Jose M. Barrutia

Electronic Service Quality and Value Do Consumer Knowledge-Related Resources Matter?

Electronic service quality (ESQ) is essential for explaining consumer value perceptions in B2C e-commerce contexts. However, we argue that focusing too narrowly on ESQ without considering consumer knowledge-related resources could lead managers to devise myopic strategies. Our research is inspired by, and intends to contribute to, service-dominant logic, service logic, and service science. These perspectives suggest that firms and consumers cocreate value by integrating their resources. However, the literature in these areas relies on conceptual development, and further empirical research is needed. The empirical study reported here is the first cross-sectional test that confers similar salience to both consumer resources, in the form of consumer expertise (and its antecedents), and firm resources, as represented by ESQ (and its antecedents), to explain value perception in a B2C e-commerce context. We provide evidence that both consumer expertise and ESQ directly and positively affect value perception, the magnitude of the effect of consumer expertise (ESQ) on value perception being smaller as ESQ (consumer expertise) increases, and vice versa. Our results offer interesting insights for designing successful e-commerce strategies. For instance, the negative interaction effect we found suggests that consumer expertise and ESQ behave as substitutes to some extent. Therefore, firms might reduce the expert/nonexpert value gap by incorporating in their websites tools addressed to palliate nonexperts’ disadvantages, or by upgrading these tools when available. Thus, recommender systems might be upgraded using information derived from experts’ e-buying behavior and opinions, instead of considering only overall data from consumers with a similar taste profile.

Local Agenda 21: Progress in Spain

A consensus exists regarding the idea that, in the search for sustainable development (SD), Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a key tool for implementing a set of sustainability policies at local level. From a consensus of this nature both an important flow of scientific production and a significant degree of real implementation might be expected. However, a review of the literature and a real case-study (Spain) lead us to conclude that although increasing effort is being made in both fields, there is still a long way to go.

Social capital, research and development, and innovation: An empirical analysis of Spanish and Italian regions

Innovation theories have identified and explained the antecedents of innovation outcomes. Theories have moved on from explaining innovation outcomes in terms of individual research and development (R&D) efforts to include social capital. Although conceptual support for the relevance of social capital as an antecedent of innovation outcomes seems persuasive, measurement and quantitative evidence are scarce. We contribute to filling this gap by empirically testing the role of social capital as a driver of the relationship between R&D expenditure and innovation outcomes in the context of the Spanish and Italian regions. As there is no consensus on how to measure social capital, we use two different approaches: a rational choice-driven approach and a sociologically driven approach. The results of both approaches are controversial, in that they are different, unclear and almost in opposition, but this should not be interpreted as an argument for abandoning all efforts to quantify the role of social capital.

e‐Service quality: overview and research agenda

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight research avenues for improving the understanding of electronic service quality (e‐SQ) management, based on a critical review of previous literature.Design/methodology/approach – The conclusions are based on a critical review of previous literature. Computer databases (e.g. Google scholar) were the main tools used to identify relevant research in the area. Then, the electronic and physical bibliographical resources from universities in two different countries were used to obtain the papers.Findings – The authors describe the current e‐SQ research gaps (research opportunities) and indicate possible routes for future investigation.Practical implications – The orientation of this study aims to reduce the efforts of researchers who desire to enter this field.Originality/value – The development of new orientations and focuses for the conceptualisation and measurement of e‐SQ are crucial for the effective management of e‐SQ and a major issue on the market resea...

The ISC Framework: Modelling Drivers for the Degree of Local Agenda 21 Implantation in Western Europe

We analyse the Local Agenda 21 (LA21) implantation process in Western Europe from 1992 to the present day. Basing our work on a literature review and on our own direct observations, we construct a model that explains the development of LA21 processes. We term it the ‘isolated, supported, and connected’ (ISC) framework. Our model attempts to make a contribution to (1) LA21 literature and (2) policy network literature. On the one hand, previous LA21 literature discussed factors that hold back and drive LA21 processes, but a comprehensive conceptual framework has not been constructed. Our model integrates the different variables within a single conceptual ISC framework. On the other hand, conceptual policy network literature holds that fully connected models ought to be superior to less connected, or isolated, models, but empirical evidence is scanty and inconclusive. Our research supports the conclusion that policy networks are superior in terms of disseminating LA21 processes.

Explaining and Measuring the Embrace of Local Agenda 21s by Local Governments

Previous research has identified factors affecting local government (LG) adoption of Local Agenda 21 (LA21). The objective of this research is to propose a measurement model and test it in the case of a specific region, the Basque Country. Research results show that the embrace of LA21 by LGs is explained by internal characteristics of LG and factors associated with LG environment, which is fostered, fundamentally, by higher levels of government that can create connected or networking processes. The most relevant external factors are associated with a concept under-emphasised in previous sustainable development literature: cocreation. We propose that, to achieve generalised diffusion of LA21-type tools, we should emphasise cocreation in networks instead of networks in general. The measurement model used in this research could be used in other contexts as a means of confirming or refuting our results and offer politicians a guide for achieving a more generalised and robust diffusion of LA21 processes. This research contributes to LA21 and innovation-adoption literatures.

E-service quality: an internal, multichannel and pure service perspective

This article contributes to the emerging e-service quality literature by adopting a different approach to the dominant focus in previous research. The work centres on the internal perspective of organisation, studies the pure service sector and subjects the personal sales channel and the Internet channel to joint examination. A new conceptual framework is proposed via an adaptation of the service pyramid model [Parasuraman, A. (1996). Understanding and leveraging the role of customer service in external interactive and internal marketing. Paper presented at the 1996 Frontiers in Services Conference, Nashville, TN], and employee-orientated internal marketing and technology-orientated internal marketing are analysed as integrated drivers of commercial performance, within the context of retail banking in Spain. The results suggest that both marketing activities constitute part of a coherent strategy that is geared towards making and meeting service promises, within a multichannel perspective, and is associated with high commercial performance.

Environmental threat appeals in green advertising: The role of fear arousal and coping efficacy

This study addresses the behavioural effects of cognitive threat appraisal, emotional fear response and perceived coping efficacy in threat appeal based green advertising. While most existing theories attribute fear arousal a secondary role as a moderator of cognitive effects, or consider fear detrimental to persuasion, the proposed framework integrates fear response as a principal behavioural antecedent. An experimental online survey of a representative sample of the Australian population reasserted the role of fear arousal, indicating that both cognitive threat level beliefs and fear arousal from exposure to climate change related environmental threat appeals significantly increase pro-environmental intentions. Cognitive threat level beliefs and emotional fear response were highly correlated. Perceived coping efficacy did improve persuasion effects for one of the two studied behaviours, but providing efficacy information also significantly lowered fear responses.

Resources for value co-creation in e-commerce: a review

Recent service perspectives (represented by service–dominant logic, service logic and service science; henceforth, service-logics) provide a mindset for understanding value co-creation as a mutual service process in which firms and customers integrate their resources. The idea that customer and firm resources should be jointly considered to properly explain perceived value is appealing, particularly in interactional settings such as e-commerce. However, we conduct a literature review and show that cross-sectional empirical e-commerce research intended to explain customer value perceptions continues to rely heavily on a unilateral approach (firm resources), which could be misleading. Subsequently, we identify possible barriers for considering service-logics in e-commerce research, which include the lack of a clear definition and classification of resources and an integrated set of valid and reliable measures of resources. We then take a step forward towards overcoming these barriers by providing a summary, a synthesis and new ideas or, at least, a new emphasis on the implications of existing ideas. The new idea/emphasis is that cross-sectional empirical e-commerce research should jointly consider customer resources and firm resources. No prior work has stressed this proposition. We provide a synthesis by re-organizing scarce and scattered service-logics-oriented existing literature on resources to offer a definition and a comprehensive framework for the classification of resources. Finally, we provide a summary by putting together valid and reliable measures of firm resources and customer resources that have been sparsely considered in the 69 studies selected. These measures could be used by researchers in order to model and test value co-creation processes in e-commerce B2C contexts.

Greening regions: the effect of social entrepreneurship, co-decision and co-creation on the embrace of good sustainable development practices

Adoption of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) in Europe has been very uneven. However, the embrace (or eager adoption) of LA21-like tools by local governments is usually considered as a requisite to achieve the sustainable development (SD) global aims. This research analyses a successful networking practice in the Basque Country (BC) over an 8-year period in order to identify the main dimensions that explain the embrace of LA21 by Local Governments (LGs). The Basque experience is studied using a qualitative and a quantitative approach. Results show that the factors of entrepreneurial presence (at the regional and local levels), co-decision and co-creation have an effect on local government embrace of the LA21. We also study the motivational mechanisms underlying co-decision and co-creation.