David Ford (born 1944) is a British organizational theorist, Professor Emeritus at the

University of Bath School of Management The University of Bath School of Management in Bath, England, is the international business school of the University of Bath. It was established in 1966 and is considered one of the most prestigious business schools in both the UK and the wor ...

, and co-founder of the

International Marketing and Purchasing Group The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group or International Marketing and Purchasing Group (abbreviated IMP Group) is a European research initiative in the field of Industrial marketing established in 1976 by researchers from different countries ...

(IMP Group) in the mid 1970s. He is known for his work with

Håkan Håkansson Håkan Håkansson (born 1947) is a Swedish organizational theorist, and Professor of International Management at the BI Norwegian Business School, known for his work on business networks. Biography Håkansson attended the Technical High School i ...

business network A business network is a complex network of companies, working together to accomplish certain objectives. These objectives, which are strategic and operational, are adopted by business networks based on their role in the market. There are two categ ...

Biography

Ford obtained his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at the

University of Salford , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

, his MSc at the

University of Bradford The University of Bradford is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. A plate glass university, it received its royal charter in 1966, making it the 40th university to be creat ...

, and his PhD at the

Manchester Business School Alliance Manchester Business School (Alliance MBS) is the business school of the University of Manchester in Manchester, England. One of the most prestigious business schools in the United Kingdom, it is also the second oldest in the UK, and pro ...

. In 2007 he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the

Uppsala Universitet Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. The university rose to significance during ...

, Sweden for developing "a worldwide system for improving the way companies interact with customers and suppliers." Ford started his academic career at the University of Bath as lecturer, and promoted to senior lecturer, reader and in 1989 Professor of Marketing. In 2008 he retired as Emeritus Professor, and became Affiliate Professor at

KEDGE Business School KEDGE Business School is a Triple accreditation, triple accredited (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB, EFMD Quality Improvement System, EQUIS and Association of MBAs, AMBA) French business school and Grandes écoles, gr ...

in Marseille, France. In 1976 he was co-founder of the

Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group or International Marketing and Purchasing Group (abbreviated IMP Group) is a European research initiative in the field of Industrial marketing established in 1976 by researchers from different countries ...

(IMP group). Ford's research interests are in the field of "relationships between companies develop and how they can be managed effectively. It also involves issues of technological development within and between companies. I am currently working as part of the team on the "Newmark" project. This study is looking at ways in which complex networks of companies operate and how companies behave within them."David Ford - University of Bath
at ''bath.ac.uk.'' Accessed 28.01.2015.

Selected publications

* IMP Group & David Ford (ed). ''Understanding business markets: Interaction, relationships and networks.'' London: Academic Press, 1990. * Ford, David,

Lars-Erik Gadde Lars-Erik Gadde (born 1945) is a Swedish organizational theorist and Professor of Technology Management and Economics at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is known for his work on business networks, professional purchasing ...

, and

. ''Managing business relationships.'' (2003). Articles, a selection: * Ford, David. "The development of buyer-seller relationships in industrial markets." ''European journal of marketing'' 14.5/6 (1980): 339–353. * Turnbull, Peter, David Ford, and Malcolm Cunningham. "Interaction, relationships and networks in business markets: an evolving perspective." ''Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing'' 11.3/4 (1996): 44–62. * Håkansson, Håkan, and David Ford.
How should companies interact in business networks?
" ''Journal of business research'' 55.2 (2002): 133–139.

References

External links

University of Bath {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, David 1944 births Living people British business theorists Alumni of the University of Salford Alumni of the University of Bradford Alumni of the University of Manchester Academics of the University of Bath