Carolin Plewa

Entrepreneurship perceptions and career intentions of international students

Purpose – This paper aims to identify the differences between African and European students with regard to their entrepreneurial intentions, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, role models and entrepreneurial experience. It also aims to set the scene for future comparative research between developing and developed countries in the area of graduate entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative empirical research design was applied, using self‐administered questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed to first‐year business students at universities in three African countries that are either developing (Uganda and Kenya) or emerging (South Africa) and four European developed nations (Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Portugal).Findings – The results indicate that students from developing/emerging economies are more likely to envisage future careers as entrepreneurs and are more positive towards entrepreneurship than their industrialised European counterparts, even though motivators for employm...

Key drivers of university‐industry relationships: the role of organisational compatibility and personal experience

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to analyse empirically research‐oriented university‐industry relationships based on the incorporation of relationship marketing (RM) and technology transfer theory.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on an extensive literature review and initial qualitative research, a conceptual model is presented and tested using structural equation modelling methods. Analysis was conducted, and is reported, in three steps, including path analysis and hypothesis testing, model re‐specification and a multi‐group analysis comparing university and industry respondents.Findings – Trust, commitment and integration were found to positively influence satisfaction and were confirmed as key drivers of successful university‐industry relationships. While trust was the strongest driver of satisfaction, commitment emerged as the strongest predictor of intention to renew. The results also confirmed the proposed interrelationships between the relationship characteristics. Organisatio...

Relationship marketing and university-industry linkages: A conceptual framework

Relationship marketing (RM) is a prolific area of current marketing theory development. While RM principles are relevant to a range of business-to-consumer and business-to-business contexts, their theoretical foundations have principally emerged in reference to the private sector. By contrast, this exploratory study examines RM opportunities between entities operating in different sectors, namely university and industry in Australia. Using a qualitative approach, findings led to the development of a conceptual framework of university-industry relationships, integrating variables of organizational environment difference, relationship and value. Overall, this exploratory study broadens RM theory and application to relationships involving parties from fundamentally different organizational environments and suggest opportunities for the implementation of RM in this context. The article concludes with recommendations for academics and practitioners and provides several directions for future research.

Technology adoption and performance impact in innovation domains

Purpose – Despite the growing prominence of innovation, limited studies examine the adoption of applications that support innovation processes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the adoption of innovation management applications (IMAs).Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on qualitative and quantitative evidence sourced from innovation development and commercialization functions including R&D, marketing, and administration at a university and technology transfer office.Findings – The paper contributes to literature by isolating determinants that affect the adoption of IMAs and their link to innovation process performance, confirming the importance of perceived usefulness and compatibility of IMAs to users work styles.Originality/value – There is paucity of research concerning the adoption of IMAs which present unique challenges due to their idiosyncrasies. This study contributes by proposing an adoption model and validating it. It also links IMA adoption to innovation process performan...

A dyadic study of “champions” in university‐industry relationships

Purpose – This dyadic study aims to analyses the influence of champions, particularly their personal engagement and experience, on relationships that cross different sectors and working environments.Design/methodology/approach – Based on an extensive literature review and initial qualitative research, a conceptual dyadic model is presented and tested using structural equation modelling methods.Findings – Path analysis results show a surprisingly weak effect of champions. However, personal experience influenced engagement, which, in turn, impacted on commitment. Furthermore, a positive influence of trust and commitment on satisfaction is confirmed.Research limitations/implications – The results are limited by the small dyadic sample size and a potential bias towards positive relationships.Originality/value – Based on relationship and services marketing theory, this paper provides much needed insights on university–industry relationships, analysing the influence of personal engagement and experience on the ...

IOS adoption in innovation networks: A case study

Purpose – Given the increased importance of inter‐organizational networks in fostering innovation, the purpose of this paper is to isolate drivers of the adoption of inter‐organizational systems (IOS) that support innovation processes.Design/methodology/approach – Based on qualitative research incorporating a focus group and in‐depth interviews, a network framework is provided for understanding key drivers concerning IOS adoption.Findings – The research uncovers factors for facilitating coordination and communication efficiencies and outlines the roles that trust and commitment can play in managing innovation within networks through IOS use.Research limitations/implications – To enhance our understanding of innovations that are entrenched in networks of heterogeneous actors, this research contributes by employing an interdisciplinary approach as it applies network and relationships marketing literatures to the IOS adoption in innovation settings.Originality/value – The paper advances theory development on...

Buyer-Seller Relationships: Australasian Research and Reflections

Varey, Richard J.; Baxter, Roger; Brodie, Roderick J.; Brookes, Richard W.; Plewa, Carolin; Quester, Pascale; Schembri, Sharon

Determining value in a complex service setting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to capture the richness of customer perceived value by determining its benefit and cost dimensions in a complex service setting. Perceived value is argued as equivalent to value-in-use; that is value that emerges for or is created by the customer. Design/methodology/approach – A series of in-depth interviews was conducted with a diverse group of clients of financial planning services as well as with financial planners in Australia. Findings – Six benefit and four cost dimensions of complex service are identified, namely expertise, education, motivation, support, relationship and convenience benefits, as well as monetary, time and effort, emotional and lifestyle costs. The results also indicate proposed outcomes of these dimensions, along with relevant moderators, leading to a broad conceptual framework for future empirical validation. Originality/value – This study contributes to the sparse conceptual development of value perceptions, or value-in-use, in a complex service context. In particular, the authors identify the benefit and cost dimensions, specifically addressing aspects of value that are linked to the long-term relationship between provider and customer. The authors also develop a conceptual model of value, including both outcomes and situational moderators of the various value dimensions. Finally, the conceptualization of perceived value is discussed with respect to the value co-creation literature.

Professional Service Providers’ Resource Integration Styles (PRO-RIS) Facilitating Customer Experiences

This article investigates the professional service provider’s role in the customer resource integration process for value creation, by drawing on research in the areas of resource integration, service experience, and role theory. Roles are flexible, in that behaviors associated with a role may vary according to the situation, expectations, and learned behaviors of the actors involved. In the context of professional service providers who support a customer’s resource integration, these role variations accordingly can be termed resource integration styles. Grounded in managerial practice, the current study relies on in-depth interviews to determine the styles that professional service providers use to support customer resource integration in a financial planning setting. The proposed typology of five styles (delegate, mentor, partner, coach, and validator), termed professional service providers’ resource integration styles (PRO-RIS), can be described by eight resource integration activity dimensions: participation ratio, frequency of interaction, deliberation, decision-making, updating, educating, connecting, and motivating. This research thus provides rich qualitative insights into how professional service providers can support customers’ resource integration processes, through the provision of appropriate resources. Notably, professional service providers can offer distinct benefits by varying the combination of resources provided to facilitate value creation. No single, best style exists; professional service providers should leverage the various styles described by PRO-RIS and adapt the eight resource integration activities as needed to support their customers.

Which sport sponsorships most impact sponsor CSR image

Purpose This study aims to investigate how organizations can utilize sport sponsorship to build their corporate social responsibility (CSR) image effectively, by examining the attributes of a sports property that are most conducive to a sponsor gaining CSR image benefits. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experimental design was used, which simulated different sponsorship scenarios by varying community proximity (operationalized by property scope) and property engagement in community initiatives. Hypotheses were tested with a non-parametric bootstrapping-based procedure, using a panel sample of 400. Findings The results show that a sporting property’s proactive community engagement is conducive to an enhanced CSR image for its sponsor, especially when the property operates on the national rather than grassroots level. Further analysis also demonstrates the critical contribution of altruistic motive attributions in the process. Originality/value This study advances knowledge on how organizations may build their CSR image while leveraging on the strong audience involvement and the mass appeal of sport sponsorship. It is the first to offer insights into the extent to which a sports property’s proactive engagement in the community, rather than that of the sponsoring firm itself, enhances the CSR image of the sponsor, particularly if the property’s community proximity is low. Furthermore, our results provide an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms determining the benefits that sponsors can reap from a property’s activities.