How optimal distinctiveness affects new ventures' failure risk: A contingency perspective

In this article, we apply the concept of optimal distinctiveness to test whether category spanning has a nonlinear effect on new ventures' risk to fail. We argue that by being optimally distinct, i.e., by attaining a level of category spanning that allows new ventures to benefit from balancing the competing needs of conformity with and differentiation from competitors, new ventures can improve their survival chances. In addition, we argue that the relevance of optimal distinctiveness varies with a venture's age and a category's density. We tested our hypotheses using data from 1668 metal bands that were founded in the United Kingdom between 1967 and 2005. The results indicate that optimal distinctiveness is relevant to new ventures' failure risk. Moreover, we show that venture age attenuates the relevance of optimal distinctiveness, whereas category density strengthens that factor's relevance.     

The antecedents of early internationalization: A configurational perspective

The literature on international business and international entrepreneurship provides multiple explanations for early internationalization. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study examines the antecedents of early internationalization for small firms based in a small economy, focusing on entrepreneurs’ attitudes toward the economic opportunities available in their domestic market, the risk of internationalizing, and the profitability of entering foreign markets. Three additional antecedents are examined: unsolicited orders, existence of underutilized capacity, and the behavior of competitors. The study uncovers three distinct combinations of antecedents that are equifinally linked to the early internationalization of small enterprises, and contributes to the literature through a multi-causal, configurational approach.     

It is time for optimal distinctiveness: Corporate social responsibility engagement under dynamic competitive effects during the COVID-19 crisis

Firms tend to seek optimal distinctiveness when choosing CSR engagement timing. Building on the perspectives of optimal distinctiveness and competitive dynamics, this paper explains why firms' CSR engagement timing toward a certain event is affected by dynamic competitive effects. That is, to achieve optimal distinctiveness, focal firms pay more attention to their main competitors that are similar in market, size and resources. We apply a discrete-time survival analysis of 869 Chinese listed firms' CSR engagement action toward the COVID-19 pandemic during the first half of 2020. The results support the mechanism that when a highly similar competitor engages in CSR activities, it raises the probability that the focal firm engages itself beyond levels based solely on its own characteristics and common time-dependent factors.     

A network approach to strategy

The task of environmental analysis has a key role to play in formulating strategy and the strategic management process. How the process should be organised, however, depends largely on the theoretical perspective applied to both the nature of the business environment, and a corresponding understanding of strategic action within that environment. The objective of this paper is to develop a strategic analysis framework which incorporates the theoretical propositions in the markets-as-network model. The Swiss energy industry is used to provide the context to illustrate the framework's application. Finally we examine what it contributes to moving the markets-as-network model towards the explanatory level of inquiry.     

A strategic groups approach to the franchising–performance relationship

Although franchising is a pervasive organizational form, little is known about its performance consequences. Prior studies have not found a direct performance effect, suggesting a need for alternative approaches. Drawing upon agency and resource scarcity theories, we develop the idea that strategic groups exist among franchisors and that performance differs among the groups. Using a sample of 65 restaurant chains, three strategic groups were found. The strategic group most influenced to franchise out of resource scarcity exhibited poorer performance than the other two groups. Results indicate that important, but nonlinear, relationships exist among franchising, its antecedents, and performance.     

The market within: A marketing approach to creating and developing high-value employment relationships

In the battle for high-value talent, managers need to think like marketers, creating job offerings and employment relationships that provide mutual value for firms and their employees. This article provides a 3-stage framework for the application of marketing techniques to the recruitment and retention of high-value employees. In the first stage, the 4Ps of the marketing mix are used to create compelling job offerings that attract high-value employees. In the second stage, firms use relationship marketing concepts to build long-lasting employment relationships that create mutual value for the firm and its employees. The third stage involves the outcomes of high-value employment relationships, which include greater employee commitment and satisfaction, which then lead to greater employee advocacy of the firm and lower levels of employee turnover. The ultimate proposed outcomes of this approach are increased performance and stability of the firm.     

Exploring the role of internationalization knowledge in fostering strategic renewal: A dynamic capabilities perspective

Internationalization knowledge (IK) is important to successfully enter and develop competitive strategies abroad. Yet, how IK is advanced and improved across the multinational enterprise (MNE), and how this contributes to the MNE’s strategic renewal is less understood. This analysis is based on an in-depth case study of Microsoft International to explore how IK is advanced, improved, and integrated across the enterprise. Our findings suggest that IK plays a critical role in fostering strategic renewal of an MNE. More specifically, sensing, seizing, and transforming capabilities jointly provide the necessary basis that enable IK to facilitate strategic renewal. We contribute to the literature by (1) explicating three categories of IK and their hierarchical relationship; (2) reveal how three distinct capabilities required by MNEs capture and integrate the three categories of IK across the enterprise; and, (3) offering that strategic renewal is triggered by routines based on the development and integration of IK.     

A dynamic approach to the analysis of strategic alliances

The increasing trend in strategic alliance formation between major firms around the world, has prompted researchers from various disciplines to look at this phenomenon in great detail. In this paper, we review alternate approaches in the literature in this area. We then propose a non-linear dynamic approach to study the formation of competitive strategic alliances and contrast it with the traditional game-theoretic approach. The pros and cons of these two approaches are discussed with reference to a competitive alliance scenario. Dynamic models have significant managerial implications as they enable us to investigate ‘if-then’ type scenarios and project the impact of different strategies.     

Qualitative analysis of customer behavior in the retail industry during the COVID-19 pandemic: A word-cloud and sentiment analysis approach

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a paradigm shift in customer behavior within the retail industry. Pandemic-induced restrictions and fear of product scarcity led to a change in purchasing frequency, with customers stockpiling non-perishable products such as basic foods and hygiene items. Media and social networks also played a significant role in fueling panic-buying behavior. Although sales decreased, consumption in all food categories increased due to the closure of restaurants and the need to prepare meals at home. The pandemic had a significant impact on both customers and retailers, resulting in staff reductions and a change in business strategies.To explore how Romanian food retailers’ representatives responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and adjusted to changing consumer behavior, the authors employed a qualitative research approach based on an interview guide. The data collected were analyzed using the statistical software R. In data analysis with R, the choice of functions used depends on various factors, such as the type of data, research questions, and analysis methods. Generally, commonly used functions in R for data analysis include data cleaning and manipulation functions such as subset, merge, and transform, data visualization functions such as ggplot2, and statistical modeling functions such as lm and glm, resulting in world clouds and a sentiment analysis.The results show that to develop effective business strategies, qualitative analysis helps identify the root causes of these changes. Sentiment analysis can reveal how retail chains representatives perceived the safety measures implemented in stores, such as social distancing and mask-wearing mandates, and how these measures affected customers’ shopping behavior. It also sheds light on how customers shopped and whether they planned to continue using these methods post-pandemic. Understanding these insights is crucial for retail companies to adapt their operations and better serve their customers in the post-pandemic world.     

The continuing debate on firm performance: A multilevel approach to the IT sectors of Taiwan and South Korea

In the economics and strategy fields, researchers seek to understand the antecedents of firm profitability. How and why do certain private enterprise firms develop competitive advantages in environments of rapid technological change while other firms do not? This study extends recent variance decomposition research in three ways. First, this work compares IT sectors in Taiwan and South Korea by using the Standard & Poor's Compustat® Global Vantage database. Second, this investigation tests industry and firm effects using both the multilevel approach of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and the conventional variance components approach (VCA). Third, this study explores the question of why there are significant profitability differences among technological firms even with similar industrial structural characteristics and leveraged resources and capabilities in the same IT industry. This study uses data from the U.S. Patent Office to estimate technological diversification at the level of firm resources for knowledge-based relatedness for the IT firms of Taiwan and South Korea. The empirical results find that firm effects have great impact on performance of the IT sectors of Taiwan and South Korea when estimated by either HLM or VCA. However, industry effects dominate firm effects on South Korea's IT sectors when the variance is estimated by HLM. From the perspective of conducting patents innovation, both of the specialized and diversified corporate strategies are matter to the development of these IT sectors, and South Korea's IT firms are more technologically diversified than those firms in Taiwan.     

The impact of CSR on corporate reputation perceptions of the public—A configurational multi‐time,multi‐source perspective

This study investigates the connection between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate reputation among the public using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). To examine complex processes underlying the reactions of this influential stakeholder group, hypotheses are drawn from the category diagnosticity approach. Thereby, a psychological model of perceived (im)morality is transferred to the CSR context. In line with these hypotheses, positive/negative CSR activities influence reputation in the expected directions (H1a, b), while the effects of specific configurations of CSR activities reveal an asymmetry suggesting a negativity bias (H2). Further analyses confirm that positive effects require a consistent positive performance regarding prior reputations (H3a) and the aggregated CSR activities of several previous years (H3b, c). Moreover, the relevant patterns vary between industries (H4). The present study thus contributes to CSR research by investigating a powerful but hitherto understudied stakeholder group through a category diagnosticity lens combined with a configurational approach to analysis.     

The evolution of world trade from 1995 to 2014: A network approach

This paper employs network analysis to study world trade from 1995 to 2014. We focus on the main connective features of the world trade network (WTN) and their dynamics. Results suggest that countries’ efforts to attain the benefits of trade have resulted in an intertwined network that is increasingly dense, reciprocal, and clustered. However, these features do not correspond to a linear aggregation of the characteristics of its constituents (trade sectors). Trade linkages are distributed homogeneously among countries, but their intensity (i.e. their value) is highly concentrated in a small set of countries. The main connective features of the WTN were not affected by the 2007–2008 international financial crisis. However, we find that the crisis marks a turning point in the evolution of the WTN from a two-group (led by the US and Germany) to a three-group (led by the US, Germany, and China) hierarchical structure.     

A social media analytics-based approach to customer-centric reverse logistics management of electronic devices: A case study on notebooks

With the advancement of technology, the rate of replacement of unused electronic devices by consumers has increased. Throwing away these devices wastes the scarce natural resources used in their production and also has harmful effects on the environment. Using the concept of reverse logistics leads to the reduction of waste of electronic products such as laptops and the reuse of their parts. To implement the reverse logistics process in the production process, companies need to know which parts of their products have problems or breakdowns when used by consumers so that they can make the right decision about reusing, repairing or recycling the returned product parts. In this paper, the most effective decision-making strategies in reverse logistics based on consumer feedback are discussed. The result of using this model presented in this research is reducing costs and increasing producer productivity, which will ultimately lead to consumer satisfaction. This paper focuses on social media data to gather consumer feedback to optimize the decision-making process in reverse logistics through a data analytics approach. A case study is conducted on Twitter data regarding consumer opinions about MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. By using DEMATEL and network analysis techniques, factors affecting the improvement of the quality of MacBooks have been prioritized. The results showed that the proposed approach can help manufacturers by (a) finding effective features on consumers' behaviour and attitudes through their feedback in social networks, (b) identifying how factors influence each other (c) prioritizing factors, to establish the reverse logistics process which leads to increase consumer satisfaction and improve their performance.     

The use of social media to detect corporate fraud: A case study approach

Social media is a rapid and dynamic medium of communication that forms a crucial component of the modern business toolkit. It can be used to detect corporate fraud by tapping into collective user wisdom, also known as the wisdom of crowds. This article highlights both the potential and limitations of social media in detecting corporate fraud by examining information from traditional media and social media for a recent corporate fraud case (i.e., Empowered Products Inc.). Using text analysis of information posted on traditional media compared to social media, this article illustrates how social media provides an increased level of relevant information in a faster manner. By using wisdom of crowds in this way, social media platforms such as Twitter can improve organizational knowledge quality. We identify methods for managers to utilize social media to improve their organizational knowledge management.     

An omnichannel approach to retailing: demystifying and identifying the factors influencing an omnichannel experience

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that influence an omnichannel experience. Omnichannel is an emerging approach to retailing that responds to the changing nature of how customers shop in alternation between online and offline shops, and the increasing use of digital devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets), as a consequence retailers are focusing and establishing a seamless integrated approach to their services. Omnichannel is now a hot topic in retailing but there is a lack of empirical studies into the factors that influence an omnichannel experience. Using a mixed methods approach, we propose and empirically test a conceptual model that identifies four factors influencing an omnichannel experience: brand familiarity; customisation; perceived value, and technology readiness. We conceptualise omnichannel to include three key channels; in-store, online and mobile. Two hundred and forty-six questionnaires were collected and analysed using PLS-SEM and 11 interviews were carried out with marketing/ omnichannel professionals. Our results indicate that brand familiarity has a strong influence on omnichannel (in-store, online and mobile) while perceived value has a negative impact on the mobile experience. Our results show that retailers need to consider multiple factors, such as brand familiarity, customisation, perceived value and technology readiness as influencing factors of an omnichannel experience, and plan the use of multiple touchpoints simultaneously to enhance their overall customer’s experience. Although this study demonstrates the significant factors influencing an omnichannel experience, questions remain regarding the exact use of each touchpoint by customers and the extent of overlap between the touchpoints. which .     

基于模糊集定性比较分析的民营企业政治行为有效性研究

随着我国民营经济的不断发展,民营企业不仅在经济领域内扮演着重要的角色,也在社会政治领域发挥了越来越大的作用。通过构建企业政治行为战略框架,并在此基础上应用定性比较分析法进行多案例研究,探讨民营企业规模、政治战略、政治联系和政治影响力之间的相互匹配关系及对企业政治行为有效性的影响。研究不仅从理论上进一步完善和丰富了企业政治行为理论的内容,而且有着重要的实践意义。     

Storytelling,the scale of persuasion and retention: A neuromarketing approach

Persuasive storytelling is an essential tool for propagandists, publicists, and corporations. In this research, storytelling styles have been examined for their effectiveness in terms of attitude change and retention. Two groups of respondents were asked to read two short, fictional texts about a chosen corporation’s positive action toward the environment. One story was written using words from the Micro-WNOp corpus to elicit positive emotions (Story 1), while the other was written with a more cognitive approach (Story 2). Biometrics data, eye tracking, facial expression analysis, and galvanic skin responses (GSR) were recorded while respondents read the texts. Heat maps and area of interest analysis show that although the affective story was faster and more effective at changing respondents’ attitudes, the cognitive approach resulted in longer-lasting attitudinal change. As such, affective stories may lead to more immediate shifts in attitude, but cognitive stories result in deeper elaboration and subsequently better retention.     

Demand and distribution relationships in the ready-to-drink iced tea market: A graphical approach

The relationship between distribution coverage and market share for an incumbent brand and for new entrants in the ready-to-drink iced tea market during its growth phase is explored using state space diagrams. This graphical visualization method was originally developed to disentangle lead–lag relationships between short nonstationary time series, a situation in which standard econometric methods have difficulty. In this research we show the usefulness of this method for long time series in offering complementary insights to econometric models, in providing a simple and managerially useful tool, and in conducting exploratory data analysis to guide subsequent modeling decisions. In the ready-to-drink iced tea market, usage of this method shows that during introduction of new brands and growth of the category, demand leads distribution, but that as the market matures, the dominant incumbent can defend with a distribution-leading-demand dynamic. Further, distribution coverage eventually becomes relatively stable so that short term fluctuations in demand (probably due to responses to promotion) have minimal impact on distribution.

From conspicuous to considered fashion: A harm-chain approach to the responsibilities of luxury-fashion businesses

Abstract

Throughout the marketing literature, little attention has been paid to the responsibilities of luxury-fashion businesses. Harnessing Polonsky, Carlson, and Fry’s harm chain, the extended harm chain, and the theoretical lens of institutional theory, this conceptual paper explores a systematic way to examine the potential for value co-creation, the harmful outcomes linked to luxury-fashion marketing activities, and how those harms might be addressed. Our analysis identifies a number of harms occurring throughout the luxury-fashion supply chain. The paper concludes by urging luxury-fashion businesses to sustain their success through ‘deep’ corporate social responsibility (CSR), adding voice to the developing conversation that seeks to change the scope of the critique of marketing practice beyond the economic and competitive advantages that CSR delivers.     

On the impact of US subsidies on world cotton prices: A meta-analysis approach

Despite the literature dealing with the impact of subsidies on world cotton prices, there is no consensus regarding the quantification of these effects. The aim of this article is to contribute to this literature through the implementation of a meta-regression analysis. This methodology allows us to: (i) identify the main sources of heterogeneity between the primary studies, (ii) give some tracks to improve the modeling, (iii) provide a reliable effect of the removal of subsidies on world cotton prices. Relying on the estimation of various models to derive robust results, our findings show that a withdrawal of US subsidies would increase the world cotton price by around 11% on average.