Theorizing with managers: how to achieve both academic rigor and practical relevance?Nenonen, Suvi; Brodie, Roderick J.; Storbacka, Kaj; Peters, Linda D.
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-03-2017-0171
PurposeThe aim of the paper is to address the widening theory-praxis gap in marketing. The authors propose that one viable solution to this challenge is involving practitioners in research processes as active, reflective and empowered participants. Most extant discussions addressing the inclusion of managers as partners in theorizing restrain themselves to an “if” question, arguing whether or not it is possible to create sufficiently rigorous knowledge in collaboration with practitioners. This leaves the “how” question unanswered, i.e. how should such gap-bridging research be conducted in practice.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature review of collaborative theorizing processes, the authors develop a conceptual framework highlighting the main research design decisions when theorizing with managers. The use of the framework is illustrated with four research program examples.FindingsMost accounts of theorizing with managers use – explicitly or implicitly – abduction as the main mode of inference. In addition to this philosophical commonality, our literature review identified 12 themes that should be considered when designing collaborative research processes. The four illustrative examples indicate that theorizing with managers is an effective way of producing and socializing both academically sound and managerially relevant knowledge. On the other hand, collaborative theorizing processes are time-consuming and studies using abductive reasoning may be more challenging to publish in top-tier journals.Originality/valueThis paper makes two contributions. First, the authors go beyond the extensive academic literature which provides a plethora of explanations and ideas for potential remedies for bridging the theory-praxis gap by offering a detailed description how one particular solution, theorizing with managers, unfolds in practice. Second, the authors ground collaborative theorizing processes in the philosophy of science and put abduction forward as a common nominator for such studies.
Bridging the gap: reflections on theorizing with managersLeeflang, Peter S.H.
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-03-2017-0172
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect on Nenonen et al.’s paper on theorizing with managers. This paper discusses differences between marketing science and marketing practice and gives suggestions to reduce the theory–praxis gap. It gives examples of quantitative studies that have been performed with practioners and use the choices proposed by Nenonen et al. to draw conclusions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on personal experience of the author, which is supported by a substantial number of empirical studies.FindingsCooperation with marketing managers/decision-makers is most successful when the initiator is the practitioner. Public policy and litigation are the most promising areas for cooperation. It is difficult to publish the outcomes of these “joint” studies in top journals.Originality/valueThis study extends and continues the results of the study by Nenonen et al.
Theorizing with managers to bridge the theory-praxis gapBrodie, Roderick J.; Nenonen, Suvi; Peters, Linda D.; Storbacka, Kaj
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-03-2017-0175
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to refine an agenda concerning the theory–praxis gap to develop a foundation for a research tradition.Design/methodology/approachThe paper synthesizes and builds on the suggestions in commentary articles by Kohli (2017), Leeflang (2017) and Möller (2017).FindingsThe authors develop a research agenda consisting of the following issues: the need for a systemic view of business practice; the need for innovative and meaningful theoretical understanding; the need to identify conditions and approaches for collaborative theorizing; to further define and instruct the abductive approach; and to explore pragmatic realism to ensure both practical outcomes and truthful theories.Originality/valueThese five issues are a step towards developing a theory–praxis research tradition.
Being the first entrant and getting stuck in the middleMontaguti, Elisa; Zammit, Alessandra
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-09-2016-0521
PurposeThis paper aims to examine how pioneering advantage interacts with the compromise effect generated by new product entries. Building on prior work on pioneering advantage and extreme aversion, this research moves toward understanding how the choice share of a pioneer realigns as a consequence of new product entries generating compromise-like scenarios.Design/methodology/approachThe authors run three experiments to test their propositions. The authors present one study which documents the effect. The second study provides process evidence. The third study suggests how brands can neutralize the adverse effect on their share generated by the followers’ entry/positioning.FindingsIn three studies, the authors showed that when a pioneering product becomes intermediate in a choice set, its share is more adversely affected than when it becomes extreme. The authors show that this depends on consumers’ propensity to use non-compensatory decision rules in the presence of a pioneering alternative. The authors also document that the relative disadvantage of the intermediate pioneer can be overcome when the reasons for selecting an intermediate alternative based on a compensatory decision rule are restored.Practical implicationsThe research provides guidelines for managers wanting to enter product categories where a pioneer already exists. The authors show that opting for an extreme position that renders the pioneer intermediate can be rewarding. In contrast, being the second extreme player in a market where the pioneer becomes extreme reduces the expected share of this last entrant.Originality/valueThe authors’ contribution is in showing that this decision strategy can clash with the rule consumers generally use in a compromise setting and that this clash generates two different effects when the pioneer becomes intermediate or extreme.
Marketing agency – client relationships: towards a research agendaKeegan, Brendan James; Rowley, Jennifer; Tonge, Jane
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-10-2015-0712
PurposeThis paper aims to present the first systematic review of the literature relating to the relationships between organisations and their marketing agencies, the agency–client relationship, and presents a concept matrix that identifies the key areas of investigation, and topics where further research would be beneficial. As agencies play a pivotal role in operationalising marketing strategy, this relationship is central to marketing theory, management and practice.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review of the literature was performed using key databases and search terms, and filtering on the basis of criteria relating, for example, to relevance and format, to create a core set of refereed papers on the agency–client relationship in the marketing and advertising domains. Bibliographic and thematic analysis was used to profile the literature in the dataset, and to draw out key themes.FindingsThe paper provides an analysis of the extant knowledge base, including key themes, journals and research methods. The following themes emerged from the literature, and are used to elaborate further on the existing body of knowledge: conflict, client account management, contracts and agency theory, cultural and international perspectives and co-creation. An agenda for future research is proposed that advocates a focus on theoretical foundations, research strategies and research topics and themes.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic review of the literature on agency–client relationships, which is scattered across disciplines and informed by several theoretical perspectives. Given the increasing complexity of agency–client relationships in the digital age, and increasing need to understand “marketing-as-practice”, the coherent overview offered by this paper is of particular value for guiding future research.
Examining the existence of double jeopardy and negative double jeopardy within TwitterRogers, Andrew; Daunt, Kate L.; Morgan, Peter; Beynon, Malcolm
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-03-2015-0126
PurposeThe theory of double jeopardy (DJ) is shown to hold across broad ranging geographies and physical product categories. However, there is very little research appertaining to the subject within an online environment. In particular, studies that investigate the presence of DJ and the contrasting view point to DJ, namely, that of negative double jeopardy (NDJ), are lacking. This study aims to contribute to this identified research gap and examines the presence of DJ and NDJ within a product category, utilising data from Twitter.Design/methodology/approachA total of 354,676 tweets are scraped from Twitter and their sentiment analysed and allocated into positive, negative and no-opinion clusters using fuzzy c-means clustering. The sentiment is then compared to the market share of brands within the beer product category to establish whether a DJ or NDJ effect is present.FindingsData reveal an NDJ effect with regards to original tweets (i.e. tweets which have not been retweeted). That is, when analysing tweets relating to brands within a defined beer category, the authors find that larger brands suffer by having an increased negativity amongst the larger proportion of tweets associated with them.Research limitations/implicationsThe clustering approach to analyse sentiment in Twitter data brings a new direction to analysis of such sentiment. Future consideration of different numbers of clusters may further the insights this form of analysis can bring to the DJ/NDJ phenomenon. Managerial implications discuss the uncovered practitioner’s paradox of NDJ and strategies for dealing with DJ and NDJ effects.Originality/valueThis study is the first to explore the presence of DJ and NDJ through the utilisation of sentiment analysis-derived data and fuzzy clustering. DJ and NDJ are under-explored constructs in the online environment. Typically, past research examines DJ and NDJ in separate and detached fashions. Thus, the study is of theoretical value because it outlines boundaries to the DJ and NDJ conditions. Second, this research is the first study to analyse the sentiment of consumer-authored tweets to explore DJ and NDJ effects. Finally, the current study offers valuable insight into the DJ and NDJ effects for practicing marketing managers.
Purchase decision: does too much choice leave us unhappy?Tang, Yun-Chia; Hsieh, Yi-Ching; Chiu, Hung-Chang
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-01-2015-0022
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to determine how and when choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase, according to a personal emotion perspective. The choice paradox indicates that although having many choices can be beneficial, it can also cause customer decision paralysis and unhappiness. This article proposes that the desire and motivation to process information vary from person to person, and emotional factors are relevant.Design/methodology/approachWith a 2 × 2 experimental design, this study examines the influence of the interaction of choice variety with need for cognition (NFC) on positive and negative emotions, and then tests the mediating effects on purchase intentions. The sample includes 214 college students, assigned randomly to self-assessment questionnaires.FindingsBoth high NFC respondents in the high variety condition and low NFC respondents in the low variety condition exhibit more positive emotions than low NFC respondents in the high variety condition but not more than high NFC respondents in the low variety condition. Positive (negative) emotions increase (decrease) consumers’ purchase intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe experiment was conducted in a virtual store, which may not match real-life store environments or reflect participants’ actual purchase behaviours, so additional research should consider the influence of involvement further.Practical implicationsThe results offer suggestions for developing more effective communication with emotions, increasing involvement to maintain consumers’ positive emotions and relieve their confusion, and managing product variety.Originality/valueThis article meets the identified need to study how choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase from a personal emotion perspective.
A memory theory perspective of consumer ethnocentrism and animosityLee, Richard; Lee, Kyung Tae; Li, Jianyao
2017 European Journal of Marketing
doi: 10.1108/EJM-03-2014-0188
PurposeThis study contends that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity rest on semantic and episodic memory, respectively. It further examines how the influence of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity on consumer boycott behaviour may vary over time and use the memory theory to explain these temporal differences.Design/methodology/approachPart 1 involved an experiment to demonstrate the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism/animosity and semantic/episodic memory. To determine the temporal characteristics of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity, Part 2 involved two quantitative surveys (one each in China and Japan), followed by another two surveys six months later.FindingsPart 1 showed that consumer ethnocentrism and animosity were underpinned by semantic and episodic memory, respectively. Consistent with memory theory, Part 2 found that consumer ethnocentrism was temporally more stable than animosity. Consumer animosity influenced boycott behaviour during but not after the dispute, whereas consumer ethnocentrism influenced boycott behaviour during as well as the dispute. Finally, consumer ethnocentrism was antecedent to consumer animosity, siding with the relationship between semantic and episodic memory.Research limitations/implicationsLimited to two countries, both with collectivistic culture. A longitudinal approach over multiple phases would further enhance the robustness of the findings.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the psychological underpinning of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity would allow firms to develop effective marketing strategies to appeal to consumers’ ethnocentric and animosity dispositions.Originality/valueThe first study to examine the psychological underpinnings of consumer ethnocentrism and animosity by drawing on the memory theory.