Surinder Tikoo

Conceptualizing and researching employer branding

Employer branding represents a firms efforts to promote, both within and outside the firm, a clear view of what makes it different and desirable as an employer. In recent years employer branding has gained popularity among practicing managers. Given this managerial interest, this article presents a framework to initiate the scholarly study of employer branding. Combining a resource‐based view with brand equity theory, a framework is used to develop testable propositions. The article discusses the relationship between employer branding and organizational career management. Finally, it outlines research issues that need to be addressed to develop employer branding as a useful organizing framework for strategic human resource management.

Operational Flexibility and Market Valuation of Earnings

This paper examines the association between the stock returns and accounting earnings of firms that have different levels of operational flexibility. Operational flexibility is a firm’s ability to respond profitably to environmental fluctuations by shifting factors of production within a multinational network of subsidiaries. The geographic breadth and depth of a firm’s multinational network are used as indicators of operational flexibility. We find a significantly greater coefficient relating stock returns and accounting earnings for multinational firms that operate in many countries, but limit their concentration in any one foreign country, than for other multinational firms or domestic firms. This coefficient is significantly smaller for multinational firms whose foreign subsidiaries are highly concentrated in a few countries. When all multinational firms are pooled together, we find their earnings‐returns association does not differ from that of domestic firms. Copyright

Franchiser influence strategy use and franchisee experience and dependence

Abstract Data from a survey of franchisees of a packaging, mailing, and business services franchise system indicate franchisers make more frequent use of requests, threats, and legalistic pleas, and less use of recommendations to coordinate less dependent franchisees. Franchisee dependence mediates the relationship between franchisee experience and franchiser use of recommendations, threats, and legalistic pleas. At the same time, it is interesting to find that franchiser use of information exchange and promise does not vary as franchisees mature in a system.

Franchisor use of influence and conflict in a business format franchise system

Purpose – This study aims to examine the relationship between a franchisors use of different types of persuasive communication to influence its franchisees and franchisee perceptions of conflict in the franchise relationship.Design/methodology/approach – Multiple regression analysis of survey data collected from franchisees of a US‐based franchise system.Findings – Data analysis indicates that a franchisors use of requests, threats, and legalistic pleas is positively related to conflict in the franchisor‐franchisee relationship. These relationships are not moderated by franchisee dependence. Franchisee dependence, does however, negatively moderate the relationship between the franchisors use of recommendations and conflict. The franchisors use of information exchange and promises and conflict are not related. The results suggest that business format franchisors should use information exchange and promises and restrain from using requests, threats, and legalistic pleas to influence their franchisees. R...

Buying decision approaches of organizational buyers and users

Abstract This study extends the research on prototypical buying decision approaches. Specifically, it compares buying activities, the accompanying prototypical buying decision approaches, and the impact of situational variables on the use of a buying decision approach by organizational buyers and users. Data collected from a survey of purchasing managers and doctors at 150 general hospitals in Korea show both commonalities and differences among buyers and users. The results also provide some empirical support for Robinson et al.s [Robinson PJ, Faris CW, Wind Y. Industrial buying and creative marketing. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1967] buyclass framework.

Perceptions of justice and employee willingness to engage in customer‐oriented behavior

This study examines the relationships among distributive justice, procedural justice, and employee willingness to engage in customer‐oriented behavior. Data collected from 328 employees at eight general hospitals in Korea show that distributive justice does and procedural justice does not directly affect employee willingness to engage in customer‐oriented behavior. Procedural justice does, however, positively affect perceptions of distributive justice.

Intergenerational Culture-Specific Consumption Differences Between Asian Indian Immigrants in the U.S. and Indians Residing in an Indian Metropolis

ABSTRACT This study compares the culture-specific consumption of first- and second-generation Asian Indians living in the U.S. and Asian Indian adults and youths living in New Delhi, India. The results show that first-generation Asian Indian adults have a lower level of culture-specific consumption than Asian Indian adults in India, but their culture-specific consumption is not significantly different than second-generation Asian Indian youths. Asian Indian youths have a lower level of culture-specific consumption than Asian Indian adults, but a higher level of culture-specific consumption than first-generation Asian Indian adults and second-generation Asian Indian youths. These findings are attributed to the effects of consumer socialization and globalization on consumer behavior. The study has implications for marketers targeting current and future Asian Indian immigrant consumers in the U.S.

Financial Markets and Marketing The Tradeoff between R&D and Advertising During an Economic Downturn

ABSTRACT This article examines the association between stock returns and earnings changes of firms that have made different tradeoffs with respect to R&D and advertising spending during an economic downturn. During the 2000–2002 bear market that was associated with a downturn in the U.S. economy, we find the coefficient that relates stock returns and earnings changes to be significantly greater for firms that increased their advertising expenditures and decreased their R&D expenditures than for firms that increased their R&D expenditures and decreased their advertising expenditures. Our results suggest that investors perceive that an increased emphasis on advertising can enable firms to stem earnings erosion that can potentially occur during an economic downturn.

Suppliers' capability factors affecting manufacturer commitment, opportunism, and supplier performance

This study extends the research on the capabilities–dependence–outcomes model in manufacturer–supplier relationships. Specifically, it examines the role of benefit-based and cost-based dependence in connecting relationships between supplier capabilities and manufacturer commitment. It also examines the impact of manufacturer commitment on supplier sales performance and manufacturer opportunism. Data from a survey of 131 suppliers of three leading Korean manufacturers are used to test the model of this research. A key finding is that suppliers should strive to generate benefit-based manufacturer dependence. Our results also indicate that supplier commitment in transaction-specific investments begets manufacturer commitment.

The Degree of Internationalization and the Stock Market Valuation of Earnings

Abstract In this paper, we examine the impact of the degree of internationalization on a firms ability to reduce risk and increase profits. Our study seeks to overcome three limitations of many previous studies on the value of internationalization: use of a single measure of internationalization, accrual-basis accounting measures of firm performance, and a small sample size. We use a multi-measure index, stock market assessment, and a large sample size of various firms. Our findings indicate that (1) a firms degree of internationalization has a positive impact on the investor response to the earnings changes and (2) the markets positive response to the value of internationalization is confined to a high level of internationalization. Our results do not support the argument that, at high levels of internationalization, the costs of internationalization exceed the benefits.