How do consumers co-create their experiences? An exploration in the heritage sector

Abstract

Whilst the body of work around co-creation has grown, co-creation continues to be considered from a value perspective with key questions, such as what is actually being co-created, remaining unanswered. This article moves beyond value to experiences and explores co-creation of the consumption experience. The research examines the manifestations and antecedents of co-creation of the consumption experience from a consumer angle and presents a co-creation framework. Customer critic analysis with consumers from two exemplar heritage organisations is used to investigate co-creation. The findings illuminate three facets of co-creation: co-production, engagement, and personalisation. This paper addresses a gap in Service-Dominant Logic theory, arts/heritage, and broader marketing literature by distinguishing between co-creation of value and co-creation of the consumption experience and proposing a definitive conceptualisation of the latter. The proposed model progresses the co-creation discussion to an empirical level and provides a foundation for future research.     

How do European trade promotion organisations manage their stakeholders?

Trade Promotion Organisations (TPOs) exert significant influence on the internationalisation potential of domestic firms and improving the indigenous country’s trade balance. However, TPOs’ strategies to uphold their impact as to the relationship vis-à-vis their stakeholders are largely unknown. This is an important gap in the literature considering that effective stakeholder management can enhance TPOs’ performance and the value they develop for three primary stakeholder groups, namely home country government, domestic firms and foreign trade offices. In this study, we employ the stakeholder theory and draw upon in-depth case studies of 14 European TPOs to address this gap. We advance six related propositions on how funding sourcing, services to domestic firms and functions of foreign trade offices can be effectively associated with TPOs’ relationship management towards these stakeholder groups. The contribution of the study lies on the application of stakeholder theory in trade promotion and the derivation of related sets of strategies.     

How do firms finance their exports? – evidence from China

Using a firm-level production data over the period of 2005–2009 from China, this paper provides a new empirical evidence on how firms finance their exports when they have several financial options. The main results of the paper can be summarized as follows. First, firms who have better access to any finance are more likely to export and export more. More financial options lead to a higher export probability and capacity due to the complementary relation between financial options. Second, of all financial options, the internal finance captured by cash holdings or profit plays the most important role on firms’ export likelihood and volume. Firms rely more on the external finance through borrowing to start exporting, but depend more on issuing stocks to their shareholders to expand their exports. Third, subsample results suggest that the financial option of issuing stocks is generally more important for firms who have worse access to external finance in determining export propensity and quantity, such as private-owned firms, small-scale firms, young firms, and non-eastern firms.     

How do customers change their purchasing behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic?

This study focuses on examining how customers' shopping behaviors have changed during the pandemic and contributing variables. Three primary shopping modes include online purchases, curbside pickup, and in-store shopping. The dependent variables are the changes in customers' spending in those three modes during the pandemic. The theory of fear appeal was used as the theoretical foundation for selecting independent variables. Based on this theory, two groups of independent variables were identified, fears for health and fears for financial conditions due to COVID-19. Additionally, demographic variables were also included in the analysis. The data from Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey Phase 3.1 collected from June 23 to July 5, 2021, was used with 24,998 useable cases. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data to test the effects of independent variables on customers' shopping behavior changes in the three modes. The results show that both fears for health and fears for financial conditions have effects on the shopping behavioral changes. Due to those fears, residents change their shopping behaviors by considering the shopping modes that allow them to deal with or avoid the risks. Additionally, demographic variables, including age, gender, race, income, and marriage status, also have significant impacts on their shopping decisions.     

How do restaurant atmospherics influence restaurant authenticity? An integrative framework and empirical evidence

The study proposes an integrative conceptualization to capture the theoretical notion of perceived restaurant authenticity (PRA). It conceptualizes PRA as a multidimensional construct consisting of four dimensions. Furthermore, the study proposes a conceptual model that includes three main restaurant atmospheric aspects (i.e., design, ambiance, and social) as exogenous antecedents affecting the four restaurant authenticity dimensions. These PRA dimensions are hypothesized to positively influence restaurant attachment, which in turn, positively predicts restaurant patronage. To test the proposed model, structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied to data collected from patrons of two dining restaurants. The results are broadly supportive of the proposed model. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Social support abroad: How do self-initiated expatriates gain support through their social networks?

On arrival, expatriates need to establish new social ties in order to succeed in the host country. In this study, we are investigating the social networks of self-initiated expatriates, focusing on the process of how they source social support. Building on information seeking theory, we have created a model connecting specific characteristics of network members (host country knowledge, employment status and host country origin) with the frequency of contact and support they provide. The model was tested through multilevel mediation analysis on 165 expatriates and their 575 network members. We contribute to the existing knowledge on expatriate networks by a theoretically driven categorization of network members and a detailed empirical analysis on the level of a relationship/tie. Our results show that expatriates rely on different network members for different types of support. Practical implications include the use of mentors to facilitate expatriate access to higher status individuals who can offer important support.     

Jobs. How do you rate?

Only 47% of respondents to R&I's 23rd annual Job$ Survey reported satisfaction with their last raise--that's down 10% from last year. Leading reasons for the drop: According to survey verbatims, belt-tightening companies froze salaries and delayed promotions, but increased responsibilities. To get at the prevailing attitudes of foodservice professionals about their jobs, our special report employs demographic profiles and personal interviews.     

Corporate social responsibility and employee volunteerism: What do the best companies do?

Employee volunteerism as a practice of corporate social responsibility aids corporations by strengthening employee satisfaction and retention internally and by strengthening corporate reputations and connections with stakeholders externally. Of particular interest are the specific practices and procedures used by companies to encourage and support volunteer activities of their employees. We reviewed publicly available documents of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking to gain insight into how these best companies practice employee volunteerism and whether they link employee volunteerism to their corporate social responsibility strategy. We propose a connection of the position and importance of employee volunteerism in the corporate practices of social responsibility. Our findings suggest that many highly regarded companies specifically link employee volunteerism to their corporate social responsibility strategy. These companies also utilize similar practices to encourage and support employee volunteerism. We highlight the practices that managers could consider to support their corporate social responsibility efforts and offer several suggestions for future consideration.     

How can shopping mall management best capture mall image?

One way to generate more traffic in a mall is to build a strong mall image perceived by shoppers as delivering a unique bundle of benefits. Such effort has to be guided by a performance metric, namely a comprehensive measure of mall image. We hypothesize that mall image can best be conceptualized in terms of five major dimensions a la Ailawadi and Keller [Ailawadi K.L., Keller K.L. Understanding Retail Branding: Conceptual Insights and Research Priorities. J Retail 2004; 80 (Winter):331-342.] retail branding dimensions: access, store atmosphere, price and promotion, cross-category assortment, and within-category assortment. The predictive (nomological) validity of the mall image measure was tested in relation to mall attitude, mall patronage, and word-of-mouth communications. We validated the mall image measure using data generated with mall-intercept surveys in two different malls in a large city in Canada (N = 861). The data provided support for the predictive validity of the mall image measure. Managerial implications of the mall image measure are also discussed.     

How do business and financial cycles interact?

This paper analyzes the interactions between business and financial cycles using an extensive database covering 44 countries for the period 1960:1–2010:4. Our analysis shows that there are strong linkages between the different phases of business and financial cycles. In particular, recessions associated with financial disruptions, notably house and equity price busts, tend to be longer and deeper than other recessions. Conversely, while recoveries following asset price busts tend to be weaker, recoveries associated with rapid growth in credit and house prices are often stronger. These findings emphasize the importance of financial market developments for the real economy.     

How do online bidders differ from non-bidders?

This study compares online bidders and non-bidders based on their demographic and psychographic characteristics. An online survey was developed to collect data using Zoomerang's online consumer panel. Findings show that online bidders have a lower level of risk aversion and a higher level of need for uniqueness and propensity to trust than nonbidders. Online bidders are also more likely to engage in variety-seeking and impulsive-buying behavior than non-bidders. Results indicate that online bidders are younger, more educated, and have a higher income level than non-bidders. This study also finds that gender and prior online shopping experience moderate the differences between online bidders and non-bidders. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

How do exporters respond to antidumping investigations?

Using monthly transaction data covering all Chinese exporters over the 2000–2006 period, we investigate how Chinese exporters respond to U.S. antidumping investigations. We find that antidumping investigations cause a substantial decrease in the total export volume at the HS-6 digit product level, and that this trade-dampening effect is due to a significant decrease in the number of exporters, yet a modest decrease in the export volume per surviving exporter. We also find that the bulk of the decrease in the number of exporters is exerted by less productive exporters, by direct exporters as opposed to trade intermediaries, and by single-product direct exporters as opposed to their multi-product counterparts. Combined with the existing studies on the effects that antidumping investigations have on protected firms, our study helps piece together a complete picture of the effects of antidumping investigations.     

How do consumers categorize new hybrid products?

This article investigates how consumers categorize new hybrid products (NHPs). Given the limitations of the classical theories of categorization in the specific case of NHP, affordance, mobilized infrequently in marketing, turned out to be a useful categorization concept. Five types of NHP categorizations by consumers, based on the degree of affordance (low vs. high) and type of innovation (incremental vs. radical), have been detected and filled a gap in the literature on the subject.     

How prevalent is academic misconduct in management research?

We survey 1215 management researchers, including editors, researchers, and reviewers, about their views and experiences with four types of academic misconduct: plagiarism, self-plagiarism, coercive citations, and questionable reviewing practices. Management researchers hold strict views on plagiarism, though editors report on frequent instances encountered. We find that many management researchers consider self-plagiarism acceptable. There is also a high percentage of editors who report on authors being coerced to add citations of reviewers or journals to their submission. Similarly prevalent is so-called “honorary authorship,” where colleagues and supervisors who did not take part in the work are added as co-authors. Lastly, nearly half of the editors who responded report having witnessed conflicts of interest in peer reviewing. We conclude that the current system of peer reviewing is in need of change, and we discuss possible ramifications to overcome the persistence of academic misconduct.     

How do MNCs establish their talent pools? Influences on individuals’ likelihood of being labeled as talent

Addressing the research question of what influences the likelihood of an individual being labeled as ‘talent’ in MNCs, this paper seeks to understand the decision processes involved in the identification of MNC-internal talent. We develop a framework suggesting that the decision to include an employee in a corporate talent pool is a two-stage decision process in which mostly experience-based (on-line) performance appraisal evaluations are used as an input in largely cognition-based (off-line) managerial decision making. Consequently, talent pool inclusion is determined not only by performance appraisal evaluations, but also a number of factors that influence the decision making in the second stage of the talent identification process. Using empirical insights from an in-depth case study as illustrations, we identify three such factors—cultural and institutional distance between the locations of a potential member of the talent pool and the decision makers; homophily between the individual and the decision makers; and the network position of the person in question.     

How do destination social responsibility strategies affect tourists’ intention to visit? An attribution theory perspective

Destination social responsibility (DSR) initiatives have recently received increasing attention as an effective way for destinations to maintain sustainable tourism development and competitive advantages. Through the lens of attribution theory, this study divided DSR strategies into proactive and reactive approaches and explored their influences on tourists' attribution and intention to visit a destination. This study also investigated the moderating role of information sources on the relationship between DSR strategies and tourists' attribution. The results of two experiments indicated that tourists' altruism attribution and visit intention tended to be higher when a destination applied the proactive (vs. reactive) DSR strategy. Tourists who got a reactive DSR message from an internal (vs. external) information source tended to generate stronger visit intention. The findings provide important implications for destinations to adopt appropriate DSR strategies and information channels for inducing tourists’ visit intention.     

How do controversial foreign country images affect consumers?

Research shows that controversial political–economic, social, and environmental country images affect consumer responses to foreign products. This study adds to the existing evidence by examining the contingent role of subjective country knowledge and (domestic vs. foreign) country image congruence in the relationships between foreign country image and two major determinants of country-driven (anti-)consumption: foreign product judgements and consumer animosity. The findings draw on survey data (N = 400) on Spanish consumers' views of China and Chinese apparel products. The results indicate that higher subjective knowledge about social and environmental issues (negatively) affecting the foreign country can lead to attenuated (positive) relationships between such country images and foreign product judgements. Further, more negative foreign product judgements can result from incongruent country images—that is, when consumers are more critical of the foreign than of their home country in political–economic, social, and environmental areas. Instead, there is limited support for the hypotheses involving consumer animosity as an outcome. Implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed.     

How do alternative strategic orientations influence social media performance?

Increasingly organisations are using social media due to its advantages over traditional media however, its successful implementation has been problematic. To address this issue this study drew from the organisational orientation literature to examine alternate frameworks for implementation. Survey data were obtained from senior marketers from various Australian industries and structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships. The study identified the components of alternate strategic orientations which were positively or negatively related to social media performance. The contribution of the study is to identify how the different emphasis within market, entrepreneurial and e-marketing orientations impact social media performance in terms of customer retention and customer acquisition. Implications for theory and practice are provided. Finally, research limitations and future research suggestions are presented.