Browsing by Author "Knox, Simon"
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Item Open Access Item Open Access Attitudes, involvement and consumer behaviour : a longitudinal study in fast moving consumer goods markets(Cranfield University, 1994-06) Walker, David; Knox, SimonAn empirical study is reported which attempts to validate two key theoretical consequences of consumer involvement: differences in brand buying behaviour and differences in the type of decision processing undertaken. A literature review is provided which traces the history of involvement and identifies a suitable contemporary framework. Work on brand loyalty and attitude modelling is also reviewed and suitable frameworks identified. A pilot stage is reported which shows how involvement measurement techniques can be adapted for use among frequently purchased products. Results from reliability testing and differences in the mean levels of involvement for six grocery product categories are reported. A main fieldwork phase is reported where a consumer panel was operated for four months (n=191). Data on levels of involvement, decision making and purchasing behaviour were collected from the panel using surveys and diary sheets for three product categories: newspapers, breakfast cereals and paper kitchen towels. The relationship between sources of involvement and buying behaviour was analysed using LISREL. A model of involvement is identified which suggests that brand involvement is generated by the risks associated with making a poor brand choice and the levels of pleasure associated with the product field. For newspapers, the modelling identifies a significant (but small) relationship between involvement and devotion of purchasing to a limited number of brands. This relationship was not significant in the other two product fields. Further analysis identifies four classifications of buying behaviour (habitual, loyal, switchers, and variety seekers) which helps to explain why the linear relationship is so weak. A second analysis phase is reported which examines the utility of the Extended Fishbein Model for each of the three product categories. This analysis supports the notion that decision processing is more extensive where the level of product involvement is higher. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed. Strengths and limitations of the research design are reviewed.Item Open Access Building an empirically robust framework for corporate brand commiunications using action research(Cranfield University, 2003) Bickerton, David; Knox, SimonThis thesis aims to develop a more robust framework for understanding the management processes involved in Corporate Brand Communications. A review of the literature on corporate branding shows a growing body of conceptual work, but also highlights that much of the recent work in the field has not focused on the underlying processes involved in managing a corporate brand. There is, therefore, a clear need to understand how a corporate brand is defined, developed and communicated. This international study adopts a Participatory Action Research approach, grounded in Intervention Theory (Argyris, 1973), to develop an intervention framework based on the concept of privileged access' (Torbet, 1991). This methodological framework is tested on a pilot study and then adopted for the study of three separate organisations in the UK, France and the Netherlands to answer three distinct, but related Research Questions. Based upon the findings emerging from these studies, the researcher identifies a series of `emergent management stages', and uses this empirical evidence to develop a new `Six Conventions' framework for understanding the processes of nurturing and managing a corporate brand. The study makes an explicit contribution to the field by helping to `join up' many of the existing, disparate conceptual models. It makes a further significant contribution by grounding the `Six Conventions' framework in rich empirical data in a way that operationalizes the inherent management processes in a new and more robust manner than previous studies. These findings offer both new insight to academics, and a set of guiding principles and practices for managers engaged in managing brands at an organisational level, fulfilling the requirements of Participatory Action Research to generate both Propositional and Practical knowledge. A further methodological contribution is provided by demonstration of the potential that participatory approaches, utilising the concept of this privileged access', offer in contrast to traditional case research. This leads to the development of a new process to guide effective intervention studies of management processes.Item Open Access Co-creating brands: Diagnosing and designing the relationship experience.(Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2009-03-01T00:00:00Z) Payne, Adrian; Storbacka, Kaj; Frow, Pennie; Knox, SimonThe traditional goods-dominant logic of marketing is under challenge and leading researchers are now emphasizing the new service-dominant logic [Vargo, S.L., Lusch, R.F., Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. J Mark 2004; 68 (1): 1–17.]. One of the key foundational propositions of this logic is the customer as “always being a co-creator of value” where “the brand becomes the experience” [Prahalad, C.K., The co-creation of value. J Mark 2004; 68 (1): 23.]. In this paper, the authors examine the concept of brand relationship experience in the context of co-creation and service-dominant logic and outline a conceptual model for designing and managing the customer experience. Case study research illustrates how this model helps in the design and management of the brand relationship experience for an innovative neItem Open Access Item Open Access Item Open Access Corporate social responsibility programmes and their impact on business decision making(2005-12-07T00:00:00Z) Knox, Simon; Maklan, StanBased upon an empirical study of CSR programmes across a number of multinational companies, we explore some of the underlying reasons why CSR seems to have a low impact on business decision-making through a validated framework linking CSR programmes with business and social outcomes.Item Open Access Corporate social responsibility: exploring stakeholder relationships and programme reporting across leading FTSE companies(Springer Science Business Media, 2005-09-01T00:00:00Z) Knox, Simon; Maklan, Stan; French, P.Although it is now widely recognised by business leaders that their companies need to accept a broader responsibility than short-term profits, recent research suggests that as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social reporting become more widespread, there is little empirical evidence of the range of stakeholders addressed through their CSR programmes and how such programmes are reported. Through a CSR framework which was developed in an exploratory study, we explore the nature of stakeholder relationships reported across leading FTSE companies and the importance they attach to communicating both social and business outcomes. It is evident from the hypotheses tested that the bigger FTSE companies, particularly extraction companies and telecoms, are more adept at identifying and prioritising their stakeholders, and linking CSR programmes to business and social outcomes. However, we draw the general conclusion that building stronger stakeholder relationships through CSR programmes – other than with customers – is not currently a priority for most companies. We also conclude that a limited sophistication in managing multiple stakeholders may compromise the impact of CSR upon business and social results. Finally, the managerial implications and the contribution of our study are discussed before closing with an acknowledgement of the limitations of this work and suggestions for further reseaItem Open Access Corporate Social Responsibility: Why do CSR Programmes have such a low Impact on Business Decision-Making?(2007-05-01T00:00:00Z) Knox, Simon; Maklan, StanBased upon an empirical study of CSR programmes across a number of multinational companies, we explore some of the underlying reasons why CSR seems to have a low impact on business decision-making through a validated framework linking CSR programmes with business and social outcomes.Item Open Access Cross-functional issues in the implementation of relationship marketing through customer relationship management(Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam., 2001-10-01T00:00:00Z) Ryals, Lynette; Knox, SimonThere is a major change in the way companies organise themselves as firms switch from product-based to customer-based structures. A key driver of this change is the advent of Customer Relationship Management which, underpinned by information systems convergence and the development of supporting software, promises to significantly improve the implementation of Relationship Marketing principles. In this paper we explore the three main issues that can enable (or hinder) the development of Customer Relationship Management in the service sector; the organisational issues of culture and communication, management metrics and cross-functional integration — especially between marketing and information technologItem Open Access Customer advocacy and brand development(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2006-03-01T00:00:00Z) Lawer, Christopher; Knox, SimonPurpose – The purpose of this article is to define and explore the strategic value of customer advocacy through the lens of the brand management literature. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews recent analysis of the value and vulnerabilities of brands and branding in order to understand why customer advocacy is becoming an attractive strategic option for many firms. A model of empowered consumer value drivers is constructed to demonstrate how they are becoming an important source of brand value. A framework for brand management in a customer advocacy context is introduced and examples of companies pursuing advocacy-based strategies and practices are illustrated. Findings – Through careful brand management, customer advocacy is capable of unlocking new consumer value. Originality/value – The paper offers a discussion of the opportunities presented to brand management when developing customer advocacy.Item Open Access Dynamic capabilities: the missing link in CRM investments(Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2009-12-01T00:00:00Z) Maklan, Stan; Knox, SimonThe purpose of this paper is to illustrate the practical application of dynamic capabilities theory to improve investment decisions in customer relationship management (CRM). Design/methodology/approach – Action research (AR) allows managers to raise the tacit knowledge of their dynamic capabilities to a level where they can be identified and developed. A framework and a process for managing dynamic capabilities in marketing are presented. Findings – The findings relate to the nature of dynamic capabilities in marketing and how they are managed. Practical implications – Marketing managers can improve the return on investments in CRM. Originality/value – The paper presents a method for applying dynamic capabilities drawn from the resource-based view (RBV) to practical marketing pItem Open Access The Effect of Knowledge Miscalibration on the Dimensions of Consumer Value(Cranfield University, 2015-03) Razmdoost, Kamran; Dimitriu, Radu; Knox, SimonConsumer value is an important determinant of consumers’ post-use behaviour, for example satisfaction, repeat purchase and word of mouth. The existing research mainly looks at the factors associated with the product and service providers to improve consumer value. Few studies on the role of the consumer in shaping consumer value have found consumer knowledge to be an important element in shaping consumer value. Adopting critical realism, this PhD expands this area of knowledge by investigating knowledge miscalibration (i.e., the inaccuracy in subjective knowledge) as a significant antecedent of consumer value. Most of the time, consumers’ perceptions of what they think they know (i.e., subjective knowledge) has been shown to be different from what they actually know (i.e., objective knowledge). Thus, subjective knowledge is usually inaccurate. This inaccuracy in subjective knowledge relative to objective knowledge is called knowledge miscalibration. Although the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumers’ purchasing decisions has been investigated in the consumer behaviour literature, its role in the use stage of consumption has received much less attention. The aim of this research is to examine the effect of knowledge miscalibration on product or service use, and more specifically on the value consumers derive from actually using products or services (i.e., value-in-use). In this research a critical realism paradigm is pursued, implying that reality exists in the three domains of the empirical, the actual and the real. The research starts with observing regularity in the empirical domain (i.e., consumer value) followed by imagining the causal power in the actual and the real domains (i.e., knowledge miscalibration), shaping the research question. A retroductive strategy is followed, firstly by proposing the effect of knowledge miscalibration on consumer value and secondly by conceptually and empirically testing this relationship. This research conceptualises that knowledge miscalibration influences consumer value dimensions, described as efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics. It is suggested that underconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is deflated) and overconfidence (i.e., knowledge miscalibration where subjective knowledge is inflated) influence consumer value dimensions differently as they generate different consequences in use. Therefore, a conceptual model is developed that describes the effect of knowledge miscalibration (i.e., overconfidence and underconfidence) on the dimensions of consumer value. The empirical part of the research is designed by conducting a covariance-based study and an experimental investigation in order to gain both internal and external validity. The covariance-based investigation is conducted in the context of amazon.com online shopping. Knowledge miscalibration and consumer value dimensions are measured in this study. This study supports the negative effect of underconfidence on efficiency, excellence, play and aesthetics and the negative effect of overconfidence on play. The experimental investigation is designed in the context of prezi.com, an online dynamic presentation creation website that enables its users to move between slides, words and images during their presentations. In this study, overconfidence and underconfidence are manipulated and their effects on the dimensions of consumer value are examined. The findings of this study show that underconfidence negatively influences efficiency, excellence and aesthetics, while overconfidence negatively impacts excellence, play and aesthetics. Overall, this PhD concludes that knowledge miscalibration negatively influences the dimensions of consumer value, with the exception of overconfidence impacting efficiency. The contradictory results of the covariance-based study observed in the experimental study can be explained through its inability to account for reciprocal relationships (i.e., where consumer value dimensions also impact knowledge miscalibration) and the existence of a third variable affecting both independent and dependent variables. Furthermore, the context of the experimental study (employing a new consumption task) is proposed to be the main reason for the lack of support for the effect of underconfidence on play.Item Open Access Empirical developments in the measurement of involvement, brand loyalty and their structural relationships in grocery markets(1995) Knox, Simon; Walker, DavidThe paper reports on a research design that attempts to integrate prior theory on consumer involvement and brand loyalty through a unifying model which we test in a longitudinal study of grocery product purchasing. Using a previously identified and validated measure of involvement, together with a new test instrument to capture the dimensionality of brand loyalty, the model was estimated using LISREL. We report on our main finding which is to confirm the existence of a significant relationship between the two constructs in grocery markets. The implications of this for marketing theory and practice are discussed and future research directions signposted.Item Open Access Evaluating investements in CRM with real options(2004-01-01T00:00:00Z) Maklan, Stan; Knox, Simon; Ryals, LynetteCRM practices are being adopted in most industry sectors to build stronger relationships with customers in order to develop superior customer value and increase shareholder value. This article questions the basis upon which the business case for CRM investments is traditionally made, highlighting the shortcomings of focusing only upon discounted cash flows, and points towards a strategic approach that accounts for such investments in asset value terms. A case study is used to illustrate how to value the returns using both cash flow and strategic investment calculations for comparative purposes. The managerial implications are discussed.Item Open Access Extending means-end theory through an investigation of the consumer benefit/price sensitivity relationship in two markets (the UK and Germany)(Cranfield University, 1996-02) Baker, Susan; Knox, SimonThis research study is located in the field of consumer behaviour. It positions means-end theory in the interpretivist philosophical tradition and follows a cognitive approach to understanding purchase motivation. The thesis reports on the collection of empirical data to examine the relationship between consumer benefit and price sensitivity as a way of extending means-end theory. The subjects are purchasers of women's fine. fragrances _and trainers, in the UK and Germany. The literature review covers values research, in which means-end theory is contrasted with the macro approach, and price sensitivity, where the advantages of using the price sensitivity mechanism are discussed. The fieldwork is presented as a three-part process. In the pilot stage, constructs for laddering interviews and basic price sensitivity data were elicited from purchasers of the two product categories across the two markets.. The results of the second stage, in-depth interviews are reported as ı hierarchical value maps (produced manually) and price sensitivity charts (produced using' Lotus 1-2-3). Stage three involved a large scale survey carried out in both markets and this is then reported along with the results of the final analysis (produced using SPSS). `,' iii Notwithstanding poor response rates among the German samples, the findings support the first research proposition that there is a relationship between consumer benefit and. price sensitivity. The correlation results reveal that a high level of benefit is associated with low price sensitivity among purchasers of trainers in the UK (with a near zero correlation recorded for the German sample). In the case of perfume, a high level of benefit is shown to be associated. with high price sensitivity. Implications of the findings are discussed with reference to both marketing theory and practice. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the research design are reviewed, followed. by' the presentation of 14 items for future research.Item Open Access The Guaranty Trust Bank of Nigeria: From niche positioning to mass-market branding(John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2009-07-01T00:00:00Z) Maklan, Stan; Knox, Simon; Michel, StefanThis case describes a strategic marketing dilemma facing Tayo Aderinokun, the cofounder and managing director (CEO) of the highly successful Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) of Nigeria. In its initial 15 years, GTBank has grown dramatically to become the most respected corporate bank in Nigeria, renowned for both its professionalism and high ethical standards. However, the environment is changing dramatically, and the bank needs to grow quickly in order to survive: perhaps doubling or tripling its size in the next five years. Aderinokun has ruled out merger or acquisition in the immediate future, so organic growth is the only way forward. There is insufficient room for growth in its current commercial niche, so GTBank has decided that the emerging Nigerian retail banking sector is its growth pathway. However, there are big challenges: GTBank's brand, marketing mix, people, and operating methods are finely tuned for corporate banking, and it is not immediately obvious how it will leverage its assets to compete in the emerging retail banking market. In addition, competitors are attacking GTBank in its core corporate segment. The case explores a classic strategic marketing dilemma: when is a highly successful niche brand forced to abandon its unique selling point and go for growth in the mainstream market? How does it leverage that which makes it special so that it offers some compelling advantage for its new customers? Can the niche brand execute well on a large scale? How does it embed its values and behaviors in a new context? Does it have the money, people, culture, and ambition to take share from established competitors in the new market segments? Will its expansion plans make its core business more vulnerable to competitors? The case explores the strategic context using the established marketing planning tools of political/legal, economic, sociocultural, technological, and environmental (PESTE) and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analyses, and features advertising themes the bank has developed for mass-market communication purposes to illustrate the far- reaching implications of the expansion of its retail business.Item Open Access How does absorptive capacity influence the origin and evolution of dynamic capabilities(Cranfield University, 2010-02-22) Lawer, Christopher; Knox, SimonIn this thesis, I deploy a qualitative case-study method to examine the influence of a firm’s absorptive capacity of external knowledge on the origin and evolution of dynamic capabilities. First, I make an attempt to reduce some of the conceptual and definitional confusion in the dynamic capabilities literature by developing and then validating a conceptual framework for their study in the field. Second, to examine the underlying mechanisms leading to the origination and evolution of dynamic capabilities, I call on recent literature on the absorptive capacity construct that calls for more understanding of how absorptive capacity can produce and develop dynamic capabilities. I do so in the context of stated weaknesses in the absorptive capacity literature, namely that there is an R&D functional bias, a scientific and technical knowledge content bias (linked to R&D) at the expense of process knowledge, and a methodological preference for quantitative, descriptive studies. Third, with absorptive capacity as my lens – specifically potential absorptive capacity which is only concerned with the acquiring and assimilation, not the application, of new external knowledge by a firm (after Zahra and George, 2002) - I make an attempt to reveal the constituent processes of dynamic capabilities. Fourth, I discuss and reflect whether the development of absorptive capacity can be a dynamic capability in itself and what effects, if any, absorptive capacity has on existing or new dynamic capabilities and the firm’s resource base. Finally, by focusing on dynamic capabilities as processes (or the “how” of change) and absorptive capacity of knowledge of customer needs as the content (or the “what” of change) that is flowing through those processes, I make a tentative contribution to calls for the integration of the divergent research streams of strategy as process and strategy as content (Helfat with Maritan, 2007).Item Open Access How should firms develop and or change their marketing competencies when developing relationships with consumers online?(Cranfield University, 2004-03) Maklan, Stan; Knox, SimonAn empirical study is reported which attempts both to improve marketing practice whilst developing key aspects of marketing and resource-based theory. The thesis describes how firms can develop marketing competencies to exploit emerging online marketing technology and business opportunities. In doing so, the thesis provides empirical evidence that opens up what is widely acknowledged in the literature as "the black box of resources". Specifically, it explores the way marketing competencies develop as the result of investment in complementary marketing resources and conscious management activity. A literature review is presented which identifies generic marketing competencies and how they are expressed across a continuum of three forms of marketing: transaction, relationship and network. From this insight, the researcher develops a framework and a set of tools that help managers identify their firms' current marketing competencies and develop future marketing competencies needed to implement their marketing strategies. A co-operative inquiry research design is developed that permits managers to use and develop further these frameworks and tools, improve their day-to-day practice and contribute to academic literature and theory. The experience of two sets of managers trying to develop their firms' online marketing competencies through co-operative inquiry is presented. One inquiry is with a highly successful dot. com and the other the UK division of a leading automotive manufacturer. The findings from each are compared and the researcher develops contributions to both theory and practice. The contributions confirm and illuminate much of the extant, conceptually-grounded dynamic capabilities literature. The major implication for marketing theory and practice is that online consumer relationships can only develop incrementally along a continuum of marketing competencies. Details as to how these marketing competencies develop and change are discussed. Secondary contributions involve economics and the nature of co- operative inquiry within a marketing context. The validity of co-operative inquiry, and therefore of this research, is discussed in detail. Limitations of the research and its future directions are discussed.Item Open Access