Timeliness,transparency, and trust: A framework for managing online customer complaints

This article discusses several practical solutions for dealing with online customer complaints. Online complaints are inevitable; how a firm responds can make the difference. There are techniques that managers can use not only to minimize the detrimental impact of online complaints, but also to produce beneficial outcomes. Herein, we introduce our 3T framework, designed to help managers and support teams respond to online complaints in a thoughtful and measured way. We build on word-of-mouth research and several theories from marketing, service marketing, journalism, and business ethics. With so many reviews posted online every second, firms must employ best practices grounded in empirical research and solid conceptualization to deal with this important component of online customer service.     

Internet市场遵循“一价定律”吗？——来自天猫商城的证据

根据搜寻理论,线上市场由于极大地降低了消费者搜寻成本,应当实现“一价定律”,然而大量的证据表明线上市场存在显著的价格离散现象。文章选取了中国最大B2C电子商务平台天猫商城上高度同质化、标准化的虚拟产品——手机充值卡作为研究对象,发现确实存在价格离散现象。然后,利用固定效应向量分解模型和蒙德拉克模型,检验了哪些因素会影响价格离散程度,发现零售商异质性越大、商家数量越多,价格离散程度越大;商品越是畅销、商品价值越大,其价格离散程度越小。文章在数据上有较大创新,对已有文献形成有益补充;结论有助于增进对中国线上市场效率的认识,能够为Internet市场“效率悖论”提供一些线索和启示。     

网络购物对货币需求的影响研究

随着经济下行压力的增大,“稳增长”成为中国经济发展的重要目标。网络购物作为消费的重要组成部分,探讨其与货币需求的关系有助于达成“稳增长”这一重要目标。运用误差修正模型对网络购物与货币需求之间的短期、长期关系进行研究,结果显示：长期看来,网络购物以0.199的比率促进货币需求量的增长,但是短期看,网购却对货币需求产生了负向影响,其比率为0.101。这种负向影响得到了修正,使得长期的正向趋势不变。     

Factors affecting family firms’ communication behaviour: a cross-cultural study

This study explores heterogeneity in family firms’ communication behaviour across cultures. The authors propose that variations in the background of family firms, including culture, industry, public or private status, and age, influence their propensity to reference their family identity on their corporate web communications. Websites have become an increasingly important medium of marketing communications in today’s interconnected world. Yet, limited research has been done to understand firms’ web communication behaviour. Based on a study of 432 family firms from 41 countries across the world, this research empirically demonstrates that family firms which are from collectivist cultures and publicly traded are significantly less likely to reference their family identity in online marketing communications compared to their counterparts. In addition, the research shows that there is an inverted-U curvilinear relationship between a family firm’s age and the likelihood of referencing their family background. Contributions and implications of the research and findings are discussed.     

An exploratory study on part-time MBA program choice factors and characteristics of part-time MBA students

The majority of master of business administration (MBA) students are presently enrolled in part-time programs, yet little is known about their preferences, perspectives, and program selection processes. To fill this gap, the authors address three issues related to part-time MBA programs. First, they review important MBA program choice factors in the literature. Second, based on results of a survey with current MBA students, they identify the following as choice factors for part-time MBA programs: overall value/cost, location convenience, flexibility, and program quality. Third, the authors offer implications for part-time MBA programs that are related to employer reimbursement programs and program flexibility.     

Efficient Universal Portfolios for Past-Dependent Target Classes

We present a new universal portfolio algorithm that achieves almost the same level of wealth as could be achieved by knowing stock prices ahead of time. Specifically the algorithm tracks the best in hindsight wealth achievable within target classes of linearly parameterized portfolio sequences. The target classes considered are more general than the standard constant rebalanced portfolio class and permit portfolio sequences to exhibit a continuous form of dependence on past prices or other side information. A primary advantage of the algorithm is that it is easily computable in a polynomial number of steps by way of simple closed-form expressions. This provides an edge over other universal algorithms that require both an exponential number of computations and numerical approximation.     

企业经营理念的战略转变——从“经营产品”到“经营企业”

当今世界已进入网络时代。网络营销浮出水面,成为一个崭新的营销课题。传统营销模式的市场概念受到强烈冲击,现代企业必须走出传统营销模式。许多企业纷纷推出多方面的对策,开始逐步转向网络营销,以适应网络经济的发展需要。     

钻井液在线检测黏度计的研制

钻井液黏度的变化影响井内钻井液的侵入、地层油气水的扩散．从而影响储层的产能评价。通过研制的钻井液黏度检测仪对钻井液液面高度检测来测钻井液黏度，可以提高钻井液黏度的测量精度，同时可以和综合录井仪联机使用，为录井资料校正和提高现场油气层的解释评价水平提供可靠的信息。     

The effects of multi-channel assortment integration on customer confusion

Abstract

The effects of assortment strategy on customer confusion have been discussed for singular channels in the past. However, multi-channel retailers also have to coordinate their assortment across channels. Recent literature has started to investigate which assortment integration strategy is most favourable for retailers, but theoretical and empirical research is still scarce. Until today, customer confusion has not been considered in this discussion. This article seeks to identify the impact of a retailer’s assortment integration on customer overload confusion, assortment perception and their consequences. In an experiment, we manipulate assortment integration internally (online and offline channel of the focal retailer; full and asymmetrical integration) and externally (online channel of the focal retailer and a competing online retailer; full, asymmetrical and no integration). The results indicate that both internal and external assortment integration have an impact on overload confusion and assortment perception. Asymmetrical internal integration induces less overload confusion in terms of its cognitive and affective components and leads to superior assortment perception. Full and asymmetrical external integration evoke less confusion with regard to its cognitive component. Eventually, overload has detrimental short- and long-term effects for the retailer. Multi-channel retailers should consider our results when implementing an assortment integration strategy.     

Don’t feed the trolling: rethinking how online trolling is being defined and combated

ABSTRACT

Trolling involves deliberate, deceptive and mischievous attempts to provoke reactions from other online users. Even though trolling causes problems for marketers and consumers, there has been little discussion about what trolling actually is and how marketers should respond to it. The present conceptual study addresses these gaps. First, we present a working, integrative definition of trolling behaviours, arguing that trolling is substantively different from cyberbullying. Next, we present the challenges of current trolling regulations, showing that trolling is sometimes the result of the regulations themselves. The paper concludes with a presentation of the conceptual model of the manifestation of trolling behaviours. The model informs and assists scholars and marketing practitioners concerned with understanding and addressing trolling.