Christopher Medlin

Adelaide Business School

Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics

Chris researches in the field of business-to-business marketing and management. He applies interorganisational theory based on business relationships and networks to understand industrial transitions. His main research focus is on business relationships and network dynamics. Links to papers are included below.

Chris has published papers in Industrial Marketing Management, the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, the Journal of Business Research, the International Journal of Project Management, and the Journal of Business-to-business Marketing. He has co-edited a number of books on Globalisation and Marketing, as well as a Special Issue of the Industrial Marketing Management journal on "Time and Process Research in Business Network Research".

Chris is on the editorial board of the Industrial Marketing Management journal, the Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of General Management. In addition, he is on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing and the Journal of Business Market Management.

Chris teaches in Strategic Marketing, Market Planning, Market Management, and Market Research. Over the years Chris has supervised student preparation of hundreds of Marketing Plans for Adelaide and Australian based businesses, government departments and non-profit organisations.

Chris is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute. He has been a member of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) for more than 20 years and and he is a member of their Marketing Accreditation committee for higher education institutions. Chris has been awarded Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) status by the AMI.

Here some of my thoughts about business marketing and management research: Interorganizational business research is focused on exchange and value creation between firms, government entities and not-for-profits. The inter-organizational sector is where entities meet, negotiate, develop, and implement innovations and manage and co-ordinate the economic processes of product and service delivery. Success and effectiveness in the exchange between entities is partly a factor of the processes of exchange and also the functions performed within and between the entities. Noteworthy is that the inter-organizational sector of an economy is as large and possibly more important than consumer markets, in the sense that the processes of economic development, innovation, and change directed at creating a sustainable economy are all located in the inter-organizational sector. Thus the inter-organizational sector deserves prominence in academic research. Efficiency in economic thinking is thought to be gained by developing markets with many buyers and sellers; but in the inter-organizational sector there is more often than not a small number context, referred to by Arndt (1979) as domesticated markets. The economic imperative is strong because organizations are in different value networks that compete against each other for business in consumer markets. However, and especially with a small number context, research is important on the processes of change that lead to development, innovation and creation of sustainable industry.

My Research
Career
Publications
Grants and Funding
Supervision
Professional Activities
Contact

Business Relationships and Networks (Inter-organizational Theory), generally within the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) Group tradition.

More recent work includes applying Temporal Constructivist and Radical Constructivist Approaches to Business and Industrial Networks.

Chris is now undertaking research according to a "slow research" mode. Depth and quality of understanding is the key to thinking about slow research.

Appointments

Date Position Institution name

2020 - ongoing Associate Professor (Adjunct) University of Adelaide

2017 - 2020 Associate Professor University of Adelaide
Awards and Achievements

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount

2000 Achievement Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM) Australian Marketing Institute - -
Education

Date Institution name Country Title

2001 University of Adelaide Australia PhD

Date	Position	Institution name
2020 - ongoing	Associate Professor (Adjunct)	University of Adelaide
2017 - 2020	Associate Professor	University of Adelaide

Date	Type	Title	Institution Name	Country	Amount
2000	Achievement	Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM)	Australian Marketing Institute	-	-

Date	Institution name	Country	Title
2001	University of Adelaide	Australia	PhD

Journals

Year	Citation
2025	Medlin, C. J., & Törnroos, J. Å. (2025). Socio-mental adapting in business relationships: A dialogical understanding. Industrial Marketing Management, 125, 290-302. DOI Scopus1
2025	McGrath, H., Andersen, P. H., & Medlin, C. J. (2025). Coopetition: Stepping in and out of contextual spaces. Industrial Marketing Management, 126, 221-235. DOI
2024	Ojansivu, I. T., Purchase, S., & Medlin, C. J. (2024). Editorial: Business-to-business marketing: imagining something different. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 39(3), 441-446. DOI Scopus3
2023	Andersen, P. H., Kim, W., Medlin, C. J., & Ojansivu, I. (2023). The parallax nature of studying business markets, relationships and networks. Industrial Marketing Management, 112, A5-A7. DOI
2022	Ojansivu, I., Medlin, C. J., Andersen, P. H., & Kim, W. (2022). Using a ‘lens’ to re-search business markets, relationships and networks: Tensions, challenges and possibilities. Industrial Marketing Management, 100, 49-61. DOI Scopus13 WoS7
2022	Medlin, C. J. (2022). Towards process research: Presuppositions and the vine metaphor. Industrial Marketing Management, 106, 71-82. DOI Scopus8 WoS5
2022	Poblete, L., Havila, V., Anderson, H., Gidhagen, M., & Medlin, C. J. (2022). Resuming business operations after a Hiatus: The case of reappearing relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 106, 256-266. DOI Scopus4 WoS1
2020	Andersen, P. H., Medlin, C. J., & Törnroos, J. (2020). Re-appraising interaction and process for industrial network research: The future plunging mirror hall metaphor. Industrial Marketing Management, 91, 627-638. DOI Scopus25 WoS15
2020	Andersen, P. H., Medlin, C. J., & Törnroos, J. Å. (2020). Introduction to the special issue on “Process thinking in dynamic business networks”. Industrial Marketing Management, 91, 621-626. DOI Scopus5 WoS5
2020	Guercini, S., & Medlin, C. J. (2020). A radical constructivist approach to boundaries in business network research. Industrial Marketing Management, 91, 510-520. DOI Scopus19 WoS11
2019	McGrath, H., Medlin, C. J., & O'Toole, T. (2019). A process-based model of network capability development by a start-up firm. Industrial Marketing Management, 80, 214-227. DOI Scopus55 WoS31
2018	Ellegaard, C., & Medlin, C. (2018). Finding good relationships - intended and realized relational governance of international fine wine exchanges. Journal of World Business, 53(6), 794-805. DOI Scopus6 WoS4
2017	Brodie, R., Benson-Rea, M., & Medlin, C. (2017). Branding as a dynamic capability: strategic advantage from integrating meanings with identification. Marketing Theory, 17(2), 183-199. DOI Scopus63 WoS48
2017	Ojansivu, I., & Medlin, C. (2017). To whose drum are we marching? Change in business networks through a contextual logics perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 70(April 2018), 145-155. DOI Scopus18 WoS11
2016	Andersen, P., & Medlin, C. (2016). Transient commitments and dynamic business networking. Industrial Marketing Management, 58, 11-19. DOI Scopus31 WoS24
2016	Törnroos, J. -A., Halinen, A., & Medlin, C. (2016). Dimensions of space in business network research. Industrial Marketing Management, 61, 10-19. DOI Scopus39 WoS31
2015	Medlin, C., & Ellegaard, C. (2015). Conceptualizing competition and rivalry in a networking business market. Industrial Marketing Management, 51, 131-140. DOI Scopus33 WoS20
2015	Medlin, C., & Törnroos, J. (2015). Exploring and exploiting network relationships to commercialize technology: a biofuel case. Industrial Marketing Management, 49, 42-52. DOI Scopus44 WoS33
2014	Munksgaard, K., & Medlin, C. (2014). Self- and collective-interests: using formal network activities for developing firms' business. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(4), 613-621. DOI Scopus50 WoS42
2014	Medlin, C., & Törnroos, J. (2014). Interest, sensemaking and adaptive processes in emerging business networks - an Australian biofuel case. Industrial Marketing Management, 43(6), 1096-1107. DOI Scopus55 WoS41
2014	Ellegaard, C., Medlin, C., & Geersbro, J. (2014). Value appropriation in business exchange: literature review and future research opportunities. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 29(3), 185-198. DOI Scopus38 WoS27
2013	Havila, V., Medlin, C., & Salmi, A. (2013). Project-ending competence in premature project closures. International Journal of Project Management, 31(1), 90-99. DOI Scopus32 WoS21
2012	Medlin, C. (2012). Peter Drucker's ontology: understanding business relationships and networks. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 27(7), 513-520. DOI Scopus9 WoS6
2012	Lu, V., Quester, P., Medlin, C., & Scholz, B. (2012). Determinants of export success in professional business services: a qualitative study. Service Industries Journal, 32(10), 1637-1652. DOI Scopus14 WoS10
2012	Halinen, A., Medlin, C., & Tornroos, J. (2012). Time and process in business network research. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(2), 215-223. DOI Scopus153 WoS139
2012	Havila, V., & Medlin, C. (2012). Ending-competence in business closure. Industrial Marketing Management, 41(3), 413-420. DOI Scopus33 WoS26
2008	Tyler, K., & Medlin, C. (2008). Marketing relationships in financial services business markets: the global hedge fund industry. Journal of Customer Behavior, 7(4), 293-313. DOI
2007	Medlin, C., & Tornroos, J. (2007). Inter-firm interaction from a human perspective. Finanza Marketing e Produzione, 25(1), 43-58.
2006	Whittenburg, G., Toole, H., Sciglimpaglia, D., & Medlin, C. (2006). AACSB international accreditation: An Australian perspective. The Journal of Academic Administration in Higher Education, Sping/Fall, 9-13.
2006	Medlin, C. (2006). Self and collective interest in business relationships. Journal of Business Research, 59(7), 858-865. DOI Scopus54 WoS40
2005	Medlin, C., Aurifeille, J., & Quester, P. (2005). A collaborative interest model of relational coordination and empirical results. Journal of Business Research, 58(2), 214-222. DOI Scopus63 WoS50
2004	Medlin, C. (2004). Interaction in business relationships: A time perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 33(3), 185-193. DOI Scopus164 WoS144
2003	Medlin, C. (2003). A dyadic research program: the interaction possibility space model. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 10(3), 63-80. DOI Scopus23
2001	Aurifeille, J., & Medlin, C. (2001). A dyadic segmentation approach to business partnerships. European Journal of Economic and Social Systems (EJESS), 15(2), 3-16. DOI

Books

Year	Citation
2011	Aurifeille, J. M., Medlin, C. J., Tisdell, C. A., Lafuente, J. G., & Aluja, J. G. (Eds.) (2011). Globalisation, governance and ethics: New managerial and economic insights. Nova Science Publishers, Inc..
2011	Aurifeille, J. M., Medlin, C. J., Tisdell, C. A., Lafuente, J. G., & Aluja, J. G. (Eds.) (2011). Globalisation, governance and ethics: New managerial and economic insights. Nova Science Publishers, Inc..
2009	Aurifeille, J. M., Medlin, C. J., & Tisdell, C. (2009). Trust, globalisation and market expansion. Scopus7

Book Chapters

Year	Citation
2024	Törnroos, J. Å., & Medlin, C. J. (2024). Adapting in business relationships: A dialogical human approach. In Individuals in B2B Marketing: Sensemaking and Action in Context (pp. 87-109). Routledge. DOI Scopus1
2018	Daniel, L., Medlin, C., O'Connor, A., Statsenko, L., Vnuk, R., & Hancock, G. (2018). Deconstructing the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Concept. In A. O'Connor, E. Stam, F. Sussan, & D. Audretsch (Eds.), Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Place-based transformations and transitions (Vol. 38, pp. 23-44). Switzerland: Springer. DOI Scopus16
2015	Medlin, C. J., & Quester, P. G. (2015). An Exploratory study into the effect of Culture on Cooperative Alliances. In Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science (pp. 520-525). Springer International Publishing. DOI
2013	Bouguettaya, A., Sheng, Q., & Daniel, F. (2013). Preface. In A. Bouguettaya, Q. Sheng, & F. Daniel (Eds.), Advanced Web Services (Vol. 9781461475354, pp. ix-x). Springer. DOI
2012	Aurifeille, J., Medlin, C., & Gil-Lafuente, J. (2012). Consumer segmentation for globalising firms. In J. Mancini (Ed.), Globalization: partnerships, modernization and future perspectives (pp. 117-125). Nova Science Publishers.
2012	Medlin, C., & Saren, M. (2012). Interaction: coherence to a future. In M. Glynn, & A. Woodside (Eds.), Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing (Vol. 18, 1 ed., pp. 173-190). United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. DOI Scopus12
2011	Ito, T., & Medlin, C. (2011). Hierarchical Network Governance: An Examination of Keiretsu Networks. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, C. Tisdell, J. Lafuente, & J. Aluja (Eds.), Globalisation, Governance and Ethics: New Managerial and Economic Insights (1 ed., pp. 125-142). New York: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus1
2011	Aurifeille, J., & Medlin, C. (2011). Inter-Firm Governance and Relationship Performance: A Study of Market, Hierarchy and Relational Coordination Mechanisms. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, C. Tisdell, J. Lafuente, & J. Aluja (Eds.), Globalisation, Governance and Ethics: New Managerial and Economic Insights (1 ed., pp. 99-112). New York: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus2
2011	Aurifeille, J., Medlin, C., Tisdell, C., Lafuente, J., & Aluja, J. (2011). Globalisation, Governance and Ethics: The Main Issues. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, C. Tisdell, J. Lafuente, & J. Aluja (Eds.), Globalisation, Governance and Ethics: New Managerial and Economic Insights (1 ed., pp. 1-12). New York: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus1
2011	Aurifeille, J. -M., Medlin, C., Tisdell, C., Lafuente, J., & Aluja, J. (2011). Preface. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, C. Tisdell, J. Lafuente, & J. Aluja (Eds.), Unknown Book (pp. ix-x). Nova Science Publishers, Inc..
2009	Aurifeille, J. -M., Medlin, C., & Tisdell, C. (2009). Preface. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Trust, globalisation and market expansion (pp. 1-8). Nova Science Publishers, Inc..
2009	Aurifeille, J., & Medlin, C. (2009). Dimensions of inter-firm trust: benevolence and credibility. In M. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Trust, globalisation and market expansion (pp. 9-22). New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus10
2009	Aurifeille, J., Medlin, C., & Tisdell, C. (2009). Trust and Globalisation: An Overview. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Trust, globalisation and market expansion (pp. 1-8). New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus4
2009	Ito, T., Medlin, C., Passerini, K., & Sakamoto, M. (2009). Influence, Trust and Trade in the Keiretsu of Toyota: A Centrality Analysis. In J. Aurifeille, C. Medlin, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Trust, globalisation and market expansion (pp. 101-118). New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers. Scopus8
2007	Aurifeille, J., Medlin, C., & Gil-Lafuente, J. (2007). Consumer segmentation for globalising firms. In J. Aurifeille, S. Svizzero, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Globalization and Partnerships: Features of Business Alliances and International Cooperation (pp. 193-201). New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers.
2007	Aurifeille, J., & Medlin, C. (2007). Segmentation for dyadic analyses of international business relationships. In J. Aurifeille, S. Svizzero, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Globalization and Partnerships: Features of Business Alliances and International Cooperation (pp. 109-124). New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers. WoS3
2006	Aurifeille, J., & Medlin, C. (2006). A dyadic approach to the relationship performance of international business partners. In J. Aurifeille, S. Svizzero, & C. Tisdell (Eds.), Leading economic and managerial issues involving globalisation (pp. 93-103). Hauppauge NY: Nova Science Publishers. WoS1

Conference Papers

Year	Citation
2010	Ito, T., Medlin, C., Ma, Y., & Makoto, S. (2010). The connection law and networks. In Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, AROB 15th'10 (pp. 184-187).

Conference Items

Year	Citation
2018	Chaoluck, P., Medlin, C., & Conduit, J. (2018). Evidence for Three Role Behaviors for Frontline Service Employees. Poster session presented at the meeting of AMA Services Special Interest Group (SERVSIG) Conference. Paris, France.
2017	Medlin, C., Chaoluck, P., & Conduit, J. (2017). Service encounters through the lens of employee role behaviours: Implications for actor-actor-actor interaction. Poster session presented at the meeting of Naples Forum on Service.
2014	Brodie, R. J., Benson-Rea, M., & Medlin, C. J. (2014). Country of origin branding: Integrating collective meaning with identity and image. Poster session presented at the meeting of Agents of Change. Brisbane: ANZMAC c/o Social Marketing @ Griffith.

2019 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan. Chris spent one month visiting Nihon University in Tokyo in March 2020, before covid intervened.

Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

Date	Role	Research Topic	Program	Degree Type	Student Load	Student Name
2013 - 2015	Principal Supervisor	The emergence of an inter-organizational business net and development of a managerial sensemaking framework	Master of Philosophy	Master	Full Time	Ms Joanne Marie Harris
2012 - 2017	Principal Supervisor	Assessment of Customer Perceptions Towards Frontline Service Employees' Role Behaviours	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Part Time	Miss Phiangdao Chaoluck
2007 - 2009	Co-Supervisor	Key Success Drivers of Service Exports: The Role of Organisational Characteristics, Market Characteristics and Governance Mechanisms	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	Dr Vinh Lu
2006 - 2007	Co-Supervisor	Investigating the Simultaneous Influence of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Cues: An Examination of the Interaction between Country of Origin, Price and Selected Sensory Variables	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Full Time	APrf Roberta Crouch
2002 - 2010	Co-Supervisor	The Symbolic Consumption of Subcultures: An Ethnographic Study of the Australian Hip Hop Culture	Doctor of Philosophy	Doctorate	Part Time	Mr Damien Arthur

Memberships

Date Role Membership Country

1991 - ongoing - Australian Marketing Institute Australia

Date	Role	Membership	Country
1991 - ongoing	-	Australian Marketing Institute	Australia

Editorial Boards

Date	Role	Editorial Board Name	Institution	Country
2015 - ongoing	Board Member	Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing	-	-
2011 - 2015	Board Member	Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing	-	-
2005 - ongoing	Board Member	Industrial Marketing Management	-	-

Email: chris.medlin@adelaide.edu.au

Christopher Medlin

Appointments

Awards and Achievements

Education