Purpose -This review article aims to develop an integrating overview of the present status of the theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) applied in the marketing context and asks whether, to what extent and how the discipline of marketing has addressed CSR. Design/methodology/approach -After clarifying core concepts and proposing a new definition of CSR, 54 articles in leading marketing journals between 1995 and 2005 are analyzed in terms of publication characteristics, research design, variables, sampling, level of analysis, issues raised, and key findings. Findings -Recommendations include a broadened perspective in empirical research to address CSR in its entirety, expand the focus beyond consumers, include a broader range of samples and conduct more inductive, exploratory empirical studies. These steps will contribute to a multidimensional view of the future customer.Research limitations/implications -The number and specific choice of journals was subject to a compromise between comprehensiveness and the availability of space for a review. Practical implications -The way the scholarly marketing literature treats CSR impacts what our students and other constituencies learn. Originality/value -Given the veritable explosion in CSR research in the recent years, there is a genuine need for the field to take stock of what has been learned so far and what that implies in terms of where researchers should be headed.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the extent to which they are prepared to meet SCM challenges through the use of modern planning and control methods. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on a cross-sectional survey of 200 Norwegian companies with informants mainly related to the SCM function and from top management. Findings -The findings clearly indicate that SMEs give less attention to planning and control methods than LEs. SMEs are less satisfied with the methods applied; less concerned with methods supporting SCM on product quality, rationalisation of operations and capital cost rationalisation; less focused on system integration with other actors in the supply chain; and less focused on EDI and e-based solutions.Research limitations/implications -The study focuses primarily on managerial components and excluded logistics structures and business processes that are more or less inter-related. Practical implications -Horizontal cooperation or vertical integration can reduce the information technology gap by sharing planning and control systems. The suppliers of support systems should consider delivering complete "turn-key" solutions for revitalising the supply chain functions, specifically targeted towards SMEs. Originality/value -The strength of this study is that it has been able to identify systematic differences between LEs and SMEs across sectors with respect to how SCM challenges are met.

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss business relationships drawing to an end, and the reasons why company managers should attempt to restore the relationship instead of terminating it.Design/methodology/approachThe study applies a qualitative method and in‐depth interviews with companies in the North Sea oil industry.FindingsThe paper offers two contributions. First, it suggests an empirically grounded categorization of attenuating factors, i.e. the reasons to restore a relationship. Second, the categorization is extended to attenuating analysis, through which the value of the troubled relationship can be clarified. Thereafter, if the relationship is considered worth restoring, the managers may actively engage in restoring actions.Research limitations/implicationsBecause this study is limited to one business setting, future research applying the attenuating analysis to other industries by using action research is suggested.Practical implicationsThe study improves the awareness of inter‐organizational risk, enhances the manager's ability to assess the risk of losing a core relationship, and implements a method to reduce this risk. Troubled but valuable business relationships can be saved by applying the suggested attenuating analysis.Originality/valueTo one's knowledge, this is the first study that both systematically identifies the reasons for not leaving a business partner, and provides a practical framework for restoring a relationship based on the attenuating factors.

The purpose of this paper is to identify important university-industry linkage (UIL) activities that can stimulate the likelihood of employability among students. Design/methodology/approach A total of 404 respondents located in Tanzania, comprising students, faculty members and employees from 20 companies operating within the oil and gas industry and mining constitute the empirical basis for the study. Descriptive analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to help analyse the data.