Antecedents and outcomes of exporter – importer relationship quality - An exporting developing country’s context

Paper I, II and III of this thesis are not available in Munin:Paper I. The link between export relationship quality, performance and expectation of continuing the relationship: A South Asia exporters' perspective. Ahamed, A. J. and Skallerud, K. Available in International Journal of Emerging Markets, 10 (1), 16–31Paper II. Effect of distance and communication climate on export performance: The mediating role of relationship quality. Ahamed, A. J. and Skallerud, K. Available in Journal of Global Marketing, 26 (5), 284–300Paper III. The mediating effect of relationship quality on the transaction cost–export performance link: Bangladeshi exporters’ perspectives. Ahamed, A. J., Stump, R. L. and Skallerud, K. Available in Journal of Relationship Marketing, 14 (2), 152–169</a

Consumer’s attitude and consumption of fish in Dhaka city: influence of perceived risk, trust and knowledge

Fish is the main source of animal protein in Bangladesh. However, no previous studies I am aware of has analyzed or explored consumption and attitude toward fish in Bangladesh. In accordance with several studies in the area of food consumption behavior, this study use the Theory of Planed Behavior (TPB - Ajzen, 1991) a conceptual framework to explore the consumers attitude and consumption of fish in Dhaka city. Attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control in the traditional theory is extended with perceived risk, trust and knowledge in order to explain intention and consumption of fish. The measures used to evaluate the constructs in the theories are adopted from previous studies. The study employs the methods of descriptive analysis, test of reliability and means difference, factor analysis, and multiple regression analysis to analyze the data collected in Dhaka city. The results show that fish as a meal is a common and broadly used food, and the people have high motivation and positive attitude toward consumption of fish. Perceived quality is revealed as the main determinant of consumers’ attitude, while availability is the main determinant of perceived behavioral control. Bones and smells of fish are not considered as unpleasant and not found as a significant indicator of attitudes. Time consumed to cook and prepare fish also did not found as a significant indicator of perceived control. It is also found people knew that fish are cultured in toxic environment and preserved with hazardous chemical, however the risk perception is less significant. This study found that people have much trust on food information from specialist like doctors and university scientist; but have low trust on Government and political parties. In the area of theory testing this study found attitude and norms are good predictors of intention, while intention and attitude have good predictability on consumption behavior. PBC did not find having effect on both intention and behavior. The cumulative variance explained by the data set is 73% for the constructs of TPB. In case of the extended model it is observed that intention, attitude, trust on information sources and product knowledge have significant effect on behavior, while attitude, norms and procedural knowledge is revealed as good predictor of intention. In the extended model it is also observed that there is no statistically significant relationship between risk, worry, trust on information sources, trust on sales outs with intention and behavior. However, while regressing intention with perceived risk (risk and worry) and trust (trust on information sources and on sales outlets) this study found statistically significant relationship. Key words: TPB, perceived risk, trust, knowledge, fish consumption, attitude, and intentio

The Pursuit of Subjective Well-Being Through Financial Well-Being, Relationship Quality, and Spiritual Well-Being : A Configuration Approach with Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

Individuals’ subjective well-being is influenced by their financial well-being, family relationship quality, spiritual well-being, gender, and age. However, our knowledge of potential associations between these factors is limited, especially in non-western developing countries. Further, human thinking’s complexity, interconnectedness, and asymmetry fit nicely with subjective well-being conceptualizations. Therefore, this research is one of the very first studies from a typical Asian country that conceptualizes subjective well-being asymmetrically. The primary objective of this study was to determine which combinations of these factors resulted in higher or lower subjective well-being. We used a self-administered questionnaire to survey 250 married working people in Bangladesh’s capital city. The factor combinations are identified with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Despite not finding any necessary condition for high or low subjective well-being, the analysis identifies two equifinal combinations of high subjective well-being and four combinations of low subjective well-being. In Asian cultures, where family bonds and spiritual well-being are feared to be declining, the combination of identified configurations re-emphasizes the importance of family relationship quality and spiritual well-being. Using a configurational approach, the findings contribute to the literature on subjective well-being and family relationships by explaining how different combinations of factors determine an individual's well-being. Additionally, this has important implications for policymakers and society as a whole.CC BY 4.0 DEEDPublished: 30 May 2024A. F. M. Jalal Ahamed [email protected] access funding provided by University of Skövde. No funding was received for this research.</p

Interconnectedness of trust-commitment-export performance dimensions : a model of the contingent effect of calculative commitment

This research on relationship marketing aims to revisit and reposition different foci of trust, commitment, and performance perception in the export/import relationships and explore the interconnectedness effects. We have collected self-reported survey questionnaire responses from 142 non-oil exporters in Ecuador. The data were analyzed with SmartlPls 3.0 software. We found that calculative commitment negatively moderates inter-organizational trust and affective commitment relationships. The other significant findings include the indirect relationship (mediating effect) of affective commitment to financial export performance through relationship export performance. With these novel contributions, we also identify some expected relationships- as both interpersonal and inter-organizational trust positively affects affective commitment, and relationship export performance significantly predicts financial export performance. Cross-sectional data collection and responses from one side of the export-import dyad are one of this research’s limitations. However, they are not uncommon in export marketing literature. Giving a justified position of different dimensions of trust and commitment in the export-import equation is the novelty of this scholarship. Clarifying the affective commitment and export performance relationship is another contribution of this research. Nevertheless, the dimensional views of trust and commitment re-established some known assumptions in a less researched country setting should also be considered a contribution.CC BY 4.0Corresponding author: AFM Jalal Ahamed, Associate Professor in Business Administration, School of Business, University of Skövde, Högskolevägen 8, SE-541 28 Skövde, Sweden E-mail: [email protected] authors received no direct funding for this research.</p

What Influences Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention and Behavior? : A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

The green cosmetics industry has witnessed significant growth over the last few years. Simultaneously, scholarly interest in the area has grown. However, overall, the evidence is inconsistent. Despite the growing literature, no systematic review has been carried out to summarize and synthesize the empirical studies that have examined factors associated with green cosmetics purchase intention (GCPI) and green cosmetics purchase behavior (GCPB). This study aims to fill this gap. We conducted this systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines. From forty-eight studies that met the inclusion criteria, we identified ten major themes that were significantly associated with GCPI and GCPB. The most frequently demonstrated determinants were the theory of planned behavior components (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control), followed by marketing mix, consumer consciousness concerns, consumer values, brand-related attributes, experience and knowledge, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers. In addition, we identified several gaps that could be addressed through future research. These results will help scholars understand the knowledge boundary and assist marketers in developing effective strategies for promoting green cosmetics. CC BY 4.0© 2023 by the authors.This research received no external funding.</p

Retirement Planning : A Moderated Mediation Model of Cognitive Beliefs, Retirement Planning Attitude, and Money Availability

Retirement planning has been extensively studied in developed countries; however, it received scant scholarly attention in developing nations. Thus, this study examines the role of cognitive factors in retirement planning intentions in the context of a developing country, focusing on financial risk tolerance and self-efficacy within the cognitive appraisal theory framework, considering the mediating role of retirement planning attitudes and the moderating impact of financial resource availability. A survey was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with 301 valid responses analyzed using a Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. Findings reveal that retirement planning attitudes mediate the relationship between cognitive factors and retirement planning intentions. Interestingly, risk tolerance negatively impacts retirement planning intentions through attitudes, while financial self-efficacy shows a positive influence. Furthermore, the availability of financial resources moderates these relationships, indicating that retirement planning attitudes significantly influence intentions when financial resource availability is low. This research contributes to the understanding of retirement planning in a developing country context, highlighting the importance of cognitive factors and financial resources. It suggests that tailored retirement planning strategies should consider individual financial conditions and cognitive beliefs. The insights are valuable for policymakers and financial advisors, particularly in developing nations.CC BY-NC 4.0Corresponding author ([email protected]). School of Business, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden</p

What Drives Importer Opportunism? : Learning from a Developing Country in Latin America

This research integrates transaction cost and relational exchange theories to depict a more nuanced explanation of exporter-importer exchange relationships when exporters operate from a developing country. Our study examines whether exporters’ investments in specific assets directly influence perceived importer opportunism, or whether these perceptions are driven by the mediating effects of interpersonal and inter-organizational trust and power. Contrary to the general transaction cost argument, we did not find any direct effect of exporter specific assets on perceived importer opportunism. Instead, we found that perceived importer power and exporter inter-organizational trust jointly mediate the exporter specific assets – perceived importer opportunism relationship. By incorporating a dimensional view of trust, we help to resolve conflicting theoretical specifications and empirical results found in the extant literature.CC BY-NC-ND 4.0CONTACT A. F. M. Jalal Ahamed [email protected] School of Business, University of Skövde, Högskolevägen 8, Skövde SE-541 28, Sweden. The author is thankful for generous support provided under a USFQ-CADE grant 2018.</p

Do Muslim generation cohorts differ in purchase intention? - The case of Islamic financial products

This study aims to examine how and to what extent the purchase intention for various Islamic Financial Products (IFPs) would vary among various generational cohorts depending on their cohort experiences and the nature of different categories of IFPs. The data to examine our hypotheses comes from 954 Muslim consumers from five major metropolitan cities in Bangladesh. We found that significant differences in purchase intention of Islamic deposit and insurance products exist where each succeeding generation has less purchase intention than the previous generation. Considerable evidence exists that Muslims' religiosity impacts their personal and consumption decisions with the idea that their extent of perceived religiosity influences their behavior. Besides the theoretical contributions, our findings have several implications for the managers.CC BY 4.0AFM Jalal Ahamed (Corresponding author) School of Business, University of Skövde, Högskolevägen 8, SE-541 28 Skövde, Sweden, email: [email protected]</p

Do Muslim generation cohorts differ in purchase intention? - The case of Islamic financial products

This study aims to examine how and to what extent the purchase intention for various Islamic Financial Products (IFPs) would vary among various generational cohorts depending on their cohort experiences and the nature of different categories of IFPs. The data to examine our hypotheses comes from 954 Muslim consumers from five major metropolitan cities in Bangladesh. We found that significant differences in purchase intention of Islamic deposit and insurance products exist where each succeeding generation has less purchase intention than the previous generation. Considerable evidence exists that Muslims' religiosity impacts their personal and consumption decisions with the idea that their extent of perceived religiosity influences their behavior. Besides the theoretical contributions, our findings have several implications for the managers.CC BY 4.0AFM Jalal Ahamed (Corresponding author) School of Business, University of Skövde, Högskolevägen 8, SE-541 28 Skövde, Sweden, email: [email protected]</p