Emerald | Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics | Table of Contents

Editorial Volume 25 Issue 3

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Ian Phau) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Not available.

Market Segmentation in the Cell Phone Market Among Adolescents and Young Adults

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Matti J. Haverila) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the existence of inter-market market segments in the adolescents’ and young adults’ cell phone product-market in Finland, United Arab Emirates, Canada, China, and New Zealand. Drawing upon cell phone feature preferences criteria cited by Isiklar and Buyuközkan (2007) the existence of inter-market market segments using these feature preferences as the cluster variate were examined. Design/methodology/approach - Using a survey questionnaire, data was gathered from 403 high school and 892 undergraduate students in Finland, UAE, China, Canada and New Zealand.Findings - The results of the study suggest the inter-market market segments do exist in the countries of this study, but their existence varies to some degree by country.Originality/value - An important implication of the research is the existence of the five inter-market segments among the adolescents and young adults in the five countries under review in this research was established. Consequently the inter-market segments extend over the borders. The five inter-market segments exist in all country markets except in New Zealand, which included only four segments. These five segments also appear to be unique and large enough in size, which are the key requirements in terms of successful segmentation, and thus warrant the development of unique products, services and marketing programs for the segments.

Perceived Risk, Risk-Reduction Strategies (RRS) and Consumption Occasions: Roles in the Wine Consumer’s Purchase Decision

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This exploratory study examined the relationship between perceived risk, risk-reduction strategies (RRS), and the occasion-based purchase of wine, a product widely regarded as representing a complex buying situation for consumers in a retail setting.Design/methodology/approach - Data was collected in a specialty wine store in Adelaide, Australia using a self-administered questionnaire. A 22-item Perceived Risk Scale (PRS) was developed and operationalised in this study returning a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.717. Findings - The highest perceived risk dimension, namely financial risk, did not differ between risk segments, while the high perceived risk segment observed more social risk than the low perceived risk segment. The high perceived risk segment also observed more psychological risk. Information seeking was the most important RRS used across seven different wine consumption occasions. The decreasing order of importance in consumption occasions had an inverse relationship to the closeness of the relationship the wine consumers had with those with whom they may consume the wine they had purchased. Research limitations/implications - Marketers and managers have the opportunity to target consumers mindful of their specific perceived risks, and help reduce these uncertainties through the use of individualised RRS management focused on consumers’ occasion-based wine purchases.Originality/value - This study is of value to academic researchers and wine industry practitioners alike. It contributes to the knowledge base by developing a new Perceived Risk Scale (PRS) to investigate the relationship perceived risk has on the types of RRS wine consumers use when purchasing wine for various consumption occasions.

Understanding Chinese University Students’ Experiences: An Empirical Analysis

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This study analyses the relationships between Chinese students’ behavioral intentions, satisfaction, service quality, perceived value, and university image. A multi-level modeling approach is used to examine the relationships between these higher order constructs. In addition, service quality consists of three primary dimensions and thirteen sub-dimensions. Finally, this study compares students’ perceptions of the dimensions of service quality, overall perceived service quality, university image, perceived value, satisfaction and favorable behavioral intentions based on the demographic characteristics of the sample (gender, age, year of study, and major). Design/methodology/approach - The data used in this study were based on a sample of 350 students studying at a public university in China. Data was analyzed using factor analysis, regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings - The findings support using a multi-level model consisting of three primary dimensions and thirteen sub-dimensions to conceptualize and measure perceived service quality. Service quality is the main determinant of satisfaction and has a significant influence on university image and perceived value. Perceived value has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between service quality and satisfaction. Satisfaction significantly influences recommending the university and future attendance. The results of this study also indicate that students’ demographic characteristics (gender, age, year of study, and major) influence their perceptions of several of the constructs. Originality/value - This is the first study synthesizing behavioral intentions, satisfaction, service quality, perceived value and university image in a Chinese university setting.

What’s in a Relationship? Affective Commitment, Bonding and the First Year Experience - A Student and Faculty Perspective

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jana Lay-Hwa Bowden) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - Increasingly higher education institutions are being held to account for the performance of their students in terms of students’ academic performance and timely program completion, as well as externally through job placement. This challenge is compounded by a range of additional factors including fluctuating, international economic conditions, an increasingly globalised, competitive environment, widespread provision of online qualifications, and high student drop-out rates. There is a pressing need therefore to understand the factors which contribute to positive perceptions of institutional services and the way in which these drive student retention, especially within the first year experience. This research explores the role of affective commitment on students’ perceived satisfaction within the student-university relationship and the effect of this on retention in an Australian tertiary context. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative approach was is adopted using four focus groups and eight in-depth interviews with first year undergraduate students enrolled at a large metropolitan Australian university. In addition, an online expert forum wais used to obtain qualitative verbatim from twenty-two internationally-based Faculty educators. Findings - The results of this study suggest that the development of deeply entrenched emotional bonds with students is important in facilitating high levels of satisfaction during the first year experience. In addition, a sense of belonging was perceived by Faculty as being the primary mechanism for ensuring the retention of students beyond the first year of enrolment. Practical implications - From a managerial perspective, it is expected that uncovering the nature of student-institution relationships and the importance of affective forms of commitment will enable higher education institutions to develop more targeted relationship marketing programs and to increase student retention. Originality/value - In a unique contribution , this research examines this issue from the perspective of both first year students, as well as from an international Faculty perspective enabling a multi-dimensional comparison to be drawn between the perceptions of the student, and the service-provider.

ROLES OF CUSTOMER INVOLVEMENT ON RAPPORT AND SATISFACTION

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - The study investigates different roles (antecedent, mediator and moderator roles) of customer involvement on rapport and satisfaction. It is also designed to reveal the comparative impact of three types of relational benefits (confidential, social and special treatment benefits) on customer involvement.Design/methodology/approach - Structural equation modeling (using Amos) is used for analyzing the data, collected from a survey on 212 sample respondents of private commercial banking sector.Findings - Results suggest that customer involvement does have antecedent and mediated influence on rapport-satisfaction link while the moderation impact of customer involvement is not supported. In contrast, social treatment benefit is found as the most important relational benefit for developing customer involvement in Bangladesh followed by confidence and special treatment benefit.Research limitations/implications - Findings will assist bank management to set effective future strategies and to manage successful relationships with customers in order to motivate customer satisfaction with the bank. But the study may suffer from lack of generalization and poor sample representation as it focuses on single country (Bangladesh) and single industry (banking sector). Originality/value - The paper for the first time attempts to reveal antecedent, mediator and moderator role of customer involvement on rapport and satisfaction. It also identifies the level of importance among three relational benefits for Bangladeshi bank customers.

How do Muslim consumers perceive service quality?

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Gita Gayatri, Janet Chew) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This paper reports the development of an Islamic service quality scale that is derived from the literature, verbal protocol method interviews and survey.Design/methodology/approach - Verbal protocol interviews were conducted with 24 men and 12 women from Indonesia. A pilot testing of the questionnaire was conducted with four Indonesian students. The items were further refined and pilot tested with six Indonesian students. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis (n=200) and confirmatory factor analysis (n=607) were used to examine the factor structure and reliability of the scale.Findings - The results indicate a robust measure of Islamic service quality: gerneral Islamic values, Halas/Haram, attention to Islamic religious activities, honesty, modesty and humaneness and trustworthiness. Research limitations/implications - Major limitations include the recall ability of consumers during the verbal protocol method of interviewing, potential blending of Islamic values and Javanese culture and the extent of separation of state and religion. Future researchers can apply the Islamic service quality measure to Muslim consumers in other countries.Practical implications - Successful service providers need to be cognizant of the intrinsic roles played by Islamic values and practices among the Muslim consumers.Originality/value - This paper contributes to the extant literature on Islamic marketing by developing a unique measure of service quality that is pertinent to Muslim consumers.

Impact of Brand Personality and Consumer Ethnocentrism in China’s Sportswear Market

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Xiao Tong, Chunxiao Li) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - This study aims to investigate the effect of brand personality and consumer ethnocentrism on perceived quality and purchase intentions in China’s sportswear market.Design/methodology/approach - In order to examine and compare the effect of brand personality and consumer ethnocentrism on the evaluation of product quality and purchase intention toward domestic and foreign brands, COB (the country with which the brand or firm is associated) and COM (the country in which final production takes place) cues were used in this study. Chinese college students represented the sample of 385 respondents. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the causal relationships among brand personality, consumer ethnocentrism, perceived quality, and purchase intention. Findings - Results revealed that brand personality has a significant effect on Chinese consumers’ product quality perceptions and purchase intentions toward both domestic and foreign brands. Furthermore, it is found that Chinese consumers’ ethnocentric tendencies have no significant impact on their intentions to buy either domestic or foreign sportswear brands. However, ethnocentric Chinese consumers do positively evaluate the quality of domestic brands when domestic brands are also made domestically and negatively evaluate the quality of foreign brands when foreign brands are also manufactured non-domestically. Originality/value - The study contributes theoretically and empirically to research on the effects of brand image and consumer ethnocentrism in emerging markets. The findings from this study will help domestic and international marketers have a better understanding of the role of brand personality and consumer ethnocentric tendencies in influencing young Chinese consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intentions. In addition, few studies have simultaneously examined the effects of brand image and consumer ethnocentrism (moderated by COO) on consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intentions, which provided new research and managerial implications.

The Effect of Racial Cues on the Reader’s Response to Advertisements: A US-China Comparative Study

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Zhihong Gao, Jincan Xu, Joe H. Kim) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose - Given that global advertising often originates in the West, this study aimed to investigate whether the same racial cues in advertising had different effects on U.S. and Chinese readers who belonged to the majority group in their own country but occupied varied positions in the global racial hierarchy.Design/methodology/approach - The study included two experiments that used U.S. and Chinese college students as participants to test the effects of model race on model likeability, ad attitude, and brand attitude.Findings - The experiments confirmed that model race affected the effectiveness of advertising, though the nature and extent of its effects were mediated by factors such as country and product category. The effects of model race were much more pronounced for the Chinese data than the U.S. data, and for computer than for beer. Practical implications - The findings illustrate the inadequacy of the center-periphery approach to global advertising planning, expose the limitations of the social identity theory in predicting racial attitudes in international settings, and outline the ethical challenge for global advertisers to develop effective multicultural advertising.Originality/value - To date, most studies on racial cues in advertising have focused on the U.S., and very few have explored the topic in the context of other markets. As an initial cross-country comparative investigation, this study suggests that multicultural advertising does not have the same effect in international markets.