Editorial

Citation

Towers, N. (2011), "Editorial", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijrdm.2011.08939daa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Volume 39, Issue 4

For this edition, there is a retail theme but with four quite different papers that address consumers’ initial trust in an unfamiliar online, an exploratory general review of both the sustainability agendas, estimate efficiency and productivity in Spain’s non-specialized retail sector for the period of 1997-2007 and the influence of music on consumption experience and the relationships between musical variables and consumer responses in the context of retailing.

The first contribution by Mary Ann Eastlick and Sherry Lotz examines retailers via an initial trust-building model. The influence of an institutional belief, situational normality of the online environment on initial trust has not been previously investigated by simultaneously assessing relative influences of institutional beliefs and cognitive perceptions of the online retailer. In their paper, they considered cognitive perceptions of the retailer and institutional beliefs about the online environment. Structural equation modelling revealed that second-hand cognitive and first-hand institutional information have comparable and contrasting effects on purchase intent through formation of initial trust. The results imply that consumers form initial trust using a combination of cognitive perceptions about the online retailer and consumers’ institutional beliefs regarding the online environment. They suggested ways in which researchers and online retailers can shape initial trust formation via these antecedents.

The next paper by Peter Jones, Daphne Comfort and David Hillier provide an exploratory general review of both the sustainability agendas being publicly reported by the world’s leading retailers and the nature of the reporting process and to offer some wider reflections on the ways these retailers are currently addressing and pursuing sustainability agendas. The paper draws its empirical material from the most recent sustainability reports and information posted on the internet by eight of the world’s top ten retailers. The findings reveal that while there is considerable variation in the structure of the retailers’ sustainability reports, three broad sets of themes can be identified. Namely the environmental, social and economic issues the retailers report on, how these issues are reported, and the role and importance of sustainability within companies and to their business. More critically, it is argued that the world’s leading retailers are, at best, adopting a “weak” model of sustainability and that in pursuing continuing growth they are ignoring the fact that the present patterns of consumption are unsustainable in the long term. The paper provides an accessible review of, and some reflections on the sustainability agendas being pursued by some of the world’s leading retailers and as such it will interest academics and those working in management positions within the retail industry.

The purpose of the third paper by Justo de Jorge Moreno and María Sanz-Triguero is twofold; on the one hand recent methodologies will be used to estimate efficiency and productivity in Spain’s non-specialized retail sector for the period of 1997-2007. On the other hand, the results obtained applying the methods mentioned in the Spanish retail sector can contribute to opening up a new field of analysis since the results may be compared by means of the methodologies proposed as well as those which already exist in the literature. We used DEA stochastic (Order-m) and bootstrapping Malmquist index to measure productivity and efficiency in 12 sectors in Spanish retail trade 1997-2007. Analyzing the relationship between firms and size, the results obtained in this work shows that the firm’s size have a positive influence on efficiency that suggest that the management may have incentives to grow in order to improve their efficiency levels. Our second contribution has to do with the use of bootstrapping Malmquist productivity indices. Productivity decreased at an average rate of −4.1 per cent over the entire period of 1997-2007. On average, this deterioration was due to efficiency change −6.1 per cent. Technical progress is increased at an average rate of 2.1 per cent. All rates at global level are statistically significant at 95 per cent. Using bootstrapping Malmquist indices methodology allowed for a more careful analysis of what happens at firm level. Differences in conclusions between the original estimates and the bootstrap results are more evident when we scrutinize the sample firms and individual levels.

The final paper by Rajnish Jain and Shilpa Bagdare examines the influence of music on consumption experience and explore the relationships between musical variables and consumer responses in the context of retailing. The paper is based on the review of studies conducted over last 30 years, empirical and conceptual, dealing with a large number of music related variables and their impact on various dimensions of consumption experience. The studies report that music influences consumption experience at cognitive, emotional and behavioural levels, specifically with regard to attitudes and perceptions, time and money spend, and moods and feelings, in retail experience. The influence of music is moderated by customer and store profiles, purchase timings, and other ambience factors. The research brings out important issues for designing musical environment in the retail stores to influence shopping experience and consumer responses.

Neil Towers