Norbert Mundorf

Market orientation and corporate success: findings from Germany

The significance of the market orientation for corporate management is the subject of a long‐standing controversy. This empirical study conducted in Germany, the largest European market, shows that together with other basic dimensions of management, the market orientation contributes substantially to corporate success. Indicates that popular practical measures designed to implement the market orientation within the organization may cause negative side effects in terms of corporate success. These risks could be controlled by taking a number of actions suggested in this article. Detecting these risks requires a holistic research approach to corporate management, of which the market orientation represents only one basic dimension. An integrated perspective of research, such as the one presented in this paper, represents a new approach for conducting empirical research on the question of whether the market orientation exerts an impact on corporate success.

Effects of disturbing televised events on the acquisition of information from subsequently presented commercials.

Abstract Male and female respondents were exposed to a television news program containing commercials. Immediately following exposure to either an emotionally disturbing or an innocuous, affectively neutral news story, respondents watched a sequence of standard news items mixed with commercials. The placement of 30-second commercials was systematically varied through three time slots: immediately following the experimental pretreatment (0.0–0.5 min); delayed by two minutes (2.0–2.5 min); or delayed by four minutes (4.0–4.5 min). A surprise recognition/recall test, measuring information acquisition of the content of the commercials, was administered. Compared with the control condition, the acquisition of information from the commercials following the emotionally charged, disturbing story was significantly poorer for a period of two and one-half minutes. No appreciable difference in information acquisition was observed thereafter. The apparent impairment of information acquisition, processing, and retrieva...

Personality and movie preferences: a comparison of American and German audiences

Abstract The impact of personality type (extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism) and culture (American, German) on preferences for contemporary movies was explored. Consistent with theoretical expectations, the findings revealed that movie preferences were mediated by both the psychoticism and extraversion personality types and by an interaction between psychoticism by culture.

Image Effects in the Appreciation of Video Rock

Sexual and/or violent images or both were added to the visual portion of a rock-music video whose original visuals were both nonsexual and nonviolent. The music was used in a control condition. Enjoyment of the rock music was markedly influenced by particular visual embellishments. The involvement of sexual stimuli intensified music appreciation in both males and females. There was a tendency for the involvement of violent stimuli to have a similar effect. However, the combination of sexual and violent images failed to enhance appreciation of the music. Irrespective of enjoyment, the presence of visual embellishments influenced the perception of music also. The visualization of rebellious lyrical elements, whether or not emphasizing sex or violence or both, fostered perceptions of greater musical rebelliousness. The involvement of violent images produced the strongest effect of this kind. Additionally, the involvement of sexual images made the music appear more sensual and romantic for males. Females, in contrast, found the rock music devoid of visual embellishments most romantic. Finally, females, in contrast to males, reported less enjoyment for visual accompaniments of rock that involved sexual images than for those that were devoid of them, and they objected more strongly than males to the incorporation of sexual images in publicly accessible rock-music videos.

Effects of Disturbing News on Recall of Subsequently Presented News

Both male and female respondents were exposed to a television news program. Immediately following exposure to either an emotionally disturbing or an innocuous, affectively neutral news story, respondents watched a sequence of standard news items. The placement of these items was systematically varied through three time slots of 90 s each. In the two preexposure conditions, all items appeared equally often in all time slots, thus allowing comparisons over time as well as at given times. A surprise information-acquisition test was administered for the contents of the news items. Compared with the control condition, the acquisition of information from the news items following the emotionally charged, disturbing story was significantly poorer for a period of 3 min. No appreciable difference in information acquisition was observed thereafter. The apparent impairment of information acquisition, processing, storage, and retrieval after emotionally charged news stories is discussed in terms of emotion theory. Practical implications are considered.

Effects of hedonic components and user's gender on the acceptance of screen-based information services

Abstract To compete successfully with other information media, screen-based information services would have to offer hedonic qualities that appeal to a wide range of users, men as well as women. To study effects of hedonic components of information services, a software simulation of an interactive service was designed. In an experiment, 59 female and 73 male subjects were exposed to this software simulation. Hedonic features (presence or absence of colour, graphics, and music) of the simulated information service were factor-ially varied to form eight unique treatment configurations. Music and colour were shown to affect level of enjoyment and intention to use the service. The effects varied according to gender: females showed greater intention to use the service than did males. Males showed greater preference for the colour version. These findings provide some basic design guidelines for information service marketers and point to the need for future research-based exploration of this area.

Reevaluating gender differences in new communication technologies

This article discusses two studies investigating gender differences in communication technology use. Most prior research has revealed strong male dominance in the use of technologies such as computers and video games. Although writers have deplored this situation, few have investigated alternative structural and content features. In the first study, responses towards a variety of information technologies across genders were explored in a survey. This study indicated that women are more familiar with communication‐related technologies, while men focus on entertainment technologies and control devices. The second, experimental, study involved a computer based communication system, which was designed to appeal both to females and males. Through the simulation of an interactive information service enjoyment and intention to use was assessed. Women showed greater overall intention to use the service. Possible interpretations of the various gender differences are discussed.

Effects of story sequencing on affective reactions to broadcast news

The hedonic quality of preceding news stories (negative, neutral, positive) was factorially varied with the hedonic quality of subsequent news stories (negative, neutral, positive). In a first experiment, affective reactions to the two contiguously placed stories were ascertained after exposure to the subsequent story. In a second experiment without the neutral stories, affective reactions were ascertained after exposure to a last‐placed third story of neutral hedonic quality. Retroactive affective contrasting was observed in both experiments. Specifically, news stories that were followed by affectively negative news items were deemed less negative or more positive than when they were followed by affectively neutral or positive news items. Proactive affective contrasting was observed in the second experiment only. Under conditions of delayed assessment (i.e., after interpolation of a neutral news item), affect in response to stories preceded by a news item of negative hedonic quality was deemed less negat...

Realizing the social and commercial potential of interactive technologies

Abstract Although interactivity has become inexorably linked to personal computing and the Internet, other communication technologies provide interactive options, too. Many of these alternative technologies are complementary to Internet usage in that their reach includes populations that lack regular PC-based Internet access. Among the challenges facing these communication technologies is finding ideal combinations of entertainment and information features that can be applied to service and work needs in a sufficiently attractive manner so as to justify the considerable supply-side and consumer investment in infrastructure, software, and equipment. Understanding interactivity in entertainment potentially has additional value in helping explain barriers to adoption of nonentertainment interactive media, such as electronic shopping, telework, distance learning, telemedicine, and smart house technology.

Families, information technologies, and the quality of life: German research findings

Abstract We have recently experienced an increased trend towards the use of information technologies in private households. Private homes have lagged behind in terms of the adaptation and adoption of technology initially developed for industry and commerce. But greater network and machine intelligence have made it possible to perform many functions in and from the home which were formerly restricted to offices and stores. Adoption in the home is a critical mediator between technology and the quality of life. Much of the research on information technology use has centered around the U.S. There have been some efforts to assess developments in other countries, but they have often remained at a descriptive level and limited to a single technology. The current paper discusses a German research program dealing with information technologies, families, and the quality of life. The in-depth research compares the adoption of technology in the home over 7 decades. Although there is generally a positive relationship between information technology and the quality of life, a number of problems exist. The paper suggests areas which need improvement. Possible emphasis for comparative studies are discussed.