Sensory stimulation is used by various brands to induce desired behaviours among their customers. Although its effectiveness is recognised in business contexts, little research has been conducted on sensory marketing. In order to contribute to filling this gap, this study sought to build a model that explains how sensory stimulation influences intentions to purchase a brand. Brand experience and brand equity were expected to mediate this relationship. The empirical validation of the model was conducted by carrying out an online survey with a convenience sample of 302 customers of a brand of the catering industry. The data collected were processed using PLS-SEM methodology. The results reveal that sensory stimulation positively influences brand experience and brand equity, which, in turn, have a positive impact on intentions to purchase the brand in question. The relevant contributions that emerged from this study include not only bridging the aforementioned gap in the literature but also offering significant managerial implications.
1 October 2015 in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
Purpose: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an evolving concept which is increasingly being adopted by companies with the purpose of creating sustained organizational growth. However, while the impact of CSR practices on employees' behaviors and attitudes has been recognized over the years, the relationship between CSR practices and employee performance remains underexplored.Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on social identity theory and using the partial least squares structural equation method, this research examines the impact of CSR practices on employees' performance in a sample of 171 employees belonging to the construction industry.Findings: The findings do not support the existence of a direct relationship between employees' perception of CSR and their performance; instead, they indicate that this relationship is mediated by job satisfaction and organizational trust.Research limitations/implications: The data concerns employees' self-reported measures on their perceived CSR and the study was conducted in a single industry.Practical implications: Adopting CSR initiatives in company strategies is worthy as the perceptions of employees and their performance is positively influenced by their organization's CSR activities. Managers should properly communicate and involve internal stakeholders in socially responsible practices to increase their awareness.Originality/value: This article analyzes the impact of employees' perception of CSR on employees' performance through the roles of employee organizational trust and job satisfaction as mediating variables in a highly socially pressured industry such as construction.
25 November 2016 in Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration
Purpose: The importance of innovation as a generator of competitive advantage and the collaborative nature of this process are recurring themes in the literature. This paper aims to contribute to the improvement of knowledge about the relationship between supply chains and the innovation process by means of a systematic literature review. Methodology/approach: The method used consists of the identification, selection, analysis and synthesis of existing research on the subject and aims to ensure that the review is transparent, auditable and replicable. This paper presents the analysis of 94 papers from 37 journals and the major contributions are explored. Findings: The identification and analysis of relevant articles showed the complexity, timeliness and the wide-ranging character of the theme. The analysis of articles allowed the identification of facilitators of the innovation process, as well as five approaches applicable to supply chains to drive the innovation process. From these analyses, a model synthesising the main practices identified for improving innovation performance is presented. Research limitations/implications: When carrying out literature reviews, the selection of articles might be considered subjective. To circumvent this limitation, the papers have been assessed by three researchers. Practical implications: The results presented can be applied in the decision-making process by managers in the areas of innovation and supply chain. Originality/value: This paper synthesises knowledge involving the relationships between supply chains and the innovation process. The analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative criteria.
27 October 2017 in Journal of Business Economics and Management
Although there are several studies analysing how innovation capabilities influence export performance, this study aims to present the impact of a set of internal innovation capabilities on export performance of small and medium-sized firms (smes), with the mediating role of entrepreneurial orientation contingent upon the proactive or reactive behaviour of the firms to external stimuli. The study involves the analysis of 147 questionnaire‐based survey of managers from plastic manufacturing smes operating in Portugal that were subjected to a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results show that proactive firms to external stimuli are not only better at innovating but also their entrepreneurial orientation capabilities underpin a better performance in international markets when compared with firms that react to external stimuli. This study has implications for smes aiming at increasing their export performance and innovativeness. For practitioners the findings of this study should enable smes owner/managers to better understand the possible impacts of innovation capabilities and entrepreneurial orientation on export performance, and thus lead to more effective smes management.