Stephanie E. Pitts, Marta Herrero and Sarah M. Price
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of donors to a UK-based contemporary music organisation fundraising scheme through the theoretical lens of liminality.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of donors to a UK-based contemporary music organisation fundraising scheme through the theoretical lens of liminality.
Design/methodology/approach
In-depth interviews with 16 members of the Sound Investment scheme investigated the motivations and experiences of individual donors to the commissioning of new music. Thematic analysis suggested parallels with the framework of “liminality,” which shed new light on the ways in which membership changed donors' relationships with the organisation and audience.
Findings
Motivations for supporting contemporary music commissioning included personal interest, cultural responsibility and alignment to the values of the organisation. Tangible benefits, particularly access to rehearsals, brought donors into closer connection with the creative and managerial working of the organisation.
Research limitations/implications
The sample did not include any lapsed donors, or people who had chosen not to participate. Future research could test the liminal framework in different artforms and through different tangible benefits.
Practical implications
Understanding donors as liminals could help arts organisations to develop membership schemes that more effectively sustain individual giving. Key elements of involvement and access are identified that could engage audiences more widely.
Originality/value
This case study foregrounds lived experience of arts donors where previous literature has primarily focussed on motivations for donating. It highlights the liminal elements of becoming an individual donor, namely, the integration and socialisation processes, the space-and time-bound interactions with the organisation and the alignment of values with the organisation. This framework offers a new way for arts organisations to understand and enhance individual giving in a time of austerity.
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This series of papers aims to explore the transition from higher education into work. It reports on research undertaken over a period of two years and which sought to track a…
Abstract
Purpose
This series of papers aims to explore the transition from higher education into work. It reports on research undertaken over a period of two years and which sought to track a number of young graduates as they completed their studies and embarked upon career of choice.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach adopted is defined and discussed as one of “common sense”. Alongside the notion of “common sense” the paper deploys two further concepts, “convention” and “faith” necessary to complete a rudimentary methodological framework. The narratives which are at the heart of the papers are built in such a way as to contain not only the most significant substantive issues raised by the graduates themselves but also the tone of voice specific to each.
Findings
Five cases are presented; the stories of five of the graduates over the course of one year. Story lines that speak of learning about the job, learning about the organisation and learning about self are identified. An uneven journey into a workplace community is evident. “Fragmentation” and “cohesion” are the constructs developed to reflect the conflicting dynamics that formed the lived experience of the transitional journeys experienced by each graduate.
Research limitations/implications
Whilst the longitudinal perspective adopted overcomes some of the major difficulties inherent in studies which simply use “snap shot” data, the natural limits of the “common sense” approach restrict theoretical development. Practically speaking, however, the papers identify issues for reflection for those within higher education and the workplace concerned with developing practical interventions in the areas of graduate employability, reflective practice and initial/continuous professional development.
Originality/value
The series of papers offers an alternative to orthodox studies within the broader context of graduate skills and graduate employment. The papers set this debate in a more illuminating context.
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Phillip E. Pfeifer and Greg Mills
Greg Mills describes his search for the perfect engagement ring which includes an analysis of the prices of 6,000 diamonds. An engineer, Greg hopes to impress Sarah Staggers by…
Abstract
Greg Mills describes his search for the perfect engagement ring which includes an analysis of the prices of 6,000 diamonds. An engineer, Greg hopes to impress Sarah Staggers by using regression to find an underpriced diamond. Students are asked to either select one of the 6,000 diamonds or provide point forecasts for prices of 3,142 diamonds in a hold-out sample. The instructor can use the actual prices of the held-out diamonds to evaluate student pricing models.
Details
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Sarah Krömer and Nadine Gatzert
The purpose of this paper is to study investments in renewable energy projects which are jointly operated with an energy storage system, with particular focus on risk-return…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study investments in renewable energy projects which are jointly operated with an energy storage system, with particular focus on risk-return characteristics from the perspective of private and institutional investors, taking into account resource risk, energy price risk, inflation risk and policy risk.
Design/methodology/approach
To this end, this paper presents a stochastic discounted cash flow model which is then applied to a wind farm with a pumped hydro storage system.
Findings
The results show that energy storage systems have the potential to increase the expected present value of future investment cash flows and to hedge (downside) risk. However, to realize this potential, storage systems have to be cost-effective in terms of fixed operation, maintenance, staffing and insurance costs. Also, several key factors are identified which have a considerable influence on the performance of the operation strategy.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the literature by conducting an analysis of (downside) risk and return of renewable energy investments with a storage system taking into account stochastic policy, resource, inflation and energy price risk.
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Esther L. Kim and Sarah Tanford
Cross-selling becomes critical for business success as pent-up travel demand drives travelers to spend more on vacations. The primary purpose of this research is to identify if an…
Abstract
Purpose
Cross-selling becomes critical for business success as pent-up travel demand drives travelers to spend more on vacations. The primary purpose of this research is to identify if an unexpected discount leads to consumers' additional purchases online. This research proposes effective cross-selling strategies across hospitality sectors.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were conducted to investigate factors that influence travelers' add-on spending. Study 1 determined the psychological mechanism of unexpected discounts on hotel customers' additional spending by individual thinking styles. A 2 (discount: none vs surprise) x 2 (thinking style: holistic vs analytic) quasi-experimental design was utilized. Study 2 applied the identified pricing strategy by individual thinking styles to cruise line add-on selling. A 2 (discount: none vs surprise) x 2 (product type: hedonic vs utilitarian) x 2 thinking style (holistic vs analytic) quasi-experiment was used.
Findings
The findings indicate that an unexpected discount increases holistic thinkers' overall travel spending, regardless of add-on types. Although the unexpected discount effect on analytic thinkers' overall spending was significant, an unexpected discount enhanced their intentions to purchase a hedonic add-on.
Practical implications
Hospitality operators can improve cross-selling strategies with a surprise discount offer. Offering add-on items in the same transaction with a cabin booking will increase add-on purchases. Hotels can make add-on purchases more appealing by emphasizing the experiential aspects of a hotel stay.
Originality/value
This research broadens knowledge of cross-selling by linking add-on purchases to discount pricing on a primary product. The findings provide new strategies to stimulate add-on purchases and maximize profitability.
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Sarah Kühl, Aurelia Schütz and Gesa Busch
The use of multi-level labels can enhance product visibility by enabling labeling of various items. Moreover, it can better accommodate the diversity on both the producer and…
Abstract
Purpose
The use of multi-level labels can enhance product visibility by enabling labeling of various items. Moreover, it can better accommodate the diversity on both the producer and consumer sides. However, studies on the willingness to pay (WTP) for premium levels of those animal welfare labels are scarce.
Design/methodology/approach
We investigate consumers’ WTP for a four-level animal husbandry label introduced to the market by German retailers in 2019 by conducting an online survey with 1,223 German meat consumers using Van Westendorp’s price sensitivity meter (PSM).
Findings
There is a significant increase in WTP for level 3 of the husbandry label, but only a slight increase for level 4. One explanation is that consumers may have the mistaken belief that level 3 already includes outdoor access for animals. As a result of this expectation, consumers may not perceive much added value in level 4, which is reflected in their reluctance to pay a higher price. This is reinforced by the finding that once informed of the criteria, 18% of the participants reduced their WTP for level 3, whereas only 6% considered a discount for level 4. Furthermore, 40% were prepared to pay more for level 4 after being informed of the respective criteria than they had previously stated.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to analyze and emphasize the importance of clear label communication, particularly for multi-level animal husbandry labels.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess model risk with regard to wind energy output in monthly cash flow models for the purpose of valuation and risk assessment of wind farm…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess model risk with regard to wind energy output in monthly cash flow models for the purpose of valuation and risk assessment of wind farm investments, where only a few approaches exist in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper focuses on the risk-return characteristics of this investment from the perspective of private and institutional investors and takes into account several risks, in particular the resource risk related to the uncertainty of the monthly wind energy produced. To this end, this paper presents different approaches for modeling monthly wind power output and assesses the impact of three selected models with different properties on the investment’s risk-return characteristics by means of a stochastic discounted cash flow model. In addition, the model considers the possibility of a joint operation of the wind farm with a pumped hydro storage system to reduce risk and improve profits.
Findings
The results show that the (non-)consideration of seasonality of the monthly wind energy produced considerably influences the risk-return characteristics, but that principal developments dependent on input parameters and model variables remain similar.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature by presenting different approaches for modeling the monthly wind energy produced based on direct models of the wind energy output, which are rare in the existing literature. Further, their impact on risk-return characteristics of a wind farm investment is analyzed, and thus, related model risk is assessed.
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Sarah Amsl, Iain Watson, Christoph Teller and Steve Wood
Inaccurate product information on retail websites lead to dissatisfied customers and profit losses. Yet, the effects of product information failures (PIFs) remain under-explored…
Abstract
Purpose
Inaccurate product information on retail websites lead to dissatisfied customers and profit losses. Yet, the effects of product information failures (PIFs) remain under-explored, with the mobile commerce channel commonly overlooked. This paper aims (1) to investigate the negative effects of PIFs on shoppers' attitudes and behaviours in a mobile context. The authors further (2) evaluate the impacts of the cause and duration of a PIF, changes of expectations towards the retailer after a PIF occurred and how previous mobile shopping experience in general decreases the effects of PIFs.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a scenario-based experiment with a one-factorial between-subjects design. The six most common PIFs of an international leading online fashion retailer are operationalized and tested against a control group. The final sample consists out of 758 mobile shoppers from the UK.
Findings
The results demonstrate that the perceived severity of PIFs based on showing customers incorrect information is higher when key information is lacking. Further, when the cause of a PIF is attributed to the retailer, it results in higher recovery expectations towards them. The results also reveal that respondents who have shopped mobile before perceive PIFs as less severe than inexperienced ones.
Originality/value
This research expands the online service failure literature by examining PIFs and its effects in the specific context of mobile commerce. The authors also provide recommendations for a better management of PIFs like the incorporation of PIFs information into reporting packs.
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Dhruv Grewal, Anne L. Roggeveen, Larry D. Compeau and Michael Levy
In this brief paper, the aim is to highlight three important pricing areas: the business strategies and pricing models that have evolved over the past 20 years of research, the…
Abstract
Purpose
In this brief paper, the aim is to highlight three important pricing areas: the business strategies and pricing models that have evolved over the past 20 years of research, the customers that have been targeted, and the role of the internet on pricing. The advent of social media, mobile marketing and display technologies are likely to encourage researchers to pursue additional research on these topics.
Design/methodology/approach
The current paper is an essay aimed at stimulating pricing research in three major domains.
Findings
The authors review illustrative current practices and research findings pertaining to emerging pricing business models, customer target marketing and price dispersion on the web.
Research limitations/implications
The paper highlights areas that need empirical investigation.
Practical implications
Managers need to explicitly understand the role of these emerging technologies (e.g. social media, mobile media, and web‐application) and appropriately incorporate them into their pricing strategies.
Originality/value
The paper's central contribution is to stimulate additional research on key pricing areas.