Morten Heide

Corporate social responsibility: investigating theory and research in the marketing context

Purpose – This review article aims to develop an integrating overview of the present status of the theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) applied in the marketing context and asks whether, to what extent and how the discipline of marketing has addressed CSR.Design/methodology/approach – After clarifying core concepts and proposing a new definition of CSR, 54 articles in leading marketing journals between 1995 and 2005 are analyzed in terms of publication characteristics, research design, variables, sampling, level of analysis, issues raised, and key findings.Findings – Recommendations include a broadened perspective in empirical research to address CSR in its entirety, expand the focus beyond consumers, include a broader range of samples and conduct more inductive, exploratory empirical studies. These steps will contribute to a multidimensional view of the future customer.Research limitations/implications – The number and specific choice of journals was subject to a compromise between comprehensi...

Can the SME survive the supply chain challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and the extent to which they are prepared to meet SCM challenges through the use of modern planning and control methods.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a cross‐sectional survey of 200 Norwegian companies with informants mainly related to the SCM function and from top management.Findings – The findings clearly indicate that SMEs give less attention to planning and control methods than LEs. SMEs are less satisfied with the methods applied; less concerned with methods supporting SCM on product quality, rationalisation of operations and capital cost rationalisation; less focused on system integration with other actors in the supply chain; and less focused on EDI and e‐based solutions.Research limitations/implications – The study focuses primarily on managerial components and excluded logistics structures and business processes that are more or less inter‐related.Practical implications – Horizontal ...

Atmosphere: Conceptual Issues and Implications for Hospitality Management

The importance of atmosphere for accomplishing a high‐quality service delivery in the hospitality industry has for long been recognized both among practitioners and researchers. However, present insights are limited and scattered. This paper provides a systematic overview of atmosphere, including its antecedents and consequences, to guide hospitality managers in their efforts to improve the attractiveness of their firms. The paper offers managerial recommendations and discusses the need for enhanced knowledge among hospitality professionals in order to harness benefits and manage risks in relation to atmosphere investments. Recommendations for further research are highlighted.

Key factors in guests' perception of hotel atmosphere.

Attaining a distinctive atmosphere has become a pivotal concern for hospitality managers, since atmosphere is perceived an essential factor to attract and satisfy guests. An exploratory study of 369 hotel guests at six Norwegian hotels identified four stable and robust factors of atmosphere, namely, distinctiveness, hospitability, relaxation, and refinement. Distinctiveness was found to be the main factor in atmosphere; consequently, it is reasonable to assume that a certain degree of distinctiveness is a prerequisite for creating atmosphere. Beyond that, however, hospitability emerged as the main determinant for guest satisfaction, loyalty, and word of mouth. As frequently mentioned by experienced hoteliers, guests tend to be satisfied in hotels with conventional design and simple amenities, provided they are treated in a hospitable and welcoming manner. Thus, managers should avoid focusing on design features to the extent that hospitability suffers. Furthermore, employees have an essential role for ensuring hospitability, and consequently, hotel establishments should not focus solely on the guests needs but also pay attention to employee training.

Managing corporate social responsibility: lessons from the oil industry

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the manner in which companies deal with key stakeholders in relation to corporate social responsibility (CSR), focusing in particular on how companies can handle critical incidents related to CSR and utilize these experiences in enforcing their regular social responsibility.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a case study methodology.Findings – CSR should be managed by a combination of handling unexpected episodes that threaten existing social responsibility (incident recovery) and the long‐term reduction of gaps between stakeholder expectations and the company performance (CSR enforcement). Furthermore, CSR implies building and maintaining relationships with society through interplay between actors, resources and activities.Practical implications – The study contributes to managerial decision making by identifying seven types of implications and activities necessary to actively manage key aspects of social responsibili...

Industry specific measurement of consumer satisfaction: experiences from the business travelling industry

Abstract This paper argues that measuring instruments, to give adequate information of consumer satisfaction, should be adjusted to the specific market-industry context where they are to be used. A specific measuring instrument was developed for the business travelling industry. The measuring instrument has promising properties both in terms of validity and reliability, and should thus be useful in further research in this area. Managerial implications of the findings are highlighted.

Pricing Strategies in the Restaurant Industry

Pricing is known by economists and managers to be an important tool for increasing revenue and thereby ensuring the success of the company. However, practical experience shows that companies rarely consider the development of a strategic pricing program to be a priority. Furthermore, when times are getting tough, pricing issues tend to be ignored and priority rather given to various cost reduction schemes. In this paper we investigate different pricing strategies and assess their relevance for a segment of the restaurant industry, the pizza chain market. The reported study examines the potential for using pricing strategies as a strategic tool for revenue enhancement, both through increasing the number of customers and by capturing a larger share of the consumer surplus. The findings indicate that there is potential for increased use of several pricing strategies such as price discrimination, peak‐load pricing and bundling. Managerial implications and suggestions for future research are highlighted.

The paradoxical role of competence development in supply chain management: empirical findings from Norway

Abstract Supply chain management (SCM) is an important way to enhance competitive strength. This paper focuses on the importance that commercial companies place on competence development in relation to SCM and the extent to which they are prepared to work systematically in order to develop the competence needed to meet the SCM challenges. Findings from a nation-wide empirical study, reported in this paper, show that companies generally consider SCM to be strategically important. Lack of competence and poor internal knowledge about logistics costs were highlighted as the main barriers to making the companies value chains more effective. However, somewhat paradoxically, the same companies expressed little intention to address these barriers through developing the necessary level of competence and improving their systems for managing competence development. Furthermore, contrary to expectations, the companies intention to improve the competence base appears to be unrelated to the financial rationale for doing so. The findings have a number of managerial and research implications, which are highlighted in the paper.

Stereotyping in Country Advertising: An Experimental Study

Examines whether advertising creates stereotyping effects, focusing on effects created in the target group, and not on the content of the advertising message as primarily emphasized in prior research on stereotyping in advertising. Conducts an experimental study using a rather unfamiliar travel destination – Norway – as the target object. The findings reveal that advertising may create changes in the target group′s evaluations of the target object, and result in more coherent and stereotyped knowledge structures.

Atmosphere as a tool for enhancing organizational performance

Purpose – The concept of atmosphere is often considered vague and difficult to capture, which hampers adequate feedback on atmospheric investments. This paper aims to report a systematic effort to capture the concept and enhancing factors, making adequate feedback for efforts to improve atmosphere possible.Design/methodology/approach – Owing to limited a priori insights, an exploratory, discovery‐oriented approach was chosen. Semi‐structured interviews, supplemented with secondary data, were conducted to gain insight into how managers and design experts think and cope to improve the atmosphere of establishments. The hospitality industry was selected as empirical context.Findings – Investments to improve the atmosphere of establishments can bring significant benefits. However, the positive effects are associated with uncertainty and consequently the risks can be substantial. However, such risks were only recognized by hospitality managers, not by design experts.Research limitations/implications – This stud...