bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Matching consumers' country and product image perceptions: an Australian perspective
Authors: Dagger Tracey S. , Raciti Maria M. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeCountry‐of‐origin (COO) effects are concerned with buyers' opinions regarding the relative qualities of goods and services produced in various countries. It is the aim of this study to test a framework for investigating the match/mismatch between consumers' product category and country image perceptions. Specifically, the paper seeks to examine whether consumers perceive all products emanating from a particular country favourably simply because consumers associate favourable attributes with that country or whether this effect is specific to particular product categories.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a structured survey administered through mall intercepts. Data were collected from a sample of 188 Australian consumers. While Australian consumers were the focal country of study, countries selected for evaluation included Japan, Korea, the USA, Canada, China and New Zealand. The products selected included beer, automobiles, watches, leather shoes and stereos.FindingsThe findings suggest that when a strong favourable match exists between country and product image then COO will positively influence product evaluation and willingness to buy. Conversely, when an unfavourable mismatch is evident COO would negatively influence consumers' product evaluations and willingness to buy.Originality/valueGiven that most products originating in foreign countries are subject to country stereotyping or image effects, it is important for marketers and retailers to understand and manage the potential impact of COO effects. This study tests a framework that can be applied by marketers to determine the effect of product and country matches in relevant domestic or international markets.
Measuring the impact of inter‐attitudinal conflict on consumer evaluations of foreign products
Authors: Bandyopadhyay Subir , Wongtada Nittaya , Rice Gillian 
Published: May 2011

PurposeMost consumers can buy products from various countries, including their own. Some prefer local products; others prefer the superior quality, price, or image of foreign products. This study aims to investigate the strength of these preferences and their effects on consumers' evaluations of, and intentions to buy, foreign products.Design/methodology/approachWith a sample of 571 Thai consumers, this study measures consumer ethnocentrism (CET), a general attitude, and country‐specific attitudes toward three product categories (cars, radios, and pens) with American brand associations.FindingsThai consumers' evaluations of US products vary at different levels of consumer ethnocentrism and country‐specific attitudes.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough it extends existing research into a less developed country setting, this study still relies on data from a single country.Practical implicationsManagers of both local and foreign brands can make use of these findings to position their offerings appropriately in Thailand.Originality/valueThis study extends the use of the CET concept to a less developed country and confirms prior results obtained in developed nations. In addition, it considers the joint effects of country‐specific and general attitudes in combination.
College binge drinking: a new approach
Authors: Kubacki Krzysztof , Siemieniako Dariusz , Rundle‐Thiele Sharyn 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe proportion of young people binge drinking continues to grow despite extensive research efforts aiming to reverse this growing trend. Binge drinking has typically been viewed as the consumption of five or more standard drinks or units in a single drinking session. Research on binge drinking is US centric and largely quantitative. This paper, using qualitative methods, aims to gain richer insights into binge drinking.Design/methodology/approachSeven focus groups involving 36 participants were conducted in Poland and Canada. Focus group data were transcribed and analysed.FindingsThree distinct types of binge drinking were identified. The authors termed these initiation, indulgence and moderation. The paper details how each type of binge drinking can be distinguished through different attitudes and drinking behaviours.Research limitations/implicationsAny observations made in this paper are restricted by the sample used and the methodology employed, and therefore cannot be uncritically generalised. The findings should be used to further investigate the phenomena, in different contexts, with different respondents and using different methods, in order to deepen the understanding of binge drinking.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that rather than thinking of binge drinking as one thing, binge drinking should be thought of as different types, involving different behaviours and attitudes.Originality/valueTo date the literature has viewed binge drinking as a single phenomenon. This study is the first to put forward the notion that binge drinking should not be defined as one thing, i.e. consuming five or more alcohol drinks in one day. The framework offered in this paper will assist future researchers to consider different types of binge drinking.
2030: a loyalty odyssey
Authors: Hlavinka Kelly 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to peer into the future of loyalty marketing and to offer marketers clear steps on how to shift focus and adapt to the coming consumer trends.Design/methodology/approachCOLLOQUY delved into its years of loyalty marketing research and experience to pull out three top trends believed to take hold by 2030. COLLOQUY's views are supported by statistical background from Goldman Sachs, the US Department of Economic and Social Affairs and demographers.FindingsFive over‐riding forces are creating a shift in future loyalty trends: an aging population; a burgeoning middle class; increasing extremes of wealth; more boom‐and‐bust cycles; and technology advances towards the seamless, instant and personal. Because of these forces, three new trends have emerged: the next new normal; the new “I‐network”; and the new marketing reality.Practical implicationsThis case study offers marketers not only a look into the future of loyalty marketing, but also tips on how to embrace the new trends, including: what you can do now to meet the next new normal – start to test householding options. If households are dealing with multiple generations of parents, grandparents and kids, and the new localism in which the community is vitally important to customers comes to the fore, marketers must figure out how customers can pull their resources across their families, their friends, their networks and their communities to enjoy things relevant to all or most of them. Examples might include redeeming for event resources to host their local high school reunion, or for activities and resources to help a local community center, or simply letting the extended family get away for a ski trip. This needs to be tested now so that it can be determined how people engage, what is relevant, and how to start to prepare.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight on future trends and exclusive tips on how to adapt marketing strategy to thrive in 2030.
Archives in Ontario: a report on study visits under Canadian Studies Fellowship
Authors: Ghosh Maitrayee 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), Government of Canada, through Shastri Indo‐Canadian Institute, encourages Indian scholars for Understanding Canada Faculty Research, Fellowships; the author visited Canada during March 2010 to study Canadian archival system, especially records management in archives in Ontario province; the driving rationale for the study was the realization that there existed very few or no archives and record management (ARM) programs in India. This study intends to report different types of ARM programs in Canada, with special reference to e‐records management, namely automation status, creation of virtual exhibits, preservation of digital images, metadata standard for e‐records, etc.Design/methodology/approachThe author visited national, provincial and municipal archives and conducted unstructured interviews with archives staff/managers.FindingsRecords are considered as commodity and attempts to improve their management has necessitated a more integrated and controlled approach. In this study, it is noted that archivist and records managers have at present very little influence on policy implementation of archives and working under university librarian and less influence on decision making. All the university archives get a nominal amount from library budget. No separate budget for archives is available; modest budgets are allocated for rare book collection. The total archives concept in English Canada is based on the American system. The responsibility for collecting and copying its historical records fell to the government; with the so‐called convergence of technologies helping to fulfill new demands and rising expectations and to empower the end‐user. It was possible to establish very good relations with the archivists of these institutions and the author is keen to keep contact with them. It is expected that this study will serve as a building block to deeper examinations of broader issues such as the core competencies with respect to records management with special reference to e‐records management.Research limitations/implicationsThe prime objectives were to overview the current state of active and passive record keeping in the Government of Canada and identify the core competencies required to build effective record keeping infrastructures in the digital environment that has emerged in most government institutions. During a period of one month, the author was able to visit only selected archives in Toronto and Ottawa. The archives in other parts of Canada are not included in this study due to time limit.Originality/valueThe paper presents a study of the archival system in Canada and its role and contribution towards promoting a knowledge society in Canada.
Mobile Digital Library in The National Library of Norway
Authors: Høivik Jingru 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe ongoing work to investigate and improve access to digital assets at the Norwegian National Library using mobile phones.Design/methodology/approachA National Library Mobile User Network is described as are two practical case studies.FindingsThe National Library's web site at: www.nb.no plays an essential role in Norway's online library services. For development purposes an alternative mobile access point was created. This site provides tests of variant push and pulls modes, present “elite editions” and test polyvalent organization of selected materials.Originality/valueThe project is a first implementation of such approaches at the National Library and is thus part of a growing effort towards transliteracy which is the ability to read, to write and otherwise communicate and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media.
Analysis of information technology (IT) applications in academic libraries in Kuwait
Authors: Marimuthu Veeramani , Paraman Vinayagamoorthy 
Published: May 2011

PurposeLibrary professionals today need to acquire knowledge and skills in information and communication technology as the services of more and more libraries are now centering on information technology (IT), especially in educational institutions. Application of IT in academic environment in Kuwait has increased gradually in the recent decades. This paper is designed to measure the use of IT in the academic libraries of Kuwait and to establish some co‐relation between quality in libraries and use of IT.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a survey method.FindingsThe significance of IT lies in its role as a catalytic agent. Today there is no area, which has not been influenced by IT. IT mainly helps to provide timely information and facilitates real‐time access to remote databases. The importance of information lies in its accessibility and utilization by users for productivity and decision making. Technology remains one of the primary drivers of change in the ways that people work, seek information, communicate, and entertain themselves. In an academic environment, no unit has been transformed by technology than the library.Practical implicationsThe libraries need to reorganize their physical space to make technology‐enabled resources both more readily available and widely used. Library and information professionals should add new IT skills to their current capabilities in order to help users overcoming their anxieties about the new world of networked and digitized information, and assist them to navigate through it. In this regard college librarians have to be serious in developing their own proficiency and must find out how to develop their professional competency in general. Since the users are more prone to online and electronically delivered services, the growing role of the librarian in colleges would lie in information counseling, training, advising users on services and information products appropriate to their needs and how best to use them. This is a time that necessitates innovative ways of thinking about services, collections, information access, and also our roles as academic librarians. Being prepared to manage changes can furnish us with the ability to flourish.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the use of hardware and software facilities in academic libraries. It also highlights the access of networks, information services and problems in IT applications. The analysis of the data represents the extent and the level of IT application applied by the librarians at academic libraries in Kuwait.
Advocacy for open access: a selected review of the literature and resource list
Authors: Ghosh Maitrayee 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review some of the current literature and discuss some ways to advocate for open access (OA) programs adopted by libraries in various institutions. It points out that the library and information science/system community's enthusiasm for innovations in OA may have unintended negative financial consequences. This overview provides a list of relevant literature/resources in the area of library advocacy, with regard to the ongoing needs of OA repositories. There is a focus on OA in India.Design/methodology/approachThe literature review is not comprehensive but selective and fairly recent; it includes published resources from the last ten years and lists organizations advocating for a sustainable OA model.FindingsThe advocacy roles for librarians in promoting the OA movement, and the challenges they are facing in this era are discussed. The author stresses that a proactive approach in information handling and collaboration with information technology staff and academics are essential for OA to be sustainable.Originality/valueOwing to poor or reduced government funding for libraries, librarians are forced to advocate for OA in new and different ways. Library officers/information managers serving in universities and academic institutions can launch a program to help faculty pay for publishing in OA journals, introducing the concept and securing funding through various means.
Customer management and CRM: addressing the dark side
Authors: Frow Pennie , Payne Adrian , Wilkinson Ian F. , Young Louise 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe paper aims to consider the neglected area of customer relationship management (CRM) and customer management's “dark side”; and identify the key types of dark side behaviours of service providers as well as integrated approaches to CRM that will assist in overcoming dark side behaviour.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extensive literature review, supplemented by insights drawn from an on‐going longitudinal study of CRM, the authors develop a classification of dark side behaviour types.FindingsThe paper identifies ten forms of dark side behaviour that may be grouped into three broad categories based on means used and target. It illustrates how different types of dark side behaviours may be linked to the key strategic CRM processes.Practical implicationsThe paper examines how these dark side practices may be addressed by adoption of a more enlightened approach to CRM.Originality/valueThe dysfunctional forms of CRM and customer management have been neglected as an area of research in marketing. The paper identifies and classifies service provider dark side practices and outlines how adoption of a more strategic approach to CRM can address dark side behaviours and move towards more enlightened marketing practices.
A model of customer loyalty and corporate social responsibility
Authors: Mandhachitara Rujirutana , Poolthong Yaowalak 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the roles of corporate social responsibility (a non service‐related concept) and perceived service quality (a service‐related concept) in determining the attitudinal and behavioral loyalty of customers in the retail banking sector in Bangkok, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachThe study is quantitative in nature using the responses of 275 bank customers who answered a survey questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using partial least squares (PLS), a variance‐based structural equation modeling method.FindingsThe results of the study demonstrate that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has a significantly strong and positive association with attitudinal loyalty. Perceived service quality mediated the relationship between CSR and repeat patronage intentions (behavioral loyalty). Direct effects were reported between perceived service quality and both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. A positive relationship between attitudinal and behavioral loyalty was demonstrated.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the results are clear and have strong salience for the retail banking industry, future research should take into account the specific industry context within the national culture.Practical implicationsThe study provides a set of findings relating to CSR initiatives and perception of service quality that could be readily incorporated into banks' corporate strategic plans.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates an empirical operationalization of CSR initiatives measured from the customers' point of view, and from which banks could learn for corporate strategy development.
To book or not to book: the role of hotel web site heuristics
Authors: Virginia Phelan Kelly , Christodoulidou Natasa , Countryman Cary C. , Kistner Leonard J. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis study aims to examine web site heuristics and their influence on the likelihood to purchase.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of 28 participants was assigned a list of 30 hotel web sites to evaluate according to predetermined criteria and open‐ended questions.FindingsResults indicated that booking decisions are positively related to a web site's aesthetic appeal. The study found the presence of photographs on a hotel web site was the most significant factor impacting site appeal and influencing the booking decision. Other features affecting purchase decisions included ease of use, color, link availability, lack of web site clutter, and sites unique in appearance.Research limitations/implicationsResearch limitations included the size and composition of the sample. Respondents were college students, thus they represented a younger demographic and one which may be more tech‐savvy than other age groups. Also, the hotel web sites which were evaluated were located in one popular US tourist destination, meaning generalization to a larger population or to another industry may be limited.Practical implicationsResults showed four variables; pictures, ease of use, neat/uncluttered and plain/boring; were most significant on both site appeal and site influence. Practitioners would be well served to improve these web site elements to better accommodate customers and realize the greatest return on investment.Originality/valueThe paper investigates heuristics of hotel web sites. Findings identified areas for improvement by practitioners as well as areas for future research.
Interaction behaviors leading to comfort in the service encounter
Authors: Lloyd Alison E. , Luk Sherriff T.K. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis study seeks to investigate the service interaction behaviors that elicit a sense of comfort for the customer in the service encounter, and to investigate the mediating role of comfort on assessments of quality, customer satisfaction and positive word‐of‐mouth in two industries.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews were used to create an initial list of interaction behaviors displayed by service employees in an encounter. A quantitative study was then used to collect data to empirically examine the relationship between the constructs of interest.FindingsTwo key groups of interaction behavior are identified and contain specific behaviors that create a sense of overall comfort for the customer. Overall comfort positively impacts both overall quality and customer satisfaction, and this ultimately leads to positive word‐of‐mouth.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on two industries only: fashion apparel retailing and casual dining restaurants. Future research needs to examine other industries, experiential or credence services, level of involvement or the impact of culture.Practical implicationsManagers are recommended to incorporate interaction behaviors into front‐line employee training and design of comfort‐enhancing strategies.Originality/valueResearch on employee behaviors and emotional aspects of the encounter is relatively scant, and this study investigates the specific behavioral repertoire that gives rise to an overall feeling of comfort in the service encounter. Although employee behavior is widely acknowledged to have an immense impact on the customer's evaluation of the encounter, there still exists much room to explore specific behaviors that are important for successful service delivery.
Motivating shoppers to expand purchases during daylight‐saving time
Authors: Miranda Mario 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to get an understanding of the determinants of unscheduled store visits during daylight‐saving time so that retail service providers may be able to encourage shoppers to expand their purchases during their sporadic store visits.Design/methodology/approachFrom the survey data, two econometric models were constructed, which predicted frequencies and times of shoppers' unscheduled grocery purchases. Based on the findings and behavioural principles, a conceptual model is defined for motivating shoppers to expand their purchases during their intermittent store visits.FindingsA considerable number of consumers make unscheduled grocery store visits to their principal grocery stores when the store is kept open during daylight‐saving time. Shoppers are, however, not likely to make significant purchases during these irregular visits.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could examine changes in shopping behaviour from the switch back of the clock when DST is over.Practical implicationsGrocery stores who employ more resources, hoping to take advantage of the increased consumer inclination to visit stores during daylight‐saving time, may struggle to recover their operating costs.Originality/valueThe preparedness of consumers to break out of their work and social activities and visit their principal grocery service providers after business hours during daylight‐saving time suggests that these consumers could be motivated, based on the principle of hierarchy of needs, to elaborate on the benefits of the store's augmented and engaging services at this time and expand their purchases during these visits.