Wim G. Biemans and Maja Makovec Brenčič
This paper explores the marketing‐sales interface in Dutch and Slovenian B2B firms.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper explores the marketing‐sales interface in Dutch and Slovenian B2B firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The study included 11 Dutch firms and ten Slovenian firms, with both samples as closely matched as possible. The firms were all manufacturers of physical products that operate internationally, but varied in terms of size and industry. Personal interviews with respondents from both marketing and sales were conducted, followed by interviews of a semi‐structured format.
Findings
In some firms it was difficult to identify the marketing‐sales interface. For instance, in small firms marketing and sales would frequently be combined in one individual.
Research limitations/implications
Since the paper is based on an exploratory investigation of 11 Dutch firms and ten Slovenian firms, the findings are only indicative. Follow‐up research might investigate a larger sample, different industries or different economic contexts. In addition, future research might study the relationship between marketing as an organisational capability and marketing as an organisational function or the development of scales to measure various aspects of the marketing‐sales interface.
Practical implications
The findings emphasize the role of developing an effective marketing‐sales interface in becoming a truly market‐oriented organisation. Thus, they can help managers to evaluate their own marketing‐sales interface and look for improvements as part of becoming more market oriented.
Originality/value
The findings describe how the marketing‐sales interface is organised and managed in B2B firms operating in different contexts. It positions the marketing‐sales interface as just part of a market‐oriented organisation. The findings help academics to understand the functioning of a marketing‐sales interface and assist managers in evaluating their own marketing‐sales interface and develop ways to improve it.
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Aviv Shoham and Maja Makovec Brenčič
Consumer compulsive buying is an important area of inquiry in consumer behavior research. The importance of studying compulsive buying, stems, in part, from its nature as a…
Abstract
Consumer compulsive buying is an important area of inquiry in consumer behavior research. The importance of studying compulsive buying, stems, in part, from its nature as a negative aspect of consumer behavior. Specifically, exploring negative consumption phenomena could provide modified or new perspectives for the study of positive consumption behaviors. Moreover, research on negative facets of consumption is useful because it can potentially contribute to society’s wellbeing, an important criterion for usefulness of any research. This paper builds on earlier papers to propose a model of compulsivity antecedents. Gender, consumers’ tendency to make unplanned purchases, and their tendency to buy products not on shopping lists, serve to predict compulsive tendencies in a sample of Israeli consumers. The findings suggest that these antecedents affect compulsive tendencies.
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Vesna Zabkar and Maja Makovec Brencic
Presents the results of an international marketing research, in which they integrate culture with manifestation of values, trust, and commitment as vital components of…
Abstract
Presents the results of an international marketing research, in which they integrate culture with manifestation of values, trust, and commitment as vital components of business‐to‐business relationships. Analyses trust, relationship commitment, and values in the context of business relationships in two former Yugoslav markets, Serbia and Croatia. The results from a survey of over 400 large‐ and medium‐sized companies show that Serbian firms evaluate trust and relationship commitment as more important than Croatian companies. Differences in evaluations of values, trust, and commitment for business‐to‐business relationships are explained as outcomes of culture and market situations. These findings provide companies with action menus of potential advantages to pursue for maintaining and developing business relationships.
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Tanja Dmitrović, Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar, Tomaž Kolar, Maja Makovec Brenčič, Irena Ograjenšek and Vesna Žabkar
The purpose of the research is to conceptualize a model of tourist satisfaction at the destination level which can serve as a background for designing a universal, parsimonious…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the research is to conceptualize a model of tourist satisfaction at the destination level which can serve as a background for designing a universal, parsimonious, short and easily applicable measurement instrument.
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model was developed on the basis of existing theoretical and empirical research in the fields of marketing and tourism.
Findings
The model includes eight latent constructs, with tourist satisfaction being the central one. The analysis of the antecedents (quality, image, value, and costs and risks) of customer satisfaction provides insights into the processes underlying the creation of satisfaction, while the outcome constructs (complaint behavior and loyalty) indicate the consequences of (dis)satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
Designing a parsimonious and easily applicable measurement instrument imposes some limitations with respect to the number of constructs and measured variables included. The inclusion of additional constructs/variables should provide a more comprehensive insight into customer satisfaction and a more solid basis for strategic decision‐making but at the same time it is likely to reduce the model's transparency and universality.
Practical implications
The results of a continuous customer satisfaction monitoring should serve as an input for a trend analysis and strategic discussions regarding the development of a tourist destination. The ultimate goals of monitoring satisfaction include identifying strategic objectives at the destination level, preparing tactical and operational plans and ultimately increasing the competitiveness of a given destination.
Originality/value
Achieving customer satisfaction should be one of the most important goals of every DMO and, to our knowledge, a few universal cause‐and‐effect measurement instruments/models have been developed to support this goal. The proposed model provides a basis for the continuous monitoring and improvement of the competitiveness of a given destination.
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Maja Makovec Brenčič, Gregor Pfajfar and Matevz Rašković
The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between selected market orientation dimensions, HRM, and innovation, and their impact on organizational performance before and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between selected market orientation dimensions, HRM, and innovation, and their impact on organizational performance before and during the current economic crisis in Slovenia.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the analysis are drawn from a longitudinal cross‐sectional study of the 101 best Slovenian employers between 2008 and 2009. Altogether, over 15,000 respondents and more than 170 companies took part in the study, making it the largest of its kind in Slovenia and southeast Europe. The research method applied in the paper is exploratory and consists of simple paired comparisons of univariate and bivariate statistics, as well as factor analysis, regression analysis, and correlation analysis.
Findings
The results show that customer expectations regarding trust and long‐term performance have a positive impact on HRM practices within a firm, that HRM positively impacts organizational performance, and that innovation unexpectedly impacts it negatively (at least in the short‐term). No significant relationships between customer expectations of services, quality, and price, and their impact on HRM and innovation, respectively, were found. However, the research partially confirms that the crisis is affecting organizational performance because companies are deploying more HRM practices and, unexpectedly, fewer innovation activities.
Originality/value
This paper explores market orientation, HRM, innovation, and performance‐related dimensions in a B2B relationship marketing context based on the results of an extensive longitudinal cross‐sectional company‐employee study conducted in Slovenia before and during the current economic downturn. The findings offer a unique glimpse into the impact of the current economic crisis on the observed links and relational dimensions, and also have important managerial implications.
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Matevž Rašković, Maja Makovec Brenčič and Marko Jaklič
The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational typology within an appropriate historical context, and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational typology within an appropriate historical context, and to additionally review key antecedent works of other authors who contributed to its evolutionary nature.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature by combining an evolutionary perspective with a Chandlerian business history approach.
Findings
The paper shows how Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational solution concept was developed in light of the global economic changes of the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the managerial and strategic challenges faced by US MNCs. It shows how the transnational solution concept should not be seen as a single work, but rather the outcome of an academic discourse which lasted over a decade. The review of Bartlett and Ghoshal's stream of work since the mid 1980s also shows how the transnational solution concept developed gradually into its present form and through the integration of several antecedent concepts.
Originality/value
This paper describes not just the actual evolution of Bartlett and Ghoshal's transnational typology, but also systematically identifies and analyzes key antecedent works by other authors. This analysis has been overlooked and is at the same time key to the understanding of their typology. The employed evolutionary and business history perspectives within this paper are new to the international management literature. They should be especially valuable for graduate students and scholars who employ Bartlett and Ghoshal's typology, or anyone who wishes to understand the Zeitgeist of the time articulated by this seminal work, which will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary.
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Ayalla Ruvio, Aviv Shoham and Maja Makovec Brenčič
The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate cross‐culturally a short‐form, consumers' need for uniqueness (CNFU) scale. The length of the original scale (31 items) might…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate cross‐culturally a short‐form, consumers' need for uniqueness (CNFU) scale. The length of the original scale (31 items) might have hindered its diffusion in research when questionnaire length and respondent fatigue are major considerations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses survey‐based data from Israel, Slovenia, and the Palestinian Authority and uses a combination of statistical techniques, such as EFA, CFA, and structural equation modeling.
Findings
In general, support was found for the cross‐cultural reliability and validity of the new, short‐form CNFU scale.
Research limitations/implications
Future research can use the short‐form scale with additional confidence in its cross‐cultural reliability and validity.
Practical implications
First, since CNFU appears not to be culturally bound, marketers can identify cross‐country segments of high‐CNFU individuals and use standardized marketing campaigns to reach them. Second, marketers of unique products can use the antecedents identified in this study to develop and encourage CNFU. Third, the findings can be used to design advertising campaigns such as by emphasizing the social context of consumption of high‐uniqueness products.
Originality/value
An original and first presentation of a cross‐cultural validation of a parsimonious CNFU scale.
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Nicola Cobelli and Emanuele Blasioli
The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to introduce new tools to develop a more precise and focused bibliometric analysis on the field of digitalization in healthcare management. Furthermore, this study aims to provide an overview of the existing resources in healthcare management and education and other developing interdisciplinary fields.
Design/methodology/approach
This work uses bibliometric analysis to conduct a comprehensive review to map the use of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) research models in healthcare academic studies. Bibliometric studies are considered an important tool to evaluate research studies and to gain a comprehensive view of the state of the art.
Findings
Although UTAUT dates to 2003, our bibliometric analysis reveals that only since 2016 has the model, together with UTAUT2 (2012), had relevant application in the literature. Nonetheless, studies have shown that UTAUT and UTAUT2 are particularly suitable for understanding the reasons that underlie the adoption and non-adoption choices of eHealth services. Further, this study highlights the lack of a multidisciplinary approach in the implementation of eHealth services. Equally significant is the fact that many studies have focused on the acceptance and the adoption of eHealth services by end users, whereas very few have focused on the level of acceptance of healthcare professionals.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to conduct a bibliometric analysis of technology acceptance and adoption by using advanced tools that were conceived specifically for this purpose. In addition, the examination was not limited to a certain era and aimed to give a worldwide overview of eHealth service acceptance and adoption.