Editorial

Citation

Phau, I. (2011), "Editorial", Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 23 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjml.2011.00823daa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Volume 23, Issue 4

Welcome to the fourth issue of 2011. We have put together a compilation of six papers in marketing and two papers in logistics showcasing myriad current issues in the region.

This issue opens with a research by Ogden and Cheng who examine a well-researched concept of materialism by comparing cultural differences between consumers in Canada and China. While the Chinese are found to be more materialistic than Canadians, they are also higher on certain dimensions of culture. This provides a partial explanation for the high level of materialism for the Chinese consumers and further research directions for future studies. The second paper, by Wu and Wang, examines the influence of message source credibility on brand attitude based on positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Using an online data collection with a factorial experimental design approach, the findings provide several managerial insights into the moderating effects of involvement on message appeal types and message source credibility of eWOM. The third paper, by Somogyi et al. investigates the underlying motivations of Chinese wine consumption. Using a qualitative approach, 36 Chinese wine consumers are interviewed. Some very illuminating insights are uncovered such as “face” and “status” being the most important motivations affecting their consumption behaviour. The authors also uncovered anomalous behaviours and preferences while consuming red wine. The findings of the study have also drawn links from traditions and beliefs of traditional Chinese medicine and wine consumption.

The fourth paper, by Wright and Grace, extends the idiosyncratic dynamics of the franchisor-franchisee relationship and the influence of such constructs from a distance perspective. The authors adopted a qualitative case-based approach of four Australian retail franchises with holdings in New Zealand. It was revealed that trust and commitment are limited or non-existent within franchise systems if communication is lacking in a relationship. Various implications are also drawn from the study that probe further investigation in the management of human factors within franchise systems. The fifth paper, by Baidya and Basu, estimates the elasticities of individual marketing efforts to allocate budget based on two brands in India. It is revealed that the sales force has been allocated the highest amount of budge for both brands. Furthermore, managers are underspending on marketing efforts. The authors also propose a number of implications for consideration. The next paper, also based in India, by Balaji et al. investigates how multisensory evaluation influence overall attitude and purchase intentions. The interrelationships of between personality variables, sensory evaluation and behavioural outcomes have also been examined. The findings of the study revealed that purchase intention can be increased by multisensory evaluation rather than visual and tactile evaluation.

The last two papers are on logistics. The first examines the uptake of supply chain integration principles internationally and the resultant integration maturity. Childerhouse, Deakins, Böhme, Towill, Disney and Banomyong found that supply chain integration is a very difficult undertaking and indifferent supply chain performance is still the standard. The study contributes by providing an international benchmark of supply chain integration maturity based around three triangulated measures of supply chain performance. Following this, Thai, Cahoon and Tran explore the current profile of skills and knowledge of Australian logistics professionals and identifies important requirements for the future. The authors found that business, logistics, management-related skills and knowledge are important attributes for logistics professionals. A number of implications for universities and training institutions to prepare logistics professionals have been proposed.

As always, we thank the EAB and the reviewers once again for their continuous support and contribution to the APJML. We thank the authors for contributing papers of high calibre and by providing research that expands the existing body of knowledge. I once again hope that this myriad of papers will be able to inspire new research ideas for academics, practitioners and researchers alike.

Ian Phau