Search

This article is the first to consolidate the state of scholarly research on stakeholder engagement in innovation management and entrepreneurship development. We hereby systematically review the relevant literature published over the past 27 years, and we integrate the various prominent research perspectives into a preliminary, multi-dimensional and integrative framework of stakeholder engagement; thus, interlinking the antecedent role of stakeholder engagement for innovation management and subsequent entrepreneurship development. Through this methodologically systematic review and framework development, we provide a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the interaction between entrepreneurs and the various stakeholders, for enhancing innovation management and entrepreneurship development. In so doing, we consequently identify various research gaps and prescribe effective avenues for future works in this research stream. Conclusively, we discuss the implications of the stakeholder management perspective for the theory and the practice of entrepreneurship.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to construct a conceptual framework of the effects of customer engagement on cause-related marketing (CRM), with the goal of providing a solid scientific foundation for the development and stimulation of future research on the critical intersection of these two topics.Design/methodology/approachThe research defines customer engagement in CRM campaigns as the conditions under which consumers are allowed to choose the cause that receives the donation, the cause proximity (geographical proximity) and the type of donation in a CRM campaign.FindingsThe paper conceptualizes the role of customer engagement in enhancing the effectiveness of a CRM campaign, in terms of coverage, customization and reduced consumer skepticism, as well as in triggering positive word-of-mouth (WOM) persuasion behaviors.Practical implicationsThe conceptual framework provides several practicable directions toward effective control of CRM campaign outcomes, for both local and global firms.Originality/valueThe paper rests on established empirical foundations to develop a comprehensive preliminary multi- disciplinary framework on the subject, setting the path for further research in the fields of CRM, customer engagement and International Business Research, and reaching findings of both scholarly and executive worth.

The food delivery sector is assuming increasing importance in the distribution of food products and meals as it is becoming an ordinary component of consumption habits. However, the growth of the sector has inevitably affected the demand for freight transport, especially in urban areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the main enabling factors affecting the adoption of sustainable strategies, among which the electro-mobility, in the food delivery sector and what obstacles to dissemination can be seen. Deliveroo s.r.l. was chosen as case study. Results show that Deliveroo undoubtedly represents a good example of sustainable logistics and the dissemination of good practices among the key players of the food delivery sector. However, if on the one hand there is a strong commitment on the part of Deliveroo to find solutions that encourage the use of these means, on the other hand, there is the need for a greater commitment on the part of the institutions to create infrastructure conditions that facilitate the diffusion of these means.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the perceived negative emotions of both customers and frontline service employees (FSEs) during intercultural service encounters (ICSEs); and the building and utilization of corresponding knowledge in the banking sector. Design/methodology/approach To reach the paper’s goal, a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews conducted in the context of the banking industry is developed and presented. Findings The findings presented and discussed the “perception of emotion” and the building of corresponding knowledge about ICSEs. Specifically, FSEs and foreign customers were found to be capable of perceiving negative emotions, both their own and of others. The authors further identified an array of emotions and feelings that facilitate the understanding of how ICSEs can be managed and improved. The findings finally highlight the degree and nature of the importance of building and storing knowledge on ICSEs soft processes, which are termed a key asset for service companies. Originality/value An encounter between a service provider and a customer of different cultural backgrounds can become complex and critical. Despite this, there is not enough empirical evidence neither on the socio-psychological processes that take place during these encounters nor on how different ethnic groups develop interpersonal trust within the service sector. This research offers empirical insights regarding the means of detecting emotions and of improving the quality and management of knowledge on ICSE.

The aim of the research is to identify the relationship between organizational ambidexterity (OA) and firm performance, based on a large-scale empirical study incorporating 3883 commercial and investment banks across 28 European countries. In parallel, it seeks to investigate and comprehend the potential effects of exploration and exploitation on performance. Through the classification analysis method, it is found that banks with high return on equity are typified by the OA transformative determinants of having high structuring, high levels of research and development expenses and being highly procedural. The research further combines the primary research findings with meta-synthetic theoretical research and experts’ interviews to compile, reconcile and integrate existing notions into a comprehensive strategic internal management framework for ambidextrous organizations. The value and originality of the work stem from its specific contributions to OA knowledge and the fact that it is based on a contemporary large-scale data-set of enhanced reliability and validity. Its conceptual framework adds further value through the provision of a scientifically based platform for a more advanced understanding of OA and its systemic organizational application, and a solid foundation for further research. Moreover, the research transcribes the findings into explicit elucidations of executive worth for industry application.

Understanding the impact that circular economy can have on the development of innovative entrepreneurship is an interesting but under-researched topic. Despite the growing interest of scholars in business management for trends and scenarios of application of circular economy at level of firms’ business models and dynamics of value creation and capture, exploring its implications and meaning for the conception and execution of innovative entrepreneurship calls for a deeper understanding.

In the contemporary global-village circumstances, multinational companies are reliant on their teams for creativity, productivity, etc. to compete with indecisive and cut-throat business surroundings. These multinationalcompanies can opt for sharing knowledge of different teams from distinct countries. They are competent in attaining, employing, and expanding this knowledge. Because of this, there are mass cultures available in most workplaces. With globalisation, many new challenges like cultural diversity management have cropped up for people and firms. Individual as well as team performance can be enhanced by knowledge sharing. In active organisations, the diverse workforce might also be a planned factor for adding to knowledgeresources. Very few researches have been carried out on the new concept,cultural intelligence (CQ).

Over the past decades, European football went through a large number of tragedies, mainly due to the absence of an integrated framework that could enable every involved agency to operate under specific safety procedures and laws. It is commonly perceived that disorder behaviour has adverse effects on football, minimising potential revenues and obliterating the consumer's experience. Football's unique structures involve a large number of agencies that need to constantly adopt specific safety approaches in order to create a sustainable environment and provide entertainment and pleasure to the consumers. The purpose of this chapter is to theoretically recognise the generic football safety management guidelines introduced by the European institutions over the years in order to minimise the problem and create a safe atmosphere for the consumers. In addition, the research will identify and decode the key actions taken by the authorities in Cyprus as a response to the problem in order to draw critical lessons both for and from the case study.

In recent years there has been an upsurge of interest in social media (SM). SM has ushered a new era of communication between organizations and key stakeholders and has forced brands to change dramatically the way they interact with their target markets. Luxury brand marketers have recently turned their attention to customer-driven SM devoted to their brands recognizing the role SM plays in their marketing strategies. Key consumer behavior concepts such as motivation, interaction, and SM provide the theoretical foundation. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the relationship between SM and consumer behavior towards luxury brands. Empirical data was collected from 110 Cypriot SM users who look for information on SM about luxury brands. The aim was to explore whether SM influences consumer behavior of both male and female Cypriot consumers and whether there are any distinct behavioral differences between the two genders. This study provides recommendations to luxury brands to understand the nature of consumer behavior and brand-customer relationship in using SM.

This research presents an evaluation model for the communication of stakeholder engagement (SE) process, a relevant aspect able to enhance firms’ social legitimacy and reputation. Stakeholder involvement is a main component in the corporate social responsibility activities of companies. Drawing on academic literature, international standards and guidelines on SE, a scoring model was created, with the aim to verify companies’ attention to the SE communication process. To test the scoring model, a thematic content analysis was conducted on international hotel companies’ sustainability reports that were published in 2017 in adherence to the Global Reporting Initiative, as well as on their websites. The results show a greater use of sustainability reports for the communication of the SE. The study confirms that large companies are more attention to SE. Hotels inform their stakeholders, but are not ready for their involvement. The research offers a contribution to improve the management of relations with stakeholders and their involvement in the value co-creation. The study highlights the areas that can be strengthened to improve the SE activities and their communication.

In the present work, the authors investigate the relationship between exploitation, exploration processes and firm performance in the ecosystem of the Italian sharing economy in the face of change. Their research results show that the propensity to adapt dynamically to the environment is significantly higher for companies that are aware of belonging to a network. This fundamental question has engaged scholars from disciplines as disparate as management, strategy, organizational sociology, psychology, and economics that contributed also to redefine the firm concept. On these considerations, in the present work the firm will be considered as a complex and adaptive system composed of tangible and intangible components in interaction to achieve survival by creating and maintaining dynamic relations with numerous and heterogeneous stakeholders.

SMEs, diachronically, have been characterized by scholars, practitioners and administrators as economic drivers, major employers and innovators. The identity of SMEs, along with their characteristics, attributes and competencies, had been considered to be distinctly different from that of their much larger counterparts. Their strengths and limitations, as well as their opportunities and threats, were therefore linked to their size and its natural pros and cons. The twenty-first century, however, combining significant technological and communications advancements with intense globalization and significant sociopolitical changes, has changed the identity and role of SMEs, substantially broadening their opportunities and the challenges they need to overcome. This book, therefore, brings together a collection of scholarly works that present these contemporary issues through different case studies, perspectives, industries and markets, and individually and collectively add to our knowledge and understanding of SMEs in today’s business and socio-economic context, along with the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the effects of the digitalization process on the demand and supply side in the sports world through the advent of mobile apps and online services, such as YouTube, which provide free (or almost) real fitness courses; and second, to investigate how technological innovation is managed in the sports sector. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a survey research approach, this study collected 150 questionnaires from consumers in the North of Italy. Findings Based on a descriptive analysis of the data, the findings show that the digital channel becomes significant at an exponential rate and takes on a leading role in today’s era, especially among young people. However, the results also show that the traditional channel of use of the sports service (gyms/fitness centers) is privileged by consumers under the age of 35, even though there is a weak penetration of innovative tools offered by the innovation technology (mobile app and video tutorials on social networks such as YouTube) in the sports sector. Practical implications The study provides an exhaustive overview of academic literature on technology and innovation management, and provides the contact point between the physical and digital world in the sports sector, and adds a significant scholarly and practical value in the exercise at home perspective of consumers. This research also contributes to the discussion on the competitiveness between the two channels (physical and digital one) in the sports sector, thus giving rise to further research concerning the offer of the type of sports service. Originality/value This study is among the few that connect the technological advancements and management within the sports industry and provides the ground and theoretical basis for the scholar community to further build on.

SMEs, like most organizations across the typological spectrum, have substantially and visibly been affected by the wider (r)evolution that has transformed the business context internationally. The well-established, albeit undefined and unpredictable combination of forces, such as information and communication technologies, sociocultural and political changes, economic crises and rising consumer bargaining powers, have reshaped the very foundations upon which SMEs traditionally grew and competed. And though change in itself has diachronically been a constant in business contexts, its current extent, nature and pace leave few lessons to be learnt from past experience. SMEs, thus, struggle to find their position and role in this new world, and to do so they first need to understand it. This book presents scholarly and executive readers alike with a collection of independent works that are mutually joined by their contribution to our understanding of these changing conditions that ultimately shape the business context of SMEs, providing, along the way, valuable information of both scientific and practicable worth.

Understanding the impact that circular economy can have on the development of innovative entrepreneurship is an interesting but under-researched topic. Despite the growing interest of scholars in business management for trends and scenarios of application of circular economy at level of firms’ business models and dynamics of value creation and capture, exploring its implications and meaning for the conception and execution of innovative entrepreneurship calls for a deeper understanding. Framed in the above assumptions, the chapter aims to contribute to the advancement of the debate on the meaning and implications of circular economy for innovative entrepreneurship. It presents the results of a structured literature review and provides a theoretical conceptual framework for understanding the relevance of innovative entrepreneurship issues in the light of the circular economy transition.

The aim of the paper is to identify a matrix framework of students value co-creation in higher education, through the development of an innovative model able to understand the role of technology to facilitate students co-creation behavior. This study presents a systematic literature review methodology, to provide the analysis of the phenomenon of co-creation in Higher Education Institutions. The paper explores the drivers of students involvement and identifies two different categories able to activate the students co-creation behaviors: the community involvement, and the exploitation of the interactive technology. The resulting framework is useful to broaden the literature on value co-creation and can be used to guide practitioners on the administration in higher education. The research presents both contributions to the conceptualization of the student co-creation behavior as a double construct, and the changes in the scenario of University co-creation.

The purpose of this study is to examine inhabitants’ motivation and their willingness to pay to mitigate the impact of climate change on fish resources. Willingness to pay was tested empirically using survey data from 333 inhabitants of Sciacca, a fishing community in Sicily, Italy, which has the island’s second largest fishing fleet. People’s attitudes towards climate change, their degree of involvement in the issue, and their concerns about this phenomenon’s potential impact on the marine environment are the key factors affecting their willingness to pay. It was further found that respondents are willing to pay an average of €6.81 per month to support mitigation policies in the fishing industry. The originality of this study is related to its contribution in expanding the body of knowledge on citizens’ willingness to pay for the protection of fish resources, using a conceptual framework based on the Construal Level Theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action to explain inhabitants’ behaviour. The latter is one of the implications of this study on the theoretical point of view. In addition, this study provides insights and hints to policy makers to define tools, shared by the community, that contribute to the mitigation of climate change.

The paper aims to examine the moderating role of gender diversity within a corporate board on the relationship between tax aggressiveness and a firm&rsquo, s corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach. This analysis was conducted using a set of indicators of financial statements of 168 Italian listed firms between 2011 and 2018. In addition, the sustainability reports of the same companies were observed. To perform the analysis a logit regression model is used. This paper shows different empirical results. First, this study notes that there is not a direct relationship between tax aggressiveness and CSR reporting. Second, gender diversity in a board of directors increases the orientation of companies to CSR disclosure, but does not have an impact on the relationship between tax aggressiveness and CSR disclosure. Instead, CEO gender has a positive influence on the relationship between corporate tax planning and CSR reporting in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. This study emphasizes the key role of gender diversity in the growth of the CSR approach and the reputation of companies. Therefore, governments and policymakers of major countries should promote gender diversity in corporate decision-making bodies, which contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This chapter analysed factors affecting the consumer purchase behaviour towards counterfeit products, and attitudes effect on the purchase intention of consumers. The considered variables are brand image, social influence, price-quality inferences, novelty seeking, and intention towards counterfeit products. A survey was conducted on university and college students in Lebanon. This research employed a structured questionnaire to measure the attitude of consumers using a Likert scale. Variables were measured using chi-square testing to identify their relationship. Results found that customer behaviour towards counterfeit products has a positive relationship with brand image, social influence, novelty seeking, intention, and price-quality inferences.

SMEs have always been hailed as economic drivers and the major employer, across industries and nations. And though receiving, perhaps, less attention than they deserve compared to their larger counterparts, their attributes, role and style have always intrigued business scholars. SMEs, however, have seen their identity and position against large companies and customers change drastically over the information technology revolution of the past two decades. A period that has partly weakened them against competition from large global companies, but which has also armed them with competencies and opportunities to do things and reach customers that were unimaginable in the recent past. This chapter undertakes a comprehensive review of extant scientific works to identify the range and nature of opportunities and challenges faced by SME in contemporary business in the context of digitalization and information and communication technological developments.

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jht-10.1177_1096348020936351 for Stakeholder Engagement IN The Hospitality Industry: An Analysis Of Communication In Smes And Large Hotels by Demetris Vrontis, Antonio Iazzi, Amedeo Maizza and Federica Cavallo in Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research

Developing customer loyalty is a significant goal of marketing, and loyalty programs are the means through which practitioners can reach it. Keeping loyal customers is a vital aspect for their success and keeping current customers is cheaper than attracting new ones. Today, loyalty programs are playing an increasingly significant role in organizations' relationships with their customer base across a variety of industries. Towards this direction, the aim of this study was to examine how Lebanese consumers view rewards from loyalty programs and to what extent this reward is meaningful for them. This study is based on a survey among 225 customers that own a loyalty card, of some major retail stores in Lebanon. Based on the findings, key relevant points were obtained and used for further development of loyalty programs, which can be adapted to the consumption behaviour of the Lebanese consumer. Finally, the outcome of this research will help marketers to plan efficiently their marketing plan based on customer's perception toward the reward therefore increasing profits in retail markets.

The widespread access of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) enables contemporary consumers to assess the opinions of others, irrespective of geographical boundaries, about products and services. This research examines the impact of e-WOM on building international brand awareness when the former is used as a core part of a company's overall digital marketing strategy. By applying the survey methodology, the findings provide support for this positive effect; namely, the integration of e-WOM in the overall digital marketing strategy and activities applied by an organization can enhance brand awareness beyond country borders and contribute towards the overall organizational effectiveness and success. Taken together, the study provides further insight into eWOM and cross-border brand awareness relationship and outlines several questions that deserve further study.

Social media is a widely used tool by companies to communicate with their customers. This study explores customers’ perception of social media marketing efforts by companies and their role in enhancing corporate reputation. It also evaluates the mediating role of corporate brand credibility in the relationship between social media marketing efforts and corporate reputation. Data for this study was adopted from 404 customers of the retail banking sector in Latvia, contacted via social media platforms such as Facebook using the non-random snowball sampling method. The structural

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the extant literature regarding the exploitation of digital technologies by illustrating how this type of IT can influence business process improvements in the healthcare industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reports an illustrative case study for MSD Italy, the Italian subsidiary of the USA-based company Merck & Co., Inc. The group sells drugs for human use in Italy but is also active in the veterinary (MSD Animal Health) industry, with Vree Health, and in solutions and software-based services for the healthcare industry.FindingsThe results show that the adoption of digital technologies could improve the performance of main healthcare business processes, particularly those processes that can be simplified with the adoption of information technology. More specifically, digital technologies could increase efficiency and, at the same time, allow for the delivery of better quality and reduced response times, with many benefits for several stakeholders, such as national health systems, clinicians and patients.Originality/valueAlthough some studies report the need for effective business processes for sustainable healthcare systems, there is a lack of literature regarding the specific implications of the adoption of such digital technologies for the business process management of healthcare firms. This paper attempts to fill in this gap.

“Brand Status” is defined as a measure that examines the equity “health” and “strength” of a brand in each stage of the brand value chain. A six-stage brand value chain model was developed where St...

This article constitutes the second of two parts of a research project aiming to investigate innovation in family businesses (FBs) and to present a consumer-focused conduit to agility in the strate...

This article constitutes the first of two parts of a research aiming to investigate innovation in family businesses (FBs) and to present a consumer-focused conduit to agility in the strategic marke...

Several forest certification schemes have become increasingly popular over the last few decades as voluntary mechanisms to tack sustainability in the forest-based industry to an environmental, social, and economic paradigm. This study aims to systematically review the economic literature on the main motivational factors affecting the adoption of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) certifications in order to perform a broadly theoretical assessment of this research field and identify the most relevant driving forces affecting the adoption of third-party certification in the forest-based industry. Results reveal that the most relevant mechanisms are linked to both market pressure and the opportunity to communicate social and environmental commitment. Other driving forces, such as moral and legal ones, have been little explored, although they play a key role in the entrepreneurs' choices, emphasising the need to explore more deeply the behavioural intention of forest owners and managers, adopting different theoretical lenses or developing new conceptual frameworks.

This study highlights how social and commercial enterprises with local and global presence, balance their economic and social goals, to sustainably serve the bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) markets, predominantly in emerging economies. Employing the lens of transaction cost economics and configurational theory, we propose that successful venturing into the BoP markets, sensitize firms to create appropriate governance mechanisms for reducing transaction costs, resulting in creation and capture of values. Further, these mechanisms enable those firms to attain cost efficiency and sustainability in the process of fulfilling their social objectives. To that end, we employed the case survey method to analyse 42 cases, from the Harvard Business School repository, on multinational enterprises (MNEs) in emerging economies. Further, we used qualitative comparative analysis to uncover the various causal governance configurations that enabled those firms to sustainably serve the BoP markets.

Artificial intelligence integrated with customer relationship management (CRM) systems has revolutionized organizations’ means of analyzing their huge volumes of customer data. To effectively respond to and manage the opportunities and challenges that arise from this, organizations are developing competencies and processes that evolve their agility, fine-tuning them to the artificial intelligence customer service system (AICS) and wider digitalization setting. In this context, this study identifies the factors impacting the adoption of an AI-integrated CRM system (AICS) in agile organizations as a part of their digitalization strategy. Methodologically, the research builds its theoretical foundation on extant works to develop hypotheses and a corresponding conceptual model. The model is quantitatively validated through a survey across the spectrum of Indian companies, following expert-based pretesting and pilot testing, and subsequently it is statistically tested using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results, contextualized against the backdrop of organizational agility, identify and elucidate the relationship between stakeholders and perceived value and easiness of AICS, between employee trust and attitude, and the influence of attitude and behavioral intention as key mediators towards AICS adoption. The findings are conclusively transcribed into tangible implications for practice and explicit avenues for future research.