(Im)migrants’ appropriation of culture: Reciprocal influence of personal and work contexts

Increasing internationalisation in organisations demands further research on acculturation within international business (IB). Based on triangulated qualitative data on South Asian diasporas’ food consumption in the UK and Bahraini contexts, we introduce two acculturative orientations: essentialism and boundary spanning. We contribute to literature by linking acculturative orientations with relevant drivers and resulting adoption and adaptation of cultures to offer a new perspective towards analysing (im)migrants’ appropriation of culture in personal and work settings. We push the boundary of IB research by highlighting and enriching the understanding of, and reciprocity between, social and occupational contexts that shape (im)migrants’ acculturation

Brexit or Brand it? The Effects of Attitude Towards Brexit and Reshored Brands on Consumer Purchase Intention

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Brexit has caused a seismic shift in the British socio-economic and political landscapes, creating widespread uncertainties, while simultaneously giving hope and national pride to millions. The decision by a number of organizations to reshore their production has opened a new era for business management that challenges the axiomatic assumption of the benefits of offshored production. Although reshoring predates Brexit, the link between the two in the British context is not just serendipitous and they are argued to have reasonable interlinkages. However, there is inadequate empirical evidence to suggest that British consumers’ attitude towards Brexit has any effect on their intention to purchase reshored brands. Through a mixed-methods study comprising a survey of 415 respondents and 20 in-depth interviews, this paper addresses this research gap. Findings suggest that corporate social responsibility (CSR) and consumer reshoring sentiment (CRS) have positive effects on consumers’ attitude towards reshored brands. Despite CRS's positive influence on attitude towards Brexit, the latter does not have any significant effects on the intention to purchase a reshored brand, which is positively influenced by the attitude towards the same brand. As such, companies should enhance the image of their brands and CSR in order to harness the benefits of reshoring.University of Western Australia, as part of the Wiley – The University of Western Australia agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians

Strategic orientation, strategic renewal, and the international performance of born global firms

Copyright © Crown / The Author(s) 2023. The international business environment is both dynamic and turbulent. Accordingly, a new venture’s strategic orientation (SO) and ability to undertake strategic renewal (SR) are of great importance to its survival, growth and international performance. Building on the dynamic capability perspective, we explore how SR capability mediates the relationship between SO and the performance of mature born global firms (BGFs). In particular, we examine the direct and indirect interplay between the SO of BGFs and their performance outcomes. We use a sample of 195 export-oriented BGFs, derived from the Bangladeshi apparel industry. We use a hierarchical regression analysis technique to test the direct effects. The mediation effect is examined using three statistical tests – Baron and Kenney’s (1986) causal steps approach, the Sobel test, and the Hayes indirect effect with bootstrapping method – to ensure the validity and reliability of our findings. The results reveal a positive association between SO and the performance of BGFs, and that this relationship is mediated by the firms’ SR capability. We contribute to a greater understanding of the drivers of mature BGFs’ international performance by demonstrating a direct link between their SO and SR capability, which in turn affects their performance outcomes

Technology upgrading through co-creation of value in developing societies: Analysis of the mobile telephone industry in Bangladesh

The use of various forms of ICTs (information communication technology) such as mobile telephones can foster the socio-economic progression of developing countries. Contextually appropriate design and use are needed for ICTs to deliver value to various parties within the socio-economic spheres of developing countries who have different needs and wants compared to those of the developed world. There is however scant empirical evidence of how various stakeholders symbiotically interact and create value in developing countries where large multinationals have limited access and engagement. Drawing on the theoretical lens of co-creation of value our paper examines how technology upgrading is achieved in the context of the Bangladeshi mobile telephone industry. In doing so this paper suggests technology upgrading can be achieved even without some of the key prerequisites such as financial, institutional, infrastructural facilities cited in existing literature. The findings offer useful theoretical and policy implications by providing deeper understanding of the interactions and inter-relationships of those who have involvement in the value creation for mobile telephony and contribute to the development of effective business models and technological innovations for these marketplaces

The impact of social media on the performance of microfinance institutions in developing countries: a quantitative approach

Purpose: Over the last few decades, microfinance industry is argued to have played a constructive role in alleviating poverty level and providing the underprivileged with access to financial services. Statistics from the World Bank reveal that, currently, only 4% of the underprivileged have been served out of the 3 billion+ potential clients. Such results are due to several claims, particularly the operational and financial challenges faced by microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the constant flux inviting more attentions towards its performance. While explicit attention is given by many researchers towards mobile banking and information and communication technology (ICT) in improving the MFIs’ performance, the study on how social media, as a rapidly growing online phenomenon, can impact on the MFIs’ performance remains scarce. As such, this study aims to investigate this impact based on four dimensional performance indicators: efficiency, financial sustainability, portfolio quality and outreach. Design/methodology/approach: A model is proposed and tested to ascertain the relationship between social media applications and organisational performance. In so doing, web-based questionnaires have been used to collect data from MFI employees in developing countries. Results reveal a significant influence of the social media over the MFIs’ performance, offering valuable insights into both researchers and practitioners in the domain of microfinance, as well as social media—conforming that the adoption of social media as marketing, advertising and communication tools may significantly improve the MFIs’ performance. Findings: The results demonstrate that there is a positive and significant impact of social media use within microfinance on the key indicators of MFIs. They also show that the highest impact of social media usage within the microfinance is on the portfolio quality. In addition, it was found that marketing and advertising; communication and sales and distribution are the main areas where social media is able to support while social networking websites are the most popular platforms employed in MFIs. Originality/value: This study adds to the existing literature few theoretical and practical aspects. First, this study developed a model for assessing the value of social media as a new phenomenon within this type of organisation. Second, it offers microfinance sponsors, managers and policy makers with a frame of reference to understand what social media platform can be deployed for each purpose. Third, with the identification of the main MFIs’ performance indicators, this research provided a reference of performance measurement guide for microfinance industry when assessing different technological employment

Customers’ motives to co-create in smart services interactions

Appendices: Appendix 1 see Table 7. Appendix 2: You are tasked with evaluating ‘Experience WA’, a smart tourism app, while participating in a tourism experience in Western Australia. Your holiday is coming. You intend to take a five-day long trip to Perth, Western Australia. You come across ‘Experience WA’, a smart tourism app that can augment your tourism experience in Perth. ‘Experience WA’ gives you location-based information on your surroundings and can be used to plan your vacation in Perth, look up events nearby, find nearby tourism attractions, and share your holiday plans with your friends. You can use ‘Experience WA’ to search for information and plan your trip in Perth. ‘Experience WA’ can be found at the following links: Google Play Store. Apple App Store.Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. The paper identifies and analyses customers’ motives to co-create when interacting with smart services by integrating the self-determination theory with coordination mechanisms. The study also examines the how and to what extent value co-creation impacts on word-of-mouth and customer-based brand equity. An online questionnaire was employed for empirically validating the research model. The relationships were examined using partial least square path modelling. The findings show that intrinsic and extrinsic motives are significant antecedents of value co-creation. The coordination mechanisms namely, relating and knowing also significantly influence customers’ involvement in the value co-creation process. Results also show that value co-creation mediates the relationship between customers motives (intrinsic and extrinsic) to co-create and consequences. Findings of this study adds to the human–computer interaction literature by strengthening the nomological network of value co-creation when interacting with smart services by proposing a novel model integrating both the antecedents and outcomes of value co-creation. By recognizing how this practice could be motivated, service providers can bolster customer-firm interactions and enable favourable firm level consequences.Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions

Towards a Framework for Understanding Ethnic Consumers' Acculturation Strategies in a Multicultural Environment: A Food Consumption Perspective

© Bidit Lal Dey, Sharifah Alwi, Fred Yamoah, Stephanie Agyepongmaa Agyepong, Hatice Kizgin andMeera Sarma. Purpose – While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in Western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities acculturate to multicultural societies. The purpose of this paper is to explore immigrants’ cosmopolitanism and acculturation strategies through an analysis of the food consumption behaviour of ethnic consumers in multicultural London. Design/Methodology/Approach – The study was set within the socio-cultural context of London. A number of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and photographs were used to assess consumers’ acculturation strategies in a multicultural environment and how that is influenced by consumer cosmopolitanism. Findings – Ethnic consumers’ food consumption behaviour reflects their acculturation strategies, which can be classified into four groups: rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment. This classification demonstrates ethnic consumers’ multi-directional acculturation strategies, which are also determined by their level of cosmopolitanism. Research implications/limitations – The taxonomy presented in this paper advances current acculturation scholarship by suggesting a multi-directional model for acculturation strategies as opposed to the existing uni-directional and bi-directional perspectives and explicates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in consumer acculturation. The paper did not engage host communities and there is hence a need for future research on how and to what extent host communities are acculturated to the multicultural environment. Practical implications – The findings have direct implications for the choice of standardization versus adaptation as a marketing strategy within multicultural cities. Whilst the rebellion group are more likely to respond to standardization, increasing adaptation of goods and service can ideally target members of the resistance and resonance groups and more fusion products should be exclusively earmarked for the resonance group. Originality/Value – The paper makes original contribution by introducing a multi-directional perspective to acculturation by delineating four-group taxonomy (rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment). This paper also presents a dynamic model that captures how consumer cosmopolitanism impinges upon the process and outcome of multi-directional acculturation strategies

Omnichannel management capabilities in international marketing: the effects of word of mouth on customer engagement and customer equity

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to fill the research gap on how B2B global service firms integrate dynamic capabilities within their omnichannel management to influence positive word of mouth (WOM), customer engagement (CE) and customer equity. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on the dynamic capability and WOM theories, a model has been developed that defines the subjects of the empirical test. The paper reports on data collected from 312 service-oriented global firms in Australia, through a cross-sectional survey. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings suggest that content management (i.e. information consistency, source trustworthiness and endorsement) and concerns management (i.e. privacy, security and recovery) capabilities are the two significant antecedents of positive WOM within a B2B omnichannel setting in international marketing. The findings also confirm the key mediating role of CE between positive WOM and customer equity. Originality/value: The findings extend dynamic capability theory in the context of international marketing by linking WOM, CE and customer equity. The findings add further theoretical rigor by establishing the nomological chain between positive WOM and customer equity, in which CE plays a key mediating role

Sustainability starts from within: A critical analysis of internal marketing in supporting sustainable value co-creation in B2B organisations

Data availability: The data used is confidential.Copyright © 2023 The Authors. The role of value co-creation in embedding sustainability within B2B marketing is well-documented. However, little is known about how employees enact this value co-creation, or how they can be supported to do so by their organisations. This article addresses this theoretical gap by analysing the role of employees and Internal Marketing in B2B organisations' efforts to co-create sustainable value. We propose that, since employees are tasked with delivering their organisation's ‘promise’, they can also purposely generate value for a broader range of stakeholders. As such, Internal Marketing can be a key enabler (or inhibitor) in these efforts. Adopting a Service-Dominant Logic and Service Gap lens, the research utilises Template Analysis of 17 semi-structured interviews with employees from a range of B2B organisations, which have adopted ‘sustainability-oriented’ practices. The findings highlight the contribution of Internal Marketing in supporting sustainable value, and demonstrate that, whilst employees can play a key role in the co-creation of sustainable value, value co-destruction can occur due to a ‘Sustainability gap’ within their organisations. This study contributes significantly to extant knowledge by offering a taxonomized analysis of the ‘sustainability gap’ and identifying how B2B organisations can address these at the awareness, design, internal communication, and implementation stages

Millennial Chinese Consumers’ Perceived Destination Brand Value

There has been a substantial rise in the number of Chinese tourists, with the Chinese millennials being important influencers. Yet very little is known about their tourism behavior, particularly how their perceived destination brand values influence their destination loyalty. This study brings in the consumers’ perceived brand value concept from the branding literature to investigate Chinese millennial tourists’ destination loyalty. An online survey was adopted to collect data from 287 Chinese millennial tourists. The findings offer insight into the relative effects of five dimensions of tourists’ perceived destination brand values on their destination loyalty. The findings also extend existing tourism literature, showing the moderating effects of destination brand globality, destination status (domestic vs. international) and national brand attitude on the said relationships. Managerial implications to better target Chinese millennials are discussed together with future research directions