Paurav Shukla

Status consumption in cross‐national context: Socio‐psychological, brand and situational antecedents

Purpose – Limited attention has been paid to the issue of status consumption in cross‐national context. The purpose of this paper is to address the issue of status consumption among British and Indian consumers, using the industry context of alcoholic beverages, focusing on three antecedents namely, the socio‐psychological, brand and situational antecedents.Design/methodology/approach – The paper employed a cross‐sectional, survey‐based methodology. The British sample included 271 respondents residing in the Southeast of the UK. The Indian sample included 273 respondents residing in the North and Northwest regions of India.Findings – The findings reveal that socio‐psychological, brand and situational antecedents significantly influence status consumption.Practical implications – The findings support the notion that some key status consumption characteristics may be common among all cultures and countries however, their degree of influence may differ dramatically. Furthermore, others key variables may be s...

Conspicuous consumption among middle age consumers: psychological and brand antecedents

Purpose – This paper sets out to address the issue of conspicuous consumption among middle age consumers (40‐60), focusing on the psychological and brand antecedents, using the context of automobile buying behaviour. Existing literature does not clearly conceptualise psychological and brand antecedent and their effect on conspicuous consumption due to usage of inconsistent measurement techniques and being largely targeted at the youth segment.Design/methodology/approach – Two scales of measurement (psychological antecedent scale, brand antecedent scale) were employed to measure the impact. The study involved a quantitative research methodology employing a structured questionnaire and quota sampling with a total sample of 302 within the region of the South‐East of the UK.Findings – The findings suggest that psychological and brand antecedents are of crucial importance among middle‐aged consumers in influencing their conspicuous consumption.Practical implications – Using the examples of present communicatio...

The influence of value perceptions on luxury purchase intentions in developed and emerging markets

Purpose – Despite the growing debate about differences in consumer attitudes and behavior in emerging and developed markets, there is little research on the differences in consumer value perceptions and their influence on purchase intentions. Focusing on the theory of impression management, the purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework incorporating the social (conspicuousness and status), personal (hedonism and materialism) and functional (uniqueness and price‐quality perceptions) value perceptions using the context of luxury goods.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a structured questionnaire‐ based study of consumers in four countries, representing two leading Western developed luxury markets (the US and the UK) and two important Eastern emerging markets (India and Malaysia). Multiple‐group SEM analysis was used to analyze the data.Findings – The findings show several differences in the influence of value perceptions on consumer purchase intentions in the Wester...

Effect of product usage, satisfaction and involvement on brand switching behaviour

The study addresses the effect of product usage, satisfaction derived out of the same and the brand switching behaviour in several product categories while looking at the product involvement level in the Indian marketplace. A fair amount of work has been done in the area of customer satisfaction and loyalty and many customer satisfaction indexes are available in the market using different variables and characteristics. The study attempts to understand the brand switching behaviour of the customers and its relation not with just satisfaction derived out of the product but also connects to the usage pattern of the customers and product involvement. Five categories (vehicles, television, soap, hair oil, and ice cream), involving varying levels of involvement were chosen. Cluster analysis was used to understand the grouping of the characteristics across the categories and their effect on brand switching behaviour in correlation with satisfaction and involvement level. It was observed that product usage and related level of satisfaction fail to explain the brand switching behaviour. Product involvement was found to have moderate impact on readiness to switch. The study emphasises that marketers will have to keep a constant eye to understand the usage pattern associated with their products and the satisfaction derived out of it and also at how customers involve themselves with the product to lessen the brand switching behaviour among their customers.

Competitive intelligence and firm's performance in emerging markets: an exploratory study in India

– This paper aims to explore the impact of competitive intelligence (CI) practices on the firms performance in the emerging market context of India. The paper seeks to answer the following questions: do CI activities have an impact on the market performance of Indian firms? If so, what are the macro and micro environmental drivers of CI for Indian firms? How are CI activities organized within Indian firms? How is the usage and dissemination of CI taking place within Indian firms?, – The study used a stratified sample developed from a variety of mailing lists focusing on Indian firms. The study employed a cross‐sectional, survey‐based methodology., – The study identifies two key aspects: Indian firms that exhibit higher levels of CI activities indeed achieve better financial performance results; and the current level of CI activities in Indian firms is at a moderate level, thereby suggesting an opportunity for using and implementing more sophisticated CI techniques., – The findings of this study should assist local and foreign managers in having a more informed understanding of CI activities in the Indian marketplace. Additionally, these findings provide directives to managers regarding the untapped opportunities and potential that CI can offer in a highly volatile and rapidly changing market scenario., – This is the first study that empirically investigates the relationship between the level of CI activities and firm performance in an emerging market context. It is also the first study of its kind that explores the current state of CI practices in the Indian market.

Impact of contextual factors, brand loyalty and brand switching on purchase decisions

Purpose – The consumer culture in recent times has evolved into one of the most powerful ingredients shaping individuals and societies. Although the behavioural intentions and purchase decisions related models continue to dominate research and managerial practice, a deeper look indicates that most studies do not take the complete picture in account and study parts of the above mentioned phenomena. Furthermore, consumers operate in a dynamic and ever‐changing environment which in itself demands a re‐examination of their behavioural intentions and purchase decision influences from time to time. This paper aims to focus on these issues.Design/methodology/approach – Using the context of the young adults market, this study looks into how contextual factors vis‐a‐vis loyalty and switching impact consumer purchase intentions. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative research methodology.Findings – The findings suggest that contextual factors have the strongest influence on purchase decisions. Further...

The impact of organizational efforts on consumer concerns in an online context

As organizations spend a significant amount of their resources on online channels, it is vitally important to understand the effects of this cost on consumer behavior. The author developed and empirically tested an integrated model combining the effects of organizational efforts on consumer concerns, process satisfaction, and purchase intentions. The results of this effort suggested that consumers are still skeptical of the organizational efforts in an online context and their concerns remain a critical factor in influencing their satisfaction and purchase intention. The study provided insights for managers about how they may reduce shopping cart abandonment in online purchasing environment by focusing on consumer concerns.

Emerging paradigms in the Indian marketplace

Purpose – This special issue aims to present India as one of the worlds most promising and fastest growing economies, with multinational companies eager to invest.Design/methodology/approach – Examines the eight articles and the contribution of each to an important aspect of marketing in the region.Findings – The issue provides insights from both organizational and consumer perspectives; provides various methodological insights in researching the Indian marketplace; being specifically focused on India, the findings are applicable in the Indian market context which has a need for customized tools and marketing strategies.Originality/value – This issue will assist practitioners, researchers and budding marketers, eyeing India as a potential market, and adds to the existing debate on emerging paradigms in the Indian marketplace on several fonts.

Action research in policy making: a case in the dairy industry in Gujarat, India

Action research has been extensively used world-wide for decision making related to policy due to its nature of involving the researcher and decision maker in the process. Following independence in India, one of the major revolutions was brought about in the dairy sector with regard to complete management systems. Most innovations and changes occurred in the line function while the staff function was more often neglected in the overall change. The authors undertook an action research study focusing on staff function and relayed improvements that can influence policy related to decision making. The authors have also developed the MPS model for staff function which can help a company or industry in appraising their own staff and functions which can thereby aid in utilising their potential.

IT usage for enhancing trade show performance: evidence from the aviation services

Purpose While trade shows remain an important customer relationship management (CRM) tool, recent advancements in information technology (IT) have raised concerns about the future of trade shows. This study aims to examine the antecedents and consequences of IT integration into trade shows. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a questionnaire-based survey with senior and middle managers in the aviation services, resulting in 135 valid responses from industry professionals. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings The findings demonstrate differential but significant impact of perceptions toward website design and firm motivations toward the integration IT in the three stages of trade shows marketing. The results also show significant impact of IT usage on the perceptions toward the accomplishment of trade show objectives. Further, the results vary according to the levels of experience of the professionals. Research limitations/implications This study did not account for the differences in perceptions toward IT implementation across personnel from different departments, such as IT, finance and operations management. In addition, it did not examine situational factors and individual characteristics as additional antecedents of IT usage in trade shows, including pricing, return on investment, convenience and the social media. Practical implications Exhibitors are advised to integrate IT in supporting pre-trade show activities to approach potential customers. Exhibitors should integrate electronic interactions and personal communications during the show to reduce the amount of unanswered customer queries, focusing on timeliness and accuracy of information content, ease of navigation and graphic attractiveness of corporate websites, as effective CRM tools. Originality/value This paper offers novel insights into hitherto unknown aspects of trade show performance. The results have managerial implications for adopting IT as a CRM tool for effective trade show management.