Luca Petruzzellis

Student satisfaction and quality of service in Italian universities

Purpose – In order to face the new competitive scenario, Italian universities are involved in a change process and are trying to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to better serve their customers/students. The paper aims to assess university performance by testing student satisfaction. It tries to provide universities with some solutions to improve its performance.Design/methodology/approach – The case of the University of Bari has been analysed by interviewing a random (but well stratified) sample of students in order to test their satisfaction concerning services provided and quality perceived. Reasons why students decide to enrol at the University of Bari are also investigated.Findings – Universities have to concentrate their efforts on the improvement of quality of teaching and non‐teaching services, in order to promptly respond to the target, and foster a stronger relationship with surrounding economic and productive systems.Research implications/limitations – Universities need to adopt a customer cen...

“Click & experience. Just virtually there.” The Effect of a Destination Website on Tourist Choice: Evidence from Italy

A destinations website has a strategic relevance in order to attract potential tourists; the more useful the website is perceived, the greater the influence on visiting the destination. Web users usually Google a destination in order to collect information on it and have their functional, aesthetic, or visual information needs satisfied. This article, in an attempt to measure the effect of the new regional portal on the Apulian territorial brand notoriety and the tourist flows, investigates the effectiveness of the portal in matching tourist needs and place features, through primary and secondary data.

Hey Dee-Jay Let's Play that Song and Keep Me Shopping All Day Long: The Effect of Famous Background Music on Consumer Shopping Behavior

Atmospherics can act as a heuristic cue and guide consumer preference towards immediate choice. Background music is the major element of retail atmospherics, it has been shown to stimulate not only emotions, but also cognition mainly when other cognitive cues are either absent or significantly reduced. However, no studies have analyzed the effect of the notoriety of the music on consumer behavior. This paper aims at analyzing the effect of the type of music, whether or not famous, on the retail patronage, thus covering a gap in the literature. The findings show that a famous music reduces shoppers’ cognitive activity. It is very likely that it distracts their attention from the store cues such as the promotion messages. On the other hand, famous music enhances positive feelings that, in turn, enhance shoppers’ patronage.

Separate But Together: Mediterranean Identity in Three Countries

Purpose – The present study aims to understand how a culture associated with proximity to the Mediterranean Sea transcends political boundaries fostering common values and beliefs across three countries. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Italy, Spain and France to assess similarities and differences between respondents. The qualitative data were augmented with the literature pertaining to Mediterranean identity, culture and the influence of contextual factors on its development. Findings – The three geographically proximate countries all border on the Mediterranean Sea. The interviews revealed common cultural elements that transcend political boundaries suggesting that the common context fosters similar cultural elements. At the same time, there are important cultural elements that are uniquely associated with each country. Research limitations/implications – The geographic composition of the sample limits the generality of the results. By design, it focuses on thr...

Local Networks to Compete in the Global Era: The Italian SMEs Experience

This study is concerned with the factors that influence the cooperation among cluster-based firms. Theorists have consistently demonstrated the role and importance of economic externalities, such as knowledge spillovers, within industrial clusters. Less attention has been paid to the investigation of social based externalities, though it has been suggested that these may also accrue from geographical agglomeration. This study explores the development of cooperation between firms operating in a single industry sector and in close proximity. The results suggest that social networking has a greater influence than geographic proximity in facilitating inter-firm co-operation. A semi-structured questionnaire has been developed and the answers were analysed with a stepwise regression model.

Place Branding: Sensing the Difference?

The increasing competition among places, which is occurring at various scales and dimensions (e.g. Ashworth and Voogd, 1995; Kotler Haider and Rein, 1993; Ward, 1998; Van den Berg and Braun, 1999; Ward and Gold, 1994), is forcing them to develop some forms of sustainable competitive advantage undertaking some types of marketing actions (Petruzzellis, 2002). Places are more than a congeries of individual men and of social conveniences, more than a mere constellation of institutions and administrative devices. They are, rather, a state of mind, a body of customs and traditions and of the organized attitudes and sentiments that inhere in these customs and are transmitted with this tradition (Park et al., 1967). Given the complexity of the territorial matter that strongly requires a marketing oriented approach, places are increasingly conceptualized as brands (Hankinson, 2004; Kavaratzis, 2005), since branding is to differentiate a particular offering from competitors.

The MED scale: regional variation in values and beliefs, evidence from Italy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a measurement scale that captures elements of Mediterranean identity. Design/methodology/approach A scale was developed from items drawn from existing scales and from a qualitative study that examined how respondents viewed their national identity as well as the concept of a Mediterranean identity. The literature pertaining to Mediterranean identity, culture and the influence of contextual factors on its development were reviewed. The scale revealed four dimensions of Mediterranean identity: traditions, relationships, ethnocentrism and a bond with the Sea. Findings The scale successfully discriminated between those living by the Sea and those living inland. At the same time, it did not differentiate between respondents living in the north from those living in the south. The study suggests that context, specifically proximity to the Sea, helps shape some of the regional variation in values and beliefs. Research limitations/implications The geographic composition of the sample limits the generalizability of the results. A sample across additional countries would provide greater confidence in the results, although much of the theoretical work on Mediterranean thinking has focused on Italy. Further, it was desirable to keep as many factors as possible constant to limit extraneous variation. Inclusion of respondents from countries with different levels of wealth, religious and political ideologies would likely uncover additional facets of Mediterranean identity. Practical implications The results have broader implications for identifying transnational segments that may exist around the Mediterranean. A key implication relates to the extent that similar values and beliefs appear to be associated with proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. It also highlights the importance of considering contextual factors when developing an understanding of consumer behavior. Originality/value Mediterranean identity has been examined conceptually, but a systematic means to measure is lacking. The essence of Mediterranean thinking embodies the importance individuals place on adhering to traditions, the value they attach to personal relationship, a certain degree of ethnocentricism, and of course the bond with the Sea. The results also suggest that differences that have been attributed to a north/south divide, needs to be reexamined.

A Cross-Cultural Approach to Annual Report Through Impression Management

The bunch of information a company sends to its market and stakeholders has to meet their expectations in terms of accuracy, credibility and understandability in order to face the increasing complexity of national and international economic environments. Both literature (e.g. Rogers and Brown 1999) and non-academic journals/press (e.g. Forbes 1996, p. 192) have widely concluded that the annual report is a marketing tool to attract new investors. Firms target various stakeholders not only with financial information but also with messages regarding the corporate image, corporate social responsibility and other communication objectives, providing varied images and encoded messages for their targets. So far research has shown that managers use annual report to provide a self-interested view of the corporate performance. Recently, attention has shifted from the management of the accounting numbers or earnings management (Schipper 1989) to presentation management (Aerts 1994) and/or the presentational format with which the information is displayed (Graves et al. 1996).

From hi Tech to hi Touch the Emotional Way to Technology

Consumers choose products according to the relative benefits they get from both hedonic and utilitarian aspects of the products; the former primarily in the form of experiential enjoyment and the latter in practical functionality (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982; Batra and Ahtola, 1990; Mano and Oliver, 1993). The difference between utilitarian and hedonic consumption behaviours is a matter of degree and perception. Hedonic benefits are more difficult to evaluate and quantify than the functional ones. Consequently, it is more difficult to justify spending on hedonic goods and easier to justify spending on utilitarian goods (Prelec and Loewenstein 1998).

A ciascuno la sua musica. l’effetto della notorietà della musica di sottofondo sul comportamento d’acquisto nei punti vendita

La musica di sottofondo e una componente dell’atmosfera di primaria importanza, in quanto influenza gli stati d’animo dei consumatori, condiziona le attitudini nei confronti dei punti vendita e determina alcuni comportamenti d’acquisto. Il presente lavoro analizza in che modo la musica di sottofondo influisce sul consumatore, tenendo conto in particolare della notorieta del brano musicale e dello stile di shopping. Nell’articolo si dimostra come non sempre optare per brani famosi come le hit del momento o gli evergreen sia la scelta giusta. I consumatori che necessitano di maggiore calma e rilassatezza preferiscono la musica non famosa per lo svolgimento degli acquisti. Al contrario, i consumatori serali preferiscono i brani famosi: anche in questo caso la motivazione risiede nello stile d’acquisto, piu frenetico e ritmato nelle fasce serali.