Barry Quinn

University of Ulster · Ulster Business School

This research examines the relationship between social capital development and innovation within agri-food business support programmes, seeking to foster sustainable leadership and management in the sector. By exploring how social capital influences farmers' innovation capabilities, valuable insights are provided for promoting rural entrepreneurshi...

Developing social capital and intellectual capital is critical to enhancing knowledge management (KM) and innovation. Social capital relates to KM as it provides access to new sources of knowledge, with each dimension of social capital having different effects on knowledge exchange. The amount of knowledge gathered over time and the use of communic...

Pandemics have long been a part of human existence, causing adverse economic effects and social consequences throughout the centuries. Yet while small businesses are the driving forces of almost every economy, they have historically been hardest hit by various crises and disasters due to the liability of smallness and their lack of resources (Egger...

Utilising the lens of dynamic capabilities, this paper adopts a case study approach to help understand how small firms are leveraging marketing capabilities with the use of digital technologies as a resource within the context of the changing market dynamics of the food service and hospitality industry impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The prelimi...

Purpose This study aims to focus on local food consumption and specifically seeks to explore how consumers construct the meaning of local food and the nature of relationships between key influences on the local food purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage qualitative methodology was adopted consisting of five focus group discus...

The overall aim is to explore the role of business support programmes in aiding the development of agri-food firms’ social capital and to analyse the mediating role that this social capital may have on agri-food firms' innovation capabilities. This paper is part of a wider PhD, and this specific paper aims to present a critical review of current li...

Developing social capital is critical to knowledge management (KM) to assist in network capabilities and the understanding of systematic interactions amongst people, individually and collectively. Social capital places value on social relationships and social structures, permitting access to resources that promote innovation, such as knowledge, fun...

Utilising the lens of dynamic capabilities, this paper adopts a case study approach to help understand how small firms reconfigure existing marketing capabilities with the use of digital technology to achieve organisational transformation digitally within a crisis environment. Qualitative methods employed included triangulation of data sources (int...

Publicly-funded programmes of business support are important vehicles for rural development, and over the last two decades, group-based models of business support have become popular, in which dedicated advisors work with small firms in groups, rather than one-to-one mentoring. A fundamental goal of such programmes is to foster enhanced inter-firm...

Using dynamic capabilities theory, this study adopts a case approach to help understand how small firms manage customer relationships through the use of digital content in a marketing landscape driven by digitalisation. Qualitative methods employed included triangulation of data sources (interviews and analyses of social media and websites), involv...

Joint meeting of Joint Committees on the occasion of Europe Day: 9 May 2019: Ulster University Witness Testimony on The Common Agricultural Policy

The important role of institutional support actors in building the networking capacities of rural economic actors and communities has been noted. Over the last two decades, rural and agri-food network models of institutional support have undergone substantive change. Trust is a vital feature of such programmes, however the nature of trust, and how...

This paper takes a multiple theoretical perspective, utilising concepts from the knowledge exchange and the rural, social networks literatures to explore artisan food enterprise engagement with institutional networks for innovation. A qualitative methodology is adopted, involving semi-structured interviews and group discussions with producers and i...

It has become increasingly important for small to medium sized enterprise (SME) retailers to stand out in the current marketplace. Branding in SMEs is a growing area of academic interest, although the majority of studies have been based in the manufacturing sector. This study seeks to develop a framework of the characteristics, processes and dynami...

Open data is an emerging challenge for public sector managers, and represents a relatively novel context for academic research. It has been highlighted as a priority for policy-makers, and there is an increasing need to understand it from both a practical and theoretical perspective. In a review of the open data literature we focus on the main mana...

This case study explores how a peripheral rural region food support programme for small (micro) food enterprises was developed based on regional government food policy. An exploratory case study methodology is employed. The findings show that integration of policy and practice at a regional level should be reflected in the design and implementation...

PurposeThis study explores policy and practice in relation to a peripheral rural region food support programme for small (micro) food enterprises and the impact on business development and innovation. Methodology/approachAn exploratory case study methodology is employed focusing on the effectiveness of a local support programme for micro business d...

Micro food producers contribute to the fabric of the local rural community and economy in developing a local food culture, employment and gross domestic product (GDP). This paper explores the range and effectiveness of government-based business policies and support programmes at both regional and firm levels for micro food enterprises, and the barr...

Recently, an emerging body of literature has advocated the importance of branding to small and medium-sized (SME) retailers. Nonetheless, this discourse has ignored the complexities and idiosyncrasies of retail branding. The aim of this paper is to provide a new theoretical understanding of brand management by SME retailers. In order to achieve thi...

For small retailers facing significant challenges it can be argued that, in light of their restricted resources, innovation is critical for business development and competitive advantage. However, there has been a lack of research into the potential for innovation in small retailing and the types of innovative activity that can be applied. This con...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the internationalisation process of small, specialist retailers with the aim of identifying the key characteristics that define this specific category of international retailer. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case studies of nine UK‐based small international retailers, coupled with interview...

Purpose This paper seeks to examine the internationalisation process of small, specialist retailers with the aim of identifying the key characteristics that define this specific category of international retailer. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case studies of nine UK‐based small international retailers, coupled with interviews with gover...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role played by leadership in divestment decision making and indeed during the corporate restructuring phase for retail organisations. In doing so, the paper aims to contribute to a growing body of research that seeks to develop understanding of the factors leading to retail divestment and the natu...

This paper develops an understanding of the barriers to retailer foreign market expansion focusing on SME retail firms. A qualitative methodology was adopted to obtain a holistic understanding of the key barriers to international expansion experienced by retailers from both the firm and industry-level perspectives. In light of the findings from the...

This paper focuses on the international retail divestment process. Using a qualitative methodological approach the paper presents findings that facilitate a stage‐by‐stage consideration of the process. Interviews with current and ex‐employees, all senior managers, provide insights into the most important considerations, decisions and outcomes at di...

Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the problems encountered in retail international joint ventures (IJVs). It synthesizes and applies transaction cost economics and strategic management theories to help explain the dynamics within the international retail joint venture (IRJV) process. Design/methodology/approach – Applies a multiple case study...

Drawing on case study evidence, this article explores the reasons small specialist retailers internationalize and the facilitating factors that help them overcome the obstacles to internationalization. The authors employ qualitative research techniques and, to build theory from an unexplored area of research, adopt a multiple-case approach. The fin...

Purpose This paper aims to explore the nature of divestment within the context of retailer internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach It focuses on the activities of the Dutch food multinational retailer Royal Ahold (Ahold). Drawing on 37 in‐depth interviews with investment banks and executives, this paper provides a number of insights into...

Purpose The purpose of this research is to specifically explore the role of management characteristics in the international development of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Since the intention of this study was to build theory from an unexplored area of research, a multiple case approach was deemed most appropriate. In doing so, this paper respond...

Purpose – The internationalisation of large multinational retailers is well documented and much research attention has been given to their motives and strategies for expansion. Yet, no research in this field has specifically addressed the internationalisation of small‐ to medium‐sized companies (SMEs) operating in the retail industry. The theoretic...

Purpose – In the stakeholder marketing literature, there have been calls by several researchers to expand the stakeholder domain to incorporate a broader array of stakeholders. In developing this argument in this paper the authors aim to explore a set of stakeholder relationships in an international retailing context, notably those which exist betw...

The internationalisation of large multinational retailers is well documented and much research attention has been given to their processes, motives and strategies for expansion. However, a successful international retailer does not necessarily have to be a large retailer. Dynamic smallerretailers with strong concepts, formats and products have show...

Purpose – The research presented here initiates the process of the detailed analysis of international retail divestment activity through the identification of the volume of global divestment activity and the characteristics of that activity during the timeframe of 1987‐2003. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology followed here is essentiall...

It is argued that international retail research has overlooked an essential component of the retail internationalization process, notably learning. This paper proposes an exploratory framework that enables the application of learning theory to the study of international retailing. The paper provides a meaningful starting point for developing an ove...

This paper explores the impact that electronic commerce is beginning to have on franchising, with the objective of discovering how franchisors are utilising their Web sites. Results are presented from a survey of franchisor Web sites illustrating what content and features are being made available online. The analysis of franchise Web sites indicate...

In recent years the scale and scope of retailer internationalisation activity has grown markedly, mainly through increasing levels of cross-border merger and acquisition activity. This has been particularly prevalent among companies operating in the food retail sector. During this time, and within the context of increased merger and acquisition act...

Franchising has become a major driving force in the globalisation of service businesses. Likewise, international retailing has become an important feature of global distribution systems. This has been brought about through changing socio-economic patterns, favourable political and cultural environments, and a shift from manufacturing to service bas...

The divestment of international retail operations is an under-explored area of research. Conceptual and theoretical developments within retailing have tended to focus on those organisations that have sustained international development rather than on those organisations who have experienced market failure and strategic withdrawals from internationa...

Franchising is fast becoming one of the most popular entry mode strategies for international retail companies when moving into international markets. Academic research, however, has only recently begun to examine international franchising within the context of retailer internationalisation. A major gap in the literature is the nature of the interna...

International retailers are increasingly using franchising as a means of entering foreign markets. However, international retail franchising lacks a conceptual basis from which an explanation of the major elements of this activity can be generated. Agency theory and its major premises of information asymmetry, monitoring costs, moral hazard and opp...

A major gap in the international marketing literature is the nature of the international franchise relationship and, in particular, the mechanisms used to control and co-ordinate the international franchise network. Discusses the findings arising from an ethnographic study of the internationalisation activity of one franchise company. Explores how...

This article re-examines the motives for retailer internationalisation with the aid of a survey of UK retailers with international retailing operations. The survey results are grouped according to the number of years companies have been operating in international markets. This facilitates a comparison of their views on internationalisation accordin...

In recent years franchising has become a popular operating strategy for companies competing in the global marketplace. In particular, international retailing companies have increasingly been adopting franchising as a marketentry mechanism. While this growth in the popularity of franchising has led to increased research interest in the topic, there...

Provides an ethnographic study of the internationalization process of a UK natural-based bodycare products operation which expanded rapidly through franchising – with 249 franchised outlets operating in 31 countries by 1995. Recounts the first overseas market entry in 1987 into Sweden, which happened almost accidentally. Reports that the economic r...

International retailing research has focussed on international market investment rather than retail divestment. However, divestment from international markets is an issue of increasing importance within the competitive global environment. The limited research on divestment that has emerged has focussed on individual company experience. For the firs...