Does market orientation pay off without brand orientation? A study of small business entrepreneurs

Market orientation and brand orientation are usually modelled as distinct antecedents of business performance, and the simultaneous performance effects of these orientations are empirically under-explored. Moreover, studies of market orientation and branding tend to focus on large corporations and the views of managers rather than the views of small business entrepreneurs. Addressing these research gaps, the current study explores market orientation and brand orientation by empirically testing their simultaneous effects on the business performance of small firms. Using primary data from 328 effective responses gathered from small business entrepreneurs, the study finds that market orientation improves the financial performance of a small firm only if it is implemented through brand orientation and eventually translated into brand performance. The results further indicate that older firms benefit more than younger firms from investing in branding, while younger firms benefit from paying attention to the actions of their rivals.     

A Case Study in the Marketing of "Wolf-Friendly" Beef

This study examines an effort in New Mexico to establish a niche within the domestic beef market. The beef was marketed under environmental attributes with the slogan "Wolf-Friendly." Two environmental groups, Defenders of Wildlife and Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, endorsed the management practices of the ranch producing the beef. A kick-off event for the "Wolf-Friendly" Beef was held at the Albuquerque Zoo at the onset of the market test. Two retail grocery stores and the zoo participated in a month-long market test. A survey was conducted at the zoo kick-off to determine participants' views on public land use, riparian protection, and predator preservation issues, and consumer willingness to pay for beef products that foster these environmental attributes. Sales and survey data from the market test were analyzed.     

Production & trade structure and accession to the EC: The case of Greek agriculture

Summary

Greece's climatic and soil conditions, together with the size structure of its farms favour the production of Mediterranean‐type products, in which the country has a comparative advantage. However, the structure of agricultural production and exports has been changing, at least since 1961, when Greece became an Associate Member of the EC, with a shift from traditional crops (tobacco, cotton, olive oil and dried vine fruit), towards fruit and vegetables especially of late towards early varieties which do not coincide seasonally with EC production as well as certain “Northern” products (wheat, maize, and barley). Despite a substantial increase in livestock production, imports of meat, and dairy products have grown considerable faster than imports of other agricultural produce.

By presenting these trends, this paper attempts to show that in the post ‐ EC membership period (after 1.1.1981) developments in agricultural production and trade cannot be attributed to membership, since they had appeared long before it. This evidence also indicates that the above trends are not likely to change significantly within the EC in the future.     

Are New Homes Special?

This article describes alternative ways of identifying new homes and, using a large dataset of property sales in Las Vegas, Nevada, tests for the extent to which new homes sell at a price premium relative to otherwise similar existing homes. We also investigate whether the results differ across time and location, including before and after the housing bust. Our results suggest that price premia for new homes arise primarily in circumstances in which the supply of new houses is relatively low. In some cases rising to over 20% relative to otherwise similar existing homes. When new homes are plentiful, they are not special and the premium disappears.     

CHALLENGING THE EMPIRICAL EMPIRE

Many of the problems in the British public sector directly relate to the attempt to create a world fit for the central planner in which all tasks can be set down in a system of rules. The philosophy of 'empirical consequentialism' underpins this entire venture. This is the view that the empirically-proven consequences of an action are the most valid basis for moral judgment of the action and that these can be fully evaluated through expert research rather than democratic dialogue. A crucial policy challenge is to restore the value of 'tacit knowledge' in the public sector, allowing individuals to exercise choice and judgment responding to feedback in a process of trial and error.     

The psychological impact of expatriate relocation on partners

Abstract This paper reports upon a study of the psychological impact of relocation on partners of fifty-eight expatriate and repatriate managers. The study examined associations for several factors, namely company assistance, culture shock experienced, perceived cultural distance between home and host countries and personal factors, with partners' psychological adjustment to relocation. The most important positive predictor of psychological adjustment was found to be company assistance. Also, general support for a process of phases in psychological adjustment to relocation was found, although not following the postulated curve. Increased recognition of the importance of the factors examined here and their role in the process of psychological adjustment to relocation is recommended for expatriates and their organizations alike.     

Spanish Household Demand for Seafood

Seafood is an important food commodity in Spain, the second largest consuming nation of seafood in the world. Today, several changes in demographics, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle changes have affected demand for seafood products. Double‐hurdle models allow an examination of Spanish household expenditures on these products and explicitly account for the value of women's time. The empirical evidence shows that the set of statistically significant factors in the participation and expenditure equations is not the same for fresh and processed seafood goods. Income and household demographic variables are important determinants of both participation and expenditures on seafood products. In addition, the value of women's time affects expenditures on processed products, which include frozen, cured, and canned seafood goods.     

The Accounting Burdens Facing Small Firms: An Empirical Research Note

In recent years there has been much discussion regarding the burdens imposed on small firms by administrative requirements, and in particular those imposed by accounting requirements. The purpose of this note is to examine whether the relative burden of accounting requirements is general to small firms or specific to certain types of small firm. The main empirical finding of the note, using ordered probit analysis on a sample of 100 small firms, is that the relative burden of accounts as perceived by small firms is not contingent on the factors investigated.     

When east meets south: economic gains from India-APEC trade

As India, potentially one of the largest economies in the world, seeks membership to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), a case for its inclusion in an expanded APEC is examined. The methodology and empirical design as developed in Marwah and Klein (1995) within the framework of a world trade matrix consists of seven regions divided into India, components of APEC, and the rest of the world. The growth of economic cohesiveness within APEC between 1965 and 1995 is quantitatively assessed by patterns of trade linkages through measures of bilateral reciprocity, multilateralism, and market diversification. Entropy indexes of the trade matrix are computed and used in the analysis. Since 1991, when massive economic reforms were implemented, India has experienced strong growth in exports and in imports, a departure from its previous performance. Furthermore, its external orientation has shifted positively and significantly since the reforms. Despite this, during the latest five years, India's integration with APEC hadn't changed to a level of statistical significance. The case for an expanded APEC, including India, is still somewhat prospective but the evidence is growing that it could prove beneficial to all the member countries. For India to benefit in this expanded APEC, it should continue to press its case for inclusion in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).