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This paper aims to investigate price and objective-quality in durable product categories containing national and private-label (PL) brands.

Using data from consumer reports objective-test results of 14,476 durable products available in the US the authors identified product categories containing both national and PL brands; constructed relative price- and quality-indices for each category; calculated price and quality differentials for each category then modeled the relationship between them; estimated the price premium associated with national brands (NBs); and computed price–quality (PQ) correlations for each category. The authors also analyzed the same relationships using subjective brand-perception data collected from 240 consumers.

Overall the price of NBs in durable products was substantially higher than the price of PL brands despite there being little to no difference in quality levels overall, with the proportion of categories having higher PL quality nearly equaling that of categories having superior NB quality. Correlation between price and quality was moderate. Accuracy of consumer perceptions varied depending on the importance of brand in the purchase decisions for particular product categories.

This paper uses a large objective dataset spanning a period of more than eight years to assess price and quality for durable goods in categories offering PL brands. It addresses an under-studied area, that of PL brands for higher-priced, longer-lasting products. The findings contribute to an existing understanding of PLs, especially in the domain of durable-goods, as well as to the body of research in the area of PQ relationships. It also adds to our understanding of consumers’ perceptions of brand as a factor in durable product decisions and how the market aligns with those perceptions.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate situational factors (i.e. social risk) and negative emotions (e.g. shame and guilt) on consumers’ purchase intentions for premium private labels (PPLs) vs national brands (NBs) at discounter (Lidl) in the UK, and the underlying process of this effect.

The authors conduct a 2 (social risk) × 2 (brand type) between-subjects design experiment employing a Qualtrics online panel in the UK.

The study shows that NBs still have the edge over PPLs when consumers shop for socially risky situations, which is due to higher product expectations of NBs, and a moderated mediation shows that this effect is more pronounced among consumers that feel negative emotions when shopping at Lidl.

This study included leading NBs, which differ in terms of price compared to selected PPLs. Researchers should include pricing information as an additional factor and investigate Lidl’s options to deal with negative emotions in the online setting.

The results help brand managers to understand consumer reactions toward PPLs vs NBs at the discounter in UK.

NBs have recently joint rather than fight discounters’ product assortment, this study contributes to understand the moderating impact of negative emotions and product expectations as the driving force in consumers’ purchasing decision.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how nature-based solutions (NBS) are being used in city areas to improve environmental conditions and increase tourism. This research examines the drivers behind, and impacts of, the application of NBS in city redevelopment projects for tourism. NBS is a term that refers to the use of flora and fauna ecosystems as an approach to resolve problems faced by society.

An interdisciplinary research methodology has been developed to examine the relationship between city NBS and tourism; the methods include a literature review of contemporary practice, field observations and thematic textual analysis from digital archives. The research methodology uses a combined empirical and desk-based analysis of five case studies cites.

NBS, as part of city redevelopment projects, is now a strategic aim of many cities globally to re-brand, re-vision and re-orientate themselves to be more hospitable, liveable and attractive to tourists and visitors.

City redevelopment projects are incorporating NBS to address climate change as well as local environmental issues such as disaster resilience whilst simultaneously delivering social and economic benefits.

The research reveals that NBS can deliver benefits to human wellbeing, tourism, economic vitality as well as more sustainable models of urban development.

The research reveals for the first time how NBS is being used as a driver for increasing tourism globally. The research is highly original as it examines a new topic in tourism studies, the role of NBS in relation to city tourism.

The purpose of this paper is to explain the link between national business system (NBS) and innovation decisions at the firm level by offering sequentially ordered sense-making mechanisms that enable the formation of firm-specific knowledge repositories and knowledge-processing capabilities.

This study engages in an extensive scale development effort to collect representative data about the NBS in the Pakistani setting, complemented by relevant validity and reliability tests. The overall theoretical model was tested on 214 firms by means of a structural equation modeling approach, using partial least-squares algorithms.

The results statistically supported the role of firm-level knowledge repositories (intellectual capital) and knowledge exploration and exploitation capabilities (absorptive capacity) as sequential mediators in the association of NBS and firm-level innovation. Besides, bridging networks of lateral ties among Pakistani businesses are found to be more effective than bonding networks of vertical ties in encouraging radical innovations.

This study significantly extends the literature about the NBS approach. It provides specific sense-making mechanisms (i.e. priming, triggering and editing) about how abstract institutional templates constituted at the business system level are translated into firm-level actionable sets by the help of intangible resource repositories and processes that guide knowledge exploration and exploitation.

Nutrition Bio Shield (NBS) supplement is a natural product that is processed from whole wheat grains. This study aims to determine its effects on depression, anxiety, stress and food craving in women with depression and obesity in a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

Fifty-six eligible clients with body mass index ≥ 25 and mild or moderate depression signed the informed consent form. They were randomly assigned to receive daily 5 g of NBS or placebo. The assessments included the depression, anxiety and stress-21 questionnaire, food craving questionnaire, visual analogue scale for appetite, precise anthropometric measurements and body composition analyses. The assessments were conducted at the baseline and repeated after four and eight weeks. One month after the study completion, the participants’ weight was assessed. The authors analyzed the data by independent sample t-test, repeated measures analysis of variance and multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA).

At the baseline, no significant differences were observed between the groups regarding the main and demographic variables. After four weeks, stress reduced significantly in the NBS group (p = 0.04), and after eight weeks, anxiety (p = 0.02), stress (p = 0.008) and food craving (p = 0.05) reduced significantly in the NBS group compared with the placebo. After controlling for the demographic variables and baseline measurements, MANCOVA model revealed a significant effect of NBS in reducing anxiety (Eta-squared = 0.28; p = 0.001) and stress (Eta-squared = 0.19; p = 0.009). Fisher’s exact test showed no significant difference regarding side effects between NBS and placebo (p = 0.47).

NBS supplement is a patent and natural product that is processed from whole wheat grains. This product was efficient in reducing stress and anxiety after controlling for demographic variables and baseline measurements compared with the placebo and was safe.

Examines the use of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) in the analysis and improvement of a “messy” HRM problem in Nationwide Building Society (NBS). Describes SSM in outline and relates it to a case study application of the methodology in the area of career management and career counselling. At the time of investigation, there was a growing awareness of career problems among managers of all levels in NBS increasing the impetus for change. The problems identified in career management did not lead to clearly defined objectives: the “right answer” was not yet known and variables involved were bound up in values, motives and decisions of human beings with a significant amount of free choice. Develops and analyses a Rich Picture taking account of subjective data as well as objective facts. The understanding gained about the management of careers is used to generate possible improvements and solutions following the stages of SSM. Makes recommendations, a number of which have already been implemented within NBS.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of how a UK business school has explicitly linked sustainability to employability and embedded these into all levels of its undergraduate and postgraduate degree portfolio.

This case study features Nottingham Business School’s (NBS’s) journey of linking sustainability with employability to achieve the University’s strategic objectives and help deliver on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). After reviewing all courses, a cross-school approach was adopted in re-designing the curriculum, first at undergraduate and later postgraduate level. Partnerships, both internal and external were developed, involving the employability and enterprise teams, the University’s students and alumni, local employers, local authorities and businesses and charities. Feedback from graduates is included.

When NBS introduced new undergraduate modules in 2012, there was resistance with concerns over already crammed curricula and the perceived irrelevance of sustainability. This changed as students realised that an understanding of sustainability was benefiting them at interviews and adding value to their employers. While it cannot be proved that increased self-awareness and sustainability literacy have a direct effect on graduate prospects (as measured by the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey), NBS has seen the percentage of students in graduate level employment and/or study increase from 71 to 89.6 per cent over the past five years.

Linking sustainability to employability, and embedding these in the curriculum, should benefit any institution, its students, employers and society, and can be replicated anywhere in the world.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between several aspects of store flyers design (presence of a institutional slogan, type of product (national brand (NB) or store brand (SB)) featured on the cover page, the size of the flyer, number of featured NBs, type of brand (NB vs SB) on promotion, and price difference between the most expensive (NB) and the cheapest SB) and the consumer’s perceived variety of the retailer’s assortment, as a dimension of its global image.

A mixed laboratory experiment that combined a between-subjects experimental design and inter-subject conjoint analysis was conducted. A fictitious flyer from a fictitious supermarket was created that included both real NBs and fictitious SBs. In total, 12 scenarios (i.e. flyers) were tested using a sample of 406 participants.

Analysis suggests that longer flyers have the greatest influence on consumers’ perceived variety of a retailer’s assortment; a greater number of NBs in a category influenced consumers’ perceptions positively, and featuring SBs on the cover enhanced perceived variety. If a retailer features SBs on a flyer’s cover, longer flyers are recommended, and shorter flyers are recommended if NBs are featured on the cover. A retailer should promote its own brand only if the most expensive NBs are featured with SBs.

This study analyses a single aspect of consumers’ purchasing behaviors – variety of a retailer’s assortment. Future research should examine other variables related to consumers’ purchasing behaviors. This study uses an online context to test hypotheses, but many aspects of flyer design are physical. Future research should test current findings in offline contexts to compare results. Research should also explore moderation by consumer variables such as brand and store loyalty.

To researchers, the authors offer improved understanding of how a flyer’s design affects the first stage of purchasing. To practitioners, results offer better understanding of positive returns on investment of store flyers, and to retailers, results offer a guide to creating and organizing flyers.

This study is first to assess how a flyer’s design influences a dimension of store image. Unlike extant research that examines store flyers using econometric models at the aggregate level, this study uses a laboratory experiment that combines a between-subjects design with conjoint analysis.

This paper aims to understand empirically how shares of standard and premium private label (PL) products affect a retailer’s marketing mix decisions toward national brands (NBs).

Using a comprehensive store-level data set covering 52 categories and 130 stores of two retailer chains during 2003-2009, this paper examines how shares of standard and premium PLs affect retailer marketing strategies for NB retail prices, promotions and product assortments. The empirical analysis uses a simultaneous equations model estimated by the generalized method of moments approach and controls for endogeneity between PL shares and NB decisions and potential confounding variables including consumer, manufacturer and retailer factors.

Standard PL shares are associated positively with NB retail prices and negatively with NB promotions and assortments. In contrast, premium PL shares are associated positively with NB retail prices, promotions and assortments.

The results indicate that retailers make strategic NB decisions through multitier PLs. Specifically, the evidence suggests that retailers use standard and premium PLs differently in promotion and assortment decisions toward NBs. NB manufacturers need to be cognizant of the increasing marketing power of retailers through their multitier PLs.

Prior research has mainly focused on the role of PLs as a strategic weapon to gain power in the channel and its impact on NB pricing decisions in a single PL context. After accounting for potential confounding factors (retailer, consumer and manufacturer) and endogeneity, the authors find empirical evidence that retailers appear to leverage standard and premium PLs differently in some marketing mix decisions toward NB. In particular, the results reveal PL performance to be a determinant of retailer NB assortment decisions.

This paper aims to explore the importance of the role of national business systems (NBS) in shaping human resource management (HRM) and organisational behaviour (OB) practices in the context of Asian countries. To this end, this paper presents a comparative overview of different NBS in selected Asian countries and how these variously impact HRM and OB at two levels and contexts, i.e. within and cross-national.

The paper presents a topical review of the literature to unravel the complexity and challenges associated with studying this rich and complex area.

The findings suggest there is significant complexity in studying the impact of NBS on HRM and OB at a holistic and multi-level unit of analysis. The multiplicity of factors and levels of analysis, even at a level of within country analysis, highlights the sophisticated, in-depth and detailed nature of scholarship needed to unbundle and get a fuller understanding of this topic.

Although recent research presents a within and cross-national analysis of NBS and its impact on HRM and OB practices from diverse Asian countries such as India, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, recent research offers only a focused analysis of few targeted HRM and OB practices, rather than a collective or a bundle of HRM practices.

The contributions point to several practical implications for HR managers as well as managers from other fields, covering several national and cross-national comparisons.

This paper offers a substantial contribution in the understanding of how various HRM and OB practices are embedded in a nation’s business system and through a variety of historical and cultural influences.