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1 – 10 of 700Yue He, Zan Mo and Huijian Fu
Downward line extension is a valuable growth strategy that enables multiple products and services to meet diverse customer needs. However, downward extended products launched by…
Abstract
Purpose
Downward line extension is a valuable growth strategy that enables multiple products and services to meet diverse customer needs. However, downward extended products launched by high-status brands may be challenged by horizontal extended products launched by relatively low-status brands when these two types of products target similar consumers. This study aims to examine the impact of product type (horizontal extended versus downward extended) on consumers’ purchase intentions, the underlying mechanism and the moderating role of power distance belief.
Design/methodology/approach
Four scenario-based experiments were conducted to probe the research questions.
Findings
Consumers develop lower purchase intentions for downward (versus horizontal) extended products due to the reduction of perceived fit and self-congruity (Study 1). Beyond that, power distance belief moderates the impact of product type on consumers’ purchase intentions, as a low power distance belief reduces the negative effect of downward line extension (Studies 2a, 2b and 2c). Perceived fit and self-congruity mediate the interaction effect between product type and power distance belief on consumers’ purchase intentions (Study 2c).
Practical implications
This study provides marketing practitioners with guidance on implementing the strategy of downward line extension.
Originality/value
This study serves as a preliminary effort to compare consumers’ responses between downward and horizontal extended products, which deepens the understanding of downward line extension. It also contributes to the body of knowledge about line extension and power distance belief by demonstrating the moderating role of power distance belief in a line extension context.
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Mehrgan Malekpour, Federica Caboni, Mohsen Nikzadask and Vincenzo Basile
This paper aims to identify the combination of innovation determinants driving the creation of innovative products amongst market leaders and market followers in food and beverage…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the combination of innovation determinants driving the creation of innovative products amongst market leaders and market followers in food and beverage (F&B) firms.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is based on the case study methodology by using two types of data sources: (1) semi-structured interviews with industry experts and (2) in-depth interviews with managers. In addition, a questionnaire adapted from prior research was used to consider market and firm types.
Findings
Suggesting an integrated theoretical framework based on firm-based factors and market-based factors, this study identified a combination of determinants significantly impacting innovative products in the market. Specifically, these determinants are competition intensity and innovation capability (a combination of research and development (R&D) investment and marketing capabilities). The study also examined how these determinants vary depending on whether the firms are market leaders or market followers.
Practical implications
This research provides practical insights for managers working in the F&B industry by using case studies and exploring the determinants of developing innovative products. In doing so, suitable strategies can be selected according to the market and firm situations.
Originality/value
The originality of the study is shown by focussing on how different combinations of market and firm factors could be applied in creating successful innovative products in the food sector.
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Emmanuel Mogaji and Nguyen Phong Nguyen
Several high street retail banks are extending their brands into digital banking through fully digital, app-only neobanks, which have been described as traditionally-driven…
Abstract
Purpose
Several high street retail banks are extending their brands into digital banking through fully digital, app-only neobanks, which have been described as traditionally-driven neobanks (TDNBs). These TDNBs are considered a form of brand extension, representing the increased complexity of branding banks and financial institutions. This study explicitly addresses the branding strategies employed by TDNBs.
Design/methodology/approach
This study has adopted a case study research design, using a multi-stage data collection strategy. Initially, interviews were conducted with bank managers, followed by interviews with customers. Later, user-generated content was extracted through verified reviews from the app store. Subsequently, these three strands of data were thematically analysed and triangulated, in order to gain a holistic understanding of the branding strategies used by TDNBs.
Findings
Three key themes emerged regarding the branding strategies of the TDNBs: aligning with the parent brand, reinforcing the digital experience, and enhancing the brand image.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributed to the growing body of research on marketing, branding, and digital transformation of bank services. As more traditional banks are exploring opportunities to pivot and explore other fintech options, this study offers significant insights that will help in managing brand experience and promotion across customer journeys in the banking sector.
Practical implications
This study contributes to the growing body of research on marketing, branding, and digital transformation of bank services. Even as more traditional banks explore opportunities to pivot as well as other fintech options, this study offers significant insights to help manage brand experience and promotion across customer journeys in the banking sector.
Originality/value
While previous studies on banking and financial services have concentrated on traditional retail and high street banks, there is a need for a greater understanding of the brand positioning of digital banks, especially those created by traditional banks.
Lise Justesen and Ursula Plesner
The purpose of this paper is to inspire a different way of thinking about digitalization and organizational change by theorizing simultaneity as an alternative to the otherwise…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to inspire a different way of thinking about digitalization and organizational change by theorizing simultaneity as an alternative to the otherwise dominant root metaphor of sequence in the literature on digitalization and organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach
The theoretical argument is based on a reading of central contributions to the literature on digital technology and organizational change, and particularly inspired by the work positing a constitutive entanglement of technology and organization. We argue for an extension of this line of thinking with a reading of Latour’s notion tonalities. The relevance of the theoretical argument is demonstrated through an illustrative empirical example of the phenomenon digital-ready legislation.
Findings
The paper identifies sequence as a root metaphor in the organization and digital change literature. It develops a simultaneity view and illustrates its relevance through the example of digital-ready legislation, pinpointing how technological, organizational and legal elements are attuned to one another at the same time rather than in sequence.
Practical implications
The sequentiality view has dominated the change management research, which has travelled from research into practice. The simultaneity view has the potential to offer a new approach to planning change, with a focus on the simultaneous alignment of, e.g. legal, organizational and technological elements.
Originality/value
The paper offers an alternative to dominant views on digitalization and organizational change, drawing on an overlooked notion in Latour’s scholarship, namely tonalities. This has potential to qualify the entanglement thesis and develop simultaneity as a new metaphor for understanding digital change.
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Manman Li, Qing Bao, Sumin Lei, Linlin Xing and Shu Gai
The service environment of urban polyethylene (PE) pipes has a crucial influence on their long-term safety and performance. Based on the application and structural performance…
Abstract
Purpose
The service environment of urban polyethylene (PE) pipes has a crucial influence on their long-term safety and performance. Based on the application and structural performance analysis of PE pipe failure cases, this study aims to investigate the impact of organic substances in the soil on the aging behavior of PE pipes by designing organic solutions with different concentrations, which are based on the composition of organic substances in the soil environment, and periodic immersion tests.
Design/methodology/approach
Soil samples in the vicinity of the failed pipes were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, sensitive organic substances were screened and soaking solutions of different concentrations were designed. After the soaking test, the PE pipe samples were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and other testing methods.
Findings
The performance difference between the outer surface and the middle of the cross section of PE pipes highlights the influence of the soil service environment on their aging. Different organic solutions can have varying impacts on the aging behavior of PE pipes when immersed. For instance, when exposed to amine organic solutions, PE pipes may have an increased weight and decreased material yield strength, although there is no reduction in their thermal or oxygen stability. On the contrary, when subjected to ether organic solutions, the surface of PE pipe specimens may be affected, leading to a reduction in material fracture elongation and a decrease in their thermal and oxygen stability. Furthermore, immersion in either amine or ether organic solutions may result in the production of hydroxyl and other aging groups on the surface of the material.
Originality/value
Understanding the potential impact of organic substances in the soil environment on the aging of PE pipe ensures the long-term performance and safety of urban PE pipe. This research approach will provide valuable insights into improving the durability and reliability of urban PE pipes in soil environments.
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Monica Bernardi and Ezio Marra
This chapter examines three Italian cities that have experienced a transition from “Fordism to tourism”: Genoa, Turin, and Milan. After an industrial crisis, they have invested in…
Abstract
This chapter examines three Italian cities that have experienced a transition from “Fordism to tourism”: Genoa, Turin, and Milan. After an industrial crisis, they have invested in culture and tourism as alternative ways of development. This transition is examined using the theoretical framework of urban regimes highlighting five development trends: the city as a growth machine, the Fordist city, the creative city, the city as entertainment machine, and the blue-green city. By adopting this theoretical framework, the evidence shows how academic institutions, tour operators, and public authorities may or may not work together for the tourism development of their cities.
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Anqi (Angie) Luo, Donna L. Quadri-Felitti and Anna S. Mattila
A visual sweetness scale with an arrow pointing to a specific sweetness level is now required on all labels of AOC Alsace. The sweetness scale makes it easier for consumers to…
Abstract
Purpose
A visual sweetness scale with an arrow pointing to a specific sweetness level is now required on all labels of AOC Alsace. The sweetness scale makes it easier for consumers to understand what is in the bottle. What is less clear, however, is whether such labeling is always effective. To fill this gap, the current research paper aims to examine the positive and negative effects (double-edged effects) of a visual sweetness scale and identify the boundary condition.
Design/methodology/approach
Two studies were conducted using a 2 (cue type: scale vs text) by 2 (consumer type: novices vs experienced wine consumers) between-subjects, quasi-experimental design.
Findings
The double-edged effects are only significant among wine novices. Specifically, though wine novices are more likely to purchase wine with a sweetness scale (vs text) due to perceived diagnosticity (Study 1), they are unwilling to pay more due to low perceived quality (Study 2).
Practical implications
The study findings provide practical implications for wine producers, marketers and restaurants regarding when and how to use the sweetness scale on wine labels and wine service.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to reveal the impact of visualizing wine style on wine labels. More importantly, while most previous research demonstrates the positive effects of using visual cues, this research sheds light on its drawbacks and examines the underlying mechanisms.
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Ada Maria Barone, Emanuela Stagno and Carmela Donato
The purpose of this paper is to test the effect that anthropomorphic framing (i.e. robot vs automatic machine) has on consumers’ responses in case of service failure…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test the effect that anthropomorphic framing (i.e. robot vs automatic machine) has on consumers’ responses in case of service failure. Specifically, the authors hypothesize that consumers hold an unconscious association between the word “robot” and agency and that the higher agency attributed to self-service machines framed as robots (vs automatic machines) leads, in turn, to a more positive service evaluation in case of service failure.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have conducted four experimental studies to test the framework presented in this paper. In Studies 1a and 1b, the authors used an Implicit Association Test to test for the unconscious association held by consumers about robots as being intelligent machines (i.e. agency). In Studies 2 and 3, the authors tested the effect that framing technology as robots (vs automatic machines) has on consumers’ responses to service failure using two online experiments across different consumption contexts (hotel, restaurant) and using different dependent variables (service evaluation, satisfaction and word-of-mouth).
Findings
The authors show that consumers evaluate more positively a service failure involving a self-service technology framed as a robot rather than one framed as an automatic machine. They provide evidence that this effect is driven by higher perceptions of agency and that the association between technology and agency held by consumers is an unconscious one.
Originality/value
This paper investigates a novel driver of consumers’ perception of agency of technology, namely, how the technology is framed. Moreover, this study sheds light on consumers’ responses to technology’s service failure.
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Madison N. Ngafeeson, Yuba R. Gautam and Joseph A. Manga
The COVID-19 global pandemic reframed the argument for the importance of learning management systems (LMS) in unprecedented ways. Meanwhile, LMS users were forced to use these…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 global pandemic reframed the argument for the importance of learning management systems (LMS) in unprecedented ways. Meanwhile, LMS users were forced to use these technologies despite the heightened anxiety compounded by the pandemic, very little technical preparation and the postpandemic learning environment that cannot depend on these pandemic-imposed regulations and adoptions. This study aims to examine the impacts of behavioral control and anxiety emotions on adoption decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
This quantitative research uses structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships.
Findings
Results showed that perceived behavioral control is very important in boosting ease of use perceptions while computer anxiety exhibited a negative impact on perceived ease of use.
Research limitations/implications
This research used cross-sectional data from a medium-sized university. Results must, therefore, be interpreted with this understanding in mind. Nonetheless, this research demonstrates the critical roles of control and emotions in technology adoption decisions among students in an online learning environment.
Originality/value
This research highlights the importance of behavioral control and anxiety emotions in technology adoption decisions. It reveals that to drive adoption, students’ control perceptions must be increased while simultaneously keeping anxiety emotions at bay. This understanding is key to communicating buy-in of LMS to students.
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Fangfang Hou, Boying Li, Zhengzhi Guan, Alain Yee Loong Chong and Chee Wei Phang
Despite the burgeoning popularity of virtual gifting in live streaming, research lacks an in-depth understanding of the drivers behind this behavior. Using para-social…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the burgeoning popularity of virtual gifting in live streaming, research lacks an in-depth understanding of the drivers behind this behavior. Using para-social relationship (PSR), this study aims to capture viewers’ lively social feelings toward the streamer as the key factor leading to the purchase behavior of virtual gifts. It also aims to establish a theoretical link between PSR and viewers’ holistic experience in live streaming as captured by cognitive absorption and aims to investigates the role of technological features (i.e. viewer–streamer and viewer–viewer interactivity, streamer-level and viewer-level deep profiling and design aesthetics) in shaping viewers’ experience.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on 433 survey responses, this study employs a combination of structural equation modeling and neural networks to offer valuable insights into the relationships between the technological environment, viewer experience and viewer behavior.
Findings
Our results highlight the salience of PSR in promoting the purchase of virtual gifts through cognitive absorption and the importance of the technological environment in eliciting the viewer experience. This study sheds light on the development of PSR in a technological environment and its relationship with cognitive absorption.
Originality/value
By applying PSR to conceptualize viewers’ perceived connection with the streamer, this study extends the research on purchase behavior in the non-shopping context by providing an enlightened understanding of virtual gift purchase behavior in live streaming. Moreover, by theoretically linking PSR with cognitive absorption, virtual gift purchase and technological features of live streaming, it enriches the theory of PSR and bridges the gap between the design practice of supporting the IT infrastructure of live streaming and research.
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