Structural Equation Modeling: A Practical Introduction

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a popular statistical technique that has become an essential tool for business academics and practitioners. The technique is particularly well suited for evaluating the relationships among any number of observed and latent variables. Thus, typical applications for SEMs are model and theory testing, and scale development. The purpose of this article is to introduce the technique and to explain its use in practical terms that do not require a strong statistical background. Two previous Journal of African Business articles are used to demonstrate SEM applications, and the article concludes with a brief introduction to SEM software packages. © 2013 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Diy Consumers and Retailers: An Exploratory Study on Value Creation in the Do-It-Yourself Industry

Marketing theory recognizes the increasing importance of consumer involvement in the co-creation of value (Vargo and Lusch 2004), but the consumer typically is viewed as a passive buyer of what others produce and not as the actual producer of goods or services (Xie et al. 2008). An exception is Kotler (1986a), who forecast that a new type of consumer, the prosumer, would emerge out of the sociocultural environment of modern society. Consistent with the notion of “value co-creation” (Lusch and Vargo 2006, p. 284), prosumption activities are defined as consumers producing products for their own consumption (Xie et al. 2008). Kotler (1986a) predicted that consumers increasingly would be drawn toward prosumption and “Marketers must find methods to facilitate prosumption activity” (p. 511). Retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s have answered this call by tapping into the prosumption trend and a phenomenon popularly known as Do-It-Yourself (DIY). DIY practice offers many of the benefits sought by prosumers, and refers to activities in which individuals engage raw and semi-raw materials and component parts to produce, transform, or reconstruct material possessions, including those drawn from the natural environment (e.g., landscaping). Despite the size and growth of the industry, DIY practice has prompted few academic studies. Early DIY-related research typically profiles the DIY segment relative to a non-DIY segment (Bush et al. 1987; Hornik and Feldman 1982; Schwartzlander and Bowers 1989), whereas the more recent work explores motives for DIY (Watson and Shove 2008; Williams 2008)

Circumventing Traditional Markets: An Empirical Study of the Marketplace Motivations and Outcomes of Consumers\u27 Do-It-Yourself Behaviors

Do-it-yourself (DIY) behaviors encompass a broad spectrum of activities such as home remodeling, automobile repair, gardening, and consumption-directed projects such as handcrafting furniture. DIYers who produce their own goods and services extend the traditional view of consumers as the buyers and users of products. The DIY market has grown considerably, yet little is known about the motivations underlying consumers\u27 DIY behaviors and the outcome values derived. Results from an empirical study show that DIYers are motivated not only by economic benefits but also by the lack of product availability. The study finds that consumers derive several outcome values from DIY activities that are mediated by their perceptions of project success. Implications deriving from these findings are discussed along with directions for future research. © 2013 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved

Prosumers Who Home Brew: A Study of Motivations and Outcomes

© 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Prosumers are people who produce and consume their own products. We study prosumers in the context of home brewers and investigate their motivations for producing products for themselves and the benefits they receive. Two broad topics emerge from the study that reflect several themes. The first is that the home brewers often develop a strong social network that enables and encourages them to produce better beer, and also enhances the consumption experience. Second, upon recognizing the value of their production, many of these home brewers begin to conceptualize brewing commercially. The themes and their implications are discussed

Digital Marketing Adoption and Success for Small Businesses: The Application of the Do-It-Yourself and Technology Acceptance Models

Purpose This paper aims to examine small business’ participation in digital marketing and to integrate the do-it-yourself (DIY) behavior model and technology acceptance model (TAM) so as to explore the motivations and expected outcomes of such participation. Design/methodology/approach Data from 250 small business owners/managers who do their own digital promotion are collected through an online survey. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the relationships between the models. Findings The results contribute to the understanding of small business’ digital marketing behavior by finding support for the idea that the technological benefits may not be the only motivators for small business owner/managers who undertake digital marketing. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the authors find that the DIY behavior model applies to small business owner/managers who must perform tasks that require specialized knowledge. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this research are that the motivations to undertake digital marketing are limited to those contained in the DIY and TAM models, and the sample may not be representative of all owners and managers who perform digital marketing for their small businesses. Therefore, future research is needed to determine if further motivations to conduct digital marketing exist and whether other samples produce the same interpretations. Originality/value This study presents empirical evidence supporting the application of the DIY model to a context outside of home-repair and extends the understanding of digital footprint differences between large and small businesses