This paper looks beyond the entrepreneurial orientation (EO)-performance link and focuses on identifying EO profiles of SMEs to suggest variations in product innovativeness dimensions of different ...performance potential. Based upon a sample of 149 manufacturing companies, the study identifies two opposite groups with the help of a cluster analysis, namely the active entrepreneurs and the passive entrepreneurs. The particular results verify the viewpoints stated by industry experts in Greece, but also facilitate further understanding of firms following a similar duality observed in other studies. Taking a step further, subsequent analysis of variance demonstrates that these groups consist of product innovators, who take equal care of reducing customers' burden (e.g. time, effort, purchase risk) in adopting new products. However, the entrepreneurial attitude instilled in active entrepreneurs as compared with passive entrepreneurs is primarily mirrored in new products, which embody in their characteristics higher uniqueness; an ingredient found to act as an important contributor to product performance. This article, apart from its contribution to the entrepreneurship research, has meaningful implications for managers and policy-makers.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
This paper seeks to clarify and refine the relationship between strategic and internal green marketing and firm competitiveness. Despite the significance of corporate environmental strategy to firms ...adopting a triple-bottom line performance evaluation, there is insufficient focus on strategic green marketing and its impact on a firm's competitiveness. This study fills the gap by providing a comprehensive view of strategic green marketing and its impact on competitive advantage. Findings also reveal the moderating role of internal green marketing actions towards the development of a sustained competitive advantage. Specifically, the findings build on contemporary green marketing literature suggesting that a significant interplay between strategy and people exists which enhances the creation of competitive advantage. This in turn increases financial performance. Finally, this research uses an updated approach to build on current literature concerning the drivers and outcomes of strategic green marketing. This provides managers with nuanced insights about environmentally-driven competitive advantage.
•Strategic green marketing orientation (SGMO) positively affects competitiveness.•Internal green marketing orientation (IGMO) has a moderating role in this effect.•IGMO intensifies the positive effect of SGMO on competitive advantage.•Competitive advantage mediates the relationship of SGMO with financial performance.•CSR and stakeholder environmental pressures positively impact the level of SGMO.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
As green marketing becomes an essential tool for sustainable business strategy, companies are adopting green marketing practices to achieve better business performance. However, no research has yet ...operationalized all the organizational facets that are necessary to become a green marketing oriented company. To address this omission, following the literature in measurement theory, this investigation reports a series of 4 studies and develops a scale to capture the holistic approach of green marketing. This study introduces the construct of green marketing orientation, which comprises three dimensions: strategic green marketing orientation, tactical green marketing orientation and internal green marketing orientation. The scale shows internal consistency, reliability, construct validity and nomological validity. Directions for future research and managerial implications of the new construct are discussed.
•Scale development process introduces a novel, holistic concept of green marketing.•4 studies report reliability and validity for the green marketing orientation scale.•2 studies (N=329) confirm the strategic, tactical and internal dimensions of GMO.•Results uncover the effects of three distinct GMO dimensions on performance.•Findings support prior research on the green marketing-performance relationship.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Two conceptual approaches Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13 (3), 319–340; DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. ...R. (1992). Information systems success: The quest for the dependent variable. Information Systems Research, 3 (1), 60–95 are unified into a conceptual model that offers a comprehensive explanation of CRM acceptance antecedents and consequences in a sales force setting. Based upon responses from 240 salespersons that utilize a CRM system, the model is tested and explanations are offered for the system's acceptance. Specifically, the most prevailing influence on CRM acceptance comes from CRM perceived usefulness, followed by the setting of accurate expectations regarding system usage, the salesperson innovativeness towards new technological tools, the CRM perceived ease-of-use, and the supervisor encouragement and support. Surprisingly, the model does not adequately explicate salesperson performance. Sales managers are presented with a discussion and implications of the findings.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
During the last decade, an increasing number of studies have been concerned with the factors that lead to new service success. Quite a few studies, however, have examined the role of product ...innovativeness in new service development and performance. The present article aims to test empirically a widespread, yet under-researched argument, according to which, different innovative types may be associated with different development patterns and performance outcomes.
On the basis of a detailed literature review we designed the conceptual framework for the present study. More specifically, we propose that the performance outcome of a new service is the result of the development process followed, which, in turn, is influenced by the innovativeness of the new service. The development process is examined through three blocks of variables, namely new service development activities (i.e., the “what” component), process formality (i.e., the “how” component) and cross-functional involvement (i.e., the “who” component). Performance is viewed in relation to both financial and non-financial outcomes. The different dimensions of innovativeness form the basis of our classification scheme.
To collect the data, we followed the “dropping off” method. That is, we handed in self-administered questionnaires to participants and, a picking-up appointment was set. Respondents were NSD project leaders who were asked to select two financial services, one successful and one unsuccessful, that they had developed within the last three years and reply to all questions relating to the development and launching of these services. Overall, 84 financial companies participated in the study, providing data for 132 new financial services (80 successes and 52 failures) developed and marketed in Greece.
Data analysis revealed that six distinct service innovativeness types exist. They can be represented in the form of a continuum depending on the degree of innovativeness that characterizes each type. At the most innovative extreme of the continuum we find the new-to-the-market services followed by new-to-the-company services, new delivery processes, service modifications, service line extensions, while at the least innovative end service repositionings are placed.
These six types are found to be associated with different development patterns in terms of activities, formality and cross-functional involvement as well as performance outcomes. Interestingly enough, our data suggest an almost inverted U-shaped relationship between the degree of innovativeness of a new financial service and financial performance. On the other hand, the major service innovations make the strongest contribution on non-financial performance, while “me-too” offerings are the least successful ones.
The study has a number of research contributions as well as implications for managers involved in new service development in the financial services industry. The conceptualization of the continuum of innovativeness helps disclosing the critical points of the NSD process and its structuring which, depending of the type of new service and the degree of innovativeness that characterizes it, ensures that the management’s objectives regarding the performance of the new service are attained.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of ingredient advertising. Specifically, the authors consider the question as to whether ingredient advertising can increase derived ...demand and favorably influence purchase intentions and attitudes toward the host product that incorporates the advertised B2B ingredient.
Design/methodology/approach
They conduct experiments in two host product categories using a three-group, between-subjects experimental design.
Findings
The findings of the study are revealing about the impact of ingredient advertising on the demand for host products, in which the advertised ingredients are incorporated. It is demonstrated that consumer advertising positively affects the attitude and purchase intention toward the host brand that incorporates the advertised industrial product. It is also found that the higher the importance of the advertised ingredient as an attribute of the host product, the greater the advertising effects on the consumer brand.
Practical implications
The findings imply that ingredient advertising can help marketers to stimulate derived demand in the sense that it makes consumer brands incorporating the advertised industrial product more attractive to consumers. The positive influence of ingredient advertisements is greater for industrial products that are perceived by consumers as very important ingredients of the final product as consumers are more prone to search for and process ingredient-related information and are also more likely to respond to it.
Originality/value
Despite the implementation of ingredient advertising campaigns by many B2B brands and the vast literature on conventional B2C advertising, there has been no previous attempt to investigate this issue in the empirical literature. This empirical study shows how ingredient advertising works and how it can benefit both buyers and suppliers of the advertised B2B products.
Internal branding is increasingly acknowledged as a potential route to acquiring sustainable competitive advantage. However, to date no systematic attempt has been made to operationalise from an ...organisational perspective all imperatives for achieving brand internalisation. To address this omission, we introduce internal brand orientation as a new construct that provides a measurable and more succinct picture of internal branding. Following the literature in measurement theory, we report a series of complementary studies and develop a scale which comprises two dimensions: top management brand commitment and shared brand values. The new scale demonstrates strong psychometric evidence of reliability and validity, facilitating future research in the area. Findings can be used as a guidance by business executives in their effort to turn employees into brand ambassadors and motivate everyone in the organisation towards brand supportive behaviours.
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BFBNIB, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Effectively managing the sales function is a prerequisite for success in business markets. Thus, practitioners are increasingly interested in improving the performance of their sales function. ...However, there is evidence pinpointing that academic research in the area may be experiencing a decline in its status among other subject areas in the marketing discipline. Fortunately, advances in the field of selling and sales management as reflected in the organization of specialized conferences/meetings and the development of special journal issues hold the promise of enhancing the status of sales within marketing academia. Following this stream of activities, this IMM special section on “Selling & Sales Management” aims at stimulating the level of discourse regarding how research in our field can be advanced. The present article introduces the special section; next, it summarizes the articles comprising the special section; and, finally, it concludes with some thoughts on fruitful research opportunities in the sales area.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
What is sales strategy? How and when does it affect performance? This study attempts to provide answers to these overlooked questions by developing a comprehensive conceptualization of sales strategy ...and examining its impact on sales force and firm performance. Sales strategy was operationalized as a multidimensional construct consisting of four dimensions, namely customer segmentation, customer prioritization/targeting, developing relationship objectives/selling models, and use of multiple sales channels. Moreover, by drawing on the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm, as well as on industrial organization theory (IOT), the authors test the moderating effects of transformational leadership, customer solution orientation, and demand uncertainty on the sales strategy–performance relationship. Analyses of survey and secondary data from a sample of 170 firms provide evidence that sales strategy is consistently and positively associated with performance while transformational leadership, customer solution orientation, and demand uncertainty were found to exert significant moderating effects on this relationship. The study's findings have important implications. For marketing researchers, they put forward an empirical operationalization of sales strategy and provide evidence regarding the usefulness of the RBV and IOT perspectives for explaining its performance implications. For managers, the findings show that a well-crafted sales strategy pays off and to get the most out of their sales strategy managers should (a) adopt a transformational leadership approach, (b) assess changes in demand, and (c) assess the degree to which their customers are demanding the provision of solutions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to inform the business management literature that focuses on the perceptions of business professionals towards the multidimensional and highly complex concept ...of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on a sample of 118 Greek business executives/middle managers having different functional positions. A questionnaire based on the works of Quazi and O’Brien (2000) and Welford et al . (2007) was designed and used for data collection. Findings – Key findings denote occupational health and safety, benign environmental management as well as responsible production methods as the top CSR priorities. Two different CSR viewpoints emerged from the factor analysis reflecting a pragmatic and a more socially responsive interpretation of corporate responsibility. Cluster analysis confirmed such contrasting perspectives allowing the partition of data in distinctive groups according to the relative inclination on either of the identified viewpoints. Similarity measures obtained from cluster analysis also verified the different CSR positions. Originality/value – The paper explores CSR perceptions, as predictor factors of CSR performance, in three different groups of Greek business professionals. It contributes to the literature of CSR perspectives from South-East European countries where there is a distinct lack of empirical studies on managerial attitudes.
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