Leaders’ Personal Wisdom and Leader–Member Exchange Quality: The Role of Individualized Consideration

Business scholars have recently proposed that the virtue of personal wisdom may predict leadership behaviors and the quality of leader–follower relationships. This study investigated relationships among leaders’ personal wisdom—defined as the integration of advanced cognitive, reflective, and affective personality characteristics (Ardelt, Hum Dev 47:257–285, 2004)—transformational leadership behaviors, and leader–member exchange (LMX) quality. It was hypothesized that leaders’ personal wisdom positively predicts LMX quality and that intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration, two dimensions of transformational leadership, mediate this relationship. Data came from 75 religious leaders and 1–3 employees of each leader (N = 158). Results showed that leaders’ personal wisdom had a positive indirect effect on follower ratings of LMX quality through individualized consideration, even after controlling for Big Five personality traits, emotional intelligence, and narcissism. In contrast, intellectual stimulation and the other two dimensions of transformational leadership (idealized influence and inspirational motivation) did not mediate the positive relationship between leaders’ personal wisdom and LMX quality. Implications for future research on personal wisdom and leadership are discussed, and some tentative suggestions for leadership development are outlined.     

New Insights in the Moderating Effect of Switching Costs on the Satisfaction–Repurchase Behavior Link

Existing studies on the role of switching costs (SC) as moderator of the relationship between satisfaction and repurchase behavior are inconclusive. We attempt to explain these inconclusive findings by synthesizing an amplifying and a lock-in effect, and hypothesize a nonlinear moderating effect. In Study 1 (a main study and three replications), we find strong evidence for an inverted u-shaped moderating effect of overall SC. Our results suggest that satisfaction is a particularly important predictor of repurchase behavior in situations characterized by medium-levels of SC. Based on Prospect Theory, Study 2 (a main study and one replication) reveals that this inverted u-shaped moderating effect of SC is stronger for positive (relational and financial) SC than for negative (procedural) SC. We conclude with recommendations for satisfaction management of different customer segments, and describe possibilities to influence customer switching costs in various industries.     

Werte und Normen als Sollensvorstellungen in der KommunikationswissenschaftValues and norms as ought-statements in communication studies

Values and norms as research topics are central theoretical and empirical constructs in communication studies and are also used to substantiate research questions or to interpret results. Despite the relevance of values and norms, a respective debate within the discipline has been neglected so far. It is a challenge to discuss the values and norms of our discipline and to initiate an exchange of the societal relevance of one’s own research. The network “Values and norms as research objects and guiding principles in communication research”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), makes a contribution to this by systematically analyzing values and norms in communication studies and by critically reflecting them. Therefore, the paper proposes to operationalize values and norms as “ought-statements”. Ought-statements either describe a situational state that is explicitly evaluated or address a desirable state. Three elements of an ought-statement are identified, which are coded in a multistage content analysis. The operationalization of norms and values as ought-statements allows not only to examine already known values and norms, but also to assess all possible values and norms, to assess the change of values and norms more validly in long-term studies, and to assess those constructs that are labeled as norms or values by the researchers themselves.     

The impact of water conservation and intensification technologies: empirical evidence for rice farmers in Ghana

This study employs the propensity score matching model to examine the impact of the adoption of water conservation and intensification technologies on farm output and income among small-scale lowland rice farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana. The matching was conducted based on the Mahalanobis distance combined with the propensity score. Balancing tests by checking the mean standardized absolute bias in the matched sample were conducted as well as a sensitivity analysis was conducted to check for hidden bias due to unobservable selection. The empirical results show a positive and significant impact of the adoption of bunds technology on input demand as well as a positive but insignificant impact on output supply and net returns. Adopters of the dibbling technology were found to have higher output supply, whereas no statistically significant difference was found between the incomes of adopters and nonadopters of dibbling seed method. The results, however, reveal a positive and significant effect on output and net returns when the dibbling method is combined with intensified weeding. The estimates were found to be relatively insensitive to hidden bias.     

Social Network Analysis — Erkenntnisse für die Markenpositionierung im Web

Die zunehmende Verbreitung neuer technologischer Infrastrukturen erm?glicht neue Einblicke in das Konsumentenverhalten. Das Internet f?rdert die aktive Teilnahme des Konsumenten an wirtschaftlichen Prozessen und dokumentiert seine Interaktionen mit Anbietern und anderen Nachfragern. Eine Methode zur Gewinnung systematischer Einblicke in dieses Beziehungsnetzwerk ist die Social Network Analysis (SNA). Die relativ junge Methode kann traditionelle Marktforschungsmethoden bereits erg?nzen, wie empirische Fallbeispiele zeigen.     

Kundenbindung in Handels- und Serviceunternehmen – Die Wirkung von Kundenbindungsinstrumenten auf Einstellungen und Kaufverhalten

In order to differentiate from their competitors, marketing managers increasingly count on relationship marketing instruments. As customer loyalty programs have gained importance during the last decade, retailers face various new possibilities to reach their customers on a one-to-one level. However, empirical evidence in this field shows that the enormous investments do not always yield the desired effects. One reason is that marketing managers disregard that the effectiveness of different instruments might depend on particular conditions, target groups, and situations. The article gives an overview about the influence of relationship marketing instruments on customers’ attitudes and behaviors. It provides a holistic classification of relationship marketing instruments and explains the effectiveness from a theoretical perspective. We summarize empirical studies dealing with the effectiveness of different instruments under certain conditions. Furthermore, we derive implications for retail managers about how to successfully use relationship marketing instruments. Finally, we discuss directions for future research.