Editorial

Ian Phau (Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia)

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics

ISSN: 1355-5855

Article publication date: 13 June 2016

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Citation

Phau, I. (2016), "Editorial", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 28 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2016-0016

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited


Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Volume 28, Issue 3.

Dear readers, welcome to the third issue of the APJML in 2016. Thanks to the continued support of our authors and reviewers, we continue to publish high-calibre papers that span a diverse range of topics. This issue’s papers focus on the following topics: consumer purchase motivations and compulsive buying, services management, corporate and destination branding and manufacturer-distributor channel relationships. With the continued development of our industry spotlight section, this issue’s paper highlights trends and challenges in the logistics network of the Indian steel sector.

The issue opens with a paper by Wang and Yu who, prompted by the steady increase in consumer consumption of ready-to-drink (RTD) tea consumption, investigate the motivational factors influencing consumers’ consumption of RTD tea in Taiwan. Applying a means-end chain approach to the study, they ascertain a number of key factors that drink manufacturers may be able to capitalise on. Next, Singh and Nayak explore the role of self-esteem in influencing adolescents’ propensity for compulsive buying behaviour. Surveying adolescents in India, they find low-family cohesion and high-parent-adolescent conflict negatively affects adolescent self-esteem, leading to a greater propensity for compulsive buying. The findings have important implications for practitioners, academics and policy makers to develop new programs to alleviate the negative social impact of compulsive buying.

Moving onto services management, Riaz and Khan examine how service failures affect consumer switchover intentions. Conducted in Pakistan, their study reveals that in relation to both severity of service failure and consumer agreeableness, a consumer’s willingness to forgive greatly affects their intentions to switch providers. They therefore suggest that it is imperative that businesses take extra steps to build relationships with their customers to better understand their customers to mitigate the negative effects of service failures and encourage stronger customer loyalty. Quach, Jebarajakirthy and Thaichon then examine the interaction between service quality and customer behaviour in Thailand. Conducted in the context of internet services, they identify key focus areas for internet service providers, and suggest strategies for better service and customer retention.

Switching over to corporate and destination branding, Su presents a paper that examines the inter-relationships among consumer based brand equity (CBBE) dimensions in the context of fast fashion. Surveying respondents in the USA, this study reinforces the relevance of CBBE in the context of fast fashion. Further, it develops a fast fashion brand personality scale that can help fashion marketers to better understand the sources of value of their brands to develop strategies for better brand management. Continuing this theme of branding, Anisimova investigates the effects of corporate brand symbolism on automobile consumers in Australia. The findings identify the significance of brand symbolism on customer satisfaction and loyalty; and suggests that car companies should endeavour towards their customers becoming advocates of their brand. The next paper by Kaur, Chauhan and Medury takes branding to tourist destinations in India. Surveying domestic tourists across five destinations in India, they evaluate the image and positioning of these destinations according to identified attributes of tourist destinations. Managers and policy makers could leverage the paper’s insights on tourist perceptions of the destinations, and the common attributes among them; to develop distinct and differentiated destination appeals in their marketing communications, making for a more vibrant tourist experience.

Leading onto the logistics and supply chain topics, is a paper by Surkresna, Hamilton and Tee, which sheds light on manufacturer-distributor channel relationships in Indonesia. The study provides insight on how the manufacturer-distributor relationships are viewed in Indonesia, and suggests possible strategies to help businesses improve these ties for more efficient and effective channel management. Shifting further down the supply chain, Shaikh and Ghandi take a grounded theory approach to understanding small fast moving consumer goods retailers’ new product acceptance in India. As an emerging market, India is a rapidly changing environment and this study endeavours to identify key trends and strategies, the importance of channel relationships for example, which businesses in this type of environment may benefit from.

Closing this issue of the APJML is a paper by Jena and Seth. Their study explores the perceptions Indian employees in the steel sector have of their industry’s logistics network and costs. Surveying over 200 employees across different operational levels, they identify a number of key efficiency challenges in infrastructure and training, as well as social and cultural trends within the industry. Strategies to improve the industry are also suggested, which may prove useful to business managers.

Thank you for your continued readership of the APJML. I hope this issue has provided interesting insights to stimulate future research. I would like to acknowledge the reviewers and EAB for their timely reviews and contribution the APJML. I would also like to extend my thanks to the authors who have chosen the APJML as an outlet for their high-calibre research.

Ian Phau

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