Search results

This paper aims to examine whether perceived brand innovativeness has a positive effect on new product evaluations, which individual variables mediate and moderate this effect and whether perceived brand innovativeness is reinforced by new product launch.

A total of 387 adults residing in France took part in a two-stage study. The two-stage research design aimed to investigate the effect of the introduction of a new product on brand perceptions. The innovation context used to test the hypotheses was the launch of a new electricity meter in the French market.

Brand innovativeness affects the way consumers evaluate new products launched by the brand. This effect is mediated by perceived newness and moderated by functional, hedonic and social consumer innovativeness. In addition, attitudes toward the brand improve as a result of the new product launch.

Future research should test these hypotheses with other product categories and populations to provide external validity for the results and further investigate lack of support for some of the hypotheses.

The study’s findings highlight that the ability to develop and launch innovative products is not only know-how that is critical to innovation management but also a brand attribute stored in consumers’ minds that facilitates acceptance of the brand’s future new products.

This research addresses the underexplored question of how brand innovativeness and new product launch are interrelated. Extensive research has indeed shown the importance of customer-based brand equity and brand knowledge in evaluation and acceptance of new products. However, research on customer-based brand equity so far has paid limited attention to brand innovativeness. This research provides new findings on the relationship between brand innovativeness and new product evaluations.

This paper aims to explore brand sexual associations and to understand the antecedents of these associations by drawing from an anthropomorphic view of consumption and a socio-psychological perspective.

An exploratory qualitative analysis based on 18 semi-structured interviews was conducted. Following symbolic interactionism and inter-subjectively reflective approaches, three main methods were used: interviews, projective drawings and a pen-and-paper exercise.

The results of this paper strongly confirm that a brand is perceived by consumers as having a sex, a gender and a sexual orientation. These findings point toward a crucial distinction between these three constructs. Construct conceptualizations are developed and definitions are suggested. Nine antecedents for brand sexual associations are studied.

French subjects constitute the sample. Future studies might investigate the transferability of our results to other cultures. The three constructs broadens the existing brand-as-a-person metaphor and brand gender literature.

Managers need to consider the construction of their brands’ sexual identities, namely, the sexual associations that brand strategists desire to create and maintain. The study of the antecedents of brand sexual associations provides brand managers the opportunity to manage actively those specific types of associations.

This research contributes to the brand-as-a-person metaphor and to the brand gender literature with new insights about the nature and structure of brand sexual associations. This paper moves the conceptualization of these constructs forward.

The following bibliography focuses mainly on programs which can run on IBM microcomputers and compatibles under the operating system PC DOS/MS DOS, and which can be used in online information and documentation work. They fall into the following categories:

The bibliography of Cook's voyages is both lengthy and complicated, and, in spite of their far‐reaching importance, their historical and geographical significance, and their considerable literary influence, it has never yet been attempted in its entirety. ‘L'immortel Cook’ was honoured almost as much in France as he was in England, but no satisfactory account exists of the French translations of his works. Sir Maurice Holmes's Introduction to the bibliography of Captain James Cook, R.N., London, Edwards, 1936, is excellent for the original editions, but does not attempt to include translations. Of great value, too, is the Bibliography of Captain James Cook, R.N., F.R.S., circumnavigator, published in 1928 by the Public Library of New South Wales. This is the catalogue of what must have been a remarkably fine exhibition to celebrate the bicentenary of Cook's birth, but it does not, of course, pretend to include items which were not available for display. The only other bibliography specifically devoted to Cook is the one by James Jackson prepared for the centenary of Captain Cook's death and published in the Bulletin de la Société de Géographie, 1879. This must be used with great caution. It has the appearance of having been compiled from entries sent in by various owners and put together without sufficient examination. At all events, while it naturally contains a very large number of French editions, many of them appear twice or even three times in slightly different disguises.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between aspects of aesthetics and the performance of organizations. It outlines a research agenda for studying the impact of aesthetic factors upon organizational design and change.

In the paper, a set of seven propositions is developed to address various aspects of organizational performance that are influenced by beauty in organizations. These propositions are based on a distinction between the concepts process aesthetics, product aesthetics and aesthetic sensibility.

The hypotheses suggest that organizational performance might be enhanced by the beauty of products and services, and indirectly by the aesthetics of organizational work processes, organizational structures, the personal well‐being of employees and organizational designers with a high degree of aesthetic sensibility.

The hypothesis in this paper should be tested by future researchers.

The paper might enhance the awareness of practitioners of the practical value of aesthetics

The paper adds to the new field of organizational aesthetics a performance‐oriented approach based on a design perspective.

The purpose of this article is to analyse the conceptual approaches to competence and practice in competence management in France.

Extensive literature review, discussion with academic experts in the French competence network of AGRH and interviews concerning developments following the 2003 national agreement with officials of the major trade unions and employers' associations.

The conceptual approach to competence is formally comprehensive and incorporates key dimensions of the other dominant competence models. Extensive academic debate on competence does not appear to be mirrored in practice within establishments. Nevertheless, competence management has been given a major stimulus by recent legislation designed to promote lifelong learning and competence is at the centre of the reform of the training and qualifications systems.

It is still too early to assess the extent of adoption of competence management overall in the economy but there is increasing evidence that the techniques are becoming diffused throughout the economy from leading edge cases, often larger enterprises, to smaller firms and establishments.

This paper provides valuable information for practitioners engaging with organisations in France.

This paper gives a summary of the state of the art of competence management in France.

This study aims to identify the price determinants of fine wines in a small and competitive market. These characteristics are found in many lesser-known wine-producing countries and are often difficult to analyse because of lack of data.

This study hand-collects and transcribes wine-related data for 149 Swiss wineries and 2,454 individual wines over the period 2014–2018 directly from wine lists provided by wineries. This study uses multivariate ordinary least squares regressions to analyse the relation between wine attributes and prices and to assess the effect of a currency shock caused by the sudden appreciation of the Swiss franc in 2015 as well as a reduction in information asymmetries induced by the novel coverage of Swiss wines by The Wine Advocate.

Prices mainly depend on collective reputation, production techniques and product positioning. Surprisingly, following a sharp appreciation of the Swiss franc, producers did not reduce prices. The arrival of a highly influential wine expert on the market also had a positive price effect on rated wines and producers. Both hint at wineries attempting to position themselves relative to competitors.

Few studies examine the price drivers in lesser-known wine markets, where competition is fierce. This study’s results show that wine pricing differs from other more famous and larger wine regions. In addition, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is also the first to analyse the impact of a currency shock and a reduction in information asymmetries on wine prices.