributions and seven books. The quality of the Group’s refereed output gives a clear indication of the excellence of the research being undertaken. A substantial proportion of the Group’s output is in journals of international standing, with recent contributions to the Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of International Business Studies, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Service Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of International Marketing, Antitrust Law Journal, European Competition Law Review and International Journal of Industrial Organization. The Group also counts journal editors and a strong presence on editorial boards of significant journals.

Research is conducted in three broad areas, which are summarised below:

Retail Behaviour and Service Quality

This group investigates economic perspectives on retail competition, pricing and service quality to studies of retail operations, service quality and service behaviours. Included in this theme is the Group’s work on automotive retailing, including product newness, manufacturer-retailer relationships, and retailer culture change. Research on automotive retailing has received over £2,300,000 in recent years, and has been disseminated worldwide by industry personnel.

Sales Promotions and Brand Building

The promotion mix is studied in several unique ways at Loughborough, including the performance consequences of sales-peoples' attitudes and behaviours. Brand-building research has investigated the construction and extension of the brand image of traditional goods and services, and branding of political parties and their leaders. Recent work on optimising and planning the promotion mix was funded by the British Academy.

International Marketing Strategy

Cross-national and comparative work is currently being undertaken by members of this theme, such as cross-cultural perceptions of product newness and international retailing. There is also specialised work being completed on export marketing strategy, including market orientation and inter-functional interactions, market information use, improvisation, and export memory. Research in this area is characterised by large scale cross-national studies of marketing resources. Research in this theme has received financial support form the British Academy and the Academy of Marketing/Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Retail Behaviour and Service Quality

This group investigates economic perspectives on retail competition, pricing and service quality to studies of retail operations, service quality and service behaviours. Included in this theme is the Group’s work on automotive retailing, including product newness, manufacturer-retailer relationships, and retailer culture change. Research on automotive retailing has received over £2,300,000 in recent years, and has been disseminated worldwide by industry personnel.

Projects being undertaken:

• Research Partnership Opportunity
• The Car Dealership of the Future (EPSRC funded)
• Manufacturer-Dealership Interfaces and New Product Success (EPSRC funded)
• Retailer Market Power and Competitive Structures (Supported by the Office of Fair Trading, Competition Commission and the European Commission)
• Retail and Merchandising Strategies
• Service Quality and Internal Marketing
• Impact of the Internet on Retailing
• Channel Power and Organization
• Automotive Retailing
• Manufacturer-Retailer Contracting
• Public Policy Aspects of Retailing and Retail Competition

Members involved:

• Professor John W Cadogan
  Sales Management

• Cathy Hart
  Retailing; Impact of the Internet on Retailing; Assortment and Merchandising Strategy

• Dr Mohammed Rafiq
  Retailing and Services Marketing; Service Quality; Internal Marketing

• Professor Jim Saker
  Retail and Automotive Management; Channel Power; Sponsorship in the Motor Industry

• Professor Anne L Souchon
  Services Marketing; Relationship Marketing

Sales Promotion and Brand Building

The promotion mix is studied in several unique ways at Loughborough, including the performance consequences of salespeople’s’ attitudes and behaviours. Brand-building research has investigated the construction and extension of the brand image of traditional goods and services, and branding of political parties and their leaders. Recent work on optimising and planning the promotion mix was funded by the British Academy.

Projects being undertaken:

• Integrated Marketing Communications
• Sales Management
• Optimising Decision Making
• Automotive Brand Development Strategies
• Automotive Dealership Structures

Members involved:

• Professor John W Cadogan
  Sales Management

• Dr Belinda Dewsnap
  Marketing Organisation; Sales-Marketing Interface

• Professor Jim Saker
  Retail and Automotive Management; Sponsorship in the Motor Industry

International Marketing Strategy

Cross-national and comparative work is currently being undertaken by members of this theme, such as cross-cultural perceptions of product newness and international retailing. There is also specialised work being competed on export marketing strategy, including market orientation and inter-functional interactions, market information use and export memory. Research in this area is characterised by large scale cross-national studies of marketing resources. Research in this theme has received financial support from the British Academy.

Projects being undertaken:

• (Export) Market Orientation (with a number of international collaborators)
• (International) Marketing Strategy
• Cross-Cultural Study of Export Information Utilisation (Supported by the Consortium for International Marketing Research, CIMaR)
• Export Improvisation (Supported by the Academy of Marketing Research Initiative Awards)

Members involved:

• Professor John W Cadogan
  Export Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Sales Management

• Professor Jim Saker
  Retail and Automotive Management; Sponsorship in the Motor Industry

• Professor Anne L Souchon
  Export Marketing; Information Acquisition and Use; Export Improvisation

Publications

Below is a selection of recent publications by the members of the Marketing and Retailing Research Group. For further information about group members’ publications and research profile, please click on the relevant names.

Cadogan, J.W. (2009) “Sales Force Social Exchange in Problem Resolution Situations”, Industrial Marketing Management, forthcoming (with N.J. Lee)
Dewsnap, B. (2004), “Marketing Information Use and Organisational Performance: The Mediating Role of Responsiveness”, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 12(4), 231-242 (with A.L. Souchon, J.W.Cadogan and D.B. Proctor)
Farrell, A.M. (2007), “Employer Perceptions of Skills Gaps in Retail: Issues and Implications for UK Retailers”, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 35(4), 271-288 (with C.A. Hart, G.B. Stachow and G.M. Reed)
Hart, C.A. (2007), “Enjoyment of the Shopping Experience: Impact on Customers’ Repatronage Intentions, and Gender Influence”, Service Industries Journal, 27(5), 583-604 (with A.M. Farrell, G.B. Stachow, G.M. Reed and J.W. Cadogan)
Gerstner, E. (2007), “Service Escape: Profiting From Customer Cancellations”, Marketing Science, 26(1), 18-30 (with J. Xie)
Jayawardhena, C. (2007), “Outcomes of Service Encounter Quality in a Business-to-Business Context”, Industrial Marketing Management”, 36(5), 575-588 (with A.L. Souchon, A.M. Farrell and K. Glanville)
Rafiq, M. (2008), “Knowledge Management Orientation: Construct Development and Empirical Validation”, European Journal of Information Systems, 17(3), 219-235 (with C.L. Wang and P.K. Ahmed)
Saker, J.M. (2005), “The Two Faces of Playfulness: A New Tool to Select Potentially Successful Sales Reps”, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25(3), 215-229 (with S. Maxwell, G.M. Reed and V.M. Story)
Souchon, A.L. (2008), “The Quality of Market-Oriented Behaviours: Formative Index Construction”, Journal of Business Research, 61(12), 1263-1277 (with J.W. Cadogan and D.B. Proctor

Overview

As well as published output, the Group has high involvement in the scholarly community. All members have professional links within their respective areas of expertise, providing a platform for state-of-the-art research. Most hold several memberships of professional associations (e.g., the Chartered Institute of Marketing) and academic and learned societies (e.g., the British Academy of Management, European Marketing Academy, and Academy of International Business).

Conferences

Professor John W. Cadogan:

European Marketing Academy Conference (EMAC)
- Doctoral Colloquium Assessment Team (2002 and 2003)
- Co-Chair of Marketing Orientation and Theory Track (2008)

Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC)
- Doctoral Colloquium Assessment Team and Panel (2007)
- Chair of Retailing, Pricing and Personal Selling Track (2009)

Academy of Marketing Science Conference (AMS)
-Co-Chair of International Marketing Track (2006)
- Invited Special Session: Driving International Markets - New Directions in International

Marketing Thought and Practice (2006)
- Co-Chair of Sales and Sales Management Track (2009)

AMS World Marketing Congress
- Founding Member and Co-Chair of the 1st Biennial AMS Doctoral Consortium (2009)

UK Academy of Marketing Conference (AM)
- Co-chair of the Doctoral Colloquium (2003)

- Member of Annual Conference Organising Committee (2003)
- Co-Chair of Asia Pacific Special Interest Group (2005 – Date)
- Academy of Marketing Research Committee Workshop (1 July 2004)

Professor Angus Laing:
European Marketing Academy Conference (EMAC)
Frontiers in Services Marketing
SERVSIG

Professor Anne L. Souchon:

European Marketing Academy Conference (EMAC)
- Co-Chair of Marketing Orientation and Theory Track (2008)

Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference (ANZMAC)
- Doctoral Colloquium Assessment Team and Panel (2007)

Academy of Marketing Science Conference (AMS)
- Co-Chair of International Marketing Track (2006)

UK Academy of Marketing Conference (AM)
- Co-chair of the Doctoral Colloquium (2003)

- Member of Annual Conference Organising Committee (2003)

Journal Editorships

Professor John W Cadogan co-editor of International Marketing Review

Professor Adamantios Diamantopoulos departmental editor of Business Research, associate editor of International Journal of Forecasting, co-edited a Special Issue of Journal of Business Research (Formative Measurement, in 2008) and co-edited a Special Issue of International Marketing Review (Export Information Use, in 2003)

Professor Angus Laing: Associate Editor for the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing

Dr Mohammed Rafiq co-editor of European Journal of Innovation Management, co-edited a Special Issue of European Journal of Marketing (Internal Marketing, in 2003)

Editorial Board Memberships

Professor John W Cadogan
Business Research
Industrial Marketing Management
Journal of International Business Studies

Professor Adamantios Diamantopoulos
Journal of Business Research
Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of International Marketing
International Marketing Review
European Journal of Marketing
Journal of Marketing Management
Journal of Strategic Marketing
International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising
Journal of Modelling in Management
International Quarterly Journal of Marketing
Service Business: An International Journal

Cathy Hart
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management
British Food Journal

Professor Angus Laing
European Journal of Management
Journal of Services Marketing
Journal of Marketing Management

Professor Anne L Souchon
European Journal of Marketing
Industrial Marketing Management
International Marketing Review

External Posts

Professor John W. Cadogan
Visiting Professor of Marketing, Brighton University

Cathy Hart
Chair of the Consortium of Retail Universities (CRU)

Awards

Professor John W Cadogan:

1. 1994 Distinguished Paper Award – UK Academy of Marketing Annual Conference
2. 1999 Best Paper Award – Australian & New Zealand Marketing Academy Annual Conference
3. 1999 Honorary Mention – European Marketing Academy Annual Conference
4. 2000 Award for Meritorious Research – Chartered Institute of Marketing
5. 2001 Best Paper Award – UK Academy of Marketing Annual Conference
6. 2002 Highly Commended Paper Award – Managing Service Quality, Volume 12
7. 2002 Best Paper (with Doctoral Candidate) – European Marketing Academy Annual Conference
8. 2004 Douglas C. Mackay Outstanding Paper Award in International Entrepreneurship – Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences
9. 2011 Awarded 'Leading Editor' by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Dr Belinda Dewsnap was awarded Best Paper Award, Sales Management Track, UK Academy of Marketing Conference, Dublin, 2005 Title: ‘The Sales and Marketing Interface: A Social Psychological Investigation’.

Professor Anne L Souchon:

1. 2000 International Marketing Review Most Outstanding Paper Award
2. 2006 Academy of Marketing Research Initiative Award

Overview

The Marketing and Retailing Group actively involves itself in the future of research by supervising students studying for MPhil and PhD degrees. The Group also contributes to the Business School's formal research training programmes which are provided to all research students.

Current PhD Students

Tribikram Budkathoki

 

Mark French

Supervisor: Professor John Cadogan

Project Title: The Nature of the Relationship between Market Orientation and Performance

Description: The results of the numerous studies examining the market orientation – business performance relationship have been mixed. Some have found that a high market orientation leads to superior performance under any environmental conditions, whilst others have determined that, in some environments, becoming market oriented does not improve performance. These divergent findings infer that the beneficial effects of becoming more market oriented are not universal, which may, in turn, deter some managers from pursuing a market orientation.  This research study proposes three issues which may reconcile these divergent findings: (i) the level of aggregation and unit of analysis, (ii) optimality and polynomial effects, and (iii) the effect of environmental moderators. As a result research is needed in order to: (a) determine the extent to which firms have different levels of market oriented behaviour in different markets, and (b) investigate the nature of the relationship between market orientation and performance, acknowledging that firms can have, and may need, different levels of market oriented behaviour across their various market.

Vagelis Korobilis-Magas

Supervisors: Professor Anne Souchon, Dr Belinda Dewsnap

Project Title: Symbolic Use of Export Information: an Empirical Investigation of Performance Outcomes

Description: As competition becomes more intense and export success vital for entrepreneurial survival, effective use of information is a prerequisite for gaining competitive advantage. Symbolic use of information is one type of information use which, although relatively unexplored, may be the most prevalent form of information use within organisations – especially in an export setting. Symbolic use occurs when information is used for purposes other than the ones which led to its collection (e.g., politically, for appearance’s sake rather than problem solving, to legitimate decisions reached on other grounds, etc). Little empirical research on the outcomes of symbolic use of export information exists. As a result, little is known about how and why symbolic use of export information may affect export performance, and under which circumstances. The purpose of this thesis is to close this research gap. In order to do so, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods is employed.

Sofia Manolopoulou

Supervisor: Professor John Cadogan

Project Title: Dyadic Channel Relationships - Antecedents and Performance Consequences in the International Setting

Description: Relationships are increasingly being cited as a major source of competitive advantage and high organizational performance. Despite their significance they have only received marginal attention in the international setting and thus the effect of dyadic relationships on performance outcomes in the cross-border setting remains a topic largely unaddressed. The few studies that do focus on relationships between exporters and importers do not adopt a dyadic perspective; instead they only look at either the exporter’s or the importer’s side.  The current study tries to provide support for the link between dyadic relationships and joint performance in the international setting. Furthermore, symmetries, which are considered to be a major characteristic of relationships, are expected to act as a catalyst in that the effect of the key joint variables on performance is expected to be stronger when the two parties exhibit symmetrical relations and weaker when they exhibit asymmetrical ones. Moreover, the majority of studies make a very clear distinction in terms of the theoretical lenses they adopt, usually that being either Relational Exchange Theory or Transaction Cost Analysis. The idea of actually integrating opposing perspectives and using constructs that come from diverse theoretical backgrounds is utilized in the current study this way helping to address dyadic relations in a more holistic way. Data collected from 476 importing and exporting UK firms is currently analysed.

Milena Micevski

Supervisors: Dr Belinda Dewsnap and Professor John W. Cadogan

Project Title: The Marketing-Sales Interface – Exploring the Organisational Antecedents and Consequences of an Effective Interface

Description: An effective working relationship between marketing and sales departments is essential to organisational performance.  However, in spite of recently published articles in the area, research designed to explore the nature and determinants of marketing-sales relationships remains limited. This research is designed to develop important knowledge in this area.

Daniel O’Connell

Supervisors: Professor Neil Doherty, Dr Fiona Ellis-Chadwick

Project Title: An investigation of the applicability of electronic procurement to UK central and local government

Description: The main focus of the study in on fundamental questions that are being posed to Central and Local Government organisations in the UK and Europe: “How can public sector organisations benefit from the experiences of the private sector in implementing e-procurement to deliver significant efficiency and effectiveness gains?”; “What are the organisational risks and rewards associated with the implementation of e-procurement within a public sector environment?”; “What is the most appropriate model for implementing e-procurement by the UK Central and Local Government sectors?” There has been limited research into the use or applicability of e-procurement to the public sector, as most studies have focused on the development of inter-organisational electronic network in the private sector. This research aims to fill this gap in understanding by conducting a through examination of a cross section of the UK Central and Local Government organisations to assess the actual presence of the identified sector-specific differences, to consider the impact of these nuances on the applicability of e-procurement and to develop a model whereby UK Central and Local Government organisations can assess the suitability of e-procurement in given circumstances. 

Joao Oliveira

Supervisors: Professor John Cadogan

Project Title: A Multi-Level Model of Export Venture Performance

Description: The Resource-Based View of the firm is considered to be a major paradigm to explain organisational performance. However, this theory has not yet been fully exploited in studies that cover the determinants of export performance. This is true both for research conducted at the firm level and at the export venture level. This PhD addresses this gap in the literature. Specifically, this research will use contingency theory to explore the moderating role that firms’ resources may have in shaping not only the link between the environment faced in exporting and the export strategy pursued, but also the relationship between the latter and export performance. This will be done by developing and testing two models: a multilevel model of export venture performance and a firm-level model of export performance.

Mahani Shakur

Supervisors: Professor Neil Doherty, Dr Fiona Ellis-Chadwick

Project Title: Online Retail in the UK: The Relationship between Electronic Commerce Adoption Factors, Scope of Adoption and Electronic Service Quality

Description: Using an institutional theory lenses, the research will be focusing on the relationship between electronic commerce adoption factors by e-retailers and electronic service quality, and how this relationship will determine the scope of electronic commerce adoption.

Grazyna Stachow

Supervisors: Dr Mohammed Rafiq, Cathy Hart

Project Title: Retail Image of Town and City Centres

Description: Retail plays a key role in the economic fortunes of town and city centres. However, many inner city retail developments resemble “cloned High Streets” (NEF, 2004), yet a distinctive image, through its links with patronage, is vital for town and city centres to remain competitive against neighbouring centres. Local authority planners and marketers need to understand how town centre image is formed, to enable them to manage their town centres so that they attract and retain customers. Yet retail image of town centres remains relatively under-researched. Furthermore, the limited research which exists draws on multi-dimensional image models from other retail situations such as stores and shopping malls. It is argued that such models may not accurately capture town centre image, since town centres are diverse environments performing multiple functions in addition to retailing, such as employment, leisure, residential, and tourism. In addition most research in this area has been empirical and there is a lack of theoretical development of image formation in town centre studies. It is proposed in this research to develop a theoretical model representing how town centre image is created by consumers, and to develop more accurate measures than currently exist to test this image. A qualitative methodology will be used to elicit the salient processes consumers use in forming images, followed by a questionnaire survey in a range of town centres to empirically test the model and hypotheses. Appropriate segmentation procedures will be determined and participants will be drawn from typical shopper profiles in each location.

Paul Taylor-West

Recent PhD Graduates

Andrew M Farrell (graduated 2008)
Supervisors: Professor Anne Souchon and Professor Geoff Durden (La Trobe University, Melbourne)
Project Title: The Influence of Full Range Leadership Styles upon the In-Role and Extra-Role Behaviours of UK Hotel Reception Staff

Gunawan Gunawan (graduated 2007)
Supervisors: Dr Fiona Ellis-Chadwick and Professor Malcolm King
Project Title: Performance Measurement Among Small and Medium-Sized UK Internet Retailers

Harlina Jaafar (graduated 2006)
Supervisor: Dr Mohammed Rafiq
Project Title: Logistics Service Quality and Relationship Quality in Third Party Relationships

Nikolaos Kakkos (graduated 2006)
Supervisors: Professor Anne L. Souchon and Professor Adamantios Diamantopoulos
Project Title: An Integrated Approach to Export Performance Assessments

Jung Yoon Kim (graduated 2003)
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dobson
Project Title: The Impact of Platform-based Product Variety on Product Family Performance

Tiffany Kit Peng Lam (graduated 2007, ABS)
Supervisor: Professor John W. Cadogan
Project Title: Antecedents and Consequences of Market Orientation - An Examination in the JV’s Relational Context

Nick Lee (graduated 2003, ABS)
Supervisor: Professor John W. Cadogan
Project Title: Sales Manager Problem Resolution Styles - Measure Development and an Examination of Their Salesperson-Related Consequences

Xiaming Lu (graduated 2008)
Supervisor: Dr Mohammed Rafiq
Project Title: Relationship Quality and Customer Loyalty in Internet Grocery Shopping

Konstantinos Malagas (graduated 2005)
Supervisor: Dr Vicky Story (now at Nottingham University)
Market Orientation and Implications on the Airline Industry

Abdul Talib Asmat Nizam (graduated 2005, ABS)
Supervisor: Professor John W. Cadogan
Project Title: Differences in Market-Oriented Behaviour Levels Across Firms’ Domestic and Export Marketing Operations - A Study of Antecedents and Consequences

Shih-Tung Shu (graduated 2003)
Supervisor: Professor Paul Dobson
Project Title: Examining Relationships Between External Linkages, Absorptive Capacity and Gains in New Product Knowledge and Impacts on New Product Innovations

Joseph Sy-Changco (graduated 2007, ABS)
Supervisor: Professor Anne Souchon
Project Title: Export Memory – A Preliminary Investigation of its Quality, its Use, and its Link to Export Performance

Chee Hsien Kelvin Tay (graduated 2006)
Supervisor: Dr Mohammed Rafiq
Project Title: A Consumer Ethnocentrism Model of Foreign Grocery Retail Store Patronage in Beijing - Do extrinsic cues and shopping orientation matter?

Meimei Wu (graduated 2012)
Supervisors: Dr Robert Hamilton
Project Title: The Consumers’ Adoption of Internet Banking in China

Arvind Yadav (graduated 2008)
Supervisors: Professor Paul Dobson and Dr Jonathan Seaton
Project Title: Emerging Trends in Retailing in India

Thinking of doing an MRes or a PhD?

The Marketing and Retailing Group actively involves itself in the future of research by supervising students studying for MRes and PhD degrees. The Group also contributes to the Business School's formal research training programme which is provided to all research students.

If you would like to join our team of PhD research students and explore a particular area of research in more detail why not apply for an MRes or a PhD?

Marketing and Retailing Group members are particularly interested in high quality MRes and PhD proposals from students in the following research areas:

Retail Behaviour and Service Quality

Customer Loyalty: An Integrated View

That customer loyalty is vital to business success is well known. There is, however, less agreement on the factors that determine customer loyalty, particularly in service contexts. Equally, there is differing arguments on the roles that service employees play in this process. A model is conceptualised based on a literature review and qualitative research, and subsequently empirically tested in a variety of service contexts to confirm the stability of the model. The study will contribute to the literature by providing a more complete, integrated view of customer loyalty, its determinants and service employee contribution to this process. It is expected that the findings of the study be published in journals of good international standing.

Service Failure and Customer Behaviour

After a service failure and a poor recovery, what leads loyal customers to behave in very dissimilar ways? Some continue to be loyal customers. Some terminate their custom. While others try to punish service provider, even if there is no material gain for doing so. The aim of the project is to build a conceptual model to understand (predict) customer behaviour. A model is conceptualised based on a literature review and qualitative research. The model is validated through experiments and (and/or surveys). The study will contribute to a more complete understanding of service customer behaviours in these circumstances, and aid management in understanding their customers. It is expected that the findings of the study be published in journals of good international standing.

Retail image

Retail image has long occupied academic study resulting in a considerable body of published research.  Store image has particularly attracted most research attention since Martineau’s (1958) seminal paper over 50 years ago. However, recent literature identifies image as a more complex paradigm encompassing at least five different contexts of retail image; the individual product / brand, the department, store, retail chain, and more recently, shopping mall image.  Additionally, the internet provides an emerging context for retail image research.  Specific topic areas associated with any of these retail image contexts are encouraged.
Contact: Cathy Hart

Retail operations

Retailing occupies the largest private sector of the UK economy employing over 11% of the workforce.  Within this, retail operations is the coal face of the industry; without effective store, internet or mail order operations to deliver the retail and marketing strategy, retail organisations will not survive.  The academic literature on retail operations is scarce; mainly due to the speed of technical innovation, but also due to the dynamics of the sector. The increasing growth, internationalisation and format development of multiple retailers create many challenges for retail operations management; e.g. how to deliver the customer service, product availability while reducing costs and maintaining productivity? There is much scope to develop a specific area of research within retail operations and applications are invited from researchers interested in this relevant function.
Contact: Cathy Hart

Retail supply chain management

Supply chain management is increasingly a source of competitive advantage for major retailers.  Both the food and fashion retail sectors demonstrate how, for example quicker response times and increased merchandise availability have contributed to improved performance.  However, environmental issues will progressively impact on retailer supply chain development, practice and strategy in the future.  Proposed topics within these areas are welcome.
Contact: Cathy Hart

In-store shopping behaviour

Retailing literature increasingly focuses on in-store shopping behaviour, since it has been shown that most purchase decisions are taken in store. However, actual observation of this behaviour remains scarce in marketing research. Most studies use questionnaires to measure behavioural intentions or retrospective perceptions, which may be very different from the behaviour actually performed by the shopper. This is partly explained by the difficulty involved with reconciling an unobtrusive tracking process of the shopper, a precise observation of his/her behaviour through the entire store, and a quantitative analysis of this gathered data. Today, a large range of new technological solutions is now available, allowing researchers to perform a precise, reliable and quantifiable observation of in-store shopping behaviour. It goes from RFID devices put under shopping carts, video camera solutions equipped with shape recognition software, to innovative PDA tracking software. These tools allow researchers to investigate new research questions concerning in-store shopping behaviour and make this field a “land to be explored”.
Contact: Julien Schmitt

Sales Promotions and Brand Building

What makes for a good relationship between marketing and sales?

The relationship between marketing and sales departments has received increasing research attention in recent years.  In spite of this, there is still considerable scope to investigate this key intrafunctional interface.  Important questions still remain.  For example, what organisational factors affect relations between marketing and sales?  What distinguishes a good and bad marketing-sales relationship?  How does the relationship affect business performance outcomes, and how does the organisation’s external operating environment differentially impact the interface-performance relationship?  Answers to these questions would be of considerable benefit to academic and practitioner communities alike.
Contact: Dr Belinda Dewsnap

Developing Brand Mapping Techniques to Measure Brand Equity

 

Brand Image Transfer through Sponsorship

 

A Postmodernist Analysis of Voting Behaviour

 

International Marketing Strategy

Export Performance, Market-Driven Strategy, Sales Management

Management of the sales force is central to the success of many organizations, and much research focuses on factors shaping the success and behaviour of salespeople and sales managers. In this respect, I am interested in the following issues: (un)ethical sales behaviour, sales control systems, market-orientation in sales units, stress and anxiety experienced by salespeople, and cross-national issues in selling and sales management. While I tend to prefer methodologies that are more quantitative in their approach, I expect candidates to be open to the potential of qualitative methodologies. It is hoped that research undertaken will be published in journals of good international standing.
Contact: Professor John W Cadogan

Improvised Export Decision-Making

Improvising is a matter of course for most exporters who a) often have to make decisions with limited information, and b) are engaged in regular face-to-face negotiations with foreign partners. Yet, little is known about export improvisation and in particular its performance consequences. The aim of this project is to conceptualise export improvisation based on a literature-review and qualitative preliminary research, to develop a psychometrically sound measure of export improvisation (from either a reflective or a formative perspective), and to empirically (quantitatively) test the relationship between export improvisation and export performance under different environmental and internal conditions. The results of the study will allow exporters to gauge when (in which circumstances) to improvise versus formally plan export decisions. It is expected that the findings of the study be published in journals of good international standing.
Contact: Professor Anne L Souchon

For funding opportunities, please contact:
Tracey Preston (Postgraduate Research Programmes Administrator)
Email:phdinbusiness@lboro.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1509 228276

For an online application form click here and for full details of the Business School’s PhD and MRes programmes please click here