Thomas Kilian

Do Millennials read books or blogs? Introducing a media usage typology of the internet generation

Purpose – Millennials, the Net Generation, and digital natives all represent the same, fervently discussed phenomenon, especially in the education sciences. As the terms suggest, the main idea behind this phenomenon is that the younger generation embraces new media far more comprehensively than the older generations. However, the literature is mostly based on anecdotal evidence. To date, surprisingly little empirical research exists on the media use of the “Internet Generation”. In this paper, the authors aim to partially close this gap. In doing so, they focus especially on the use of social media.Design/methodology/approach – Active media use is a key element of social software and Web 2.0 and has the potential to affect the media industry on a fundamental level. Using a large‐scale empirical study with over 800 participants, the authors identify three different subgroups of Millennials.Findings – The results indicate that, although participation in and identification with social media is generally high...

Corporate social responsibility and environmental reporting in controversial industries

Purpose – Over the last few decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received a large amount of attention in research and in practice. As a response to the growing awareness of and concern about social and environmental issues, an increasing number of companies are proactively publishing their CSR-related principles and activities. The overall research question of this study is derived from legitimacy theory and is aimed at elucidating the relationship between industry sector and CSR communication. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical examination encompasses a sample that includes the annual reports of all German DAX-30 companies from 1998 to 2009. First, based on a content analysis, categories of CSR-related communication are defined. Second, these categories are used in a quantitative analysis with a longitudinal perspective to evaluate the hypothesis that companies in controversial industries communicate their CSR more intensely than companies in...

Measuring consumer vulnerability to perceived product-similarity problems and its consequences

Abstract The brand clutter in many product categories and increasing numbers of similar products, some of which are deliberate look-alikes, make it more difficult for consumers to distinguish between brands, which can lead to more mistaken and misinformed purchases. Moreover, increasing brand similarity is likely to influence important consumer outcomes. To examine this phenomenon, a perceived product-similarity scale developed in Germany was administered to 220 consumers in the United Kingdom. Following the formulation of testable hypotheses and assessments of the scales reliability and validity, the scale was used to measure perceived product similarity (PPS) across three different product categories, while examining the impact of PPS on brand loyalty and word of mouth. Structural equation modelling revealed that PPS significantly affects word of mouth but not brand loyalty. In addition, cluster analysis identified three meaningful and distinct PPS groups. Implications for marketing managers, consumer policy makers, and marketing research are discussed.

Motives for Active Participation in Political Blogs: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Eight German Blogs

Blogs play an important role in political communication and in forming the opinions of political actors and politically interested users. Their ability to facilitate active interaction, present opinions, mobilize voters, and thereby, influence public opinion and eventually election outcomes makes political blogs an interesting research subject. Thus, this article draws upon a qualitative content analysis to reveal the readers’ motivations and main themes to post comments and get involved in the discussions on political blogs. We analyze 12 blog discussions (500 pages) in eight left-leaning German political blogs and use qualitative content analysis to develop a category scheme comprising of 3,868 codings. We find that social interaction with other blog users is the main motive for blogging on German political blogs together with the desire for the exchange of further information and analysis, and the expression of the own opinion concerning the subject. Moreover, we classify 191 users by their motivations for blogging using cluster analysis and identify the bloggers’ different communication roles. By providing insight into the users’ political discussions, motives for participation, and communication roles, we clarify the role that political blogs play in the process of forming political opinion and derive implications for politics.

Communicating Competency in References: A Qualitative Analysis of the Utilization of References in Mechanical Engineering

Purpose: The authors focused on the one-way, impersonal communication from a supplier to its potential customers via the reference pages on firm websites. To date, actual reference descriptions from supplier websites have only been examined by Jalkala and Salminen (2009). Extending Jalkala and Salminens research approach, the authors additionally concentrated on the intended effects on potential customers by interviewing firm representatives. Approach: The study drew on qualitative research and had several goals. First, the authors explained the relevance of references to suppliers and (potential) customers by referring to transaction cost theory and correspondent inference theory. Second, based on empirical data from German mechanical engineering firms, they extracted different modes of presentation and the content schemes embedded therein by performing a content analysis. In addition, semistructured interviews with firm representatives were conducted to gain insights into the assumed effects of references. Third, based on the collected data, they established research propositions that incorporate prominent features of the reference descriptions and the assumed effects on customers. Findings: Suppliers mostly presented themselves as having high technological expertise. Product-related services appeared to be primarily stated as additional benefits that are linked to technological selling arguments. Findings suggest a positive impact of references on perceived suppliers competencies, when positive relationships with customers, a high number of references, industry-specific reference descriptions, or international references are presented on the firms website. Same counts for the presence of large and prestigious customers on reference lists as well as for the presentation of more products from the downstream stages and the emphasis on customer benefits. Finally, the authors contrasted the results of the study with those of other recent studies and examined the implications for future research. The managerial implications of this research were discussed with respect to the design of references on the Internet and to reference behavior in general.

Word-of-Mouth im Web 2.0 am Beispiel von Kinofilmen

Das Internet hat sich als Leitmedium der Zukunft mittlerweile einen festen Platz in unserer Kultur erobert und gewinnt durch Entwicklungen, die mit dem Schlagwort Web 2.0 umschrieben werden, sowohl im geschaftlichen als auch privaten Bereich weiter an Bedeutung.

Product Complexity in Consumer Research: Literature Review and Implications for Future Research

Some consumers are overwhelmed when buying certain complicated products such as computers, mobile phones, or automobiles. Product complexity is likely to play a role in such a complex buying situation. Until now, research regarding product complexity has been scarce and fragmented. For example, no common definition of product complexity exists, as the different definitions presented by various authors reveal. We conducted a literature review to defragment the prior research on product complexity, synthesized a definition, and discussed prior measurement approaches and the role of product complexity in the consumer buying process. Thus, we provide the fundamentals for more detailed research on product complexity in the future and derive some implications for marketing practice.

Benefits and Barriers of University Industry Collaborations from a Researcher's Perspective: Development of Formative Scales and Cluster Analysis

This article extends previous empirical research on the benefits and barriers for researchers in the field of Information Systems (IS) to engage in University-Industry Collaboration (UIC), a term that is used to describe the active engagement of a company or government agency in a joint research project with academics. The objectives and motivations of UIC have been discussed widely and controversially in the literature. We were particularly interested in the perceived benefits and barriers that influence an individual researcher to engage (or not engage) in a joint research project. An in-depth literature analysis showed that a very small number of research articles contain empirical data and that there are serious methodological issues. In order to address these issues, we collected primary data from 328 IS researchers with experience in UIC and conducted an explorative study. We developed parsimonious formative measures for the benefits and barriers of UIC and we found that academic and economic benefits positively influence the intention to conduct UIC in the future, while economic barriers negatively influence the intention to engage in UIC. A cluster analysis found five clusters (groups of researchers) that differ in their perception of benefits and barriers and the future intention to conduct UIC. However, the majority of the researchers have a very high intention to conduct UIC in the future.

Spinning the Wheel: What Makes TV Series-Spin-Offs Successful?

Abstract TV networks are in constant need of new programs. This study analyses series spin-offs that builds on successful formats, whereby, the networks aim to reduce the innovation risk by providing series that are more or less familiar to viewers. This explorative study adopts a qualitative approach and creates a model of determinants for the spin-offs’ success. Five TV spin-offs that stem from different genres and were both successful and failures were analyzed. The major factors of spin-offs were found to be the parent show fan base, intertextuality of parent and spin-off, and consistency in factors like plot and character constellation.

Measurement of Attitude Toward Private Labels: A Replication and Extension

In recent years, private labels have attracted a large amount of attention among marketing scholars and practitioners. In many countries private label products enjoy a growing popularity and compete head to head with national brands in numerous product categories. Burton et al. (1998) have proposed a scale to measure consumers’ attitudes toward private labels (ATPL). Their scale, based on previous research in the U.S., does not appear to have been widely tested. This study tests the applicability of the ATPL scale within a German retailing context. The ATPL scale was administered to more than 600 consumers in Germany. Study 1 assesses the cross-cultural validity of the measure. Further, the ATPL scale’s predictive and nomological validity is assessed. Then cluster analysis is employed using a second sample (Study 2). The ATPL scale appears to have elements of construct validity and has potential use across international populations. Implications for marketing research and retail managers are discussed.