Tatiana Anisimova, Jan Weiss and Felix Mavondo
Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model, the purpose of this study is to investigate mediating effects of controlled and uncontrolled communications of corporate…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on the stimulus–organism–response (S-O-R) model, the purpose of this study is to investigate mediating effects of controlled and uncontrolled communications of corporate brand perceptions on consumer satisfaction and loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses on a sample of 271 Australian automobile consumers.
Findings
The authors find that while consumer satisfaction is indirectly influenced by corporate-level attributes via controlled and uncontrolled communication, the authors did not find an indirect effect between consumer benefits on consumer satisfaction via controlled and uncontrolled communication. By contrast, the authors find highly significant indirect effects – via controlled and uncontrolled communication as well as consumer satisfaction – for the relationship between, on the one hand, corporate-level attributes and consumer benefits and consumer brand loyalty on the other. Uncontrolled communication was significantly associated with consumer loyalty, a relevant finding that indicates an importance of tracking media coverage and maintaining favorable relationships with the media.
Research limitations/implications
The cross-sectional method limits data collection to one point in time.
Practical implications
This study adds to a better understanding of how to leverage corporate brand through communications in ways that it positively resonates with consumers. A fine-grained analysis of corporate brand attributes and consumer-perceived benefits can aid managers in developing specific and more effective marketing strategies.
Originality/value
The overall thrust of this empirical study, which is to investigate how corporate brand perceptions influence short term (satisfaction) and long term (loyalty) via controlled and uncontrolled communications is original. This study comprehensively conceptualizes and operationalizes the corporate brand as a multidimensional construct consisting of corporate-level attributes and brand-level attributes such as perceived consumer benefits. To examine the hypothesized relationships between and among our constructs, the authors go beyond the commonly studied single mediator model and test a multiple mediator model instead.
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Tatiana Anisimova and Jan Weiss
Previous research has found mixed evidence of an attitude–behavior gap in organic food consumption. However, the complex mechanisms underlying this gap warrant further…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has found mixed evidence of an attitude–behavior gap in organic food consumption. However, the complex mechanisms underlying this gap warrant further investigation. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of word-of-mouth (WOM), trust, and involvement in the relationship between consumer organic food attitudes and conative loyalty. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as underlying framework for modeling our conceptualized arguments.
Design/methodology/approach
A moderation and moderated mediation analysis was performed on a cross-sectional sample of 1,011 Australian organic food consumers.
Findings
The results support the TPB-inspired moderated-mediation model. Specifically, the authors found moderated mediation effects of WOM, trust, and involvement on conative loyalty via attitudes toward organics.
Research limitations/implications
The cross-sectional research design and the focus solely on Australian consumers constitute limitations of this study.
Practical implications
The authors' findings imply that an analysis of the attitude–behavior gap should go beyond the testing of contingent consistency hypotheses and instead combine moderation and mediation mechanisms to better model consumer decision-making leading to conative loyalty. Practitioners would face a resource challenge when targeting low-trust, low-involvement, and low-WOM consumers as developing conative loyalty of these segments would require a longer-term approach through building favorable attitudes toward organic foods.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to demonstrate the potential of examining the attitude–behavior gap in the organic food context through a moderated mediation lens in explaining the dynamics of conative loyalty.
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Hari Vasudevan, Sanjaya S. Gaur and Rajesh Kumar Shinde
This study attempts to understand the impact of relational switching costs and satisfaction on commitment as well as its impact on the satisfaction – commitment link in a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to understand the impact of relational switching costs and satisfaction on commitment as well as its impact on the satisfaction – commitment link in a supplier‐to‐manufacturer context in manufacturing.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected from the small and medium size manufacturing firms located in and around Mumbai. A total of 67 CEOs/business heads were randomly selected and personally interviewed with the help of a structured questionnaire.
Findings
Study strengthens the view that small and medium enterprises need to invest in relationships so that such investments are turned into relational switching barriers and they would thereby help in increasing customer retention. It also shows that if relational switching costs are higher, then even if satisfaction is lower the customer is less likely to terminate the relationship.
Research limitations/implications
For marketing practitioners, the findings validate the long‐held belief that relationship marketing orientation is critical for business performance. However, data in this study were obtained from manufacturing firms, which are into plastics and light engineering sector. Replication of this study on a wider scale across different industries is essential for the generalization of the findings. Further, it could be useful to explore the complexities of the relationship between relational switching costs and other types of switching costs like the set‐up and financial costs.
Originality/value
Although empirical studies have dealt with the customers’ switching behaviour, the concept of relational switching costs and its impact on other relational parameters is relatively new. This study's unique contribution is in this direction.
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Brandon Dupont, Drew Keeling and Thomas Weiss
We present a continuous time series on first cabin passenger fares for ocean travel from New York to the British Isles covering nearly a century of time. We discuss the conceptual…
Abstract
We present a continuous time series on first cabin passenger fares for ocean travel from New York to the British Isles covering nearly a century of time. We discuss the conceptual and empirical difficulties of constructing such a time series, and examine the reasons for differences between the behavior of advertised fares and those based on passenger revenues. We find that while there are conceptual differences between these two measurements, as well as differences in the average values, the two generally moved in parallel, which means that the advertised fare series can serve as a reasonable proxy for movement of the revenue-based fares. We also find that advertised fares declined over time, roughly paralleling the drop in freight rates for US bulk exports, until around 1890, but thereafter increased while freight rates continued to decline. We propose several hypotheses for this divergent behavior and suggest lines of future research.
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The British North American colonies were the first western economies to rely on legislature-issued paper monies as an important internal media of exchange. This system arose…
Abstract
The British North American colonies were the first western economies to rely on legislature-issued paper monies as an important internal media of exchange. This system arose piecemeal. In the absence of banks and treasuries that exchanged paper monies at face value for specie monies on demand, colonial governments experimented with other ways to anchor their paper monies to real values in the economy. These mechanisms included tax-redemption, land-backed loans, sinking funds, interest-bearing notes, and legal tender laws. I assess and explain the structure and performance of these mechanisms. This was monetary experimentation on a grand scale.
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In the Summer 1983 issue of this journal, Heany and Weiss introduced “cluster strategy” into the lexicon of strategic planning. They argued that in diversified corporations…
Abstract
In the Summer 1983 issue of this journal, Heany and Weiss introduced “cluster strategy” into the lexicon of strategic planning. They argued that in diversified corporations, additional leverage can be gained by integrating the strategies of a number of related strategic business units (SBUs), thereby giving rise to a cluster strategy. They proposed seven bases for formulating clusters (quest for efficiency, market relatedness, shared production processes, underlying technology, market systems relationships, distribution system, company specific) and also touched upon an administrative problem involved in establishing business clusters. That is, only CEOs have sufficient clout to translate perceived strategic relationships among SBUs into a unified strategy based on inter‐SBU cooperation.
Stephen E. Maiden, Gerry Yemen, Elliott N. Weiss and Oliver Wight
This case examines the queueing issues caused by the growth in popularity of one of the most visited Hindu temples in the world. On January 2, 2015, Ramesh and Vasantha Gupta…
Abstract
This case examines the queueing issues caused by the growth in popularity of one of the most visited Hindu temples in the world. On January 2, 2015, Ramesh and Vasantha Gupta visit Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, just a day after some 210,000 people crowded the 2,000-year-old site. The case describes the many enhancements that the temple administrator, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), has implemented since its management of the temple complex began in 1932. The soaring popularity of the temple, however, has led to safety and comfort concerns for pilgrims. While challenging students to consider additional improvements that might benefit pilgrim throughput rate and time in the temple system, the case highlights the tension TTD must manage between maximizing efficiency and maintaining religious traditions. Additionally, the case demonstrates the importance of perceived waiting times in the management of queues.
Tino Woschke, Heiko Haase and Jan Kratzer
This study deals with the impact of resource scarcity on the innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise…
Abstract
Purpose
This study deals with the impact of resource scarcity on the innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The purpose of this paper is to scrutinise whether resource scarcity among SMEs has an effect on their innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample was based on panel data for 302 SMEs from the mechanical and electrical engineering sectors. Firms were divided into four groups by resource scarcity: human resource scarcity, financial resource scarcity, both types of resource scarcity and no resource scarcity. To test for significant inter-group differences in innovation performance, multivariate analysis of covariance and a multiple discriminant function analysis were carried out.
Findings
The results indicated that resource scarcity can have a positive effect on incremental but not radical innovation performance in SMEs. However, the authors found this to be true for financial resource scarcity only.
Research limitations/implications
These results may not be applicable to all SMEs, as the authors only focused on the industries of mechanical and electrical engineering. Future studies should focus on analysing the internal structures of SMEs that led to this study’s results. More research should also be conducted on ways that resource-limited SMEs can appropriately conduct radical innovations. Finally, resources should be made available for both practitioners and academics, explaining why the acquisition of resources is not always be the best option in response to limited resources.
Practical implications
These results indicate that resource-constrained SMEs, especially those that struggle with limited finances, should concentrate their innovation activities on incremental rather than radical innovations.
Originality/value
This study closes the knowledge gap as to whether it is beneficial for resource-limited SMEs to focus on either incremental or radical innovation. From the theoretical viewpoint, the resource-based view provides two strategies for resource-limited SMEs: acquiring new resources or recombining available resources. The authors were able to clearly demonstrate for the first time that the recombination of resources is especially important for SMEs that specifically wish to pursue incremental innovation.
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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.