The flip side of drip pricing

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 413-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Robbert ◽  
Stefan Roth
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fairness Perceptions ◽  
Price Partitioning ◽  
Pricing Research ◽  
Drip Pricing ◽  
Total Price

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the differences between price partitioning and drip pricing with regard to their influence on price recall, purchase intentions and fairness perceptions. In many industries, sellers advertise low prices and reveal other surcharges sequentially as the customer goes through the buying process. To date, little is known about how these sequential, or drip-pricing, techniques influence consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on an experimental between-subjects design (N = 95) with two groups. The data collection was conducted with a mixed scenario/stimuli-based online survey for a virtual travel agent. Findings – The findings reveal that underestimation of the total price of an offering is significantly weaker when prices are presented sequentially rather than partitioned. In addition to reduced purchase intentions, drip pricing may negatively affect fairness perceptions when consumers feel deceived by the seller. Originality/value – The study replicates findings of previous research on price partitioning but is one of the first empirical studies to examine the influence of sequence in price presentations. With this focus, the study opens up new avenues for pricing research.

Internship and employability prospects: assessing student’s work readiness

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 538-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias Kapareliotis ◽  
Katerina Voutsina ◽  
Athanasios Patsiotis
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Work Readiness ◽  
Role Clarity ◽  
Sampling Frame ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Graduates ◽  
Internship Programs

Purpose Changes in the workplace have raised serious concerns about the future of work and the effectiveness of undergraduate academic programs to sufficiently prepare students for business. The purpose of this paper is to address this concern by exploring how internship employment (placement) is implicated in the young business graduates’ employability prospects. Design/methodology/approach This research explored the students’ perceptions regarding their degree of “work readiness” after completing an internship program. The concept of “work readiness” is conceptualized in terms of role clarity, ability and motivation. An institution of higher education in Greece provided the sampling frame for this research. Online survey data have been used. Findings Students who attend internship programs assessed positively all aspects of the work readiness construct. They knew what it was expected by employers from them to do at work. They were able to effectively apply basic academic skills, high-order skills and professional skills required by employers on the job and placed greater importance to the intrinsic rewards than the extrinsic ones. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study and is designed as a foundation for future empirical studies. Further research could examine the dimensions of the work readiness concept in other geographic contexts and validate the scale measurement with larger samples. Originality/value The integration of scattered pieces of literature on graduates’ employability through the lenses of “work readiness” is a novel theoretical approach to explore the effectiveness of internship programs on employability prospects in the Greek context.

Why, how and to what effect do firms deviate from their intended marketing plans?

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 453-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. Whalen ◽  
David M. Boush
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Planning Software ◽  
Marketing Planning ◽  
Systematic Development ◽  
Market Factors

Purpose – Very little is known about why, how and to what effect firms deviate from intended marketing plans. The aim of this paper is to extend the understanding of this phenomenon, post plan improvisation (PPI), and begin to identify and categorize such deviations along with their apparent causes and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Using the critical incident technique, 384 incidents of PPI were gathered and systematically classified from marketing planners (managers who use marketing planning software) on six different continents using an online survey. Findings – The principal contributions of this study are: the systematic development of a taxonomy for post-plan improvisations; the reported frequencies associated with those categories; and tentative findings regarding relationships between the causes, deviations, and success of PPI. Improvisations that were prompted by changes in external market factors were more likely to be judged by planners as having been successful than those made for reasons internal to the firm. The results also suggest that there exists an optimal level of PPI, that improvisations in pricing are likely to result from changes in the external macro environment, that improvisations in promotion are likely to be responses to competitors, and that managers who are less experienced at planning are less successful than experienced planners at improvisation. Originality/value – Due to the inherent unpredictability of improvisational decision making, few empirical studies have attempted to capture details regarding specific deviations from intended actions. This study is the first attempt to capture and categorize those data in order to allow for more meaningful future investigations.

Feeling nickeled and dimed – consequences of drip pricing

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Robbert
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Price Consciousness ◽  
Partitioned Pricing ◽  
Telecommunication Companies ◽  
Price Partitioning ◽  
Drip Pricing

Purpose – In drip pricing, companies advertise low prices for products or services and then tack on additional surcharges later in the purchase process. This tactic has not only become popular for airlines but also for other online services, such as retailers and telecommunication companies. Despite the widespread use of drip pricing in the marketplace, little is known about its effects on consumer behavior. The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of drip pricing with those of price partitioning. Specifically, it elaborates on perceived value, perceived deception, purchase intentions, and the moderating effect of price consciousness. Design/methodology/approach – The paper develops a conceptual framework and tests four hypotheses with an experimental study on a purchase decision for a continental flight booked through an online travel agent. The experiment is based on a between-subjects design with two groups (n=130). The data are analyzed with multivariate statistics and structural equation modeling. Findings – The findings reveal that drip pricing for service offerings leads to inferior results compared with partitioned pricing in terms of perceived value, perceived deception, and, ultimately, purchase intentions. The findings also indicate that the effects differ depending on the customer’s price consciousness. Originality/value – The study draws from previous studies on partitioned pricing and replicates their findings. However, it is one of the first studies to elaborate on moderators and mediators of the consequences of drip pricing in a service context.

Investigating the work practices of network security professionals

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Adnan ◽  
Mike Just ◽  
Lynne Baillie ◽  
Hilmi Gunes Kayacik
Keyword(s):  
Network Security ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Security Management ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Network Security Management ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the work practices of network security professionals and to propose a new and robust work practices model of these professionals. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed work practices model is composed by combining the findings of ten notable empirical studies performed so far this century. The proposed model was then validated by an online survey of 125 network security professionals with a wide demographic spread. Findings – The empirical data collected from the survey of network security professionals strongly validate the proposed work practices model. The results also highlight interesting trends for different groups of network security professionals, with respect to performing different security-related activities. Research limitations/implications – Further studies could investigate more closely the links and dependencies between the different activities of the proposed work practices model and tools used by network security professionals to perform these activities. Practical implications – A robust work practices model of network security professionals could hugely assist tool developers in designing usable tools for network security management. Originality/value – This paper proposes a new work practices model of network security professionals, which is built by consolidating existing empirical evidence and validated by conducting a survey of network security professionals. The findings enhance the understanding of tool developers about the day-to-day activities of network security professionals, consequently assisting developers in designing better tools for network security management.

Promoting authenticity through celebrity brands

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Kennedy ◽  
Stacey M. Baxter ◽  
Alicia Kulczynski
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Consumer Attitudes ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Consumer Perceptions ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Monetary Compensation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to examine the importance of celebrity brands in influencing consumer perceptions of celebrity authenticity, which drives positive consumer attitudes and intentions. In addition, the notion of low-celebrity investment is investigated as a factor that diminishes the positive outcomes associated with celebrity brands. Design/methodology/approach Study 1 examines the effect of brand situation (endorsement versus celebrity brand) on consumer attitudes and intentions. Studies 2 and 3 investigate the role of celebrity authenticity in explaining the effects observed in Study 1. Study 4 examines celebrity investment as a bound of the phenomenon. Findings Study 1 demonstrates that consumers report heightened attitudes and intentions towards celebrity brands when compared to endorsements. Studies 2 and 3 provide evidence that authenticity explains the effects observed in Study 1. Results of Study 4 show that when consumers are aware of low-celebrity investment, the celebrity is viewed as inauthentic regardless of brand situation. Research limitations/implications This research is limited as it focuses only on known celebrity endorsers who were matched with products that had a high level of fit. In addition, purchase intentions were measured as opposed to the study of actual purchase behaviour. Practical implications This research has important implications for the development of endorsements and celebrity brands by demonstrating that consumers view celebrities as authentic when they are involved with brands for reasons other than monetary compensation. Originality/value This research shows that consumers have heightened attitudes and intentions towards celebrity brands compared to endorsements. This research identifies celebrity authenticity as the process underlying the observed phenomenon. However, celebrity investment is identified as a boundary condition demonstrating that knowledge of low investment results in a celebrity being viewed as inauthentic.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic adults – a survey

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Conor James Davidson ◽  
Keri Lodge ◽  
Alwyn Kam
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Autistic Adults ◽  
The Impact

Purpose To date there has been limited research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This study aims to present the results of a survey of autistic people (n = 51) conducted by a UK specialist autism team. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional online survey. Findings A total of 72% respondents reported either some or significant deterioration in mental health during the pandemic. The issues that caused most negative impact were uncertainty over what will happen next and disruption of normal routine. Respondents reported a variety of coping strategies to help them through the pandemic. Originality/value To date there has been little research looking specifically at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on autistic people. This paper adds weight to the evidence that the pandemic has had a particularly severe impact on autistic adults and includes useful information on potential coping strategies for this population.

Switching behaviour in activity-based working environments: an exploration of the reasons and influencing factors

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunji Häne ◽  
Lukas Windlinger
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Switching Frequency ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Activity Settings ◽  
Working Environments ◽  
Switching Behaviour

Purpose A tendency that employees do not frequently switch between different activity settings was reported in previous studies, which are opposed to underlying assumptions of activity-based working (ABW) offices. Although ABW is increasingly becoming a standard office concept, employees’ switching behaviour has not been studied in depth. This study aims to understand employees’ switching behaviour by identifying reasons (not) to switch and various influencing factors of switching behaviour. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted across Switzerland and Belgium, and 124 respondents participated in the questionnaire. The mismatch model was developed to examine whether the misfit between either activity or preference and work environment leads to switching to another place in the office. Findings Results show that most of the respondents switch multiple times a day, which runs counter to the previous studies. Furthermore, this study presented clear evidence that mandatory switching frequency is independent of various factors presented in the study, indicating that the distinction between mandatory and voluntary switching is valid. Besides, results identified privacy, acoustics, distraction, proximity to team/colleagues as reasons to switch and as reasons not to switch, place preference/attachment, proximity to the team were determined. Originality/value This study contributed to better understanding switching behaviour by defining, distinguishing switching behaviour, identifying reasons (not) to switch and influencing factors of switching frequency. In addition, this study compared the misfit between activity and environment and the misfit between preference and environment as push factors leading to switching behaviour. These findings can provide more knowledge of switching behaviour to workplace or facility management practitioners.

How would you like your Turkish coffee? Tourist experiences of Turkish coffee houses in Istanbul

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Serkan Yiğit ◽  
Nilüfer Şahin Perçin
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Culture Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Place Satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the experiences of tourists in the Turkish coffee houses in Istanbul, Turkey. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a qualitative case study method was used to analyze tourists’ comments with user-generated content technique by analyzing tourists’ comments. The data used in the study was collected through TripAdvisor, which is considered one of the most famous websites with tourist reviews and comments, between 20 May and 10 June 2020 from tourists’ reviews (n:219). Findings The findings show that Turkish coffee house experiences are heterogeneous based on the dimensions of coffee characteristics, place, satisfaction, recommendation and revisit intention, value/price and value-added experience. Moreover, value-added experience includes some sub-themes such as a memorable experience, authentic experience and culture learning experience. Originality/value There are some studies on Turkish coffee and Turkish coffee culture in the literature, but there have been no empirical studies investigating the Turkish coffee house experiences of tourists. For this reason, this study aims to examine and understand the experiences of tourists in Turkish coffee houses. Therefore, it is believed that this study will fill the current gap in the literature on tourists’ experiences of Turkish coffee houses.

Stakeholder dialogue on Facebook

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Martin
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Energy Sector ◽  
Public Ownership ◽  
Stakeholder Dialogue ◽  
Dialogic Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Empirical Results ◽  
Utility Companies

Purpose German, Austrian and Swiss utilities are confronted with radical changes in the European energy sector. A dialogue between the utility companies and their various groups of stakeholders is gaining importance. Increasingly, utilities create their own Facebook presence enabling such a dialogue. Still, to the best of the author’s knowledge there exists no research which explicitly focuses the stakeholder dialogue of German, Austrian or Swiss utilities on Facebook. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse Facebook as an instrument for dialogic communication in the energy sector. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was distributed to 1,280 German, Austrian and Swiss utilities, and 14 per cent of the utilities completed the survey, including 130 German, 19 Austrian and 25 Swiss companies. The participating utilities are primarily in public ownership. Findings The Facebook conversation of utility companies and their stakeholders meets the basic requirements of a virtual stakeholder dialogue. Nevertheless, less than half of the companies perceive their current stakeholder conversation on Facebook as truly interactive. Therefore, even if the basic requirements of a dialogue are met, most companies still do not seem to fully use the dialogue potential of Facebook. Originality/value This study provides first insights into virtual stakeholder dialogues in the energy sector. A suggestion to operationalise such a virtual dialogue is provided. Both operationalisation as well as the empirical results help researchers and practitioners to better understand virtual stakeholder dialogues.

Employee competences in manufacturing companies – an expert survey

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1004-1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrit Meyer ◽  
Bianca Brünig ◽  
Peter Nyhuis
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Production Management ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Openness To Change ◽  
Future Production ◽  
Quality Awareness ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Very High

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present competences that are highly relevant for manufacturing today and tomorrow. Following a discussion on the concept of “competence”, a variety of competences are presented and classified into the four facets professional, methodological, social, and self-competence. Design/methodology/approach – Using an exploratory method, the paper aims at describing relevant manufacturing-related competences with the help of an online survey. Experts, mostly from the production management or HR departments of manufacturing companies in Germany, were polled and asked to evaluate the relevancy of a list of competences for manufacturing. Findings – For the experts, flawless execution and quality awareness are competences with a very high relevance, whereas analytical abilities have very little meaning. The experts questioned expect openness to change to undergo the strongest increase in importance. Practical implications – This paper shows competences particularly relevant for future production, so that companies can derive specific competence development measures. The findings are descriptive only, but should enable companies to identify specific competence gaps and to select measures to develop competences. Originality/value – This paper attempts to bridge the gap between academics and practice by outlining relevant manufacturing competences that have been evaluated by managers. This is in contrast to most scientific research that classifies manufacturing-related competences as important based on own assessment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document