Creating customer knowledge competence: managing customer relationship management programs strategically

While increasingly demanding customers have prompted many firms to implement customer relationship management (CRM) programs, little is known about the internal processes that assist organization-wide learning about individual customer relationships. This research proposes a conceptual framework about the internal processes involved in creating customer knowledge competence, which allow firms to strategically manage their CRM programs. The framework is discussed based on five case studies of Canadian financial services firms that have implemented customer relationship programs.     

Monetary policy and financial stability: what role for the interest rate?

We propose an ex-post analysis of the behavior of a central bank confronted with financial turmoil. For this purpose, we rely on a DSGE model that combines credit market frictions with a boom and bust scenario on the price of capital. Within this framework, we seek to understand the extent to which central banks could have intervened to limit the effects of the financial bubble and its bursting. We compare the results obtained in terms of economic stabilization under a simple Taylor rule with those of an augmented rule that takes into account a financial indicator. We show that a central bank using as sole instrument the interest rate cannot simultaneously improve inflation and credit cycles.     

Evaluating the prevalence and distribution of dependent self‐employment: some lessons from the European Working Conditions Survey

This article advances understanding of the prevalence and distribution of dependent self‐employment. Analysing the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey of 35,765 employees in 28 European countries, the dependent self‐employed are found to comprise 4.3% (1 in 23) of the EU workforce, 47% of all those reporting themselves as self‐employed without employees and 31% of all self‐employed. The prevalence of dependent self‐employment, however, is found to have decreased since the previous 2010 survey, is not found to be concentrated among marginalised population groups and is significantly more likely in agriculture, forestry and fishing, arts, entertainment, recreation and other service activities, and the household services sector. The implications for theorising and tackling dependent self‐employment are discussed.     

Ethical behaviour on holiday and at home: combining behaviour in two contexts

Ethical consumption behaviour, on holiday and at home, is required to minimize future environmental and social damage. Ethical consumption is a prominent issue in the media and in academic research, but ethical behaviours remain limited among the general population. This research explores whether an underlying propensity to act ethically can be extended to behaviour across two life contexts, Ethical Tourist Behaviour (ETB) and Everyday Ethical Consumption Behaviour (ECB). We also examine whether ethical behaviour decreases on holiday as suggested by previous research. Using the Rasch Model, ethical behaviour on holiday and at home is combined into one ETB/ECB continuum and ethical behaviours in both life contexts are directly compared. In line with other research, our subjects undertake only a limited number of ethical behaviours, on holiday and at home. We find that tourists engage in ethical behaviours, but spill-over of ethical behaviour across the two contexts only occurs between situationally/environmentally similar behaviours, ethical behaviours whose underlying barriers are of similar difficulty in both life contexts. These results and this methodology can be used by tourism managers and policy-makers to explore current ethical behaviour and offer the next ethical steps to citizens.     

The effect of context attractiveness on product attractiveness and product quality: the moderating role of product familiarity

Prior research has investigated a number of drivers of consumers’ perceived product attractiveness, such as a product’s shape and color. The context, in which a product is presented, has so far been largely neglected in examining consumers’ aesthetic appraisal of products. Drawing on social cognition theory, this research investigates how the attractiveness of the visual context (e.g., websites, advertisements) influences consumers’ perceptions of product attractiveness and product quality for familiar versus unfamiliar products. Results of two experimental studies show that consumers perceive unfamiliar products as more attractive and, consequently, of higher quality when products are placed in an attractive context than when they are placed in an unattractive context. No differences in consumers’ perceived product attractiveness and perceived product quality exist for familiar products. The findings extend our theoretical knowledge of product aesthetics and provide managers with insights into the effective communication of their offerings’ attractiveness.     

Bringing Personal Character Strengths into the Production of the Leisure Experience

This study explores opportunities for character strength activation through the leisure context of charity sport events. Character strengths are a core aspect of positive psychology, and their activation increases wellbeing. Based on a card sorting procedure and semi-structured interviews, respondents identified which strengths they used during charity sport event participation. Results indicate that kindness/generosity, citizenship, loyalty and teamwork, hope and optimism, and passion and enthusiasm were all core event-related strengths. The findings provide insights regarding the relationship between leisure participation and wellbeing, as we know that (i) leisure frequently leads to increased wellbeing, (ii) this leisure context provides an opportunity to activate specific character strengths, and (iii) these specific character strengths are known to increase wellbeing. Therefore, it may be that the activation of these event-specific character strengths provides a mechanism to derive wellbeing outcomes from leisure participation, and should be further explored in the design of charity sport events.     

The Cournot-Ricardo Solution under Domestic Free Movement of Labour

This paper analyses the properties of the Cournot-Ricardo solution if workers have incentives to move from low to high profit industries. By construction, these movements contribute to the improvement of the competitiveness of countries with free movement of labour, due to the increase in size of industries with a comparative advantage. However, in general, it is not sufficient to guarantee convergence to the Ricardo-Mill solution. In conclusion, under the inter-industry movement of labour, economies are more competitive, but specialisation might not coincide with that predicted by the Ricardo-Mill model.     

Risk can be good for self-esteem: beyond self-determination theory

Abstract

Despite many decades of research that has highlighted all risk-taking sport activities as a means to satisfy sensation seeking needs (e.g., Zuckerman 1979 Zuckerman, M. 1979. Sensation Seeking: Beyond the Optimal Level of Arousal. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [Google Scholar]), recent research has challenged that view and has revealed that some high-risk activities provide opportunities for agentic emotion regulation during participation, and are not driven by sensation-seeking needs (e.g., Barlow, Woodman, and Hardy 2013 Barlow, M., T. Woodman, and L. Hardy. 2013. “Great Expectations: Different High-Risk Activities Satisfy Different Motives.” Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 105: 458–475. doi:10.1037/a0033542.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Participation in high-risk sports is also associated with increased self-esteem (e.g., A?çi, Demirhan, and Dinç 2007 A?çi, F. H., G. Demirhan, and S. C. Dinç. 2007. “Psychological Profile of Turkish Rock Climbers: An Examination of Climbing Experience and Route Difficulty.” Perceptual and Motor Skills 104 (3): 892–900. doi:10.2466/pms.104.3.892-900.[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The aim of the present study was to investigate the link between the agentic and emotion regulation benefits of specific high-risk activities and any associated self-esteem benefits. We hypothesized that the emotion regulation and agency experiences in high-risk physical activities would mirror the elevated self-esteem derived from these activities. We examined high-risk activity (n?=?84), low-risk activity (n?=?65), and control (n?=?45) groups and found that the experience of agentic emotion regulation was greater during participation for high-risk sport participants. High-risk sport participants also had less post-activity difficulty with emotion regulation and higher self-esteem. This study provides the first support that activities that require greater agentic emotion regulation during participation also lead to elevated self-esteem. Basic psychological needs satisfaction did not account for the differences between groups, suggesting that people have other needs (e.g., the need to self-regulate) that are not incorporated into self-determination theory.     

A cost-effectiveness analysis of denosumab for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with multiple myeloma in four European countries: Austria,Belgium, Greece,and Italy

Aim: The approved indication for denosumab (120?mg) was expanded in 2018 to include skeletal-related event (SRE) prevention in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Therefore, a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted comparing denosumab with zoledronic acid (ZA) for SRE prevention in patients with MM from the national healthcare system perspective in a representative sample of European countries: Austria, Belgium, Greece, and Italy.

Methods: The XGEVA global economic model for patients with MM was used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for denosumab vs ZA over a lifetime horizon. Clinical inputs were derived from the denosumab vs ZA randomized, phase 3 study (“20090482”) in patients newly-diagnosed with MM, and comprised real-world adjusted SRE rates, serious adverse event (SAE) rates, treatment duration, dose intensity, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Economic inputs comprised country-specific denosumab and ZA acquisition and administration costs, SRE and SAE management costs, and discount rates. Health utility decrements associated with MM disease progression, SRE and SAE occurrence, and route of administration were included.

Results: Estimated ICERs (cost per quality-adjusted life-year [QALY] gained) for denosumab vs ZA in Austria, Belgium, Greece, and Italy were €26,294, €17,737, €6,982, and €27,228, respectively. Using 1–3 times gross domestic product (GDP) per capita per QALY as willingness to pay thresholds, denosumab was 69–94%, 84–96%, 79–96%, and 50–92% likely to be cost-effective vs ZA, respectively.

Limitations: Economic inputs were derived from various sources, and time to event inputs were extrapolated from 20090482 study data.

Conclusions: Denosumab is cost-effective vs ZA for SRE prevention in patients with MM in Austria, Belgium, Greece, and Italy, based on often-adopted World Health Organization thresholds. This conclusion is robust to changes in model parameters and assumptions. Cost-effectiveness estimates varied across the four countries, reflecting differences in healthcare costs and national economic evaluation guidelines.