The evolution of "classical mythology" within marketing measure development

Purpose - This paper provides a deeper examination of the fundamentals of commonly-used techniques - such as coefficient alpha and factor analysis - in order to more strongly link the techniques used by marketing and social researchers to their underlying psychometric and statistical rationale. Design/methodology approach - A wide-ranging review and synthesis of psychometric and other measurement literature both within and outside the marketing field is used to illuminate and reconsider a number of misconceptions which seem to have evolved in marketing research. Findings - The research finds that marketing scholars have generally concentrated on reporting what are essentially arbitrary figures such as coefficient alpha, without fully understanding what these figures imply. It is argued that, if the link between theory and technique is not clearly understood, use of psychometric measure development tools actually runs the risk of detracting from the validity of the measures rather than enhancing it. Research limitations/implications - The focus on one stage of a particular form of measure development could be seen as rather specialised. The paper also runs the risk of increasing the amount of dogma surrounding measurement, which runs contrary to the spirit of this paper. Practical implications - This paper shows that researchers may need to spend more time interpreting measurement results. Rather than simply referring to precedence, one needs to understand the link between measurement theory and actual technique. Originality/value - This paper presents psychometric measurement and item analysis theory in easily understandable format, and offers an important set of conceptual tools for researchers in many fields. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Internal market orientation:construct, measurement and consequences

This thesis contributes to the paucity of marketing research into the area of internal marketing. Drawing from knowledge developed in a diverse range of marketing and management literatures, the domaill of internal marketing is clarified Gild a new concept, internal market orientation is developed. A new instrument, measuring the internal market orientation, is developed and subjected to standard scale development procedures. Six dimensions of the construct are confirmed; collegial interaction, group interaction, jorlllal interaction, external envirollment, wage flexibility and job flexibility. A sample of 766 UK retail store managers are surveyed to identify levels of internal market orientation and external market orientation in large UK multi-product, multi-site retailers and the structural relationships between internal market orientation, extemal market orientation alld company performance are examined. The external market orientation construct is applied to the local retail market and established measurement instruments adapted to this pwpose. Three measures of performance are employed ill this study. The structural relationships between the six dimensions of internal market orientation and the three dimensions of external market orientation are examined employing structural equations methodology, using LISREL 8.3. alld the impact of internal market orientation Oil external market orientation and company performance is measured. The study finds no direct link between internal market orientation and financial performance but does identify the moderated role of internal market orientation on financial performance. Significant relationships between three of the six dimensions of internal market orientation and the three dimensions of external market orientation are identified and the impact of internal market orientation on the retention of employees and their behaviour is also identified. The research findings contribute to marketing theory by providing empirical evidence to support the long held assumption that internal marketing has an impact on marketing success and offers an explanation of the mechanism by which this influence operates. For marketing practitioners, the research findings offer additional information on which services marketing strategies may be formulated.

Consumer-based brand equity conceptualization and measurement:a literature review

Although there is a large body of research on brand equity, little in terms of a literature review has been published on this since Feldwick’s (1996) paper. To address this gap, this paper brings together the scattered literature on consumer based brand equity’s conceptualisation and measurement. Measures of consumer based brand equity are classified as either direct or indirect. Indirect measures assess consumer-based brand equity through its demonstrable dimensions and are superior from a diagnostic level. The paper concludes with directions for future research and managerial pointers for setting up a brand equity measurement system.

Marketing performance assessment systems and the business context

Purpose ‐ This study provides empirical evidence for the contextuality of marketing performance assessment (MPA) systems. It aims to introduce a taxonomical classification of MPA profiles based on the relative emphasis placed on different dimensions of marketing performance in different companies and business contexts. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The data used in this study (n=1,157) were collected using a web-based questionnaire, targeted to top managers in Finnish companies. Two multivariate data analysis techniques were used to address the research questions. First, dimensions of marketing performance underlying the current MPA systems were identified through factor analysis. Second, a taxonomy of different profiles of marketing performance measurement was created by clustering respondents based on the relative emphasis placed on the dimensions and characterizing them vis-á-vis contextual factors. Findings ‐ The study identifies nine broad dimensions of marketing performance that underlie the MPA systems in use and five MPA profiles typical of companies of varying sizes in varying industries, market life cycle stages, and competitive positions associated with varying levels of market orientation and business performance. The findings support the previously conceptual notion of contextuality in MPA and provide empirical evidence for the factors that affect MPA systems in practice. Originality/value ‐ The paper presents the first field study of current MPA systems focusing on combinations of metrics in use. The findings of the study provide empirical support for the contextuality of MPA and form a classification of existing contextual systems suitable for benchmarking purposes. Limited evidence for performance differences between MPA profiles is also provided.

Marketing és vállalatközi kapcsolatok - Kutatócsoport zárótanulmány

Tanulmányunkban a Marketing és Vállalatközi kapcsolatok kutatócsoport 2011-ben készült műhelytanulmányainak legfontosabb eredményeit mutatjuk be. Kutatásaink központi témája a vállalati versenyképesség, illetve annak vizsgálata, hogy a vállalatok tevékenységének egyes területei hogyan járulnak hozzá a vállalatok versenyképességének növeléséhez. Elemzéseink a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Vállalatgazdaságtan Intézete Versenyképesség Kutató Központja által vezetett „Versenyben a világgal” kutatási program nagyszabású kérdőíves felmérésén alapulnak, amely során 300 vállalat vezetőit kérdeztek meg 2009-ben. Eredményeink közül kiemeljük, hogy a piacorientáció szintje a vizsgált vállalati körben az átlagosnál valamivel jobb, azonban a marketingkoncepció jobb megvalósítása érdekében a vállalatoknak a versenytárs-orientációjukat kellene elsősorban erősíteniük. Fontos következtetése a kutatásnak a vezető vállalatok gyakorlatának feltérképezése, e kategóriát egy összetett teljesítménymutató alapján alakítottunk ki. Eredményeink szerint a vezető vállalatok a piacorientáció mértékében, a márkázásban, a disztribúció kiterjedtségében, valamint változatosságában, a marketing erőforrásokban és képességekben és a vállalati hálózatban betöltött pozíció terén erősebbek az átlagosan teljesítőktől és/vagy a lemaradóktól. ----- Abstract: In this research paper we present the most important results of the research papers prepared by the research group „Marketing and Interfirm Relationship” in 2011. The central theme of our research papers is corporate competitiveness. We investigate the ways the different activities of firms contribute to the increase of their competiveness. Our analyses are based on a large scale survey carried out by the Competitiveness Research Center of Corvinus University Of Budapest, in which 300 company executives were surveyed in 2009. Among our results we highlight that market orientation of Hungarian firms is little above the average in our sample, however a better implementation of the marketing concept would require a stronger emphasis on competitor orientation. An important conclusion of our research is the description of the practice of leading companies, a category created in terms of a complex performance measurement. Our results suggest that leading companies show a higher level of market orientation, a more sophisticated branding practice, a more extended distribution system with a higher degree of variablity, stronger marketing resources and capabilities and a stronger position in the firm’s network than companies with average performance and/or laggards.

Az online fogyasztói elégedettségmérés hatása a vállalatok versenyképességére (Effect of the online-customer satisfaction’s measurement to the corporate’s competitiveness)

A versenyképes működés elengedhetetlen feltétele a fogyasztói elégedettség, melynek egyik meghatározó eleme az észlelt és elvárt minőség közti kapcsolat. A minőségi elvárások az internettel, mint napjaink egyik meghatározó csatornájával kapcsolatban is megfogalmazódtak már, így kapott jelentős szerepet az online szolgáltatás minőségének meghatározása, illetve ezzel összekapcsolódva az online fogyasztói elégedettségmérés. Jelen tanulmány első része szakirodalmi áttekintést nyújt az online szolgáltatás minőségének fogyasztói érzékelésével, értékelésével kapcsolatos elméletekről, melyek az online fogyasztók elégedettségmérésének alapját képezik. Ezután kerül sor a különböző mérési módszerek bemutatására, kiemelt szerepet szánva a szakirodalomban sokat tárgyalt E-S-QUAL és E-RecS-QUAL skálának. Az áttekintés középpontjában azok az elméletek állnak, melyek az online vásárlást is nyújtó honlapokra vonatkoznak. A cikk további része két empirikus kutatást tartalmaz. Az első az elégedettségmérés hazai helyzetét tárgyalja, a másik pedig a szakirodalomból ismert E-S-QUAL és E-RecS-QUAL skálákat felhasználva részletesen elemzi az elektronikus szolgáltatásminőség dimenziói és a fogyasztói elégedettség közötti fontosabb összefüggéseket, emellett röviden vizsgálja az alkalmazott skálák megbízhatóságát és érvényességét. A kutatás fő célja a gyakorlati szakemberek számára is releváns kapcsolatok feltárása és bemutatása. _______ A company’s competitiveness significantly depends on the satisfaction of its consumers, which is influenced by the relationship between the expected and perceived quality. As over the last decade internet has become a significant channel, in parallel its customers have built some expectation about the quality of different websites and online services. Therefore the marketing literature should focus on the dimensions of e-service quality (e-sq) and online-customer satisfaction. This study first resumes with different concepts of e-sq, which are the principles of the online-customer satisfaction’s measurement. Than the different e-sq measurement methods are reviewed and the dimensions of E-S-QUAL and ERecS- QUAL scales are deeply explained. The study is focusing on concepts relating to web shops. The next part of the article includes two empirical studies. The first is about the situation of satisfaction measurement at Hungarian companies. The other one analyzes the most relevant relationships between the dimension of e-sq and customer satisfaction based on the E-S-QUAL and E-RecS-QUAL scales for measuring e-sq and briefly outlines the reliability and validity of these scales. The main purpose of this empirical research is to summarise the managerial and practical implications.

Marketing relacional: satisfação na formação da lealdade do cliente

A revisão de literatura tem revelado grande interesse na lealdade do cliente e enfatizado cada vez mais a sua importância no sucesso de uma empresa. Simultaneamente, durante décadas, a satisfação tem sido mencionada como um importante determinante da lealdade. Paralelamente, o conceito marketing relacional tem assumido grande relevância ao nível da prestação de serviços, sustentando a ideia de que as empresas podem maximizar os seus ganhos com relações duradouras com os seus clientes, passando a gestão dessas relações a estar associada à satisfação e à consequente lealdade. Neste contexto, o presente estudo examina o efeito do grau de satisfação na formação do grau de lealdade do cliente, através de um estudo de caso de uma loja de desporto da região da Aveiro. Os dados recolhidos, a uma amostra de 220 inquiridos, por meio de um questionário, suportam a teoria de que estes dois constructos estão relacionados entre si. Desta forma, esta investigação permitiu aferir o grau de satisfação geral e de lealdade geral dos clientes para com a loja, fornecendo evidência empírica da existência de uma relação positiva (moderada) entre os mesmos. Foi, ainda, possível afirmar que o grau de lealdade não varia significativamente consoante determinadas características do perfil dos clientes inquiridos, contudo constituem características importantes para a tomada de decisão neste contexto específico.

Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) - Repeat Visitation Opportunities for Destination Marketing Organisations

In competitive tourism markets the consumer-traveller is spoilt by choice of available destinations. Successfully differentiating a destination and getting noticed at decision time is arguably the focus of activities by destination marketing organisations (DMOs). In pursuit of differentiation, three emergent themes in the marketing literature during the past decade have been branding, integrated marketing communications (IMC), and customer relationship management (CRM) a fundamental goal of each being stimulating customer loyalty. However there has been little attention given to destination loyalty in the tourism literature. The purpose of this paper is to report an exploratory investigation of visitor relationship management (VRM) by DMOs. Based on interviews with the management of 11 regional tourism organisations (RTO) in Queensland, Australia, the opportunities for, and immediate challenges of, VRM are discussed. While each RTO recognised the potential for VRM, none had yet been able to develop a formal approach to engage in meaningful dialogue with previous visitors from their largest market.