L Robinson

Effects of leadership style on team learning

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the effect of leadership style of a team leader on team‐member learning in organizations, to conceptually extend an initial model of leadership and to empirically examine the new model of ambidextrous leadership in a team context.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research utilizing the case study method is used for empirical validation.Findings – The leadership style (transformational, transactional, or ambidextrous) adopted by the team leader has an operational effect on the development of learning as a strategic resource within the team, and the organization.Research limitations/implications – Case studies can be criticized for potential lack of rigour. However, we have used multiple cases following replication logic and triangulation to offset this. Further, cases by nature are generalizable to propositions only, not populations. Thus, a valuable springboard is provided for further quantitative investigations.Practical implications – The leadership style ad...

To stay or to go? Postretirement housing choices of single baby boomer women

ABSTRACT Single women of the Baby Boomer generation are often financially disadvantaged in the retirement planning process due to their lower accumulated savings compared to male retirees. This disadvantage impacts significant consumption decisions such as postretirement housing choices. This study uses the theory of planned behavior to examine how certainty in intentions influences preparing and planning for postretirement housing. A typology of single Baby Boomer women is developed based on their financial, demographic, and psychological circumstances. Each segment likely requires different informational strategies and financial services to foster proactive planning for retirement. Significant implications exist for social policy and the financial services sector.

Motivational engagement in the marketing classroom: individual goal orientations and class climate

Abstract Both cognitive engagement and motivational engagement play important roles in academic performance. Grounded in goal theory, this study examines whether educators can tailor their pedagogical approaches to engage students from a motivational perspective. Using a two-wave questionnaire, we provide evidence of the educator-facilitated classroom climate affecting student engagement at both cognitive and motivational levels. In addition, the study highlights that motivational processes, stemming from individual students’ achievement goal orientations, are an important determinant of academic performance. This provides insight regarding how achievement orientations can be leveraged during the design and innovation of marketing courses. Motivational engagement in particular, can present opportunities for meaningful engagement and improved grade outcomes through targeted pedagogies that align with students’ educational goals.

''I'm not old enough!'' Why older single women are not engaging in retirement planning services

Retirement is often perceived to be an important life stage or event that requires significant planning and preparation. Demographic shifts in the retirement population across the globe have driven the need for proactive planning and financial preparedness for retirement. As the composition of consumers in this traditionally aging, male-oriented product category alters, an increased understanding of female behavior towards consumption of retirement planning products and services is critical. With marital status as one of the most significant predictors (Glass Jnr and Kilpatrick 1998) of retirement wealth, planning for retirement income outside a married or partnered context is a determinant of wealth differences between single and married women (Butrica and Iams 2003). As a consequence, this research focuses on this cohort of single women who are at a significantly higher risk of a reduced standard of living post-retirement to illuminate the concepts under study. With the women of the baby boomer generation, born between 1945 and 1964, the largest cohort of women to reach retirement age in history (Lusardi and Mitchell 2007), they present a good unit of analysis to study the retirement preparedness by single women. Building on a very small body of research, this study provides exploratory insights into how older single women plan and prepare for retirement. Through examining the psychological drivers and barriers to accessing retirement planning services this study identifies factors critical to the development, delivery, and management of products within the financial services industry.

State of Inertia: Psychological Preparation of Single Australian and UK Baby Boomer Women for Retirement Housing Change

The transition into retirement is an important life phase that presents significant challenges in respect to well-being, lifestyle, and consumption choices. This article examines the consumption context of housing after retirement, in particular for the low-resourced cohort of single baby boomer women. Utilizing an extended Theory of Planned Behavior model, we examine the relationship between intention and actual behavior, in this case financial advice seeking, as an important component of the psychological preparedness of single female baby boomer women. Our analysis showed both Australian and UK single baby boomer women display different behaviors in terms of seeking advice and their mental preparedness to adjust to a change in their living arrangements. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for policy and further research.

WOM source characteristics and message quality: the receiver perspective

Purpose Word-of-mouth (WOM) literature has identified the roles of source and message in WOM influence, but the relationship between them is yet to be investigated. The purpose of this paper is to explore this relationship by examining the mediation of message on the impact of perceived source characteristics from the perspective of the receiver. The paper also considered the mutual relationships between source characteristics and message quality. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey of prospective students was conducted to empirically examine the proposed conceptual model. A sample of 509 respondents was analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings The findings suggest the significant impact of expertise, trustworthiness, homophily and opinion leadership of the WOM source on the judgement of message quality and the indirect effects on WOM influence mediated by the message quality. The results also indicate the moderating effects of receiver involvement and the valence of the message on the impact of message quality. Practical implications The findings of this paper can inform the strategic development of WOM marketing. A deeper understanding of source characteristics and the role of the message may enable marketing practitioners to better target appropriate influencers for seeding programmes that stimulate WOM communication about their brands or products. Originality/value This study examines how the receiver’s evaluations of message content mediate the relationship between source characteristics and WOM influence. Source and message are two elements of communication which are processed when people receive information. However, nascent research examines their effects on each other. This research contributes to the understanding of this relationship through an empirical examination of the direct effects of primary source characteristics on perceived message quality.

Can we see a difference? the influence of consumer characteristics on regular and premium store brand usage

Store brands play an integral role in shaping the supermarket industry locally and internationally. Store brands have predominantly competed on the basis of low price (Baltras 1997), which firmly delineated them from national brands. To more actively compete with national brands, retailers have moved to increase their product lines by introducing a range of premium store brands that are close to national brands in terms of quality and price (Burt and Sparks 2002). Many previous studies have considered grocery store brands to be competing on the basis of low price and low quality (Richardson 1997; Sethuraman and Cole 1999; Ailawadi et al. 2001; Garretson et al. 2002; Miranda and Joshi 2003; Mazur et al. 2009; Bao et al. 2010), however premium store brands that mimic national brands no longer compete on the basis of low price and low quality (Nenycz-Thiel and Romaniuk 2009). Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between specific consumer characteristics and the choice and usage of both regular and premium store brands. The research adopts Ailawadi et al.’s (2001) model of shopping benefits and costs towards the usage of regular store brands, and extends the model by adding the dimensions of premium store brand usage and likelihood of future usage for both store brand levels. Implications for retailers and brand managers are also discussed.