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Although corporate structures in Japan and, to a lesser extent Korea, have been examined in the literature, in most cases the framework is not comparative. In other cases the framework is comparative, with keiretsu and chaebol compared to US conglomerates. A third foreign conglomerate, the Mexican grupo, has thus far escaped much serious attention by scholars. Attempts to compare the structure of keiretsu, chaebol, and grupo in terms of the other. Aims to identify what can be learned from comparing foreign corporate structures with other foreign corporate structures, rather than with corporate structures in the USA.

“Privatization” as a process is easily understood but the location of the privatization affects how complicated this process may be (see e.g. Hartley and Minor, 1995; Culpan & Kumar, 1995; Frydman & Rapaczynski, 1994; Jackson & Bilsen, 1994; Rondinelli, 1994; Welfens & Jasinski, 1994). For example, in the United States contracting with private firms to provide public services is already widespread. Many cities have recently transferred the collection and disposal of the waste generated by the businesses and people of the city to private firms. In most cases, public employees were competent, but savings were possible by having a private firm perform the work. Janitorial work in public schools is another area where private enterprises have been active. Considerable interest has also been shown in privatizing penal systems, and in privatizing Amtrak, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.

This study examines the pattern of entry mode strategies of large U.S. and Japanese firms in the years 1987 to 1993. By following a total of 972 transactions, we found the country of origin of the investment had the most significant effect on the entry mode strategy. Further analysis indicated that U.S. firms favor acquisitions, followed by joint ventures and startups, whereas Japanese organizations prefer joint ventures to acquisitions and startups. In general, multinational firms from both countries avoid startups. Our findings suggest that governments should encourage U.S. investment if they are seeking capital inflows, but encourage Japanese involvement if they want locals to have greater operational control.

Restructuring activities in Eastern Europe have been widely discussed. Examines firm‐level impediments to the conversion of state‐owned enterprises to market‐oriented firms operated for a profit. Based on the experience gained in several consultancies in Hungarian plants, the greatest problems faced by these firms may be at the operational level — accounting, personnel decisions, manufacturing processes. Suggestions for improvements in each of these areas, and others, are offered.

This paper aims to discuss the first effort to examine the relationships between satisfaction, the four loyalty phases, fortitude, and a sense of virtual community.

Oliver proposed an innovative framework to explain the relationships between satisfaction, loyalty, fortitude, and a sense of community.

Analysis of questionnaire responses of 493 customers of banks and credit unions indicated that satisfaction, cognitive, affective, conative, and action loyalty are positively related to fortitude.

The Beyond Loyalty Model (BLM) does not address important strategic issues often associated with loyalty, such as firm profitability, complaint resolution, and firm profitability.

This research is the first to find that customers of financial institutions acquire satisfaction and strong loyalty ties with their bank or credit union after dealing with their financial services provider for a relatively short period of time. Thus financial institutions should consistently seek relationship-building opportunities from the outset of their relationships with their customers.

The resulting Beyond Loyalty Model (BLM) improves upon the American Bankers Association ' s ABA Financial Client Satisfaction Index, and is a means by which financial institutions can monitor and enhance the satisfaction, loyalty, and fortitude of the customers of financial institutions. Further, the increasing acceptance of virtual banking calls for additional study of this area.

This is a follow‐up of a study conducted by William Shanklin and published in 1988. He found a positive relationship between market share and return on total assets, but concluded that the absence of market share leadership did not preclude achievement of superior profitability. Attempts to verify Shanklin′s findings, but analysis of the data in this study does not support Shanklin; it suggests that the relationship between market share and profitability is questionable, except in certain industries. The pursuit of market share is not a useful “generic” strategy which can be applied in most industries.

Restructuring activities in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe present enticing opportunities for firms to consider foreign investment in these emerging areas. Geographically, the population of the entire region is relatively conveniently concentrated, rendering delivery and servicing of goods and services relatively simple. Further, the population is greatly underserved, particularly in terms of consumer goods and services. The problems, as chronicled in the popular press, are, however, daunting. Based on a number of consultancies with firms over the last two years, identifies typical problems to be anticipated and suggests concrete steps to take in order to solve these problems.

Local and regional entertainers typically perform without a star performer or national recognition. These performers are often an incidental backdrop for the festivities. Is audience satisfaction with the group more than a summation of the satisfaction with individual performers; do factors surrounding the performance aid in determining audience satisfaction? Answers to these questions may allow event planners to engage performers likely to increase event success. This paper develops a model of audience satisfaction with live performances, which began using a theory developed by Grove et al. in 1992. This theory was modified as a result of further conceptualization, qualitative data analysis, and survey results. Results suggest consumers judge performances as the sum of several components, including both elements of the performance and the setting.

The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it aims to review East‐West writing system (cross‐script) differences and summarize previous work examining the cross‐script effect on consumer responses. Second, it aims to describe the implications for international marketing and cross‐cultural studies. Third, it seeks to propose specific questions for future research.

First, the paper presents a critical literature review of studies investigating cross‐script differences influencing consumer attitudes, memory, and information processing. Based on the provided integrative analysis, future directions are indicated for areas relying heavily on written communication, such as international marketing communications, internet marketing, international branding, and cross‐cultural consumer research.

Despite the pervasive nature and importance of written language, scant research has addressed differences between East/West consumer responses attributable to native script processing.

The paper is among the first to point out the insufficiency of scholarly studies on written language effects on consumer responses. The findings raise international marketers' awareness of differences in East‐West written language processing in order to effectively target consumers.

The purpose of this study is to explore the role of various superstitious beliefs in consumers' information processing and evaluation of brand logos.

When consumers encounter a brand logo without actually experiencing the company's offerings, superstition may be deployed to fill the void of the unknown to evaluate the brand logo and judge the benefits from the offerings represented by the brand. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between consumers' brand logo sensitivity and a number of antecedental superstition beliefs.

The results indicate that consumers' belief in fate has a negative effect on brand logo sensitivity, and consumers' belief in fortune‐tellers, belief in magic and fictional figures, belief in lucky charms, and belief in superstitious rituals have positive effects on brand logo sensitivity, respectively.

From a consumer perspective, the authors' findings reveal that the more positive attitude consumers have towards a company's visual identity system, the more favorable brand image consumers have toward the company and its offerings.

Marketers should study and understand consumer superstition when attempting to build consumer‐friendly, culturally‐robust, and trouble‐free brands in the marketplace. Managerial implications and corporate branding strategies are suggested to avoid branding pitfalls and maximize brand equity in the consumer market.

The study offers a non‐traditional approach to explaining consumer‐based brand image and brand equity.