Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki

Theoretical Foundations of an International Entrepreneurial Culture

The seeming absence of theoretical foundations in the international entrepreneurship (IE) field significantly accounts for the fragmentation of research in the area. We seek to address this deficiency through an exploration of the IE concept in the overall context in which it is embedded, namely organizational culture. We develop and discuss a conceptual framework of an International Entrepreneurial Culture, which consists of six interrelated dimensions: international market orientation, international learning orientation, international innovation propensity, international risk attitude, international networking orientation, and international motivation.

How Critical is Employee Orientation for Customer Relationship Management? Insights from a Case Study

This paper explores the interface of employee orientation and the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) process based on an in-depth case study of a leading firm in the UK automotive services sector. Employee orientation is embedded in the Organizational Culture (OC) of the firm and manifested through its key elements, notably assumptions, values, behaviours and artefacts. CRM consists of four organizational activities: strategic planning, information, value creation, and performance measurement sub-processes. Based on the case study evidence, the widely postulated link between CRM success and employee orientation is empirically supported and the mechanisms underlying this association elucidated.

Time and the customer relationship management process: conceptual and methodological insights

Purpose – The concept of time is intrinsically linked to the conceptualization and empirical investigation of organizational processes such as customer relationship management (CRM). The purpose of this paper is to offer conceptual and methodological insights enabling the incorporation of temporal factors in the study of CRM.Design/methodology/approach – A framework toward the integration of time into the study of CRM is proposed and discussed.Findings – This framework, which consists of philosophical, conceptual, methodological and substantive domains, suggests that the locus of time is inherent in the conceptualization and empirical investigation of marketing phenomena.Practical implications – CRM practitioners can emphasize crucial events of the firm‐customer relationship, which are likely to be associated with stronger rapport with customers.Originality/value – The paper promotes more explicit thinking about the temporal dimension in relationship marketing. Second, it advances understanding of the CRM...

Female role stereotypes in print advertising: Identifying associations with magazine and product categories

Purpose – The purpose of this study is three‐fold: to provide recent evidence in the UK on the frequency of appearance of female role portrayals in print advertisements; to compare female role stereotypes across magazine types; and to explore the interface between female role stereotypes and product categories.Design/methodology/approach – An integrative approach to content analysis was used in order to analyze advertising communication in print media. The sample consisted of n=3,830 advertisements published in ten high circulation UK magazines.Findings – The study indicates that women in UK magazine advertisements are mainly portrayed in decorative roles; and that female role stereotypes vary significantly across magazine types. The findings also suggest that there is an association between product categories and female role stereotypes.Practical implications – The study highlights the need for the advertising industry in the UK to adjust its communication practices to the changing role of women in socie...

How Do Organisational Members Perceive CRM? Evidence from a U.K. Service Firm

The purpose of this study is to explore how organisational members perceive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as this process unfolds in the firm. CRM has been an emerging research theme in the marketing literature, yet how it has been received and viewed by organisational members has been essentially unexplored, and forms the key contribution in this paper. Drawn from a case study in the U.K. automotive services sector, the findings illustrate the formation of collective perceptions of CRM, which involves information seeking, meaning ascription and action based on the perceptions shaped at different phases of the CRM process: adoption, development and use. Specifically, in each of the three phases organisational members in the investigated firm approach CRM as a strategic decision; view it with concern; and consider it as a customer value driver. The paper concludes with research recommendations and implications for marketing theory and practice.

Family business internationalisation through a digital entry mode

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the emerging literature stream of family business (FB) internationalisation. Its purpose is twofold: first, to provide empirical evidence on the motives, facilitators and obstacles and second, to understand different pathways and entry modes of FB internationalisation. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employ a multiple case study design that draws on various sources of data and examines eight Greek companies in the apiculture sector. Findings – The case study evidence brings to the fore the existence of various motives, facilitators and obstacles to FB internationalisation in Greece. Moreover, it fleshes out the “e-born global” FB that employs a digital entry mode and heavily relies on new technologies in order to identify international opportunities and reduce information asymmetries in foreign markets. Such an entry mode allowed the investigated firms to achieve a speedy entry to foreign countries and compete in geographically distant mark...

Envisioning consumers: how videography can contribute to marketing knowledge

ABSTRACT Based on a review of the past 30 years of videographic research and outputs in the field of marketing, we highlight the key contributions that videography has made to the marketing literature and identify the key issues facing videographic research today. We develop a typology that identifies four ways that videography can contribute to theory development and verification, presenting new criteria for assessing academic videographies. We note that making theoretical contributions is one of the most difficult issues facing videographic researchers and that this is an area in need of significant developments to help the field progress. Finally, we envision what the future of videography might look like and consider the implications of new forms of videographies.

Family business internationalisation and networks: emerging pathways

Purpose The aim of this study is twofold: to provide a meta-synthesis of the current state of knowledge in family business (FB) internationalisation research, adopting a network perspective, and to highlight emerging themes that may set the stage for future work on FB internationalisation, for the benefit of researchers adopting a network perspective. Design/methodology/approach To address the twofold purpose of the study, the current paper provides a state-of-the-art review of 25 peer-reviewed journal articles published from 1993 to 2014. This study also presents a meta-synthesis of the theoretical approaches, key findings and concepts that were pinpointed in the review, and proposes emerging key themes that are likely to set the stage for future work within this specific field. Findings The results indicated that since the mid-1990s, research in the field from a network perspective has mainly focused on three aspects, namely, the role of networks and relationships in the internationalisation process, the factors that influence network formation and strategic/managerial issues in the formation and building of network ties. The current paper pinpoints emerging themes within these three aspects and proposes future pathways. Research limitations/implications The review and meta-synthesis are restricted to 25 studies identified in this specific field. Originality/value This study comprises an initial attempt to encompass the interface of FB internationalisation and networks.

Pricing Capabilities: Drivers and Effects on Performance

Pricing is the element of the marketing mix that is often overlooked in export marketing (Sousa and Bradley, 2009). However, the ability of an exporting firm to understand the value of its offering as perceived by foreign customers and set prices accordingly, is critical to its survival and success, given that the additional ramifications of the export setting (as compared to the domestic one) may challenge its ability to identify, address, and anticipate customers’ requirements and preferences (Morgan et al., 2004). This study draws on the resource-based, dynamic capabilities, and organisation learning literatures to develop and test a model that investigates how export customer orientation (the core component of market orientation) influences marketing exploitation and exploration, which in turn, give rise to superior pricing capabilities in export markets. Pricing capabilities are posited as a key determinant of export performance. The contribution of this study is threefold: (1) the examination of the drivers and outcomes of marketing exploration and exploitation; (2) the investigation of the antecedents and performance implications of pricings capabilities; and (3) the study of the role of customer orientation, marketing exploration and exploitation, pricing capabilities, and performance within the particularly relevant, but understudied, context of exporting. The findings suggest that customer orientation promotes both marketing exploration and exploitation. Marketing exploration and exploitation result in superior pricing capabilities, which in turn enhance export performance. In terms of theory development, this study adds to the resource-based view (Barney, 1991) and its dynamic capabilities extension (Vorhies and Morgan, 2005) by suggesting that resources (i.e., customer orientation) lay the foundation for higher-order capabilities (i.e., marketing exploitation and exploration), which give rise to specialized capabilities (i.e., pricing), resulting in superior performance outcomes. The key managerial implication of this study is that exporting firms need to routinely perform marketing exploitation and exploration activities in order to set prices that fit with their positioning, customers, and with evolving export market conditions.