Global Supply Chain Management: Is Sustainability A Priority?

Agrigalore[1] is an international agribusiness headquartered in the U. S. Midwest. Increased competition in the soybean sector has spurred Agrigalore to consider producing in Brazil, yet concerns over destruction of the rainforest and sustainability need to be factored into management’s decision. [1] company and characters are fictitiou

Co-Branding Internationally: Everyone Wins?

Co-branding is an increasingly popular technique used primarily in domestic markets to transfer the positive associations of the partner brands to a newly formed co-brand.  This exploratory study investigates the relative impact of the brand equity of the constituent brands on co-branding efforts internationally using a sample of 1,203 Philippine housewives.  Findings indicate the co-branding of two high-equity brands was mutually beneficial, but the co-branding of high-equity and low-equity brands can be potentially dangerous for the high equity partner

A Pan-European Approach to Customer Satisfaction: An Optimal Strategy?

This study investigated the viability of using a Pan-European approach for professional service offerings in Europe by first establishing measurement equivalence and then exploring the influence of culture on service quality and customer satisfaction. Utilizing scenarios involving a dental office visit, respondents from Portugal, France, and Germany participated in a 2X2 factorial experiment in which the researchers manipulated both expectations (low/high) and service performance (low/high). Respondents from France and Portugal expressed similar levels of customer satisfaction and perceived service quality, which were significantly different from those of the German respondents except when both expectations and performance were low

Service quality and satisfaction: an international comparison of professional services perceptions

Purpose – This study aims to examine the applicability of key measures of service quality and customer satisfaction in a cross-cultural setting, first establishing measurement equivalence and then investigating the impact of culture on these measures. Design/methodology/approach – Using scenarios involving a visit to the dentist's office, respondents from Germany, Japan, and the USA participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which the authors manipulated both expectations (low/high) and service performance (low/high). Findings – Regardless of expectations, when performance was low, the low-context respondents (USA and Germany) perceived lower quality than did the respondents from the high-context country (Japan), but gave higher quality ratings than did the Japanese respondents when the performance was high. Practical implications – The findings of this study highlight the necessity of considering culture when interpreting customer satisfaction ratings. Originality/value – This research adds credence to the paramount role culture plays in consumers' ratings of perceived service quality and customer satisfaction

The Influence Of Acculturation On Advertising Effectiveness To The Hispanic Market

This investigation focuses on the relationship between the level of acculturation of Hispanics and their preferences in terms of language and models used in print advertisements. An on-site advertising experiment was conducted with 501 adult respondents in El Paso, Texas. The LAECA acculturation scale items were used in conjunctions with cluster analysis to identify three groups exhibiting varying degrees of acculturation. Results indicated significant differences in advertising preferences. Managerial implications are discussed

Service Quality Perceptions and Customer Satisfaction: Evaluating the Role of Culture

The authors examine the influence of culture on the measurement of service quality and satisfaction in dentists’ office settings. Respondents from the United States, Canada, and Japan participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which the authors manipulated both expectations (high/low) and service performance (high/low) in a series of scenarios. With partial metric invariance, latent mean comparisons revealed that regardless of expectations, Japanese respondents reported lower quality perceptions and satisfaction ratings when performance was high and higher satisfaction ratings when performance was low than did their U.S. and Canadian counterparts. Thus, there is some evidence that Japanese consumers are more conservative in their evaluations of superior service but are less critical (or more forgiving) of inferior service. The authors also discuss managerial implications and future research directions