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The purpose of this study is to explore Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers’ sustainable consumption behaviors at a university campus by examining various antecedent and moderating influencers of their sustainable consumption behaviors.

A quantitative research methodology is used in this study. A structured questionnaire was administered (n = 279) to young college students (Gen Z consumers in the context of this study) enrolled at a large state university in the USA. The structural equation model was used to test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptualized model.

Study findings show that social responsibility (feelings, engagement and expectations) and external incentives (material and social) positively influence Gen Z consumers’ sustainability interests, which in turn influences their sustainable consumption behaviors (actions). Collectivist cultural values did not appear to have any statistically significant effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption interests. Moreover, learned helplessness, perceived barriers and the awareness of the consequences of sustainability consumption actions did not have any significant moderating effect on Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption behavior.

The questionnaire was only sent to students majoring in business degrees, which may limit the generalizability of this study to broader Gen Z consumer populations. Expanding this study to include non-business students may be valuable as a next step. Replicating this study in different cultural environments of international countries could enhance the relationships identified in this study.

Consumer social responsibility education along with material and social incentives will encourage Gen Z consumers’ participation in sustainable behaviors at college campuses.

This research provides valuable insights into understanding the importance of consumer social responsibility and external incentives in influencing Gen Z consumers’ sustainable consumption intentions and behaviors. Accordingly, consumer social responsibility education and incentive programs need to be developed to encourage the participation of Gen Z consumers in sustainable consumption.

This study aims to examine how male and female students’ sustainability expectations of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) differ in various cultural contexts.

Based on a sample of 239 business students from the USA and Germany, a mixed qualitative-quantitative research design is employed combining content analysis and Kano analysis to examine gender- and country-different students’ sustainability expectations.

Female students across countries have higher sustainability expectations than males. Gender equality and inclusion are more important to female than male students. While male students considered most attributes as indifferent, female students in the US considered many sustainability attributes as one-dimensional, and those in Germany considered production and consumption and equity and inclusion as must-be attributes.

A larger, more representative sample could provide deeper insights into students’ sustainability expectations. The Kano model may not fully capture the complexity of these expectations due to its reliance on predefined definitions. More comprehensive and dynamic approaches are needed to understand and predict students’ sustainability expectations.

Grouping HEIs’ sustainability transformation attributes based on students’ basic, performance and excitement needs supports quality and expectation management at HEIs by prioritizing measures and aligning sustainability communication.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to apply Kano analysis to examine and compare students’ future-oriented normative sustainability expectations of their HEIs across different gender groups and countries. It enables more profound and realistic insights into barriers and enablers of HEIs’ sustainability transformations and highlights how unmet expectations can impact stakeholder behavior across different country contexts.

This study’s objective is to offer a process to adapt the Kano model as a quality management (QM) tool for prioritizing students’ sustainability transformation requirements of higher education institutions (HEIs).

Data for this study were gathered from business students enrolled in bachelor’s programs at two state universities in the USA and one public university in Germany. In total, 239 students participated in the survey. For the Kano analysis, instead of selectively applying various evaluation rules and quality criteria, an integrative-sequential analysis process involving three steps is employed to enhance classification quality.

Results show that sustainability transformation expectations and their priority orders differ across the countries studied. Although the Kano model as a QM tool has not been extensively used by HEIs to gauge students’ sustainability expectations, it offers significant potential as part of a comprehensive process to translate stakeholder sustainability needs into HEIs’ actions.

As the first study adapting the Kano model as a QM tool for use in HEIs’ sustainability transformations, our study contributes to the growing body of research on incorporating QM tools and customer and stakeholder orientation into the sustainability context at HEIs.

The role of marketing as a business function is rapidly changing in China. Consequently, their views on marketing orientation – whether it is accepted, rejected, modified or reframed – have been seriously impacted. This paper aims to report on the results of a survey among Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) managers and their perceptions of the market-orientation philosophy. In particular, emphasis was placed on three dimensions of market orientation: intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination and responsiveness. The effect of market orientation on business performance was also examined.

The authors collected data from 214 managers from SMEs. These businesses were located in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The commonly used market orientation (MARKOR) measure was used to test the hypotheses.

Consistent with the extant literature, the findings provided empirical support for the three dimensions of market orientation among Chinese SME. The authors also found that a positive relationship existed between Chinese SME market orientation and firm performance.

This study provides major insights into the market orientation measurement and practices of SME in China. From a measurement perspective, the empirical support for MARKOR across a non-Western context is noteworthy. From a practitioner perspective, the implications relating to understanding Chinese SME and how these companies can best market their products and services to their respective markets are critical. Some of the limitations of our study relates to the sample size, convenience sampling and geographic concentration of the respondents.

This study addresses the gaps in the literature by exploring market orientation in non-large scale businesses as well as the adaptation of the concept in a non-Western cultural setting. The findings extend the conceptualization and application of market orientation to Chinese SME.

Although the existing internal marketing (IM) scales include various scale items to measure employee motivation, they fall short of incorporating the needs and expectations of service sector employees. Hence, the purpose of this study is to present a practical instrument designed to measure the IM construct in the higher education sector.

Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this empirical study. A qualitative method was used to develop the scale items to measure the IM construct and a quantitative method was used to test the scale developed in the higher education sector. The study sample included n = 240 academic staff from a large university. Both exploratory (EFA) and the confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to confirm the dimensionality of the IM scale developed.

The study results showed that all items in the measurement scale were loaded on a single dimension that represents the IM construct in the higher education sector. The psychometric properties of the developed scale (IM-11) met and exceeded the expected criteria cited in the literature.

The IM-11 scale presented in this study offers a practical tool for higher education administrators in their efforts to measure the needs and expectations of their employees. Moreover, this knowledge should provide a framework for the administration to develop strategies for employee motivation, job satisfaction and performance and assume additional responsibilities in their efforts to serving their external customers better. Sample size, cultural factors and the complex nature of university academic staff limit one’s ability to generalize these results to broader populations.

In line with the information provided in the literature on IM, this study developed a simple and practical instrument to measure the IM construct for an academic unit within a university.

Online social media has become an important marketing communication tool for entrepreneurs and their customers because of its ability to simplify various constraints in the communication process. Online social media allows entrepreneurs to access customers, suppliers, partners and other necessary resources that were not easily reachable before at significantly lower costs. Therefore, the current study aims to examine entrepreneurs’ motivations, expected benefits and intentions to use online social media in an emerging market.

This study used a quantitative approach to investigate the entrepreneurs’ online social media use behaviors. Data are collected from n = 368 entrepreneurial organizations using structured questionnaires and personal interviews. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) along with structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model.

Results from the data analyses show that entrepreneurs’ perceptions about efforts needed, performance expectations and various social influences helped explain a significant proportion of the variation in entrepreneurs’ intentions to use online social media. All hypotheses tested in the study were confirmed.

Efforts need to be spent on developing positive entrepreneurial attitudes toward online social media usage. As social media becomes more integrated with personal and business life, entrepreneurs need to use social networking sites to build relationships with existing customers or to reach new customers. A larger and more representative sample would have improved generalizability of the findings about entrepreneurial use of online social media. Future research studies should consider using additional independent measures to validate the study results.

This study contributes to the entrepreneurial literature by providing empirical evidence for the link between entrepreneurs’ perceptions and attitudes about social media and their intentions to use it in an emerging market. Additionally, entrepreneurs need to expend more effort in understanding and effectively using social media and should develop positive attitudes toward online social media. Entrepreneurs’ feelings, perceptions and efforts need to be nurtured through support from online social media providers, educational institutions and local chapters of business organizations (i.e. SBA, Chamber of Commerce) alike.

This research is one of the few studies that has attempted to examine the effects of various antecedent factors in the context of entrepreneurs’ intentions to use online social media for business purposes in an emerging market. This study contributes to the entrepreneurial literature by providing empirical evidence for the link between entrepreneurs’ perceptions and attitudes about social media and their intentions to use it in an emerging market. Additionally, this study contributes to our understanding about the role of social influences, effort and performance expectancies on the formation of entrepreneurial intentions to use social media.

The purpose of this study is to identify challenges and derive options for stakeholder engagement of project partnerships for sustainable innovations in higher education institutions (HEIs).

Guided by Donabedian’s structure-process-outcome (SPO) model, our conceptual exploration focuses on understanding stakeholder experience and identifying stakeholder engagement options in different project phases. This research includes empirical data on sustainability expectations towards HEIs collected from 239 business students from the USA and Germany. The Kano method and factor analysis were used for data analysis.

This research suggests that balancing differences in stakeholder types and priorities, identifying and fulfilling key stakeholder expectations and addressing their resource limitations play a crucial role in the partnership’s structure stage. Adjustments for timing and forms of engagement, based on the stakeholder types and their expectations, are necessary during the process stage. Attaining stakeholder consensus on goal achievement and fostering trust and long-term commitment for sustainability are vital tasks in the outcome stage.

HEIs are advised to identify and assess stakeholders according to their anticipated inputs and contributions to the expected project outputs. They should consider adopting minimal thresholds of involvement and actively engaging key stakeholders, students, by demonstrating direct sustainability impacts.

This conceptual study adds value by enhancing the understanding of sustainable project partnerships in HEIs through the adoption of concepts from open innovation, service management and relationship management research. It illuminates the significance of stakeholder engagement and experience, including the management of expectations, thereby supporting HEIs in effectively implementing sustainability initiatives.

The housing/real estate sector is one of the most important sectors in any country. However, existing marketing literature on the home buying behavior and the decision-making process is still in the early stage of development. The purpose of this study is to examine the home buying behavior from the consumers’ perspective in a high-context culture, namely, Kyrgyzstan and its managerial and/or public policy implications to other countries which are at a similar level of socio-economic development as Kyrgyzstan.

Using a questionnaire, data for the study (n = 300) is collected from households in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Personal interviews were used to collect data from the four administrative regions of Bishkek.

Results of this study show that the physical, environmental and financial dimensions of the homes influenced consumers’ home buying intentions. A few statistically significant differences in terms of preferences for the proximity of the property to schools and shopping districts, having public sewer and water connections, and safety characteristics of the neighborhood were found between the first-time homebuyers and the repeat homebuyers.

The most important limitation of the study is the use of convenience sampling. Although the sample size is reasonably large, the selection of the responses was done based on using convenience and connections. Representativeness of the results may be limited.

Along with the physical, environmental and financial dimensions of the homes, home buying is a high-involvement decision; it is not as much of an emotional purchase but rather a main residence and a good long-term value for Kyrgyz households. Both marketing and social stimuli did not have any statistically significant effect on purchase intentions. Therefore, housing and real estate developers should focus on understanding how their offering meets individual customers’ tangible and intangible expectations and assist them in their highly involved decision-making process.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to conduct an empirical study to analyze the home buying decisions of Kyrgyz households. This study contributes to marketing literature by filling the existing gaps in understanding various facets of the high-context consumers’ home buying decision-making.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the robustness of the three (Bowersox and Daugherty, 1987) dimensions (process, market and information strategies) of logistics strategy in a Chinese manufacturing environment. In addition, the impact of the three dimensions, coordination and customer service on the organizational competitiveness of Chinese manufacturers firms is explored.

The authors conducted an online survey hosted at Sojump.com and disseminated to members of a manufacturing trade association. A total of 513 completed responses were generated. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) were used to test the hypothesized relationships in the conceptual model.

The findings suggest that the three dimensions of the Bowersox and Daugherty (1987) were relevant to the Chinese manufacturing environment. The authors also found that the overall logistics strategy measured by the three dimensions as well as coordination and customer service effectiveness positively influenced Chinese manufacturing firms’ competiveness.

Further research into logistics and supply chain management may benefit from expanding the understanding to include antecedents and moderating factors (e.g. competition, market turbulence and differences in business environment) into the model. Future studies on cross-cultural logistics/supply chain management logistics may benefit from the application of strategy-structure-process (SSP) approaches similar to those discussed in this manuscript.

This study attempted to provide a robust conceptual framework to increase the understanding of the role of logistics/supply chain management strategy and provide insights to managers seeking to improve firm competitiveness. An essential implication of the conceptual model presented in this manuscript is the dynamics of logistics strategy as a competitive tool.

The findings provide an understanding of how business and manufacturing are operating in various locations in China with opportunities for employment and socio-economic gain among the population of these geographic locations. Having employment can provide a better quality of life and assist the community in developing its opportunities for other groups.

As the current Chinese administration seeks to achieve its goal of generating higher value-added production through its “Made in China 2025” initiative, the results the authors represent are quite timely and insightful. Examining manufacturing firms’ logistics strategies (i.e., OLS), coordination and customer service could provide state planners (SOEs) and/or privately owned Chinese manufacturers insights on how to move closer towards their aforementioned goal and achieve global competitiveness.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/09596119510146823. When citing the article, please cite: Ali Kara, Erdener Kaynak, Orsay Kucukemiroglu, (1995), “Marketing strategies for fast-food restaurants: a customer view”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 7 Iss: 4, pp. 16 - 22.