Development of models for marketing decisions

Practical, useful marketing models are a function of the skill and ingenuity applied during their development. A good deal of creative art, within a framework of systematic, scientific procedure, goes into the building of new marketing models. In practice a marketing organization may do well to gain experience with off-the-shelf models and to proceed to specific, tailor-made projects gradually as experience and skills grow. guidelines for over-all programs and specific procedures in model building are provided and illustrated with examples.     

On Kakutani's fixed point theorem,the K-K-M-S theorem and the core of a balanced game

Summary We provide elementary proofs of Scarf's theorem on the non-emptiness of the core and of the K-K-M-S thoerem, based on Kakutani's fixed point theorem. We also show how these proofs can be modified to apply a coincidence theorem of Fan instead of Kakutani's fixed point theorem, for some additional simplicity.The results presented here were first reported in Shapley (1987) and Vohra (1987). A version of our proof of Theorem 1 has also been presented in a recent book by C.D. Aliprantis, D.J. Brown and O. Burkinshaw,Existence and Optimality of Competitive Equilibria (1989) Springer-Verlag. We are grateful to Ky Fan, Wanda Gorgol, Tatsuro Ichiishi and Ali Khan for comments on earlier drafts. Vohra's research has been supported in part by NSF grant SES-8605630.     

An Estimated Trade Restrictiveness Index of the Level of Protection in Australian Manufacturing

In this paper we provide a new 31‐year time series of the level of protection in the Australian manufacturing sector. The index used is an estimate of the partial equilibrium form of the Trade Restrictiveness Index recently developed by the World Bank. This is the theoretically correct welfare based average of levels of nominal protection. The paper outlines the index and its properties. Some comments are made on the insights gained from the new series and on the record of the Labor and coalition governments in making reforms to industry assistance.     

Food scares, market power and price transmission: the UK BSE crisis

This paper is concerned with the impact of food scares, principallythe BSE crisis in the UK, and focuses on price transmissionin vertically related markets. We show that if market powerhas an effect on the farm–retail margin, this determinesthe specification of the cointegrating relationship and thusprovides a test of market power. The results for the UK beefchain suggest that we cannot reject the importance of marketpower. The impact of the BSE crisis on farm prices is foundto be more than double that on retail prices, thus corroboratingpublic concerns regarding a differential impact of food scareson retailers and producers.     

The four levels of loyalty and the pivotal role of trust: a study of online service dynamics

A four-dimension scale of loyalty that reflects Oliver’s [Satisfaction, a Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997] conceptualization of a sequential loyalty chain is proposed, operationalized, and tested. Further, through both synthesizing and building on existing research into loyalty, trust, satisfaction, value, and service quality, a framework is proposed and tested that positions trust as a pivotal driver of loyalty. Data is collected and analyzed from two surveys of online customers, the first being purchasers of books and the second being a study of online flight purchasing. Analysis suggests that the hypothesized cognitive-affective-conative-action loyalty sequence is statistically most likely out of all possible variations. Although some differences emerge in the two studies, structural modeling largely supports the hypothesized framework and positions trust as central to service dynamics.     

Examining how brand authenticity is established and maintained: the case of the Reverso

This article examines how brand authenticity is established and maintained. Existing studies focus on building authenticity; this article responds to calls for longitudinal research to explore its evolution. A historical and present-day analysis of Jaeger-LeCoultre (a luxury watch manufacturer), employing multiple sources of qualitative data, reveals the dynamic nature of authenticity. Throughout the course of a brand’s lifetime, its authenticity is maintained by employing different strategies that emphasise various interrelated dimensions of genuineness. Early projections of authenticity are centred on a germination strategy, where an emphasis on craftsmanship develops a sense of sincerity and integrity. As the brand grows through a prolific product extension strategy, its authenticity is cultivated through quality commitment, resulting in stylistic consistency. As the brand reaches maturity it returns to its roots, emphasising craftsmanship and leading to brand integrity. Following the analysis, the theoretical and managerial implications are presented.     

‘They tell us after they've decided things’: A cross-country analysis of unions and digitalisation in retail

The role of trade unions in the social shaping of digital technologies is a vital question for research, public policy and social justice. This article draws on interviews with two unions in the grocery retail sector in the United Kingdom and Norway, and examines their involvement in technology decisions, and whether they can shape better outcomes for workers. By comparing a ‘neo-liberal’ economy and a ‘Nordic welfare state’, the article considers whether stronger institutional power and regulatory supports in Norway provide for greater influence in a sector regarded as challenging for unions. The findings indicate relatively few country differences and help shed light on the factors that enable and constrain unions’ role in digitalisation.     

Drought and social conflict in rural Zimbabwe: Does the burden fall on women and girls?

Climate change–induced extreme weather events such as drought have occurred with increasing frequency and intensity in Zimbabwe over the past 30 years bringing about pressure on communally owned water resources. Using the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee 2020 survey of rural households in Zimbabwe, this study assesses the impact of drought shock on the occurrence of water point violence. The impact of self-reported drought shock on the likelihood of occurrence of social conflict in the form of water point violence is subject to confounding due to selection bias. Using the doubly robust inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to account for confounding, we investigate gender dimensions of the impact of drought on inducing water point violence in rural Zimbabwe. The study offers three major findings. First, drought shock is associated with increased household propensity to experience water point violence. Second, the severity of the drought shock impact increases the probability of the household experiencing water point violence. Third, drought shock–induced water point violence is only statistically valid for households where the water-fetcher is a woman or girl. The results suggest that the impact of drought shocks on water point violence is gendered and disadvantages women and girls more than men and boys.     

National Food Consumption Patterns: Converging Trends and the Implications for Health

Worldwide, obesity almost tripled between 1975 and 2016 and is now prevalent in both rich and poor countries. Using annual food availability data produced by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) covering half a century in 118 countries, this article explores the diets that are central to the problem of obesity, identifying groups of countries with similar consumption patterns. Applying algorithms from the fuzzy clustering literature, five distinct consumption patterns are revealed whose dietary composition broadly corresponds to diets that we label ‘Western’, ‘Traditional’, ‘Mediterranean’, ‘Tropical’ and ‘Vegetarian’. Despite differences in dietary characteristics, all five share two common themes: rising total calories and declining healthiness, both of which are linked to the substitution of plant-based foods with food derived from animals. That the evidence points to a convergence on the ‘Western’ diet, the most obesogenic and least healthy of all the diets we consider, is a cause for concern. The key message is that in a future where people are predicted to live longer – but not necessarily healthier – lives, recent efforts to address the challenge are prescient, and as the results in the article imply, need to be heeded globally.