Touching the Untouchable: Exploring Multi-Sensory Augmented Reality in the Context of Online Retailing

Mental intangibility during product evaluation remains one of the greatest drawbacks for online purchasing. However, emerging multi-sensory Augmented Reality (m-AR) applications offer a potential solution for this online retailing problem. Drawing on active inference theory, this article proposes a conceptual framework to assess how sensory control and feedback modalities affect consumer value judgements by reducing mental intangibility. We show how touch control, compared to voice control, positively affects consumers’ willingness-to-pay. The underlying mechanism is a sequential process of reduced mental intangibility and increased feeling of decision comfort. In addition, we highlight a positive moderating effect of congruent auditory feedback on decision comfort. We also demonstrate a novel consumer boundary condition. Consumers high in assessment orientation experience a stronger reduction in mental intangibility. The results are consistently replicated across three experiments implying theoretical and managerial contributions for m-AR in the context of online retailing.     

Let Me Imagine That for You: Transforming the Retail Frontline Through Augmenting Customer Mental Imagery Ability

The rapid development of augmented reality (AR) is reshaping retail frontline operations by enhancing the offline and online customer experience. Drawing on mental imagery theory, this paper develops a conceptual framework to reflect how AR emulates customer’s cognitive processes offloading those to the technology. Consequently, the AR-enabled frontline improves decision comfort, motivates positive WOM and facilitates choice of higher value products. The underlying mechanism is a sequential mediation via improved processing fluency and decision comfort. The findings also demonstrate boundary conditions of customers’ visual processing styles and product contextuality. Object-visualisers benefit more from AR induced imagery processes, and the effect of processing fluency on customer decision comfort is moderated by product contextuality. The results are verified with repeat studies to control for novelty of AR, and a field study that highlights the impact of AR on customers’ choice and spending. We discuss implications for theory and practice of AR-enabled frontline retailing.     

Bargaining Coalitions in the WTO Agricultural Negotiations

This paper aims to understand the structural features of bargaining coalitions in the Doha Round of the WTO. We provide an empirical assessment of the preferences of each negotiating actor considering general economics indicators, development levels, structure of agricultural sectors and trade policies. Bargaining coalitions are analysed by grouping countries using a cluster analysis procedure. The clusters are compared with existing coalitions in order to assess their degree of internal homogeneity as well as their common interests. Such a comparison allows the identification of possible ‘defectors’, i.e. countries that, according to their economic conditions and policies, seem to be relatively less committed to the positions of the coalition they join. In addition, the ex‐post analysis of the counterfactual coalitions sheds light on the ‘distance’ between different coalitions as well as between individual countries and the best alternative group available. Empirical results confirm our research hypothesis: clusters of structurally homogeneous countries well represent existing bargaining coalitions. In particular, the G‐20 shows a high degree of internal coherence, which, in our framework, may provide a clue to the ‘sustainability’ of this coalition and to its relevance in the Doha Round negotiations.     

The dark triad and corporate sustainability: An empirical analysis of personality traits of sustainability managers

Middle managers responsible for sustainability operationalize top management decisions on the organization's social and environmental activities. With their focus on sustainability, they could be expected to consider ethical issues particularly well in their decisions and to possess ethical personality traits. While earlier research has focused on top management this paper examines the influence of personality traits of middle managers on their corporate sustainability preferences. Based on a primary survey sample of 204 professionals responsible for sustainability in their company, we study the relationship between dark triad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) of sustainability managers and their environmental and social responsibility preferences. The analysis shows that managers who score higher on the dark triad personality scale are less concerned about environmental and social responsibility issues. The business environment, analyzed in a cross-cultural comparison between the United States and Europe, and the organizational context function as a moderator of the influence of personality traits on sustainability preferences. The results suggest that dark triad personality traits should be considered in recruitment and assessment processes of middle managers responsible for corporate sustainability.     

A framework of the risk assessment for the supply chain of hazardous materials

This paper shows a framework of risk assessment models and analyzes the Mexican context of the supply chain for hazardous materials. A new set of risk assessment models is developed for each main activity of the closed-loop supply chain for hazardous materials. This model can be used to evaluate suppliers, transportation routes, outsourcing options and the material itself. A proportional risk-assessment technique is used to define risk cost calculation for the hazardous materials management using the National Fire Protection Agency classification. Hazardous materials represent a logistics challenge because of the risk involved at their handling. From 2006 to 2009 a total of 1,200 accidents were reported at different points of the supply chain. The investigated models require a previous analysis of the activities in order to calculate factors, such as the accident rate and possible affected population, among others; that could affect the cost in case of an accident. Analyzing the risk, cost values can be used by decision makers to determine which activities should be outsourced in order to avoid the risk itself or to fulfill laws and regulations.     

Using Country Sustainability Risk to Inform Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Design Science Study

The sustainability of our global supply chains is an essential concern in strategic supply chain management research. Modern information and communication technologies enable stakeholders to punish buying firms for any sustainability‐related grievances at their suppliers, even in remote locations. This study investigates how the notion of country sustainability risk can inform sustainable supply chain management, in particular with respect to sustainability risk assessment at the individual supplier level. Drawing on institutional theory, we provide insights surrounding the emergence of environmental, social, and governance‐related country‐level sustainability risks and show their implications for and application in sustainable supply chain management. The study employs a design science methodology, based on cooperation with a multidivisional German technology firm, to develop a supply chain sustainability risk (SCSR) map as technological solution design. This article contributes to the study of SCSR by reconciling the scholarly SCSR discourse with the buying firms’ pursuit of efficiency. Moreover, it elucidates the augmentation of a research agenda through a design science approach. In practical terms, the technological solution design can directly inform managers about SCSR at the country level and serves as a decision basis for the management of individual suppliers.     

Promoting green buildings: Do Chinese consumers care about green building enhancements?

This paper explores sustainability‐related choices about buildings by analysing how consumers rated the relative importance of various attributes of conventional and green buildings. It also analyses how consumers judge environmental and health‐oriented improvements in green buildings. Unlike previous studies, this research applied conjoint analysis to explore the green building market at the consumer's level by regarding green buildings as nondurable green products and services. We used a survey to gather consumer preferences about several green building hotel models which partly applied green energy, modern wood structures and improved indoor environmental quality (IEQ). In total, 341 consumers participated the survey in two of China's largest cities: Beijing and Shanghai. The results revealed that green energy was the most preferred attribute of green buildings, exerting an even stronger overall effect on consumer choice than price. Afterwards, we identified distinct consumer segments and determined the background characteristics of each segment based on the similarities in the preferences for each attribute. The largest consumer segment, consisting of younger consumers, ranked green energy as the most important criterion. However, an improved indoor environmental quality was generally not highly ranked, and individuals in the consumer segment, which included more older and female consumers, were more likely to reject modern wood structures. The results also revealed that higher‐income individuals were most concerned with price, and consumers with higher levels of education were willing to pay more to support green buildings.     

On-line group decision support by preference programming in traffic planning

Preference programming is a decision support technique which allows decision makers to give preference statements of weight ratios in terms of intervals instead of single numbers in a value tree. Individual preferences, based on single number statements, can be combined into an interval model, and the negotiation proceeds by focusing on decreasing the width of the intervals. The preference programming approach was evaluated with a realistic traffic planning problem by using the HIPRE 3+ Group Link software. The results from nine test groups indicate that preference programming is an operational group decision support technique which initiates negotiations and efficiently directs the discussion towards issues which are relevant in reaching a consensus.     

Sustainable Supply Chains: Governance Mechanisms to Greening Suppliers

One of the key challenges for firms is to manage sustainability along the supply chain. To extend sustainability to suppliers, organizations have developed different governance mechanisms. The aim of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of two different mechanisms (i.e., supplier assessment and collaboration with suppliers) to improve one dimension of sustainability: environmental performance. Structural Equation Modeling and cluster analysis were used to analyze the relationships between supplier assessment, collaboration with suppliers, and environmental performance. The results suggest that (1) both mechanisms, supplier assessment and collaboration with suppliers, have a positive and synergistic effect on environmental performance, and (2) assessment acts as an enabler of collaboration. Finally, the paper also contributes to the literature by providing a framework of sustainability governance mechanisms.     

Consumer motivation for the decision to boycott: The social dilemma

This study suggests a rational framework to explain consumers’ decision to boycott. We proposed an instrumental boycott framework based on rational response to the offending behaviour of a target company. The hypotheses embedded within the research model are empirically evaluated. The data were collected by questionnaire survey, and structural equation modelling was utilized for data analysis. The results show that social factors (message credibility, expected overall participation and perceived boycott effectiveness) generate motivations for consumers’ boycott decisions. In addition, it is identified that these factors increase consumers’ perceived likelihood of boycott success. Further, it is also found that consumers' perceived likelihood of boycott success positively affect their boycott decision via the possibility of changing a target company's offending behavior and unwillingness to purchase the target company's products. The results of this study explain consumers’ instrumental boycott decision‐making process in terms of social dilemma. Further, this study provides practical contributions for understanding consumers’ rational boycott behaviour. Specific implications for marketing managers and boycott organizations are outlined in the general discussion. Suggestions for future research are also presented in the conclusion.     

Industry Specific Sustainability Benchmarks: An ECSF Pilot Bridging Corporate Sustainability with Social Responsible Investments

This paper investigates the state of the art with respect to sustainability reporting, its linkages with the corporations, internal measurement and monitoring systems and their combined impact on the quality of contemporary sustainability benchmarks, developed by SRI analysts and so-called rating and screening agencies. This research originated from the EU-funded research initiative to create a new generation management framework for corporate sustainability and responsibility (CS-R). The aim of it is to develop a coherent set of assessment –, measurement – and monitoring tools. The sustainability benchmark tool should align the interests of corporations implementing CS-R and various organizations supporting SRI, such as fund managers, analysts and screening agencies. This paper show the essentials features of an actual sustainability benchmark which is currently under construction. This approach will have significance impact on the further development of SRI and CS-R practices, as well as support the development of sustainability reporting standards.     

Reformulating Arrow’s Conditions in Terms of Cardinal Pairwise Comparison Matrices Defined Over a General Framework

In the paper, we deal with cardinal preferences of experts when these are expressed by means of Pairwise Comparison Matrices (PCMs). In order to obtain general results, suitable for several kinds of PCMs proposed in literature, we focus on PCMs defined over a general unifying framework, that is an Abelian linearly ordered group. In this framework, firstly, we aggregate several PCMs and we analyse how the aggregated PCM preserves some coherence levels, such as transitivity, weak consistency and consistency. Then, we reformulate Arrow’s conditions in terms of PCMs, and we provide two preference aggregation procedures for representing group preferences that give a social PCM and a social cardinal ranking, respectively. Finally, we analyse how these preference aggregation procedures satisfy reformulated Arrow’s conditions.     

A conceptual framework for analyzing consumers' food label preferences: An exploratory study of sustainability labels in France,Quebec, Spain and the US

In a qualitative study of 375 consumers in France, Quebec, Spain and the US, respondents are asked to choose between pairs of actual food labels and to describe the reason(s) for their choice. The food labels included sustainability labels (eco‐labels, Fair Trade, origin) as well as product attribute (e.g. quality, kosher) and health/nutrition labels. Respondents' reasons were coded in the original language using the same coding system across all four nations to examine their preferences for label message, design and source. We also examined the role of consumers' values, beliefs and experiences on their label choices. The coding system was drawn from a review of theoretical and empirical literature and provides a conceptual framework we call the Label Consumer Interaction model for evaluating consumers' food label preferences. Although this is case study, the results point to substantial differences across nations in terms of preferred labels, as well as the rationale for their choice in terms of attributes of the labels and consumer characteristics.     

The heuristic‐systemic model of sustainability stewardship: facilitating sustainability values,beliefs and practices with corporate social responsibility drives and eco‐labels/indices

Using a framework from the heuristic‐systematic model and the value‐belief‐norm (VBN) theory, this study tests consumers’ systematic conjunction of sustainability values, beliefs and practices, and examines the heuristic influence of sustainability stewardship on the consumers’ VBN framework. In this study, sustainability stewardship within the textile and apparel industry refers to approaches that can facilitate the corporate social responsible (CSR) drive and eco‐labels/indices in corporate sustainability practices. Data from 239 US college students were analyzed using a structural equation modeling method. The findings confirmed that only the CSR drive is significant as heuristic sustainability stewardship in facilitating the consumer's systematic process in the VBN framework, while eco‐labels/indices do not moderate consumers’ sustainable practices. In particular, the current CSR drives in the textile and apparel industry strengthen consumers’ values in the altruistic, self‐enhancement and biospheric dimensions, and, further, lead to the sustainability practices of eco‐citizenship, green consumption and green product purchasing, through the mediation of proenvironmental belief. Comprehending these dynamics can empower marketers and researchers to devise pertinent ideas and practical applications of sustainability stewardship to academia and to the textiles and apparel industry.     

流动人口生育意愿、性别偏好及其决定因素——来自全国四个主要城市化地区12城市大样本调查的证据

基于课题组2009年进行的全国四个主要城市化地区12个大中小城市流动人口调查的微观数据,考察了流动人口的生育意愿和性别偏好,特别是研究了影响流动人口生育意愿的决定因素。流动人口同城市人口在生育数量偏好上已经不存在明显差距,但性别偏好观念上仍有显著差异;较农村人口,流动人口生育数量偏好明显要小,男孩偏好也要弱。流动人口的年龄、性别、婚姻状况、受教育程度、健康状况、工作类型和居住类型对生育意愿有显著影响。     

Sustainability marketing at the farmers’ market: An ethnographic analysis of ambiguous communication

Farmers’ markets have grown rapidly in recent decades. One explanation for this growth relates to consumers’ view that farmers’ market products are more sustainable. While many have analyzed customer preferences at farmers’ markets, few have examined farmers’ message strategies in this space. Little has been done to analyze the ways farmers use sustainability as a marketing approach. This ethnographic research is based on 100 hr of observation and in‐depth interviews with 36 participants and analyzes the ways farmers position their products as sustainable to customers. The findings indicate that sustainability is not a primary topic of conversation during customerfarmer interaction. However, related concepts such as environment, local, organic, and chemical serve as the proxies for sustainability, even though these messages are presented ambiguously.     

Local and/or organic: a study on consumer preferences for organic food and food from different origins

This paper gives a deeper insight into consumer preferences for different food products of varying place of origin (i.e. local, Germany, neighboring country, non‐EU country) and production practices (i.e. organic vs. non‐organic). Consumer surveys combined with choice experiments were conducted with 641 consumers in eight German regions. Mixed logit models were estimated to draw conclusions on consumers’ preferences for different product attributes. The Stimulus‐Organism‐Response model was applied to theoretically frame the key findings. Results reveal that consumers prefer locally produced food to organic food. However, conclusions on consumers’ preferences should not be generalized as they vary depending on product type and consumers’ place of residence. When looking at the willingness‐to‐pay estimates for ‘organic’ and ‘local’ while distinguishing among consumers from different regions of Germany, results indicate that consumers living in rural areas and consumers living in the eastern part of Germany are less willing to pay a premium for organic products than urban consumers and consumers from other parts of Germany. As preferences for origin attributes and organic production vary between different food products and in different regions of Germany, market actors should design marketing activities accordingly. This study adds to the international research on consumers’ preferences for organic and/or local food. The results provide better insights into preference structures, as more than one product has been included and surveys were conducted in different regions across Germany.     

山东省涉海县域经济竞争力初探

涉海县域经济作为统筹城乡经济社会发展的重要组成部分。深入研究其经济的核心竞争力具有理论意义与现实意义。通过选取山东省涉海县域经济竞争力指标评价体系,并采取主要成份分析法进行评价,结果表明,涉海县域经济的发展不仅直接关系"三农"问题的解决和建成小康社会,还可以通过形成新的增长极和发展的扩散力带动相关区域以及海洋经济发展,更能加快实现新型工业化、城镇化和农业现代化推动城乡发展一体化的进程。而县域经济竞争力的评价结果可以给政府发展县域经济提供有价值的决策参考。     

Arguing over Goals for Negotiation: Adopting an Assumption-Based Argumentation Decision Support System

Computational models of argumentation has been put forward as a promising approach to support decision making. In this context several recent works have proposed argumentation-based frameworks for decision making. In this paper we describe an application based on an argumentation-based mechanism for decision-making to concede. Adopting the assumption-based approach of argumentation, we propose an argumentation framework in which preferences are attached to goals. Arguments are defined as tree-like structures. Our framework is equipped with a computational counterpart for solving a decision problem, modeling the intuition that high-ranked goals are preferred to low-ranked goals which can be withdrawn. In this way, our framework suggests some decisions and provides an interactive and intelligible explanation of this choice. Our implementation, called MARGO, has been used for service selection within the ArguGRID project. We illustrate our approach with an industrial application, and illustrate the operation of the system with a running example.