Business and Social Reputation: Exploring the Concept and Main Dimensions of Corporate Reputation

Different theoretical approaches highlight the growing relevance of corporate reputation as strategic factor. Among these approaches the arguments of the Resource-Based View are special worthwhile (Grant, 1991, California Management Review 33(3), 114–135; Barney, 1999, Sloan Management Review Spring, 137–145). Nevertheless, this topic poses several methodological problems (Barney et al., 2001), as the unavailability to identify and measure this organizational factor, that is “socially complex” and intangible in its nature. In this work, using the findings of our empirical research on Spanish biotechnology firms, we carry out an identification and measurement of corporate reputation, highlighting its two key components: “business reputation” and “social reputation”. Dr. Gregorio Martín de Castro is Assistant Professor at the Business Administration Department in Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). He has several years of research experience at CIC Spanish Knowledge Society Research Centre, he holds an Expert Diploma in Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management from INSEAD (France), and he was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University during 2004–2005. He is author and co-author of several papers concerning Resource-Based View, Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management. Dr. José Emilio Navas López is Professor and Head of the Business Administration Department in Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain). He is author and co-author of several books and papers concerning Technology Management, Strategy and Knowledge Management. He has held the first Knowledge Management Chair in Spain at I.U. Euroforum Escorial. Dr. Pedro López Sáez is Assistant Professor at the Business Administration Department in Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) and he was a Research Fellow at Harvard University during 2004–2005. He has several years of research experience at CIC Spanish Knowledge Society Research Centre and he is author and co-author of several papers concerning Resource-Based View, Intellectual Capital and Knowledge Management.     

信誉资本与会计

本文认为,信誉资本是一种关系资本,是政府与市场之外配置社会经济资源的一种力量。文章提出,在目前会计准则制定模式下,政府应考虑让民间组织、社会团体特别是企业界代表参与会计规范的制定,实行财务会计和税务会计分离,建立国家诚信指标体系,并设计公认的会计准则公信度指标系列,接受公众监督;企业应按照法定会计准则披露公正、公允的会计信息,并在企业诚(资)信体系下设计财务信息真实性指数,接受政府和民间独立组织的审计监督;全社会都应该重视信誉资本在会计规范制定和会计制度执行中的作用。     

The Role of the Internet in the Delivery of Export Promotion Services: A Web Site Content Analysis

ABSTRACT

This article examines the role of the Internet in the delivery of export promotion services. Based on a content analysis of the Web sites of 250 export promotion organizations (EPOs) representing over 130 countries, it is concluded that the majority of these organizations have not fully exploited the potentials of this technology in the delivery of support services to national exporters. Use of the Internet is primarily limited to dissemination of basic information with little effort made to utilize the interactive and customization features of the technology. The managerial and policy implications of this failure in terms of increased cost of market entry, lost export revenues, and exporter attrition are discussed.     

Ownership Differences,Auditor Reputation,and Debt Financing: Evidence from China

This research examines whether “the paradox of auditor reputation” exists in China’s private debt market. Two types of hypotheses are developed to explain the “paradox” in terms of ownership differences. Our findings suggest: (1) by retaining big name auditors, non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) significantly reduce the cost of debt and lower financial constraints; (2) For the non-SOEs, the effect of auditor reputation on the cost of debt and financial constraints declines over time due to the accumulation of these firms’ own reputation; (3) SOEs are more sensitive to the interest rate of bank loans than their counterparts, implying their stronger bargaining power when negotiating with potential creditors than non-SOEs due to their government connections. However, SOEs’ government connections weaken the informational role of auditors and firm reputation on signaling debt market; and (4) Corporate governance is taken into consideration by creditors as an important indicator of solvency. Further investigation demonstrates that after controlling for firm size, operating cash flow, profitability and leverage ratio, the possibility of hiring big name auditors by the younger and median-aged group of non-SOEs is considerably higher than “elder” non-SOEs. Moreover, poor-performing SOEs have greater incentives to make use of their government connections in their bargaining for lower debt cost, as compared with their well-performing peers.     

The effect of experience on Internet auction bidding dynamics

On the basis of the bidding history of a panel of new eBay bidders, we examine the impact of different types of experiences on bidding behavior evolution. Accounting for unobserved bidder heterogeneity, the results indicate that losing experiences make the bidders’ bidding behavior evolve toward the normative predictions of auction theory, in that they submit fewer bids and bid later. Winning experiences, however, do not have such an effect. Moreover, the experience effect pertains to the bidder’s entire previous bidding experience regardless of product categories. We also assess the potential bias introduced by using feedback ratings (compared with actual participation) as experience measures.

Non-Price Sales Promotion Impact and Moderator Role

Despite the importance of non-price sales promotions in new-product introductions, little is known about the impact of their characteristics in different time periods and the role of moderating variables. This study examines the effects of different levels of promotion desirability and relatedness in promotion time periods and post-promotion time periods. It also examines the effects of the need for cognition variable as a possible moderator. Research results, from a between- and within-subjects experimental design, add value to the literature by providing new insights for designing promotion programs and building brands. Implications are discussed and ideas for future research are given.     

The Hierarchy of Internet Communication Effects: A New Paradigm for Understanding Internet Promotion

ABSTRACT

The applicability of the traditional marketing models to online marketplaces has been of great interest since the advent of the Internet. This study examines the applicability of the Hierarchy of Communication Effects model to the online auction environment through the use of proprietary archival data. The results provide support for a new model, which we call the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects, which is applicable to online environments. The Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects is analogous to other hierarchical effects models from consumer behavior literature known as the learning hierarchies. We provide suggestions to promote products or services at different stages in the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects; several implications and limitations are discussed, and future research is suggested.     

The Impact of Brand Equity and the Company's Reputation on Revenues

Abstract

This paper intends to establish the relationships among variables in corporate communications, especially between advertising and public relations, and to form an evaluation model for integrating the effects of brand equity and the company's reputation in the context of integrated marketing communications (IMC). A new approach for integrating the effects of brand equity and the company's reputation was introduced and the IMC evaluation model was specified for testing. The proposed model was tested with existing secondary data. The outcomes indicated that both brand equity and the company's reputation have significant impact on revenues and showed the positive relationship between brand equity and the company's reputation in the proposed model to justify the need of IMC in overall corporate communications.     

决定市场信用的二元要素——法律和政府的微观管理

从经济学和财政学的角度 ,探讨和分析目前在市场经济活动中 ,人们运用法律 (民法、合同法、经济法等 )的可能性和政府市场微观管理的低效率对重建市场信用机制所造成的负面影响。当这种影响严重时 ,将导致重建市场信用机制失败     

Pricing and Cost Recovery for Internet Services: Practical Review,Classification, and Application of Relevant Models

Suitable pricing models for Internet services represent one of the main prerequisites for a successfully running implementation of a charging and accounting system. This paper introduces general aspects influencing the choice of a pricing model in practical situations and presents a survey as well as a classification of relevant and advanced approaches to be found in the scientific literature. First performance results on charging extensions within the Internet are presented, which are completed by a set of market price simulations for dynamic pricing models within the same implementation environment. Based on cost model investigations some detailed insights into price and cost issues from an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) point of view are given. Moreover, current challenges as well as problems are discussed in a practical context as investigated in the Swiss National Science Foundation project Charging and Accounting Technology for the Internet (CATI).     

基于模糊多属性决策的国有企业拍卖机制设计

国有企业拍卖决策机制属于模糊多属性、多轮次决策范畴,运用模糊多属性决策分析工具与拍卖理论相结合的研究思路,设计了国有企业的拍卖规程。研究认为,国有企业所有人虚位及其叠加式代理的特征使国有资产管理人或经理人在并购谈判中容易诱发寻租,以拍卖成交价格为主体的多属性拍卖是国有资产安全、有效的交易方式。同时,在拍卖方式选择上第二价格密封拍卖方式较为适当,最利于实现国有企业拍卖绩效,而通常采用的升价拍卖方式应该慎用。     

Gender and Impression Management: Playing the Promotion Game

Little attention has been paid to the role which impression management (IM) of genuine and substantial talents and commitment plays in the careers of female and male managers seeking promotion. IM studies have largely investigated the supervisor/subordinate relationship, often with samples of business students in laboratory settings. In the Cranfield Centre for Developing Women Business Leaders, we have focused on the use of IM by practising managers. In this paper, we examine previous literature for indications that gender may be important in explaining differences in IM behaviours. We then report findings from a survey and a qualitative study, showing that gender, especially combined with age and job level, is a differentiating factor in managers' inclinations to use particular IM behaviours. Many women (and some men too) seem uncomfortable with using IM. Women do not always want to play "the organizational game" by the male-constructed unwritten rules, but prefer to trust good management and systems fairness for just rewards. Younger and junior level women managers often recognize that IM may be a useful tool but reject its use for themselves. Women seem to prefer to rely on extra high performance and commitment for visibility to their seniors rather than the networking, ingratiation and self-promotion strategies used more by males. An important consequence is that as ambitious young males use job-focused IM in addition to self and manager-focused strategies, this is likely to leave young women at a considerable disadvantage for promotion, if the strategies are successful.     

在线拍卖诚信行为的博弈分析

在线拍卖交易中双方的不诚信行为已经成为制约在线拍卖交易发展的一个重要因素,为此,有必要应用博弈论的有关方法对在线拍卖交易双方的诚信行为进行分析研究,构建在线拍卖信用评价机制,这样在一定程度上保证了在线交易的安全,为政府监督在线拍卖交易提供有力的支持。     

Corporate Reputation and Philanthropy: An Empirical Analysis

This paper analyzes the determinants of corporate reputation within a sample of large UK companies drawn from a diverse range of industries. We pay particular attention to the role that philanthropic expenditures and policies may play in shaping the perceptions of companies among their stakeholders. Our findings highlight that companies which make higher levels of philanthropic expenditures have better reputations and that this effect varies significantly across industries. Given that reputational indices tend to reflect the financial performance of organizations above other factors (Fryxell, G. E. and J. Wang: 1994, Journal of Management 20, 1–14) and that elements of the literature emphasise that discretionary aspects of social responsibility, including corporate donations, may not be in the financial interests of organizations (e.g. Friedman, M.: 1970, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits”, New York Times Magazine, September 13), this is a significant finding. It suggests that philanthropic expenditures may play a significant role in stakeholder management and may, in particular, lead to stakeholders holding more positive impressions of philanthropic corporations.     

创意的网络广告给促销带来的影响

世界已经进入信息时代,以国际互联网络为基础的信息技术正在改变着我们的生活方式、工作方式和商务方式。从万维网到电子邮件,正逐渐成为广告媒体用以接触消费者,向消费者传递信息的强有力的工具。互联网络的前景正在以前所未有的速度在全球范围内普及开来。在适当的时间向人们传递适当的广告,能给商家带来不可预测的促销影响,能产生更大的经济效益。     

How Seller and Product Characteristics Impact Promotion on eBay

This study draws on signaling theory to test whether seller and product characteristics impact the use of display-type versus informational-type promotion on eBay. The authors predict that display-type promotion is used by less-experienced sellers who cannot promote on the basis of their own seller ratings. The authors predict that experienced sellers, on the other hand, prefer informational promotion since their high ratings make seller-provided statements more credible. In addition to seller characteristics, the authors predict that product characteristics, such as price and product condition, also impact promotion. It is expected that higher prices drive greater investments in display-type promotions overall, even if such promotion is less effective. Finally, it is hypothesized that the better the condition of the product, the greater the use of informational promotion since this kind of disclosure is especially influential. The hypotheses were tested using a large data set of auction data from eBay and received excellent support. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

大股东侵占、公司声誉与公司绩效——基于中国上市公司的经验证据

外部大股东一方面具有减少管理者机会主义行为的积极效果,另一方面又会利用控制权侵占小股东和其他利益相关者的利益影响公司绩效;约束大股东行为、保护中小投资者利益成为公司治理的核心问题。在诸多约束大股东侵占的机制中,公司声誉机制被认为是约束大股东利益侵占的有效机制。本文采用2004年1261家上市公司为研究对象,对大股东侵占度和公司声誉制约机制对上市公司绩效的影响进行了实证分析,结果表明,大股东侵占度对公司绩效的影响不显著,公司声誉对公司绩效产生了显著的正面效应。此外,我们还发现法律环境对公司绩效产生积极影响。     

电子商务市场声誉运行模式：理论模型与实践意义

良好的企业声誉或产品声誉在消除信息非对称性方面有着十分重要的作用,它的实质是在市场的交易方之间建立起相互信任的关系.文章基于"柠檬"原理,建立了电子商务市场的声誉运行模型,对电子商务市场的声誉运行机理进行了分析,力图为我国电子商务企业更好地实施网络声誉战略提供一个思路.     

管理者声誉对决策质量影响作用的实证研究

管理者的声誉在战略决策过程中的作用如何?本文研究管理者的声誉与公司决策质量的关系,研究结果显示,声誉与决策质量之间存在显著的正相关关系,并且决策承诺在声誉和决策质量的关系中起中介作用。因此,中国企业决策制定的过程中,不能仅仅关注反映决策质量的简单财务指标,更要关注决策者对决策的承诺,加强决策者对决策实施的承诺有助于提高最终的决策质量。     

信誉战略——企业在市场信誉机制不健全环境下的战略选择

基于信誉是企业竞争优势之源的观点,可以得出企业信誉战略是企业战略理论的演化的趋势。在市场信誉机制不健全环境下企业信誉成为稀缺资源。企业构筑信誉战略要有良好的内外环境作为支撑,依着企业信誉战略内涵和性质,构建起企业信誉战略体系框架。处理好企业所要处理的问题。