The theory-practice divide:thoughts from the Editors and Senior Advisory Board of EJM

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to bring together thoughts and opinions from the Editors and Senior Advisory Board of EJM regarding the nature of the long-debated “theory-practice divide” in marketing scholarship. Design/methodology/approach – The authors synthesise diverse opinions from senior academics in order both to inspire further debate in marketing scholarship, and to draw some important conclusions for marketing academia as a whole. Findings – The authors propose that, for marketing scholarship to mature and progress, room must be found for those who wish to focus both on practical and on pure marketing scholarship. Career advancement from both routes is vital. Research limitations/implications – The topic of the theory-practice gap is complex. Many diverse opinions are cited and, due to space constraints, the coverage of many issues is necessarily brief. Practical implications – Scholars should find the thoughts contained in the paper of significant interest. Originality/value – The paper appears to be the first to bring together such a set of diverse opinions on the subject, and to try to draw some overall pragmatic conclusions, while still recognising the multiplicity of valid thought in the area.

Intellectual property enforcement in smaller UK firms:a report for the Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property Policy (SABIP)

This report details research into the enforcement of intellectual property (IP). It considers the attitudes and practices of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro firms as well as the cost implications of the present IP enforcement system in the UK. According to an earlier report for SABIP, by Weatherall et al. 2009, in the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property questions of enforcement were largely addressed through assertion, rather than empirical research. This report aims to provide such research. Our study included both an online survey and a phone survey. These concentrated on SMEs and micro firms rather than being a comparative study with large firms. Further work obtained information on Patents and Registered Design cases listed for hearings in the Patents Court from 2003 to 2009. The analysis of this data provides some evidence that complements the results of the survey.

Using a group support system to aid input-output identification in DEA

In data envelopment analysis (DEA), operating units are compared on their outputs relative to their inputs. The identification of an appropriate input-output set is of decisive significance if assessment of the relative performance of the units is not to be biased. This paper reports on a novel approach used for identifying a suitable input-output set for assessing central administrative services at universities. A computer-supported group support system was used with an advisory board to enable the analysts to extract information pertaining to the boundaries of the unit of assessment and the corresponding input-output variables. The approach provides for a more comprehensive and less inhibited discussion of input-output variables to inform the DEA model. © 2005 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved.