Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine the drivers of continuance intention with mobile banking apps, in a Thai context. The secondary objective is to examine if there are underlying segments that differ meaningfully in this regard.

A structural equation model based on the European Customer Satisfaction Index is estimated. The data were obtained by conducting an online survey of mobile banking users in Thailand (n=399).

The top 3 factors directly affecting continuance intention toward mobile banking are satisfaction, trust and expectancy confirmation. Image and perceived risk also have an impact, although studies have reported that the latter is less impactful than the prior. One latent segment is more influenced by observable performance characteristics like confirmation and perceived quality, the other more by credence factors like trust and image.

The study confirms the important role of satisfaction and expectancy confirmation in driving continuance. Somewhat unexpected is the high relative prominence of trust as a driver, at least in the Thai context. This is a “soft” variable managers should not dismiss. The identification of segments also points to potentially different treatment and actionable advice for managers.

This paper adds to the scant body of empirical work on continuance intention with mobile banking. In light of the large investments in mobile banking capabilities being made, this is an under-researched area. This paper to the authors’ knowledge is the first to study consumer heterogeneity in this context.

Numerous studies have focused on retailing firms and their activities in foreign markets; however, these have not been able to fully identify factors that influence the process of retail internationalisation. This paper examines the factors that influence the foreign market entry process in retailing firms and develops a conceptual model. The conceptual model is used to analyse two case studies. The case data were collected through in-depth interviews. N*Vivo was used to encode data and corroborate the analysis. The entry strategies of IKEA in China, and Marks & Spencer (M&S) in Hong Kong are examined. Firms planning to enter foreign markets would greatly benefit from our analysis. We provide insights into factors influencing the foreign market entry process and how firms can manage this process.

Internationalisation leads to a radical process of change through which an organisation modifies the focus of its operations, value system and cognitive framework so as to achieve a more internationally responsive structure (Whitehead, 1992). Earlier studies have investigated the internationalisation process considering the internal and external factors of the company and its market (Cavusgil et al., 2002; McGoldrick, 1998, 2002; McGoldrick & Davies, 1995; Treadgold & Davies, 1988). The internationalisation literature based on Uppsala studies about the internationalisation process of Swedish firms, (Johanson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975; Johanson & Vahlne, 1977) identified four different internationalisation stages called the “establishment chain”, which also applied to the retail context (Davies & Fergusson, 1995, p. 99). The results show that different stages demand different resource commitment from the company (Johanson & Vahlne, 1977). It is assumed that a company initially lacks knowledge of the local market. The level of local market knowledge affects the company's commitment decisions and its activities. The network approach (Johanson & Mattsson, 1988) could be applied to the study of vertical international relationships. It is, therefore, useful for the international sourcing activities of retailers (Dawson, 1994, p. 270) and provides a competitive advantage as well as flexibility, in which each of the organisations in the network is working towards a common objective (McGoldrick, 2002, p. 571). In the past 20 years, many researchers have paid more attention to network relationships, which have become the main marketing strategy. They agree that the study of network relationships between companies, suppliers and customers is more important than the marketing mix (Ghauri, 1999).

The first chapter by Pieter Pauwels, Paul G. Patterson, Ko de Ruyter, and Martin Wetzels is entitled “The Propensity to Continue Internationalization: A Study of Australian Service Firms”. The authors build on the process theory of internationalization and the theory of planned behavior and investigate a firm's propensity to continue internationalization. They develop a theoretical model and test this using structural equation modeling using a sample of international service providers using partial least square (PLS). Their model confirms the pivotal role of attitudes towards internationalization, relevant behavioral norms, and behavioral control factors as contributors to the propensity to continue internationalization.

According to a recent and interesting revision of advances in international marketing theory and practice, the international marketing literature has grown exponentially in recent years in order to offer sufficient support to corporate and public policy makers confronting today's hostile global business conditions (Katsikeas, 2003a). In fact, some of the most relevant academic journals in this field (Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Marketing, International Marketing Review, International Business Review, Advances in International Marketing, among others) can be considered highly stable and mature publications, with research articles covering a wide range of topics within the international marketing domain and usually authorized by leading contributors to other high-ranking marketing journals (DuBois & Reeb, 2000; Malhotra, Wu, & Whitelock, 2005).