Knowledge that Transforms

Организации часто сталкиваются с аномальными явлениями, то есть кризисами, которые создают высокий уровень неопределенности и являются потенциальной угрозой выживанию организаций. За прошедшие десять лет можно привести в качестве примеров кризисов крах мексиканского песо, российского рубля, бразильского реала. Влияние кризисов на организации было исследовано многочисленными исследователями с различных сторон, включая психологию (Halpern, 1989), социальную политику (Weick, 1988) и технологическую структуру (Pauchant and Douville, 1994). В данной статье изучается значение рыночной ориентации и стратегической гибкости для выживания фирмы в развивающейся экономике в период экономического кризиса. Исследование проводится на примере недавнего кризиса в Азии.

This section is based on a selection of article abstracts from a comprehensive business literature database. Marketing-related abstracts from more than 125 journals (both academic and trade) are reviewed by JM staff. Descriptors for each entry are assigned by JM staff. Each issue of this section represents three months of entries into the database. Each entry has an identifying number. Cross-references appear immediately under each subject heading. The following article abstracts are available online from the ABI/INFORM database, which is published and copyrighted by ProQuest Information and Learning. For additional information about access to the database or about obtaining photocopies of the articles abstracted here, please call (800) 521-0600 or write to ProQuest, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

Overexpression of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) can immortalize some primary human mesenchymal cells. We investigated whether retrovirally-mediated expression of hTERT in CD34+ umbilical cord blood (UCB) cells can extend the replicative lifespan of human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Overexpression of hTERT did not immortalize these cells but did lead to enhanced survival of mature hematopoietic cells.

This section is based on a selection of article abstracts from a comprehensive business literature database. Marketing-related abstracts from over 125 journals (both academic and trade) are reviewed by JM staff. Descriptors for each entry are assigned by JM staff. Each issue of this section represents three months of entries into the database. JM thanks UMI for use of the ABI/INFORM business database. Each entry has an identifying number. Cross-references appear immediately under each subject heading. The following article abstracts are available online from the ABI/INFORM database, which is published and copyrighted by UMI. For additional information about access to the database or about obtaining photocopies of the articles abstracted here, please call (800) 626-2823 or write to UMI, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

This section is based on a selection of article abstracts from a comprehensive business literature database. Marketing-related abstracts from more than 125 journals (both academic and trade) are reviewed by JM staff. Descriptors for each entry are assigned by JM staff. Each issue of this section represents three months of entries into the database. Each entry has an identifying number. Cross-references appear immediately under each subject heading. The following article abstracts are available online from the ABI/INFORM database, which is published and copyrighted by Bell & Howell Information and Learning. For additional information about access to the database or about obtaining photocopies of the articles abstracted here, please call (800) 521-0600 or write to B&H, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106.

Marketing strategists who operate in turbulent markets face a competitive landscape marked by volatility and evolving market structures. As customer requirements change, an organization that stays in alignment with its markets will form new business units or alter the market charters of existing business units. In a longitudinal study, the authors traced the structural realignments that accompanied a Fortune-500 firm's entry into the Internet market. As the charter moved from a freshly created unit to an established business unit, the authors found support for the prediction that the former organizational structure will continue to shape the identity, beliefs, and social ties of managers. The study highlights the structural, social, and cognitive factors that must be managed as corporate decision makers search for the best strategy–structure fit for an emerging market opportunity.

Although strategy exists at multiple levels in a firm (corporate, business, and functional), there is a dearth of research in marketing literature that focuses on the dependency among strategy at different levels. The authors address this issue by examining the relationship between deconglomeration and marketing strategy. Deconglomeration refers to the divestiture behavior of a conglomerate firm and the transformation of its business portfolio from one that is largely composed of several unrelated businesses to one composed of fewer and related businesses. Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives, the authors propose a conceptual model delineating the environmental and organizational drivers of deconglomeration and its outcomes for marketing. The authors suggest that after deconglomeration, (1) a firm can be expected to be more competitor and customer oriented, (2) multimarket contact with competing firms and seller concentration will increase, (3) businesses retained by the firm will be more innovative and place greater emphasis on advertising compared with sales promotion, and (4) the firm's culture may become more externally oriented. Furthermore, the locus of decision making for marketing strategy may shift more toward senior management levels. In summary, changes in a firm's corporate strategy could lead to significant changes in the marketing strategy of its business units.