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Firms are increasingly using social media platforms to engage with individuals, as it is recognized that a firm’s social media activity outcomes, such as number of user comments, followers or likes, impact brand equity. This study aims to evaluate both the extent that these social media activity outcomes relate to brand equity and the classification of firms which benefit from the various types of social media activity outcomes.

This study identifies various components of social media activity and then captures specific social media activity outcomes for Fortune 500 firms. This study then performs a hierarchical regression analysis to assess the impact of the various social media activity outcomes on brand equity.

The results show significant relationships of social media activity outcomes with brand equity. The activity outcome measures of social networking and content communities platform are significantly related to a firm’s brand equity. This study also found that the social media activity outcome levels of various types of social media platforms are contingent upon a firm’s brand country of origin and industry classification type.

The results help firms gain a clearer view of potential applications of social media platforms, thus improving their understanding of the impact of social media. This study can enhance social media strategy and design tactics to improve brand equity. The findings can also guide firms in evaluating which social media activity outcomes enhance brand equity.

The results highlight that activity outcomes in a firm’s selected content communities platform and social networking platform are related to brand equity.

Using social cognitive theory as a theoretical backdrop, this paper aims to investigate antecedents and mediators of e-maven propensity and evaluates the transferability of physical market maven to online channel. A conceptual model capturing the links among information seeking tendency, physical market maven, e-shopping attitude and e-satisfaction as determinants of e-maven propensity is developed and tested.

Survey data from 199 adult consumers were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling with multi-group analysis.

The results show the direct and indirect effects of physical market maven on e-maven propensity. Additionally, the relationship between physical market maven and e-maven propensity is moderated by e-shopping intensity such that the relationship is stronger for the high e-shopping intensity group than for the low e-shopping intensity group.

In a multi-channel environment, being able to share marketplace information across different channels takes on greater significance. Developing a customized strategy in managing e-word-of-mouth and e-maven behaviors within the context of the level of consumers’ e-shopping intensity is needed. E-mavens could be invited not only to serve as co-creators but also as significant influencers for a company’s products and services.

The study draws an interesting parallel between physical mavens and their online characteristics, as well as captures the conditions under which transferability of physical maven behavior to online channel occurs. Two distinct patterns are exhibited depending on the level of e-shopping intensity.

This study is prompted by the growing sales and the acceptance of thrift stores in the USA. It focuses on consumers’ evaluations and attitudes of secondhand, or thrift stores, and specifically examines the effects of store image and general attitude toward secondhand stores on “shopping frequency” and “distance traveled”. Shoppers who held more favorable store specific attitudes and had a positive quality‐availability perception were more likely to shop at a secondhand store and to travel longer distances to patronize that store. No significant relationship was obtained for either general store type attitudes and shopping frequency or general store type attitudes and distance traveled. The paper concludes with managerial implications and directions for future research.

This paper develops a conceptual framework that incorporates three innovation strategies and three learning activities through the mechanism of four conversion processes in new product development. Also included is the impact of the three learning activities on performance. The framework can provide a tool for systematically examining the effectiveness of product innovation efforts.

The study aims to explore supply chain influence (SCI) on the linkages among market orientation, innovation capabilities and firm performance (FP), using the resource-based view as a theoretical backdrop.

Survey data from 182 top managers who are involved in strategy formulation and innovative direction of their companies was collected and analyzed using moderated multiple regression analysis.

Results revealed a moderating role of the SCI in that the proactive market orientation (PMO) and FP relationship is stronger when SCI is high, and innovation commercialization capability (ICC) and FP relationship is stronger when SCI is low.

Firms pursuing high PMO strategy must collaborate with supply chain function to achieve the full effect of PMO. Additionally, as supply chain is critical to meeting customers’ needs, these firms should allow supply chain to exert greater influence to enjoy the positive effects of PMO in addition to ensuring full integration into marketing strategy implementation. Also, firms with high ICC need to limit SCI to maximize the benefit of ICC on FP, just as innovation management needs to be cognizant of other functional areas.

The study investigates the potential moderating role of SCI on the relationships among market orientation, ICC and FP. The study fills a gap in the understanding of the nature and role of supply chain in the marketing–supply chain interaction, and the impact on FP.

The relative importance of country of origin, product warranty, and retail store image on consumers′ product quality perception, overall attitude toward the product, and purchase intentions is investigated. A 2x2x2 full factorial design with two levels (high and low) of country of origin, warranty and retail store image is utilised. ANOVA results show that country of origin and warranty cues have significant impacts on the three dependent measures. The interaction effects of all three independent variables are significant for the quality perception and overall attitude towards the product but are not significant for the purchase intentions. In addition excellent warranty terms combined with store reputation has a greater impact on the dependent variables than the country‐of‐origin cue. Managerial implications of the research findings are discussed.

Investigates the potential of demand artefacts in country‐of‐origin studies using three alternative methodological approaches: hetero‐method replication, non‐experiment and post‐experimental inquiry. The results converge in their support of the plausibility of demand artefacts in the single and multi‐cue list format conditions. However, in the multi‐cue ad format condition, demand artefacts are found to be a less plausible alternative explanation for the experimental results. Discusses the implications of these results and future research directions.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a multiple‐indicator‐multiple‐cause (MIMIC) model that assesses the relative influence of various e‐shopping web site design attributes on e‐shopping web site usage intention.

Data from a survey of 261 students are used to test the research model. Factor analysis is performed to ascertain distinct constructs. LISREL analysis of the survey data is then used to test the proposed MIMIC model.

The results showed the effect of the dimensions of content quality (CQ), transaction quality (TQ), playfulness, and security on e‐shopping web site usage. Security is identified as the most important factor in e‐shopping web site success.

The theoretical contribution is the systematic evaluation of the relative influence of the four web site design factors on web site usage intention. The degree of influence of specific factors that can motivate continuous use is identified.

This paper provides a guide for designers to make their web site relevant for organizations who desire a quality presence on the web. Additionally, the relative influence of the factors can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of web sites providing guidance for modifications and improvements.

This paper suggests that e‐shopping web sites should not include extensive entertaining components at the expense of responsiveness and useful contents. The information provided has to be informative, accurate, current, and relevant. The functionality must facilitate the completion of e‐purchases and ensure security.

This study seeks to evaluate the importance of new product development cycle time for firms that have a strategy of pursuing exporting as a means of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

A mail survey utilizing the key informant approach for selecting senior executives of US manufacturing firms was chosen because of the importance of executive involvement in international marketing strategy decisions.

This study supports the argument that faster new product development capability must be augmented for firms striving for a higher degree of export involvement. Additionally, the importance of integrating the marketing, R&D, and engineering functions to develop competitive advantage is highlighted.

Results must be interpreted as explorative since the sample was based on US manufacturing firms. Additional research is needed to test differential effects of innovative product and modification/extension cycle time on export involvement and other indicators of performance.

This study demonstrates the importance of the resource‐based theory of competitive advantage, new product development cycle time as a determinant of export involvement, and competitive advantage for firms which pursue international opportunities. It suggests that product development capabilities are not a critical determining factor of the level of export involvement. The findings show that the ability to develop competitive products faster than competitors is a prerequisite for export involvement.

This study suggests that the speed of new product development is a precondition for export involvement and that the new product development cycle time measures were significantly related to the perception of a firm's overall competitive position in global markets.

To respond to an increasingly uncertain environment, firms are seeking to enhance flexibility across the value chain. Spanning flexibility, a critical dimension of value chain flexibility, is the ability of a firm to provide horizontal information connections across the value chain to meet a variety of customer needs. This research organizes literature on spanning flexibility and classifies it according to competence and capability theory.

The study collected data from 273 manufacturing executives related to spanning flexibility. The instruments used to collect these data have been validated via literature review and structured interviews with executives. Structural equation modeling was applied to these data to test relationships among the variables in the study.

This study develops valid and reliable instruments to measure the sub‐dimensions of spanning flexibility. The results indicate strong, positive, and direct relationships between flexible spanning competence and capability, and between flexible spanning capability and customer satisfaction.

This paper describes a framework to explore the relationships among flexible competence (supply chain information dissemination flexibility), flexible capability (strategy development flexibility), and customer satisfaction.