Rick Roscitt and I. Robert Parket
Considers the need imposed by increased competition formanufacturers to move from a traditional, reactive service approachbased on routine maintenance programmes towards a more…
Abstract
Considers the need imposed by increased competition for manufacturers to move from a traditional, reactive service approach based on routine maintenance programmes towards a more strategic customer servicing philosophy based on strategic service management. Argues for a complete management audit of company service policies in order to implement a company‐wide service culture. Concludes that the implementation of a service mission developing all relevant factors can enable manufacturers themselves to out‐perform third‐party organizations, thus maximizing opportunities offered in the expanding industrial and business service market.
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Joel Raphael and I. Robert Parket
Discusses executive decision making and the importance of thebroader use of market research throughout the management ranks. Looks atthe opportunities and constraints between…
Abstract
Discusses executive decision making and the importance of the broader use of market research throughout the management ranks. Looks at the opportunities and constraints between market research and decision‐making executives. Proposes an amalgamated and integrated effort to ensure the timely gathering and analysis of appropriate information to help make beneficial decisions.
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Rick Roscitt and I. Robert Parket
This article explores how the introduction of a family of advanced information management sciences has dramatically altered modern direct marketing in the consumer marketplace. In…
Abstract
This article explores how the introduction of a family of advanced information management sciences has dramatically altered modern direct marketing in the consumer marketplace. In particular, a relatively new breed of consumer segmentation databases has been commercially developed to segment customers into demographic and psychographic “clusters.” This segmentation has allowed innovative direct marketers to combine commercial data with their own proprietary computer‐controlled consumer databases to appreciably improve their marketing impact. This type of data‐based direct marketing permits a more targeted offer and message and introduces new marketing effectiveness and economic efficiencies. The article concludes with management recommendations for adopting a high‐tech direct marketing program as a significant addition to a company's overall consumer marketing strategy.
Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez
Purpose – This chapter provides a theoretical and conceptual overview of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is written as a descriptive document to enhance the…
Abstract
Purpose – This chapter provides a theoretical and conceptual overview of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). It is written as a descriptive document to enhance the understanding of CSR within the context of international business.Design/methodology/approach – This chapter is built based on an extensive literature review.Findings – This chapter contains six subsections. The first subsection looks at the concept of CSR, and it highlights the possible role of CSR in mitigating the negative consequences of globalisation. The second subsection looks at the evolution of CSR since the 1990s. The third section looks at ethics theories. The fourth section looks at political theories to explain CSR. The fifth section looks at the business case for CSR. And finally the sixth section looks at specific CSR initiatives.Practical implications – This chapter provides a response to the necessity for this analysis that arises from the effects of CSR actions in international business.Originality/value of chapter – This chapter provides a summary of the conceptual and theoretical framework of CSR. It could be used as a teaching tool for undergraduate and masters’ courses on either international business or corporate social responsibility.
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Examines consumerist developments in progressive Western economies. Studies present literature about consumerism, developing some propositions forming the basis for a theory of…
Abstract
Examines consumerist developments in progressive Western economies. Studies present literature about consumerism, developing some propositions forming the basis for a theory of consumerism. Goes on to test the propositions, based on empirical data, to form the foundation for a framework to enable marketing to encompass consumerism. Examines in the first part the USA and the consumerist movement there, looking at various public interest groups active in the USA. Addresses the phenomenon in Europe in the second section stating that Sweden is the most consumer‐friendly, followed by the UK, France and Germany. Concludes that the consumer has a right to expect safety, quality, health; information, education and protection; and truth, authenticity and choice.
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The purpose of this paper is to revisit the debate and reorient research on corporate social responsibility (CSR), empirically documents the political-ideological biases inherent…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the debate and reorient research on corporate social responsibility (CSR), empirically documents the political-ideological biases inherent in CSR. It concludes with possible remedies to this problem.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken in this literature review is informed by the author’s viewpoint on the growing industry of social activists, who are pushing business toward the adoption of an ever-growing panoply of quasi-regulations commonly identified as CSR. The approach is complemented by a critique of stakeholder theory.
Findings
The literature review provides empirical support for Milton Friedman’s (1970) claim that the values underpinning CSR are driven by a socialist-collectivist agenda, which is inherently opposed to capitalist/libertarian values of free enterprise and individualism.
Practical implications
Without critical reflection on the leftwing ideology instantiated by CSR, the business community may unwittingly adopt and sustain values that undermine free markets.
Originality/value
Without critical reflection on the leftwing ideology instantiated by CSR, business and research communities may unwittingly promote values that, stealth-like, undermine individual liberty and the capitalist foundations of free markets.
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Namporn Thanetsunthorn and Rattaphon Wuthisatian
This study aims to empirically examine the underlying cultures of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities contributing toward employee: compensation and benefits (CB);…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically examine the underlying cultures of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities contributing toward employee: compensation and benefits (CB); diversity and labor rights (DLR); and training, safety and health (TSH), with a view of supporting both business corporations and policymakers in effectively designing and implementing employee-related CSR strategies in the global market.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed empirical model, namely, pooled ordinary least square (OLS) regression, is tested against a novel proprietary data set of 8,940 corporations from 48 countries across nine different regions. The prototypical models of cultural configurations are benchmarked against Hofstede’s country cultural scores on six dimensions to categorize the lists of countries in which the three specific employee-related CSR activities would appear to be culturally appropriate, as well as difficult to implement.
Findings
The study offers the cultural configuration models to identify the potential nature and range of cultural values that seem to support CSR activities contributing toward employee: CB – high power distance, high individualism, low masculinity, low uncertainty avoidance, medium long-term orientation and either relatively medium or low indulgence; DLR – medium power distance, medium individualism, low masculinity, high uncertainty avoidance, either relatively medium or low long-term orientation and medium indulgence; TSH – medium power distance, medium individualism, low masculinity, high uncertainty avoidance, medium long-term orientation and medium indulgence. The study further categorizes countries (cultural areas) in which these three specific employee-related CSR activities would appear to be culturally appropriate, as well as difficult to implement.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide both the motivation and a starting point for further academic inquiries. First, future research should further explore how specific industry and firm size have an impact on firms’ employee-related CSR activities. Second, the dynamic relationship of national culture and employee-related CSR activities over time should also be examined. Finally, appropriate management techniques or interventions to overcome the cultural constraints that prevent business corporations from promoting employee physical and mental fineness should also be fruitful area for further investigation.
Practical implications
The study offers meaningful strategic implications of employee-related CSR activities for business corporations and policymakers. Specifically, the cultural configuration models, together with the practical framework, should serve as a benchmark for evaluating a likelihood of successful implementation on a particular employee-related CSR activity in a given context and for customizing business corporations’ CSR strategies and activities to fit within a cultural environment of the host country in which they operate. For policymakers dealing with employee rights and labor standards, the findings can be applied to assess foreign investor’s preferences regarding employee-related CSR engagement and activities.
Originality/value
This is the first study to develop the cultural configuration models that provide business corporations culturally meaningful insights into how to effectively design and implement their employee-related CSR strategies in the global market. The study also offers a practical framework – a set of countries in the global marketplace where employee-related CSR activities are likely to be implemented successfully, or encounter challenges and difficulties.
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Christian Bode and Ingmar Geiger
This paper aims to better understand a firm’s market research function’s (MRF) roles and influences on the different uses of market research information (MRI) (instrumental…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to better understand a firm’s market research function’s (MRF) roles and influences on the different uses of market research information (MRI) (instrumental, conceptual and symbolic) in the firm.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a mixed-methods design: In a qualitative study among marketing managers (n = 9) and market researchers (n = 10); different roles of a firm’s MRF are scrutinized. The quantitative study among corporate users of MRI (n = 235) tests a conceptual model on the MRF-related determinants of MRI uses, using structural equation modeling.
Findings
When the MRF exhibits methodological, market and business expertise and interacts with market research users, these features indirectly influence instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic uses, through MRI quality perceived by the users. The users’ knowledge of market research methods, the function’s integrity, top management support, and decentralized decision-making have various beneficial influences on the three uses of MRI.
Research limitations/implications
Broadly speaking, this research expands the theoretical understanding of marketing-related organizational learning processes. It considers message, source, recipient, and context variables to explain changes in attitude and behavior, related to MRI uses.
Practical implications
Overall, corporations should use MRI more thoroughly. Treating the MRF as a strategic asset rather than just another internal service provider increases its value to the firm. Firms should thus bolster the MRF’s different roles, namely, internal colleague, service provider, customer representative, quality assurance, and knowledge broker.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to comprehensively analyze the MRF’s role in MRI generation and various uses. It identifies three expertise dimensions of the MRF to fully leverage the MRF’s value to the organization and empirically underscores theoretical writings on the MRF’s roles in the firm.
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Gyula Fülöp, Robert D. Hisrich and Krisztina Szegedi
The newly developed market‐oriented system in Hungary requires new values, different abilities, and more sensitivity to a wide variety of issues on the part of corporate…
Abstract
The newly developed market‐oriented system in Hungary requires new values, different abilities, and more sensitivity to a wide variety of issues on the part of corporate leadership. The nature of these values and abilities will more than likely vary depending on the industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the view of business ethics and social responsibility among Hungarian managers in both the business and non‐business sectors. The results indicate differences between the examined groups and diverse opinions among participants within each group.
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Rodrigo Mello, Vesa Suutari and Michael Dickmann
This paper investigates whether career capital (CC) development abroad, expatriate type, career type and career stage affect expatriates' career success in terms of perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates whether career capital (CC) development abroad, expatriate type, career type and career stage affect expatriates' career success in terms of perceived marketability and the number of promotions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study presents findings from a 2020 follow-up study among 327 expatriates, including assigned expatriates (AEs) (n = 117) and self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) (n = 220), who worked abroad in 2015 and 2016. Among that group, 186 had continued their international career, while 141 had repatriated. Structural equation modeling with robust maximum likelihood estimation was used to test this study's hypotheses. MPlus 8.6 software supported the analysis.
Findings
The study outlines that CC developed abroad positively impacts perceived marketability and the number of promotions. Second, repatriates reported a greater degree of perceived marketability than those continuing an international career. Career type did not predict the number of promotions. The expatriate type did not influence any of the career success measures. Finally, expatriates in their late-career stage did not achieve a similar level of career success as those in other career stages.
Research limitations/implications
All the expatriates were university-educated Finnish engineers and business professionals, and the career benefits of expatriation could differ for different sample groups. The study calls for more context-sensitive global careers research. The findings have positive implications for self-guided career actors considering working abroad. Organizations could focus more of their global talent attraction, management and career efforts on SIEs.
Originality/value
To analyze the impacts of these four antecedents on the career success of expatriates, the authors cooperated with two Finnish labor unions in 2020 to explore the careers of 327 expatriates, having surveyed the same group in 2015/2016. Such follow-up studies are not very common in expatriation research since it is difficult to keep track of expatriates who change locations and employers.