‘Chariots of fire’: the evolution of tank technology, 1915–1945

We reconsider the notion of technological trajectories by means of a detailed case-study of the evolution of tank technology between 1915 and 1945. We use principal component analysis to analyze the distribution of technical characteristics and how they map into specific service characteristics. We find that, despite the existence of differences in technical leadership, tank designs of different countries show a high degree of overlap and closeness along a common technological trajectory. In the conclusions, we speculate on whether this pattern can be explained by common heuristics that influenced the rate and direction of design activities or by doctrinal viewpoints influencing the development and use of tanks in the battlefield.

From the corset to Spanx: shapewear as a marketplace icon

This article presents the marketplace icon of shapewear—clothing that changes the shape of the human body by compressing or enhancing it. The trajectory of shapewear from the highly structured corset of the sixteenth century to the elastic Spanx of the 2000s evidences how this marketplace icon has come into being. Shapewear has materialized many evolving forms of beauty standards and gender roles as it participates in body-centered market assemblages. Market actors, such as manufacturers, designers, media, celebrities, activists, physicians, and consumers, translate shapewear to materialize intentions in the female body, shaping it accordingly. Whether promoting female autonomy or oppression, shapewear stands as a marketplace icon because it has maintained stable market appeal across time and body-centered market assemblages: it shapes the female body while symbolically articulating women’s roles.     

Risk aversion,innovation and performance in family firms

An analysis of the effect of family governance on the relationships among risk aversion, innovation and performance is the purpose of this study. Beyond the level of risk and innovation, we are interested in analysing the relationship between them and their influence on performance in family firms. Traditionally, risk-seeking has been associated with innovation and performance. Our results confirm both components to be independent and, furthermore, show relationships with opposite signs as expected in the literature. In a sample of 500 firms, the results confirm an idiosyncratic behaviour in family firms; innovation contributes to performance to a higher extent in family firms, and at the same time, risk aversion is positively associated with performance only in non-family firms.     

Asymmetric search and prospect theory: choice experiment on consumer willingness to search in the gasoline retail market

We use an internet survey conducted among a representative random sample of drivers in the State of Ohio consisting of a choice experiment designed to examine the mechanism driving asymmetric search. The internet survey affords us the opportunity to overcome endogeneity difficulties by imposing exogenous price changes on gasoline consumers to examine the decision-making process behind intended search decisions. We randomly assigned participants to one of five price treatments (either 2.5 or 5% above or below their reported expected price, or no change). We provide a simple empirical model to derive testable implications under prospect theory and use the internet survey to test them. Results indicate that among the respondents who faced prices below their expected price, only 12% chose to search, whereas 45% searched when prices were above. Further, we find results consistent with asymmetric search being driven by prospect theory. The change in consumers’ willingness to search is twice as large when prices exceed expectations by 2.5% relative to when prices exceed them by 5% suggesting that consumers derive utility of finding a good deal evaluated relative to a reference price. We show that this result is inconsistent with standard utility theory or consumers using alternative reference prices.     

Employing the business model concept to support the adoption of product–service systems (PSS)

Although the existing literature indicates that the business model concept can be useful to implement product–service systems (PSS), there is still a paucity of guidelines to assist companies in this respect. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework to support the adoption of PSS employing the business model concept. This framework was developed based on literature review and intends to guide the company on the analysis of their business context, on the choice of the appropriate type of PSS and on the definition of their PSS characteristics. A single case study was then performed to illustrate an application of the framework in a machine tool manufacturer and provide research insights. Overall, results indicate that the framework can provide companies with a useful reference to PSS implementation, helping on the investigation of different PSS scenarios as well as the main barriers and challenges to be overcome.     

Assessing gender differences in ‘quick response’ code loyalty promotion acceptance

This study sheds light on quick response (QR) code loyalty promotion in terms of gender. Based on self-construal and gender scheme theories, we posit that the level of both involvement and social anxiety plays a crucial role in the gender effects of loyalty formation for promoted services. A scenario-based study in Japan with 667 consumers is constructed and examines two types of services: bank and supermarket. The findings suggest that, for high involvement (bank), compared with women, males act as competitive gamers who assume greater risk and seek attractive rewards with which to beat corporations, even under high social anxiety conditions. This finding seems consistent with independent self-construal among males. However, there is no significant difference for low involvement (supermarket). The implications are discussed and limitations recognized.     

An exploratory study on the returns management process in an online retailer

The returns management process is gaining increasing importance both in academia and among supply chain professionals, not only as a tool in the practice of sustainability, but also for its strategic role in many economic sectors. Several studies show how efficiently returns management can reduce costs and provide a competitive advantage to companies. Likewise, electronic commerce, or e-commerce, has shown significant growth in many countries and, due to its very nature, it presents much higher return rates than traditional trade. However, despite the importance of returns management operation for electronic commerce, few studies explore this theme in the literature. The aim of this paper is to describe the process of returns management of the largest online retailer of the Brazilian market, showing its evolution and analysing its performance, as well as identifying its main shortcomings. We conclude with suggestions for improvements and the implementation of a more efficient system.