Partner or supplier: An examination of client/agency relationships in an IMC context

There is growing evidence from practitioners that the advertising industry is in a state of crisis. As campaigns become more integrated and multi-disciplinary, the relationship between advertising agencies and clients is being tested to its limits and is presently considered to be at an all-time low. Agencies feel less valued and are being excluded from C-suite discussion. Clients feel that agencies do not appreciate the changing landscape and how the customer experience is now key. Both sides recognise the need for more trust and collaboration. This study applies the agency theory and the social power theory to understand the pressures that the relationship is under. It looks for evidence that IMC is creating a movement away from a business alliance relationship by comparing qualitative data collected from both agencies and clients, using NVivo to identify themes. The findings identify four themes which illustrate this shift towards a supplier relationship: the client ownership of the customer journey, the lack of a strategic role of agencies, the challenges of agency collaboration and difficulties of agency specialisation.     

Defining the knowledge that an organisation requires to create customer capital from a customer perspective

Consumer capital is a very important asset for an organisation as it is the result of an organisation's relationship with its customers. This paper sets out to confirm that organisations need to create customer capital in SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises). As part of this study, four types of knowledge have been identified (i.e. customer knowledge, individual knowledge, collective knowledge, and machine-readable forms) and this paper investigates the relationships between the different components of knowledge and the process to obtain customer capital from the external perspective of the company. This involved an empirical study of 365 customers. Two structural equation models have been used, resulting in the conclusion that before obtaining customer capital it is necessary to convert individual knowledge, collective knowledge (C_LK), and machine-readable forms into customer knowledge.     

AJAX实现客户端对服务器文件的自动分发研究

客户端访问服务器文件,并要求服务器分发有关文件到客户端是基于B/S结构软件的研究热点,分析当前文件分发的缺点,提出一种新的文件分发方法,并用实际例子证明该方法的高效率性和实用性,对开发基于WEB的软件有一定的参考价值。     

Audit fee lowballing: Determinants,recovery, and future audit quality

Prior research on the link between lowballing (LB) of audit fees and audit quality is inconclusive. Using more recent data and an innovative design, we define LB engagements as those where the audit fee discount is at least 30 percent. We consider three research questions to understand the possible link between LB and audit quality. First, we investigate whether the two variables that are often associated with auditor independence in the literature—non-audit fees and client importance—are related to LB. Second, we test whether lowballing auditors recoup initial audit fee discounts in the future period. Lastly, we investigate the relation between recovery of audit fees and future audit quality. We find that non-audit fees in the first year of engagement are negatively related to the propensity to LB. LB is significantly positively related to client importance for client firms switching from a non-Big N to another non-Big N auditor while the relation is insignificant for client firms switching from a Big N to another Big N auditor. The results of non-audit fees and client importance indicate that economic dependence does not motivate audit firms to lowball. Further, lowballing auditors tend to recoup their initial fee discounts in subsequent periods via increases in audit fees. Using multiple measures of audit quality, we do not find a significant relation between recovery of audit fees and future audit quality. Overall, contrary to regulators’ concerns, our results suggest that LB does not impair audit quality.     

A Benefit Analysis of Electric Vehicle Battery Swapping and Leasing Modes in China

This article discusses three most potential operators in the electric vehicle (EV) market of China, including power companies, battery manufacturers and gasoline enterprises. We propose five commercial modes of battery swapping and leasing service (BSLS) and analyze their benefits. The simulation results indicate that oil companies are the least competitive operators, whereas battery manufacturers are the best. It is unadvisable for operators to acquire batteries via leasing. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the increase in vehicle weight, gasoline price, the quantity of EVs and V2G electricity price will expand operators’ profit respectively, while the increase in discount rate works inversely.     

Non-audit services, auditor quality and the value relevance of earnings

This paper tests the hypothesis that there is an inverse relation between non‐audit services (NAS) provided by a firm auditor and the value relevance of earnings (measured as the earnings response coefficient) and that this relation is weaker for firms with Big 6 auditors. The hypothesis is based on anecdotal evidence and previous research that suggests that the provision of NAS by the external auditor is likely to adversely affect investors’ perceptions of the credibility of financial reports, and that Big 6 auditors, because of reputational capital and litigation costs, are likely to mitigate the adverse effects of NAS. Results using 840 firm‐year observations of Australian companies document a statistically significant inverse relationship between NAS and the value relevance of earnings, and this inverse relationship is weaker for Big 6 auditors, therefore supporting the hypothesis.     

媒介经营两难：客户满意与受众态度

由于中国大众传播媒介的性质和社会角色具有较强的特殊性,媒介经营所涉及到的内容极为广泛,单就营销层面而言,其所面临的难题就远远大于其他产业、企业。试图通过对受众与客户这一对矛盾统一体,面对传媒经营所表现出来的态度加以分析,探讨两者之间的相融相洽,为真正实现媒介经营的良性循环提出一些思考。     

Procurement and innovation risk management: How a public client managed to realize a radical green innovation in a civil engineering project

Public clients’ decisions on the procurement and contracting of civil engineering projects have far-reaching effects on the development and implementation of innovations. Two decades ago, a trend towards the use of integrated contracts started to improve constructability and stimulate innovations. However, for radical innovations, the unilateral allocation of innovation risks to the main contractor is undesirable since most of the associated innovation risks are difficult to assess and manage due to the inherent uncertainties. An in-depth case study was used to investigate the development and application of an alternative public-client-led approach to realizing a radical innovation in a civil engineering project. This study shows that: (1) government championship, through a proactive participation of the public client in the initiation, development and implementation of the project and the willingness to bear innovation risks; (2) the application of innovation risk management strategies and the availability of a fall back option; (3) the establishing of favourable organizational and relational conditions, were determinative factors for the successful development and implementation of the intended radical innovation. Furthermore, seven propositions have been derived that together provide instruments through which public clients can actively promote the development and implementation of radical innovations in civil engineering projects.Subject classification codesManaging Project Risk; Managing Project Innovation; Contract Procurement and Tendering     

如何利用Internet完成顾客忠诚信息的收集与测评

顾客忠诚直接影响了企业获取利润的持久性和扩展能力．如何借助发达的网络和计算机技术及时获取顾客的忠诚度，并据此采取相应营销战略，已经成为企业十分关注的问题。本文构建的基于Internet的顾客忠诚度信息收集与测评系统模型很好地解决了这一问题；同时构建了移动行业的顾客忠诚度模型并设计了相应的指标体系借以说明该系统的应用。