Price is a significant determinant of consumers' purchase decisions. It is assumed in this study that the analysis of consumer price perception is of vital importance to…
Abstract
Price is a significant determinant of consumers' purchase decisions. It is assumed in this study that the analysis of consumer price perception is of vital importance to understanding the effects of price information on purchase decisions. Earlier it has been studied experimentally in isolation, how a single price cue affects consumer perception of a product's quality. In this study there is the main difference that the influence of an array of prices for the product on the consumer's price perception is examined experimentally at the same time.
The membership in the European Union (EU) affected price perceptions of citizens in many European countries at the beginning of 2002. How did the transition from the national…
Abstract
The membership in the European Union (EU) affected price perceptions of citizens in many European countries at the beginning of 2002. How did the transition from the national currency to the Euro, the new single currency of EU, actually take place? Examines the confusion among Finnish consumers concerning internal reference prices in different product and service categories immediately after the transition to the Euro. Proposes tentatively and empirically tests a framework model. Provides the relationships between the paper's key constructs of consumer price perception and some attitudinal and behavioral variables shortly after transition to Euro currency. Basically price perception took place in similar way, when Markka and Euro scales were utilized. This result was shown, first, by analyzing price perception strategies of consumers, and, second, by showing with correlation analysis that as internal reference price increases, the width of price latitude increases, and, third, by modelling reference price perception on the basis of Volkmann's range theory. Money illusion effect was found to exist to some extent.
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M. Antilla, R.R. van den Heuvel and K. Moller
Discusses a new tool for quantitative marketing research‐ conjoint measurement, although developed for psychometric research this technique has numerous possibilities outside this…
Abstract
Discusses a new tool for quantitative marketing research‐ conjoint measurement, although developed for psychometric research this technique has numerous possibilities outside this area. Emphasises marketing planning involves the integration of often conflicting goals and a balance must be sought between objectives such as market share, profit, sales growth percentage, return on investment and retail coverage. Tries to bridge an information gap by presenting essentials of conjoint measurement in fairly non‐technical terms. Introduces some of the concepts that underlie the use of conjoint measurement, the method is then described in brief. Differing steps of the research design are presented in a more detailed manner. Illustrates the potential of conjoint measurement for marketing measurement by way of an application to the market for colour televisions. Finally discusses the advantage of conjoint measurement and its limitations are summarised. Concludes that conjoint measurement will enjoy more popularity in the future.
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In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of…
Abstract
In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.
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The purpose of this paper is to present descriptive characteristics of the historical development of concept networks. The linguistic principles, mechanisms and motivations behind…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present descriptive characteristics of the historical development of concept networks. The linguistic principles, mechanisms and motivations behind the evolution of concept networks are discussed. Implications emanating from the idea of the historical development of concept networks are discussed in relation to knowledge representation and organization schemes.
Design/methodology/approach
Natural language data including both speech and text are analyzed by examining discourse contexts in which a linguistic element such as a polysemy or homonym occurs. Linguistic literature on the historical development of concept networks is reviewed and analyzed.
Findings
Semantic sense relations in concept networks can be captured in a systematic and regular manner. The mechanism and impetus behind the process of concept network development suggest that semantic senses in concept networks are closely intertwined with pragmatic contexts and discourse structure. The interrelation and permeability of the semantic senses of concept networks are captured on a continuum scale based on three linguistic parameters: concrete shared semantic sense; discourse and text structure; and contextualized pragmatic information.
Research limitations/implications
Research findings signify the critical need for linking discourse structure and contextualized pragmatic information to knowledge representation and organization schemes.
Originality/value
The idea of linguistic characteristics, principles, motivation and mechanisms underlying the evolution of concept networks provides theoretical ground for developing a model for integrating knowledge representation and organization schemes with discourse structure and contextualized pragmatic information.
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Sandra Klute-Wenig and Robert Refflinghaus
Quality management systems are well established in multinationals and SMEs. For establishing and improving such systems, there is a variety of guidelines. Furthermore, there are…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality management systems are well established in multinationals and SMEs. For establishing and improving such systems, there is a variety of guidelines. Furthermore, there are software tools allowing a self-assessment of the current state of the implemented systems. However, these approaches do not fit for micro-enterprises and start-ups. Their processes are rather informal or not yet specified. Moreover, these companies are often in a phase of strong growth and have only one person in charge. Hence, they face the difficulty to decide if and how a (quality) management system should be implemented. This paper aims to show a first guideline for implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
The first step comprises a definition of microenterprises and start-ups and an analysis of their specific characteristics. Following, an overview of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and its requirements is given. Next, it is analysed which requirements are relevant for or can be implemented in microenterprises and start-ups. Based on this, a guideline for decision-making is developed to examine if an application of the analysed standard is useful or necessary for the regarded companies. Also, the guideline illustrates how the requirements can be implemented.
Findings
A literature review, an analysis of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, the standards for project management, microenterprises and start-ups have been carried out. Thereby, the need to decide whether to implement implement a quality management system and assistance for the implementation process has been revealed as essential for the companies considered. Literature mostly deals with implementing a quality and/or project management system in multinationals and SMEs but not in very small companies. Furthermore, first practical examples have shown that microenterprises face difficulties when choosing and implementing a quality management system. A practical implementation guideline for these companies is lacking.
Originality/value
Although there is a lot of research dealing with quality management in SME, research about quality management in microenterprises and start-ups is scarce. This paper offers a first approach for a guideline of implementing an appropriate quality and possibly an additional or alternative project management in microenterprises and start-ups. This should facilitate the process of deciding if and how to implement an adequate management system for the regarded companies.
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Sandra Klute-Wenig and Robert Refflinghaus
Quality management systems (QMSs) are well established in multinationals and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). For establishing and improving these systems, a variety of…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality management systems (QMSs) are well established in multinationals and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). For establishing and improving these systems, a variety of guidelines have been established. Furthermore, there are software tools allowing a self-assessment of the current state of the implemented systems. However, these approaches are not appropriate for microenterprises and start-ups as their processes are rather informal or not yet specified. Moreover, these companies are often in a phase of strong growth and have only one person in charge; hence, they face the difficulty to decide if and how a QMS should be implemented. The purpose of this study is to report a first guideline for implementation of a QMS for microenterprises and start-ups.
Design/methodology/approach
The first step comprises a definition of microenterprises and start-ups and an analysis of their specific characteristics. An overview of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and its requirements is given below. Next, the relevant requirements that can be implemented in microenterprises and start-ups are analyzed. Accordingly, a guideline for decision-making is developed to examine if an application of the analyzed standard is useful or necessary for these companies. Moreover, the guideline illustrates how the requirements can be implemented.
Findings
A literature review, an analysis of the DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, and of microenterprises and start-ups have been carried out. Thus, the need to decide whether to implement a QMS and assistance for the implementation process has been revealed to be essential for the companies that were considered. The literature mostly deals with implementing a quality and/or project management system in multinationals and SMEs but not for very small companies. Furthermore, the practical examples have shown that microenterprises face difficulties when choosing and implementing a QMS; thus, a practical implementation guideline for these companies is lacking.
Originality/value
Although there is a lot of research dealing with quality management (QM) in SMEs, research about QM in microenterprises and start-ups is scarce. This paper offers a first approach for a guideline of implementing an appropriate QMS and possibly an additional or alternative project management system in microenterprises and start-ups. This should facilitate the process of deciding if and how to implement an adequate management system for such companies.
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Research on artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential effects on the workplace is increasing. How AI and the futures of work are framed in traditional media has been examined…
Abstract
Purpose
Research on artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential effects on the workplace is increasing. How AI and the futures of work are framed in traditional media has been examined in prior studies, but current research has not gone far enough in examining how AI is framed on social media. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining how people frame the futures of work and intelligent machines when they post on social media.
Design/methodology/approach
We investigate public interpretations, assumptions and expectations, referring to framing expressed in social media conversations. We also coded the emotions and attitudes expressed in the text data. A corpus consisting of 998 unique Reddit post titles and their corresponding 16,611 comments was analyzed using computer-aided textual analysis comprising a BERTopic model and two BERT text classification models, one for emotion and the other for sentiment analysis, supported by human judgment.
Findings
Different interpretations, assumptions and expectations were found in the conversations. Three subframes were analyzed in detail under the overarching frame of the New World of Work: (1) general impacts of intelligent machines on society, (2) undertaking of tasks (augmentation and substitution) and (3) loss of jobs. The general attitude observed in conversations was slightly positive, and the most common emotion category was curiosity.
Originality/value
Findings from this research can uncover public needs and expectations regarding the future of work with intelligent machines. The findings may also help shape research directions about futures of work. Furthermore, firms, organizations or industries may employ framing methods to analyze customers’ or workers’ responses or even influence the responses. Another contribution of this work is the application of framing theory to interpreting how people conceptualize the future of work with intelligent machines.
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Reza Shoja Razavi, Gholam Reza Gordani and H.C. Man
The purpose of this paper is to consider the corrosion properties of laser nitrided Ti‐6Al‐4V alloys that have been reported previously by several researchers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the corrosion properties of laser nitrided Ti‐6Al‐4V alloys that have been reported previously by several researchers.
Design/methodology/approach
Different kinds of surface nitriding methods of titanium alloys, such as plasma nitriding, ion nitriding, gas and laser nitriding, are introduced. Microstructure changes, such as phase formation and the influence of laser processing parameters in laser nitriding layers of Ti‐6Al‐4V alloys, were investigated using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X‐ray photo‐electron spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Based on investigations presented in the literature, the effect of laser nitriding on the corrosion behavior of Ti‐6Al‐4V alloy was reviewed.
Findings
By regulating the laser processing parameter, the microstructure of the nitrided layer can be controlled to optimize corrosion properties. This layer improves corrosion behavior in most environments, due to the formation of a continuous TiNxOy passive film, which can retard the ingress of corrosive ions into the substrate and can maintain a constant value of a current density. Therefore, the laser gas nitrided specimens have a relatively noble corrosion potential and a very small corrosion current, as compared to untreated specimens.
Originality/value
This paper comprises a critical review, and its collection of references is useful. It summarizes current knowledge in laser surface treatment research.
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Vicky Y. Chen and Pearl M.C. Lin
Of the studies covering culinary tourism and traditional culture, Generation Z remains an underexplored group despite being the primary consumers of future tourism. Research into…
Abstract
Purpose
Of the studies covering culinary tourism and traditional culture, Generation Z remains an underexplored group despite being the primary consumers of future tourism. Research into young consumers’ motivations is hoped to clarify, protect, and sustain Hong Kong Tong sui among this generation. As such, this study focuses on Generation Z to understand the types of novel experiences Tong sui can create for them, and it is worth exploring in depth the diet that young people are interested in from the perspective of traditional food.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on Creswell’s guidelines for quantitative research, we investigated the relationships among multiple elements of Hong Kong Tong sui and Generation Z tourists. A corresponding questionnaire was designed to gather information for statistical analysis and contains five sections. The first part solicited basic respondent information. Sections 2–5 presented several key terms (nostalgic emotion, food authenticity, FCV, and purchase intention) to frame the questionnaire in terms of our hypotheses. Items were scored on 7-point Likert-type scales for ease of processing in SPSS 26.0.
Findings
All hypotheses were supported, with nostalgia having the most significant influence on Generation Z’s purchase intentions. Besides, young generations are willing to buy traditional food when exposed to the restaurants or enterprises have nostalgic elements and inspire nostalgia in consumer. Generation Z’s thoughts about food authenticity notably played a more significant role than FCV in terms of the nostalgia of traditional food. In addition, food authenticity and FCV were found to indirectly mediate the relationship between nostalgic emotion and purchase intention.
Research limitations/implications
Examining these types of campaigns geared toward Generation Z tourists to advertise traditional food has enriched this tactic’s applicability. The approach also constructs a foundation to scrutinize the appeal of traditional dishes among young consumer groups to potentially strengthen such food’s influence.
Practical implications
This study highlights the importance of leveraging nostalgia and understanding the emotional connection that Generation Z has with traditional cuisine. It suggests that enterprises can develop new products or revive traditional recipes that cater to the nostalgic preferences of Generation Z. Marketing innovations, such as using social media influencers, can also be employed to create awareness and generate interest in traditional food. Traditional food can contribute to tourist destinations' promotion and differentiate them from competitors, boosting the tourism and catering industries and creating employment opportunities.
Social implications
The promotion and preservation of traditional food can contribute to the preservation of cultural identity and heritage. By engaging local communities in culinary initiatives and fostering community pride, traditional food tourism can strengthen the connection to cultural heritage and encourage the preservation of traditional culinary practices. This engagement can lead to sustainable development by promoting local traditions and ensuring the participation of the local community in tourism activities.
Originality/value
This study offers novel theoretical insights into traditional food consumption and food marketing, thus narrowing gaps in research on young consumers and traditional food. Results enrich the understanding of Generation Z’s intentions to purchase traditional food by highlighting tourists’ preferences. Guidelines are also provided for the operators on creating nostalgic campaigns that appeal to young generations.