Nicholas Keller and Celeste Wilderom
Describes five negative business trends of the 1980s: too much lackof social responsibility; one‐man show companies; good‐weather captains;conglomerates; and mistreatment of young…
Abstract
Describes five negative business trends of the 1980s: too much lack of social responsibility; one‐man show companies; good‐weather captains; conglomerates; and mistreatment of young and promising personnel. Based on these trends, offers ten leadership lessons for the 1990s: we need more shared leadership; integrity; multicultural skills; wiser unions and press; care in shareholder and board relationships; mindful interpretations of financial facts; integration of marketing and technology; and creativity.
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Jean Boisvert and Nicholas J. Ashill
Grounded in categorization theory, this study examines the impact of luxury parent brand status signaling on brand extension authenticity and consumer attitudes in two…
Abstract
Purpose
Grounded in categorization theory, this study examines the impact of luxury parent brand status signaling on brand extension authenticity and consumer attitudes in two international luxury markets.
Design/methodology/approach
Using samples of luxury consumers from France and the United States, the study's hypotheses are tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modelling (SEM) and multi-groups comparisons.
Findings
Findings demonstrate that luxury parent brand (PB) status signaling, familiarity and perceived quality impact luxury extension authenticity, and authenticity has a significant effect on consumer attitudes toward the extension. The relationship between PB status signaling and extension authenticity is stronger for French consumers compared to their American counterparts. The effect of luxury PB perceived quality and familiarity on PB status signaling is similar for both American and French consumers. However, the effect of PB familiarity on luxury brand extension authenticity is stronger in France than the United States.
Research limitations/implications
Results provide researchers and managers with insights on how to design marketing programs for luxury line extensions in a cross-national context.
Originality/value
The authors contribute to existing literature examining factors related to the parent brand and the relationship between the parent brand and the extension by examining the effect of PB status signaling and extension authenticity on extension attitudes in two international luxury markets.
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Jean Boisvert and Nicholas J. Ashill
The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of branding strategies on horizontal and downward line extensions of French luxury brands in a cross-national context…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically assess the impact of branding strategies on horizontal and downward line extensions of French luxury brands in a cross-national context (France vs USA).
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a two line extensions (horizontal/downward) × three branding strategies (direct brand/sub-brand/standalone brand) x two country (France/USA) between-subjects ANOVA design.
Findings
The study shows that the subtyping effect created by a sub-branded luxury downward line extension tends to be rated similarly to a direct branded extension which oppose previous beliefs put forward in non-luxury settings. In contrast, a new independent/standalone extension fully uses the subtyping effect which helps attenuate this risk related to luxury downward stretches. The study also found that the effect of gender in cross-national settings must always be taken into consideration as significant variations occur in the process.
Research limitations/implications
The study covers two countries but should be replicated in other cross-national contexts.
Practical implications
This study helps marketing managers of luxury brands make a better decision when it comes to launching vertical line extensions (upscale/downward) by carefully using types of branding strategies and relevant communications whether women and/or men are targeted in cross-national contexts.
Originality/value
This study breaks new ground in the international luxury literature by providing key theoretical and managerial insights in terms of launching new downward line extensions with the proper use of branding strategies when targeting specific genders.
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This case study examines the new product development (NPD) process of digital information products (DIPs) and its critical success factors (CSFs) in a small-sized German…
Abstract
Purpose
This case study examines the new product development (NPD) process of digital information products (DIPs) and its critical success factors (CSFs) in a small-sized German enterprise.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study was conducted with a small firm focused on the development of DIPs; data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, direct observation and document analysis.
Findings
The firm uses an informal and cross-functional NPD process (idea generation, idea validation, product creation and product launch) in converting an idea into a sellable product. Peculiar aspects of each stage within the process as well as ten CSFs to NPD projects were verified.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations are attributed to its qualitative nature, which does not allow generalizations, though careful attention was given to validity and reliability issues through the use of data source triangulation.
Practical implications
The paper provides a conceptual process that may benefit further initiatives for developing and launching DIPs, as well as a comprehensive list of CSFs for such projects.
Originality/value
This paper is the first one to schematize the NPD process and practices for DIPs, as well as key capabilities. It contributes to the NPD literature in discussing dynamic aspects that are typical to the firm analyzed and to others operating in a digital context. At the same time, it reinforces other traditional aspects that have become overlooked in digital business debates.
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Nebojsa Davcik and Nicholas Grigoriou
The purpose of this paper is to address how marketing assets and resources of the firm perform under different product (brand) innovation conditions using the dynamic marketing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to address how marketing assets and resources of the firm perform under different product (brand) innovation conditions using the dynamic marketing capabilities (DMC) research perspective. The study contributes to the DMC research stream showing the effects and performance of heterogeneous firm drivers and resources. Academic research to date has paid a little attention to the interrelationship between market share as a performance metric, dynamic capabilities and product (brand) innovation. The current study bridges this knowledge gap by empirically validating the effects of DMC on market share performance output using panel data for 753 retail food brands.
Design/methodology/approach
The model was initially fitted with the β regression analysis and cluster analysis in the second step of the estimation procedure. The results of simulation by Monte Carlo experimentation are discussed.
Findings
The findings show that firms leverage their marketing capabilities unequally in the multi-brand portfolios, which leads to an unequal intra-firm distribution of assets and resources. The research contributes to the understanding of the brand competitive dynamics and appropriate deployment of assets and resources for improved firm performance.
Originality/value
These findings are useful for both academics and practitioners because they address new and future research. In doing so, the authors advance the firm performance and branding literature with extension in the DMC literature.
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Marwah Ahmed Halwani, S. Yasaman Amirkiaee, Nicholas Evangelopoulos and Victor Prybutok
The lack of clarity in defining data science is problematic in both academia and industry because the former has a need for clarity to establish curriculum guidelines in their…
Abstract
Purpose
The lack of clarity in defining data science is problematic in both academia and industry because the former has a need for clarity to establish curriculum guidelines in their work to prepare future professionals, and the latter has a need for information to establish clear job description guidelines to recruit professionals. This lack of clarity has resulted in job descriptions with significant overlap among different related professional groups. This study examines the industry view of five professions: statistical analysts (SAs), big data analytics professionals (BDAs), data scientists (DSs), data analysts (DAs) and business analytics professionals (BAs). The study compares the five fields with the unified backdrop of their common semantic dimensions and examines their recent dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
1,200 job descriptions for the five Big Data professions (SA, DS, BDA, DA and BA) were pulled from the Monster website at four points in time, and a document library was created. The collected job qualification records were analyzed using the text analytic method of Latent Semantic Analysis (LSAs), which extract topics based on observed text usage patterns.
Findings
The findings indicated a good alignment between the industry view and the academic view of data science as a blend of statistical and programming skills. This industry view remained relatively stable during the 4 years of our study period.
Originality/value
This research paper builds upon a long tradition of related studies and commentaries. Rather than relying on subjective expertise, this study examined the job market and used text analytics to discern a space of skill and qualification dimensions from job announcements related to five big data professions.
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Nicholas J. Ashill, John Davies and Anthony Joe
This study contributes to continuing work on the development of a conceptual framework to better understand sponsorship, consumer response towards sponsorship efforts, and the…
Abstract
This study contributes to continuing work on the development of a conceptual framework to better understand sponsorship, consumer response towards sponsorship efforts, and the contribution of sponsorship to customer-based brand equity, by seeking to validate a set of consumer-related attitudes to sponsorship. In particular, the study focuses on establishing the properties of consumer-related attitudinal constructs in the context of sponsorship of an annual national sporting event, the New Zealand Rugby Football Union's National Provincial Championship. Such constructs and their embedded scales will enable sponsorship managers to assess and distinguish consumer reactions to the event itself, to the commercialisation of the event, and to identify the consumer behaviours likely to benefit the sponsor of the event.
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Jean Boisvert and Nicholas Jeremy Ashill
The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which gender impacts the evaluation of vertical line extensions of luxury brands in a cross-national context. The topic of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the extent to which gender impacts the evaluation of vertical line extensions of luxury brands in a cross-national context. The topic of brand/line extensions has been investigated in the mainstream branding literature. On the other hand, the topic has received less attention in the luxury literature. At the same time, while research has examined brand/line extensions from an international perspective, the impact of gender on consumer purchase intentions of luxury downward line extensions in different countries has remained unexplored.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an ANOVA design (2 extension types × 2 genders × 2 countries). The independent variables were ordered as follows: gender (male/female), vertical line extensions (upscale/downward) and country of living (France/USA). The purchase intention of the extension was chosen as the dependent variable.
Findings
The study results show that key differences exist between men and women regarding vertical luxury line extensions. For instance, women in both countries rate a new downward line extension of a luxury brand more positively than men. In contrast, although women evaluate a new upscale line extension of a luxury brand similarly to men in France, women are more positive than men in the USA. Also, US men rate an upscale extension less positively than their French counterparts. Finally, women in both countries rate luxury downward extensions more positively than men.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature of luxury brand management by examining how gender types process and respond to upscale and downward luxury line extensions versus purchase intentions in two different countries. This paper is unique as gender types are not often compared in previous research while fundamental distinctions exist, leading to significant differences. Practically, this study also provides key insights for marketing strategy development and adjustment for luxury manufacturers in terms of their target market, more specifically men versus women.
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Holger Joerg Schmidt, Nicholas Ind, Francisco Guzmán and Eric Kennedy
This paper aims to shed light on the emerging position of companies taking stances on sociopolitical issues and the impact this has on consumers.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to shed light on the emerging position of companies taking stances on sociopolitical issues and the impact this has on consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses focus groups, interviews and consumer experiments in various countries, to provide insights as to why brands are taking sociopolitical stances.
Findings
Consumers expect brands to take a stance on sociopolitical issues. However, to be credible, a stance needs to be rooted in a long-term commitment that aligns with the brand’s strategy and values. Perceived authenticity is key.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies should aim at broader generalizability and should address various industries.
Practical implications
Differentiating a brand through a sociopolitical stance requires a strategic approach. Brand managers need to identify which issues they should support, how to engage with them and the risks and opportunities involved.
Originality/value
While the impact of brands adopting a sociopolitical stance has been discussed in the mainstream media, there has been a lack of empirical evidence to support the arguments. The results of the four studies discussed in the paper provide insights and demonstrate the brand-related opportunities and risks of taking a sociopolitical stance.