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21 – 30 of 48Maria Palazzo, Pantea Foroudi, Philip J. Kitchen and Alfonso Siano
Based on the managerial perceptions from large firms, this paper aims to explore the emergence, growth and importance of corporate communications and how it is evolving and…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the managerial perceptions from large firms, this paper aims to explore the emergence, growth and importance of corporate communications and how it is evolving and creating competitive advantage for Italian firms.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach is deployed, comprising in-depth interviews with senior managers from Italian corporations from a broad spectrum of industries, including: energy, telecommunications, automotive, transport, retail chain, appliances, technology and engineering, private shipping, government-owned holdings, marketing consultancy and construction.
Findings
The paper offers insight into corporate communications (corpcoms) practices in the sampled companies. The paper shows that corpcoms involves a complex range of activities leading to performance – managed and implemented under CEO direction.
Practical implications
Corpcoms is perceived as a strategic concept with effective application relative to managing corporate image and reputation. The findings offer insights for communication professionals who deal with corpcoms, branding and marketing communications.
Originality/value
Corpcoms can be viewed via the lens of social actors’ perspectives, i.e. via practitioners – including brand managers and senior executives, as they possess practical knowledge of business practice in specific contextual business settings and have the managerial ability and remit to design, implement and evaluate integrated corpcoms.
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Min-Ren Yan and Ting-Cheng Lee
The purpose of this study is to discuss how organizations can drive organizational performance through human capital (HC) investment through systematic thinking.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to discuss how organizations can drive organizational performance through human capital (HC) investment through systematic thinking.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes three companies from various industries, adopts systems thinking and uses three leading indicators from the balanced scorecard framework to explore the effects of strategic orientations for HC on innovation ecosystems and organizational performance.
Findings
In terms of academic contributions, this study broadly verifies the innovation ecosystem model for organizations and reveals that customer-oriented, internal process-oriented and innovation learning-oriented HC strategies reinforce the pathways in organizational innovation ecosystems, thereby enriching the literature on innovation ecosystems.
Practical implications
In terms of practical contributions, this study provides a novel HC-based perspective on developmental dynamics and details the relationships among each aspect of the innovation ecosystem and HC strategies.
Originality/value
The proposed architecture and strategic frameworks provide a reference for corporations to implement strategic orientations of HC, drive operations in organizational innovation ecosystems and improve organizational performance.
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Christine Hallier Willi, Bang Nguyen, T.C. Melewar, Suraksha Gupta and Xiaoyu Yu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of localizing online communities (OCs) and examines how OC members form impressions of organizations that use OCs in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of localizing online communities (OCs) and examines how OC members form impressions of organizations that use OCs in their communication activities. A conceptual framework and measurement scale are developed that consist of complex latent constructs.
Design/methodology/approach
A sequential multi-method approach is adopted with both qualitative and quantitative investigations. Using Structural equation modeling, the research refines and validates the measurement scales of impression formation in OCs.
Findings
Findings reveal that comprehensive messages have a direct effect on the impressions that an OC member forms. In particular, social context cues are an important predictor of online community corporate impression (OCCIP). Source credibility, affiliation, characteristics and interpersonal communication are all critical to OCCIP, which in turn, influence members’ attitudes toward the company and the intention to use it again. Surprisingly, relevance, timeliness, accuracy and perceived similarity did not have any significant effect on the corporate impression.
Originality/value
Three contributions are offered: First, the study provides reliable scales for measuring OCCIP. Second, support is given to the conceptual model that links OCCIP to a set of consequences, namely, attitudes toward the company, intention to use the company, and word-of-mouth. Finally, the study is conducted across two different and unique types of OC contexts, stipulating further insights into the localization of OCs.
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Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin, Noraini Ismail and Asmak Ab Rahman
This paper aims to address the influence of mass media (MM) and word of mouth (WOM) on subjective norm (SN) and the intentions to purchase a family takaful scheme among Muslim…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to address the influence of mass media (MM) and word of mouth (WOM) on subjective norm (SN) and the intentions to purchase a family takaful scheme among Muslim Malaysians.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 384 Muslim consumers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using a convenience sampling approach. The hypotheses were tested by applying structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results revealed that MM and WM were able to influence SN. In addition, the results also found that SN significantly influences intentions to purchase a family takaful scheme.
Practical implications
By examining MM and WM on SN, the study validated the importance of both constructs in affecting consumers’ SN and purchase intention. This study would be useful for takaful operators, as the findings would help them to formulate strategies for promotional activities.
Originality/value
This paper empirically justifies the relationship between MM and WM on SN and purchase intention of family takaful schemes in an integrated model.
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– The paper aims to study the consequences of the development of Islamic marketing on the social construction of Muslim religious identities.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to study the consequences of the development of Islamic marketing on the social construction of Muslim religious identities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses Max Weber's ideal-type methodology to analyze actors and strategies in Islamic marketing, as represented by their self-presentation on French-, English- and Arabic-language web sites.
Findings
First, the paper argues that by conflating values and preferences, rational choice theory fails to recognize an essential function of values, which govern the relationship between the personal and the social. Second, it describes the emergence of brand markets within traditional Muslim commodity economies. Third, it uses these distinctions, between the personal and the social and between commodity and brand economies, to construct four ideal types of Muslim economic actors: “collectivists”, “differentialists”, “integrationists”, and “entrepreneurs”.
Research limitations/implications
The choice of web sites to survey Muslim economic and religious actors favors producers over consumers, religious specialists over laypeople. Future research should include protocols designed to test ways in which Muslims negotiate the conflicting demands of religion, society and economics in their daily lives.
Originality/value
In contradistinction to studies that emphasize the influence of Muslim consumer demand on the development of goods and services, this paper shows that economic conditions, notably globalization and market segmentation, affect the way Muslims construct their religious identities.
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Christine Hallier Willi, Bang Nguyen, T.C. Melewar and Charles Dennis
This study aims to evaluate elements of corporate communication in online communities (OCs) and their influence on corporate impression formation. Interactive online platforms…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate elements of corporate communication in online communities (OCs) and their influence on corporate impression formation. Interactive online platforms such as OCs are growing. Companies are discovering their importance and increasingly include OCs in their communication activities. The present study identifies the underlying components relevant to successful corporate communication in OCs, and further explore if and how online community members (OCMs) expect companies to communicate with them, explaining how corporate impressions are formed.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research method was chosen, consisting of two stages. In stage one, 17 expert interviews with academics and practitioners were conducted, and in stage two, 12 OCMs were interviewed to clarify the concepts and gain new insights.
Findings
The study gains new knowledge relating to corporate communication in OCs and image formation. Specifically, the authors identify and confirm important key constructs in corporate impression formation in OCs, namely, relevance of messages, communication style, social context cues, affiliation, perceived similarity, source credibility and interpersonal communication. Furthermore, a conceptual model is proposed on the relationship between communication elements relevant in online communities and their influence on corporate impression.
Practical implications
The study helps to refine existing concepts of corporate impression formation in OCs. It is suggested that understanding how corporate impression is formed in OCs helps companies to participate in virtual networks, improving their corporate impression.
Originality/value
This study extends prior findings on word-of-mouth on the Internet (word-of-mouse) to demonstrate that communication among virtual community (VC) members can influence the image formation process, such that positive word-of-mouse has a positive effect on corporate image.
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