Trust Erosion During Industry-Wide Crises: The Central Role of Consumer Legitimacy Judgement

Journal of Business Ethics - Widespread unethical corporate misconduct in an industry triggers industry-wide crises. This research investigates how industry misconduct affects consumers’...     

The Joint Effects of Formal Institutions and Business Characteristics on Interfirm Guanxi in China: A Fuzzy Set Analysis

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This research intends to investigate the effects of formal market institutions on managers’ willingness to use personal networks, such as guanxi in China, for business success.

Methodology: We collect data from a major cellular phone manufacturer and its 277 retailers across China. We employ Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FsQCA) to identify necessary conditions and causal recipes (combinations of antecedent conditions) for three elements of guanxi between boundary spanners (i.e., ganqing, information favor, and business support) and a firm’s operational performance.

Findings: We find that formal market institutions are not the sole factor influencing managers’ decisions on exercising guanxi practices and, in turn, achieving interfirm collaboration. We also find that there exists more than one causal recipe leading to each key element of guanxi between boundary spanners. The results also suggest that well-established formal market institutions would never be able to completely eliminate guanxi practices in China.

Originality: This paper is among the first to examine the joint effects of formal market institutions and key characteristics of interfirm relationships on the use of guanxi practices.     

Brand Loyalty Versus Store Loyalty: Consumers’ Role in Determining Dependence Structure of Supplier–Retailer Dyads

Purpose: This article aims to integrate consumers into a channel dependence framework and explores the influence of consumers’ brand loyalty and store loyalty on the dependence structure within the supplier–retailer relationship. It also examines effects of the dependence structure on perceived conflict.

Methodology/approach: The authors test the proposed triadic relationship model among department store, supplier, and consumer by collecting matched data from both retailers and consumers in a Chinese retailing channel of sports and leisure apparel. Polynomial regression in conjunction with a response surface analysis (RSA) approach is used to test the hypotheses.

Findings: The results indicate that consumers’ brand loyalty positively affects retailer’s dependence on supplier, while consumers’ store loyalty positively affects supplier’s dependence on retailer. In addition, the retailer’s dependence is higher when consumers’ brand loyalty is higher than store loyalty; the supplier’s dependence is higher when consumers’ store loyalty is higher than brand loyalty; and the retailer’s dependence increases with the increase of both consumers’ brand and store loyalty when consumers’ brand and store loyalty are equal. Moreover, supplier’s dependence has a negative linear effect on retailer’s perceived conflict, whereas retailer’s dependence has an inverted U-shape effect on perceived conflict. A retailer would perceive more conflict when the retailer is relatively more dependent on the supplier; but the symmetrical interdependence has no significant effect on retailer perceived conflict.

Research implications: Researchers are encouraged to explore channel behaviors from a network perspective. Consumers, in particular, should be included in research frameworks related to channel dependence and behaviors. Suggestions for further research on the effects of dependence on the conflict are also proposed.

Originality/value/contribution: This study goes beyond the dyadic paradigm by integrating consumers into the framework of the channel dependence structure. It develops and tests a mechanism of consumers’ brand and store loyalty influencing dependence structure within a supplier–retailer dyad. It also enriches the literature of channel conflict by exploring the effects of retailer and supplier unilateral dependence on retailer perceived conflict with RSA methods.

Practical implications: The article provides several insightful implications for managers in understanding and managing interdependence structure in business-to-business marketing, especially in supplier–retailer relationships.     

专业实习教学辅助系统的开发与实践

学生实习是大学实践环节的重要内容,但在实际的实习中存在一些问题使实习无法达到应有的效果。随着计算机技术的普及,多媒体教育已在各级教育中起到了非常重要的作用。我校应用化学专业开发了专业实习辅助系统,该系统根据电厂真实情况并结合多媒体技术多方面的优点,介绍了电厂的锅炉、汽轮机、发电机、除尘、脱硫、化学水处理等原理及工艺流程。该软件在专业实习教学应用中反响良好。     

基于因特网的监控录像系统的实现

介绍了一种基于因特网的监控录像系统，详细介绍了本系统的建模和软硬件模型，并阐述了本系统的软硬件实现方法。     

Addressing the Advertising of Controversial Products in China: An Empirical Approach

China is a country that has undertaken a great transformation since the late 1970’s, and among these changes, has seen a massive growth in the advertising industry with the influx of foreign advertisers, and the development of regional and global media, such as satellite television and the Internet. This has resulted in the Chinese people of all ages having a greater opportunity of exposure to different types of advertising, including the advertising of potentially controversial products, which could clash with traditional Chinese values. Using a stakeholder theory approach, this study analyzes the responses of 630 Chinese respondents to discover who is offended by controversial advertisements and determine ways potentially offensive advertising messages can be reduced, thereby assisting marketers in being more socially responsible in their advertising messages.     

灾害移民城镇化安置方式下的社区治理——以甘肃省Z县X社区为例

以甘肃省Z县受山洪泥石流灾害影响的X安置社区为例,发现受到建设周期短、公众参与少、居民构成多样、家庭规模缩小及社区空间重构等的影响,灾害移民社区的治理面临着组织机构不完善、社区纠纷多发、生计转变困难、居民适应缓慢等问题,从而影响了移民社区的和谐稳定。为此,提出完善社区治理组织、明确多元参与合作模式、推动移民实现生计转变与发展、加强心理干预、丰富社区文化生活等措施完善灾害移民社区的治理。     

浅谈高校电子商务教学的现状与实践

通过对电子商务的发展与教学现状进行分析,根据多年的教学工作与经验,论证了当前教学中存在的教与学以及教学与实践的矛盾,指出课程设置、师资力量和实验室建设是影响电子商务教学的主要因素,分别对其进行可造性分析并提出了建设性的意见。     

农民生活型环境行为对农村环境的影响

农民环境行为对农村环境的影响具有直接性、根源性,农村环境问题是广大农民生产和生活活动直接作用的结果.农民的环境行为可以划分为生产型环境行为和生活型环境行为,二者互动互构,形成农村环境问题的内在生成机制.目前,学术界还很少关注农民日常生活行为对环境的影响.研究将以环境行为为研究视角、以日常生活为切入点,分析农民日常生活行为对环境的影响,建构一个农民生活型环境行为的分析框架,为解决农村环境问题、促进农村生态环境建设提供新思路、新途径.