An exploratory analysis of the determinants of cooperative advertising participation rates

The paper offers an exploratory empirical investigation of the determinants of cooperative advertising participation rates. Using data for 2,286 brands, we examine the relationship of participation rates to national advertising expenditures by brand. We also consider how participation rates vary with average manufacturers’ margins by industry, average retail margins by category, and additional category-level variables. Reflecting the discrete nature of the dependent variable, the analysis employs discrete choice estimation techniques instead of OLS regression. The results reveal a significant quadratic relationship between advertising and participation rates. We interpret this and other significant findings in the context of existing work.     

品牌忠诚度驱动模型的研究与应用

由于企业的营销思路和消费者的心理存在较大的差异,导致营销活动没有达到预期的效果,引入品牌忠诚度驱动模型的目的是为企业提供一种对消费者行为进行全面诊断的结构性框架,以此来研究消费者是如何看待品牌而品牌又是如何打动消费者的,帮助企业在提高消费者忠诚度和争夺最有价值的消费者等方面制定策略。     

An adaptive nonlinear approach for estimation of consumer satisfaction and loyalty in mobile phone sector of India

To facilitate business growth assessment of customer׳s, satisfaction and loyalty levels in mobile sector are two important issues which need in-depth investigation. These two levels of customers are nonlinearly related to their corresponding attributes. The past studies have mostly assumed linear relation and have mostly used regression based models for estimation of these levels and the results are not encouraging. To overcome this limitation, the present study has developed simple nonlinear models for accurate estimation of these two parameters using their related key factors and results obtained are shown to be much better. This paper has also observed the positive effect of satisfaction on the loyalty estimation of customers. Employing the proposed nonlinear adaptive models, the service provider can also predict the satisfaction and loyalty levels of each of its customers which help the organization to determine the number of possible future churners.     

The influence of customer loyalty on small island economies: an empirical and exploratory study

There is growing consensus that companies' long-term success is reliant on building and sustaining strong customer relationships. This study explores the antecedents of loyalty in business to business (B2Bs) using Guernsey's telecommunication industry as a case study. It examines how these influence customer loyalty orientation and factors that help service providers improve loyalty rates. Extant literature pays little attention to the antecedents of loyalty in small island economies. Prior research focuses on cultural, environmental and macro-economic issues. Drawing on Dick and Basu's (Customer loyalty: Toward an integrated conceptual framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22(Spring), 99–113, 1994) loyalty model, this research explores loyalty antecedents that are cognisant of distinct market conditions that can impact customer loyalty within the telecommunications sector of a small island economy. It seeks to advance understanding of loyalty in B2B relationships in this context and identify factors that contribute towards converting passively loyal customers to being actively loyal customers.     

An exploratory study of the management of product replacement

The process of product replacement is a surprisingly neglected area of innovation. Its existence as an important corporate activity is known through prior research and anecdotal evidence. This study was designed to shed some light on the replacement activities which are conducted by large companies in Britain and America. The findings revealed a number of different approaches to product replacement and suggested that related activities can be understood (and measured) by seven distinct dimensions.     

An exploratory study of emotional attributes in radio commercials

Certain advertising attributes can trigger emotional responses and advertisements employ such features in order to stimulate audiences in a pleasurable way. This study of radio commercials tried to isolate some of the attributes in advertising that elicit an emotional response, specifically happiness. The results show that variances in some commercial attributes can, indeed, predict variances in subjective emotional experience.     

An empirical study of the effects of Guanxi investment on customer loyalty in Chinese market

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among Guanxi investment, affective commitment and customer loyalty. A customer win-back model is proposed, including Guanxi investment strategies, customer perceptions (price sensitivity, trust and affection), affective commitment and customer 1oyalty(i.e., true loyalty, latent loyalty, spurious loyalty, non loyalty). The fieldwork was conducted in the hotel industry in China (N=1074). Results show that Guanxi investment strategy has significant effects on customer’s loyalty. This study hence contributes to the literature on customer win-back strategy and provides useful suggestions for managers in charge of customer relationship management.     

Drivers of customer likelihood to join grocery retail loyalty programs. An analysis of reward programs and loyalty cards

This paper aims to identify which personal features of customers may determine their likelihood to join a grocery retail loyalty program. We consider five aspects: price sensitivity, search for variety, shopping enjoyment, attitude toward loyalty schemes, and one personality trait: privacy concerns. Some of these variables have already been explored in the literature. Where our research breaks new ground is in establishing the difference between profiles of customers attracted by two of the most common types of loyalty programs currently used by grocery retail firms: a reward program and a loyalty card. The two kinds of program evidence differences in how they are managed, and we posit that the drivers of likelihood to take part in each are different. The study was carried out using logistic regression with a sample of 600 clients of a Spanish supermarket chain. Findings show that one particular type of customer is more likely to take part in these schemes: those displaying little shopping enjoyment, who are greatly concerned with privacy, and who show a favorable attitude toward loyalty programs in general. Furthermore, as expected, differences were observed between drivers of participation likelihood in reward programs and loyalty cards.     

Bargaining with the gringos: An exploratory study of negotiations between Mexican and U.S. firms

This study examines the nature of negotiations between Mexican and U.S. business people. It was learned that U.S. negotiators tend to be more structured, less flexible, more direct, more focused on the specific terms of the agreement, and possibly more assertive than their Mexican counterparts. Factor analysis revealed five factors related to the success of negotiations between Mexican and U.S. business people: attributes of communication, knowledge, good faith in arranging countertrades, delivery requirements, and personal relationships. Communication problems appear to have a more important impact on successful negotiations than do the technical or financial aspects of the negotiation. Contexting and reciprocity are related themes that need to be given more attention if negotiations between Mexican and US. business people are to improve. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Competition and competitive groupings: An exploratory study in information technology markets

The focus of the research is upon the means by which firms can both create and sustain a competitive advantage. The paper addresses the relationship between shifting patterns of competitive rivalry and the emerging structure of a volatile, but growing branch of the Information Technology Industry. The concept and existence of competitive groups of firms is explored from three perspectives: those of the research analyst, the competitive suppliers and the customers of the service. The first perspective draws upon and applies previous work in the field of strategic groups, mobility barriers and company competences; the second perspective is operational, based upon the perception of the competitive environment by practising managers; the final perspective draws upon field research into customer organisation rooted in the notion that differentiation by suppliers will only be manifest in competitive advantage when it matches customers needs.

Different patterns of competition are identified and strategic management choices are highlighted in a product market undergoing turbulent development with the onset of telecommunication networks for the transmission of computerised data bases.     

An exploratory study of the understandability of listed companies’ annual reports

In order to investigate the comprehension difficulties arising from the highly-specialized writing formats of listed companies’ annual reports, this research evaluates investors’ comprehension of annual reports and discusses ways to improve their understandability. The Cloze method is employed in this experimental study involving university students and preliminary testing. This research concludes that the understandability of Chinese listed companies’ annual reports is close to the comprehension capacity of semi-professional investors but beyond non-professional investors. The extensive use of a great number of accounting jargons is likely the main cause for comprehensive difficulties for non-professionals. Translated from Kuaiji Yanjiu 会计研究 (Accounting Research), 2004, (12): 23–28     

Explaining the marketing effort of professional service providers: An exploratory study

A mail survey was done of professionals from major architectural, law, and accounting firms to determine what factors seem to explain how much effort they devote to marketing their firms' services. The results of this exploratory study identified several significant explanatory variables, a few of which had effects in some professions and not others. Additional research in this area is recommended.     

Control of electronic channel affiliates: An exploratory study and research propositions

Electronic channel affiliates are important online intermediaries between customers and host retailers. However, no work has studied how online retailers control online intermediaries. By conducting an exploratory content analysis of 85 online contracts between online retailers and their online intermediaries, and categorizing the governing mechanisms used, insights into the unique aspects of the control of online intermediaries are presented. Findings regarding incentives, monitoring, and enforcement are presented. Additionally, testable research propositions are presented to guide further theory development, drawing on contract theory, resource dependence theory and agency theory. Managerial implications are discussed.     

An exploratory study of environmental attitudes and the willingness to pay for environmental certification in Mexico

This paper explores how environmental attitudes of consumers in Mexico influence their willingness to pay a premium (or, marginal WTP) for environmentally-certified products. In addition, we also challenge the theoretical assumption that the relationship between environmental attitudes and purchasing is linear. We test our hypotheses with an analysis of marginal WTP based on a survey of 301 Mexican consumers. Using conjoint analysis to determine marginal WTP, we find support for the idea that as attitudes become more pro-environmental, they more than proportionally boost marginal WTP. We conclude our paper by discussing implications for research and practice that focus on environmental segments of consumers.     

Factors influencing the internationalisation of new ventures in the Irish aquaculture industry: An exploratory study

This paper offers exploratory insights into the factors influencing the emergence of new export ventures operating in a low-technology sector: the aquaculture industry—a largely understudied context in international entrepreneurship. Peculiarities of new industries can make them particularly favourable to the creation of new ventures, and yet research has been limited examining the role of industry and environmental conditions in the emergence of international new ventures. As industry context and stage of firm development influences the appropriateness of theories for explaining firm internationalisation, this study in particular seeks to address two research questions: Firstly, what are the factors influencing the internationalisation of new ventures in a low-technology sector: the Irish aquaculture industry? Second, what role does industry structure play in influencing the internationalisation of new ventures in the Irish aquaculture industry? A qualitative methodology is used to explore these research questions using three case studies of new export ventures operating in the aquaculture sector in Ireland.     

Brand extension naming strategies: An exploratory study of the impact of brand traits

When a known brand extends into a product category that involves sophisticated and state-of-the-art technology, consumers face uncertainty and perceive a financial risk when considering the extension for purchase. This study explores how the brand's perceived expertise in the extension category and various brand traits (predictability, dependability, and faith) affect that consideration decision and how these interact with particular extension naming strategies (direct versus brand-bridging). Exploratory results from a field study give three insights. First, a consumer's faith in a brand appears to improve the extension consideration independent of what naming strategy is adopted. Second, brands with good predictability seem to benefit only by using a direct naming strategy in the brand extension. Third, a perceived lack of expertise appears to reduce the extension consideration even when a brand-bridging strategy is adopted. A discussion of these insights and their implications is provided.     

The role of the Internet on free-riding: An exploratory study of the wallpaper industry

This study discusses the role of the Internet on possible free-riding activities for product categories where retail services are a critical part of the completed consumer purchase transaction. The study investigates free-riding in terms of consumer pre-purchase activities during the information search stage (how they process shopping information) and actual purchase decisions with a literature review. The study's empirical findings indicate that full-service retailers’ beliefs about online consumers’ choice of purchase outlet are predominantly influenced by online retailer prices rather than availability of a variety of products (place) on the Internet. This, in turn, indicates the possibility of strong free-riding opportunities in the sample wallpaper market. The study, in this context, proposes strategies and policies to eliminate many of the destructive effects of the opportunities for free-riding provided by the Internet for long-lasting channel and market effectiveness and efficiency.     

An asymmetrical approach to understanding configurations of customer loyalty in the airline industry

This study employs fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine asymmetrical relationships among service attributes, relationship quality, and customer loyalty in the airline industry. The study incorporates customers’ demographics and psychological variables to model customer loyalty. Customer loyalty is operationalised as behavioural and attitudinal dimensions in order to capture customers’ actual behaviours and behavioural intentions. Symmetrical testing is also used to compare findings with those from fsQCA application. The study provides various causal recipes or configurations for predicting relationship quality and customer loyalty. The comparison between symmetrical and asymmetrical findings presents deeper and more insightful information. These findings provide useful guidelines and references for the relevant researchers and practitioners. The study also contributes to the literature by utilising symmetrical and asymmetrical tools to advance understanding of antecedent conditions of relationship quality and customer loyalty.