bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retailers' new product acceptance decisions: incorporating the buyer‐supplier relationship perspective
Authors: Lin Jiun‐Sheng Chris , Chang Yun‐Chi 
Published: January 2012

PurposeGiven the increasing number of new products competing for limited shelf space, retailer acceptance of new products is crucial to both retailers and suppliers. However, limited empirical research has investigated what drives retailers to accept or decline a new product offering. Extant research on retailers' new product acceptance focuses mainly on product and market factors. Despite the growing importance of buyer‐supplier relationships in new product marketing, few studies have addressed their influence on retailers' acceptance of new products. This study aims to fill the research gap by proposing a model of retailers' new product acceptance that incorporates the buyer‐supplier relationship perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops an integrated research framework assessing the determinants of retailers' acceptance of new products. Four constructs were derived from the literature on buyer‐supplier relationship marketing and new products literature to investigate their influence on the retailer's decision to adopt a new product. The constructs include buyer‐seller relationship factors (relationship intensity and channel motivation) and non‐relationship factors (product advantage and market competitiveness). Hypotheses were developed and tested with a sample of retailers.FindingsOwing to the lack of appropriate existing scales for the four constructs that influence retailers' adoption of new products, this study developed and validated multiple‐item scales through psychometric scale development procedures. Hypotheses were then tested with ordinary least squares regression analysis, and all factors were found to have a positive relationship with the retailer's acceptance of new products. Results further show that buyer‐supplier relationship factors are stronger predictors of retailer new product adoption than traditional non‐relationship factors.Research limitations/implicationsThis research represents an attempt to incorporate the buyer‐supplier relationship into the process of retailer new product acceptance. Future research directions are discussed, with an emphasis on two‐way viewpoints, multiple supplier choice, and product sales performance after acceptance.Practical implicationsThe willingness of a retailer to stock a new product does not depend solely on product and market factors. In an age of intense competition and seemingly limitless product choices, suppliers must also consider the implications of the buyer‐supplier relationship before entering negotiations with retailers regarding the stocking of a new product.Originality/valueThis paper represents the first study to propose and empirically test a research model that incorporates the literature regarding both buyer‐supplier relationship marketing and new product literature. Suppliers can strengthen their competitive advantage by understanding and enhancing their performance in these factors.
The effects of buyer‐supplier relationships on buyer competitiveness
Authors: Prior Daniel D. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to propose a new theoretical model based on the AAR framework (actor bonds, activity links and resource ties) to examine the effects of the identified buyer‐supplier relationship elements on four indicators of relative competitive advantage for the buyer firm.Design/methodology/approachThe paper bases its findings on data gathered through a survey of 216 key informants within the Australian manufacturing sector. AMOS v. 18 is used to perform confirmatory factor analysis and to estimate a structural model of the proposed hypotheses.FindingsThe paper finds support for the notion that actor bonds between the firm and its largest supplier provide a source of competitive advantage that result in higher relative customer satisfaction, innovation, market efficiency and market effectiveness for the buyer firm. The paper also supports the notion that a positive relationship between information sharing and asset efficiency exists.Practical implicationsThis paper demonstrates that the maintenance of positive relationships with the firm's largest supplier has implications for the firm in terms of its competitive outcomes. There is now more support for managers when building and maintaining relationships with important suppliers since there are potential implications for the firm's own competitive position.Originality/valueThe findings of this study extend previous research in the area of relationship marketing by providing a new link between relationship elements and direct competitive outcomes in a follow‐on market. It also shows that these elements have differential effects on these competitive outcomes.
How to increase supplier flexibility through social mechanisms and influence strategies?
Authors: Chu Po‐Young , Chang Kuo‐Hsiung , Huang Hsu‐Feng 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis study aims to examine the means by which influence strategies and social mechanisms (trust and shared vision) influence the flexibility of suppliers, and its ultimate effect on the performance of manufacturers.Design/methodology/approachThis study bases the major components of marketing research on previous studies related to influence strategies and flexibility in the supply‐chain. This empirical study utilized 162 SMIT survey samples.FindingsResults show that using coercive influence strategies and developing a shared vision promote supplier flexibility and fully mediate the effects of trust on supplier flexibility. In addition, supplier flexibility has a significant positive impact on the performance of manufacturers.Research limitations/implicationsThe perceptions of manufacturers regarding influence strategies and social mechanisms formed the basis of this study. Future studies could focus on the reciprocal strategies of suppliers, and the influence of these actions on the effectiveness of the influence strategies employed by manufacturers.Practical implicationsThis paper adds to the existing management guidelines addressing the problem of ensuring increased flexibility from suppliers to enable a more rapid response to the demands of customers to enhance performance.Originality/valueThe paper provides novel insights into the impact of influence strategies and social mechanisms on the flexibility of suppliers.
A business sustainability model: a European case study
Authors: Høgevold Nils M. , Svensson Göran 
Published: January 2012

Purpose“Business sustainability” refers to the total effort of a company – including its demand and supply chain networks – to reduce the impact on the Earth's life‐ and eco‐systems. The objective of this paper is to describe a business sustainability model based upon a case study of a European manufacturer.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was applied describing the efforts of business sustainability in the demand and supply chain networks of a Norwegian office chair producer. It is based upon a series of semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with top executives of the company as well as observations and content analyses of internal and external documents about the company's efforts of business sustainability.FindingsThe case study shows that business sustainability is not about doing just one thing, but that a multitude of simultaneous efforts (e.g. actors, resources and activities) should be in place. Furthermore, business sustainability is not only about a company's own business operations, but its whole demand and supply chain networks which need to be included and taken into consideration.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study in focus is limited to just one company's effort of business sustainability and its demand and supply chain networks. It provides a business sustainability model that offers opportunities for further research.Practical implicationsFocusing on the corporate impact of the natural environment can be highly profitable. Business sustainability and by extension the carbon footprint of demand and supply chain networks is becoming a criterion in the decision‐making process of customers across industries. Business sustainability is a concern to everybody in society as the indicatives of climate change and global warming become more evident and troublesome. No one can have missed the fact that the weather is becoming more extreme, causing damage around the globe.Originality/valueThe authors argue that research into business sustainability needs at this stage of development to be inductive rather than deductive – it may be an irreversible mistake to try to re‐package existing theory into business sustainability, as climate change prediction and the poor condition of the Earth have not been fully understood or comprised in previous theory.
Fifty years of publication
Authors: Oplatka Izhar 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the legacies of the Journal of Educational Administration (JEA) since its foundation in 1963 to the present (2011) and to illuminate the main contributions of the Journal to the academic field of educational administration (EA) worldwide.Design/methodology/approachThe method employed in analysing the Journal's articles was “qualitative content analysis” which includes constant comparisons for discovering patterns, emphases and themes in an array of documents. The first stage of analysis included extensive reading, sorting and searching through the Journal's abstracts resulting in the coding of categories, key words and themes. In the second stage, themes and categories were identified and compared until main themes and sub‐categories in each abstract emerged.FindingsThe paper traces the Journal's legacies in every decade since its foundation, and highlights the dynamic nature of this publication. Likewise, the dominance of the “empirical legacy” as compared to the other five legacies is emphasised, and the rise and fall of different topics and perspectives throughout the years are illuminated. Some thoughts about plausible future directions of the Journal conclude the paper.Originality/valueThe historical review provides an opportunity to glean information about the distinctive intellectual identity of the field of EA. Likewise, reviewing existing research and scholarship in the JEA may increase our intellectual and theoretical understanding of the ways by which the scholarly boundaries of EA as a field of study have been shaped and reshaped, after all, JEA has long been an outlet for hundreds of works from the four corners of the earth.
Science, systems, and theoretical alternatives in educational administration
Authors: Evers Colin W. , Lakomski Gabriele 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a critical reflection on ideas that have been published in theJournal of Educational Administrationover the last 50 years that present perspectives on the nature of educational administration and its various aspects, that are alternatives to the mainstream systems‐scientific view of educational administration.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a standard analytic philosophy methodology with a focus on argument structures found in epistemology. The approach is to argue that the content and structure of administrative theories is shaped significantly by background epistemologies that determine the nature and justification of administrative knowledgeFindingsEpistemologies for both the traditional systems‐science approach to educational administration and a range of alternatives are identified and specified, and the most characteristic features of these approaches that follow from their epistemologies are described. The paper permits inferences about theory choice, and what approach is best, based on a discussion of the merits of the different epistemologies.Originality/valueThe principal value of the paper is to classify and demonstrate the most general features of the arguments that have been behind the large‐scale theoretical differences in the field of educational administration.
School characteristics that make a difference for the achievement of all students
Authors: Hoy Wayne 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to trace a 40‐year research journey to identify organizational properties that foster the achievement of all students, regardless of socio‐economic status (SES).Design/methodology/approachThe author describes a search for school properties that have an impact on the cognitive and social‐emotional development of faculty and students, with special emphasis on academic achievement.FindingsThree characteristics of schools were identified that make a positive difference for student achievement controlling for the SES: collective efficacy, collective trust in parents and students, and academic emphasis of the school. Further these three measures are elements of a latent construct, academic emphasis of school, which is a powerful predictor of student achievement regardless of SES.Originality/valueThe paper identifies school variables that are often as important, or more important, than SES in explaining academic achievement, and a new model is created to explain how academic optimism influences student achievement.
An empirical investigation of the influence of optimum stimulation levels in retailing
Authors: Wang Liz C. , Chang Lu‐Hsin , Wysong Scott 
Published: January 2012

PurposeA person's optimum stimulation level (OSL) reflects one's desired level of environmental stimulation and predisposition to act in the presence of environments. The purpose of this paper is to propose a comprehensive model, which illustrates that consumers with different levels of OSL have differing evaluations of retail store elements, shopping value and subsequent shopping behaviours.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the relationship between OSL and consumer perceptions and behaviours, interviews were conducted with retail shoppers in Taiwan (n=147).FindingsTaiwanese shoppers with a high OSL were found to have more favourable evaluations of a store's ambient, design, layout and density elements than did consumers with a low OSL. Additionally, the high OSL shoppers reported higher hedonic and utilitarian values from their shopping. Most importantly, the shoppers with a high OSL spent more time and money in stores.Practical implicationsWith this research, hopefully retailers will pay even more attention to the ambient, design and layout elements of their stores. In doing so, they might be able to attract more consumers with a high OSL and entice them to spend more money.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the growing body of international retailing research by examining the effects of shoppers' optimum stimulation levels on their perceptions toward store elements, perceived shopping value, and purchase behaviours. Moreover, a comprehensive framework is put forth to assist future research.
Store experience and co‐creation: the case of temporary shop
Authors: Russo Spena Tiziana , Caridà Angela , Colurcio Maria , Melia Monia 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on Temporary Shops, a recent communication and distribution innovation used by firms in order to improve interaction with customers and to reinforce brand loyalty and equity. The main aim of the study is to frame the Temporary Shops phenomenon in Italy and to analyze its value co‐creation potential.Design/methodology/approachThe DART model proposed by Prahalad and Ramaswamy has been chosen as the theoretical framework for understanding the Temporary Shops phenomenon. The authors investigate the process of value co‐creation inside the Temporary Shops through its four key building blocks, namely, dialogue, access, risk/benefits and transparency. Through a multiple‐case study, the authors study in‐depth evidence from five leading firms that represent the main Temporary Shops in Italy over the last two years.FindingsTemporary Shops provide a locus of value co‐creation in which the interactive and experiential relationship between the firm and the customer is engaged and value co‐creation emerges.Research limitations/implicationsThere are two main limitations: this study is exploratory and analyzes co‐creation only from the company perspective. Further studies may widen the unit of analysis from firm to customer's network and thus provide further insights about antecedents and implications of the interaction in a multi‐sensory context.Originality/valueThe work contributes to understanding the role of experiential environment in value co‐creation processes, as well as analyzing the contribution of a new distribution phenomenon with respect to co‐creation through the application of the DART model.
Young female consumers' intentions toward fair trade consumption
Authors: Jin Ma Yoon , Littrell Mary A. , Niehm Linda 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine young female consumers' purchase behaviours related to non‐food fair trade products. Interrelationships among beliefs, attitudes, perceived behavioural control, and purchase intentions in regard to fair trade products were examined within a framework of the theory of planned behaviour to arrive at an in‐depth understanding of young female consumers' fair trade consumption.Design/methodology/approachUsing a probability sampling approach, 810 complete responses were collected via web‐based surveys from 18‐28 year old female college students at a large Midwestern university. Path model analysis was employed to test the proposed model and research hypotheses.FindingsThe results revealed that young female consumers' beliefs about the fair trade concept and product attributes, attitudes toward fair trade purchases, and perceived behavioural control in regard to fair trade purchases, were all important factors in determining consumers' intentions to purchase a fair trade product.Research limitations/implicationsSeveral important strategic implications emerged in this study for fair trade retailers targeting young female consumers. The generalization of the findings to the US population may be limited because the data were collected from a small to medium‐sized community with a fair trade specialty store.Originality/valueThis study focused on providing insights for a previously unaddressed fair trade consumer segment – a younger female consumer group between ages 18 and 28. The results of this study may provide insight to artisan producers and retailers in expanded opportunities to distribute, market, and promote fair trade products to this consumer segment.
Assessing category vulnerability across retail product assortments
Authors: Dass Mayukh , Kumar Piyush 
Published: January 2012

PurposeA critical issue faced by retailers is determining the composition of the product assortment in every category and setting the price levels for each product without compromising category‐level customer demand or operational efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel, model‐based clustering approach to bring parsimony to retailers' assortment configuration and pricing process. The objective of the model is to group alternative assortment configurations into sets to which the category exhibits equivalent vulnerability.Design/methodology/approachIn this method, each possible assortment and pricing configuration is first conceptualized as a unified entity and then these entities are clustered based on the vulnerability of category level sales. The authors illustrate the benefits of this new method for category planning using two sets of data for brands of soft drinks and enhanced water, collected from a panel of adult customers.FindingsThe results from both data sets show that several assortment configurations, varying significantly in terms of numbers of products and prices, result in similar levels of category vulnerability. In other words, several widely‐different product‐pricing combinations result in similar levels of category demand.Originality/valueThe paper's findings imply that retailers can bring parsimony to their category management process by shifting their strategic focus from individual brands to assortment clusters. Specifically, they can select the most efficient or the smallest assortment from each cluster without sacrificing category demand. Overall, the authors' approach can help simplify the complex decision‐making process related to product selection and price setting, and help retailers achieve the dual objective of operational efficiency and high category demand.
Toward creating competitive advantage with logistics information technology
Authors: Hazen Benjamin T. , Byrd Terry Anthony 
Published: January 2012

PurposeSuccessfully implementing and exploiting the right information technologies is critical to maintaining competitiveness in today's supply chain. However, simply adopting off‐the‐shelf technologies may not necessarily induce this competitiveness unless the organization combines these technologies with additional complimentary resources. This study draws on the logistics innovation literature, resource‐advantage theory, and the resource‐based view of the firm with the purpose of investigating performance outcomes of logistics information technology (LIT) adoption and the proposed moderating effect of a complimentary resource. The paper posits that combining LIT with positive buyer‐supplier relationships may set the stage for organizations to achieve competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachA meta‐analysis of 48 studies that report outcomes of EDI or RFID adoption was performed. Regression was used to investigate the moderating effect of the buyer‐supplier relationship on the relationship between LIT adoption and performance outcomes.FindingsThe findings suggest that adoption of LIT promotes enhanced levels of effectiveness, efficiency, and resiliency for the adopting firm and that the quality of the buyer‐supplier relationship moderates the degree of efficiency and resiliency realized via adoption.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study suggest that adoption of a logistics innovation by itself may not necessarily produce a sustained competitive advantage. Instead, when combined with complimentary firm resources, the innovation may yield a sustained competitive advantage for the adopting firm.Originality/valueLogistics innovation needs greater theoretical development in the literature. This research extends a foundational logistics innovation model by incorporating relevant theory to propose and test an additional dimension of the model.