Professor profile
Frank Bradley is Professor of Marketing and Director of the Academic Centre-International Marketing Studies at the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School (University College Dublin).
1. What are you currently working on (area and medium (case, article, book, new course…))?I am working on a discussion paper on equity in marketing and an article on the role of personal values in managerial decision making (empirical).
2. A case study that you think is important (written by someone else). Why?"Medi-Cult: Pricing a Radical Innovation" (IMD-5-0537). This is an excellent case for a number of reasons: deals with the launch of a radical innovation; deals directly in a quantitative terms with pricing issues (skimming and penetration) in the context of international markets (multiple currencies) and it is short and concise. It also demonstrates how to use limited data to derive very useful results. An excellent combination of important marketing issues.
3. A management book you think highly of. Why?Market-Driven Management by Jean-Jacques Lambin (Macmillan, 2000). Excellent integration of marketing and corporate strategy concepts; very well written, clear concise and plenty of illustrations.
4. A recent management title you read and/or one you would like to read. Describe.Constantine S. Katsikeas, Saeed Samiee and Marios Theodosiou (2006): "Strategic fit and performance consequences of international marketing standardization"
Strategic Management Journal, 27, pp.867-890. This article provides an excellent discussion and empirical test of the long-standing debate in the literature regarding the appropriateness and performance consequences of marketing strategy standardization vs. adaptation.
5. What is one of your well-liked teaching moments (case, discussion topic,…)?I have been teaching cases for many years and encounter wonderful teaching moments in most sessions. It is particularly gratifying when a participant introduces a new element into the discussion. Like turning a diamond –a different colour or sparkle appears. This is not an infrequent occurrence.
6. What was your most interesting consulting assignment? Why?Assessing the export capability of private enterprises in the island economies of the Caribbean. It allowed the establishment of a regional export training and development programme for the region funded by international banks.
7. A product or service gap that you would like an entrepreneur loaded with funds to fill. Explain. Most innovative consumer products today are introduced to an unwitting public before they are fully developed (manufacturers say it is due to short technological life cycles and technological treadmills) with no respect for market segments. This is particularly true for consumer electronic products such as mobile phones that arrive with numerous features not required by a great many people e.g. cameras, compasses, etc. Why can’t consumers be allowed to choose the features they would like (customized)? This is an opportunity for an entrepreneur to re-introduce a customer driven thinking instead of the present cost drive production orientation.
