E-retailing ethics in Egypt and its effect on customer repurchase intention

The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to the formation of the ethical issues that result from online shopper interactions with e-retailers. The vast majority of earlier research on this area is conceptual in nature and limited in scope by focusing on consumers’ privacy issues. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model explaining what factors contribute to online retailing ethics and its effect on customer repurchase intention. The data were analysed using variance-based structural equation modelling, employing partial least squares regression. Findings indicate that the five factors of the online retailing ethics (security, privacy, non- deception, fulfilment/reliability, and corporate social responsibility) are strongly predictive of online consumers’ repurchase intention. The results offer important implications for e-retailers and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of e-ethics from the consumers’ perspective

The use and abuse of French and Raven in the channels literature

This paper aims to stimulate reflection upon our understanding of power in marketing channels through a critical review of power base research centred on the use of French and Raven (1959). Through a review of seminal articles that have shaped the field and consideration of enduring problems in power base usage, the paper argues that the numerous studies of this topic have not produced a coherent body of either empirical or theoretical knowledge. In particular the empirical studies have produced results: some of which are contrary to theoretical predictions; others which contradict previous findings; and, an increasing number which indicate that results are significantly affected by the cultural context within which a study is conducted. A detailed reading of French and Raven’s 1959 paper shows it to be less rigorous than would be expected of such a frequently cited and influential paper but also that its application to organisational studies of power is questionable. This paper provides the first critique of this well established research field and argues that the extensive use of French and Raven has been detrimental in limiting the conceptualisation of power that informs our understanding of the phenomenon