Measurement invariance of the modified brand luxury index scale across gender, age and countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shubin Yu ◽  
Liselot Hudders
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China And India ◽  
The Us ◽  
Metric Invariance

PurposeMany instruments have been developed to measure the perceived luxuriousness of brands, but one of the most frequently used scales is the “brand luxury index” (BLI) from Vigneron and Johnson (2004) that distinguishes between high- and low-luxury brands. Despite its popularity and widespread use in academic research, the scale's psychometric properties and equivalence across cultures have been questioned. Recently, modified versions of the scale have been developed to strengthen the quality of the measurement. However, the performance and the measurement invariance of the modified version have not yet been investigated. The current paper aims to test the model fit of the modified BLI scale and the measurement invariance across gender, age and country groups using nine datasets from a total of three different countries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducts a multi-group CFA to examine the measurement invariance of the BLI scale. Nine datasets were used in this study. The data were collected across three countries, the United States (5 datasets), China (2 datasets) and India (2 datasets) from 2016 to 2018.FindingsThe results of this analysis suggest that the modified BLI scale has an acceptable model fit and can be interpreted equivalently across gender and age groups. Metric invariance was found among the US, China and India. However, scalar measurement invariance was established only across two countries: the US and India. A follow-up analysis shows that partial scalar invariance can be established across the US, China and India when removing constraints on the parameters of three items: exclusive, precious and sophisticated.Originality/valueThis study is the first study to test the model fit of the modified BLI scale. The findings of this paper contribute to both the academia and industry. The authors recommend scholars and marketers to use a modified 19-item BLI scale to measure the perceived luxuriousness of brands in future research. First, the modified BLI scale tested in the current study offers very good performance with model fit values of a quality that has rarely been seen in prior research. The original scale of Vigneron and Johnson (2004) has been criticized for its poor model fit (Christodoulides et al., 2009). The modified scale of Doss and Robinson (2013) also has problems with the fit value. Second, the modified 19-item scale also shows adequate measurement invariance across different gender, age and countries. For scholars and marketers, the establishment of the metric invariance of the modified 19-item BLI scale implies that the scale can be used across gender, age and countries (the US, China and India) if the purpose of the study is to understand the relationship between some variables and perceived luxuriousness of a brand.

Recent developments in China’s biopharmaceutical industry (2012-2017)

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-707
Author(s):  
Marcus Conlé
Keyword(s):  
Product Innovation ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Domestic Market ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Biopharmaceutical Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Drug Regulator ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Product Portfolios

Purpose The paper aims to take stock of China’s recent biopharmaceutical industry development by analyzing product innovation and changes in the firms’ product portfolios during the five-year period between 2012 and 2017. Design/methodology/approach The paper introduces a classification of biopharmaceutical products. By applying the classification to the product data of China’s drug regulator, the CFDA, it becomes possible to trace the developments within the sector by looking at changes in the number of firms within each subgroup and changes in the number of subgroups in which each firm is involved. The classification allows an evaluation of the latest product innovation achievements. Findings The paper demonstrates a mild shakeout of firms in the relatively long-existing domestic market segments, a trend toward more specialized product portfolios and an enduring prevalence of innovation strategies aimed at exploiting relatively unpopulated domestic market niches instead of pioneering entirely new products. Especially the capability of upgrading to second-generation protein therapeutics has become a key criterion for separating the wheat and the chaff in China’s domestic sector. The paper moreover points out the relevance of acquisitions as a corporate growth strategy. Research limitations/implications The research does not consider complementary indicators, product pipelines in particular. Future research should compare patterns across emerging economies. Originality/value The paper is unique in using the CFDA database for systematic academic research on (bio)pharmaceutical innovation and in introducing a biopharmaceutical product classification to trace innovative activities and changes in corporate product portfolios over time.

How Universal Is a Construct of Loneliness? Measurement Invariance of the UCLA Loneliness Scale in Indonesia, Germany, and the United States

Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110345
Author(s):  
Joevarian Hudiyana ◽  
Tania M. Lincoln ◽  
Steffi Hartanto ◽  
Muhammad A. Shadiqi ◽  
Mirra N. Milla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Model Fit ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Loneliness Scale ◽  
The One

The UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-20) and its short version (ULS-8) are widely used to measure loneliness. However, the question remains whether or not previous studies using the scale to measure loneliness are measuring the construct equally across countries. The present study examined the measurement invariance (MI) of both scales in Germany, Indonesia, and the United States ( N = 2350). The one-, two-, and three-factor structure of the ULS-20 did not meet the model fit cut-off criteria in the total sample. The ULS-8 met the model fit cut-off criteria and has configural, but not metric invariance because two items unrelated to social isolation were not MI. The final six items (ULS-6) exclusively related to social isolation had complete MI. Participants from the United States scored highest in the ULS-6, followed by participants from Germany and then Indonesia. We conclude that the ULS-6 is an appropriate measure for cross-cultural studies on loneliness.

A model for managing service encounters for neo-luxury consumers

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonnie Canziani ◽  
Kittichai Watchravesringkan ◽  
Jennifer Yurchisin
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Service Encounters ◽  
Theoretic Model ◽  
Luxury Brands ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Markets ◽  
Future Research Directions

Purpose – This paper aims to explore a theoretical relationship among perceptions of consumer social class, the perceived legitimacy of customer requests for service and the delivery of intangible services. It focuses the discussion on service firm encounters with non-traditional consumers seeking to purchase from luxury brands. Design/methodology/approach – The paper reviews the literature for current trends in strategies of luxury brands and characteristics of evolving global and Asian consumer markets for luxury and neo-luxury goods and draws a theoretic model with propositions. Findings – Evidence suggests that service providers can improve efforts to expand services to the newly rich and trading-up neo-luxury consumer markets by focusing on the intangible elements of the service delivery system. Particular emphasis is placed on enhancing employee treatment of neo-luxury customers during service encounters by understanding the influence of employee perceptions of consumer social class and evaluations of the perceived legitimacy of customer requests for service. Originality/value – The paper contributes to the theoretical discussion in luxury brand management by suggesting that employees are influenced by impressions of customer worth and other attributes when determining responses to customers during service encounters. Implications for practitioners and future research directions for academics based on the framework are presented.

Future research directions for sport education: toward an entrepreneurial learning approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 490-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Ratten ◽  
Paul Jones
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Sport Education ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Entrepreneurial Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Research Directions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to introduce an entrepreneurial learning approach to the study of sport education in order to inform future research directions.Design/methodology/approachSport education needs to focus on how it can overcome existing barriers to bring a more interdisciplinary approach. This paper uses entrepreneurship education theory to explore the changes required in sport education provision to create a more relevant and conducive teaching environment.FindingsThe findings of this paper suggest that by bringing sport students into contact with entrepreneurship education, aids in the development of improved employability and social skills.Research limitations/implicationsIntroducing entrepreneurship education into sport will help the students develop learning initiatives that advance the scholarship of sport education within the university sector.Practical implicationsThe benefits of including entrepreneurship education in sport studies could be of interest to the directors of education wanting to increase student enrollments and interest in their courses.Originality/valueThe study suggests ways to offer more interdisciplinary courses and activities linking entrepreneurship education to sport. This needs to be taken into consideration as it will enable the development of sport entrepreneurship education that improves links between academic research with policy and business initiatives.

Washington will rethink its foreign chip strategy

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Export Controls ◽  
Political Pressure ◽  
Technical Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Technology Competition ◽  
Business In China

Significance Follow-on action from Washington and responses from foreign actors will shape the US government’s adversarial policy towards China in semiconductors and other strategic technologies. Impacts The Biden administration will likely conclude that broad-based diversion of the semiconductor supply chain away from China is not feasible. The United States will rely on export controls and political pressure to prevent diffusion to China of cutting-edge chip technologies. The United States will focus on persuading foreign semiconductor leaders to help develop US capabilities, thereby staying ahead of China. Washington will focus on less direct approaches to strategic technology competition with China, notably technical standards-setting. Industry leaders in the semiconductor supply chain worldwide will continue expanding business in China in less politically sensitive areas.

Identification and assessment of the unionization factors of the US electrical construction trade

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisham Said ◽  
Aishwarya Mali ◽  
Ajay Deshmukh
Keyword(s):  
Union Membership ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
The Us ◽  
Share Data ◽  
Trend Data ◽  
Industrial Projects ◽  
Practice Knowledge

PurposeConstruction trade unions have been a vital force in improving the job standards and wellbeing of trade workers. However, the union membership in the construction industry has dropped by half between 1983 and 2017. The objective of this study is to identify and assess the controlling factors of construction electrical trade unionization in the United States.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved four main steps. Literature review and industry townhall meetings were conducted to identify the electrical trade unionization factors. A new unionization trend metric was developed using available union market share data to quantify the growth and decline of local unions. Mixed-mode surveying was used to collect questionnaire and interview data on the unionization factors in different local units of the electrical trade union. Finally, the survey data from the questionnaire and interviews were merged and their correlation with the unionization trend data was assessed.FindingsThe study found that the unionization of this specialty trade is dependent on increasing the crew ratio, expanding the non-apprenticeship union membership program, organizing larger contractors, and continuing the union focus on public and heavy industrial projects.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the construction management body of knowledge by providing a data-driven industry-wide assessment of the factors that affect electrical construction unionization. The study advances the understanding of construction trade unions by narrowing the theory-practice knowledge gap, illustrating the use of macro quantitative empirical research methods, and developing a new unionization trend metric.

Online disinformation is greater risk for older users

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Senior Citizens ◽  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
News Source ◽  
The Us ◽  
Older Users ◽  
Special Concern

Significance The growing numbers of senior citizens in the United States, their rapidly increasing adoption of social media and their high levels of voter turnout make their vulnerability to disinformation a matter of special concern. Other advanced democracies likely mirror the US experience. Impacts Older US adults' use of television as their primary news source may provide some bulwark against being targeted by disinformation online. The rapid evolution of news distribution technologies will challenge older adults used to a more slowly changing media landscape. Further research is necessary to determine the causes of age-based vulnerability and levels of resilience.

Sport league website: an effective marketing communication tool for corporate sponsors

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doyeop Kim ◽  
Matthew Walker ◽  
Jun Heo ◽  
Gi-Yong Koo
Keyword(s):  
Academic Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Consumer Attitude ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Sport League ◽  
Sports Sponsorship ◽  
Website Interactivity ◽  
Main Effects

Purpose Although high-profile sport league website sponsorships have increased in popularity over the last decade, academic research on the topic has not kept pace, resulting in little knowledge of ways to improve the effectiveness of this sponsorship type. This paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The current study examined the influence of three website-related variables (i.e. website interactivity, website fit, and website credibility), while controlling for a sponsor-related variable (i.e. sponsor familiarity), on consumer attitude toward the sponsor ad and willingness to click on its banner ad. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated three main effects. Practical implications are discussed with limitations and suggestions for future research. Findings This study found three important things. First, website interactivity played an important role in attitude toward the ad and willingness to click on the banner ad. Second, website fit influenced attitude toward the ad and willingness to click on the banner ad. Third, website credibility influenced attitude toward the ad. Originality/value The findings suggest that in order to maximize online sports sponsorship outcomes, companies must keep in mind that the interactivity between the web users and the site should be regarded as the most pragmatic result which could come from the online sports sponsorship territory.

Off-price versus price-off

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 902-928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Hess Jr ◽  
Lawrence Ring
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Research ◽  
Extreme Points ◽  
Department Store ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Department Stores ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Store Attributes ◽  
The Us ◽  
Retail Format ◽  
Retail Formats

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to better understand the unique competitive positioning characteristics of off-price retailers and how they compare to other types of retailers. The authors compare off-price and upscale off-price retailers with four major formats of retailers: first, discount department store/warehouse club retailers; second, moderate department store retailers; third, department store retailers; and finally, specialty department store retailers. Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a representative sample that was randomly drawn from four primary metropolitan cities in the USA. The data were collected using telephone interviews by a prominent, marketing research firm. A series of discriminant analyses were conducted to examine the data. Findings – The findings of the paper indicate that the off-price formats were consistently positioned at extreme points along the price/value continuum, signifying the strongest value-orientation among the other retail formats. The authors also found that while the upscale off-price format followed the specialty department stores in terms of fashion. The results point to an important disadvantage of the off-price format – although strong on price/value, they often fall short on fashion and many other store attributes that may be important to luxury-oriented customers. Research limitations/implications – The paper employed a sample from several cities collected using a telephone interview methodology within the US. Due to these limitations, the findings of this paper may be hampered by this methodology and not generalize to regions outside of the US. Future research should examine how the demise of most of the upscale off-price retailers and growth of flash web sites have changed the competitive structure of retailing. Practical implications – The results demonstrate that the positioning of the off-price retail format is unique from other formats. The retail formats occupy distinct positions. The off-price retail format is strongly associated with the price/value position but only moderately fashionable to customers, especially when compared with the department and specialty department store formats. In contrast, the upscale off-price format, while also strongly positioned along the price/value continuum, is considered much more fashionable than the off-price retail format. In fact, the upscale off-price retail format only trails the specialty department store format in terms of fashion. Originality/value – The unique characteristics of the off-price retail format and growing interest from upscale department stores underscores the need for a comprehensive understanding of the motives of the off-price shopper. This paper provides retailers with a more complete understanding of the store attributes that differentiate the off-price retail format from other major retail store formats. The overall objective of this study is to offer a comprehensive view of the positioning of off-price retailers compared with many alternative retail formats.

Toward better theory on the relationship between commitment, participation and leadership in unions

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Gall ◽  
Jack Fiorito
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Union Commitment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Extant Literature ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to give a critique of the extant literature on union commitment and participation in order to develop remedies to identified weaknessesDesign/methodology/approachThe paper uses a critical assessment of extant literature.FindingsA number of critical deficiencies exist in the literature to which remedies are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe remedies need testing through empirical research.Practical implicationsFuture research needs to have different research foci and questions.Social implicationsWith a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership, unions may be better able to benefit from academic research in the area.Originality/valueThe paper suggests that a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership will allow more incisive and more robust contributions to be made to understanding unions as complex social organisms.

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