Showing papers in "Euromed Journal of Business in 2006"

An e‐CRM application in the telecommunications sector: A case study from Greece

Abstract: CRM (Customer Relationship Management), is a strategy that can help companies to build long lasting relationships with their customers and increase profits through the correct management system and the application of customer focused strategies. Nowadays, the penetration of the Internet has dramatically changed the situation because the Internet is suitable for the incorporation of CRM applications. Thus, it has changed into electronic‐CRM or e‐CRM. In this study the implementation of e‐CRM in the Greek Telecommunications Organization is examined and the benefits and problems as well as the success and failure factors are analyzed and presented. This study was based on the case study approach, since its fundamental characteristic is the “focus on a particular setting or event”. The results showed that the Organization had gained a lot of benefits from e‐CRM implementation, since it significantly helped the information flow in the Organization as well as relationships with customers.

Policy drivers of international entrepreneurship in Europe

Abstract: The diversity of countries and cultures in Europe necessitates an international outlook for most businesses. This paper examines the internationalisation of business in Europe through a literature review on international entrepreneurship theory. The role of the individual business owner and of business and interorganisational activity in facilitating the internationalisation of businesses in Europe is discussed by utilising the theoretical framework of international entrepreneurship and by putting forward three main propositions. The main aim and intent of this paper is to understand how the policies of individual governments and institutions such as the European Union help businesses in Europe to internationalise, with particular emphasis on businesses in the Baltic region. The paper discusses policy implications and suggestions for future research, which highlight the importance for firms in Europe of focussing on international markets.

A knowledge management paradigm in the supply chain

Abstract: Supply chain management has profited tremendously from the advance of Web technologies during the last decade. New applications as well as optimized existing applications have used the Web as the medium to provide efficient and effective services to internal and external company users. The new paradigm in the universal World Wide Web is the semantic web, where the use of ontologies allows for knowledge management in ways that were not possible before. The supply chain management sector can benefit immensely by moving toward such technologies. The basic elements of a prototype knowledge management system for supply chain management are presented in this paper. In these basic characteristic sets of ontologies we examine how the semantic web can provide considerable improvements over previously used paradigms.

Business process re‐engineering in the public sector: A case study

Abstract: Business process re‐engineering can be a very effective tool for introducing cost‐effective changes into an organisation to the benefit of the organisation and its customers. The article reports on the introduction of “One Stop Shops” into a UK metropolitan local government organisation commenting on the success of the venture and the problems encountered in introducing a new competency based pay structure for front office staff.

Exploring intertextuality: Young people reading alcohol advertising

Abstract: This paper explores the use of intertextuality in advertising texts. It identifies that there are two distinctive methods of researching meanings found in and around advertisements. The two methods are textual strategy and interpretive practice. The results of a phenomenological study of the interpretive practices are shown. The empirical study was completed with young people from the United Kingdom who used interpretive practices to form meaning from an alcohol advertisement. The study reveals that young audiences draw on intertexts, from a very wide variety of sources, both in and around themselves. There are, however, common intertextual themes. The intertextual themes will be categorised into taxonomies for analysis, which extends the current process for analysing advertisements.

Freight forwarding in Greece: Services provided and choice criteria

Abstract: Freight forwarders are intermediary companies involved in Logistics. Their task is to manage all functions involved in transport after the buy process of merchandise is complete. The main objectives of the present work are to evaluate the criteria on which production companies choose particular freight forwarders, to point out the elements that affect quality and to differentiate services provided in various customer categories. In addition, this work presents the characteristics of freight forwarding companies that are active in the Greek market, analyzing their field of specialisation regarding various services and the profile of their manpower, as well as measuring the level of information technology usage in their operations. For the aim of this work, a questionnaire was drawn up and sent to a sample of 98 companies of the sector, selected mainly for their size and their location. Twenty‐four questionnaires were returned, covering roughly 10% of the companies in the market. The companies were asked to...

The Greek food shopper: Segmentation on the basis of attitudes to store features

Abstract: The paper reports the results of a study of food shopping behaviour in Greece. It is concerned with establishing the dimensions underlying shoppers’ evaluations of their regular supermarket store attributes, exploring the existence of shopper segments and subsequently, identifying the segments in terms of shopping behaviour and attitudes to store features. The main research instrument is a survey of adult Greek grocery shoppers in the metropolitan area of the city of Thessaloniki. The empirical results indicate that there are three dimensions that underlie the importance of store features. These are defined respectively as ‘Store design and variety’, ‘Personnel and service’, and ‘Convenient location’. The application of cluster analysis to the dimensions factor scores reveals four clusters. The characteristics of each cluster are described by average factor scores on the dimensions of store features, demographic characteristics, attitudes to store features, store loyalty, and motives for regular store choice.

Strategy planning for high‐growth firms: A complexity theoretic framework

Abstract: Many entrepreneurial theories suggest that corporate growth is not taking place in a continuous manner but in a rather disruptive way. Since many strategy planning frameworks implicitly assume that their underlying assumptions are not changing overtime this stands in some contradictory relation to growth transitions in rapidly growing firms. Hence, this paper proposes an approach called “Growth Scorecards” which is based on the Balanced Scorecard methodology and enables decision makers of high‐growth enterprises to identify the necessity and approximate scope of strategic revisions associated with a growth transition. The described approach therefore employs complexity‐theoretic concepts in order to classify the management’s propensity for growth measures as the internal likelihood of a growth transition. As a prerequisite for this the paper starts with a disquisition of the theoretic framework underlying this approach.

Business values among the Imazighen

Abstract: Morocco is a multicultural society, in which the Imazighen (Berbers) are the Indigenous people. They are Muslim but not Arab. They make up the majority of the population in Morocco. This article examines their self‐employment activities, reflecting a pattern of occupational clustering influenced by ethnic identity. The paper discusses the traditional bazaar, where segmentation refers to the clustering of producers, and prices are negotiated by buyers and sellers. A model is presented showing the spheres of influence of different ethnic groups in this country on the Mediterranean rim.

Tax reforms and implications for international banks: The case of Cyprus

Abstract: The article reviews the development of the international (offshore) banking sector in Cyprus and focuses on the effects of the transitional corporate tax regime, introduced for this sector, since the country’s admission into the European Union. The consolidated performance of international banks and data collected through semi‐structured questionnaires are examined to provide important insights into how management perceives of the new tax regime and of its impact upon the country’s attractiveness as an international banking center.

Reflecting practice: The case of marketing and new product development

Abstract: Recently there has been debate about whether or not academic research and theories in management are ‘relevant’. The discussion has been extended to marketing and we explore whether or not there is a disconnection between marketing practice and the methodologies, theories and concepts put forward by marketing academics. The possible explanations for the divide between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ in marketing are assessed. We then focus on new product development and consider the practical implications of the considerable corps of research aimed at identifying the influences affecting new product success. We continue by discussing the traditional representation of new product development. This assumes a staged process that can be managed, but which ignores in particular the impact of uncertainty. We conclude by suggesting that marketing needs to reappraise its model of the new product development process.

Networking in Calabria The case of Totti Industrie

Abstract: The early literature on learning in small firms has been linked to individual learning through training. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of networks as a vehicle for learning through knowledge transfer. It is how this network‐learning takes place that this paper helps to elucidate. The focus in this paper is a particular ‘life or death’ decision point at Totti Industrie, a small religious clothing manufacturer in Calabria, Italy. A problem‐centred approach was adopted in order to assess how the owner‐manager learned to solve problems and ultimately arrive at a decision. Preliminary findings diverge from similar studies undertaken in the United Kingdom where networks are less extensive but utilised more completely to resolve business related problems. It is suggested that a more limited use of the wider network could be down to the intensity and vastness of network relations and the susceptibility of this wider‐network to leakage of valuable company information.