Showing papers on "Relationship marketing published in 2015"
TL;DR: The authors examined the consequences of this heterogeneity by empirically mapping current conceptual approaches using an item-level coding of extant loyalty research, then testing how operational and study-specific characteristics moderate the strategy → loyalty → performance process through meta-analytic techniques.
Abstract: Achieving customer loyalty is a primary marketing goal, but building loyalty and reaping its rewards remain ongoing challenges. Theory suggests that loyalty comprises attitudes and purchase behaviors that benefit one seller over competitors. Yet researchers examining loyalty adopt widely varying conceptual and operational approaches. The present investigation examines the consequences of this heterogeneity by empirically mapping current conceptual approaches using an item-level coding of extant loyalty research, then testing how operational and study-specific characteristics moderate the strategy → loyalty → performance process through meta-analytic techniques. The results clarify dissimilarities in loyalty building strategies, how loyalty differentially affects performance and word of mouth, and the consequences of study-specific characteristics. Prescriptive advice based on 163 studies of customer loyalty addresses three seemingly simple but very critical questions: What is customer loyalty? How is it measured? and What actually matters when it comes to customer loyalty?
248 citations
TL;DR: A theory-based model of utilitarian and hedonic website features, customer commitment, trust, and e-loyalty in an online hotel booking context is developed to highlight the importance of creating loyalty by focusing on both hedonics and utilitarian features.
245 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the influence of marketing departments and found that the marketing department has lost significant influence and the sales department has benefited from this loss of influence, rather than the finance department, as one might assume.
Abstract: Although research and managerial practice have demonstrated great interest in the role of marketing departments within firms and have raised repeated concerns that their influence is in sharp decline, prior research has not analyzed whether marketing departments are truly losing ground. To do so, we build on the work of Homburg et al. (1999), which assessed the influence of the marketing department two decades ago. Drawing on structurally equivalent data, the results demonstrate that the marketing department has indeed lost significant influence. Additionally, we analyze which department has benefited from this loss of influence. Interestingly, it is the sales department that has gained influence, rather than the finance department, as one might assume. We also study the performance consequences of the intraorganizational distribution of influence among the marketing, sales, R&D, operations, and finance departments. Our results are alarming because an influential marketing department makes the greatest contribution to company performance.
198 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors empirically investigated marketing department power in U.S. firms throughout 1993-2008 and assessed its impact on firm performance, finding that a powerful marketing department enhances firms' longer-term future total shareholder returns beyond its positive effect on firms' short-term return on assets (ROA).
Abstract: This study empirically investigates marketing department power in U.S. firms throughout 1993–2008 and assesses its impact on firm performance. Using a new objective measure of marketing department power and a cross-industry sample of 612 public firms in the United States, the results reveal that, in general, marketing department power increased during this time period. Furthermore, the analyses show that a powerful marketing department enhances firms' longer-term future total shareholder returns beyond its positive effect on firms' short-term return on assets (ROA). The findings also reveal that a firm's long-run market-based-asset-building and short-run market-based- asset-leveraging capabilities partially mediate the effect of a firm's marketing department power on its longer-term shareholder value performance and fully mediate the effect on its short-term ROA performance. This research provides new insights for marketing scholars and managers with regard to both marketing's influence within the firm an...
186 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the marketing discipline should move away from its rather restrictive focus on customers toward a view of marketing that acknowledges the interrelatedness of stakeholders, and present stakeholder marketing as a revised perspective on marketing that views stakeholder networks as continuous instead of discrete multiplicities.
Abstract: This conceptual paper argues that the marketing discipline should move away from its rather restrictive focus on customers toward a view of marketing that acknowledges the interrelatedness of stakeholders. Building on multiplicity theory, this paper presents stakeholder marketing as a revised perspective on marketing that views stakeholder networks as continuous instead of discrete multiplicities. This revised perspective offers a better understanding of stakeholder networks where (1) value exchange has become complex rather than dyadic, (2) tension between stakeholder interests has become explicit rather than implicit, and (3) control over marketing activities has become dispersed rather than centralized. The paper conceptualizes capabilities required by firms for dealing with each of these three transitions: systems thinking, paradoxical thinking, and democratic thinking. The paper discusses implications for firm performance, marketing theory, empirical research, and marketing practice and argues that embracing stakeholder marketing helps to reclaim territory for marketing in academia and business.
184 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors synthesize five decades of supply chain-related research from premier managerially oriented marketing journals and provide a state-of-the-art integration and forecasting of where the field is heading.
177 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a model examining how customer collaboration and openness to innovation act as antecedents of customer knowledge management (CKM) and customer collaboration's effect on marketing results is presented.
141 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of affective trust and cognitive trust on the success of business relationships at the early and mature phases of the relationship lifecycle is examined, and the mediating roles of commitment and liking between trust and relationship performance are also developed.
136 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a mediated moderation model that links marketing capability from an outside-in perspective, organizational adaptation mechanism exploitation and exploration, organizational structural factors, and new product development performance was proposed.
132 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined third-sector organizations that have transformed their traditional business model to become more business-like social enterprises and how these marketing capabilities influenced the success of this transformation in both the UK and Japan.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to extend the existing research on the relationship between eight different types of marketing capability and social enterprise performance. More specifically, we examine third-sector organizations that have transformed their traditional business model to become more business-like social enterprises and how these marketing capabilities influence the success of this transformation in both the UK and Japan. We identify, among other things, that not all marketing capabilities are positively associated with social enterprise performance. These findings challenge the conventional wisdom that market-driven organizations must develop all types of marketing capability. We suggest that social entrepreneurs should develop their marketing capabilities selectively according to their specific performance objectives.
128 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive framework of both relationship marketing and loyalty program mechanisms is presented and the authors consider how cultural and developmental contingency factors may alter the effects of these mechanisms on seller performance.
Abstract: Relationship marketing (RM) and loyalty programs (LPs) are key differentiation strategies for firms facing increasing global competition. Accordingly, global interest in RM and LPs has surged, though researchers examining these marketing activities typically apply U.S.-centric frameworks to international research contexts. To understand how RM and LPs may be influenced by factors that distinguish global markets, this review offers a comprehensive framework of both RM and LP mechanisms and considers how cultural and developmental contingency factors may alter the effects of these mechanisms on seller performance. The results from this review produce eight propositions about where specific RM and LP strategies should be most effective. By considering these mechanisms jointly, the authors also simultaneously delineate RM and LP theories and broaden the scope of global research in both domains.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the impact of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a focus on ethical and environment questions related to the constructs of customer satisfaction (CS), relationship maintenance (RM), and customer loyalty (CL), on determining the attitudinal and behavioural loyalty and maintenance of customers in the shipping industry.
Abstract: This paper aims to examine the impact of perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a focus on ethical and environment questions related to the constructs of customer satisfaction (CS), relationship maintenance (RM) and customer loyalty (CL), on determining the attitudinal and behavioural loyalty and maintenance of customers in the shipping industry. For this purpose, this study enhances its empirical validity by collecting data from 214 respondents in South Korea and testing the hypothesis using structure equation modelling. It was found that (1) CSR is an effective relationship marketing tool that requires further research to investigate its benefits; (2) systemic investigation in CSR activities in the shipping industry finds publishing CSR reports the most preferred tool among major shipping companies; and (3) there is a strong empirical evidence which supports that values have a significant impact on the customers' perception of CSR performance. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate that sense of place influences the strength of consumers' attachment to a service location, which ultimately has positive effects on consumers' behaviors and provide an initial investigation into how organizations can better manage the service place and provide a rich framework for future research on managing attachment with service consumers.
Abstract: Fostering attachment between consumers and organizations is developing into a cornerstone of relationship marketing strategy. However, little is known about how an organization can develop strong emotional ties with consumers. Our research addresses one aspect of this gap by showing that in atmosphere dominant service firms, sense of place leads to place attachment, which in turn plays a critical role in driving desirable customer behaviors. In Study 1 we demonstrate that sense of place influences the strength of consumers’ attachment to a service location, which ultimately has positive effects on consumers’ behaviors. In Study 2, we identify characteristics that influence the sense of place dimensions and extend the model to better account for the dynamics of social relationships that develop within a service firm. This research provides an initial investigation into how organizations can better manage the service place and provides a rich framework for future research on managing attachment with service consumers.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine how a firm's financial leverage affects marketing outcomes and consequent firm value and find that leverage has a dual effect: it reduces customer satisfaction and moderates the relationship between satisfaction and firm value.
Abstract: The authors examine how a firm's financial leverage affects marketing outcomes and consequent firm value. They find that leverage has a dual effect: it reduces customer satisfaction and moderates the relationship between satisfaction and firm value. The burden of making regular interest payments to debt holders pressures managers to generate adequate cash flows. The authors theorize that this may lead marketers to adopt short-term actions such as cutting advertising and research-and-development spending, which can hurt customer satisfaction by lowering perceived quality and perceived value. Furthermore, higher leverage reduces financial flexibility by constraining marketers from exploiting growth opportunities resulting from higher customer satisfaction. The authors empirically show that leverage leads to lower customer satisfaction, with advertising intensity mediating this effect. The negative impact of leverage on satisfaction is more pronounced for service firms and firms in competitive markets. Final...
TL;DR: In this article, the impacts of green marketing strategy on the Malaysian certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System firms' performance was studied. But, the authors did not consider the impact of green innovation and green promotion on the performance of the firms.
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07 May 2015TL;DR: The importance of social marketing for social policy has been discussed in this article, where the authors discuss the role of social media in social policy and the nature of the social marketing mix.
Abstract: Table of Contents Part I Why? 1 The importance of social marketing for social policy 2 The nature of social marketing 3 Marketing social good Part II What? 4 The social marketing mix 5 Strategic social marketing 6 Creating value in social marketing Part III How? 7 Systems thinking and social marketing 8 Using theory in social marketing 9 Research approaches in social marketing 10 Research methods in social marketing 11 Social marketing and social programme design 12 Planning social marketing interventions 13 Embedding social marketing within social programmes 14 Critical social marketing
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated Chilean marketing managers' perspectives on social media platforms, the benefits or barriers to their marketing practices and the impact they have on the immediate marketing environment based on in-depth interviews.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the international dimension of the relationship marketing literature and use citation and cocitation data to identify and unfold its intellectual foundations, providing new and meaningful avenues for further research using the knowledge structure on which international relationship marketing stands.
Abstract: Relationship marketing is a central and important tenet in marketing thought, and considerable research effort in the discipline has been devoted to examining various facets of relationship marketing, resulting in a large body of knowledge. In this study, the authors specifically focus on the international dimension of the relationship marketing literature and use citation and cocitation data to identify and unfold its intellectual foundations. The goal is to provide new and meaningful avenues for further research using the knowledge structure on which international relationship marketing stands. The examination of the literature spans more than 40 years, divided into three time periods that permit detection of longitudinal trends as well as meaningful visual representations of the cocitation data. Overall, the authors survey 29 key publications and identify 3,509 articles that include 230,684 citations, examining the data for 1972–1993, 1994–2003, and 2004–2013 to unfold research possibilities. ...
TL;DR: Positive effects of social media management tools, broadcasting accounts, and conversational communication on public perception are found and are found to improve attitudinal loyalty and word of mouth.
TL;DR: The authors argue that the AMA's simplistic trademark conceptualization of brands is increasingly out of touch with marketing theory and practice, and re-conceptualize brands as semiotic marketing systems.
Abstract: Brands are one of marketing’s main foci. But while the American Marketing Association’s official marketing definition continues to evolve, its brand definition has remained stagnant for nearly 80 years. This article argues that the AMA’s simplistic trademark conceptualization of brands is increasingly out of touch with marketing theory and practice. Integrating the consumer culture, marketing semiotics, and General Systems Theory literatures, we re-conceptualize brands as semiotic marketing systems. This follows marketing systems being core to macromarketing. It also obeys marketing systems needing to contemplate their meaning infrastructures given today’s progressively symbolic markets. The antecedents, operation and benefits of this new systems approach to brands are discussed. Brands are re-defined as complex multidimensional constructs with varying degrees of meaning, independence, co-creation and scope. Brands are semiotic marketing systems that generate value for direct and indirect participants, so...
TL;DR: In this article, a research model is proposed with the underlying rationale that socialization episodes (i.e., social and information exchange) at B2B trade fairs are important catalysts for relationship quality and development.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a definition of social marketing that considers the purpose and role beyond behaviour change beyond behavior change, which is the application of marketing principles to enable individual and collective ideas and actions in the pursuit of effective, efficient, equitable, fair and sustained social transformation.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to present a definition of social marketing that considers the purpose and role of social marketing beyond behaviour change. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews present social marketing definitions and then bolsters its underlying theoretical structure with insights distilled from three schools of thought: macromarketing, transformative consumer research and the capability approach. Findings – Guided by the three theoretical streams, we introduce our definition, namely: social marketing is the application of marketing principles to enable individual and collective ideas and actions in the pursuit of effective, efficient, equitable, fair and sustained social transformation. Practical implications – We present a list of practical implications derived from our definition of social marketing. We stress that our social marketing definition better reflects the need to balance the effects (efficiency and effectiveness) and the process (equity, fairness and sustainability) of...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted interviews with 239 members of loyalty card programs of a department chain store and found that preferential treatment is the most effective relationship marketing tactic to enhance customer gratitude followed by interpersonal communication and tangible rewards, respectively.
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential of an organisational orientation, namely the electronic marketing orientation (EMO), to address implementation issues in business-to-business (B2B) social media implementation is considered.
Abstract: Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential of an organisational orientation, namely the electronic marketing orientation (EMO) to address implementation issues in business-to-business (B2B) social media implementation. Previous research has demonstrated differences between B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
– The paper draws on existing B2B marketing, social media and organisational orientation literature, both academic and practitioner. This facilitates the development of a conceptual model and research proposition as a basis of further research into addressing contemporary barriers to B2B social media implementation.
Findings
– The paper contends that each of the four components of the EMO addresses different implementation issues faced in implementing social media and, more specifically, the unique issues faced by B2B marketers.
Research limitations/implications
– The paper is conceptual in nature; however, it provides directions for future empirical research.
Practical implications
– The differences in promotional and sales channels and messages required in B2B context are addressed in the research propositions. The paper highlights implementation challenges and how a particular organisational orientation can facilitate the decision-making in dealing with them.
Originality/value
– The paper provides a unique theoretical contribution by introducing the EMO conceptual model in a specific context of B2B social media marketing.
TL;DR: In this article, a cross-disciplinary review of organizational structure, its types, and its characteristics, in combination with theories relevant to the field of marketing, informs an assessment of empirical findings from marketing literature.
Abstract: Academics and business practitioners increasingly recognize the importance of organizational structure in marketing. Yet research examining the effects of different organizational structure design elements on marketing outcomes remains fragmented and scarce. Accordingly, this article seeks to synthesize and extend understanding of how firms use their organizational structural elements to achieve marketing objectives, and to offer a new perspective of structural marketing. In support of this research goal, a cross-disciplinary review of organizational structure, its types, and its characteristics, in combination with theories relevant to the field of marketing, informs an assessment of empirical findings from marketing literature. This synthesis introduces the concept of structural marketing; the article offers both theoretical tenets and testable propositions in support of an initial framework for using organizational structure design elements as strategic marketing variables. Illustrative business cases reinforce these tenets, conceptual arguments, and managerial insights.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined reciprocity as a multidimensional norm whose dimensions of equivalence (what is exchanged) and immediacy (when the exchange occurs) influence relationship quality and satisfaction with performance in cross-border U.S.-Japanese interfirm relationships.
Abstract: Effective relationship marketing (RM) in a firm's global operations necessitates that the underlying aspect of reciprocity operate consistently across markets. Unfortunately, few studies have empirically examined the role of reciprocity in RM, let alone whether the effects of reciprocity in RM are universal across national cultures. To address these limitations, the authors examine reciprocity as a multidimensional norm whose dimensions of equivalence (what is exchanged) and immediacy (when the exchange occurs) influence relationship quality and satisfaction with performance in cross-border U.S.–Japanese interfirm relationships. The results indicate that the effects of reciprocity on relationship quality are conditional on national culture. Specifically, uncertainty avoidance positively moderates the positive effect of equivalence on relationship quality, while individualism and short-term orientation positively moderate the negative effect of immediacy on relationship quality. Moreover, a supple...
TL;DR: This article investigated the role of country-market characteristics on the relationship between elements of the marketing mix and brand sales in emerging and developed markets, and found that country market characteristics moderate the relationship of marketing mix elements and brand performance asymmetrically.
Abstract: Marketing products globally is challenging due to the diverse nature of markets. We use market heterogeneity, unbranded competition, resource and infrastructure availability, and sociopolitical governance as country-market characteristics that distinguish between developed and emerging countries. We investigate their moderating role on the relationship between elements of the marketing mix and brand sales. We provide evidence, from a hierarchical linear model and a panel data set of brands from 14 emerging and developed markets that account for 62% of the global GDP, that country-market characteristics moderate the relationship between the complete set of marketing mix elements and brand sales performance asymmetrically. While distribution and price have the largest impact in emerging and developed countries, respectively, product innovation and advertising have significantly larger impacts in emerging markets relative to developed countries. These finding highlights the importance of contingency view of marketing strategy in global markets.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a model with two social exchange constructs (customer trust and commitment) and one social identity variable(customer identification) as the most significant elements between the perception of a responsible corporate behavior and hotel customer loyalty.
Abstract: One of the most important aspects in the field of marketing is to explore the path to customer loyalty. Previous studies have presented several approaches on this issue incorporating differing central constructs. However, researchers have given little consideration to social identification antecedents to hotel customer loyalty development. This study follows an integrated approach and proposes a model with two social exchange constructs (customer trust and commitment) and one social identity variable (customer identification) as the most significant elements between the perception of a responsible corporate behavior and hotel customer loyalty. Empirical data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings demonstrate that corporate social responsibility positively impact on customer trust, commitment, and identification with the company. Furthermore, customer trust, along with customer commitment and customer identification with the company positively influence hotel customer loyalty. Finally, ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effects of services marketing mix elements on Indian customer for making the appropriate marketing mix strategy in banking services context and found that physical evidence, process, place, and people have a positive and significant effect on customer.
TL;DR: Based on a comprehensive literature review, the authors identifies the predominant conceptualization of customer perceived value, thus also providing a sound basis for future empirical assessments of this concept, and discusses avenues for future research.
Abstract: Given the present dynamic consumption environment due to technological innovations as well as interlinked economic developments on the macro-, micro-, and societal-level, researchers and managers have been increasingly showing interest in the concept of customer perceived value. However, especially given its vast empirical application, surprisingly little effort has been paid to synthesize various perspectives on the dimensionality, abstraction, and model taxonomy of customer perceived value. Therefore, based on a comprehensive literature review, this article identifies the predominant conceptualization of customer perceived value, thus also providing a sound basis for future empirical assessments of this concept, and discusses avenues for future research. In addition to contributing to research, this study also contributes to practice by comprehensively positioning customer perceived value as a key source of competitive advantage in the context of relationship marketing, management, and business models.