Effectiveness Of Relationship Marketing Tactics In A University Setting

We test the correlation between student perception of three university relationship-building tactics - commercial friendships, preferential treatment, and tangible rewards - with university student satisfaction. We also test whether two student characteristics - enduring involvement with education and sense of entitlement - have a moderating effect on the aforementioned relationship between university relationship-building behaviors and student satisfaction. Results revealed positive correlations between perceived relationship tactics and overall satisfaction. Correlations between the relationship-building behaviors and satisfaction were also greater among high-involvement students than among their lesser-involved cohorts. Students who felt a sense of entitlement were more likely to believe that they were recipients of relationship-building behaviors, but they didn’t always appreciate them more than students who felt less entitled

Omitted Variable Bias in the Link Between Planning and Performance

This article argues that existing research poorly specifies the link between planning and performance because of omitted variable bias. Researchers agree planning is a critical part of creating any new venture. Many researchers assess planning by whether a small firm has a written business plan. Unfortunately, efforts empirically to validate this relationship have been inconclusive. This article proposes that researchers should assess business plans both on the quality of the plan (and the planning process that produced it), and on the quality of the underlying business opportunity. Failure to account for both aspects of a business plan amounts to omitted variable bias, frustrating attempts to accurately estimate the true relationship

The pivotal roles of product knowledge and corporate social responsibility in event sponsorship effectiveness

a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o The authors apply consumer theories of cognition to event marketing specifically in relation to corporate sponsorships. Upon conducting field surveys with attendees (n = 1636) at an international sporting event with a multinational sponsor, the authors demonstrate the pivotal roles that 1) attendees' knowledge regarding the sponsor's product, and 2) perception of the sponsor's commitment to corporate social responsibility have on successful event sponsorship. Specifically, structural model results show how attendees' knowledge of the event sponsor's products and perceptions of the sponsor as socially responsible enhance attendees' commitment to the sponsor and intentions to purchase the sponsor's products. These results provide scholars and managers with means of improving event marketing communications

Abusive Supervision and Work Alienation: An Exploratory Study

Recent research on “dark” leadership reveals that subordinates who work for abusive supervisors report a number of negative outcomes. We explored whether employees who experience abuse from their supervisors reported more work alienation. We predicted that abusive supervision would “trickle down,” decreasing subordinates’ psychological links with their work. Regression analysis revealed no significant relationship between abusive supervisory behavior and subordinates’ work alienation. However, the results provide a basis for future research. The findings, though unexpected, paint a brighter picture for those enduring work with a “dark” leader