Donna F. Davis

Privacy concern and online personalization: The moderating effects of information control and compensation

Firms have at their disposal an increasing amount of personal information about consumers gathered through various means. Studies find that personalizing online interactions improves customer relationships and increases desirable behaviors, such as positive word-of-mouth and increased purchase intent. However, other research suggests that the use of personal information stimulates privacy concern, which has a negative effect on behavior. This study examines potential moderators of the negative effects of privacy concern on behavioral intentions in the context of personalized online interactions. Results show that increasing perceived information control reduces the negative effect of privacy concern on intentions to engage in positive behaviors. In contrast, the offer of compensation has no effect on the relationship between privacy concern and these behavioral intentions. However, compensation increases the salience of trust to privacy concern.

Implementing mixed methods research in supply chain management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how to implement mixed methods research in supply chain management.Design/methodology/approach – A review of past journal analyses on research methods used in supply chain management‐related disciplines is conducted to demonstrate the low incidence of mixed methods research in supply chain management. Drawing from literature on multiple and mixed methods research, the paper provides guidelines for designing and reporting such studies.Findings – Knowledge development in logistics and supply chain management relies primarily on single‐method quantitative research designs, while mixed methods approaches are rarely used. Thus, there is a significant opportunity to advance the discipline through the rigorous application of mixed methods research.Research limitations/implications – Supply chain management phenomena are complex and dynamic. Thus, the application of mixed methods research would serve the advancement of the discipline as these approaches provide r...

Measuring brand equity for logistics services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a test of scales that measure brand equity and its two dimensions – brand image and brand awareness – in the context of logistics services. The scales are tested with both logistics service providers and customers.Design/methodology/approach – Measurement items are adapted from existing scales found in the marketing literature. Academic colleagues and logistics practitioners reviewed the items for face validity and readability. The scales are evaluated for reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity using data collected in a mail survey of logistics service providers and customers.Findings – Findings suggest that brand awareness, brand image, and brand equity scales are valid and reliable in the context of logistics services.Research limitations/implications – While there is a substantial research stream that examines branding of consumer goods and an increasing literature on industrial and service brands, little is known about branding in ...

A Balanced Approach to Research in Supply Chain Management

When choosing a research strategy, there are tradeoffs in control, realism and generalizability. Quantitative research methods optimize control and generalizability (external validity), while qualitative research maximizes realism (internal validity). Logistics scholars agree that logistics and supply chain management are steeped in the positivist paradigm and that past research is primarily normative and quantitative. An imbalance exists in the conduct and publishing of rigorous qualitative research studies such as grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology, semiotics, and historical analysis. At the same time, the business environment in which logistics and supply chain phenomena are located is becoming increasingly complex and less amenable to using just a quantitative approach. In order to accurately describe, truly understand and begin to explain these complex phenomena, research streams should include more studies using qualitative methods. Researchers who exclusively choose one approach or the other seriously delimit the scope of their inquiry and, thereby, their ability to contribute to the body of knowledge.

The Future of Marketing Scholarship: Recruiting for Marketing Doctoral Programs

As demand for business education is rising, the production of business doctorates continues to fall. Between 1995 and 2001, new business doctorates declined 18%, dropping to the lowest point since 1987. In the same time frame, new marketing doctorates dropped by 32%. This article reports the results of a study designed to (1) assess enrollment trends and recruiting practices for marketing doctoral programs, (2) examine decision-making processes of prospective marketing doctoral students, and (3) develop a set of recommendations for improving recruiting in marketing doctoral programs. Results of surveys of marketing doctoral program coordinators, marketing Ph.D. students, and MBA students are reported.

The impact of corporate social responsibility on brand equity: consumer responses to two types of fit

Purpose A significant stream of research investigates the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on firm performance and consumer response to CSR programs. However, how CSR initiatives help build brand equity remains relatively unexamined. This study aims to demonstrate how CSR influences brand equity in response to perceptions of two types of brand–cause fit. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyze two types of fit between a brand and a social cause (disaster relief): brand value–cause fit and brand function–cause fit. Structural equation modeling is used to estimate the fit of the data with the proposed model. Findings Survey evidence from 370 millennial undergraduate students in the USA suggests that the two types of brand–cause fit have differential effects on attitude toward the brand and ad, which in turn influence brand equity. Research implications/limitations The research operationalizes brand–cause fit as a construct with two components: brand value–cause fit and brand function–cause fit. It tests these two types of fit and finds evidence for differential effects on consumer attitudes. Practical implications The findings offer practical considerations for managers about the importance of considering two types of brand–cause fit in selecting social causes and crafting effective corporate communications about the firm’s CSR initiatives. Originality/value Results suggest that it is possible for firms to craft desirable win–win–win strategies that build brand equity by investing in a strategic approach to CSR initiatives.

The Moderating Effect of Brand Equity on B2B Relationships

The convergence of forces such as the globalization of markets, the escalating pace of technological change, and growing pressure from investors provides a catalyst for the emergence of brand management with supply chain partners as an important factor for determining a firms competitive advantage. Many companies are rationalizing their supplier bases, significantly reducing the number of potential trading partners in favor of building stronger relationships to assure supply of critical resources in an increasingly turbulent business environment. The failure to successfully manage the firms brand with supply chain partners is now seen as a potentially fatal obstacle to success of the brand (Shocker, Srivistava and Ruekert 1994). However, a systematic review of the marketing literature reveals that our understanding of brands has been built through studies of consumer relationships with brands, and there is very little research devoted to understanding brands in the business-to-business (B2B) context.

Web Site Personalization and Privacy Concern

In the online environment, privacy is a growing concern. Technology allows marketers to covertly gather customer information and use it to personalize Web pages, improving customer relationships and increasing purchasing behavior. However, consumers are uncomfortable with information being collected without their knowledge. How can marketers understand this inherent tension?

The Current State of Logistics Services Branding

In 1962, Peter Drucker prophesized the importance logistics services were to have, when he suggested distribution was “one of the most sadly neglected, and most promising areas of American business,” and an area that provided substantial opportunity (p. 3). Since Drucker’s prognostication, logistics services have evolved into an industry that supports not only the United States economy (2002 U.S. logistics costs totaled

A Theory of Captive Relationships in Distribution Channels

910 billion and 8.7% of the total U.S. GDP (Delaney 2003)), but also the world’s economy. Logistics services have received increasing attention as a tangible way for firms to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage. Combined with the current trend of developing closer relationships with fewer suppliers, this means that logistics firms must strive to distinguish themselves from others offering similar services. One way in which logistics services providers can accomplish this is by developing a superior brand.