Price Leadership on the National Cheese Exchange

The motivation and trading behavior of the leading cheese companies on the National Cheese Exchange are examined. Although only 0.2 percent of all cheese is sold on the NCE, it is used to formula-price 90-95 percent of the bulk cheese in the U.S. Kraft General Foods, the largest buyer of cheese in the U.S., was the dominant seller on the NCE during 1988-1993, with the apparent purpose and effect of depressing national cheese prices. Kraft's behavior is consistent with that of a barometric price leader that enjoys a significant degree of discretion in shaping the pattern of prices over a price cycle. As presently organized, the NCE facilitates market manipulation.     

Economies of Size in Grain Farming in Saskatchewan and the Potential Impact of Rail Rationalization Proposals

This paper empirically examines the economies of size in both grain production and distribution by farm truck in Saskatchewan by using farm level data, and confirms that economies of size prevail. The examination also shows that economies of size in farm trucking reinforce the economies in production. The policy implication is such that the potential impact of an increase in rail freight rates and branch line abandonment would have a differential impact on individual producer's net income by farm size.
En utilisant les données relev'ees au niveau des fermes, ce document examine d'une façon empirique les exploitations agricoles de la Saskatchewan importantes tant du point de vue de la production céréaliere que de la distribution par camionnage et confirme que ce genre d'exploitations prédomine. L'analyse montre aussi que le camionnage par gros tonnage renforce la production. L'impact potentiel d'une augmentation des tarifs ferroviaires et I'abandon des voies d'embranchement auraient un impact sur le revenu net de chaque producteur variant selon la grandeur de son exploitation.     

Understanding repurchase intention of Airbnb consumers: perceived authenticity,electronic word-of-mouth,and price sensitivity

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this paper is to extend the research on consumer repurchase intention, perceived value, and perceived risk into the realm of the peer-to-peer economy, specifically in the context of Airbnb. A total of 395 surveys were collected in Canada and the United States. The results showed that perceived risk negatively impacts Airbnb consumers’ perceived value and repurchase intention while perceived value positively enhances their repurchase intention. Interestingly, price sensitivity was found not to reduce customers’ perceived risk but can improve their perceived value and positively influences them to repurchase the Airbnb products. Perceived authenticity was found to have a significant effect in reducing Airbnb consumers’ perceived risk and positively influencing their perceived value. Electronic word-of-mouth has a positive effect on repurchase intention as well as perceived value whereas it negatively affects perceived risk. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed and future study directions are offered.     

The need for local agencies to provide expatriate support programs

This study assesses the need for local support services for the families of expatriate employees working in foreign countries. One major finding is that the spouses of expatriate employees have significantly different attitudes toward the need for local services than do company management. Second, our results indicate that the country of origin has a significant effect on the spouses' assessment of the need for local support and assistance. As a result of these findings, we conclude that the existence of local support services may have a significant impact on the location decisions, success, and retention of international firms. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Spillover effects from unintended trials on attitude and behavior: Promoting new products through access-based services

Access-based services (ABS) provide an opportunity for brands to promote their new products by enabling (unintended) trials. However, the mechanisms and impact of consumer exposure to products in ABS and the subsequent potential spillover effects on both the brand and the product perception are largely unknown. Our hypotheses are derived from the information integration theory (IIT) and subsequently tested. Study 1 is a field study investigating an unintended trial moderated by involvement and positive experience. The results indicate the positive effects of the unintended trial on product and brand attitudes, brand purchase intention, and word of mouth. In line with IIT, these effects are more pronounced for positive trial experience, although in contrast to IIT, they are less pronounced for high-involvement consumers. While the results of Study 2, an online experiment, show substantial effects of both trials compared with nontrials, they also reveal that intended and unintended trials have a similar impact on attitude, but ABS experiences have a stronger positive impact on brand purchase intention. We thus recommend that brand managers promote not only new products but also their brands in unintended trials. This study fills a gap in current discussions about the trial effect(s) of ABS.     

The evolution of interorganizational relationships in emerging ventures: An ethnographic study within the new product development process

Emerging ventures rarely have the resources they need, which often force them to reach beyond their boundaries to access these resources. While the field has acknowledged how critical external relationships are in the emergence process, we lack an understanding of how these relationships evolve. Drawing on fourteen longitudinal case studies, this article begins to fill that gap by examining how emerging ventures use interorganizational relationships to discover, develop, and commercialize new products. We found that emerging ventures tended to establish outsourcing relationships early and that many outsourcing relationships progressed into alliances. This suggests that these early relationships are dynamic, evolve through the emergence process, and may be critical to the successful emergence of a venture. We also discovered that many entrepreneurs developed strong socioemotional bonds with their alliance partners. Unexpectedly, our study revealed that in many cases these socioemotional bonds clouded the entrepreneur's judgment of the partner's abilities and led to problems that threatened the venture's survival.