The attention of design has evolved from developing new products to developing a mechanism to offer more innovative and competitive products. Driven by design thinking and design-driven innovation perspectives, expanded roles for design have been highlighted in academia and business and have been identified as a means to bring innovation to organisations through the application of designerly approaches. Such approaches are often applied to diverse organisational activities in 'a manner that is at odds with conventional roles for design. However, there has been little research investigating how to undertake such a new role for design corresponding to specific industry contexts. In addition little research has explored using (the role of) design in the FMCG industry: research has predominately been confined to design's contribution to brand identity development. Therefore, this PhD aims to propose a way to underpin a new role for design within fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry, via the following research phases. First, preliminary research in the form of content analysis of relevant literature was undertaken to discover how an expanded role of design is defined and the manner in which they are being adopted in a number of sectors, which entails a concept of design-driven approaches (DDA): approaches to applying a way of designerly conceptualising and exploiting tasks. Secondly, based on the features of DDA, this research was conducted through transformative mixed methods: a sequence of online survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews in order to explore phenomena which enhance and/or hinder design's integration within business. Grounded on the findings from a series of research activities and empirical data analysis, this research proposes a conceptual model- a framework and road map - of how the FMCG industry can overcome impediments to design's integration within brand development and organisational management by establishing a collaborative designerly frame to encompass activity-based and relational perspectives and elucidating contemporary and expanded roles of design. Finally, via member-checking validation, this model proposes an appropriate way to embed designerly ways into FMCG brand development by underpinning a collaborative ideas generation phase, especially for establishing environmental and organisational change to enhance designerly application.

This thesis lies within the field of market segmentation and is particularly concerned with geodemographics as a basis for segmentation. It includes 12 publications, and of these, ten make express use of geodemographics, and seven do so in the context of access to and participation within UK higher education. A dominant theme in these publications is the use of geodemographics to create and broadcast a more detailed understanding of inequality of access to higher education. The thesis includes a critical essay which builds on recognised literature and which effectively employs these 12 publications as exhibits. An examination is made of the process by which variables are chosen for the purposes of market segmentation. The process of constructing and construing geodemographic segments is also examined. The subjectivity associated with both these processes is assessed and the critical essay then extrapolates from these assessments to consider the relativistic implications of rhetoric as a significant marketing impetus.

The development of business-to-business marketing from the early interaction approach to the network approach is now a growing body of literature where establishing and managing longer term relationships with customers are critical to organisational success. An important managerial aspect of this development is the strategic management of a company's relationships with its customers, which is concerned with a portfolio of customer relationships. However, from a review of the literature, existing customer portfolio models are mostly conceptual and little empirical work has explored the customer portfolio concept in a service business. For example, previous empirical studies have mainly ignored countervailing customer portfolio dimensions, focused on suppliers of manufactured goods and limited to the study of a single company. Also, while past customer portfolio theories have introduced numerous portfolio dimensions, they have largely neglected or focused very narrowly on issues concerning their conceptual adequacy as for strategy development. Yet strategic choices and resource allocation decisions are based upon the theory underlying a customer portfolio dimension. The thesis draws on the theory of strategy, arguing that current product, business and customer portfolio models are predominantly inclined towards the industrial organisational (10) approach to strategy formulation - without much attention paid to the alternative theory of strategy, the resource-based view (RBV). In response to these gaps in the literature, this study attempts to investigate the validity of some of the numerous existing customer portfolio dimensions by trying to apply them in real organisational settings, namely in the context of two financial services and one IT systems and services companies in the U. K. Using the case study method, the customer portfolio dimensions specified in this study were applied in three companies. The research data were primarily derived through in-depth interviews with senior executives. These qualitative data were supported by multiple sources of research evidence: strategic documents, customer account reports and database, and internal market research surveys. Quantitative data from the ratings of the variables studied were also elicited. Each of the three case studies was analysed singly and the results of each case were compared with those predicted by each customer portfolio model. The results from the three cases were then cross-analysed in an attempt to identify threats to validity and, to help establish converging lines of inquiry. The study observes that there are limits to the extent of the generalisability of the theories investigated in the context of a service business. The findings identified the implications of the normative customer portfolio theories for practice, indicating that an individual dimension of a particular theory cannot be treated in isolation to other portfolio dimensions. In this instance, existing customer portfolio theories which suggest different portfolio dimensions for the analysis of customers whilst neglecting other theories could result in a potentially narrow view of strategic management of supplier-customer relationships. The strategic variables applied for competitive positioning of customers from existing customer portfolio theories have been shown to be inadequate and could be better accounted for together with the resource-based perspective. The research therefore proposed by means of both theoretical reasoning and empirical evidence -a three dimensional analysis as the appropriate model for strategic choices and advice on improving customer portfolio management.

This dissertation investigates the determinants of image and purchase intentions for own brands through the development and testing of two models. The first model addresses where private label brand image comes from. There have been claims that own brands derive their image from the retailer's corporate brand. Others have claimed that the image of own brands comes from leading brands in the same category. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support these claims. The current research examines own brand image in two contexts: firstly where the naming strategy for the own brand is dependent on the retailer's name, and secondly where the naming strategy is to create a specific independent name for the own brand (for example, No.7). The thesis aims to explore the spillover effect from the image of either the retailer or leading national brands onto the retailer's own brand image. The second model in the thesis addresses the long-standing issue of congruence between the purchaser and the products they purchase. The approach taken is to explore whether there are links between human personality and brand personality in this regard. Empirical research was undertaken to test both models using a structured questionnaire which was administered in the Republic of Ireland to shoppers in three stores (N=800). A total of 690 complete cases represent the sample used in the final analysis. This involved three retailers, four private labels and four national brands across the cosmetics and cola categories. Stepwise regression was used to evaluate the private label image model to assess whether private label image is predicted better by retailer image or national brand image using both retailer (Tesco Cola and Tesco Cosmetics) and non-retailer named (St. Bernard Cola and No.7 Cosmetics) private label brands. Structural Equation Modelling was used to test the hypothesized model for private label purchase intentions and to obtain robust information about how constructs interrelate. The second model proposed links between the constructs of human personality, retailer personality, private label personality, satisfaction, involvement and knowledge, measured using standardised existing measures from the literature.

High technology marketing channels face environments characterised by high levels of uncertainty and change, which create continual opportunities for regeneration by forming new business relationships and acquiring new high technology. Marketing channels are an important part of the high technology vendor marketing mix for business markets and are affected by marketing decisions made by marketing executives in the UK. To date the study of relationship exit and renewal in high technology marketing channels has not received attention in the literature and the effect of specific factors that operate in the challenging high technology environment have not been investigated. This study employs a sequential mixed methods research design with an initial qualitative phase to identify specific factors of relationship exit and renewal in high technology marketing channels. The results informed a substantial quantitative phase of telephone interviews. The sample includes small-medium business high technology marketing channels in the UK market and 512 interviews were completed, supported by Cisco Systems, IBM and Vodafone. The study extends the voice-exit theory of relationship exit to the high technology marketing channels context by considering voice-exit from relationships with both high technology vendors and high technology products. Analysis confirms cost of exit as an important antecedent of voice-exit; new antecedents are identified: market adoption benefits and compatibility. These antecedents may be specific to high technology marketing channels. The study includes preliminary testing of hypotheses on the operation of voice, based on a single item measure. Four new decision outcomes for high technology marketing channels are identified: Status Quo, Switcher, Loyal Investor and Switch Investor. Decision outcomes leading to the building of new capability based on new technology, Loyal Investor and Switch Investor are the norm in high technology marketing channels. By contrast, Switcher decision outcomes that involve purely changing vendor relationships appear to be rare. Logistic regression models are developed to quantify the relationship between the antecedent factors and the decision outcomes, identifying the variables that discriminate between decision outcomes. Managerial guidance is developed for practising high technology channel managers to help vendors influence the decision outcomes, requiring new channel marketing strategies. Finally, the evolution of high technology channels into channel networks is reviewed and methods for assessing high technology channel networks are presented.

This doctoral thesis deals with the Customer Relationship Portfolio Management (CRPM) theme. This theoretical concept emphasises a resource-based integrated approach to the management of an organisation's customer relationships and has been largely inspired by matrix-orientated portfolio models developed within other related management disciplines. Though these models were rapidly adopted in such disciplines because of their appealing visual displays and immediate recommendations, customer relationship portfolio researchers examining the practical reality within business organisations have found little support for such a formal approach to managing customer relationships. The proposing and testing of theoretical customer relationship portfolio models has not shed light on the actual methods used by organisations to manage their portfolio of customer relationships. Taking a broad perspective on the customer relationship portfolio management phenomenon, this in depth processual case based research investigates how selling organisations in two industrial market contexts (UK and India) actually manage their entire portfolio of customer relationships. Research findings indicate that the two organisations have their own 'customised' ways of classifying and managing customers, though the process is less formal in the second case context. Even though none of the case contexts under study use a matrix approach, they do however use variables suggested previously by customer portfolio researchers. The exchange mechanisms adopted in both contexts to manage customer relationships show transactional as well as relational characteristics. The present research contributes in both theoretical as well as methodological terms towards the conceptually rich but empirically 'nascent' customer relationship portfolio literature. It provides a contextual understanding of the CRPM phenomenon and presents an abductively derived broad based theoretical framework for the same. This research goes beyond 'soft' factors and incorporates cost related outcomes of buyer-seller relationships to give a more rounded view on managing customer relationships. Methodologically, the researcher provides a 'flexible but structured' synthesis approach to understanding CRPM processes within organisations.

This thesis provides evidence that customers' perceptions of service quality may be predicted by psychological factors. A new model of service quality is developed, with the aim of: a) establishing a structure for service quality and b) linking customers' perceptions of quality to organisational factors, which impact such perceptions. Measurement instruments are developed to assess: customer perceptions of quality; staff attitudes to the organisational climate for services; and management competences, in relation to the dimensions of the proposed model. The research is of a multi-variate design, using correlation, multiple regression and factorial analysis, of psychological and behavioural data. The principal criterion variable is the quality of services as perceived by customers. Predictor variables include a range of internal characteristics (such as personality traits and attributional style), of both customers (as predictors of perception) and staff (as predictors of service-related behaviour). Personality is measured using 'FFM' factors, derived from OPQ data. Attributional style is measured using an instrument developed within this research. Situational influences (of the organisational climate for services) and behavioural abilities (staff and management competences) are also considered as additional predictor variables, and measured using new instruments based upon the model.

This thesis is concerned with the strategic alliances between British and Korean companies with special reference to marketing, in particular branding, strategies. Our thesis fills a research gap in the extant research: a lack of research on the alliances involving partners outside the advanced economies; and the dearth of studies approaching alliances from a marketing perspective. In exploring strategic alliances, we develop two models. a modified Strategic Posture and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Model, and a Brand Integrity Model (BIM), both drawn from the existing literature in the respective fields, strategic alliances and brand extensions. The modified SP ACE Model, a novel modification of the SPACE model, is a four dimensional model comprising 28 variables, relating to dimensions covering strategy, reputation, branding, and environment. The BIM consists of three factors: brand complementarity; brand technology transferability; and perceived quality of brand. We investigate the factors that explain the success and failure of strategic alliances between British and Korean companies by utilising both quantitative and qualitative methods within the two model framework. We also observe the differences by control variables, country of origin, industry sector, and the type of legal entity. Korean and British companies exhibit salient differences in most of the twenty eight variables especially core-competence learning, cultural differences, government pressures, and profit potential. By industry sector, the most significant difference was in the branding dimension, particularly brand complementarity, brand market share, and perceived brand quality. The most significant difference between the joint ventures and contractual agreements was in the environmental dimension, in particular government pressures and subsidies, and barriers to entry. Our research provides practical guidelines for British and Korean executives involved in strategic alliances with a partner from the other country. Practitioners can gain better understanding of which of the twenty eight variables are considered important and may, as a consequence, lead to success of an alliance in particular, perceived brand quality, industry competitiveness, growth potential, quality of chief executive offict!r and middle manager. Deeper understandings may also be gained from the results of three case studies that encompass both consumer and industrial sectors, and both joint ventures and contractual agreements, particularly how different, and often conflicting, agenda between partners affect the performance of the alliance. As a first study investigating strategic alliances between British and Korean firms, and furthermore, from marketing perspective, our research contributes to the literature on a strategic alliance, especially in the role of marketing, in particular branding in strategic alliances. Contribution is also made to the comparative importance of strategic and marketing factors on alliances by country of origin, industry sector, and legal entity.

This thesis focusses on the three interrelated areas of Green Marketing, Supply Chain Relationships and Integrative Green Relationships. The study measures the perceptions in four industries and two channel parties on the relative importance of eight identified packaging attributes. It compares the perceptions between and within the industries in empirical research using judgmental analysis. The attributes and variables distinct to each industry are identified and explained. The views of the respondents on the importance of Green Marketing were ascertained, and are presented. The retailers and manufacturers generally share a relatively close understanding of the importance of packaging attributes. In-depth analysis within similar industries, revealed identical results, which indicates, to some extent, matching of understanding for mutual benefit. Different industries, nevertheless, were found to differ greatly in their preference of the attributes. The variables that exert a strong influence on the parties' perceptions are company and product specific factors. It suggests that different products from different companies (and industries) require different packaging needs. The main contributions of the thesis can be summarised as follows: that eight packaging attributes can be identified to represent the consumer products under study; that these vary in importance depending upon the sector and company's role in the supply chain; that they are generalisable across at least 3 product sectors; that environmental issues do not strongly discriminate between the two perspectives on packaging. An approach to measuring the gaps of packaging perceptions in a quantifiable way was developed and demonstrated. The 'environmental' attribute was ranked on the lowest level of importance by the respondents overall, indicating that environmental issues are not relatively important to the business communities. The responses of the majority of the companies in the environmental issue are largely limited to the boundary of legislation. Finally, the study discussed a conceptual form of integrative partnering (Integrative Green Relationships) as an alternative way forward for business behaviour, in confronting increasing Green pressures.

Meaningful measurement is a key issue both in academic study and in the business environment. This thesis focuses on the measurement of market orientation in two organisations, namely TNT Express UK and British Airways plc. It investigates the way in which differences in perception can influence the results obtained by instruments designed to measure the construct. As far as market orientation is concerned, researchers have hitherto treated the construct as if a company-wide level of market orientation existed. This study detects significant differences in perception among employees and accounts for a large percentage of the identified variance. On the basis of a comprehensive literature review into the understanding of market orientation and related literature, the well-known Narver and Slater scale was selected to serve as the core framework of this research. The more recent Foreman scale was also used to represent the internal aspects of the construct. From the infinite number of factors which influence individuals' perceptions of the work environment, eighteen variables were identified as most relevant, in the context of this study. Apart from three demographic variables (for this study defined as 'person variables'), the selection process concentrated on factors relating to the organisational environment ('situation variables', 'person x situation variables'). The data was collected using a variety of methods. On the qualitative side, two phases of focus groups and individual interviews were conducted. On the quantitative side, a pilot and a main survey provided the required statistical data. The evaluation of the qualitative data, in combination with the statistical analysis, suggested that the perception of the immediate work environment, the individual's degree of socialisation, satisfaction and communication, in addition to his/her level in the organisational hierarchy and location explain more than 50% of the variance in employees' perception of a company's market orientation.