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Outsourcing is recognized as one of the critical factors for efficient execution of pharmaceutical supply chain management (PSCM), and many pharmaceutical companies engage in international outsourcing of services (IOS) to survive in global highly competitive business. Since the key success factors for both domestic & international alliances are partnership characteristics and strategic fit management, but there is no empirical research on this issue in Thai pharmaceutical partnership offshore outsourcing. Therefore, this survey of Thai and foreign companies, both contract providers (CPs) and contract manufacturers (CMs), seeks to indicate significant relationships among both outsourcing strategic fit and partnership types, including outsourcing performance outcome. This research is two-fold. First, the partnership types (Type I, II, & III), the strategic fit types (low fit, moderate fit, and good fit), and their correlations are analyzed. And second, their outsourcing performance (company revenues and growth rates) are presented. The results showed that the most of the Thai pharmaceutical outsourcing manufacturing are classified as the partnership Type II, as well as the moderate strategic fit, and strongly support the relationship between the two models. Both of the companies’ revenue and growth rate could predict the companies’ performances outcome for each of partnership and strategic fit types. However, it is not necessary that the most integrative type of partnership, Type III, will be always the best, because it depends also on the strategic fit between each pair of partners as well.

Cause‐related marketing (CRM), the practice of donating money to a charity for each consumer purchase, has become an important part of corporate philanthropy. This research seeks to explore two types of product‐cause fit in CRM, and examine whether the selection of consistent‐fit and complementary‐fit causes could be influenced by product type and donation level.

An experiment in conjoint design was conducted based on a computer‐based survey involving 512 choice‐based conjoint interviews.

It is found that consumers are more likely to choose a hedonic product offering a donation with a complementary‐fit cause. In contrast, individuals tend to prefer a utilitarian product with a consistent‐fit cause. Beneficial effects of a complementary‐fit cause are enhanced when the donation level is high.

This paper is one of the first to present comprehensive qualitative analyses of consumer behavior with regard to product‐cause fit with diversity of products and situations. It provides more fruitful results than simple willingness‐to‐buy studies or direct inquires into people's attitudes toward CRM used in previous research, since less socially desired answers are obtained by taking an indirect approach to discovering consumer preferences. The paper raises concerns over the understanding of product‐cause fit and how exactly it works, especially with regard to sponsoring a cause that is complementary to the product image.

The comfort of apparel is not only a feeling of perception but also a tangible measure. The fit and fabric of clothing can exert a perception of comfort for the wearer, whereas actual comfort largely depends on physiological and emotional soothing. However, there is still no solid work on connecting the bridge between physiological and emotional feelings to the comfort of clothing. In this study, we have conceptualized, formulated and proven the relation between physiological and emotional parameters with clothing fit and fabric to find the true comfort of the wearer.

A mixed-method research design using physiological and emotional parameters for different fabric and fit combinations were used for this study. The physiological comfort parameters (i.e. heart rate and respiration rate) are extracted from the subjects using gold-standard clinical devices for various fit and fabric combinations. For the emotional response, a survey was conducted for the same subjects wearing all the fit and fabric combinations. Statistical analysis and modeling were performed to obtain the results.

Physiological indicators such as heart rate are closely linked with user comfort. Due to the limitations in environmental control, the physiological changes obtained did not significantly vary for different fabric and fit combinations of the clothing. However, a significant change in emotional response indicated a definite relationship between different fabric and fit types. Based on the participants’ responses, weather conditions, size of the clothing item, types of fabrics and style also influence the participants’ choice of clothing.

The research was conducted to discover the relation between true comfort (physiological and emotional parameters) and clothing (fit and fabric), which is unique to the field. This study closes the gap and builds up the relationship, which can help introduce clothing comfort to users in the future. The findings of this study help us understand how fabric types (natural or synthetic) and clothing fit types (loose or fitted) can affect physiological and emotional responses, which can provide the consumer with satisfactory clothing with the suitable properties needed.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a contingency perspective that describes the relative importance of person‐job (PJ) fit and person‐organization (PO) fit as selection criteria for hiring various types of employees.

Drawing on the theories of psychological contracts, human capital and cosmopolitan‐local perspective, propositions are developed regarding the relative importance of PJ fit and PO fit in specific hiring situations.

The propositions developed in this paper suggest that PJ fit will be more important than PO fit when organizations hire employees to form transactional psychological contracts, to obtain general human capital, and/or who are categorized as cosmopolitans. On the other hand, it is suggested that PO fit will be more important than PJ fit when organizations hire employees to form relational psychological contracts, to develop firm‐specific human capital, and/or who are likely to become locals.

Further empirical and theoretical work should be conducted to elaborate the contingency perspective. A more comprehensive contingency theory of person‐environment (PE) fit could include other types of PE fit, other contingency variables, and cover a wider range of management practices.

Organizations should be aware of the trade‐off between PJ fit and PO fit in the selection process, and carefully examine what type of employees they will hire in order to determine the relative weights of PJ fit and PO fit as selection criteria.

This paper is the first attempt to consider the different types of employees and employment relationships that determine the relative importance of PJ fit and PO fit in selecting employees. It is done through incorporating different theoretical perspectives.

This paper explores the relationships between body type and fit preferences with body cathexis, clothing benefits sought by consumers, and demographic profiles of consumers.

The survey instrument consisted of a questionnaire with scales assessing fit preference, body type, body cathexis, clothing benefits sought and consumer demographics.

Significant associations were found between body cathexis (satisfaction with head/upper body, lower body, height, weight and torso) and body shape. The degree of satisfaction with different body parts depended on the body type of the individual. The level of satisfaction with head/upper body, height and torso did not vary by body type. No significant differences were found between fit preferences and body type for lower body garments.

The majority of respondents were between the ages 18 and 28, affluent Caucasian Americans, with an hourglass body type, who had a family income of $85,000 or more and shopped in department or boutique/specialty stores.

Understanding the fit preferences of female consumers could help apparel companies to produce and meet demands for comfortable and well fitting clothes for women. The results of this research may be used as a first step to develop an expert system to correlate body shape and fit preferences of consumers.

To evaluate a proposed prescriptive model for the design of effective combinations of performance goals and pay‐for‐performance plans for the performance management of teams.

The idea underlying the model – in which task, goal, and reward interdependence and their fit play a dominant role – is that a pay‐for‐performance plan should support the team goals and the goals of individual team members as well as support the way in which team members need to cooperate. To obtain a first notion on the model's validity, it was applied to evaluate a pay‐for‐performance plan for management teams at a large IT company. This evaluation consisted of an in‐depth study of three management teams, using a case study methodology.

Combinations of fit among type of team, performance goals, and pay‐for‐performance plan (established by a fit between the interdependence constructs and/or by an overlap in the content of the goal and pay indicators) are more effective than combinations of misfit.

The case study was limited to intra‐team interdependence relationships and did allow for a analysis of the separate effects of a fit between the interdependence constructs versus content fit.

This study shows that pay‐for‐performance plans should not be designed in isolation, but rather in alignment with performance goals and existing task interdependencies.

This is the first study to investigate the three inter‐dependence constructs in conjunction in a field setting.

This study aims to investigate the effects of type of message (information/buy), the moderating effects of fit (high/low) and salience (brand vs cause) and the mediating effects of attributions of partner motives in cause marketing advertisements.

Two experiments, one with students and the second with a more representative sample of the population were used to investigate the effects. ANOVA and structural equation modeling were used to test the relationships.

Fit and salience were found to be key moderators on the effect of type of message on consumer responses. While brands can use a buy message when they are salient, this benefits them only when fit is high. For informational messages, cause salience leads to positive outcomes, especially when fit is low. Further, consumer attributions of partner motives mediate responses to the advertisement.

Type of message is an important variable that needs to be selected with care. However, the moderating effects of fit and salience and the mediating effects of consumer attributions of partner motives may be able to overcome type of message.

Initial partner selection is critical for the brand. A second key factor is inferences due to the specific message, fit and salience. Nonprofit firms have less to worry about fit compared to brands as attitude and behavioral intentions are high under both fit conditions.

Cause marketing can be used successfully to benefit both brand and cause simultaneously.

This study examines the effects for both brands and causes and suggests ways in which both can benefit, leading to a win–win situation. This is an important contribution to the cause marketing field.

Promotional cues related to notions of fair prices or pricing designed to fit consumers’ needs are prevalent for many service offers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how both customers’ price fairness and idiosyncratic fit perceptions shape their tariff evaluations.

Two experimental studies involving different tariff types and service contexts test the complex interplay of customers’ perceived price fairness and idiosyncratic fit with customer and context characteristics on their tariff evaluations.

Customers judge tariffs drawing on both the perceived price fairness and idiosyncratic fit, driven by the perceived price level of the tariff and the perceived pricing transparency of the firm. Customers’ service usage and consumption goals moderate these effects: heavy users and hedonic consumers indicate lower price sensitivity while focusing more on their transparency perception. The role of perceived price fairness and idiosyncratic fit for tariff choice depends on the tariff/service context; idiosyncratic fit is important when it is incidental (e.g. flat rates) rather than intentional (i.e. customized tariffs) and when customers lack the expertise or confidence to evaluate price fairness such as in the case of relatively new services.

Prior studies focused on either price fairness or idiosyncratic fit and thus cannot fully explain the complex interplay between both in the context of tariff choice. This paper explicates the conditions that affect the relative importance of both concepts and under which incidental offers are better received than premeditated ones.

A significant stream of research investigates the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on firm performance and consumer response to CSR programs. However, how CSR initiatives help build brand equity remains relatively unexamined. This study aims to demonstrate how CSR influences brand equity in response to perceptions of two types of brand–cause fit.

The authors analyze two types of fit between a brand and a social cause (disaster relief): brand value–cause fit and brand function–cause fit. Structural equation modeling is used to estimate the fit of the data with the proposed model.

Survey evidence from 370 millennial undergraduate students in the USA suggests that the two types of brand–cause fit have differential effects on attitude toward the brand and ad, which in turn influence brand equity.

The research operationalizes brand–cause fit as a construct with two components: brand value–cause fit and brand function–cause fit. It tests these two types of fit and finds evidence for differential effects on consumer attitudes.

The findings offer practical considerations for managers about the importance of considering two types of brand–cause fit in selecting social causes and crafting effective corporate communications about the firm’s CSR initiatives.

Results suggest that it is possible for firms to craft desirable win–win–win strategies that build brand equity by investing in a strategic approach to CSR initiatives.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects on performance of two types of misfits (overfit vs underfit) as well as two types of fits (high-high fit vs low-low fit) between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility.

The two asymmetry hypotheses have been tested with survey data from 212 Chinese manufacturing firms.

The results in general provided empirical evidences for the asymmetric effects in the fits and misfits between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility. For the same degree of misfit, underfit deteriorates performance more than overfit. In addition, high supply chain flexibility fitting high environmental uncertainty (i.e. high-high fit) results in a higher performance than low supply chain flexibility fitting low environmental uncertainty (i.e. low-low fit).

It suggests that managers should strive to avoid the underfit of supply chain flexibility rather than the overfit, if the perfect fit is impossible to achieve. In addition, as it is beneficial to realize the fit of supply chain flexibility to high levels of environmental uncertainty, managers should probably embrace the highly uncertain environment and enhance the supply chain flexibility of their organizations to meet the increasing uncertainty of environment.

Fit and misfit are the core concepts to understand the relationships among environmental uncertainty, supply chain flexibility strategy, and performance. While the existing literature highlights the differential performance consequences of fit vs misfit between environmental uncertainty and supply chain flexibility strategy, the effects on performance are assumed to be the same for the two types of misfits, and two types of fits. The authors challenge these symmetry assumptions by arguing that overfit has a less negative effect on performance than underfit, and high-high fit has a stronger positive effect than low-low fit. The authors found empirical evidence in a large sample of Chinese manufacturing firms.