Guest editorial

Citation

Christofi, M. and Vrontis, D. (2015), "Guest editorial", Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Vol. 17 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRME-05-2015-0032

Guest editorial

Article Type: Guest editorial From: Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Volume 17, Issue 1

This special issue “Marketing and Innovation in Business” of the Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship includes some enhanced versions of the best papers presented at the 6th Annual EuroMedAcademy of Business Conference. All papers presented in this guest edition underwent a rigorous double peer review process and were continuously amended by the reviewers’ comments.

The first paper, co-authored by Hinck and Ahmed, titled “The Effect of Anticipatory Emotions on Students’ Performance in Marketing Simulations”, analyzes the effects of goal-directed feelings on student performance in marketing simulations. By calculating path coefficients from data collected at two points in time, the authors test a model consisting of four constructs personal stakes, anticipatory emotions, volitions and goal-directed behavior. The results suggest that positive and negative anticipatory emotions mediate the relationship between personal stakes and volitions, and determine student motivation, behavior and actual performance independently from simulation design, simulation environment and cognitive personality characteristics of the participant. In conclusion, the authors include implications for educators, such as the need for active pursuit of anticipatory emotion development.

The second manuscript included in the special issue, written by João and Raquel titled “Partner Selection in Co-opetition: a Three Step Model” aims to contribute toward a better understanding of the partner selection process, which anticipates a successful co-opetition partnership. This study follows a methodology based on systematic combining for the qualitative analysis of four cases of domestic co-opetition in Portugal. A sample range of eight companies was selected for a series of semi-structured interviews. Testimonials were transcribed and data coded for content analysis. The results of this research indicate that prior personal relationships between decision makers are facilitators for the implementation of co-operation partnerships with competitors. Based on these findings, this paper proposes a three-step model to explain the process of partner selection for co-opetition partnerships. According to this model, after opting to commence a new co-opetitive business alliance, the manager undergoes a first unconscious selection based on his/her own prior personal relationships, followed by a conscious and judicious selection based on specific criteria related to partner’s operational skills, resources, effectiveness and trust. The value of this work derives from the comprehensive realization of partner selection for domestic co-opetition as, fundamentally, a network-related process.

Following, the paper of Alserhan, Halkias, Boulanouar and Dayan titled “Expressing Herself through Brands: The Arab Woman’s Perspective” extends Wallström et al.’s (2010) six-nation study on brand use and notions of self-expression to Arab women in the UAE. Additionally, this study extends the scope of investigation to include an extensive qualitative data corpus to inform and explain the consumption practices of this large, very wealthy and under-researched sector of the global marketplace. The authors adopt a mixed methodology emphasizing qualitative research as a means of building on the results of Wallström et al.’s (2010) quantitative study. Their results reveal that Arab women are less committed to the idea that beauty care products are a locus of self-expression, and their purchase choices are based on perceived quality of care products, scene of use and their lack of value in the culture as vehicles of conspicuous consumption cues. As a result, the paper offers valuable insights to researchers and practitioners into the use of beauty care products as a means of self-expression, and it emphasizes the value of word-of-mouth communication in enhancing reach in this category. The authors recommend the investigation of relationships between expressing self through brands and variables revealed in this study, such as respondents’ relationships to religiosity and health concerns. An extension of this research is also recommended to produce a cross-cultural body of literature on women’s self-expression through brands and how the variable of self-expression can be an important driver of consumer preferences and choices in this population.

In addition, the manuscript of Bijaoui and Regev titled “Entrepreneurship and Viral Development in Rural Western Negev in Israel” focuses on two main and related issues: evaluating whether the required entrepreneurial capabilities are present according to Gladwell’s law of the few in the Western Negev region of Israel, and identifying the economic development model that can generate a viral development. As a methodology, the authors used McClelland’s classification to evaluate the level of motivation in the region, and the Gladwell’s law of the few classification to understand the potentially positive effect of each entrepreneur on the others and on economic development in general. To evaluate the personal and business capabilities of each entrepreneur, the authors used two groups of parameters, one describing the personal profile and the other the business behavior of the entrepreneurs. The results of the study showed that most of the entrepreneurs are ready to cooperate with the open incubator and to contribute to generating common business interest, but mavens and connectors have few of the required personal characteristics and business attitudes. Only the salesmen have the required personal profile, but they lack the necessary business attitude. Highly motivated entrepreneurs, at need-for-power level, have both the required personal profile and business attitude. They are the ones who could generate growth, and portion of them have the characteristics to become mavens, connectors and salesmen. As a concluding remark, the authors analyze the implications offered both in theory and practice.

Moreover, the paper of Nedra, Sharma and Dakhli titled “Perception and Motivation to Purchase Organic Products in Mediterranean Countries: An Empirical Study in Tunisian Context” focuses on studying the determinants of consumer purchasing behavior of organic product in the emergent countries. These variables are related to products, such as perception, attitude, motivation (health and environmental concern), implication and purchasing intention. As regards to its methodology approach, this paper is based on an exploratory and confirmatory analysis that seeks to purify and to get a new scales structure. The study shows the effect of perception and motivation on the purchasing behavior of the consumers that intend to buy an organic product. The authors used the structural equation modelling (SEM) to confirm the different relationships. The results of the study show that purchasing intention, implication and motivation (health concern and environmental concern) have a strong direct and positive effect on the purchasing behavior of organic products. However, the relationship between the motivation and the attitude on the one side and between attitude/purchasing intention; attitude/purchasing behavior on the other side is not significant. In doing so, the authors state the limitations of the study and offer valuable implications for practitioners.

The next paper co-authored by Rossi, Thrassou and Vrontis titled “Biotechnological Mergers and Acquisitions: Features, Trends and New Dynamics” aims to provide new insights on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) phenomenon in the biotechnology sector for the benefit of both scholars and executives engaged in the planning and implementation of M&A. This research is mainly descriptive and the result of a secondary data-based research. Methodologically founded on the works of Rossi et al. (2011) and Rossi et al. (2013) and following an extensive literature review on M&A processes in high-tech sectors, the paper analyzes the dynamics, trends and attributes biotechnological M&A. The findings show that the biotechnology sector, over the economically turbulent past few years, faced a distinct difficulty in attracting significant investor capital. Traditional pharmaceutical companies with sufficient cash from their existing sales but facing a dried-out product and patent pipeline have acquired innovative but cash-poor biotech firms. The findings also indicate that the trends in the biotech industry make consolidation in this sector inevitable. For acquiring firms therefore, it will be necessary to realize a rigorous process of strategic target identification, due diligence and unified post-merger integration as the only way to create a sustainable shareholder value and high firm performance. The value of the paper stems from its definition of the link between the biotech industry attributes and M&A activities, consequently offering a valuable theoretical basis for empirical development and practical application, as well as a context for prescribed actions and processes.

The final paper included in this Special Issue is the one of Capitello, Agnoli and Begalli titled “Determinants of Consumer Behavior in Novice Markets: The Case of Wine”. This research aims to understand the behavior of novice consumers, and provide businesses with guidelines regarding how to approach the different typologies of novice consumers from new inexperienced markets and from new generations. The study applies the reasoned action approach to wine consumer, and two parallel surveys by questionnaire are conducted with a sample of the Missouri population – representing new consumers – and a sample of the young Italian population – representing young consumers located in traditional consuming countries. In doing so, two research hypotheses are tested. The results reveal two effects. The age effect creates similarities in the decision-making process structure, and attitude and subjective norm have the same weight in influencing behavioral intention. The novice effect creates differences in the structure; however, similarities exist at a more basic level than that of attitude and subjective norm, in salient beliefs and salient referents. The study highlights that penetration of these consumer segments should pursue different marketing approaches: educational goals for young people from new markets, an experiential marketing approach to improve the link between product and producer for new consumers and emphasis on cultural aspects of the product in a “Young Manner” for young consumers from traditional consuming markets. In conclusion, study analyses for the first time commonalities and peculiarities in the decision-making process of novice consumers.

Overall, this collection of papers reflects contributions to the development and practice of management from researchers internationally, and we really hope that you find this guest edition interesting and thought-provoking.

Michael Christofi and Demetris Vrontis

Guest Editors