Healthier for whom? Technological service improvement in the healthcare industry

This study tackles the dilemma of a technology-based service improvement wherein an organization performs a technology change to improve its service process, while its customers do not necessarily perceive the new service as an improvement. The empirical research follows a healthcare provider that changed its primary care provider appointment scheduling using a new call centre technology. The methodology involves three processes reflecting the entire change: personal interviews, focus groups, and surveys. To facilitate adoption of a technology-based service, it is recommended that there be a focus on customers’ experience with similar service industries’ image, and organizational policies on contracting service representatives.     

Management development within the construction industry: building on success?

This article explores the notion that the workplace is a learning environment, and that the line manager is a key player determining its effectiveness. The work discusses how performance management systems may be used to clarify expectations made of line managers with regard to employee development. The work, in addition, suggests that line manager people management expertise may be a factor inhibiting workplace development for subordinates, and makes a number of suggestions about how to prepare the line manager for effective employee development. Key issues are illustrated by reference to a case study example. The case demonstrates that a high profile management development programme within a major international organisation failed to meet all objectives because of the unwillingness of the line management team to participate in the development of subordinates back in the workplace.     

Linking family-to-business enrichment and support to entrepreneurial success: Do female and male entrepreneurs experience different outcomes?

This study used survey data from 253 entrepreneurs who founded small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to examine how experiences in their family domain may benefit their experiences in their business domain. Specifically, it hypothesized that affective family-to-business enrichment, instrumental family-to-business enrichment, and family-to-business support would be positively related to entrepreneurial success and that each relationship would be more positive for female entrepreneurs than male entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial success was assessed by economic measures (business performance, growth in employment) and measures of satisfaction with the entrepreneurial experience (satisfaction with status, satisfaction with employee relationships). Results offered substantial support for the notion that female entrepreneurs benefit from the linkages of family-to-business enrichment and support to entrepreneurial success, whereas they offered no support for the notion that male entrepreneurs benefit from these linkages. Female entrepreneurs may experience such benefits because of their relative lack of access to other resources such as human, social, and financial capital and because the female gender role encourages them to pursue work–family synergies. In contrast, male entrepreneurs may fail to experience such benefits because of the relative abundance of other resources available to them and because the male gender role discourages them from pursuing work–family synergies.     

Generation Y female and male decision-making styles in Iran: are they different?

In the early 2000s the Iranian government liberalized investment regulations and many foreign companies entered this high potential market where end-user consumers mainly comprise young people. Unfortunately, there are few studies of shopping behavior. This study compares Generation Y female and male consumer decision-making styles to offer guidelines to Iranian and overseas marketers. Sproles and Kendall's Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) was adopted. The results show some differences between female and male decision-making styles, suggesting that gender affects shopping behavior. Identification of new traits suggests that CSI cannot be applied without considering socio-cultural factors.     

Technology and counterfeiting in the fashion industry: Friends or foes?

This article addresses the relationship between technology and counterfeiting in the fashion industry. Starting with an economic analysis of counterfeiting, I examine how new technologies encourage counterfeiters while at the same time provide important tools to combat it. The development of sophisticated technologies to obtain, process, and reproduce images and the extensive use of new digital channels for online sales have simplified both production and distribution of counterfeit products. Based on tagging and DNA analysis, as well as web-based monitoring systems, trace and track technologies allow rights holders to combat counterfeiting through effective control of the entire production and distribution chain. This article considers an innovative method of product monitoring based on latest-generation IT platforms, integrated with portable devices, that can easily and immediately verify product authenticity. The spread of these new technological systems is closely related to the role of a party that is glaringly absent in the battle against counterfeiting: the consumer. Indeed, new technologies are the driving element in a virtuous circle where the consumer becomes an essential instrument in the battle against counterfeiting, along with the other players involved: companies, public institutions, and civil society.     

Does advertising indicate product quality? Evidence from prelaunch and postlaunch advertising in the movie industry

Literature on the informative role of advertising indicates that advertising quantity can serve as an indicator of product quality. As product life cycles grow shorter, firms in many industries spend significant amounts on advertising during the prelaunch period to create large initial demand. Thus, the role of prelaunch advertising may differ from that of postlaunch advertising, and a proper understanding of these differences is important. This study provides an empirical investigation of whether advertising is a reliable indicator of quality before and after product launches, using the data from the movie industry. Analyses of 1078 movies released during 2003–2011 show that postlaunch advertising is a reliable quality indicator and increases revenues, whereas prelaunch advertising is not a reliable quality indicator, even if it leads to higher revenues.     

Do Internal Governance Mechanisms Impact on Firm Performance? Empirical Evidence from the Financial Sector in China

The financial sector plays an important intermediary role in the Chinese economy. However, there has been very limited research concerning improvement in corporate governance within this sector. Using an unbalanced data set of 139 firm-year observations covering 1999 to 2009, this study examines the impact of internal governance mechanisms on the performance of Chinese listed financial institutions. Findings suggest that state ownership, legal person ownership, board size, and supervisory board meetings are negatively related to the profitability of these institutions, whereas factors including ownership concentration, foreign ownership, independent directors, board meetings, and supervisory board size have no impacts.     

Perceived justice and post-recovery satisfaction in banking service failures: Do commitment types matter?

Based on the notion that the types of customer commitment to a service provider may have diverse reasons and effects on the customer’s perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, this study aims to investigate the different buffering effects of calculative and affective commitments on the perceived justice and post-recovery satisfaction (PRS) relationship. Multiple and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted based on survey data collected from 284 households who experienced service failure in the banking sector. Results revealed that while affective commitment moderates the effects of procedural and interactional justice, calculative commitment increases the impact of distributive and procedural justice on PRS.     

The role of social networks and institutions in the internationalization of Russian entrepreneurial firms: Do they matter?

Drawing upon network theory and institutional theory, this paper examines the influence of networks on the internationalization of Russian entrepreneurial firms. Our case analysis suggests that within the context of the Russian environment, networks play a much less important role in the internationalization process than it is usually assumed in the literature. For the Russian entrepreneurial firms examined in our study, the most important factor in their internationalization was their engagement in honest business practices that established trust and commitment in their relationships with international business partners. This study underscores the importance of the institutional context of an entrepreneurial firm’s country.     

Customer-perceived value and loyalty: how do key service quality dimensions matter in the context of B2C e-commerce?

This paper develops a research model to examine the effect of e-service quality dimensions on customer-perceived value and customer loyalty. Based on a survey of 235 online customers, we identify five key e-service quality dimensions: care, reliability, products portfolio, ease of use, and security. Our empirical results show that all the five dimensions have significant and positive impacts on customer-perceived value which, in turn, increases customer loyalty. We further examine the mediating role of customer-perceived value in the relationship between each e-service quality and customer loyalty. The results suggest that customer-perceived value plays a partially mediating role in the effect of ease of use, care, product portfolio, and reliability on customer loyalty, and a fully mediating role in the relationship between security and customer loyalty. Managers may be in a position to benefit by employing the model presented in this study in an effort to improve service performance and, hence, retain customers.     

Is the more always better? A comparative study of internal and external integration practices in new product and new service development

This study investigates the relationship between internal and external integration practices and innovation success of new products and new services. Building on the idea that key success drivers in new product and new service development may have implementing costs besides their obvious benefits, this article examines the possibility that a nonlinear relationship in the shape of an inverted U exists between innovation success and the antecedents examined in this research. The present study also addresses scholars' call for research to investigate differences in the drivers of new product and new service success. The findings suggest that differences exist in the nature of the relationship—that is, linear versus nonlinear—between cross-functional integration, customer integration, and interfirm collaboration and innovation success in a new product versus new service setting.     

“Towards a co-creation framework in the retail banking services industry: Do demographics influence?”

Although many firms profess to adopt a customer-centric approach many are yet to embrace the notion that value is not solely created within the boundaries of the firm, that it is created co-jointly with outside parties. As such, value co-creation has increasing importance in modern marketing, impulsed by Service-Dominant Logic. While co-creation is a hot-topic in the marketing literature, services marketing literature recognizes the impact of demographic characteristics in consumer behavior. However, literature analysing the effects of demographics in co-creations models is very scarce.Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine a set of outcomes of co-creation (satisfaction, loyalty and WOM) from a customer perspective. More, this research also analyses the potential moderating effect of demographic characteristics such as gender and age in this co-creative framework.The results show that co-creation directly affects customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and WOM. Co-creation also results in increased levels of customer satisfaction, which in turn mediates the effect of co-creation on customer loyalty and positive WOM. Data also reveal different patterns of behavior depending on gender and age.This paper contributes to the understanding of co-creation from a customer viewpoint. Firms should strive to foster co-creation initiatives as this can lead to increased levels of customer satisfaction, more loyal customers and the possibility of attracting new customers through positive WOM by current customers. Customers databases must be segmented for higher levels of marketing campaigns efficiency.     

Flagship stores for FMCG national brands: Do they improve brand cognitions and create favorable consumer reactions?

National brands have begun to engage in direct distribution, displaying the brand in its own biotope. Such operation of flagship stores is one means of forward verticalization. From samples of visitors to two flagship stores of fast-moving consumer goods brands, this study analyzes the effects of the flagship store visit on brand experience, brand equity, brand attachment, and loyalty. In the low-involvement FMCG context, flagship stores are useful for reinforcing brand experience. However, flagship store-fueled brand experience does not necessarily lead to favorable consumer reactions; its effect on future purchases is mediated by both brand equity and brand attachment.     

Multinational firms and the extractive sectors in the 21st century: Can they drive development?

Historically, extractive sector MNEs have been seen as an obstacle to sustainable development, because they operated in enclaves with limited local engagement. Import-substitution policies aimed to increase the local benefits of these resources, restricting FDI. Since liberalisation, extractive MNEs have re-engaged with developing countries through looser governance structures with greater potential for linkages. Despite the increased potential, few host countries have seen meaningful MNE-led development because of weak domestic firms and poor location advantages. New MNEs from emerging economies have also not shown a greater propensity to local linkages. Only countries that have continued to invest in location advantages have seen substantial benefits.     

Goodbye China: What Do Fewer Foreigners Mean for Multinationals and the Chinese Economy?

Intereconomics - The number of foreigners living in China is very low in international comparison and has further declined recently. While the strict COVID-19-related travel restrictions played a...     

Top management teams and corporate political activity: Do top management teams have influence on corporate political activity?

This study explores how senior executives affect firms' propensity to engage in political activity. I propose that firms' participation in the political process depends on their senior executives' involvement in political activity. I examine this framework using data on the campaign contributions of 151 U.S. manufacturing firms during the years 1999-2002. The results suggest that senior executives' involvement in a particular political activity affects their firms' commitment to that political activity, contingent on CEO tenure and top management team heterogeneity.     

The impact of advertising,goodwill, and other intangibles in the retail foodservice industry: Do intangible investments bite into investor returns?

Utilizing a sample of U.S. publicly traded foodservice retailers, this study examines the impact of advertising, goodwill, and intangible assets on investor holding period returns. The results show that neither advertising nor intangible assets have a positive and significant impact on holding period returns. Goodwill, however, does have a positive and significant impact on holding period returns. Foodservice retailers may therefore want to question the effectiveness of growth strategies based on a firm’s own investments in either advertising or intangible assets. Instead, building a foodservice retailing business through mergers and acquisitions may prove a better use of company resources.