May Aung

Toward a measure of service convenience: multiple‐item scale development and empirical test

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and nomological testing of a 17‐item scale measuring the five dimensions of service convenience (decision, access, transaction, benefit, and post‐benefit) as proposed by Berry, Seiders, and Grewal.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional survey methodology was used to collect the data.Findings – Reliability and validity assessments provided evidence of the scales psychometric validity. Service convenience was found to be a significant predictor of overall satisfaction in the context of personal cellular telephone and internet usage.Research limitations/implications – This study uses a student sample which may limit its generalizability to other respondents. Also, the cross‐sectional survey methodology does not allow for the investigation of causation. Future research should investigate other contexts outside of the cellular and internet services examined in this study and across a broader sample. Furthermore, the ability to retros...

Food safety and quality systems in Canada

This study explored the experiences of quality professionals with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system in the food industry in Canada. Similarities and differences between HACCP and ISO 9000 quality management systems were also highlighted. In this study, qualitative research was undertaken with selected medium to large‐sized food manufacturing companies. In‐depth telephone interviews were performed with quality professionals to allow the researcher the opportunity to elicit expertise and experience that are unique to the respondent. While the study was designed to be exploratory in nature and to form the basis for future research, several themes were identified. First, all companies used HACCP in conjunction with other internal programs such as product testing and supplier qualification to ensure product quality. Second, all companies perceived internal auditing as a way to ensure the quality programs. Finally, companies that had implemented both HACCP and ISO 9000 mentioned two main obstacles, i.e. resistance to change and fear of documentation.

Chinese Ethnic Identification and Conspicuous Consumption

Abstract This study is an investigation of the moderating and mediating effect of acculturation dimensions on the relationship between Chinese identification and conspicuous consumption by ethnic Chinese consumers in Canada. The research site was Toronto, Canada. A survey methodology was applied and a total of 254 Chinese Canadian respondents participated. The results revealed a strong relationship between Chinese identification and conspicuous consumption. Some mediating effect of two acculturation dimensions on the proposed relationship was also found in this study.

Factors influencing workers to follow food safety management systems in meat plants in Ontario, Canada

Small and medium sized food businesses have been slow to adopt food safety management systems (FSMSs) such as good manufacturing practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This study identifies factors influencing workers in their implementation of food safety practices in small and medium meat processing establishments in Ontario, Canada. A qualitative approach was used to explore in-plant factors that influence the implementation of FSMSs. Thirteen in-depth interviews in five meat plants and two focus group interviews were conducted. These generated 219 pages of verbatim transcripts which were analysed using NVivo 7 software. Main themes identified in the data related to production systems, organisational characteristics and employee characteristics. A socio-psychological model based on the theory of planned behaviour is proposed to describe how these themes and underlying sub-themes relate to FSMS implementation. Addressing the various factors that influence production workers is expected to enhance FSMS implementation and increase food safety.

Evolution towards excellence: use of business excellence programs by Canadian organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the broad issues related to business excellence and the application of such programs.Design/methodology/approach – In brief, this study investigated the use of business excellence programs including the use of the ISO 9000:2000 series of standards, by Canadian organizations. The results of a national survey on the use of business excellence programs are reported.Findings – The use of business excellence programs by Canadian organizations appears to be related to the size and location of the organization. Organization size and location also appear to be related to the sequence in which businesses choose to implement various components of business excellence as well as the difficulty they experience with that implementation. There may be differences in the use of business excellence programs between organizations within different industry sectors, and those with different organizational structures. Finally, the use of business excellence programs was found n...

Understanding Gay Consumers Clothing Involvement and Fashion Consciousness

This studys primary objective was to provide a better understanding of gay consumers clothing involvement and fashion consciousness. Personal in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 gay professionals in Canada. One hundred and forty-five usable survey questionnaires were also collected from gay consumers. The Fashion Involvement Index Scale (FII scale) was adapted for this study. Interview participants indicated that, in general, gay men tend to be more fashion conscious than heterosexual men. Survey results also indicated two dimensions, fashion interest and fashion awareness that were found to be stronger for this group of gay consumers than for heterosexual men. The FII value for the survey participants also resulted in a sum score mean value of 11.2, a medium level of fashion involvement that is a slightly higher level than has been found for heterosexual consumers. Interestingly, this study does not provide strong evidence of gay consumers involvement in cutting-edge fashion trends.

Examining waste management in San Pablo del Lago, Ecuador: a behavioral framework

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to propose and examine with evidence from Ecuador a behavioral framework that helps understand environmental practices in a small rural community.Design/methodology/approach – This research is a multidisciplinary study that integrates ethnographic, feminist, and fourth generation approaches. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied.Findings – Findings indicate a number of relevant determinant factors (social norms, personal norms, intention to act), moderating factors (knowledge of the issues, awareness of the consequences, knowledge of the strategies and action skills, assumption of the responsibilities), and socio‐demographic factors (gender and social class) that influence solid waste (garbage) management behavior in a small rural community in the Ecuadorian Andes.Practical implications – This study recommends general public training for the stakeholders of this community taking into account gender and social class differences. The importance of generating...

The Accor Multinational Hotel Chain in an Emerging Market: Through the Lens of the Core Competency Concept’

Service multinationals rely more on their abilities to leverage corporate resources than on their large resource positions to be successful in competition in today ‘s market. To understand this phenomenon, a fresh approach is needed in research on competition in service industries. The concept of core competency is applied in an analysis of case studies of the Accor multinational hotel chain (France) and its competitors in the Thai marketplace. The analysis focuses on core competencies embedded in the three main functions of service firms -human resources, operations, and marketing. It traces Accors success to four core competencies - nurturing empowerment, data management, and new service development

Auditing and continual improvement in the meat industry in Canada

The objective of this study was to explore the use of auditing as a tool for continual improvement in the meat industry of Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Participants in the study represented the supply chain and included federal slaughterhouses, federal processors of ready‐to‐eat meat products, government agencies involved in auditing and inspection, and the retail sector involved in the auditing of meat facilities. Using in‐depth interviews, the extent of auditing and its implementation on the continual improvement process were explored. Auditing activities were conducted as required for government recognition, retailer approval, and the facilitys maintenance of its Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programme. Correction of deviations identified during audits led to continual improvement activities. However, only two of the participants described secondary quality management schemes that linked auditing with continual improvement.

One step closer to the field: visual methods in marketing and consumer research

The purpose of this study is to examine the use of visual research methods in the area of recent marketing and consumer research. All articles published in Journal of Consumer Research (JCR), Journal of Marketing (JM), Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), Journal of Marketing Management (JMM), Consumption, Markets, and Culture (CMC), and Qualitative Market Research (QMR) from year 2002 to 2010 were examined. A total of one hundred and twenty two articles with images or pictures were selected for further analysis. This study found that a total of sixty research studies employed photograph or video as ‘projective stimuli’, a total of forty four research studies used ‘cultural inventories’, and seven research studies employed ‘social artifacts’. Overall, this study found that a growing number of marketing and consumer researchers utilize visual methods in various ways to achieve their research goals