Julie E. Francis

Internet retailing quality: one size does not fit all

Purpose – The objectives of this paper are to examine the stability of the dimensions of quality across various categories of internet retailing and to identify the quality criteria that are associated with each category.Design/methodology/approach – Interviews are conducted to examine the quality requirements of internet shoppers relative to four categories of internet retailing. A quality criteria model (or RECIPE) is developed for each category and a comparison of the instruments is performed.Findings – All four categories of internet retailing involve quality dimensions of “web site”, “transaction”, “delivery”, “customer service”, and “security”. However, the criteria within these dimensions are not stable across the categories. Most of the differences relate to the transaction and fulfilment processes.Research limitations/implications – In measuring and managing internet retailing quality, “one size does not fit all”. Quantitative research is required to develop and refine quality measurement scales ...

Category-specific RECIPEs for internet retailing quality

Purpose – Limited attention has been given to the stability of the dimensions of quality across different types of internet retailing. This study aims to identify four distinct categories of internet retailing, develops a separate quality measurement scale for each category, then compares the dimensions of quality that emerged for each context.Design/methodology/approach – Four category‐specific quality measurement scales (or RECIPE scales) were developed, one for each Fulfilment‐Product type of internet retailing. The scales were administered to 1,262 internet shoppers, then the data were used to refine and assess the statistical properties of each instrument. A cross‐category review of the refined quality dimensions was performed.Findings – All four categories of internet retailing involve the quality dimensions of customer service and security. However, the dimensions of quality associated with selecting, paying for and obtaining products vary according to the type of product that is purchased (goods v...

Exploring children’s socialization to three dimensions of sustainability

Purpose – This study aims to examine aspects of children’s sustainability socialization. Many studies examine children’s attitudes to sustainability. However, few studies build an understanding of how, where and when children are socialized to sustainability. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with 30 children explore the socializing agents (who), learning situations (where), learning processes (how) and learning effects (what). The study also delineates and compares the environmental, self and social dimensions of sustainability. Findings – Socialization to environmental sustainability is highly structured and formal, and children rarely go beyond the knowledge and actions they are taught. Socialization to the self dimension combines formal and informal mechanisms with a greater propensity for elaboration and generalization. Meanwhile, socialization to societal sustainability involves unstructured and individualized processes and outcomes. Research limitations/implications – This is an exploratory ...

Is C‐OAR‐SE best for internet retailing service quality?

Purpose – This paper aims to respond to claims by Collier and Bienstock and Rossiter that reflective measurement is wrong for internet retailing service quality (IRSQ). The research empirically assesses Rossiters proposal that the C‐OAR‐SE procedure for index development will generate a more valid way to measure IRSQ than is otherwise available.Design/methodology/approach – C‐OAR‐SE is used to develop a formative IRSQ index. The index is administered to internet shoppers in an online survey. The index is compared with an existing IRSQ scale in terms of content, parsimony, measurement scores and criterion validity.Findings – The scale and index display parity in content, parsimony and measurement scores, while the scale shows higher criterion validity. The results contradict Rossiters claims and foster doubt regarding the usefulness of C‐OAR‐SEs formative measurement procedures.Research limitations/implications – IRSQ can be conceptualised as reflective or formative, but C‐OAR‐SE does not necessarily ge...

The young consumer-citizen Nationhood and environmentalism in children’s identity narratives

The environmental consumer-citizen has become a global master narrative that is the outcome of environmental discourse (Darier, 1999; Harper, 2001). In this article, we examine a particular strand of the environmental citizen identity in the context of environmental and consumption consciousness. Through interviews with Australian children about themselves, their consumption, and their links to local and larger global communities, we uncover an adapted strand of this narrative. A local transformation of the master narrative on environmental citizenship is seen in the national identity narrative of the ‘ethno-consumer’. This identity narrative is one of the ‘good’ green Australian consumer-citizen constructed in relation to regional political and economic discourses. We uncover how this strand of environmental consciousness is used as identity capital in children’s narratives of self and nation (Hage, 1998). We suggest that there exist several levels of identity narratives. In this particular context, the national identity narrative appears to adapt and accommodate, but also dominate, the global master narrative for these children.