Jean‐Marc Décaudin and Denis Lacoste
The objective of this paper is to study the relevance of a specific approach to services advertising by testing the absolute and relative impact of the product/service variable on…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to study the relevance of a specific approach to services advertising by testing the absolute and relative impact of the product/service variable on advertising strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A content study of 4,233 press advertisements, taken from generalist magazines, was conducted using an original analytical framework based on competitive advantage. This framework was used to measure the impact on the advertising strategy of the following variables: type of offer, type of market and industry.
Findings
The research indicates that three variables significantly influence advertising strategy: type of offer, type of market, and industry. However, the type of industry is the most influential variable. The study shows that the product/service contrast alone cannot adequately explain the choice of advertising strategy.
Research implications/limitations
The conclusions indicate that the product‐service variable should not be used in isolation, but rather in combination with other variables such as the type of target and the nature of the sector. The research, however, does not enable one to determine the relevance of the advertising choices highlighted.
Practical implications
The framework can enable one to link marketing strategy to advertising strategy. It enables one to clearly pose the problem of advertising strategy upstream from questions of creative approach and executional tools.
Originality/value
This research shows that the product/service variable is not the best explanatory variable of the advertising strategy.
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The purpose of this study was to explore the motives (especially the agency motives) for corporate diversification from the perspective of corporate executives who make such…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the motives (especially the agency motives) for corporate diversification from the perspective of corporate executives who make such strategic decisions and manage the diversified firms daily.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach was adopted, and 12 chief executive officers (CEOs) of diversified firms in Nigeria were interviewed for their perspectives on the motives for corporate diversification.
Findings
Stewardship motives – diversification to use excess capacities in assets and resources to exploit opportunities in the market and defend against adverse environmental developments – were the most cited reasons for diversification. The relevant agency problem related to corporate diversification motive in Nigeria is the principal–principal (majority shareholder-minority shareholder) one. CEOs with substantial holdings in their firms indicated that they use diversification to reduce their investment risk and retain control of their portfolio.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that in corporate environments such as Nigeria that feature blockholding prominently, the corporate strategy-related agency problem that policymakers should pay greater attention to is the principal–principal conflict rather than the traditional agent–principal problem that has influenced corporate governance over the years. There is also a need to revise the dominant view that diversification is a value-destroying strategy motivated by the self-seeking behavior of managers who have little or no shares in the companies they manage.
Originality/value
The few studies on motives for corporate diversification that incorporated the perspectives of corporate executives did not address the agency motives of diversification. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that has done so.
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Jessica Strübel and Monica Sklar
In 1930s Britain, tennis champion Fred Perry was a household name. However, the name Fred Perry is more commonly associated with striped-collar polo shirts featuring a laurel…
Abstract
In 1930s Britain, tennis champion Fred Perry was a household name. However, the name Fred Perry is more commonly associated with striped-collar polo shirts featuring a laurel wreath logo. In the late 1960s, Fred Perry polo shirts were standard mod and Skinhead dress. When worn by working-class youth the shirt became subversive commentary on English elitism because it had originally been designed for the tennis courts. Many punks also aligned with the brand in dual demonstration of association with working-class ethics as well as an alternative to t-shirts. In the 1980s and onward, this sartorial style was appropriated by right-wing white nationalists, which stripped it of its subcultural spirit. Patriot groups, such as neo-Nazis and the alt-right have continued to co-opt the subcultural style, simultaneously turning the Fred Perry polo into a symbol of racism and bigotry. The multi-use of the Fred Perry brand creates a challenge in how to interpret visual cues when one garment has competing perceptions that at times can be completely opposing. This study examines the history of the Fred Perry brand through the lens of symbolic interactionism, specifically how the shirt evolved from a rather innocuous, yet subversive, form of merchandize repurposed from the tennis world to youth subcultures where the polo communicated group identity. As the brand has moved through fashion cycles, the association of the Fred Perry polo with deviant groups has reduced the brand to representations of hate and separation, which has impacted sales and brand image with its intended consumers.
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Şahver Omeraki Çekirdekci and Fatma Ozge Baruonu Latif
This paper aims to examine how socio-economic status (SES) shapes consumers’ purchase behavior of genuine brands and counterfeits. It also forms a typology based on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how socio-economic status (SES) shapes consumers’ purchase behavior of genuine brands and counterfeits. It also forms a typology based on the decision-making processes of these two groups by exploring neutralization processes and emotional outcomes related to their behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Data are collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 42 users and non-users of counterfeits from different SES groups.
Findings
This paper develops a consumer typology based on the customer behavior of counterfeit and genuine brand users, as well as emotional outcomes and neutralization strategies used to justify their actions according to their SES group. These categories are defined as the black chameleons, the counterfeit owners, the genuine brand owners and the authenticity seekers.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the counterfeit literature by examining the consumption practices of each SES group of users and non-users of counterfeits by focusing on motivations, emotional outcomes and neutralization processes. The study shows how consumers’ end consumption practices and their SES group explains the mix findings on the counterfeit literature.
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Sophie Lacoste-Badie, Karine Gallopel-Morvan, Mathieu Lajante and Olivier Droulers
This study aims to investigate the role of two structural factors – threat level depicted on fear messages and warning size – as well as two contextual factors – repeated exposure…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the role of two structural factors – threat level depicted on fear messages and warning size – as well as two contextual factors – repeated exposure and type of packs – on pictorial and threatening tobacco warnings’ effectiveness.
Design/methodology/approach
A two (warning threat level: moderate vs high) × two (coverage: 40 vs 75 per cent) × two (packaging type: plain vs branded) within-subjects experiment was carried out. Subjects were exposed three times to pictorial and threatening tobacco warnings. Both self-report and psychophysiological measurements of emotion were used.
Findings
Results indicate that threat level is the most effective structural factor to influence smokers’ reactions, while warning size has very low impact. Furthermore, emotional arousal, fear and disgust, as well as attitude toward tobacco brand, decrease after the second exposure to pictorial and threatening tobacco warnings, but stay stable at the third exposure. However, there is no effect of repetition on the emotional valence component, arousal-subjective component, on intention of quitting or of reducing cigarette consumption. Finally, there is a negative effect of plain packs on attitude toward tobacco brand over repeated exposures, but there is no effect of the type of packs on smokers’ emotions and intentions.
Social implications
Useful marketing social guidance, which might help government decision-makers increase the effectiveness of smoking reduction measures, is offered.
Originality/value
For the first time in this context, psychophysiological and self-report measurements were combined to measure smokers’ reactions toward pictorial and threatening tobacco warnings in a repeated exposure study.
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Sylvie M. Lacoste and Janet Dekker
The purpose of this paper is to understand which change process the supplying organization should define for its customer-facing organization in order to successfully increase…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand which change process the supplying organization should define for its customer-facing organization in order to successfully increase customer orientation and to be on the short list of their customers’ key suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research was used to carry out this research. Researchers were involved in the change management process of a medium-sized company that wanted to re-design their customer selection and interaction processes: one researcher was a top manager of the participating company, whereas the other researcher worked alongside the organization in a collaborative effort to introduce and roll out sales force training seminars.
Findings
Researchers’ main finding shows how the company’s top-management willingness to apply a “soft” approach to change leverages a concept called “emotional connectedness”.
Originality/value
The authors bridge a gap between the literature on change management and the “emotional connectedness” concept related to social psychology. The authors add to existing theories on change management a new perspective based on interpersonal relationships.
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Niamh M. Brennan and Doris M. Merkl-Davies
The purpose of this paper is to explore the interactive element in social and environmental reporting during a controversy between business organisations and a stakeholder over…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the interactive element in social and environmental reporting during a controversy between business organisations and a stakeholder over environmental performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts Aristotle's triangular framework of the rhetorical situation to examine how the writer, the audience, and the purpose of communication interact in the choice of rhetorical strategies used to persuade others of the validity and legitimacy of a claim during a public controversy. The analysis focuses on the strategies (i.e. moves and their rhetorical realisations) in the form of logos (appealing to logic), ethos (appealing to authority), and pathos (appealing to emotion), with a particular emphasis on metaphor, used to achieve social and political goals. The authors base the analysis on a case study involving a conflict between Greenpeace and six organisations in the sportswear/fashion industry over wastewater discharge of hazardous chemicals. The conflict played out in a series of 20 press releases issued by the parties over a two-month period.
Findings
All six firms interacting with Greenpeace in the form of press releases eventually conceded to Greenpeace's demand to eliminate hazardous chemicals from their supply chains. The paper attributes this to Greenpeace's ability to harness support from other key stakeholders and to use rhetoric effectively. Results show the extensive use of rhetoric by all parties.
Originality/value
The authors regard legitimacy construction as reliant on communication and as being achieved by organisations participating in a dialogue with stakeholders. For this purpose, the paper develops an analytical framework which situates environmental reporting in a specific rhetorical situation and links rhetoric, argument, and metaphor.
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The North/South divide is an image frequently used to depict the territorial structure and the economic dynamism of England, and thus to describe the social and economic geography…
Abstract
The North/South divide is an image frequently used to depict the territorial structure and the economic dynamism of England, and thus to describe the social and economic geography of the country. This image distinguishes a post-industrial North, which still faces economic and social difficulties, from a tertiary, rich and powerful South. It separates a central space (the South) from a periphery (the North). However, the recent economic changes in Britain question the relevance of this image, which is perhaps too simplistic to describe accurately the economic and social geography and the spatial disparities in the country.
Since the Thatcher years, this debate on the North/South divide has been constantly renewed, regardless of the political colour of the majority at Westminster, and the local and regional policy of the government in power has been systematically criticised. On the one hand, this reflects the persistence of territorial and social disparities in the United Kingdom and more specifically in England. On the other hand, this shows that the North/South divide is not just a geoeconomic question, but it also includes identity, societal and geopolitical issues.
Based on a geographical, critical geopolitical and cartographic approach, the aim of this chapter is to question the relevance and the significance of the North/South divide in 2017, after the impact of the 2008 Great Recession, as the United Kingdom is on its way to Brexit and when its unity is being challenged by Scottish nationalism. How can territorial disparities be described, evaluated and measured in England? How are they perceived by citizens and political leaders? This chapter will also study the policies proposed to close this gap and to meet the aspirations of peripheral regions.
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Sumangala Bandara, Civilai Leckie, Antonio Lobo and Chandana Hewege
The purpose of this paper is to test the impact of power (coercive and non-coercive) on supply chain (SC) relationship success. In particular, this paper aims to examine the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test the impact of power (coercive and non-coercive) on supply chain (SC) relationship success. In particular, this paper aims to examine the moderating effect of relationship quality (RQ) on the associations between power bases and relationship success. In turn, RQ and relationship success can impact the operational performance of the suppliers.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 284 Australian suppliers (growers of organic fruits and vegetables) was conducted to elucidate the associations among power, RQ, relationship success and operational performance.
Findings
RQ was found to only moderate the positive relationship between non-coercive power and relationship success. Moreover, RQ and relationship success were positively related to the suppliers’ operational performance. The findings conform those of previous research in which coercive power is negatively related to the supplier’s perception of relationship success while non-coercive power is positively related to the supplier’s perception of relationship success. Relationship success was found to mediate the relationships between the power bases and operational performance.
Research limitations
This study only collected data from one-side of the dyad (the suppliers). Another potential limitation is the existence of respondent bias, which can arise when a single respondent is asked to assess both the nature of the relationship and the performance outcomes of the relationship.
Practical implications
This study highlights the importance for managers to understand the dynamic shaping relationships when they want to signal their influence and RQ in inter-firm relationships associated with the SCs.
Originality/value
This study applies signaling theory as an alternative theoretical lens that looks into the moderating role of RQ on the associations between power bases and relationship success in the SC. This study argues that when the buyer increasingly develops RQ, the effect of non-coercive power on relationship success diminishes. Both RQ and relationship success positively influence the supplier’s operational performance.
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Anni Rajala and Annika Tidström
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding about vertical coopetition from the perspective of interrelated conflict episodes on multiple levels.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to increase understanding about vertical coopetition from the perspective of interrelated conflict episodes on multiple levels.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical part is based on a qualitative single case study of a coopetitive buyer-supplier relationship in the manufacturing sector.
Findings
Conflicts in vertical coopetition evolve from being merely functional and task-related to becoming dysfunctional and relationship-related, as the level of competition increases. The nature of conflict episodes influences the development of vertical coopetition, and therefore, the interrelatedness of conflict episodes is important to acknowledge.
Practical implications
Although a conflict is considered functional within a company, it may still be dysfunctional as far as the coopetitive relationship with the buyer or seller is concerned. Competition may trigger conflicts related to protecting own technology and knowledge, which may lead to termination of the cooperation, therefore coopetition should be managed in a way that balance sharing and protecting important knowledge to get advantages of coopetition.
Originality/value
The findings enhance prior research on vertical coopetition by offering new perspectives on causes of conflicts, their management, outcomes and types. The value of taking a multilevel approach lies in the ability to show how conflicts occur and influence other conflicts through the interrelatedness of conflict elements on different levels.