Multichannel integration evidence from the States and a review of the field

Members of the Henley Centre for Customer Management requested a report on the status of multichannel marketing. The focus of the research examines best practice examples from the United States and a detailed review of the field. The research was conducted over the summer of 2012 and identified over 240 quality articles for inclusion in the review. Using systematic review methodology a number of key themes and respective indicators emerged from the field. Results of the study identified common multichannel platforms, tools that assist management in determining high-quality multichannel decisions, features of consumer behaviour, successful investment decision-making processes, channel optimisation and a review of consumer expectations of a multichannel marketing world

Web quality and research update

Previous research for The Henley Centre for Customer Management found that online experience consisted primarily of thirteen themes and 83 indicators of those themes. This years’ research has explored the web quality literature. A systematic review of the field revealed a range of scales that have been used to measure web quality. One web quality scale has been explored in detail, presented with a methodology for members to implement this in survey format. When compared with our findings from last years research the web quality literature only partly accounts for a customers’ total experience online. Early Spring 2009 The Henley Scale for Online Experience will be tested using participating member organizations

The commercialisation of social media

This report explores how social media tools are being commercialised by business. It provides an overview of the relevance of social media to both business to business and business to consumer operations; lists common channels of social media; places development of social media into a historical context outlining future predictions; identifies and answers a range of common problems facing companies looking to commercialise social media; looks at a taxonomy of opportunities for commercialising social media; and presents ongoing research findings of the Henley Centre for Customer Management’s study entitled ‘Commercialising Social Media.

The key influences upon a positive online customer experience

Customer experience has been identified as a strategically important component of a retailer’s performance. Given the steep rise in online sales, this means that understanding online customer experience (OCE) in terms of what creates good experiences (the influential factors) and what results (the outcomes) is now crucial. The results of this study support a definition of online customer experience that views it as the outcome of an interaction between the customer and an organisation’s website. There are six potential components of an experience which are: sensorial, emotional, cognitive, pragmatic, lifestyle and relational. The relevance and importance of each will vary depending on the purchase context. Work conducted by researchers within the Henley Centre for Customer Management identified the factors that influence a positive OCE using a quantitative survey and the development of an OCE measurement scale. Six factors were identified and validated as having a positive influence upon the creation of a positive OCE: Connectedness; Personally Satisfying; In-Control; Simplicity; Aesthetically Pleasing; and Beneficial. Each of these can be linked to the experiential components Managerial implications are that e-retailers should move from a focus upon the marketing mix elements that they can control to the creation of online environments that generate appropriate experiential responses within the customer

An investigation of online customer experience: understanding the drivers and consequences of a positive online customer experience in the e-retailing context

The Henley Centre for Customer Management views the development of our understanding of online customer behaviour as a strategically important component of a retailer’s performance. It has previously studied the drivers of online customer experience (OCE). This report continues this work and develops our understanding of OCE by investigating both the antecedent (pre-conditions) and consequences of a positive OCE. The study builds a model of OCE that views it as being composed of two experiential states: the cognitive (thinking/rational part of the customer) and the emotional (the feelings of the customer). The model contains a series of 10 antecedent conditions that influence the cognitive and emotional states. Three outcome variables are linked to OCE. These are the customer behaviours that result from a positive OCE and include Satisfaction, Trust and Repurchase Intention. The model is developed from previous HCCM studies and current thinking in marketing and customer management literature and incorporates 18 hypothesised relationships. The study uses a quantitative approach and collects data from online customers across the world but predominantly drawn from the UK and the US. The output includes the development of an online questionnaire to identify OCE and the validation of both this research instrument and the OCE model. The OCE model is broadly supported by the data analysis with 13 of the 18 hypotheses being significant. Managerial implications are provided to e-retailers that include insights into the role of control and empowerment for online customers; the growing importance of the ability for\ud online customers to customise their own web pages; and the importance of contact and connection with other customers within the online retail community. The relationship between satisfaction and re-purchase intention and the role of trust to reduce feelings of vulnerability are also explored

Early-Morning and Late-Night Maximal Runs: Metabolic and Perceived Exertion Outcomes

People may exercise at the ends of their day to fit activity into their schedule; the purpose of this investigation was to determine if metabolic or perceived exertion outcomes differed between maximal runs early in the morning and late at night. After consuming a standardized, glucose drink, thirteen recreationally active individuals completed an early-morning and a late-night run on the treadmill while researchers measured metabolic (aerobic capacity and substrate usage) and perceived exertion outcomes. Point of application #1: Aerobic capacity (maximal consumption of oxygen) and the usage of fat as a fuel to support energy production during exercise were similar between runs. Point of application #2: Maximal perceived exertion (Borg’s 6-20) was similar during early-morning and late-night runs. Point of application #3: While research indicates that people may prefer activity in the morning or evening, and this might impact metabolic responses to the exercise bout, most of our participants (n=8) identified with no preference for exercising in the early-morning or late-night. Key Words: glucose; CHO shake; VO2max; fat oxidation; effor

The moderating effect of brand orientation on inter-firm market orientation and performance

While prior research has shown that market and brand orientation are key contributors to successful business performance, research to date has not fully explored how inter firm collaboration for these two key orientations can enhance business performance. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the relationship between inter-firm market and performance; to test for the moderating role of brand orientation in that relationship. A total of 169 completed pairs of surveys were collected of small and medium enterprises operating internationally in a variety of industries in Switzerland. The results show that inter-firm market and brand orientation are two antecedents of marketing and financial performance. The impact of inter-firm market on marketing and financial performance is significant when the brand orientation is favorable. This study extends previous research by examining the moderating role of brand orientation on inter firm market orientation, which is important, especially for firms wanting to increase their brand reputation by entering into partnerships with other firms. Further research is indicated, to identify the key moderators of the driving force of inter-firm market in relation to business performance and the reason why maintaining a strong brand presence is important in the international marketplace

Towards a unified theory of brand equity: conceptualizations, taxonomy and avenues for future research

This paper aims to look into contemporary thinking within the brand equity paradigm, with a view to establishing avenues for further research on the drivers of brand equity formation, enabling a more in-depth understanding of the antecedents of brand equity and its determinants, as well as the development of an improved instrument to measure brand equity. We develop the relating conceptual study through differentiation and integration as a specific conceptual goal. We present a taxonomic framework of brand equity grounded on a synthesis of contemporary approaches to the theme. In so doing we identify gaps in the brand equity literature, which we hope will serve as beacons for future research and provide valuable theoretical insights on the determinants of brand equity formation and the development of better brand equity measurement tools. We argue that the unifying brand equity theory should be based on three pillars: stakeholder value, marketing assets and brand financial performance outputs.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Perceptions of knowledge sharing among small family firm leaders: a structural equation model

Small family firms have many unique relational qualities with implications for how knowledge is passed between individuals. Extant literature posits leadership approach as important in explaining differences in knowledge-sharing climate from one firm to another. This study investigates how leadership approaches interact with family influence to inform perceptions of knowledge sharing. We utilize survey data (n = 110) from owner-managers of knowledge-intensive small family firms in Scotland. Our findings present a choice in leadership intention, contrasting organization-focused participation against family-influenced guidance. Insight is offered on the implications of this leadership choice at both organizational and familial level

Effects of feeding metabolite combinations from Lactobacillus plantarum on plasma and breast meat lipids in broiler chickens.

The effects of feeding different doses of metabolite combination of L. plantarum RS5, RI11, RG14 and RG11 strains (Com3456) on cholesterol reduction in plasma and breast meat in broiler chickens and the possible mechanism was studied. A total of 504 male Ross broilers were grouped into 7 treatments and offered with different diets: (i) standard corn-soybean based diet (-ve control); (ii) standard cornsoybean based diet + neomycin and oxytetracycline (+ve control); (iii) standard corn-soybean based diet + 0.1% metabolite combination of L. plantarum RS5, RI11, RG14 and RG11 strains (Com3456); (iv) standard corn-soybean based diet + 0.2% of Com3456; (v) standard cornsoybean based diet + 0.3% of Com3456 (vi) standard corn-soybean based diet + 0.4% of Com3456 and (vii) standard corn-soybean based diet + 0.5% of Com3456. The metabolite combinations supplemented in the diet of broilers reduced protein, cholesterol esters concentration in very low-density lipoprotein particles. The present of organic acids and proteinaceous compound in the metabolite combinations as found in previous study also increased lactic acid bacteria count in small intestine digesta and improved bile salts deconjugation ability of lactic acid bacteria