More and more companies are structuring their organizations based on customer segments instead of product categories to better meet the needs of these specific customers. But this customer-centric approach is often a double-edged sword for those companies’ suppliers, who may reap some benefits but also assume more risk.

In an article published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business and colleagues from four other institutions detailed a first-of-its-kind look into the impact of a customer-centric approach on upstream suppliers.

Since 2012, 26 projects that help solve problems in Birmingham communities have been funded through the Community Health Innovation Awards. The program, which is based at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has touched thousands of men, women and children through projects proposed by community participants. The projects have provided mental health first aid training, increased access to fresh produce and bicycles to people without reliable transportation, and have accomplished many other initiatives to better people’s lives.

Because social media has become the primary method of intrapersonal communication for many in today’s society as more and more companies promote their goods and services through these platforms, it has become imperative that marketers enter the workforce with a clear understanding and comfort in using all social media tools.

On average, 36 firearm-related homicides occur every day and an additional 60 individuals die from firearm-related suicides, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that purchase delay reduces firearm-related suicides between 2 and 5 percent.

“Self-inflicted gunshots kill more Americans every day,” said Griffin Edwards, Ph.D., lead author of the paper and professor in the UAB Collat School of Business. “We wanted to look at ways to reduce these common and oftentimes more costly sources of firearm-related deaths. Our study looks at delaying the purchase of a handgun in correlation with the reduction of firearm-related suicide rates.”

A new study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham uncovers the critical influence of formal and informal agreements on buyer-supplier opportunism in the marketplace, as well as the need for a moderating government to support businesses in agreements.

“Without agreements in place, buyers and suppliers find ways to take advantage of vulnerable opportunities, or opportunism,” said Simon Sheng, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Collat School of Business. “Our study looks at how different cultures effectively use formal and informal agreements to influence how business is conducted in the marketplace and how the government supports or alters the way business partnerships are managed.”

Increased pressure from large online retailers is reducing brick-and-mortar retailers’ sales and profits, causing numerous store closings on both local and national levels. But community engagement may be an answer for local retailers.

According to a recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Collat School of Business, community engagement brings positive outcomes for retailers in two ways: by directly building consumer trust in, and commitment to, the retailer; and by lessening the importance of the retailer’s economic value proposition, or the perceived value of products and services sold.

The acquisition, assimilation, and exploitation of heterogeneous, valuable knowledge-based resources contribute critically to a firm’s competitive advantage and superior performance. Research in supply chain and strategic management further indicates that abnormal returns derive not only from resources within a firm but also from those outside of the firm’s boundaries. Attaining such external resources often involves acquiring knowledge from external ties.  In supply chain management area, researchers have highlighted the positive role of relational ties in fostering performance and knowledge acquisition. Increased socialization between the buyer and supplier contributes to the creation of relational capital that leads to deeper interfirm communication and knowledge sharing. However, recent supply chain management research cautions about the potential dark side of highly embedded ties, which may become a source of blindness that restrict information flows and even bring in the risk of opportunistic exploitation that hurts knowledge flows. Thus it remains unclear whether relational ties facilitate or inhibit knowledge flows between embedded parties.