Search results

This paper reviews the contributions of Harry Tosdal, a pioneer of sales and marketing management. It serves to puncture a variety of marketing myths and illuminate a completely neglected concept of the consumer.

This account is based on a close reading of Tosdal’s publications.

Tosdal articulated a highly nuanced interpretation of marketing management, market research and sales force management. Each of these elements was keyed into fostering goodwill between firm and customer. Perhaps most importantly, he provides a counterpoint to the idea that the consumer is sovereign in the marketplace. Instead, he makes a case that the ontology of the market is riven by compromise.

This paper highlights the concept of the compromising consumer. Arguably, this is a much more empirically realistic conception of the agency we possess in the marketplace than the idea that we move markets in ways absolutely consistent with our desires.

Can industrial marketers afford to choose unethical strategies? To answer this question, this study aims to use game theory to analyze whether an industrial marketer choosing and implementing an unethical strategy is successful in maximizing her market share across her strategies.

The competition between two industrial marketers is modeled as a strategic game for the market share of a product that is identical in all attributes except the production process. Each industrial marketer’s objective is to choose to implement either the ethical or the unethical production process to maximize her market share.

The study finds that both industrial marketers choosing to implement ethical strategies is the unique Nash equilibrium of the game. That is, an industrial marketer choosing to implement an unethical strategy in the production process will be unsuccessful in maximizing her market share when both the industrial marketers are rational.

The study contributes to the literature on industrial marketing ethics, particularly that on product ethics, by showing that industrial marketers gain market share if they choose ethical strategies.

The study has implications for industrial marketing executives, as organizational consumers are increasingly aware of the strategies of industrial marketers. Failure to implement ethical strategies will cause industrial marketers to forgo their best possible market shares.

This study’s novelty lies in using a game theoretic approach to demonstrate the positive implications of ethical strategies for industrial marketers.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether consumers demonstrate a multi-dimensional understanding of sustainability in their decision-making and addresses the situational influence of confidence and compromise on sustainable product choices.

Using three choice-based conjoint experiments the authors examined the importance of sustainability, compromise and confidence to consumers across two contexts. Two-step cluster analyses were used to segment consumers based on the importance scores.

Data indicates that the environmental dimension of sustainability is the most influential followed by economic and social. The responses suggest three distinct segments identified as self-focused, trend motivated and reality driven that demonstrate significantly different characteristics in their approach to sustainable products.

Current research tends to focus on the environmental dimension, while paying little heed to the economic and social dimensions. This research indicates that consumers consider all three dimensions when making sustainable product choices and highlights that differences may emerge with respect to product utility.

Firms must be aware that consumers differ in the importance they place on sustainability. The reality-driven segment is the most attractive segment, as they are highly engaged and are willing to invest time in understanding the complexities of sustainability. The trend-motivated segments are more fickle with superficial knowledge, and the self-focused segments are self-serving in their orientations and use price as a key decision variable.

The paper addresses an important oversight in the sustainability literature. It provides both a theoretical contribution to advance marketing research and a practical contribution that may be of interest to those trying to market sustainable products.

Mango seed, an agricultural food (agri-food) waste obtained during mango processing is generally discarded and causes environmental stress. In the present study, mango kernel was processed into flour and incorporated into macaron formulation. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant potential, physicochemical properties, and sensory qualities of macaron after substitution of almond flour (AF) with 0% (control, MC-0), 20% (MC-20), 40% (MC-40), 60% (MC-60), 80% (MC-80) and 100% (MC-100) (w/w) of mango kernel flour (MKF).

Sensory evaluation was conducted using a nine-point hedonic scale (n = 90 young adults) to evaluate the acceptance towards MC-0 (control), MC-20, MC-40, MC-60, MC-80 and MC-100 macaron shells (without mango-flavoured ganache). The most preferred formulated and control macarons were subjected to proximate analyses according to the methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists for moisture, ash, and protein, and American Oil Chemists' Society for fat. Carbohydrate content was estimated by difference. Physical analyses such as colour, pH and water activity (a_w) were performed using various instrumental techniques. Antioxidant activity of all macaron shell formulations was accessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA). Sensory evaluation was repeated using a five-point hedonic scale to determine the acceptance of the most preferred macaron (with mango-flavoured ganache) among consumer panels of all age groups (n = 80).

The first sensory acceptance test revealed that macaron shell with 40% MKF substitution (MC-40) was the most preferred formulation among young adults aged 18–35 years old. Moisture and ash contents between MC-0 and MC-40 were found to be similar (p > 0.05), while significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed for the fat and protein contents. Antioxidant activity increased proportionally with increasing MKF substitution and exhibited significant improvement (p < 0.05) in MC-40. Approximately 93% of the panellists expressed their liking towards MC-40 in the second sensory acceptance test. Overall, this study demonstrated that 40% MKF substitution in macaron improved its antioxidant performance without compromising consumers' acceptance.

This innovative research features the incorporation of MKF in the development of an economical and healthier macaron. The results constitute industrial relevant findings pertaining to its application feasibility and nutritional properties. This research has contributed knowledge to the existing literature as well as benefitted food manufacturers to develop value-added products that could meet the needs and expectations of interested parties, including consumers, governmental organisations, health-cautious advocates and healthcare providers.

Adding to competitive dynamics and sustainability literature, this paper aims to examine the implementation of environmental protection and sustainability initiatives within the European fast-fashion clothing industry from the perspectives of Generation X and Y consumers. The study primarily investigates whether consumers’ level of environmental consciousness impacts their purchase decisions and consumption behaviour and the consequent strategic competitiveness effects on businesses.

The methodological approach relied on multiple data collection methods. In the first stage of the study, the researchers analysed the content of the official websites of two of Europe’s leading fashion firms. In the second stage, a quantitative research approach was aimed at revealing the perceptions, attitudes and purchase behaviour of Generation X and Y consumers towards the two fashion houses and their brands.

Although European fashion manufacturers invest in sustainability and engage in environmental protection, their marketing efforts need to be more effectively managed and targeted towards their target consumer markets. The level of engagement and sensitivity of each generational group towards sustainability issues varies. Each group’s environmental consciousness, motivation and response is shaped by distinct characteristics, which, in turn, create implications for the effectiveness of sustainability efforts towards differentiation and competitiveness. Overall, consumers engage in environmental initiatives but ignore the corporate initiatives pursued by the two fashion firms and did not view them as sustainable brands.

The study explores the effectiveness of sustainability and environmental protection orientation as business competitive strategies in the light of environmental turbulence and social changes impacting the fast-fashion clothing industry and its relationships with its consumer markets.

This paper aims to examine how pioneering advantage interacts with the compromise effect generated by new product entries. Building on prior work on pioneering advantage and extreme aversion, this research moves toward understanding how the choice share of a pioneer realigns as a consequence of new product entries generating compromise-like scenarios.

The authors run three experiments to test their propositions. The authors present one study which documents the effect. The second study provides process evidence. The third study suggests how brands can neutralize the adverse effect on their share generated by the followers’ entry/positioning.

In three studies, the authors showed that when a pioneering product becomes intermediate in a choice set, its share is more adversely affected than when it becomes extreme. The authors show that this depends on consumers’ propensity to use non-compensatory decision rules in the presence of a pioneering alternative. The authors also document that the relative disadvantage of the intermediate pioneer can be overcome when the reasons for selecting an intermediate alternative based on a compensatory decision rule are restored.

The research provides guidelines for managers wanting to enter product categories where a pioneer already exists. The authors show that opting for an extreme position that renders the pioneer intermediate can be rewarding. In contrast, being the second extreme player in a market where the pioneer becomes extreme reduces the expected share of this last entrant.

The authors’ contribution is in showing that this decision strategy can clash with the rule consumers generally use in a compromise setting and that this clash generates two different effects when the pioneer becomes intermediate or extreme.

This paper aims to investigate existing research in green marketing with special reference to consumer behaviour and identify challenges both in practice and research, offering valuable insights for both the communities. While reviewing the existing literature in the paper, the authors define the scope of green marketing as a standalone discipline and discuss all aspects of green consumer behaviour and present opportunities for researchers.

A thorough literature search in leading academic journals related to the scope of this paper was conducted through leading databases. An analysis of literature review comprising 140 relevant articles has been carried out and presented in the paper.

Green consumer behaviour research is one area which is very well researched but studies are found to be generic in nature. the authors stress that research needs to be advanced in relation to addressing gaps between consumer perceptions and designing green products, identification of green segments, positioning green products and also inclusion of stakeholders in green marketing process. More insights into consumers willingness to pay for green attributes Vis -a Vis conventional attributes need to be worked out.

In spite of plenty of reviews available in green marketing, there is no review which solely covers the consumer behaviour aspects of green marketing. Consumer being the most important stakeholder in green marketing domain deserves special attention from the researchers’ perspective. The review is unique in providing all aspects of green consumer behaviour research.

The purpose of this study is to investigate consumer reactions to professionals who use decision aids to make recommendations. The authors propose that people react negatively to decision aids only when they are used in place of human expert judgment. When used in combination with expert judgment, decision aids are not perceived negatively and may even enhance service evaluations.

Three online experiments are presented. Participants indicated their perceptions regarding the recommendation strategy of professionals and their impressions of these professionals using one of three strategies: one based on expertise only, one based on decision aids only and a combination of the two (hybrid approach). Both within and between-subjects designs were used.

Contrary to previous research that has found a negative reaction to professionals who use decision aids, the authors find that consumers actually appreciate these professionals, as long as the use of decision aids does not replace expert judgment. The authors also find that when people are given the opportunity to compare a pure expert judgment approach with a hybrid approach (decision aid in combination with expert judgment), they prefer the latter.

Although findings should extend to various contexts, this research is limited to the three contexts examined and to the type of use of decision aid described.

It has significant practical implication, as decision aids have been shown to improve decision accuracy, but previous research had indicated that consumers view these professionals in a negative way. The current research more clearly delineates the situations under which negative reactions are likely to occur and makes recommendations regarding circumstances in which reactions are actually quite positive.

Reactions to professionals using decision aids have been investigated outside the marketing literature. However, this is the first work to show that consumers actually have positive reactions to professionals using decision aids, as long as they do not replace expert judgment.

This study aims to identify and analyse the interactions among drivers of anti-food waste behaviour at the consumer level. By understanding the mutual interactions among the drivers, an effort is made to identify the most driving and most dependent drivers through the total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) approach. Modelling offers inputs to propose focused interventions for reinforcing the identified drivers of anti-food waste consumer behaviour using the theoretical lens of social practices theory.

A proposed model of factors affecting anti-food waste behaviour is arrived at to suggest the most effective anti-food waste behavioural interventions. The factors were identified through an extensive literature search. A hierarchical structure of identified factors has been developed using TISM and MICMAC analysis through expert opinion. Focused marketing strategies towards promoting the identified factors for encouraging anti-food waste behaviour were suggested further.

This study identifies nine drivers based on extensive literature review, brainstorming and expert opinion. The TISM hierarchical model portrays the most important and least important drivers of household anti-food waste behaviour. It establishes that fundamental knowledge and socio-cultural norms are the most critical factors to drive the consumers. Marketers can focus on designing effective interventions to enhance the essential knowledge of the consumers and orient the socio-cultural norms towards anti-food waste behaviour.

This study offers implications for practitioners, policymakers and cause-driven marketing campaigns targeting anti-food waste behaviour. It provides an indicative list of critical factors relevant to household food waste behaviour, which can be used to drive effective marketing campaigns to nudge anti-food waste behaviours.

The proposed food waste behaviour management model was developed through modelling technique (TISM) and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC) analysis, and relating them to marketing interventions is a novel effort in the food waste domain.

This paper aims to review numerous known drivers and antecedents of compromise behavior, proposing a basic categorization of the various contributions. This is done with the goal to integrate drivers and antecedents, previously largely discussed in isolation of one another, into a single conceptual model. This sheds light on the issue of previously overstated or understated relevance of individual drivers. The picture is completed by the proposition of new potential drivers of the compromise effect like lay rationalism and approval motivation.

The paper takes a conceptual approach in reflecting on prior findings from the field of compromise effect research and adjacent fields to develop a number of propositions aggregated in a conceptual model.

A number of previously overlooked, but potentially highly relevant interaction effects among known drivers of the compromise effect are proposed along with the proposition of several new drivers.

This conceptual paper offers a novel, broadly applicable categorization of compromise effect research. Further, it seems to be the first paper dedicated to an extensive review of established drivers of the compromise effect to examine the interdependence and possible interaction effects and of those drivers. Additionally, completely new potentially relevant drivers are discussed in detail and integrated into a conceptual model.