Does the digitalization of retailing disrupt consumers’ attachment to retail places?

This study breaks new ground in the marketing domain by extending the concept of place attachment to the study of the online retail environment. We provide empirical evidence that consumers can establish strong attachments not only with traditional offline places but also with online retail stores. Moreover, we assessed how distinct dimensions of the place affect the formation of consumers’ attachment and their behavioral loyalty. Our findings show that while consumers who feel a strong sense of attachment toward the place engage in spreading positive word-of-mouth regardless of the environment, their attachment to the store does not prevent them from switching to another provider, especially in the online environment.     

Building chain loyalty in grocery retailing by means of loyalty programs – A study of ‘the Norwegian case’

The aim of the paper is to analyze chain loyalty effects of customers' perceived value of loyalty programs in grocery retailing. It contributes to filling a gap in the literature, as there has been little earlier focus on the links between customers' perception of loyalty program value and satisfaction, image, and loyalty, at the chain level. One main finding is that customers’ perceived value of a loyalty program has significant direct and moderating effects on chain loyalty, and the moderation effects are chain dependent. Managers should thus consider satisfaction creation, image building, and loyalty program value creation as parallel processes.     

Rejoinder to Hunt’s ‘The bases of power approach to channel relationships’

Abstract

The critique of Blois and Hopkinson presented by Hunt is examined. Hunt argues that Blois and Hopkinson: make criticisms of the power-base approach in channels of distribution research; that these criticisms can be categorised under five headings; and, that each of these criticisms is suspect. This rejoinder examines each of Hunt’s claims and argues that they are not fully convincing.     

The ‘layering’ of management in post-war Britain: The case of the Office Management Association

The mid-twentieth century saw the creation of layers of managerial jobs in Britain. The increasing numbers of managers and a persistent degree of social closure at the top of organisational hierarchies led groups of managers to try to define specialist management functions as justification for holding organisational power. The Office Management Association was one such group. It promoted office managers’ expertise in the efficient running of the administrative side ofenterprises as a specialist managerial function worthy of a high place in managerial hierarchies. But specialisation was also fragmentation that would weaken the entire occupational group of all managers.     

New opportunities in social media for ad-restricted alcohol products: The case of ‘Yeni Rakı’

The rapid diffusion and technological evolution experienced in the new format of the Internet, particularly social media, have forced many brands to keep pace with this ongoing process in order to engage with their customers. Social media utilize multiple Internet-based communication platforms, including, but not limited to, blogs and social networking sites. This paper aims to examine how social media can be used to interact with consumers in the case of ad-restricted alcohol products, providing a case study from Turkey. The explored case provides an example of a well-planned, creative campaign that successfully exploits the opportunities provided by interactivity. The analysis of an alcohol product is critical due to the fact that such products face many restrictions, thus calling for a more creative and efficient approach to the design and implementation of social media practices, and their integration into integrated marketing communication (IMC) campaigns. This case will contribute to the articulation of the best ways to shape both business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer dialogue and fruitful applications of this new IMC tool.     

Can apprenticeships contribute to innovation in SMEs? The case of Catalonia

The objective of this study is to analyse the contribution of students of vocational education and training (VET) to the innovation processes of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) during their apprenticeships. Qualitative research was conducted through in‐depth interviews with 97 respondents in Catalonia, including VET teachers and students, SME managers, and social and institutional agents. Our findings reveal that public institutions have a partial view of innovation, mostly influenced by an industrial positioning, which leads to the neglect of other components, such as the social aspects. In addition, regarding public programmes designed to foster innovation through VET, the results show a lack of coordination between VET schools, SMEs and public administrations. Finally, in relation to apprentices, we find a low participation in innovation processes by students during their apprenticeship as a consequence of the bad implementation of innovation public programmes, due to the lack of coordination between VET schools and SMEs.     

Is parking supply related to turnover of shopping areas? The case of the Netherlands

In the retail sector the dogma “no parking, no business” is often used to describe the importance of parking for the performance of shopping areas. Accordingly there is a growing pressure on planners to increase parking capacity and/or reduce parking tariffs in and around shopping areas. This paper contains a cross-sectional data analysis regarding parking and other characteristics of 80 shopping areas in the Netherlands. A loglinear regression analysis is used to infer a relationship between parking – mainly in terms of quantity and price – and the turnover of shopping areas. It is found that there is a positive significant relationship between parking tariffs and turnover and that in general there is no statistical relationship between parking capacity and turnover with exception of regional shopping areas. The implications for policy are discussed.     

Firms’ reactions to public information on business practices: The case of search advertising

Quantitative Marketing and Economics - We use five years of bidding data to examine the reaction of advertisers to widely disseminated press on the lack of effectiveness of brand search advertising...     

Challenging the ‘Million Zeros’: The Importance of Imagination for Business Ethics Education

A recent preoccupation in scholarly research is the capacity of firms in developing country industrial clusters to comply with international corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies and codes of conducts. This research is at an early stage and draws on several—often quite distinct—scholarly traditions. In this paper, we argue that future work in this area would benefit from a more explicit examination of the connection between cluster firms and human rights defined according to the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent covenants and treaties. We argue that cluster firms’ adoption of CSR policies, often indiscriminately imposed by global buyers, should be differentiated from firms’ actual human rights practices. Based on this distinction, we elaborate a typology of industrial clusters (low-road, window-dressing, rights-oriented) and identify a set of factors likely to influence their practice. Against this background, we discuss an agenda for future research and elaborate on the potential methodological intricacies related to research on the interface between industrial clusters and human rights.     

‘Psychopaths’ at Work? Implications of Lay Persons’ Use of Labels and Behavioural Criteria for Psychopathy

In attempting to explain or deal with negative workplace behaviours such as workplace bullying, the notion of ‘workplace psychopaths’ has recently received much attention. Focusing on individual aspects of negative workplace behaviour is at odds with more systemic approaches that recognise the contribution of individual, organisational and societal influences, without seeking to blame a person(s) for their behaviour or personality disorder. Regarding a coworker as a psychopath is highly stigmatising, and given the relatively low prevalence of psychopathy in the community, is likely to be incorrect. Sources promoting the notion of workplace psychopathy provide lists of diagnostic criteria and appear to encourage the perception that it is common. This research examines how lay persons use behavioural criteria consistent with psychopathy and the label ‘psychopath’ in relation to a coworker. 307 Australian workers completed an online survey concerning their experience of workplace bullying, which also asked them to rate a coworker’s behaviour on a range of scales to assess perceptions of psychopathy. Rates of psychopathy, when using labels and behavioural criteria, were found to be much higher than scientific estimates of prevalence, for both participants who had been bullied and those who had not. A higher proportion of non-bullied participants classified a coworker as a psychopath when using the label ‘psychopath’, compared to when using behavioural criteria. The notion that there are psychopaths in every workplace should be treated with caution to ensure that the potential for ‘misdiagnosis’ and stigmatisation do not cause further harm in situations of unacceptable workplace behaviours.     

Bearing ‘the burden and heat of the day’: The experience of business failure in Douglas & Grant Ltd.

This article looks at the role of business culture in a business failure. Using the extensive records of the Scottish engineering firm of Douglas & Grant Ltd., it explores how the choices made by the firm's leaders were shaped by their values and assumptions. The article argues that the failure of the firm to manage expansion in the first decades of the twentieth century was rooted in these values, which both encouraged its leaders to take risks and constrained their ability to manage change.     

British Employers and Education Policy, 1935–45: A Decade of ‘Missed Opportunities’?

The purpose of this paper is to reassess the attitudes of British employers towards education policy during the period 1935–45. This decade has often been seen as one of ‘missed opportunities’ to reconstruct educational provision in response to the economy's changing skill requirements. Yet, contrary to much received wisdom, the findings of this research indicate that this was not the result of an entrenched anti-technology and anti-business bias among ministers and civil servants. It is argued that the government was sensitive to the views of employers but the latter failed to present a case for fundamental educational reform, despite the propaganda of a minority of ‘progressive’ firms active in the British Association for Commercial and Industrial Education. This is attributed, in part, to the way employers articulated their conception of educational ‘quality’, which paid insufficient attention to a knowledge of the principles of production processes. The latter was not only an outcome of the long-term influence of the division in Britain between employers and the professional middle class, which made the former sceptical of formal educational qualifications, but also reflected their lack of conviction that such qualifications promised more suitable training than workplace experience.     

The ‘online high street’ or the high street online? The implications for the urban retail hierarchy

The U.K. has the greatest proportion of online sales in Europe. This study seeks to explore the differential effects of online retailing on the (evolving) hierarchy of shopping centres by examining current trends and underlying forces. The overall objectives of the paper are to qualify and explore the influence of online retailing in the decision-making processes of leading retailers today; and to assess how virtual influences become manifest in the tangible built environment and have impacted the retail hierarchy? It differentiates online retail trends by sector and retailer size, and examines the consequences for different types of shopping centres. The empirical research is based on the changing location of stores of a major fashion retailer and interviews with three of Britain’s leading retailers that have seen the more substantial increase in online turnover in recent years. Major retailers are found to have integrated online offerings, such as click and collect, into a ‘multi-channel’ retailing approach. Online retailing has therefore become an inherent and central element within large retailers’ business and therefore real estate strategies, with considerations such as online marketplace penetration and possible ‘cannibalisation’ coming to the fore in decision-making about store location. Online retail sales are, to a degree, drawing sales away from shopping centres but its impact on the existing shopping hierarchy is largely to reinforce established long-term trends driven by the motor age and the shift to out of town retailing. This is symbolised by the largest ‘high street’ fashion retailer now having more branches in retail parks than town centres. Out of town shopping centres for example are benefitting because of the ease of goods collection offered by these locations.     

Tit for tat and big steps: The case of Swedish banks’ internationalization 1961–2010

This study examines four major Swedish banks’ internationalization process patterns during the period 1961–2010. The study complements earlier studies by also considering the banks’ levels of market commitment. One objective is to determine if ‘Tit for tat’-behaviour seen in earlier studies of Swedish banks still prevails after the deregulation. Adding to earlier studies, this study also considers the level of market activities and commitments. A secondary purpose is to examine how the financial crisis has affected the banks with reference to the banks’ internationalization patterns. The empirical study is based on archival data on the studied banks’ foreign operations. The results show that the banks’ behaviour follows ‘Tit for tat’-behaviour but that the internationalization has accelerated after the deregulation, hence being carried out with ‘big steps’ rather than small steps. The analysis also shows that the mimetic behaviour is complemented by other types of internationalization behaviours. The differences in bank internationalization also mean that the effect of a financial crisis varies depending on how the banks have internationalized.     

The development of control software for flexible manufacturing systems by British Aerospace,Warton: A case history of user‐initiated product innovation

This paper is intended to encourage responsible managers to do some soul searching about the way planning is carried out in their organisation. In many large organisations planning is one of the least efficient parts of the management system. A selection of possible reasons for this are discussed with the intention of creating conscious awareness of these issues, as a step towards more efficient planning.