Vinicius Andrade Brei

Confiança, valor percebido e lealdade em trocas relacionais de serviço: um estudo com usuários de Internet Banking no Brasil

This paper is aimed on the development and test of a theoretical model based on hypotheses that analyze end-customers trust, perceived value and loyalty on Internet Banking services relational exchanges in Brazil. Tested model is validated using structural equation modeling based on survey results with 611 Internet Banking end-customers of a major brazilian retail bank. Tested hypotheses show that trust has a strong impact on customers perceived value which also has a strong impact on customers loyalty. Perceived value was identified as a partial mediator variable on the trust-loyalty relationship. Managerial and future research suggestions are also presented.

Marketing the hegemony of development: of pulp fictions and green deserts

In this paper we analyze the role of marketing in the construction of what can be called the hegemony of development. Through an investigation of the marketing practices of the pulp and paper industry in South America and the resistances that are articulated by a range of civil society actors against the expansion of this industry, we problematize marketing as a political and contested discourse and practice. By using Laclau and Mouffes (1985, 2001) theoretical framework, which is centered on the concept of `hegemony, we highlight the crucial role marketing plays in the social and cultural legitimation of the highly controversial development of the pulp and paper industry — regarded as one of the most polluting industries in the world — in South America. We build on existing `critical marketing literatures to critique marketings role in spreading `development practices around the world, and we introduce Laclau and Mouffes theories to the marketing field in order to understand better the way marketing helps to produce `development as a hegemonic discourse in a particular social and cultural field. In this way we contribute to a growing understanding that critical marketing research is not only about exposing and analyzing the discourses and practices that drive consumption. Rather, we see marketing as an ontological discourse and practice that is crucial for the cultural and social legitimation of the development of entire industries and economic spheres.

Corporate social responsibility as cultural meaning management: a critique of the marketing of ‘ethical’ bottled water

To date, the primary focus of research in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the strategic implications of CSR for corporations and less on an evaluation of CSR from a wider political, economic and social perspective. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by critically engaging with marketing campaigns of so-called ‘ethical’ bottled water. We especially focus on a major CSR strategy of a range of different companies that promise to provide drinking water for (what they name as) ‘poor African people’ by way of Western consumers purchasing bottled water. Following Faircloughs approach, we unfold a three-step critical discourse analysis of the marketing campaigns of 10 such ‘ethical’ brands. Our results show that bottled water companies try to influence consumers tastes through the management of the cultural meaning of bottled water, producing a more ‘ethical’ and ‘socially responsible’ perception of their products/brands. Theoretically, we base our analysis on McCrackens model of the cultural meaning of consumer goods, which, we argue, offers a critical perspective of the recent emergence of CSR and business ethics initiatives. We discuss how these marketing campaigns can be framed as historical struggles associated with neo-liberal ideology and hegemony. Our analysis demonstrates how such CSR strategies are part of a general process of the reproduction of capitalist modes of accumulation and legitimation through the usage of cultural categories.

O Uso da técnica de modelagem em equações estruturais na área de marketing: um estudo comparativo entre publicações no Brasil e no exterior

This article investigates the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in the published articles on the main brazilian business administration conference (ENANPAD) marketing track and also on the marketing section of the most important brazilian business administration journals (RAE, RAUSP and RAC) in the last ten years: 1994 to 2003. In addition to the analysis of the published articles, the authors present a comparison with Baumgartner and Homburgs (1996) findings in their investigation on SEM usage, which explored the papers published at main international marketing journals. The text begins with a brief overview of SEM - its origins, functions and characteristics, main steps, some applications, its essentials and some problematic aspects of the method. Then the criteria used to analyze the papers are presented. The results are shown in detail, including a comparison with Baumgartner and Homnburgs findings. This article ends with an overall evaluation about the quality of the use of SEM in Brazil, along with some suggestions for future applications of SEM in marketing.

Understanding school teacher's knowledge regarding dental trauma: a basis for future interventions.

BACKGROUNDnTraumatic dental injuries frequently occur at school environment. However, teachers are not prepared to provide the adequate emergency management.nnnAIMnThe objectives of this study were to identify the factors associated with teachers knowledge about dental trauma and to describe school managers perception of possible strategies to change the scenario.nnnSUBJECTS AND METHODSnOur sample comprised 405 teachers from 17 public schools in Canoas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, whose data were collected regarding demographic variables, training and professional experience information. The outcome was completely inadequate knowledge regarding trauma measured based on the answers to a structured questionnaire about dental fractures and tooth avulsion. The sample also included 14 school managers who answered a semi-structured questionnaire about the causes of teachers inadequate knowledge and possible strategies to change the scenario.nnnRESULTSnThe multivariate analysis demonstrated that the probability of completely inadequate knowledge was higher among male teachers, with less professional experience, who had not achieved a graduate degree, who had not witnessed at least one dental trauma case at school and who had not been trained in first-aid. School managers identified the following causes of inadequate knowledge: the fact that the topic is not approached during the teachers training and continual education and lack of experience involving dental trauma at school. In addition, they suggested that lectures and courses including written and visual communication should be offered, as well as training workshops.nnnCONCLUSIONSnStrategies to improve the teachers knowledge about dental trauma must take into consideration the results of the present study and optimize the inclusion of this topic in the teachers curricular training and pedagogical education in a continuous manner.

The influence of adaptation and standardization of the marketing mix on performance: a meta-analysis

This article analyzes the relationship between strategies of standardization and adaptation of the marketing mix and performance in an international context. We carried out a meta-analysis on a sample of 23 studies published between 1992 and 2010. The sample was analyzed based on measures of the effect size (ES) - or the strength of the relation (Wolf, 1986) - between standardization/adaptation and performance. The results suggest the existence of a medium strength (ES ranging from .133 to .209) for the relationship considered. The results support the existence of a positive impact of both marketing mix adaptation and standardization on performance. However, our results suggest that companies should slightly emphasize the marketing mix adaptation (ES mean = .168) instead of standardizing it (ES mean = .134) when entering in a new international market. Results also indicate that, among the adaptation choices, price (ES = .209) should be the first element of the marketing mix to be adapted, followed by promotion (ES = .155), product (ES = .154), and distribution (ES = .141). Finally, we suggest some new research paths, such as the use of quantitative methods to compare degrees of adaptation to be applied to different segments, regions, and sectors, among other suggestions.

‘1L=10L for Africa’: Corporate social responsibility and the transformation of bottled water into a ‘consumer activist’ commodity

In recent years, it has become an increasingly common marketing practice to connect the sale of consumer products to corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as aid and development projects in so-called ‘developing’ countries. One example is Volvic’s pioneering ‘1L=10L for Africa’ campaign (2005–2010), which linked the sale of each liter of bottled water in ‘developed’ countries with the promise by Danone, Volvic’s owner, to provide 10 liters of drinking water in Africa. In this article, we engage with this ‘cause-related marketing’ campaign, using critical discourse analysis (CDA) to uncover its mechanisms and ideological functioning. We show how Volvic was able to transform an ordinary commodity, bottled water, into a consumer activist brand through which consumers could take part in solving global social problems, such as the access to safe drinking water in ‘developing’ countries. Our analysis of this exemplary case shows the ways that CSR often operates to deflect ethical critiques, consolidate brand loyalty and corporate profits, and defuse political struggles around consumption. By doing so, we suggest that CSR forms part of a complex strategy deployed to legitimize particular brands and commodities. In this way CSR can be seen as playing an important role in the ideological makeup of contemporary consumer capitalism.

Crafting the market for bottled water: a social praxeology approach

Purpose – This paper aims to account for the crafting of the constellation of brand and consumer values around an everyday product, that of bottled water. This paper situates the exponential growth of this market in its historical and cultural context, paying particular attention to the fostering of the “social conditions of possibility” for this product in the French market. The socio-historical context and the interplay of stakeholders to the respondents’ understanding and uses of bottled water, highlighting the importance of a range of factors that made this market and product resonate with their requirements, are linked. Design/methodology/approach – This account responds to the call for more engagement with social theory in marketing and consumer research (Brownlie and Hewer, 2011). It also connects with recent scholarly pleas for a displacement of the consumer from the center of our analytic attention (Askegaard and Linnet, 2011; Holt, 2012). It does so by using the social praxeology approach associ...

O fim da infância? As ações de marketing e a "adultização" do consumidor infantil

The main purpose of this paper is to critically analyze childhood representations that appear in a children clothes companys marketing actions, to reach an understanding of this actions contribution to the premature adulthood of the child consumer. We analyze two communication campaigns (Autumn/Winter 2008 and Spring/Summer 2008/2009) of Lilica Ripilica, a well-known brand in the Brazilian children market. To do this we use the method of critical discourse analysis (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001), in three stages: textual analysis (a discription of the texts); processual analysis (analyzing texts and the discourse practice); and social analysis (understanding the social and cultural effects of the discourse practice). As a result, our analyzes reveal that the brands discourse aims to teach children beauty standards and behaviours that are related to the adult world, something which reinforces the indissociation between child/adult. A similar reality was indentified in the Middle Age literature (ARIES, 1981). This papers contribution involves the observation of this same indissociation, but in a diferent perspective: the premature adulthood of children as a way of socialization in the consumer market. The research shows that a new model of miniature adult seems to be constructed by the actions of marketing.

Loyalty's Antecedents: A Cross-Sector Study

ABSTRACT This article presents the details of a study aimed at empirically verifying the constructs of trust, value, and satisfaction as antecedents of loyalty. Furthermore, the article investigates the debate on the differences in magnitude of influential relations by antecedent constructs on loyalty in three distinct activity segments in Brazil–Clothing Retail, the Banking Sector, and Distance Education. The results of the cross-sector research pointed out the relevance of value as the most significant antecedent of customers loyalty. These results also showed the importance of each of the antecedents studied in building customers loyalty. Academic and management implications are presented. RESUMEN. Este artículo presenta los detalles de un estudio orientado a verificar empíricamente la construcción de la confianza, valor y satisfacción como precursores de la lealtad. Además, el artículo investiga el debate sobre las diferencias existentes en la dimensión de las relaciones de influencia por los precursores que construyen la lealtad, observados en tres segmentos de actividades específicos en Brasil–Ropa al por Menor, el Sector de la Banca, y Educación a Distancia. Los resultados de la investigación trans-sectorial señalaron la importancia del valor, como uno de los precursores más importantes de la lealtad del cliente, demostrando también la importancia que cada uno de dichos precursores estudiados ejerce sobre la lealtad de los clientes. Además, también presentamos las implicancias académicas y gerenciales/ administrativas. RESUMO. Este artigo apresenta os detalhes de um estudo que visa verificar empiricamente os conceitos de confiança, valor e satisfação como antecedentes da fidelidade. Além disso, o artigo investiga o debate sobre as diferenças na magnitude das relações de influência exercidas pelos conceitos antecedentes sobre a fidelidade em três segmentos de atividade àdistintos no Brasil: comércio varejista de roupas, setor bancário e educação distância. Os resultados da pesquisa intersetorial apontaram para a importância do valor como o antecedente mais significativo da fidelidade dos clientes. Esses resultados também mostraram a importância de cada um dos antecedentes estudados para o de senvolvimento da fidelidade dos clientes. As implicações acadêmicas e gerenciais são apre-sentadas.