National Differences In Investors Responses To Corruption: An International Comparison

This paper looks into the differences in responses to corruption by foreign investors. Statistical analysis highlights such differences for 17 major investing countries. Those differences appear to be related to home countries own level of corruption, their size and experience in foreign investing

The Bottom Of The Pyramid: Key Roles For Businesses

The poor at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) has traditionally been viewed as an unattractive segment for businesses. The lack of interest has led to various proposals to increase company participation. At the same time there is also a renewed focus on how to reduce or eliminate poverty. Companies are asked to seriously consider both objectives: making a profitable operation and eradicating poverty. For businesses, the poor can be viewed as consumers, suppliers, and employees.  Each of these areas presents different challenges which are discussed. Finally, recommendations are presented to address the issues and to make the companies more effective

Corruption And Foreign Direct Investment: What Have We Learned?

Over 25 years of research pertaining to corruption and FDI rendered valid and interesting findings.  We comment on these results to demonstrate that gradually the researchers develop a more detailed perspective on the significance of various dimensions of corruption and characteristics of the actors involved. Learning that corruption does not exert a uniform negative impact upon FDI, regardless of circumstances, leads to the formulation of the future research agenda

An Empirical Study of the Impact of Perceived and Experienced Factors on Purchase Intention for Foreign Natural Cosmetics

There is a growing attention to the “natural” products in personal care and other areas of fashion consumption. Considering the present inflationary economic environment, the study of American consumers’ attitude toward foreign natural cosmetics and important factors determining the purchasing intent of foreign natural cosmetics imported from Asia (Taiwan in this study) with high quality but low price is timely. Based on literature on Purchase Intention and the Theory of Planned Behavior, we proposed a model and a set of hypotheses to uncover the relationship between purchase intent and the determining factors. Our hypotheses are confirmed following a nationwide survey with 1628 respondents and the model testing. The academic and practical implications and the further research avenues are discussed

Entrepreneurial Competition Orientation and Profitability: The Case of a Developing Economy

The main purpose of this paper is to verify the significance of the implementation of competition orientation (CO) as a part of market orientation for the financial performance of the entrepreneurial small and medium – sized companies in a developing economy. The objectives are: 1. To measure the level of each of the variables of the scale (CO 1: The management continuously analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors; CO 2: We regularly use information about our competitors in strategy creation; CO 3: When a competitor launches a campaign towards our market position we take immediate action; CO 4: We target customers where we have or can develop competitive advantage; CO 5: We create our strategy on the basis of detailed and effective competitor analysis.); 2. To determine the average level of CO in entrepreneurial small and medium – sized companies; 3. To prove the effect CO has on profitability. The methodology included both quantitative and qualitative methods and, the research was done in entrepreneurial companies from the food production industry. This research is a part of an ongoing project entitled: “Strengthening the business capacity of women entrepreneurs in Republic of Macedonia, as a developing country”. Primary data was derived from questionnaires and semi-structured follow-up interviews. Secondary data was collected from books, journals and academic articles. Data was analyzed with IBM SPSS19. The conclusions are given on the basis of descriptive and deductive statistics. The results show that companies of different sizes demonstrate diverse level of implementation of CO i.e. medium – sized companies implement higher levels on every analyzed variable of CO than small companies. The results also corroborate the significant relationships among the five dimensions of CO, as well as their relationship with profitability of the analysed companies. Also, a direct influence of the level of CO implementation on business profitability was found. The main limitation of this study is that it analyses a single industry in a given period of time and, the (small) size of the sample. However, the paper has some practical implications: it proves that to achieve higher financial performance small and medium – sized companies must adopt and implement higher level of competitor orientation, as a part of the market orientation process. Also, the measurability of this part of market orientation on the basis of the MKTOR and MARKOR scales makes available a valuable tool for control of its implementation. The value of the paper derives from the verification of the significance of the relationship between CO and profitability, in a different business sector and with a different research subject from those analyzed hitherto by the literature

Beyond self-report: a review of physiological and neuroscientific methods to investigate consumer behavior

The current paper investigates the value and application of a range of physiological and neuroscientific techniques in applied marketing research and consumer science, highlighting new insights from research in social psychology and neuroscience. We review measures of sweat secretion, heart rate, facial muscle activity, eye movements, and electrical brain activity, using techniques including skin conductance, pupillometry, eyetracking, and magnetic brain imaging. For each measure, after a brief explanation of the underlying technique, we illustrate concepts and mechanisms that the measure allows researchers in marketing and consumer science to investigate, with a focus on consumer attitudes and behavior. By providing reviews on recent research that applied these methods in consumer science and relevant related fields, we also highlight methodological and theoretical strengths and limitations, with an emphasis on ecological validity. We argue that the inclusion of physiological and neuroscientific techniques can advance consumer research by providing insights into the often unconscious mechanisms underlying consumer behavior. Therefore, such technologies can help researchers and marketing practitioners understand the mechanisms of consumer behavior and improve predictions of consumer behavior

Conceptualizing the sensory dimension of tourist experiences

This paper aims to contribute to the conceptualization of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences by discussing its theoretical underpinnings. A multidisciplinary approach to the human senses shows their importance to the individual’s experience and perception of the surrounding world, recommending the appropriateness of a holistic analysis of sensescapes in tourism. A review of empirical studies conducted under the experiential paradigm of tourism on the five human senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) evinces the use of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, which depends on research purposes, but also the practical implications of findings and data analysis to destination marketing and management. The paper discusses the role of the senses in designing tourist experiences, and identifies important topics regarding the study of the sensory dimension of tourist experiences, considering future research opportunities

Marketing rationale for countertrade

The article discusses marketing justifications for international countertrade, and also offers some explanations for the recent upsurge in countertrade (CT). The author supports the theory that the market for international marketing expertise is imperfect, and the imbalance of international marketing know-how can be used to advantage by two or more parties through a CT arrangement. For an inexperienced trader, CT can be shown to be a relatively cheaper way of entering and establishing a position in new markets. Co-operation in setting up CTs can also bring benefit to the second (or more than two) partner(s) as well.