bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Public sector business support providers: marketing business support to the ethnic business sector
Authors: Emslie Lisa , Bent Richard 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe economic and social importance of minority ethnic‐owned businesses (MEBs) is widely recognised, but it is also well‐known that the providers of business support services have so far fallen short of the ideal in identifying, targeting and communicating with MEBs. This study seeks to add to the very limited academic literature on the topic by investigating the application of marketing principles to the task, in Scotland.Design/methodology/approachData for interpretation were collected by six semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with public‐sector business‐support providers in Edinburgh and Glasgow.FindingsProviders are aware of the lack of awareness among MEBs of the services available, and the consequent poor take‐up rates. Some have made limited efforts to initiate change by beginning to differentiate their products and services, and market them proactively, but others still favour a generic approach. A constraint on further progress is the lack of useful databases.Research limitations/implicationsThis was a small‐scale exploratory study. It would be useful to use its tentative findings as the departure point for broader‐based studies, especially where MEBs are more numerous.Practical implicationsThe findings contain lessons for academic researchers and marketing practitioners with an interest in ethnic minorities. Various “differentiated” marketing strategies are discussed, and promotional strategies for targeting the owners and operators of MEBs.Originality/valueThis study adds significantly to the published body of knowledge. Its findings are potentially applicable in the wider context of non‐profit, public‐sector and services marketing.
Political marketing communications planning in the UK and Taiwan
Authors: Peng Norman , Hackley Chris 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThis study sets out to make in‐depth comparisons between major political campaigns in the UK and Taiwan, and generate contemporary insights into the creative development process, the working relationships between campaign managers and professional agencies, and the “spin doctor” phenomenon, all through the eyes of very senior professionals.Design/methodology/approachMaterial gathered in “élite interviews” was subjected to interpretive analysis and synthesised with secondary data and the findings of an extensive literature review.FindingsThe putative Americanization of political marketing has not been as complete as some authors suggest, but one of its features was an important element in campaign development in both countries: the centrality of the party leader'spersonain an image‐building strategy. The culture and history of the party were an important determinant of the style of the campaigns examined. It was generally agreed that political marketing and advertising have been strongly influenced by commercial branding, though important differences remain.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the richness of the data and the authority of the respondents, the small number of willing participants in the study limits the scope for generalisation.Practical implicationsThe findings offer usable insights into the creative development process and the nature of client‐agency relationships, in political campaign planning.Originality/valueThe paper contributes the first expert‐insider perspective in published studies and commentaries concerning political marketing literature. It cuts across disciplines of political science, communication, management, marketing and advertising, and may contain lessons for marketing planners in other non‐commercial contexts.
Quality assurance review programs of auditing firms: an international perspective
Authors: Alkafaji Yass A. 
Published: July 2007

PurposeQuality assurance review programs are created to provide assurances to the public that all accountants maintain a high level of competence in public practice. However, not all countries require such programs. The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast quality assurance review programs in different parts of the world in order to identify similarities and differences in these programs. In addition, the paper attempts to explain why some countries adopt quality assurance programs while others do not have such programs.Design/methodology/approachA request for information and a survey were sent to the accounting regulatory bodies who are members of the International Federations of Accountants (IFAC). In total, 44 countries responded to the survey, of which 33 have formal quality assurance programs. The survey results were analyzed to identify similarities and differences in the design and implementation of such programs and to draw conclusions from this analysis.FindingsAnalyses of the questionnaires indicate that quality assurance review programs among countries share some common features, but vary significantly in many other areas. It was also found that countries with significant stock markets tend to require quality assurance programs of their accounting firms while countries of less significant stock markets tend not to require such programs.Research limitations/implicationsThe conclusions are based on the countries which responded to the survey. More countries did adopt quality assurance programs subsequent to the date of a survey in 2002.Practical implicationsHarmonizations of accounting and auditing standards have come a long way as a response to market globalization. Regulators, such as the IFAC, Securities and Exchange Commission and its counterparts, are demanding that such programs be implemented. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of such programs in selected countries, and thus regulators may benefit from its findings.Originality/valueThe paper is the first of its type. The paper will help regulators and auditing firms to gain knowledge of the quality assurance programs of selected countries and establish policies in light of these results.
Transparent financial disclosure and SFAS No. 142
Authors: Sevin Suzanne , Schroeder Richard , Bhamornsiri Sak 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine whether companies are providing transparent financial disclosures in compiling with the provisions of SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”, and to determine whether the adequacy of these disclosures is impacted by firm size.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a random sample of companies that reported goodwill impairments for the first year of adoption of SFAS No. 142. The firms were then stratified into three groups according to asset size. Subsequent analysis consisted of assessing the financial transparency of companies' goodwill reporting practices in total and by firm size, utilizing an approach suggested in Adams.FindingsThe study's findings suggest that many companies are not willing to provide additional voluntary disclosures to improve financial transparency, despite having the necessary information easily accessible. It also found that compliance with the provisions of SFAS 142 was sporadic and unpredictable.Originality/valueThis study provides evidence that companies are not providing transparent financial information.
CEO duality, audit committee effectiveness and audit risks
Authors: Bliss Mark A. , Muniandy Balachandran , Majid Abdul 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between a firm's internal corporate governance characteristics and audit fees, and whether the external auditor perceives higher inherent risk when CEO duality is present. Additionally, it aims to examine whether having more independent directors on audit committee moderates the auditor's perceived inherent risk when CEO duality is present.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in testing the hypotheses consist of all the Malaysian public listed companies on the main board in terms of market capitalization non‐finance listed companies for year 2001. Multiple regression analysis is used to estimate the relationships proposed in the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that the presence of CEO duality on the board, a proxy for board independence, is associated with higher audit fees and that this positive relationship is significantly weakened when the firm has a higher proportion of independent directors on the audit committee. These results suggest that auditors in their assessment of the inherent risk of a firm recognize that independent audit committees provide an important check to moderate CEO dominance in firms where CEO duality is present.Originality/valueIn this study, the effect of CEO duality and the independence of the board and audit committee are considered. The paper provides an important insight that having more independent directors on the audit committee moderates the auditor's perceived inherent risk when CEO duality is present following the new code of corporate governance introduced in Malaysia in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis.
The state of internet marketing research
Authors: Schibrowsky John A. , Peltier James W. , Nill Alexander 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the internet marketing literature to determine how internet marketing research has evolved in terms of quantity, content, and publication outlets. In addition, the paper identifies important trends in the internet marketing literature and provides a view of the research gaps and expected topical areas of interest.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis was performed on approximately 1,400 internet‐related marketing articles identified by searching the ABI/INFORM database. A total of 902 peer‐reviewed internet marketing articles appearing in nearly 80 different journals were identified. The study revealed that 60 percent of the internet research had been published in the last three years. The three most researched internet marketing areas were consumer behavior, internet strategy, and internet communications. The topics with the highest growth over the past two years were research issues and consumer search. Over the past 15 years, 14 articles appeared in the top three marketing journals.FindingsThe article identified important trends in the internet marketing research to provide future direction, particularly in terms of research gaps and expected topical areas of interest. The three major research areas that are likely to grow in the next few years are: consumer trust pertaining to the internet, the use of the internet by consumers for marketing related activities, and where is the internet headed in terms of integrating strategies?Originality/valueThe study provides both academics and practitioners with an updated review of the internet marketing literature along with a sense of how internet marketing research is evolving.
Researching vulnerability: what about the researcher?
Authors: Downey Hilary , Hamilton Kathy , Catterall Miriam 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore researcher vulnerability and identify the ways in which research with vulnerable consumers can impact on consumer researchers.Design/methodology/approachProvides a review of research literature aiming to raise awareness of researcher vulnerability.FindingsResearchers working in the domain of vulnerable consumers need to be aware that feelings of vulnerability may be reflected back to the researcher.Originality/valueMethodological concerns surrounding the research of vulnerable consumers tend to focus on the welfare of respondents; researcher vulnerability has been largely neglected within the consumer research literature. Historically, problems arising in the research process have tended to be disguised so as not to elicit negative feedback. This paper creates an awareness of such aspects of unthought‐of ethical and methodological problems.
British consumers' evaluations of US versus Chinese goods
Authors: Leonidou Leonidas C. , Palihawadana Dayananda , Talias Michael A. 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe article aims to identify differences in consumers' evaluations of goods made in either the USA or China at different levels of analysis; to trace variations in consumers' evaluations with regard to various cues characterizing US or Chinese goods; and to provide a comparison of consumers' evaluations between US and Chinese goods at different levels of analysis and across different product cues.Design/methodology/approachThe study builds hypotheses that correspond to each of the three research objectives. Information was received through personal interviews from a sample of 404 British consumers, aged 18 years and above. Respondents were randomly selected at central locations using a systematic stratified procedure. Data were gathered using a structured questionnaire, with questions focusing separately on the USA and China, at five different levels of analysis, and in six different categories of product cues. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the reliability and validity of the scales were found to be satisfactory. The hypotheses were tested using either student‐t or ANOVA statistics.FindingsThe results provide support to all three hypotheses, revealing that there are significant differences in consumer evaluations across the various levels of analysis, caused mainly by the brand, which overshadows country‐of‐origin effects in the case of the USA, but emphasizes these effects in that of Chinese goods.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the study have serious implications for corporate and public policy‐makers, especially for the countries involved in the analysis. These implications should be seen within the context of various geographical, product, time, and other limitations, which provide the basis for undertaking future research on the subject.Originality/valueAs opposed to extant research on country‐of‐origin effects, the study offers a multi‐level and multi‐cue comparison for products manufactured by two major actors in the international trade arena (USA and China), as these are perceived by consumers living in an important developed market (the UK).
Customer orientation and salesperson performance
Authors: Cross Mark E. , Brashear Thomas G. , Rigdon Edward E. , Bellenger Danny N. 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the impact of customer orientation, at the levels of both the company and the salesperson, on salesperson performance.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 283 salespeople provides the database that was analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsPrior studies suggest that both company and salesperson customer orientation has a positive effect on performance. The findings of this study suggest that a salesperson's customer orientation completely mediates the relationship between company customer orientation and salesperson performance. Thus, the influence of a company's customer orientation on salesperson performance acts through the customer orientation of the salespeople.Originality/valueThe study reinforces the importance of customer orientation and the role of salespeople in putting customer orientation into practice.
Service quality, relationship satisfaction, trust, commitment and business‐to‐business loyalty
Authors: Chumpitaz Caceres Ruben , Paparoidamis Nicholas G. 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to establish a theoretical basis for evaluating a strategic increase in customers' perceptions of service/product quality – specifically in terms of an increase in relationship quality and customer loyalty in a B2B environment – and to test this theoretical basis empirically.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the relationship‐marketing literature, the authors empirically test a model of business loyalty in a sample of 234 advertising agencies' clients.FindingsUsing the Grönroos conceptualisation, a clear pattern of service‐quality dimensions is established and several important findings are reported – including empirical verification of the mediating role of overall relationship satisfaction in the formation of loyalty attributes. The effects of trust and commitment are also verified.Research limitations/implicationsStudies that model attitudinal as well as behavioural relationship outcomes have strong precedence in the relationship marketing area. Although in this study the “intentions” approach is followed rather than a behavioural one, the measurement of the real behaviour of industrial clients proves to be very difficult from a practical point‐of‐view.Practical implicationsIn this service continuum, managers need to clearly define relationship development strategies, service provision policies and develop homogeneous service provision. Towards this direction, it is essential that firms communicate the service and product quality standards to partners so that differences in service provision can be avoided.Originality/valueThe study integrates the concepts of service/product quality, relationship satisfaction, trust, and commitment in a business‐loyalty model, demonstrating the benefits of investing in relationships based on trust and commitment.
Market orientation versus innovative culture: two routes to superior brand performance
Authors: O'Cass Aron , Viet Ngo Liem 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe paper aims at providing insights into how market orientation and organisational culture together contribute to brand performance, shedding light on the nexus between innovative culture and market orientation, and examining the relative importance of innovative culture over market orientation in affecting brand performance.Design/methodology/approachIn a cross‐sectional survey, a variance‐based structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses on a convenience sample of 180 marketing executives in Australia.FindingsOrganisations with a strong innovative culture appear to recognise that building a successful brand depends not always on the interpretation of feedback received from current customers and competitors, but instead on organisations' ability to innovatively develop unique ways of delivering superior value to customers. The findings were consistent with this advice to both market orientation and innovative culture. In addition, the findings indicate that market orientation is a response partially derived from the organisation's innovative culture. Finally, it was also found that organisational culture was relatively more important than market orientation in affecting organisational performance.Originality/valueThe paper advances the understanding of performance‐based market orientation research by investigating structural relationships among market orientation, organisational culture, and organisational performance at the micro level (e.g. brand performance).
Insights into interpreting integrated marketing communications
Authors: Eagle Lynne , Kitchen Philip J. , Bulmer Sandy 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThis research paper aims to examine the theoretical and practical applicability of integrated marketing communications.Design/methodology/approachPresents the findings from a two‐country qualitative study concerning the phenomenon. The research used survey methodology to assess the views of advertising agency members of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners (UK) and the Communications Agencies Association of New Zealand (CAANZ)FindingsThe findings show that practitioners appear to be constructing and applying IMC concepts that are situation‐specific. Nonetheless, a search for a single empirically testable theory of IMC ignores evidence that practitioners are committed to IMC concepts while at the same time resisting the development of “rigid rules”. Additionally, external factors may be forcing reconsideration of marketing communications and accountability.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to a study of ad agency perceptions in two countries. While implications of the findings for other countries are discussed, a major direction for the future is the need for research to be conducted in organisations themselves, not necessarily the agencies which service their needs.Practical implicationsPractical implications include variability in terms of the application of IMC principles. This leads to the idea of differential application with – as stated above – some rejection of “rigid rules” in this dynamic area.Originality/valueThe value of the paper lies in its use of a comparative approach using members of clearly identifiable and relevant samples in two countries in relation to IMC. The notion of differentiation in relation to IMC application, the perceived rejection of rigid rules, and the need for further research to be focused in‐company (rather than in‐agency) assist in moving this emergent paradigm forward in an academic and practitioner sense.
Quality award dimensions: a strategic instrument for measuring health service quality
Authors: Palani Natha Raja M. , Deshmukh S.G. , Wadhwa Subhash 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe research which compared quality awards and the selection of criteria for assessing health care processes quality status, in private sector health care institutions in India.Design/methodology/approachA comparison of quality awards was performed and criteria were selected for assessing health care processes quality status. The relationships in the model, as measured by the instrument, was the work's main objective. Using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, European Foundation for Quality Management and Kanji Business Excellence Model, common factors were extracted to measure the quality perceptions of health care organizations and to measure the relationships among the quality dimensions. The sample selected for this study comprised healthcare stakeholders.FindingsAs a result of respondents' knowledge, data provide unique insights into the relationships among the dimensions that compose quality in healthcare organizations. Principal component analysis was used to identify relationships among service quality dimensions in the developed quality framework. Specifically, the relationship between leadership, resource measurement, people management, process management and customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThe research shows that developing a measurement instrument is an important step in assessing an organisation's actual or perception of quality and assessing customer's perception is one way to improve service quality.
Is the Swedish welfare state in retreat? Current trends in Swedish health care
Authors: Quaye Randolph K. 
Published: July 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore, 14 years since the introduction of market reforms, the extent to which changes have altered the nature of Sweden's health care financing, examine how these changes have affected the views of Sweden's physicians, and to judge the impact of these reforms on the delivery and quality of care.Design/methodology/approachSwedish physicians', Federation of County Council members' and health economists' views, were explored. The data were obtained from in‐depth interviews with 31 respondents in the summer of 2005. The sample was drawn from Stockholm County and the Skane Region.FindingsThe respondents generally believed that the Swedish health care system basic structure had remained intact and that several early 1990s reforms, to introduce financial incentives into health care system, had worked well. The diagnostic‐related groups system, though not popular among some health care providers, seemed to have worked for the purposes intended. The majority of Swedish physicians interviewed expressed general satisfaction with their work. Several praised the internal reforms as contributing to more stable health care expenditures, which are low compared with other countries. A majority of respondents supported the care guarantee provisions.Originality/valueThis paper points out that Sweden is showing what governments can do in a global society where access to health care is paramount. All Swedes can feel proud of a well‐planned health care system.