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In an era of blurred moral boundaries, brands face “moral dilemma crises”, which are distinguished from traditional crises. Based on expectancy violations theory, this study aims to explore how consumers interpret (inferred goodwill) and evaluate (consumer regret) the precrisis committed brands, reinforced by corporate ability and responsibility (expectancies) during moral dilemma crises and whether self-brand connection moderates this relationship.

The main study used a scenario-based online survey with a purchased beauty brand, analyzed via structural equation modeling and PROCESS macro, to examine the effects of corporate ability and responsibility on regret, mediated by inferred goodwill and moderated by self-brand connection. A validation study with a fictitious brand used an online experimental design, analyzed with t-tests and ANCOVAs.

When corporate ability and corporate responsibility are considered together, corporate ability negatively impacts inferred goodwill (boomerang effect), whereas corporate responsibility positively impacts inferred goodwill (buffering effect). Inferred goodwill acts as a mediator that reduces regret. The negative impact of corporate ability on inferred goodwill and regret becomes stronger among consumers with strong self-brand connections. However, self-brand connection does not moderate the relationship between corporate responsibility and inferred goodwill.

This research extends the application of expectancy violations theory to moral dilemma crises, differentiates between the effects of corporate ability and responsibility, highlights the role of inferred goodwill and regret and explores the moderating effects of self-brand connection, providing tailored insights for brand management.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the spending patterns of non‐local participants and spectators at a medium‐sized international sport event, to segment their spending patterns and consider implications for the quality of each segment's event experience.

Spending in nine sectors of the economy is measured via self‐report, and respondents are segmented into five groups: spectators, athletes, coaches, officials, and other participants (e.g. media, medical staff). The daily and aggregate spend for each segment in each economic sector is calculated and compared. Regression analysis tests differences among segments for each economic sector.

Participants account for 39 per cent of aggregate spend; coaches are the biggest spenders; athletes spend relatively little. The segments spend differently on hospitality, private transportation, grocery, and retail, with spectators spending significantly more than the participant groups on hospitality and private transportation, and significantly less on groceries and merchandise. Spending in sectors normally associated with celebration and festivity accounts for only 8 per cent of total spend.

Findings are derived from a single event, but are consistent with other work, suggesting that inadequate attention is given to opportunities for festive celebration, especially among athletes.

Coaches are a particularly useful target market for retailers, whereas hoteliers and service stations should target their marketing at spectators. Event organizers should do more to build festivals.

This paper identifies the ways that different segments organize their spending at an event, and demonstrates that greater attention to festivals could enhance a sport event's overall impact.

On the basis of lessons gleaned from previous research into successful strategic marketing practices in times of both recession and growth, and in the face of an ongoing post-global financial crisis “hangover” characterised by unpredictable trading conditions both worldwide and in the Asia-Pacific region, the purpose of this paper is to provide insights and advice for marketing strategists within New Zealand’s manufacturing sector.

The inquiry is based on two point-in-time mail surveys, one during recessionary conditions and the other during favourable economic conditions, with similar samples of 427 and 272 New Zealand manufacturers, respectively. Data analyses were conducted using SPSS and sought to compare and contrast successful strategic marketing decision making between the two time-points.

The results confirm that, irrespective of prevailing economic circumstances, basic strategic marketing plays a pivotal role in facilitating the competitive success of New Zealand manufacturers. However, with the notable exception of three “evergreen” practices – targeting selected market segments, competing on the basis of value-to-the-customer, and finding new ways to do business – the results also suggest that different economic conditions otherwise necessitate quite different priorities for success at each stage of the strategic marketing decision-making process.

Due to relatively low-response rates, the extent to which the study samples are representative of the population under scrutiny remains unknown. Also, since an identical questionnaire was administered at two time-points ten years apart, differences in the respondents’ interpretation of certain questions and some of the marketing vocabulary and terminology used cannot be ruled out.

The research highlights the important contribution that strategic marketing makes to the achievement of competitive success in New Zealand’s manufacturing sector. It also identifies some of the underlying “key drivers” that best predict successful strategic marketing decision making in times of recession compared with growth, thereby indicating a number of key lessons for marketing strategists.

This study addresses a number of gaps in the empirical marketing literature. Although many previous studies have shown various strategic marketing activities to be critical to competitive success, few have examined it as a multi-step decision-making process and none have done so in the context of New Zealand manufacturing. Nor have previous studies sought to compare and contrast effective strategic marketing decision-making set against the background of contrasting economic circumstances.

The traditional and still dominant logic among nearly all empirical positivist researchers in schools of management is to write symmetric (two-directional) variable hypotheses (SVH) even though the same researchers formulate their behavioral theories at the case (typology) identification level. Cyert and March’s (1963), Cyert, R. M., & March, J. G. (1963). A behavioral theory of the firm. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall), Howard and Sheth’s (1969, Howard, J. A., & Sheth, J. N. (1969). The theory of buyer behavior. New York, NY: Wiley), and Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C.’s (1978, Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (1978). Organizational strategy, structure, and process. [A. D. Meyer, collaborator; H. J. Coleman Jr., contributor]. New York, NY: McGraw Hill) typologies of organizations’ strategy configurations (e.g., “Prospectors, Analyzers, and Defenders”) are iconic examples of formulating theory at the case identification level. When testing such theories, most researchers automatically, nonconsciously, switch from building theory of beliefs, attitudes, and behavior at the case identification level to empirically testing of two-directional relationships and additive net-effect influences of variables. Formulating theory focusing on creating case identification hypotheses (CIH) to describe, explain, and predict behavior and then empirically testing at SVH is a mismatch and results in shallow data analysis and frequently inaccurate contributions to theory. This chapter describes the mismatch and resulting unattractive outcomes as well as the pervasive practice of examining only fit validity in empirical studies using symmetric tests. The chapter reviews studies in the literature showing how matching both case-based theory and empirical positivist research of CIH is possible and produces findings that advance useful theory and critical thinking by executives and researchers.

The objective of the study is to describe and analyse different tourist shopping typologies based on their motives for visiting a shopping destination well known for its low prices.

The data were collected by means of structured questionnaires administered to tourists visiting the Swedish destination. The survey instrument measured constructs designed to understand shopping motivation and feelings experienced during the course of shopping.

Two distinct tourist shopping typologies were found, based on a tourist's primary purpose in travelling, and designated “Follow the Plan” and “Go with the Flow”. The present study proposes the use of a theoretical continuum that takes into account feelings experienced at a low‐priced destination and consumer shopping motivations.

This study contributes to the existing literature on tourism shopping by suggesting typologies built on feelings experienced and shopping motivations, thus providing new insights on tourist shopping typologies found at a low‐price destination. Results are not general for any low‐priced destination, thus further research is needed in other destinations as well.