Global Utilities

Core Areas of Research

Marketing

Key Research Projects

Export
  • Export information acquisition and use.
    The extent to which and ways in which export information is used can play a significant role in a firm's level of export performance. Surprisingly, however, little empirical research has been conducted in the area of export information use, and even less attention has been paid to potential cross-national differences in how export information is used. The focus of this study is on a comparison of export information use practices across different countries. To date a total sample of nearly 1000 exporting companies across Austria, Germany, New Zealand, the UK, and the US has been obtained, and the data analyzed. Preliminary results indicate that US exporters are much more symbolic in their use of information, than exporters from the other countries, while Austrian exporters tend not to use information symbolically. Similarly, export information gathered informally tends to be used much more rationally than does information gathered from more formal and objective source. Work continues on this project.
    • Research outputs include journal articles published in the Journal of International Marketing and International Marketing Review and various international conference proceedings.
  • Symbolic use of export information.
    Since the resources associated with export information acquisition are considerable, it is vital to ensure that the utilisation of information is optimised. In this context, information utilisation has been conceptualised in the research literature as generally falling into three broad classifications; namely instrumental, conceptual and symbolic use. Symbolic use of information is essentially the use of information for purposes for which it was unintended; yet this has been found to be one of the most common ways in which export information is used. This study attempts to understand the phenomenon of symbolic use of export information from within a cognitive psychological framework.
    • Research outputs include the publication of a conceptual paper in the ANZMAC 2003 conference proceedings.
Services
  • Leadership styles of front-line managers.
    The project aims to determine the effect of different leadership styles on the level of front-line employees' service delivery quality. Previously, researchers have studied leadership and its effects upon subordinates within a sales, psychology, or human resources context. It is proposed in this study that leadership needs to be studied in a services context due to the idiosyncrasies presented by services (intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability, and simultaneous production/consumption).
    • Research outputs include, the Journal of Marketing Management and several conference proceedings, including EMAC 2000 (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) and the Academy of Marketing (2001, Cardiff, Wales).
Sales
  • Sales manager problem resolution styles.
    The objective is to explore sales managers' responses to staff-related problems, such as poor performance or unethical action. Qualitative work has led to the explication of three key constructs; namely sales manager resolution responsiveness, sales manager caring and sales manager aggressiveness. Each of these constructs has been synthesized with existing research literature and a tentative taxonomy of problem resolution styles posited. Current work includes measure development and testing, using data collected in the UK and Australia.
    • Research outputs include the publication of a conceptual paper in the ANZMAC 2004 conference proceedings.
SMEs
  • Internationalisation modes of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. Only 4% of Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) export. Given that SMEs account for 91% of total private and public sector enterprises, this low export figure signifies the enormous potential for increases in trade revenues, national wealth and jobs if the Australian government can "turn more companies into exporters, turn occasional exporters into regular exporters and support the growth of 'born globals'- those companies that need to trade internationally to survive" (International Trade Forum 2002).The aim of this project is to identify the value drivers of the internationalisation process of SMEs, especially micro and small businesses.
Refereed Journal Articles
  • Pech, R.J. and Durden, G.R. (2004), "Where the decision-makers went wrong: From capitalism to cannibalism", Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 4 (1).
  • Diamantopoulos, A., Souchon, A.L., Durden, G.R., Axinn, C.N. and Holzmuller, H.H. (2003), "Towards an understanding of cross-national differences in export information utilization: A perceptual mapping approach", International Marketing Review, 20 (1), pp. 17-43.
  • Pech, R.J. and Durden, G.R. (2003), "Manoeuvre Warfare: A New Military Paradigm for Business Decision Making", Management Decision, 41 (2), pp. 168-179.
  • Souchon, A.L. and Durden, G.R. (2003), "Making the Most Out of Export Information: An Exploratory Study of UK and New Zealand Exporters", Journal of Euromarketing, 11 (4), pp. 65-86.
  • Souchon, A.L., Diamantopoulos, A., Holzmuller, H.H., Axinn, C.N. and Durden, G.R. (2003), "Export Information Use: A Five-Country Investigation of Key Determinants", Journal of International Marketing, 11(3), pp. 106-125.
  • Farrell, A.M., Souchon, A.L. and Durden, G.R. (2001), "A Conceptualisation of Service Encounters: Employees' Service Behaviours and Customers' Perceptions of Service Quality", Journal of Marketing Management, 17 (5/6), pp. 577-594.
Refereed Conference Proceedings
  • Nota, S., Souchon, A.L. and Durden, G.R. (2003), "The Symbolic Use of Information in an Export Marketing Setting: A Cognitive Psychological Perspective", ANZMAC, 1-5 December, Adelaide, Australia.
  • Farrell, A., Souchon, A. and Durden, G.R. (2003), "The Service Leadership Scale: A Substantive Validity Test", ANZMAC, 1-5 December, Adelaide, Australia.
  • Olmedo, R. V. and Durden, G. R. (2002), "Component Integration as a Mediating Variable in a Model of the Logistics Partnering Process: A Mexican Study", IMP Conference, 5 – 7 September, Dijon, France.
  • Salzberger, T., Holzmuller, H. H., Souchon, A. L., Diamantopoulos, A., Durden, G. R. and Axinn, C. (2002), "Probabilistic Analysis of Export Information Usage Scales", European Marketing Academy Conference, 28 – 30 May, Braga, Portugal.
  • Salzberger, T., Holzmüller, H, Souchon, A. L., Durden, G. R., Diamantopoulos, A. and Axinn, C. (2001), "Assessment of Cross-National Construct Validity by Probabilistic Test Models - The Case of Export Information Usage Scales in the UK and New Zealand", Australia-New Zealand Marketing Academy Conference, 2 – 4 December, Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Farrell, A.M., Souchon, A.L. and Durden, G.R. (2001), "Service Encounter Conceptualisation: Employees' Service Behaviours and Customers' Service Quality Perceptions", Academy of Marketing Conference, 2 - 4 July, Cardiff, Wales [nominated for Best Paper Award and published in the Conference Special Issue of the Journal of Marketing Management].
  • Imrie, B.C., McNaughton, R., Durden G.R. and Cadogan, J.W. (2001), "The Service Quality Construct on a Global Stage: The Role of Culture Within Evaluation", Australasian Services Marketing Workshop, 13 – 16 February, Dunedin, New Zealand.
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Last Updated: 3 September, 2008