Carolyn Findley Musgrove

Differential Mediating Effects of Radical and Incremental Innovation on Market Orientation-Performance Relationship: A Meta-Analysis

Research shows that innovation mediates the relationship between market orientation and firm performance. However, researchers disagree on whether market orientation leads to differential emphases on radical or incremental innovation, and how each type of innovation influences performance. Drawing on organizational learning theory, this study clarifies these relationships through structural analysis of meta-analytic correlations from 441 samples. The findings indicate that market orientation has similar effects on firm performance for both manufacturers and service firms, but that radical and incremental innovation play differential mediating roles across product types on the market orientation-performance relationship. The findings offer new insights for both marketing theory and practice.

Consumer preferences for banking technologies by age groups

Purpose – The prevailing mindset is that younger people value and more readily adopt technology. The purpose of this paper is to determine if this is true with respect to banking practices. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted to evaluate the importance of mobile, online, and physical-based banking across multiple age groups. Factor analysis and analysis of covariance were used to evaluate the responses. Findings – The results show that older consumers see more value in traditional, physical-based banking, all ages are equally interested in currently emerging technologies (online), and younger users are more interested in the newest technologies. Research limitations/implications – The stereotype of technology-adverse elderly may be too limiting. Age influences are not absolute barriers enacted by time, but are potentially learned behaviors. Practical implications – Practitioners interested in introducing new technologies to the elderly might consider making their innovations more compatib...

Consumer Reactions to Retailer’s Religious Affiliation: Roles of Belief Congruence, Religiosity, and Cue Strength

The use of religion as part of a marketing communication strategy can be a source of controversy (Karoub 2013; D.W. Miller 2012). This study investigates how consumers react to an online retailer’s religious bioiliation using a belief congruence theory perspective (Rokeach and Rothman 1965). Two experiments are conducted: one that manipulates the religious bioiliation of an online retailer and one that manipulates the strength of the retailer’s religious bioiliation. The study findings indicate that the effect of religious congruence between consumers and online retailers depends on the consumer’s religiosity and the strength of the retailer’s religious bioiliation.

Smiling and Keeping Busy Near the Entrance of the Store? What Works for Hailers and What Doesn’t: An Extended Abstract

The notion that retail salespeople play a crucial role in customers’ reactions and other important consequences for business success (Mittal and Lassar 1996) is widely accepted.

Differential Effects of Marketing Messages in Online Advertising for an MBA Program

As Business programs compete for prospective MBA students, they need to understand what messages capture the attention of these students, prompting them to seek additional information about the program. In light of new program options and the changing competitive environment, the messages that are effective today may be quite different from those that resonated just a few years ago. Since different messages may be relevant to different target markets, this study focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of certain messages in reaching working professionals who are seeking a flexible MBA program. The results show that a message indicating national ranking is more effective than messages of value or convenience.

A Qualitative View of Hailers: Retail Salespeople Near the Entrance of Retail Stores

Retail salespeople are critical in customers’ perceptions of the retail environment and retail experiences. They occupy a pivotal and boundary-spanning position for retailers, as they are the primary point of contact between a retailer and customers (Bell et al. 2010). Westbrook (1981) named salespeople as the most influential component of overall retail store satisfaction. Retail salesperson behavior is a critical influence on the success or failure of a retailer because of its influence on consumer responses, including store patronage and purchase intentions (Darian et al. 2001), purchase decisions (Babin et al. 1999), perception of service quality (Mittal and Lassar 1996), and overall image of the retail store (Weitzl et al. 1989). This study examines a particular retail salesperson behavior that has been largely overlooked in the literature: retail salespeople standing and waiting for customers near the store entrance in traditional shopping malls. For purposes of this research, these retail salespeople are called “hailers.” The subsequent behavior of hailers after the initial greeting distinguishes them from designated “greeters.” Once hailers greet a customer, they attempt to continue the interaction, accompany the customer throughout the store, and attempt to influence the customer to make a purchase. Theory and the small amount of previous research that incorporates retail salespeople greeting customers as they enter the store suggests that a retail salesperson’s presence at the entrance of a store would be a positive influence. This practice is common and many retailers require their salespeople to stand within a few feet near the entrance. However, anecdotal evidence and initial exploratory results suggest the opposite. Many consumers feel uncomfortable with a hailer’s presence because they feel like the salesperson is waiting to use high pressure sales tactics on them. This image can lead to negative outcomes for the retailer. Also, this work addresses the calls that Babin et al. (1999) make for future research to investigate (1) the antecedents of attitude toward the salesperson in retail settings and (2) the effect of specific salesperson behaviors on a consumer’s attitude toward the salesperson and the retailer.

Consumer Perceptions of Green Marketing Claims: An Examination of the Relationships with Type of Claim and Credibility

In the 1990s, some called it the issue of the decade (Kirkpatick 1990; Roberts 1996). In this new millennium, it continues to grow in importance as issues such as global warming are further highlighted. Many companies have begun to use green marketing as a way to appeal to consumers. Green marketing is the most often used term; however, it has also been called ecological marketing, environmental marketing, greener marketing, enviropreneurial marketing, green advertising, and sustainable marketing. All of these terms refer to the study of marketing’s impact on the environment and how the environment is included in marketing decisions (Chamorro et al. 2007). Previous research indicates that green marketing can lead to many positive outcomes, such as positive product image, corporate reputation, purchase intentions (Ko et al. 2013), brand attitude (Matthes et al. 2014), and positive image toward the retailer (Lavorata 2014).

Online Social Networks: Motivations and Value Co-Creation

Online social networking has become an omnipresent part of modern society. Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Amazon, just to name a few, have practically become household names as consumers and businesses alike are joining in droves. To illustrate, in 2011, there were 175 million Twitter users, 100 million LinkedIn users, and 640 million Facebook users (Hird 2011). Many consumers use social media sites as part of the consumer decision making process. Close to 70% of consumers within these sites use social media as a means to gather product information prior to making purchases, with nearly half making a purchase decision based on such information (Fisher 2009).