Minding your distance: how management consulting firms use service marks to position competitively
研究管理咨询公司如何通过服务商标的注册位置（靠近或远离竞争对手）来平衡竞争、合法性和不确定性，发现定位是二元且多维的。
Abstract This research examines the dyadic dynamics of positioning (i.e., determining where to locate relative to rivals) of services by consulting firms. Positioning near to or far from competitors offers both advantages and disadvantages in terms of competition, legitimacy, uncertainty, and spillovers, with recent research suggesting that firms seek balance between these various forces. Using a sample of service mark filings by consulting firms, I examine the effects of similarity, age, size, and prospective services on service positioning. Results indicate that positioning is both dyadic and multidimensional in nature, with firms maximizing the advantages of positioning either near or far, while minimizing the disadvantages. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.