1,721,006 research outputs found
Psychological and cultural insights into consumption of luxury western brands in India
Full text linkIndia has always had wealthy elites such as the maharajas, upper class and royalty that consume luxury products throughout its consumption history. The relatively recent economic rise of the middle class with an increase in disposable income is leading to consumption of luxury en mass. This qualitative study examines why consumers buy luxury, what they believe luxury is and how their perception of luxury impacts buying behaviour in the context of India. The present study explores luxury constructs drawn from the literature and provides some explanation for luxury consumption behaviour in India. The findings reveal that psychological and cultural factors in Indian society play a major part in shaping luxury consumption. While the findings suggest little support for homogenous luxury preference, Indian consumers share cultural characteristics of lavish consumption of luxury and display of wealth in social functions. Luxury reflects conspicuous consumption and status, and signals wealth for individuals, and conveys social identity and status in Indian society
An investigation into the mediating role of cross-functional coordination on the linkage between organizational norms and SCM performance.
No full textOrganizational norms as a set of embedded values and beliefs have long been recognized in literature to provide norms that bind individuals into collectivities. Drawing on resource dependence and relational marketing theories, the present study specifies five organizational norms: cooperative, cross-functional information sharing, intraorganizational knowledge sharing, participative culture and mutual trust for supporting cross-functional coordination in supply chain management (SCM). These organizational norms are examined in terms of the mediating role of cross-functional coordination for the relationship between organizational norms and supply chain performance. Analyses of data from a survey of high-tech firms in the U.K. substantiate that organizational norms impact on both supply chain responsiveness and firm performance through cross-functional coordination as a mediator. The implications of the positive effect of organizational norms on SCM performance are discussed for theory, practice and research
Six Sigma: insights from organizational innovativeness and market orientation
No full textPurposeDespite the implicit link of Six Sigma's focus on continuous innovation and customer satisfaction to concepts of organizational innovativeness and market orientation, there are limited theoretical analysis and conceptual development to guide and inform the theory of Six Sigma. This conceptual paper seeks to examine theoretical contributions of market orientation and organizational innovativeness to Six Sigma.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines how organizational innovativeness and market orientation reinforce Six Sigma by analyzing their relevance in terms of internal consistency and theoretical predications.FindingsWhile market orientation enhances customer focus and promotes responsiveness through continuous innovation, Six Sigma's customer orientation can lead to over‐emphasis on incremental innovation compromising capabilities for ground‐breaking innovations. Six Sigma can redress this imbalance by integrating long‐term goals and resource capability development.Originality/valueThis paper advances seven theoretical propositions highlighting key concepts of organizational innovativeness and market orientation as contributions to Six Sigma and avenues for further research.</jats:sec
E-customer service capability and value creation
No full textIn recent years, there has been a growing interest in the concept of value in the marketing literature. This study examines how companies develop e-customer service capability and support value creation in the context of Internet marketing. Surveys are conducted to obtain data from the perspective of both companies and customers. The main results from the firm's perspective indicate that e-customer service capability is positively associated with value creation particularly through technological capability and customer orientation. The high degree of interaction between customer orientation and transaction efficiency suggests that customer experience (satisfaction) can be further enhanced through the e-customer service capability to achieve customer commitment to a website in terms of trust and loyalty
An examination of the antecedents of e-customer loyalty in a Confucian culture: a case of South Korea
No full textAs the Internet is posing revolutionary changes to customer service and the way customers interact and purchase from businesses, loyal e-customers are crucial for the long-term survival and profitability of a business. Driven by high connectivity, reach and richness of information in today's global business environment, the task of retaining and creating loyal e-customers calls for an appreciation of cultural factors and their impact on e-customer service and loyalty. Specifically, this study examines the impact of Confucian culture on e-customer loyalty in South Korea. Since no research has yet examined the link between Confucian values and e-customer loyalty, the study proposes a conceptual model for empirical analysis by drawing on insights from Hofstede's cultural dimensions and previous studies on e-customer loyalty in European contexts. The main results show that high power distance in Confucian culture is positively associated with affiliation. But this high power distance in Confucian culture is moderated by marketing activities that lead to lock-in. This indicates the profound influence of collectivism in Confucian culture and emphasises the importance of referral and community participation in increasing stickiness and hence loyal e-customers
Customer portfolio planning in a business network context
No full textIn an increasingly globalised business environment, it is no longer adequate to analyse and develop supplier-customer relationship portfolios without consideration of a firm's network relationships. While research in business relationships has examined resource allocation and strategy development in the context of a dyadic relationship, portfolios and network relationships, little is known about the network effects of a focal firm's relationships on its performance particularly from both supplier and customer evaluations. The present study attempts to fill this gap by developing a customer portfolio framework that includes four levels of business relationships, and integrates a resource-based view and industry determinants of competitive advantage. The proposed framework is applied and analysed using data of UK-based food service companies. The main results show that a focal relationship performance is influenced by both industry and resource-based advantages in a business network context. The results also suggest that a focal firm can better enhance its competitive position with the knowledge of network effects and interdependence of strategic actions in a business network context
The Effects of the Internet on Network Structures and Business Performance
No full textIn electronic markets, the Internet creates new network structures that enable firms to integrate cross‐functional activities at relatively low cost and eliminate non‐value‐adding activities. However, there is little empirical evidence on how structural characteristics of network organization and the Internet affect service responsiveness and firm performance. Thus, this study integrates and examines the Internet as a mediator of processing complex networks of interactions to extend current understanding of network structures in electronic markets. The impact of network organizations and the Internet on service responsiveness and firm performance is tested using a sample of 336 firms in the computer and electronic manufacturing industry. The results suggest that network structures mediated by the Internet have enhanced firm performance and service responsiveness. Network structures are further enhanced through four Internet drivers of open systems, virtual channels, multi‐user engagement and extended customizability. This alters the ways firms coordinate their activities through responsive processes and complements existing structures with relevant Internet capabilities
Manufacture upgrade and interfirm relationship development: the case of electronics firms in the Pearl River Delta
No full textDespite significant economic benefits of manufacture upgrade from original equipment manufacturing, through to original design manufacturing to own brand manufacturing, research on interfirm relationship development during the process of manufacture upgrade has remained underdeveloped. This article examines different types of interfirm relationships and their impact on manufacture upgrade using case studies of electronics firms located in the Pearl River Delta. The findings suggest that three iterative processes support relationship development: resource seeking, learning and networking. These processes influence relationship development for both vertical and horizontal relations through trust-based personal relationships. In particular, the insights provided by relational view of interfirm relationships appear to complement and support economic goals of governance mechanisms
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