Marketing orientation in the nonprofit sector: The case of hospitals

Is there an increasing concern for consumers in the nonprofit sector of the economy? Does it manifest itself in the measurement of consumer satisfaction as it does in the profit sector? According to the study reported here, the answer is “yes”—at least in the case of nonprofit hospitals. A sample of administrators of large nonprofit hospitals responded to a mail survey inquiring about the extent to which they measure the satisfaction of their patients. Their responses were compared with a similar study of business executives. The findings from the study indicate that, in general, nonprofit hospitals show as much concern for the satisfaction of their consumers as business does. Since hospitals are significant and conspicuous members of the nonprofit sector of the economy, the findings confirm recent writings that suggest that a consumer orientation is developing among nonprofit organizations.     

Legal Determinants of External Finance Revisited: The Inverse Relationship Between Investor Protection and Societal Well-Being

This article investigates relationships between countries?? legal traditions and their quality of life as measured by a number of widely reported social indicators; in so doing it also offers a critique of a highly influential body of work which is widely cited in the literatures of corporate governance, economics and finance. That body of work has shown, inter alia, statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for investor protection. We show statistically significant relationships between legal traditions and various proxies for societal health. Our comparative evidence suggests that the interests of investors are not congruent with the interests of wider society, and that the criteria for judging the effectiveness of approaches to corporate governance should be broadened.     

Townhouse residents’ use of interior products in the social zones of their homes as a demonstration of their need for uniqueness

Town houses or cluster homes refer to housing developments where the exterior façade of adjacent units are architecturally identical or very similar. A pertinent disadvantage of this type of tenure is that residents are not allowed to alter the exterior of their homes to reflect personal differences. This study focussed on the probability that residents in these type of townhouses would make intentional effort to demonstrate their uniqueness through counter‐conforming choice of interior objects for the social areas of their homes where guests are received and entertained. The study involved 182 respondents who lived in townhouses in a major urban area in South Africa who were recruited through convenient snowball sampling. Findings indicate that townhouse residents' interior product decisions are predominantly of a creative counter conformity nature which is the safer alternative than avoidance of similarity or unpopular choice counter‐conformity practices that might evoke criticism from peers or reference groups. Interior product choices are therefore predominantly cautious and aimed to evoke the admiration of others rather than critique. A positive outcome of this study in terms of future research is confirmation of the usefulness of the measuring instrument, which was originally developed for clothing research. Findings are insightful for property developers, interior designers, interior decorators and retailers in terms of consumer facilitation and the appropriate marketing of interior products.     

The Consumer and Advertising Regulation in the Television without Frontiers and Audiovisual Media Services Directives

This paper aims to assess the balance between the commercial interests of broadcaster and advertiser and the interests of the viewer, as well as programme makers. The new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) seeks to clarify and to simplify whilst maintaining the traditional European broadcasting landscape. The recurrent theme of the debate about legislative revision has been based in the vocabulary of consumer choice empowered by technology. The use of this vocabulary then leads to assumptions about the ability of the consumer to make choices. Insofar as those choices existed, they have been limited by developments in the AVMSD and in the broadcasting environment. Despite the claims of the AVMSD about viewer choice, it seems likely that the viewer will have no choice whether to receive commercial communications or not.

Ramsey Pricing: A Method for Setting Fees in Social Service Organizations

Abstract . In non-profit social services, there is a tendency to avoid setting prices because of the distributional concerns and incompetence on the part of some consumers. Arguments for prices and cash transfers versus in-kind subsidies are reviewed. The appropriateness is examined of “Ramsey pricing” in achieving efficient resource allocation in a zero-profit firm when marginal cost pricing would lead to a profit. A survey of social service agencies in Ontario, Canada, found none was using the principles of “Ramsey pricing” and most were using no fees or prices at all. Some agencies had set prices but then waived them while others set fees equivalent to services provided by nonsocial service agencies. Most view fees as supplemental additions to the budget and consequently do not consider resource allocation. “Ramsey pricing,” it is believed, could be beneficially tried by social service agencies.     

The role of celebrity in endorsing poverty reduction through international aid

• ‘Celebrity endorsement’ is a strategy that is gathering increasing momentum in attempts to develop public awareness of the plight of the poor. 1
• 1 We say below the goal of endorsement is not necessarily donations but political commitment.
Understanding of public perceptions is clearly important for international organizations seeking to make use of celebrity in furthering their causes. This paper reports the results of a preliminary survey conducted among 100 members of the Irish public to evaluate levels of awareness of celebrity involvement in international development work and the public's opinions about such involvement. The survey instrument was semi-structured with some open-ended questions. The focus was on respondents' ability to identify celebrities associated with such work, and to elicit their opinions on those celebrities' perceived aims, knowledge of international development, and influence upon the respondent. It also requested opinions of the value of celebrity involvement more generally. The results suggest that respondents are generally able to distinguish between celebrities and their various causes. Most found their involvement to be valuable in raising the profile of charities, though only a small number claimed to be personally influenced by such activity. The respondents were fairly cynical as to the motives of most celebrities, whose involvement they felt served their own aims—namely publicity—first and foremost.
• Most respondents were more likely to be influenced by their perceptions of the character of the celebrity rather than their causes. They respected celebrities they felt were genuinely committed to the causes they espoused, but paradoxically, they felt such commitment was best demonstrated by the celebrity keeping a low profile and not actively seeking publicity. Long-term commitment to a given cause was also highly regarded. The results are discussed with regard to theories of social persuasion and the dilemma's facing celebrities who get involve in endorsement of charity aid or campaigns. More research is necessary to substantiate and further develop our findings.

Copyright ©2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Cultural Paradigm of the Smaller Firm

This paper presents the findings from an ethnographic study of organizational culture and shared values in four smaller firms, the outcome of which was the identification of the cultural values shared between owner–managers (OMs) and employees in each firm. The research employed Schein's conceptualization of culture as a three-layer phenomenon, consisting of surface artifacts, shared values and beliefs, and basic assumptions. The analytical technique of grounded theory was employed to process the large volume of data gathered during the extended research period. The data reveal a complex array of values in each firm, with only one firm exhibiting a homogenous culture where values are shared by all those working in the organization. In the remaining three firms, five values appear to be shared by all employees; however, this is overlaid by a pattern of subcultures differentiated by distinctive shared values. Interfirm analysis among the four firms found that the values of survival, independence, control, pragmatism, and financial prudence were shared by two or more firms. The research collectively defines these shared values as the cultural paradigm of the smaller firm.     

DUMMY VARIABLES: AN APPLICATION IN CATTLE PRICE ANALYSIS

Price variation demands the attention of most Alberta cattle producers and marketing agents. This study sought to identify and measure the effects of certain pertinent variables in the marketing system. Cattle prices on different markets–terminals and auctions–were compared. Comparisons in pricing among three different areas–namely, the Grande Prairie region, Central Alberta, and Southern Alberta–were also drawn. Among the variables hypothesized affecting cattle prices, class, grade, and weight were most important for both feeder and slaughter cattle. Low prices were associated with the presence of horns and also with a “full” condition. Producers, therefore, stand to gain by paying attention to “fill,” dehorning, and castration of male calves. An official grading system for feeder cattle should be instituted, and the optimum weights at which to sell feeder and slaughter cattle should be ascertained. La variation des prix est une préoccupation importante pour tous ceux qui sont concernés par la raise en marché du boeuf, qu'il s'agisse des éleveurs, ou des agences de raise en marché. Cette étude vise à identifier certains facteurs, et à en mesurer ?influence sur la mise en marché. On a compareé les prix du bétail dans les grands pares publics et dans les encans locaux. Pour fins de comparaison, une liste de prix a été dressée pour les trois régions suivantes: Grande Prairie, le centre ainsi que le sud de ?Alberta. Parmi les facteurs affectant le prix du bétail, on remarque que la classe, la catégoire et le poids, sont ceux qui influencent le plus le prix des bovins. ?étude a démontré que généralement les prix sont plus éléves pour les animaui sans comes et à jeun au moment de la vente. Les élevéurs auraient done avantage à?mineur la nourriture avant la vente. Il serait preferable aussi ?enlever les comes et le castrer les veaux males. On devrait aussi instituter un systéme officiel de classification des bovins ?engraissement, qui serait utile pour déterminer les poids optima de vente des bovins ?engraissement et du bétail destiné aux abattoirs.