Ronald E. Goldsmith and Ronald A. Clark
This paper aims to test hypothesized relationships of consumer need for uniqueness, attention to social comparison information, status consumption, and role‐relaxed consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to test hypothesized relationships of consumer need for uniqueness, attention to social comparison information, status consumption, and role‐relaxed consumption with opinion leadership and opinion seeking for new fashionable clothing.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors surveyed 598 consumers between the ages of 18 and 83 years using a self‐administered questionnaire. Correlation and linear regression analyses showed that all four independent variables were related to both dependent variables.
Findings
Consumer need for uniqueness was related positively to opinion leadership, but negatively with opinion seeking for younger consumers. Attention to social comparison information was positively related more highly to opinion seeking than to opinion leadership. Status consumption had the largest overall positive association, followed by role‐relaxed consumption, which was negatively related.
Research limitations/implications
Some findings confirm earlier studies and some break new ground. The findings are limited to US consumers and the convenience sample. Other limitations include the specific measures used and the cross‐section survey method precludes making causal statements. The effects of other, unmeasured variables could be assessed.
Practical implications
Apparel marketers seeking to encourage opinion leaders to promote their lines of new clothing might devise appeals emphasizing the social significance and status of the new fashions and how they bestow uniqueness on their wearers.
Originality/value
The study not only confirms previous findings regarding consumer need for uniqueness and attention to social comparison information, but expands the description of motivating factors with status and role‐relaxed consumption.
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Keywords
Ronald E. Goldsmith, Leisa R. Flynn and Ronald A. Clark
The purpose of this paper is to show how materialism, brand engagement in self‐concept (BESC), and status consumption influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to show how materialism, brand engagement in self‐concept (BESC), and status consumption influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use data from a survey of 258 US college students to test a model using structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results show that materialism, BESC, and status consumption positively influence clothing involvement and brand loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings are bounded by the country and sample providing the data. The results strongly support hypotheses derived from the literature and provide important insights into the motives for clothing involvement and brand loyalty.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that appealing to these three important motivators can influence some consumers to choose specific brands of clothing.
Originality/value
This study is the first to demonstrate the influence of materialism, especially operationalized by Kasser's scale, and brand engagement in self‐concept on these clothing behaviors.
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Larry C. Giunipero, Kishore Gopalakrishna Pillai, Stephen N. Chapman and Ronald A. Clark
To examine the changes in just‐in‐time (JIT) purchasing practices over time.
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the changes in just‐in‐time (JIT) purchasing practices over time.
Design/methodology/approach
The evaluation of changes in JIT purchasing practices was done through a longitudinal study. The first study was performed in 1989. The second study was performed almost a decade later. The empirical studies measured the managerial perceptions of the importance of nine different areas of JIT purchasing activities. Regression and bootstrapping were used for comparison between time periods.
Findings
The study found similar results from a decade earlier on all but 17 out of a total of 103 JIT purchasing practices. The only significantly more important item was the contract provision for delivery frequency. It appears that purchasing professionals have learned and are more familiar with JIT purchasing practices. As a result four problem areas were significantly lower and 12 other practices deemed less important.
Research limitations/implications
Sample size is a limitation for the study. The analysis suggested certain influences of SCM on JIT practices. More rigorous measurement of SCM needs to be undertaken to explore the degree of integration of JIT with SCM philosophy.
Practical implications
The study identifies best JIT practices from a decade of practice.
Originality/value
This is a longitudinal study. It tracks the changes in practices and identifies best practices for managers.
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Keywords
Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford: the names of these universities instantly conjure up images of the highest attainments of higher education. Of course, great universities also operate…
Abstract
Cambridge, Harvard, Oxford: the names of these universities instantly conjure up images of the highest attainments of higher education. Of course, great universities also operate great university presses. So any reference book with the name of Oxford, Cambridge, or Harvard in the title possesses immediate credibility and saleability. But it was not always so. Prior to the latter half of the nineteenth century the Oxford and the Cambridge University Presses were known to the public primarily as publishers of the Bible. Oxford broke into reference publishing, and along with it widespread public recognition, by means of its famous dictionaries, of which the pinnacle was the massive Oxford English Dictionary. The Cambridge University Press [hereafter referred to as CUP] took a different approach to publishing scholarly reference works by producing authoritative and encyclopedic histories. According to S.C. Roberts, a long‐time secretary to the Syndics of the CUP, “apart from the Bible, the first book that made the Press well known to the general public was the Cambridge Modern History.”
Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange…
Abstract
Develops an original 12‐step management of technology protocol and applies it to 51 applications which range from Du Pont’s failure in Nylon to the Single Online Trade Exchange for Auto Parts procurement by GM, Ford, Daimler‐Chrysler and Renault‐Nissan. Provides many case studies with regards to the adoption of technology and describes seven chief technology officer characteristics. Discusses common errors when companies invest in technology and considers the probabilities of success. Provides 175 questions and answers to reinforce the concepts introduced. States that this substantial journal is aimed primarily at the present and potential chief technology officer to assist their survival and success in national and international markets.
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Catherine Marie Clark and Christian Harrison
The purpose of this paper is to advance contemporary cognisance of the leadership field and its current state, through the synthesis and development of earlier contributions. A…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance contemporary cognisance of the leadership field and its current state, through the synthesis and development of earlier contributions. A taxonomy of evolutionary eras is tendered, from which future research opportunities can be extrapolated.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a narrative literature review of significant leadership literature. There is a focus on prominent contributions which are considered to have been highly influential within the field, while acknowledging other notable influences.
Findings
Leadership is found to be a multifaceted and evolving field, which continues to produce further research fields. This dynamism hinders the progression of leadership to achieve integration. Eleven interrelated eras of leadership, which hold varying research value, were found. While some eras superficially appear to be discredited, there is arguably scope for these to be developed in contemporary context. Currently, the leadership approaches which are replete with research opportunities include servant leadership, a skills approach and an entrepreneurial leadership.
Research limitations/implications
Leadership is a vast research area with numerous contributions to its body of work; therefore, this review has focused on prominent contributions and has not attempted to include all available literature. The dissemination of leadership literature has allowed for research gaps to emerge and future research recommendations to be drawn.
Originality/value
While there is an extensive body of leadership literature, there are few reviews of the literature. A comprehensive contemporary review facilitates an examination of the current complexities and state of the leadership field.
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Keywords
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are…
Abstract
Communications regarding this column should be addressed to Mrs. Cheney, Peabody Library School, Nashville, Term. 37203. Mrs. Cheney does not sell the books listed here. They are available through normal trade sources. Mrs. Cheney, being a member of the editorial board of Pierian Press, will not review Pierian Press reference books in this column. Descriptions of Pierian Press reference books will be included elsewhere in this publication.
This chapter looks into unpleasant affective states, or rather “dreaded emotions,” in leadership. Specifically, the adaptive roles and functions of fear, anger, and sadness are…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter looks into unpleasant affective states, or rather “dreaded emotions,” in leadership. Specifically, the adaptive roles and functions of fear, anger, and sadness are reviewed and discussed in a leadership context.
Design
The social functions of fear, anger, and sadness are first presented. Following each emotion, the target of emotional expression – both other-directed (i.e., targeting followers and/or emotion-eliciting events) and self-directed (i.e., targeting leader) – is further discussed.
Findings
A symmetrical assumption has emerged over recent years that positive emotions result in positive outcomes and negative emotions lead to negative outcomes. In practice, the realities of organizational life and leader–follower interactions do not reflect such a neat juxtaposition. Positively valenced emotions can yield negative outcomes, and negatively valenced emotions can bring about positive outcomes.
Research Implications
Unpleasant emotions – fear and sadness, in particular – remain understudied in organizational and leadership literature, even though leaders experience these emotions just like the rest of us. This review offers ideas, through the combination of psychological and leadership research, on how social functions of dreaded emotions, including fear, anger, and sadness, can yield desirable leadership outcomes.
Originality/Value
This chapter provides a review on unpleasant emotions (i.e., fear, anger, and sadness) that are rarely discussed and underresearched in leadership literature.