Ian Phau and Edith Cheong
The purpose of this study is to examine how status‐seeking and fashion‐innovative young consumers evaluate diffusion brands. The influence of brand naming techniques and country…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how status‐seeking and fashion‐innovative young consumers evaluate diffusion brands. The influence of brand naming techniques and country of origin on brand image and product quality of diffusion brands is also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Two well‐known luxury brands and two product categories were identified as the stimulus for the study through pretests. Data were collected using a convenience sampling method in a large Australian university. A self‐administered questionnaire was distributed and 603 usable responses were returned with the sample falling between the ages of 18‐24.
Findings
The results revealed that sub‐brands and nested brands have similar product quality and brand image evaluation when compared with the parent brand. Furthermore, sub‐brands and nested brands have demonstrated product quality fit and brand image fit with the parent brand. The findings suggest that a new brand is not a good substitute for the parent brand to express status. In addition, brand origin is a greater indication of product or brand quality than country of origin.
Research limitations/implications
Replication of study on other segments is worthy of future research. Only the influence of fashion innovativeness and status consumption on diffusion brands was examined. Other external factors can be identified and explored.
Practical implications
Marketers or brand strategists can consider establishing sub‐brands or a nested brand in the early stages of product innovation as status symbols to attract young consumers. There should also be greater emphasis on brand name instead of product involvement when marketing a diffusion brand.
Originality/value
There is limited research that examines how young status‐seeking and fashion‐innovative consumers evaluate diffusion brands. Furthermore, the study is conducted in an Australian context. Two product categories were also studied.
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Hiva Rastegar, Gabriel Eweje and Aymen Sajjad
This paper aims to unravel the relationship between market-driven impacts of climate change and firms’ deployment of renewable energy (RE) innovation. The purpose is to understand…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to unravel the relationship between market-driven impacts of climate change and firms’ deployment of renewable energy (RE) innovation. The purpose is to understand how market-related forces, influenced by uncertainty, shape firms’ behaviour in response to climate change challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the behavioural theory of the firm (BTOF), the paper develops a conceptual model to decode the relationship between each category of market-driven impacts and the resulting RE innovation within firms. The model takes into account the role of uncertainty and differentiates between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and domestic firms.
Findings
The analysis reveals five key sources of market-driven impacts: investor sentiment, media coverage, competitors’ adoption of ISO 14001, customer satisfaction and shareholder activism. These forces influence the adoption of RE innovation differently across firms, depending on the level of uncertainty and the discrepancy between environmental performance and aspiration level.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature in four ways. Firstly, it emphasises the importance of uncertainty associated with market-driven impacts, which stimulates different responses from firms. Secondly, it fills a research gap by focusing on the proactivity of firms in adopting RE innovation, rather than just operational strategies to curb emissions. Thirdly, the paper extends the BTOF by incorporating the concept of uncertainty in explaining firm behaviour. Finally, it provides insights into the green strategies of MNEs in the face of climate change, offering a comprehensive model that differentiates MNEs from domestic firms.
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Rui Zhang and Noel Scott
A schema is a concept used to describe the organisation of memory about an object. Schema are perceptual prototypes abstracted from numerous episodic events based on their…
Abstract
A schema is a concept used to describe the organisation of memory about an object. Schema are perceptual prototypes abstracted from numerous episodic events based on their similarities or commonalities. In tourism, a schema may be termed a network, mental model, social schema, stereotype, social role, script, worldview, heuristics or archetype. A schema is flexible. New information may be either assimilated or accommodated based on its degree of congruity. Schema incongruent information requires more mental effort to process. The concept is used in research on destination brand image, storytelling, social relationships, attitude change and transformation during travel. The concept is useful in discussion of the change to a sustainable worldview.
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Violetta Wilk, Geoffrey Norman Soutar and Paul Harrigan
Despite an increasing interest in online brand advocacy (OBA) and the importance of online brand conversations, OBA’s conceptualization, dimensionality and measurement are…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite an increasing interest in online brand advocacy (OBA) and the importance of online brand conversations, OBA’s conceptualization, dimensionality and measurement are unclear, which has created confusion. This paper aims to answer calls from researchers and practitioners for a better understanding and measurement of OBA. The development and validation of a parsimonious and practical OBA scale is outlined in this paper.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-methods, multi-stage approach was followed to develop a parsimonious OBA scale. From an initial pool of 96 items obtained from qualitative research and from items used in prior general brand advocacy scales, a test-retest reliability study is followed. Academic judges were consulted to verify dimensionality, followed by two separate online surveys to further purify the scale and assess criterion-related validity. Programs including SPSS, AMOS and WarpPLS were used.
Findings
This research extends the knowledge of OBA by developing and testing a parsimonious and practical 16-item, four-dimensional OBA scale. Unlike previous attempts to measure OBA, this study suggested OBA as a multidimensional construct with four dimensions (i.e. brand defense, brand information sharing, brand positivity and virtual positive expression). Further, this study showed that OBA is conceptually different from consumer–brand engagement and electronic word-of-mouth.
Research limitations/implications
Future research is encouraged to validate the OBA scale in various contexts and locations. Researchers can use the new OBA scale to examine potential brand-related antecedents and consequences of OBA.
Practical implications
This study provides brand and marketing practitioners with a better understanding of brand advocacy occurring online. The OBA scale offers clear markers or trademarks that will be useful in assessing any brand’s health online and to track and better manage online brand communications and performance.
Originality/value
This research provides the first empirical investigation of Wilk et al.’s (2018) exploratory insights into OBA. The resulting parsimonious scale has furthered OBA as a new area for academic enquiry and presented practitioners with a practical way of measuring OBA.
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Abel Duarte Alonso and Ian Patrick Austin
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between the resources of a Western Australian regional family firm exporting to Asia and innovation through the lens…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the associations between the resources of a Western Australian regional family firm exporting to Asia and innovation through the lens of the theory of innovation and the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth, un-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews were conducted with five members of the firm, including the co-owner. A visit to the business facilities complemented the data collection process.
Findings
The importance of tangible and intangible resources, such as forward thinking or investments in technologies, human capital and research is clearly illustrated; these resources positively influence innovative practices. Associations between the findings and the theoretical frameworks were identified. For instance, the imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable attributes comply with the RBV of the firm, and the hypothesised four dimensions of innovation. Importantly, the significance of strategic partnering emerges as an extension of these attributes.
Originality/value
This study addresses some knowledge gaps, first, contributing to the body of research on family firms’ adoption of innovation. In addition, the study contributes to the literature on regional Western Australian family firms operating internationally. This state makes a significant contribution to Australia’s economy, and its close geographic proximity to various important consumer markets highlights future opportunities for family firms in international trade. Despite such potential, research on global family firms operating in this state has been almost non-existent.
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Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Jianyu Ma, Ana Cláudia Campos, Lynn I-Ling Chen, Dung Le, Liubov Skavronskaya, Shanshi Li, Rui Zhang, Shan Jiang, Lihua Gao and Arghavan Hadinejad
Effective experience design requires not only a knowledge of tourist goals, but an understanding of how these can be met in a particular tourism site. Research on experiences and…
Abstract
Effective experience design requires not only a knowledge of tourist goals, but an understanding of how these can be met in a particular tourism site. Research on experiences and experience design is supported by cognitive psychology concepts such as perception, attention, appraisal, emotion, consciousness, feelings and memory. However, these concepts are often used in a combination with others from sociology, social or environmental psychology in a manner that leads to confusion rather than clarity, without apparent understanding of the theoretical mechanisms by which these concepts are related. This chapter develops a series of propositions for potential application to tourism experience design. Future research should examine the efficacy of these propositions from cognitive psychology for tourism experience design.
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Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Ana Cláudia Campos, Liubov Skavronskaya and Biqiang Liu
Fazlul K. Rabbanee, Rajat Roy, Sanjit K. Roy and Rana Sobh
Digital self-expression, recently one of the most important research themes, is currently under-researched. In this context, this study aims to propose a parsimonious research…
Abstract
Purpose
Digital self-expression, recently one of the most important research themes, is currently under-researched. In this context, this study aims to propose a parsimonious research model of self-extension tendency, its drivers and its outcomes. The model is tested in the context of social media engagement intentions (liking, sharing and commenting) with focal brands and across individualist versus collectivist cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is tested in two individualist cultures (N = 230 and 232) and two collectivist cultures (N = 232 and 237) by conducting surveys in four countries (Australia, USA, Qatar and India). Nike and Ray-Ban are the focal brands studied, with Facebook serving as the targeted social networking site (SNS) platform.
Findings
Self-monitoring and self-esteem are found to drive the self-extension tendency across cultures, with stronger effects in the individualist culture than in the collectivist culture. The self-extension tendency has a relatively stronger positive influence on social media engagement intentions in the individualist culture than in the collectivist culture. This tendency is also found to mediate the link between self-monitoring, self-extension and social media engagement intentions across both cultures, albeit in different ways. In collectivist culture, self-monitoring’s influence on the self-extension tendency is moderated by public self-consciousness. The study’s findings have important theoretical and practical implications. In individualist culture, self-monitoring’s influence on the self-extension tendency is moderated by public self-consciousness.
Research limitations/implications
The present findings confirm that the tendency to incorporate the brand into one’s self-concept and to further extend the self is indeed contingent on one’s cultural background. The role of public self-consciousness may vary between individualist and collectivist cultures, something recommended by past research for empirical testing.
Practical implications
Managers can leverage this research model to entice pro-brand social media engagement by nurturing consumers’ digital selves in terms of maneuvering their self-extension tendency and its drivers, namely, self-monitoring and self-esteem. Second, promoting the self-extension tendency and its drivers varies across cultures, with this finding offering practical cultural nuances supporting marketing managers’ decisions.
Originality/value
This is one of the pioneering studies that tests a cross-cultural parsimonious model based on theories of self-extension, self-monitoring and self-esteem, especially within the context of brand engagement intentions on an SNS platform.
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Soheil Kazemian, Hadrian Geri Djajadikerta, Terri Trireksani, Kazi Sohag, Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi and Jamaliah Said
This study aims to evaluate the practices of carbon management accounting (CMA) made by companies committed to sustainability in Australia’s four highest carbon-emitting…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the practices of carbon management accounting (CMA) made by companies committed to sustainability in Australia’s four highest carbon-emitting industries, including electricity, transport, stationary energy and agriculture. The evaluation covers three CMA phases (i.e. data collection, interpretation and reporting).
Design/methodology/approach
This is a cross-sectional study using descriptive research. Data was collected using a questionnaire primarily derived from Burritt et al.’s (2002, 2011) CMA framework and suggestions from other references. The questionnaire includes a set of closed- and open-ended questions. Data was collected from 39 senior managers in the selected industries with direct knowledge and experience in their companies’ CMA practices.
Findings
The respondents disclose numerous different motivations for their companies to practise CMA and various ways of practising their CMA. This reflects diverse industry practices due to the absence of a generally accepted standard and different stages of organisational learning. The findings also show that the respondents perceived CMA practices as essential to enhancing their companies’ sustainability performance and overall reputation. However, the majority of the respondents showed little appetite for carbon emission disclosure.
Practical implications
The findings thoroughly describe the current CMA practices by companies committed to sustainability in Australia’s high carbon-emitting industries. Overall, the results show that while the respondents perceived CMA practices as essential for their companies’ sustainability performance and energy-saving, the CMA applications were inconsistent, along with some concerning results, such as a lack of assurance and accountability in the data validation and audit. These indicate the importance of policymakers to consider establishing CMA guidelines or standards to improve its practice. For any company, these findings can be used as learning materials to start or enhance CMA practice at their companies. A broader professional CMA community can strengthen the collective efforts to make CMA more robust.
Social implications
The findings portray the perceptions of practitioners from Australia’s four highest carbon-emitting industries, indicating motivations to use CMA to understand their companies’ carbon footprint and reduce their companies’ environmental impacts.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to the limited literature in this area and offer several valuable insights regarding the current practice of CMA in Australia, focussing on high carbon-emission industries. It also encourages more research in this area using data from other industries or countries to develop comparative results and strengthen the literature. Future research using actual carbon emission information or a longitudinal approach could also evaluate the changes and progresses in CMA practices.
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Soheil Kazemian, Rashid Zaman, Mohammad Iranmanesh and Zuraidah Mohd Sanusi
This study examines the carbon emissions of Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors from a consumption perspective to develop effective policy frameworks. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the carbon emissions of Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors from a consumption perspective to develop effective policy frameworks. The objective is to identify key supply chains, industries and products contributing to these emissions and provide recommendations for sustainable development.
Design/methodology/approach
A multiregional input-output lifecycle assessment was conducted using the Australian Industrial Ecology Virtual Laboratory (IELab) platform to disaggregate sectors and enable benchmarking against other economic sectors.
Findings
In 2018, the “agriculture, forestry, and fishing” sector was responsible for 12.15% of Australia’s carbon footprint. Major contributors included the “electricity, gas, water, and waste” category (26.1%) and the sector’s activities (24.3%). The “transport, postal, and warehousing” sector also contributed 18.4%. Within the industry, the agriculture subsector had the highest impact (71.3%), followed by forestry and logging (15%) and fishing, hunting and trapping (7.6%). Aquaculture and supporting services contributed 6.1%.
Research limitations/implications
The principal constraint encountered by the present study pertained to the availability of up-to-date data. The latest accessible data for quantifying the carbon footprint within Australia’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, utilizing the Input-Output analysis methodology through the Australian Industrial Ecology Virtual Laboratory (IELab) platform, about 2018.
Practical implications
The findings of this study provide policymakers with detailed insights into the carbon footprints of key sectors, highlighting the contributions from each subsector. This information can be directly used to develop effective emission-reduction policies, with a focus on reducing emissions in utility services, transport and warehousing.
Social implications
The study, by raising public awareness of the significant role of industrial agricultural methods in Australia’s carbon footprint and emphasizing the importance of renewable energy and sustainable fuels for electricity generation and road transport, underscores the urgent need for action to mitigate climate change.
Originality/value
This study stands out by not only identifying the most impactful industries but also by providing specific strategies to reduce their emissions. It offers a comprehensive breakdown of specific agricultural activities and outlines mitigation strategies for utility services, agricultural operations and transport, thereby adding a unique perspective to the existing knowledge.