The bases of successful market entry: The liability of size and of newness in E‐commerce

Abstract

Even though e‐commerce almost disappeared from public discussion, it still assumes a vital role in the strategic management of most enterprises. New entry in e‐commerce, whether as a new business segment of an established company or as a new enterprise, is likely to deal with the liabilities of size and newness. The aim of this paper it to discuss if those factors have an impact on the implementation and success of B2C e‐commerce. We chose the online book market as our reference market and drew a random sample of retailers and publishers with an online shop. The quality of the web presence, indirect success (number of links to a particular site) and direct success (turnover of the web shop) were compared in subsamples constructed by the use of median splits according to age and size. Younger companies and larger companies were found to have a web presence of higher quality and were more successful than older or smaller companies. We conclude that the liabilities of newness do not seem to have an adverse performance impact in e‐commerce. However, when a market entry is considered, new players must ensure that they can commit enough resources to build a high quality web presence.     

Mobile business start‐ups in Germany

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to provide a first exploration of success drivers and inhibitors of mobile business start‐ups in Germany. Based on this objective we reviewed various written sources and interviewed specialised venture capital managers. This led to the identification of about 50 m‐business start‐ups in Germany. Most of these new ventures address business rather than residential customers. Our preliminary analysis suggested nine general hypotheses on internal success factors likely to be of particular importance for m‐business start‐ups. Among these factors were the pursuance of a fo‐cussed differentiation and pioneering market entry strategy or the ability to adapt services to the variety of mobile devices in the market. Young m‐business ventures follow different business models (e.g. application infrastructure provision, application service provision or mobile portal operation), which possess model‐specific success drivers or inhibitors. Further, more long‐term research with larger samples is needed to validate and to specify the article's rather general hypotheses on success factors of German m‐business ventures.     

Competitive pressure and arousing television news: a cross-cultural study

In many scholarly writings about journalism, the idea can be found that competitive pressure urges journalists to make news more arousing. This hypothesis was tested in two cultural settings: the Western European culture and the Chinese-dominated culture. A total of 3028 TV news stories from seven different markets, or 12 different news programs, were analyzed on the presence of arousing news characteristics. High competitive pressure at the market level appeared to contribute to the prevalence of arousing news, but this effect was more pronounced in the Chinese-dominated culture than in the Western European culture. Effects of high competitive pressure at the station level were only observed in the Western European culture.     

Entering Emerging Media Markets: Analyzing the Case of the Chinese Magazine Market

This publication examines how Western publishing houses have entered the Chinese magazine market. Based on the industrial economics approach, the aim is to identify a successful market entry strategy into an emerging media market regarding entry timing, entry mode, entry process, and product choice. Applying a qualitative, exploratory approach, comparative case studies are used as primary research method and the market entries of four Western publishing houses are analyzed. Findings reveal that an early entry with cooperative entry modes and choosing a successful cooperation partner are important factors in the entry strategy. Further, an incremental expansion process and choosing a global brand that has already been successful world-wide facilitates the market entry. Obtaining general experience in internationalization and near-market experience could be identified as crucial issues for entering an emerging media market.     

Promoting prime‐time programs in megasporting events

Analysis of 677 promos for prime‐time series carried within 1993 and 1994 sporting events on the major broadcast networks showed that most on‐air promotion had a modest impact on program shares and ratings: about one‐third of shares went up, over one‐half stayed flat, and less than 10% went down. A six‐part model incorporating lead‐in shares/rating, three structural factors, and two presentational factors collectively accounted for about one‐third of the variance in promoted prime‐time series’ shares and ratings.     

A framework for assessing market entry opportunities for internet‐based TV

Abstract

The advent of the Internet alleviates the access bottleneck to TV distribution channels and softens licensing requirements. This lowers entry barriers to TV markets via the Internet in various forms. This paper takes the German TV sector as an example to analyse the attractiveness of TV markets for new entrants. A sequential framework for entering TV markets is introduced. The skills set of an Internet‐based TV provider for such an entry is examined. Technical feasibility, legal aspects, and potential sources of revenue are considered.

Potential above average profits due to the market's oligopolistic structure, as well as an increased contestability thanks to lower market entry barriers seem to render the German TV market attractive for new entrants. In early 2002, Internet‐based TV still faced severe technical and legal constraints. The analysis suggests that once these constraints have been overcome, the Internet could be an attractive additional distribution channel for some types of television content. While existing revenue sources from the TV sector are expected to be transferable to a certain degree, the value of innovative revenue sources based on online sales cannot yet be determined. This value will depend on the future acceptance of interactivity by the viewer (e. g. Owen 1999).     

Applying the structure‐conduct‐performance framework in the media industry analysis

Abstract

This article reviews the application of the Industrial Organization (10) framework of Structure‐Conduct‐Performance (S‐C‐P) in media market research. The constructs and premises of this economic model are restated, and the orthodox economic notions of market performance and the logic that underlies the model are clarified. Alongside these elucidations, this article discusses common conceptualizations and interpretations found in media market studies. Media issues such as content diversity and media concentration, which are often studied through the S‐C‐P approach, are also re‐examined. These deliberations are intended to contribute toward a more consistent framework for the study of media industries and markets.     

政府竞争情报服务——卢森堡案例研究

卢森堡的国际竞争力位于世界前茅,这与竞争情报能力有关。其享利都铎研究中心下属的科技监测中心是欧洲最优秀的竞争情报服务机构之一。它以中小企业为服务重点,提供的服务包括知识产权管理、标准与规范咨询、科技监测以及培训;运作经费来自政府和市场;工作人员都有相关领域的专业背景,通过对外合作和对研究的不断投入提升服务能力,通过定期访问企业掌握市场动态。该科技监测中心的成功模式为我国政府的竞争情报服务提供了借鉴。     

Development of the German Media Market: Opportunities and Challenges for U.S. Media Firms

Due to technological development and economic pressures, deregulation of the West European broadcasting market during the 1980s has led to an enormous increase in the number of television channels. The opening of the markets to commercial interests and the demand for TV software (programming material) at the same time give media companies diverse opportunities to become active across frontiers. Being the biggest broadcasting and advertising market in Western Europe, Germany has become an interesting target for foreign companies. The introduction of digital television in the summer of 1996 and further liberalization of ownership regulations have made entry into the German broadcasting market even more attractive. This article describes the development of the German TV sector and analyzes opportunities, restrictions, and consequences of international and particularly U.S. activities in the German market.     

Social Media Followership as a Predictor of News Website Traffic

ABSTRACT

News organizations increasingly focus their efforts to boost traffic on their websites to grow their share of online advertising. We investigated the relationship between news websites’ traffic ranking and their social media tools of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google Plus. For a year we monitored the followers of all Greek regional newspapers in relation to the traffic on their websites. We continued monitoring for a second year to validate the robustness of the findings and we hereby present results for 86 weeks. Statistical analysis leads to the conclusion that the number of social media subscribers can predict the competitive position of a newspaper in the market based on its website traffic. The effect lasts for a limited period of time, one to three weeks, depending on the specific medium. Importantly, results indicate the potential of developing a prediction model of the website’s traffic, based on the social media metrics of the organization, as a useful tool to increase traffic and revenues from online advertising.     

The framework programs of the European Union: The organizational form of European scientific-technological cooperation

This paper elucidates the formation stages of the scientific-technical policy of the European Union, which is carried out according to medium-term framework programs and its major characteristics. It considers the history of creating and implementing the Framework Programs of the EU as the largest competitive scientific-technological programs in the world aimed at strengthening the European scientific-technical basis and supporting the competitive capacity of European industry in the world market. The dynamics of the development of scientific and technical cooperation between Russia and the European Union are analyzed.     

Export markets and the U.S. motion picture industry

The authors explore the competitive advantage of the U.S. film industry in the world market in light of current trends in revenue streams, exhibition outlets, costs, and changes in production, distribution, marketing, and promotion. The article discusses key legal and trade concerns, and the film markets in selected regions and countries in relation to their impact on the future performance of the U.S. film industry abroad.     

Factors influencing the international syndication marketplace in the 1990s

This article examines 10 factors affecting the U.S. international syndication business in the 1990s, especially sales in Western Europe. Despite sluggish sales and the enforcement of EC and national quotas, the study suggests that syndicators offering high‐quality programming and adopting proactive and creative marketing strategies will prosper and maintain their competitive edge during this decade. The author suggests two key strategies, cooperative agreements and creative pricing, as means of coping with financial challenges and expanding international sales of television programs.     

市场经济条件下医学期刊的办刊策略

我国加入WTO后,包括医学期刊在内的科技信息领域也将面临市场经济的挑战.在目前医学期刊种类众多,竞争日益激烈的形势下,要想保证期刊一定的市场份额,就必须满足读者的需求及激发广大作者参与的热情.这包括:创办名牌期刊,注重刊出论文的质量和特色,期刊内容应精勿滥;尊重作者;缩短论文处理周期;开拓国际市场等.     

The TV News Scheduling Game: When the Face of the Newscaster Matters

From the late 1920s, all radio broadcasting in the United Kingdom was undertaken by a public sector broadcaster—the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Television was also the exclusive preserve of the BBC until the mid-1950s, when advertiser-supported commercial stations came into existence. This form of competition for audiences, but not for finance, between two broadcasting sectors—called by some a 'comfortable duopoly'—persisted until the late 1980s when the government permitted competitive entry by cable and satellite operators, introduced competition for advertising revenue between terrestrial stations, and placed commercial television broadcasting on a more competitive footing by introducing tendering for franchises. As these changes have occurred, the BBC has maintained its traditional system of regulation and has continued to operate under a Royal Charter. Although the expiry of the current Charter at the end of 1996 has provoked a debate about the role of the BBC, the government has stated its intention to renew the Charter for another 10 years. It seems likely that, until the year 2002 at least, the current system of regulating and financing public Service broadcasting in the United Kingdom will remain intact. However, the proliferation of channels represents a threat to the BBC's audience base. There may also be difficulties in combining within the same organization a public service mission and highly commercial activities, undertaken in a very competitive world market.     

Chinese Media: Higher Value Than Bigger Size

The globalization phenomenon has reopened the debate on the concentration of media and entertainment industries, particularly in the film distribution market. Some authors consider that the dominant position of U.S. companies comes from the higher identification of American films with the tastes of the European audience. Others argue that the Hollywood success is mainly due to its control of the distribution system. U.S. films account for an average of 63.4% of the European market. In return, European films represent 3.6% of the North American box office. There are around 450 active film distribution companies in Europe, the majority of them being nationally controlled firms, and only a small percentage of them belong to U.S. majors. Nevertheless, these U.S. subsidiaries are ranked among the top 10 leading film distributors in Europe according to market share. This article attempts to make a further contribution in market concentration analysis, looking at the situation of film distribution in the 5 biggest Western European countries. It also explores if the success of American companies is due to their management and marketing skills or if, by the contrary, it is the consequence of their dominant market positions.     

中国期刊产业市场结构的特征

我国期刊产业市场规模巨大,近年来出现增长失速现象。期刊发行与广告市场集中度比较低,属于竞争型市场结构。期刊市场中同质竞争现象表现得比较明显,市场进入壁垒很高,市场退出机制不完善。为了优化期刊产业市场竞争机制,亟需通过多种途径建构有效竞争的市场结构。