In early November the Executive Committee met in Milan to view the facilities and arrangements for the 2005 EMAC Conference. The conference will be held on the campus of Bocconi University and the facilities are excellent. Gabriele Troilo, the conference chair, and his team are doing a great job in putting together a conference which will be both academically stimulating and socially exciting. More details are provided by Gabriele below.
A number of issues were discussed at the Executive that I want to briefly report back to members.
One of them was the cost of conferences. A number of members have expressed concern at the price of attendance and fears that we might be pricing some colleagues out of the conference, especially from countries where conference budgets are particularly tight. I am pleased to report that the conference organiser for Athens 2006, George Avlonitis, has volunteered to reduce the fee he was planning to charge (many thanks George!), and that the price for the following conference, Reykjavik 2007, is under close negotiation. Our thanks to conference organisers for their help and support in keeping prices down.
One further development I want to draw attention to is the creation of an Alumni Association for those who have attended the EMAC Doctoral Colloquium (DC). This was suggested by past students who wanted to use the opportunity to create a network of those who have benefited from the DC to keep in touch and arrange suitable events. Below there is a brief introduction to the DC Alumni by Christian Felzensztein to explain what is intended. The first meeting will take place at Milan 2005.
Finally, EMAC has agreed to collaborate with ELMAR, the electronic marketing newsletter originated by AMA. ELMAR has now been extended to include other international academics including EMAC, ANZMAC, the Asia Pacific Marketing Federation, the Association Latinoamericana de Academicos de Marketing and an African marketing academy (yet to be specified). We will be represented on the editorial board. What this means in practice is that we will have better access to the network, enabling questions to be posted, positions to be announced, research collaborations to be explored etc. Hopefully this will help our networking across the world.
It was an eventful meeting in Milan. The discussions were productive, the company wonderful, the food and wine exquisite! One recommendation, however, to those coming to the conference – extend the credit limit on your plastic cards, the fashion houses of Milan are waiting for you!
That’s all for now folks!
Survey Report
33rd EMAC Conference, Murcia 2004
“Worldwide Marketing?”
May 18 – 21, 2004
This document reports the results from last EMAC 2004 Conference carried out in Murcia (Spain). During these days, at the Convention Centre, an independent research agency did a “satisfaction survey” to conference attendees. Personal interviews were done on Tuesday 20th May (N=22) and Friday 21st May (N=19), that is, the last two days of the Conference. The organizing committee has recently received and analyzed the data provided by the research agency. This is the outcome of the analyses.
A total of 41 attendees responded the survey. The results showed that the level of attendees’ satisfaction was very high in all the metrics measured through the survey. A mean of 6.37 (based on 7-point Likert scales) was obtained for overall satisfaction with the conference.
They were most satisfied with the academic and scientific contents of the conference (6.17), the social events (6.12), the meals (6.07), the venue (5.88), and the special sessions and panels (5.80). They were relatively least satisfied with the proceeding (5.49) and with the technical secretariat (5.66).
We found significant differences regarding the technical secretariat, the venue, the social events and the meals depending on the day of data collection. An increase in all of these aspects was observed from Thursday to Friday, thus reflecting a significant improving during the development of the conference. So, we can conclude that the Gala Dinner positively influenced the meals and the social events. Furthermore, in the last day of the conference the attendees have a more precise vision of the Conference as a whole.
Moreover, this year the organizing committee has introduced important changes in the scientific committee of the conference, such as the chair and co-chair assigned to each track, the review process and the selections of reviewers. For this reason, it is important to highlight that this topic has been most valued by the conference attendees and means that changes have received support and been successful.
Finally, we would like to say that all of these results highly recompense the efforts and the wearing down of the organizing committee and all the academic community.
The Organizing Committee of EMAC 2004
Conference Report
33rd EMAC Conference, Murcia 2004
“Worldwide Marketing?”
May 18 – 21, 2004
This year's EMAC Conference took place from the 18th – 21st of May 2004 in Murcia, Spain. It was organized by José L. Munuera from the Marketing Department of the University of Murcia. The EMAC President Lutz Hildebrandt expressed in his welcome speech the initial reluctance that the conference takes place that near to the seaside of the Mediterranean Sea. But in fact the conference was that remarkable and possibly the seaside was far enough from the Convention Center, where the conference was held, that we had an interesting and inspiring conference.
“Worldwide Marketing?” was the theme of this years EMAC Conference. It was chosen because of the expansion of the European Union with 10 new members the month of this conference in May 2004. This is an enlargement in terms of scope and diversity and has many implications for the market, the competition, the customers and therefore the marketing discipline. Associated with this conference theme a scholarship for papers from new members of EU was introduced. Six papers; two from Cyprus, one from Estonia and three from Hungary, were presented at the conference. The one I attended (Töröcsik, M./Szucus, K.: Tempo-based Lifestyle segmentation) was remarkably innovative and qualitatively very good.
Immediately prior to the Conference from Sunday until Tuesday, the 17th Colloquium for doctoral students in marketing took place. It was organized by the EIASM and the EMAC in collaboration with the Marketing Department of the University of Murcia (Spain) and aims at providing outstanding doctoral students in marketing an opportunity to discuss their dissertation research with other doctoral students and leading academics in the field of marketing.
The Conference was organized in 20 different tracks: 1) Brand Management, 2) Consumer Behaviour, 3) Modelling, 4) Marketing Communications, 5) Distribution Channels and Retailing, 6) Relationship Marketing, 7) Marketing Research, 8) Services Marketing, 9) Marketing Strategy, 10) International Marketing, 11) Sales and Sales Management, 12) New Product Development, 13) Marketing and Innovations, 14) Marketing Management, 15) New Technologies and E-Marketing, 16) Social Responsibility and Ethics, 17) Marketing Education and Non-Profit Marketing, 18) Marketing and Forecasting, 19) Business Marketing and 20) Cross-cultural Issues in Marketing. A number of 860 papers have been sent in from which 761 papers accomplished the EMAC guidelines and therefore went through the double blind review process. In total a number of 445 reviewers decided to accept 371 papers, which is an overall acceptance rate of 48%.
With 108 papers the Consumer Behaviour track was by far the track with most papers sent in, but a slightly below average acceptance rate (49 accepted out of 108, acceptance rate 45%). Besides the Consumer Behaviour track the Brand Management track (33 accepted out of 58, acceptance rate of 56%) and the Service Marketing track (33 accepted out of 65, acceptance rate of 51%) achieved the most attention. Although the total number of papers was quite low, according to the acceptance rate the track with the best papers or the best chances to get accepted was the Business Marketing track (14 accepted out of 22, acceptance rate of 64%) and the Marketing Management track (12 accepted out of 19, acceptance rate of 63%).
Less attention could be observed concerning the tracks Marketing and Forecasting (2 accepted out of 5, acceptance rate of 40%); Sales and Sales Management (8 accepted out of 16, acceptance rate of 59%); New Product Development (7 accepted out of 18, acceptance rate of 39%); Marketing Education and Non-Profit Marketing (6 accepted out of 19, acceptance rate of 32%) and Marketing Management (12 accepted out of 19, acceptance rate of 63%). This leads to the question of the causes for this relative little attention. A small number of papers can either be a signal for a decreasing or increasing attention and therefore an early position in lifecycle (introduction or growth) of a research topic or a position at a decline phase. Furthermore especially the little number of papers concerning the Marketing Management track is remarkable, as it shows the growing fragmentation and specialization of the marketing discipline.
This fragmentation leads to sometimes very specific research questions. As a young researcher in the marketing discipline coming together with a lot of experienced marketing researchers I have missed papers overlooking the discipline, reasoning about their development, questioning and provoking it and therefore providing a bird's-eye view on the marketing research area. Comparing it to conferences in the field of service marketing it can be considered that plenary sessions which merely occupy on reflecting the field and giving future perspectives of new and hot research topics are common. Attending these conferences I perceived the opportunity to take note of the opinion of experienced researchers to topics alike as a great enrichment.
Remarkable in my opinion was the fact that sessions concerning market orientation in combination with learning orientation and knowledge management as well as in conjunction with capabilities and the marketing assets received that much attention by the participants that the conference organizers kept carrying additional chairs into the room and still some listeners had to stand. In the context of marketing assets and capabilities a cooperative research project to “Marketing assets, capabilities and competitive positioning” is noteworthy. It is carried out by 16 different researchers from 13 different mainly European countries. A core questionnaire, which was developed in an initial study, is provided to the researcher in each country and it is supplemented by idiosyncratic questions of local relevance. This cooperative research project has so far lead to a data set of over 5500 questionnaires. Further work is planned in Brazil, Germany, Taiwan and Korea. In addition to that researchers from Italy have shown interest in the session. That four of the 16 researchers are former EMAC presidents shows how important and well functioning the EMAC network is.
After a the reception and the get together on Tuesday evening the 371 papers were presented starting on Wednesday morning at 9.00. Wednesday and Thursday had each 4 sequential sessions and up to 10 parallel sessions. The conference presentations ended on Friday with a lunch. Wednesday evening we enjoyed the conference dinner, which took place in the magnificent old casino (built in 1847 and extended after 1902) in Murcia. Although we already asked ourselves how this amazing location and evening could be exceeded, we spend the Gala diner at a finca near Murcia, enjoying a wonderful view, a firework and at least the diner followed by some dancing.
Concluding to the conference I refer to the foreword of the proceedings in which José L. Munuera as organizer states that EMAC Conferences have always been recognized as excellent forums for both networking and learning. He hoped that this year’s conference in Murcia will not be an exception to that. In my opinion we can congratulate and thank him and the organizers once again, that this years EMAC has certainly not been an exception!
Therefore we are looking forward to the next EMAC conference “Rejuvenating marketing: contamination, innovation, integration” which will be hosted by the Università Bocconi – Milan, Italy from the 24th to the 27th of May 2005.
Dr. Sabine Moeller
Assistant Professor
The Otto Beisheim Endowed Chair of Marketing
WHU – Otto Beisheim Graduate School of Management
Burgplatz 2
56179 Vallendar
Germany
EMAC – ESOMAR Conference 2004
Marketing: Where Science meets Practice
Warsaw, October 2004
In January 2003 at its meeting in Brussels, the EMAC steering committee decided – initiated by the VP External Relation Gérard Hermet – to embark on a joint venture with ESOMAR: to relaunch cooperation with ESOMAR, a cooperation that started in 1984 and that had resulted in five events at regular intervals. However, the last time ESOMAR and EMAC joined forces was in 1996. It was deemed to be about time that we renewed our cooperation after 8 long years.
The theme agreed upon was “Marketing: Where science meets practice.” A Programme Committee was established, with Gerda Feunekes from Unilever Research Vlaardingen, the Netherlands, as chair. The EMAC representatives were Peter Leeflang, Veronica Wong and Suzanne C. Beckmann. The other ESOMAR committee members were Steve Cohen from SHC & associates (USA) and Wlodek Daab, 4P Research Mix (Poland).
ESOMAR kindly agreed to be in charge of all the organizational matters – and their team, consisting of Victoria Steven, Anna Alu, Katja Hänninen and Sandra Koning, did a fantastic job both before and throughout the conference!
After months of hard work promoting the event, reviewing submissions and deciding about the final programme, we came together in Warsaw in mid October. A total of 50 delegates, including speakers, from 24 countries participated. 46% of participants are ESOMAR members, 6% are members of EMAC.
The conference covered a broad range of marketing aspects, including managing brands, understanding consumers, innovative tools, methods and their application, advanced uses of the internet, and research in emerging markets. The conference was structured with plenary sessions in which 16 papers were presented. The final session was organized as a panel discussion which was opened by a positioning paper given by Peter Leeflang, long standing EMAC member and former editor of IJRM: “Marketing science and market research: Bridging the gap.”
Fredrik Nauckhoff, ESOMAR President and Head of Market Intelligence, Nestlé Ltd., Switzerland, said in his opening speech:
“The theme of this conference – Marketing: Where science meets practice – is fundamentally important to us all.
‘It isn’t only what you don’t know that can hurt you,
it’s also what you know that isn’t.’
The American writer Artemus Ward was neither a scientist nor a market researcher, but he pinpointed the challenges facing us. We share a role in spreading knowledge and light."
Academics are developing methods that have not been applied by researchers, who in turn are using methods that academics are not fully aware of. It is clear that the world of practitioners, business schools and academic institutions will highly benefit from improved co-operation and business performance. Indeed, the world will benefit. The gap between marketing scientists and practitioners needs to be bridged. That’s why we are here today.
This event will establish an exchange on new thinking for methods, techniques and their application, to widen perspectives on marketing practice, and to ensure business relevance.
At ESOMAR, we recently completed a survey with market research professionals. We asked them how the world would change. These were what they saw as the three most important trends:
In terms of future threats, the risk of falling standards was seen as a major threat (54%), where I believe what we in the profession see very much eye to eye with you in universities.
The success of our industry in the future will depend on how we tackle the issue of “making the difference”. It goes without saying: understanding business and domain specific issues are of paramount importance for success (72%).
However, crucially for us here today, the most important success factors are related to “the demand for professionalism”, if I may call it that: 60% identify recruitment and training of a new generation of researchers as the key success factor, 58% refer to standards of performance or quality standards. A lower number stress the importance of industry promotion, exchange of best practice and respondent participation rates.
Marketing research is uniquely positioned to make the difference. We have a huge potential to contribute. Marketing research-based advice is a strong value driver. Hence, ESOMAR, EMAC and others must work together on a number of interrelated attention areas. We must accelerate the creation of standards of performance and compliance.
The good news is that the process of developing an ISO for market research is underway now. The development of the ISO is a very important step, as the whole process of research will be made more open and transparent.
Jointly developing professional standards and ensuring adherence is of vital importance in representation efforts. At a recent meeting with the EU Commission, EU representatives were pleasantly surprised about the fact that the existing ESOMAR/ICC Code is endorsed by so many organizations worldwide!
But if recruitment of a new generation is a key factor for success - how do we attract tomorrow’s high flyers? If we take the outcome of our study to heart, we increasingly will need a different breed of researchers - not only on the client side, I would add.
We need different skills and competencies. Education is fundamental here - basic education and training in data management, but, above all, university level programs, post graduate initiatives and the like, putting the emphasis on the wider context of integrating information and market knowledge in generating decisions. Today, these kinds of programs are scarce.
ESOMAR has concluded that it is high time that the industry joins forces in order to establish what the actual situation is at universities and major business schools and to assess what can be done together in the field of education, training, teaching and coaching. We need new skills. We need real professionals who can appreciate, and produce, good research.
ESOMAR has launched a major industry project - the working title is “BRAIN TRAIN” - involving leading representatives from academia, consultancy and the research world to take stock and develop an action plan. All this will not result in quick wins overnight. But ESOMAR is committed to invest in this key priority area given the significance for the future of the industry.
Focus on the client side, working on professional standards, developing different skills and competencies, and enhancing the perceived contribution of marketing research with senior decision makers are interrelated topics. In line with its mission, ESOMAR is prepared to continue orchestrating these efforts and make available resources.
At ESOMAR, we feel that it is useful to remind ourselves, frequently, but without self satisfaction or pomposity, that we are working for a noble purpose: to promote the use of Opinion and Market Research to improve decision making in business and society. Doing that better means important change for us, and for all around us. Academics have, of course, a similarly noble purpose to expand knowledge in the world. Let’s do it together.”
With these last sentences in mind, the challenge now is to continue the communication platform at the academic – practitioner interface, i.e. between EMAC and ESOMAR. The next joint event should not take place in 8 years from now! In Warsaw we agreed that EMAC and ESOMAR will discuss the next steps and possibilities in the near future. One of the important issues will be the means by which to increase the interest of EMAC members in joint events, since EMAC participation was a bit low in Warsaw. And we will of course inform EMAC members over the next months about further developments – while at the same time welcoming any suggestions and ideas of EMAC members!
Copenhagen, November 2004
Suzanne C. Beckmann
EMAC Vice President Development and Programme Committee member of the conference
For more information visit also http://www.esomar.org/esomar/show/id=153695
Dear EMAC Friends and Colleagues,
Given the observation that quite a few new young academics joined EMAC recently, it was thought useful to give a short summary of the past, present and future relationship between the European Marketing Academy and the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM).
The European Academy of Marketing (EMAC) known until 1982 as the European Academy for Advanced Research in Marketing (EAARM) grew out of an annual workshop in marketing organised for the first time in 1972.
In the early days of the Academy, both the European Foundation for Management (EFMD) and the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM) worked closely together to administer EMAC and to promote further development of its membership. The EIASM provided the Executive Secretary and the EFMD the secretarial assistance. Since 1987, the European Institute continued on its own.
By 1976 the notion of a more truly European community of management academics and researchers was beginning to emerge more explicitly. The EIASM itself had been founded in 1971 and had very rapidly created an influential role for itself. Through working with some of the most talented doctoral students from all over Europe and the organisation of the first regular series of research workshops on management themes aimed at academics from all European countries, a new cross-national network of younger researchers was established to get to know one another. By attracting a high level faculty, the Institute provided the energizing force that mobilised that network. A new generation of well-trained researchers were starting to be productive and there was a new curiosity about the endeavours of others wherever they were located. Such processes were at work in the marketing area as well.
The EAARM/EMAC was officially founded on 3rd April 1975 in Copenhagen during its first Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting, which has always been the core of the Academy’s activities, has grown in size over the years and has reached over 600 delegates this year in Murcia.
The EMAC, though, has become much more than its Annual Meeting: with the development of the Doctoral Colloquium (1976), the launch of their journal “IJRM” (1982) and more recently the renewed website, it has grown in its role as a focal point for marketing academics in Europe.
The first colloquium for European Doctoral Students in Marketing co-sponsored by the EIASM and the EAARM and held at the EIASM in Brussels (November 30 – December 3, 1976) was very successful. It was attended by 35 students from 12 countries representing 25 different European institutions and 14 faculty from 7 European countries participated.
The prime objective of the colloquium was to create early among beginning PhD students a sense of belonging to a larger European collegial network. This was facilitated by bringing together 35 students from different cultural backgrounds and enabling them to experience the benefits of interaction with other European marketing scholars.
The second aim was to broaden and deepen students’ perspectives on research needs and priorities at a critical stage in their doctoral work by giving them the opportunity to present their thesis ideas and intersts and to discuss them formally and informally, with the participating faculty and other students.
The programme consisted of 3 activities, organised around five task groups of faculty and students:
1. Faculty presentations and group discussions of research developments in marketing
2. Student presentations of thesis research interests
3. Research article discussions
Two evening round table discussions aroused some lively debate. And finally, despite the crowded programme, there was still time for individual student-faculty consultations.
In 1978 the Executive Committee was asked to express its opinion on the Doctoral Colloquium in Marketing organised by the EIASM. Not only were they in favour, but they stressed the importance of the cooperation between the European Institute and the Academy. The President was given the authority to approach EIASM on behalf of the Marketing Academy with the suggestion to have the Doctoral Colloquium every other year.
This was the beginning of a long cooperation proceeding today more than ever with the EIASM being responsible for the administration and logistics of the colloquium.
The EIASM provides the “home” and the legal seat for the EMAC. Because of regular rotation of the EMAC’s officers, continuity and planning is guaranteed by the EIASM which also represents the memory for the Academy. Gerry Van Dyck, the current Director of the EIASM, orchestrated this support with success and built over the years a portfolio of services that EMAC along with the other associations supported by the European Institute are now offered, such as the secretariat, administration of membership subscriptions, keeping of financial accounts, follow up of elections, launch and updates of website and newsletter, etc.
For many years, the EIASM has run workshops, conferences and its EDEN programmes. In the process, the EIASM has built the capabilities and networks of a generation of researchers. An early development plan saw the European Institute as
- initiator, catalyst and co-ordinator of joint efforts
- a basic resource to be used jointly by the European academic community
- making the vision of international innovative management education and research come through in attitudes as well as in concrete action
- striving to come closer to the real crucial problems of public and private organisations
Over the 33 years of the Institute’s existence, the network has developed --> Academic Council, Product Development Group, Faculty, Associations, PhD Students, Alumni. Today the EIASM administers 7 European Associations. The EDEN seminars are well established. Workshops continue to attract many hundreds of participants.
In January 2004, a Council decision established a community action programme to promote active European citizenship. As part of this programme, the EIASM is taking action:
- European Parliament professorships à internal Scientific Committee
- Expansion of EDEN
- Broadening of Academic Council membership
- Management Foresight Conferences
New opportunities will challenge the EIASM to expand its networks of Universities, Academic Associations, Faculty and PhD Students and to develop new activities for these networks.
With the growing interest in interdisciplinary co-operation in European research networks, the Institute needs to maintain its ability to play a pivotal role in this area.
And with partners like EMAC, the EIASM will continue to reflect in its commitments to action and learning a strategic understanding of the needs of its key stakeholders.
Peter Leeflang
EIASM Board Member and EMAC Member
and
Nicole Coopman
EIASM Programme Coordinator and EMAC Executive Secretary