Consumers' Search for Information on the Internet: How and Why China Differs from Western Europe

Internet adoption in China is booming and purchasing power is growing steadily. Increasing numbers of Chinese turn to the Internet to search for information prior to a purchase. Based on 32 h of interviews with students and business professionals in China, and a questionnaire completed by a sample of 1140 students in Beijing and Belgium, our explorative study demonstrates that fundamental cultural, behavioral, economic, technical, and other characteristics of China cause significant differences between Chinese and Western Europeans in their online search process for information prior to a purchase. The differences occur in frequency, goal, types of information sought, types of websites used, search engine usage patterns, and contribution of user opinions. This has important implications for marketing practitioners in China, especially for multinational corporations that enter China and that are not familiar yet with the Chinese environment. Suggestions for future research are also provided.     

Region-specific technology policy in Belgium: The significance of New Technology Based Start-ups

Since the beginning of the 1980s, strategic regional technology policies have been adopted in Belgium. A number of NTBFs are emerging in generic technology industries such as micro-electronics, biotechnology and information technology. These industries are particularly conducive to the formation of NTBFs since the advancing new technologies are constantly creating new and specialist product-market niches. High technology product groups are selected/supported in the fields of aerospace, medical technology, robotics and office automation, agro-business and energy.The regional dimension of technology policy raises the question whether a relationship can be established between strategic technology policy and New Technology Based Startups in Belgium. An outline of the current situation in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia) provides an answer to this question.     

Firm heterogeneity and aggregate business services exports: Micro evidence from Belgium,France, Germany and Spain

This paper uses detailed micro data on services exports at the firm–destination–service level to analyse the role of firm heterogeneity in shaping aggregate services exports in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain from 2003 to 2007. We decompose the level and the growth of aggregate services exports into different trade margins paying special attention to firm heterogeneity within countries. We find that the weak export growth of France is at least partly due to poor performance by small exporters. By contrast, small exporters are the most dynamic contributors to the aggregate exports of Belgium, Germany and Spain. Our results highlight the importance of firm heterogeneity in understanding aggregate export growth.     

Comparing employment interviews in Latin America with other countries

This study compares job interviews (n = 11,667) in Mexico with those in the following countries: Belgium, Russia, Taiwan, and the U.S. The findings support our hypotheses, which are based on a meta-cultural framework. The results reveal that in Mexico and Taiwan women are less likely to conduct interviews. In addition, interviewers asked different questions. Outside the U.S., interviewers asked applicants about their family, marital status, and children. In Russia and Taiwan, they asked about applicants' reasons for quitting their last job. In Belgium, Russia, and Taiwan, they asked about applicants' wage and salary expectations. In Belgium and Russia, they less often asked about applicants' values, opinions, and beliefs. This study suggests that in some countries employment interviews are more than a test of job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. This report provides a taxonomy that is useful for comparing interview questions in Latin American and other countries as well as directions for future research.     

Geographic distribution of suicide and railway suicide in Belgium, 2008–2013: a principal component analysis

This study investigated the geographic distribution of suicide and railway suicide in Belgium over 2008--2013 on local (i.e., district or arrondissement) level. There were differences in the regional distribution of suicide and railway suicides in Belgium over the study period. Principal component analysis identified three groups of correlations among population variables and socio-economic indicators, such as population density, unemployment, and age group distribution, on two components that helped explaining the variance of railway suicide at a local (arrondissement) level. This information is of particular importance to prevent suicides in high-risk areas on the Belgian railway network.     

Business Ethics in Belgium

Business Ethics has really taken off in Belgium. The author is Professor at the Catholic University of Leuven, and an Associate Editor.     

New technology based firms and the creation of regional growth potential

This paper focuses on the role of New Technology Based Firms (NTBFs) as a vital determinant of regional growth potential. The theoretical framework starts from the relation between innovation and economic development (macro-approach), to show how NTBFs can contribute to the creation of a regional growth potential (micro-approach). Empirical data for Belgium illustrate how NTBFs differ significantly from common starters on a number of fundamental characteristics such as educational level, product/market-orientation, socio-economic networking, delegation, growth strategy and Research and Development. Taking these findings into account, we concentrate on the region-specific technology policies in Belgium. The case of the emerging biotechnology industry is used as an illustration.     

How beer created Belgium (and the Netherlands): the contribution of beer taxes to war finance during the Dutch Revolt

ABSTRACT

The present-day border between Belgium and the Netherlands can be traced back to the separation of the Low Countries after the Dutch Revolt (1566–1648) against Spanish rule. The capacity to finance the escalating cost of war determined the outcome of this conflict. As Spain struggled to provide regular pay to its troops, its war efforts were often plagued by mutiny. In contrast, the Dutch Republic managed to raise large sums for its war budgets. As we show in this article, excise taxes on beer consumption were one of the largest income sources in Holland, the leading province of the Dutch Republic. Over the course of the Revolt, Dutch beer taxes brought in the equivalent of 29% of Spanish tax revenues on silver from America. Beer taxes thus played a crucial role in financing the Dutch Revolt which led to the separation of the Low Countries and, eventually, the creation of Belgium.     

The incidence of home accidents is going down in Belgium

The objective of the present study was to estimate the incidence of home accidents in Belgium in 2002 and to compare them with the results of 1996. The Belgian network of general practitioners (GPs) is a national network of GPs who collect and report data on selected conditions, including home accidents. The data about home accidents were recorded by 181 GPs in 1996 and by 150 GPs in 2002. The standardized incidence of home accidents decreased from 2935 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1996 (95% CI 2846 - 3026) to 2669 in 2002 (95% CI 2588 - 2751). This corresponds to a decrease of 9% (p < 0.001). A decrease of 14% was observed in the Flemish Community (p < 0.001). The reduction was very important (36%) among women aged between 75 and 89 years (p < 0.001). In the French community the decrease was not significant. The incidence of home accidents observed in general practice decreased in Belgium, especially in the Flemish Community.     

Triggered or evaluated? A qualitative inquiry into the decision to start using e-grocery services

ABSTRACT

This qualitative paper examines the importance of both situational factors and adoption constructs in the decision to use online grocery services for the first time. To that end, we have conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with (one or more representatives of) 15 households in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), who all use Collect & Go, Belgium’s most popular online grocery service. The content analysis shows that adoption is often induced by situational factors (such as health problems or changes in family circumstances), but not in isolation from an evaluation of technology adoption constructs (such as performance expectancy and social influence). Indeed, we find that immediately or soon after the emergence of the initial trigger, consumers start thinking of the service in terms of innovation characteristics. Moreover, unlike what the literature suggests, adoption is not discontinued when the initiating trigger disappears.     

Dealing With Uncertainties When Governing CSR Policies

As corporate social responsibility involves a voluntary business endeavour to address social and environmental issues beyond legal compliance, governments cannot fall back on hierarchical command-and-control policies to support it. As such, it is complementary with the increasing popularity of public policies known as New Governance policies, where the government is engaged in a horizontal inter-organizational network of societal actors and where public policy is both formed and executed by the interacting and voluntary efforts from a multitude of stakeholders. However, such policies are known to generate substantive uncertainty about the content of CSR and its related issues, strategic uncertainty regarding the behavior of the actors involved and institutional uncertainty related to the interaction process involved in the institutional change. We explore New Governance policy instruments to address these uncertainties in the context CSR and discuss the experiences with these methods in the European Union. Jan Lepoutre is a Ph.D. candidate in Applied Economics at Ghent University, Belgium. In his dissertation, he focuses on the competences associated with small business social responsibility and networks as governmental means to build competences among small businesses. Nikolay A. Dentchev is an independent research fellow at Ghent University, Belgium, and a project coordinator at the corporate venturing department of Fortis Group (Fortis Venturing). He holds a Ph.D. in business economics from Ghent University. His current research is related to entrepreneurship, instrumental stakeholder theory, and management challenges of corporate social responsibility. Aimé Heene is a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Ghent University, Belgium. He teaches strategic management for private and public organizations and currently focuses his research on (competencebased) management in public and social profit organizations.     

The changing consumer in Belgium

Centrally located at the cross-roads of the main European Cultures that constitute its roots, Belgium can in many respects be regarded as a miniature Europe. Indeed, most general economic and consumption tendencies that have a grip over Europe, also reign the Belgian society.Yet, Belgium's macro marketing mix exhibits a number of particular characteristics. The remarkably developed retail apparatus and extensive product assortments are typical of a small but rich consumption society. At the same time, promotional expenditures remain modest, and price competition in major sectors is fierce.In view of the future, the foregoing aspects characterize Belgium as a potentially attractive test market for internationally oriented firms. Conversely, it appears to be an interesting commercial arena only for marketers with high cost efficiency, or with superior targeting skills allowing them to cater to the needs of small market segments with considerable purchasing power.     

Strategic partnering between new technology based firms and large established firms in the biotechnology and micro-electronics industries in Belgium

There is an increased emphasis on New Technology Based Firms (NTBFs) and on Strategic Partnerships. The number of strategic partnerships between large, established firms and NTBFs has multiplied over the past few years, due to a growing trend towards technological and marketing relationships between large and small firms. In this contribution, the strategic — predominantly technology —partnering (also referred to as interfirm technology cooperation) experiences of a small number of Belgian NTBFs in the biotechnology and micro-electronics industries will be analysed. The analysis presented here derives from the regionspecific technology policies in Belgium.A multiple case study design was chosen to develop an understanding of the impact of strategic partnering on New Technology Based Firm-survival and growth in Belgium. To improve the reliability of conclusions in the research presented here, a small number of cases will be investigated for the construction of a theoretical model.     

The incidence of home accidents is going down in Belgium

The objective of the present study was to estimate the incidence of home accidents in Belgium in 2002 and to compare them with the results of 1996. The Belgian network of general practitioners (GPs) is a national network of GPs who collect and report data on selected conditions, including home accidents. The data about home accidents were recorded by 181 GPs in 1996 and by 150 GPs in 2002. The standardized incidence of home accidents decreased from 2935 per 100 000 inhabitants in 1996 (95% CI 2846 – 3026) to 2669 in 2002 (95% CI 2588 – 2751). This corresponds to a decrease of 9% (p < 0.001). A decrease of 14% was observed in the Flemish Community (p < 0.001). The reduction was very important (36%) among women aged between 75 and 89 years (p < 0.001). In the French community the decrease was not significant. The incidence of home accidents observed in general practice decreased in Belgium, especially in the Flemish Community.     

Investigating the Impact of Firm Size on Small Business Social Responsibility: A Critical Review

The impact of smaller firm size on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is ambiguous. Some contend that small businesses are socially responsible by nature, while others argue that a smaller firm size imposes barriers on small firms that constrain their ability to take responsible action. This paper critically analyses recent theoretical and empirical contributions on the size–social responsibility relationship among small businesses. More specifically, it reviews the impact of firm size on four antecedents of business behaviour: issue characteristics, personal characteristics, organizational characteristics and context characteristics. It concludes that the small business context does impose barriers on social responsibility taking, but that the impact of the smaller firm size on social responsibility should be nuanced depending on a number of conditions. From a critical analysis of these conditions, opportunities for small businesses and their constituents to overcome the constraining barriers are suggested.Jan Lepoutre is a PhD candidate in Applied Economics at Ghent University, Belgium. His dissertation focuses on the competences associated with small business social responsibility.Aimé Heene is a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Ghent University, Belgium. He teaches strategic management for private and for public organizations and currently focuses his research on (competence-based) management in public and social profit organizations.     

The Regulation of Pharmacists in Belgium and the Netherlands: In the Public or Private Interest?

The regulation of pharmacists in Belgium and the Netherlands is analysed in order to test the rent-seeking hypothesis put forward in the private interest literature. Both the self-regulation issued by the professional bodies and public regulations are examined. It appears that many regulations in both countries either restrict the entry into the profession or restrict competition within the profession. A qualitative comparative analysis of these regulations in both countries is presented as well as some empirical findings. The economic analysis and the empirical data seem to give some support to the rent-seeking hypothesis.     

Bank affiliations and corporate dividend policy in pre-World War I Belgium

We investigate the impact of universal banks on the dividend policy of affiliated companies, in an environment characterised by poor investor protection, booming stock markets and strong banks. Our results, based on a unique sample of 428 listed companies in pre-World War I Belgium, are consistent with the hypothesis that companies with good investment opportunities and a bank director on their board paid higher dividends to establish a good reputation with investors. However, our results also indicate that companies with several bank directors and companies in which the bank had an equity stake paid lower dividends.     

Consumer responses to different degrees of advertising adaptation: the moderating role of national openness to foreign markets

We investigate the moderating role of national openness to foreign markets on consumer responses (attitude to ad, brand and purchase intention) to different degrees of advertising adaptation in Belgium, Iran and India. We operationalize three levels of advertising adaptation (standardization, glocalization and adaptation) by manipulating the model (international versus local celebrity) and advertising copy (international versus local advertising copy). The results show that societies with a low openness to foreign markets respond more positively to fully adapted ads than to glocalized and standardized ads. The differences in responses decrease with national openness.     

The Mediating Role of Anticipated Guilt in Consumers’ Ethical Decision-Making

In this paper, we theorize that the anticipation of guilt plays an important role in ethically questionable consumer situations. We propose an ethical decision-making framework incorporating anticipated guilt as partial mediator between consumers’ ethical beliefs (anteceded by ethical ideology) and intentions. In the first study, we compared several models using structural equation modeling and found empirical support for our research model. A second experiment was set up to illustrate how these new insights may be applied to prevent consumers from taking advantage of the seller. Results showed that enhancing the anticipation of guilt (by making the interpersonal consequences of the unethical act more salient) increased consumers’ ethical intentions, controlling for ethical beliefs. Together these two studies might have important theoretical and managerial contributions.Sarah Steenhaut is research assistant and doctoral candidate at Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Research Center for Consumer Psychology and Marketing (Belgium). Her research interests lie in the area of ethical aspects and marketing, more specifically, consumers’ ethical beliefs, attitudes and behavior. She has recently published in Journal of Business Ethics.Patrick Van Kenhove is Professor of Marketing at Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Marketing (Belgium). He has recently published in Journal of Business Ethics, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Advances in Consumer Research, Journal of Economic Psychology, Journal of Health Communication and The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research.     

Assessing the impact of a retailer's relationship efforts on consumers’ attitudes and behavior

This study focuses at the impact of different relationship efforts made by a retailer (direct mail, preferential treatment, and tangible rewards) on key relationship marketing outcomes (trust, relationship commitment, and behavioral loyalty). A cross-sectional study in a retail clothing setting was conducted based on two consumer samples drawn from Belgium and the Netherlands. SEM results indicate that retailers undertaking relationship efforts to loyal consumers can positively affect these consumers’ attitudes and behavior. Consequently, managers and employees of retail companies need to be trained, motivated, and rewarded for making relationship efforts to regular customers.