Search results
11 – 20 of over 5000Purpose – This article examines the operating lease cost stickiness characteristics exhibited by retail firms.Methodology/approach – Anderson, Banker, and Janakiraman (2003) laid…
Abstract
Purpose – This article examines the operating lease cost stickiness characteristics exhibited by retail firms.
Methodology/approach – Anderson, Banker, and Janakiraman (2003) laid important groundwork for the study of asymmetric cost behavior or cost stickiness. The authors found that a firm’s selling, general, and administrative costs (SG&A) costs increase more with a sales increase than those expenses decrease with an equivalent sales decline. Their findings provided avenues for many studies with differing focal variables; however, extant research has not explored the degree of cost stickiness associated with operating lease expenses. Recognizing the nature and magnitude of operating leases and the competitive and changing environment for retailers, this study adapts Anderson et al.’s (2003) model to provide insights into operating lease stickiness. The study uses archival financial data from 1997 through 2016 for specialty retail firms in testing the lease cost stickiness hypotheses.
Findings – The results of this study supported the hypotheses that operating lease expenses exhibit stickiness behavior and are relatively stickier than future lease commitments for retail firms.
Originality/value – By focusing on retail firms and related lease expenses, this study provides insights into the increasingly competitive retailer environment. This article’s findings will enhance understanding of how specialty retail firms’ managers react to reduced revenues. Finally, given recent authoritative pronouncements affecting accounting for leases and the significance of leasing transactions, research providing insights into cost behavior and managerial actions stands to make an important contribution to literature and practice.
Details
Keywords
China represents around 20% of the world's population, and her economy is still performing well under economic crisis. Historical events have shaped different parts of China with…
Abstract
China represents around 20% of the world's population, and her economy is still performing well under economic crisis. Historical events have shaped different parts of China with different economic developments and cultural encounters. The most prominent difference is between Hong Kong and the Mainland. This chapter would like to examine the development and issues of fashion retailing in China. For better understanding, this chapter starts with a brief discussion on apparel industry development and fashion culture in Hong Kong and the Mainland, follows by historical development and then presents systems of fashion retailing in both Hong Kong and the Mainland. Desktop research and exploratory research techniques were employed. Stores of international fashion luxury brands in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing were visited. Comparison of branding issues, particularly for luxury market in Hong Kong and the Mainland are discussed, so are future directions of fashion retailing in these places.
Details
Keywords
Jose Marcio Carvalho, Ely Laureano Paiva and Luciana Marques Vieira
High-specification food products that reach prices or expert reviews above average, results from buyer-supplier engagement in quality management. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
High-specification food products that reach prices or expert reviews above average, results from buyer-supplier engagement in quality management. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main attributes of the coffee industry supply chain that deals with high-specification products. Coffee may be included in this category of consumption goods that has increasing importance at consumption level around the world. Several groups of high-quality food products such as wine, coffee, spirits and cheese seem to have a very similar supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was based on multiple case studies. Three research techniques were used in the investigation: secondary data analysis, direct observations and interviews with coffee company’s managers and experts. The within-case and the cross-case analyses made it possible to find the main attributes of a high-specification product supply chain.
Findings
The cases studies pointed out differences between the two groups of coffee shops in relation to their supply chain strategies. The first group can be called Independent Coffee Shops, since they are focussed on the coffee preparation business. The second group can be called Integrated Coffee Shops, due to the fact that these organizations are responsible to manufacturing activities in addition to the coffee preparation activities. Despite this supply chain configuration difference, both groups have a similar perception about their role for the final consumer, to provide a premium experience with coffee.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this research comes from the fact it was possible to interview only one person in each organization. Only the commercialization of the supply chain was analyzed, if the agricultural production was also analyzed, this paper could have broader implications.
Originality/value
The results of this research show the configuration of a supply chain that handles a high-specification product. They are set to transform the trade of a product that has a component of volatility in its quality attributes into a trade of a product that embodies all the desirable attributes preferred by a specific group of costumers. The logic of a supply chain that deals with commodities is different, since in most of the cases it will try to accommodate the variations on quality that comes from nature. This paper describes the market based strategy of 12 organizations and their supply chain configuration in order to offer a premium product.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to highlight two important strategies (private label strategy and specialty store strategy) of the Japanese wholesale apparel market and then to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight two important strategies (private label strategy and specialty store strategy) of the Japanese wholesale apparel market and then to clarify the characteristics of those apparel wholesalers who own or intend to establish specialty private label stores.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was carried out on 3,008 apparel wholesalers in Japan and probit regression analyses were applied to identify what types of apparel wholesalers already own or whether they intend to establish specialty private label stores.
Findings
The main findings are as follows: large‐scale apparel wholesalers tend to own specialty private label stores but these wholesalers experience a worse financial outcome; apparel wholesalers with brand strength tend to possess their own specialty stores; and apparel wholesalers, who do not currently own specialty stores, plan to strengthen their brands in order to take advantage of apparel distribution channels.
Originality/value
Because of a lack of published data, no empirical studies have investigated the effectiveness of private label or specialty store strategies developed by Japanese apparel wholesalers. The present study has sought to address this problem by conducting questionnaire surveys with all Japanese apparel wholesalers and has, therefore, been able to clarify the situation regarding survival in the apparel market by considering those apparel wholesalers that already own or intend to establish specialty private label stores.
Details
Keywords
Jihyun Lee and Yuri Lee
The purpose of this study was to find different effects of e‐tailer attributes on consumer attitude in fashion product purchase situations according to e‐tailer types.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to find different effects of e‐tailer attributes on consumer attitude in fashion product purchase situations according to e‐tailer types.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study with a survey method was adopted to test the significance of the paths which construct the structural equation model.
Findings
As a result of the study, e‐tailers were classified into three types: comprehensive mall, fashion specialty mall, and limited brand mall. In addition three attribute dimensions were derived from the statistical analyses: transaction fulfillment, variety, and accessibility. Transaction fulfillment and variety were the critical dimensions for the comprehensive mall and the limited brand mall, whereas variety was the only significant dimension for the fashion specialty mall. According to the multi‐group comparison, it was found that similar strategic implications can be applied to comprehensive and limited brand malls.
Research limitations/implications
The variety dimension be further researched. With variety being equally important for all of the e‐tailer types, specific sub‐dimensions need to be identified.
Originality/value
The paper provides value in classifying the e‐tailer type and investigating the attributes.
Details
Keywords
Dwi Suhartanto, Brendan T. Chen, Zurinawati Mohi and Adila Sosianika
The purpose of this paper is to examine a specialty food loyalty model which includes perceived quality, satisfaction, and motivation, and to assess the model’s applicability in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine a specialty food loyalty model which includes perceived quality, satisfaction, and motivation, and to assess the model’s applicability in two distinct groups of customers: tourists and residents.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 455 specialty food customers in Bandung, Indonesia. Variance-based structural equation modeling (partial least squares (PLS)) was used to examine the relationship between the drivers (perceived quality, satisfaction and motivation) and loyalty according to the data presented by tourists and residents.
Findings
This study indicates that the perception of quality is an important factor affecting tourists’ and residents’ satisfaction with, and loyalty to, a product. Furthermore, this study suggests that motivation factors are important for tourists and residents in regard to developing loyalty to specialty foods.
Practical implications
This study provides a venue for retail managers and producers to improve their business performance by developing specialty foods of high quality. To improve their quality, this research suggests that managers and retailers focus on innovation based on exotic and unique traditional food reflecting the richness of local culture. To ensure their loyalty, customers of specialty foods need to be motivated by internal and external factors.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to examine the formation of specialty food loyalty in two distinct groups of customers: tourists and residents.
Details
Keywords
Rodrigo Natal Duarte, Elisa Reis Guimarães, Maurício Ribeiro do Valle and Simone Vasconcelos Ribeiro Galina
This study aimed to understand coopetition in the context of Brazilian specialty coffee grower Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), based on the need to differentiate the beans in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to understand coopetition in the context of Brazilian specialty coffee grower Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), based on the need to differentiate the beans in and outside the farm level, taking into account the stakeholders’ influence.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study twenty semistructured interviews were carried out with coffee growers and managers of cooperatives, associations and supporting institutions involving two Brazilian coffee geographical indications. Data were analyzed using a mixed grid composed of qualitative, semantic and categorical factors.
Findings
Strategic moves undertaken by coffee growers and stakeholders have shaped the pathway of coopetition among coffee growers, as determinants to frame it as a deliberate or emergent pattern (intentional or unplanned, respectively). Our findings provide evidence that coopetition development among firms is deliberate when influenced by firms’ or stakeholders’ cooperative moves and emergent when influenced by firms’ or stakeholders’ competitive moves.
Originality/value
Although the firm/stakeholder relationship is often approached as a joint wealth creation effort, stakes are not always fairly distributed, so one of the parties may be negatively affected, with consequences for the development of coopetition. Underpinned by a stakeholder-oriented resource-based theoretical lens, this investigation of the development patterns of coopetition linked to the strategic actions undertaken by firms and stakeholders has resonance on competitive advantages.
Details
Keywords
Pauline Assenza, Alan B. Eisner and Jerome C. Kuperman
Ann Taylor was founded in 1954, and its classic black dress and woman's power suit were staples for years. In 1995 Ann Taylor LOFT was launched to appeal to a more casual…
Abstract
Ann Taylor was founded in 1954, and its classic black dress and woman's power suit were staples for years. In 1995 Ann Taylor LOFT was launched to appeal to a more casual, costconscious consumer. Under Kay Krill's leadership, the division began to outperform the original flagship. When Krill was promoted to President/CEO of Ann Taylor Stores Corporation in 2005, she was challenged with rebuilding the Ann Taylor brand - (i.e., meeting the “wardrobing needs of the updated classic consumer”) while maintaining the image and market share of LOFT. By mid-2008, an additional problem appeared: the macroeconomic climate was posing considerable uncertainty, especially for retail businesses. Krill was firmly committed to long-term growth. However, given the 2008 situation, what could she do to unleash what she believed was the firm's “significant untapped potential”?
Seong‐Jong Joo, Hokey Min, Ik‐Whan G. Kwon and Heboong Kwon
The purpose of this paper is to illuminate light on the assessment of operating efficiency of specialty coffee retailers from the perspective of socially responsible global…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illuminate light on the assessment of operating efficiency of specialty coffee retailers from the perspective of socially responsible global sourcing. This paper evaluates the impact of socially responsible sourcing on the operating efficiencies of specialty coffee retailers before and after implementing fair‐trade practices and compares the operating efficiencies of fair‐trade coffee retailers to those of non‐fair‐trade coffee retailers.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper proposes data envelopment analysis (DEA) to measure the comparative efficiency of seven specialty coffee retailers, relative to prior periods and their key competitors. It develops the Charnes‐Cooper‐Rhodes (CCR) model that is designed to derive weights without their being fixed in advance. The CCR version of DEA is adopted to assess the impact of the coffee retailers' policy initiatives (i.e. fair‐trade practices) on their efficiency and measure the change over time (i.e. before and after fair‐trade practices) efficiency of the coffee retailers. As a post hoc DEA analysis, it also performs non‐parametric rank sum statistical tests for any discernable group differences between fair‐trade coffee retailers and non‐fair‐trade coffee retailers.
Findings
The study found that a group of coffee retailers committed to socially responsible sourcing (i.e. fair‐trade) practices tended to perform significantly better than the group which has yet to commit socially responsible sourcing practices with a concern over increased purchasing price. Also, it was found that a premium purchasing price paid to fair‐trade coffee beans did not undermine the coffee retailer's comparative operating efficiency despite its adverse impact on purchasing cost. In other words, a cost increase resulting from socially responsible business conducts might have been offset by the revenue increase resulting from favorable brand recognition attached to social responsibility.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to assess the impact of socially responsible sourcing practices on the multinational firms (MNFs) such as specialty coffee retailers' competitiveness and then investigate whether the MNF's commitment to socially responsible sourcing practices can be developed into its long‐term strategic weapon. In addition, it helps specialty coffee retailers formulate future global sourcing strategies by providing the detailed picture of how socially responsible sourcing can impact their competitiveness.
Details