Big-box Retailers Research Articles

Do Internal Branding Efforts Help Ensure Positive Service Delivery Experiences?

Think of your last visit to a big box retailer. Did that experience live up to your expectations? Did the employees you encounter deliver great service? Or was your service experience something that would drive you to a competitor down the road? Branding is a major focus for all companies in today’s hypercompetitive marketplace. Firms have to continually focus on how to shape—and protect— the image of their brand. Indeed, companies have to play “brand defense,” monitoring social media for feedback that could quickly sour a brand’s image. For service companies, the branding equation is complicated and less controllable due to the human element involved in service delivery. All the positive “feel good” advertising in the world that builds-up a customer’s brand perception can be ruined in an instant if he or she encounters a “feel bad” employee. The importance of each customer’s interaction with every service employee was captured by Jan Carlzon, the former CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (Carlzon, 1987). Central to the airline’s operational turnaround was the fact that Carlzon focused on making certain that Scandinavian Airlines’ customers had the best experience possible when they interacted with each employee during their individual journeys. He termed these interactions “moments of truth,” in which customers form their unique impressions—positive or negative—of the company and its brand through their interactions with employee. Scholars have noted that it is difficult for service company executives to overcome the inherent challenge of managing these “moments of truth” that enable front-line employees to spark a positive connection with customers (Beaujean, Davidson, & Madge, 2006) and how little research has been done on such interactions (Punjaisri & Wilson, 2007). Indeed, while we typically think of corporate branding efforts as aimed at external audiences, a recent research study examined the recently developed concept of internal branding. The study, coauthored by Thomas Baker and Adam Rapp (both of the University of Alabama), Tracy Meyer (University of North Carolina Wilmington), and Ryan Mullins (Clemson University), provides new insights into the importance of internal branding efforts in influencing a company’s critical frontline employees to provide brand-reinforcing levels of service.

Capabilities Development and Performance of New and Small Retailers: Does Gender Matter?

Achieving sustainable performance for small local merchants is important if they are to survive in an increasingly more competitive environment where big box retailers dominate many markets. In t...

Picture of Online Shoppers

Growth in online shopping market share will likely lead to changes in consumer travel patterns. In response to the inevitable transportation impacts of online shopping, a detailed exploratory analysis of shopping survey data (excluding food purchases) was conducted with Davis, California, as a case study. Davis was notable for its lack of major big-box retailers and relative geographic isolation; these factors suggest that it could be particularly well suited to online shopping. Results of the analysis indicated that income and age were associated with a greater likelihood of shopping online, whereas no significant effects were found for gender or the built environment. Online shoppers were also associated with a greater concern for the environment and local community, as well as a positive sentiment toward technology. The study results, though reflecting the unique shopping context in Davis, provide insights into the characteristics and motivations of online consumers.

A Field Investigation of Air Infiltration Rates through Automatic Entrance Doors in Retail Buildings

his paper presents field investigations of air infiltration rates in twelve big-box retail stores and two small grocery stores located in two different climate zones: hot and humid (zone 2a) and moderate to cold (zone 5a) climates. The investigations of the entrance door characteristics, differential pressures across the automatic entrance doors, and number of people using the doors per hour were used to calculate transient air infiltration rates through various types of automatic entrance doors. It was found that the calculated air infiltration rates for retail stores and supermarkets ranged from 40 L/s to 5,800 L/s. Normalized by the door area, the range of air infiltration rates through the automatic entrance door for a supermarket was from 100 L/s.m2 to 3,000 L/s.m2, which was greater than the range previously observed in retail stores from 100 L/s.m2 to 1,100 L/s.m2. In terms of air exchange rates, the air infiltration rates through the automatic entrance doors for small stores, especially in supermarkets and grocery stores, had a larger impact than those rates found in the big-box retail stores due to the size of building volume.

공동주택단지의 주거환경적 특성이 주택가치에 미치는 영향 - 대구광역시 수성구 사례를 중심으로 -

The aim of this paper is to examine the effects of apartment complex characteristics on Housing value at Suseong-gu in Daegu. Three Multiple regression models based on Hedonic price model are employed as the empirical analysis on housing value with 948 data of the 30 apartment complexes in Daegu. The major findings are as follows; First, condominium complex variables are the most influential factor on housing value in the same level of housing market. the second is locational variables and the last is housing unit variables. Second, 'Area of exclusive use space' of the housing unit variables which include 'Number of layers', 'The direction of the unit', 'Number of room' and 'Corridor type' is the most heavyweight variable on housing value. Third, 'Number of housing unit' and 'Green and Lot area' of the condominium complex variables which cover 'Green area per person', 'Number of parking lots per person', 'Floor area ratio', 'Building-to-land ratio' and 'Heating system' are more important factors. The last, 'The distance of public transportation and Neighborhood park' are the most significant factors in the locational variables which contain 'Number of School and Neighborhood park within a given range' and 'The distance from City center and Big-box retailer'.

Book Review: Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking, by E. Gabriella Coleman

Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking. E. Gabriella Coleman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013. 254 pp. $24.95 pbk.The image of the computer hacker, for many, may be forged by pop culture and news mediathink - think Matthew Broderick's underachieving high school computer whizz who nearly brought the world to thermo nuclear war by hacking into the government's computers in the 1983 movie War Games.News accounts also depict the hacker as a brilliant pirate intent on flouting the law either for political or economic gain or just plain fun. Contemporary news accounts of stolen credit card data from big box retailers, identity theft, and other cybercriminal activities are also closely identified with hackers.Perhaps the computer hacker's image, self-image, and identity itself are due for a bit of reverence if not respect. E. Gabriella Coleman's book, Coding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking may be just the document for that image overhaul. In fact, Coleman, the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy at McGill University, holds computer hackers as well as creators of free open software as pillars of democracy.Coleman, a cultural anthropologist, takes a look at the hacker and coder as the subject of her study. Hackers, she writes, sit simultaneously at the center and the margins of liberal This study is her ethnography of the computer world and the underworld where hackers and coders both collaborate and compete. She names a handful of coding pioneers and hackers and explains some of their motivations to break the codes and share these crown jewel algorithms that make computers the tools that regular people can operate. She even points to a loose code of ethics among hackers.The book draws on her extensive study of hackers, coders, moguls, and even politicians. Coleman's intricate knowledge of her topic, its doctrines, players, and existing scholarship also brings meaning to the alphabet soup of acronyms, abbreviations and computer terms. She literally opens her book by defining free and open-source software (F/OSS), which is similarly woven throughout as sort of a democratized principle which challenges our conception of both the purpose of computer programs and the role of intellectual property law.She writes,I argue that F/OSS draws from and also rearticulates elements of the liberal tradition. Rather than designating only a set of explicitly held political, economic, or legal views, I treat liberalism in its cultural registers. Free software hackers culturally concretize a number of liberal themes and sensibilities-for example, through their competitive mutual aid, avid free speech principles, and implementation of meritocracy along with their frequent challenge to intellectual property provisions.While detail-oriented with an insider's understanding of the computer world, Coding Freedom becomes relevant for lay people thanks to the mass market personal and home computing explosion developing in the 1970s and 80s, the dotcom and Silicon Valley boom from the 1990s, and the social media revolution from the past decade. …

Policy analysis of third party electronic coupons for public transit fares

Mobile technologies are generating new business models for urban transport systems, as is evident from recent startups cropping up from the private sector. Public transport systems can make more use of mobile technologies than just for measuring system performance, improving boarding times, or for analyzing travel patterns. A new transaction model is proposed for public transport systems where travelers are allowed to pre-book their fares and trade that demand information to private firms. In this public-private partnership model, fare revenue management is outsourced to third party private firms such as big box retail or large planned events (such as sports stadiums and theme parks), who can issue electronic coupons to travelers to subsidize their fares. This e-coupon pricing model is analyzed using marginal cost theory for the transit service and shown to be quite effective for monopolistic coupon rights, particularly for demand responsive transit systems that feature high cost fares, non-commute travel purposes, and a closed access system with existing pre-booking requirements. However, oligopolistic scenarios analyzed using game theory and network economics suggest that public transport agencies need to take extreme care in planning and implementing such a policy. Otherwise, they risk pushing an equivalent tax on private firms or disrupting the urban economy and real estate values while increasing ridership.

Socializing the C-suite: why some big-box retailers are “greener” than others

Despite a considerable push by policy-makers to incentivize green business practices, take-up of environmental initiatives amongst North American retailers has been highly uneven. While some “big-box” retailers have launched ambitious environmental initiatives, others continue to conduct business as usual. This paper asks: why do some mega-retailers commit to ambitious environmental agendas while others in the same sector do not? And how can the answer to this question improve public policy? I investigate these questions using comparative case studies of four North American big-box retailers: Wal-Mart, Target, Costco and Kroger. My findings suggest that the socialization of senior executives through multi-stakeholder sustainability networks is the critical variable accounting for progressive environmental practices in some corporations and not others. This finding suggests that existing public policies that focus on making the business case for sustainability are based on incomplete assumptions about why companies “go green.” It further suggests that socialization theory can help explain broader instances of corporate social responsibility and proposes that scholars in this field should devote more attention to the composition of socializing groups.

From My Perspective: Thriving in the New Audiology Frontier

From My Perspective: Thriving in the New Audiology Frontier

Analysis of Microbiological Contamination in Cultivation and Distribution Stage of Melon

배단계와 유통단계에서 멜론의 미생물 위해요소를 조사하기 위하여 전북 익산과 충남 논산에 위치한 멜론 재배지에서 토양과 관개수, 식물체를 채집하였다. 수원시에 위치한 대형마트, 농산물시장, 재래시장으로부터 유통되는 멜론과 시판종자를 채집하여 위생지표세균 3종 (총호기성균, Coliform, E. coli)과 병원성 미생물 4종 (B. cereus, L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., S. aureus)을 분석하였다. 멜론 재배과정 중 총호기성균과 대장균군은 각각 0.43~6.65, 0.67~2.91 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX> 수준으로 검출되었다. Bacillus cereus는 익산지역의 토양과 멜론 잎에서 각각 2.95, 0.73 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>으로 검출되었고, 논산지역의 토양에서 3.16 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>로 검출되었다. 농산물시장, 대형마트, 전통시장에서 멜론의 총호기성균은 각각 4.82, 3.94와 3.99 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>로 확인되었다. 유통중인 멜론에서 대장균군은 0.09~0.49 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX> 범위였으며, 판매장소에 따라 총호기성균과 대장균군 수준에 유의적인 차이가 나지 않았다. 모든 시료에서 Listeria monocytognes, Salmonells spp., Staphylococcus aureus는 검출되지 않았다. 멜론 종자의 총호기성균은 0.33~3.34 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX> 수준이었다. 관개수, 토양, 가축분뇨와 수확후 처리를 포함한 다양한 농업 활동이 미생물오염의 잠재적인 원인이기 때문에 토양, 물과 농자재에 대한 위생관리와 모니터링이 안전한 멜론 생산을 위하여 수행되어야 할 것으로 생각된다. The purpose of this study was to evaluate microbial contamination of melons in Korea. A total of 123 samples including melon fruits, leaves, seeds, soils, and irrigation water were collected from farms and markets to detect total aerobic bacteria, coliform, Escherichia coli, and pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. Samples were collected from Iksan and Nonsan farms to monitor bacterial levels on pre-market melons. The total aerobic and coliform bacteria on melon cultivation were between 0.43 and 6.65 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>, and 0.67 and 2.91 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>, respectively. Bacillus cereus, a fecal coliform, was detected in soils and melon leaves from Iksan farm at 2.95, 0.73 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>, respectively, and in soils from Nonsan farm at 3.16 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>. Market melon samples were collected to assay bacterial load on melon being sold to consumers. The contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria in agricultural markets, big-box retailers, and traditional markets were 4.82, 3.94, 3.99 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>, respectively. The numbers of coliform in melon on the markets ranged from 0.09 to 0.49 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus were not detected in any samples. The count of total aerobic bacteria on melon seeds ranged from 0.33 to 3.34 log CFU <TEX>$g^{-1}$</TEX>. This study found that irrigation water, soil, manure and various farm work activities including post-harvest processes were latent sources of microbial contamination. These results suggest that hygienic management and monitoring of soil, water, and agricultural material should be performed to reduce microbial contamination in melon production.

Organic Food Consumers Purchase Patterns – Insights from Croatian Market

Organic agriculture is a holistic production system, which sustains the natural soil activity, ecosystem and people. The new system is a reaction of producers of organic food to unsustainability of capital intensive agriculture. Organic food market develops progressively because of consumers’ increased interest in nutrition, health and environment protection, with the European market for organic food being the biggest market for organic food worldwide. Organic food market in Croatia is in the phase of rapid development with characteristics of mature markets. Taking into account the offer of organic food in Croatian big box retailers, the market is definitely between the growing and the developed market. Theoretical part of the paper will sum up findings about characteristics of organic food consumers and address their buying behaviour, motives for organic food purchase and perception about organic food compared to conventional food. Research results show existence of significant relationship between organic food purchase according to the region, education level, place of residence, financial status, personal monthly income and monthly household income. Further on, insights from organic food purchase patterns from Croatian market show that frequent organic food consumers consider organic food tastier and healthier than conventional, and consider that organic food with the eco-label is safer for consumption than the food without the eco-label. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p472

Measuring the impacts of local land-use policies on vehicle miles of travel: The case of the first big-box store in Davis, California

Concerns over climate change have brought new impetus to the goal of reducing vehicle travel through land-use policy. To determine the degree to which land-use policies are effective in reducing vehicle travel, studies are needed that measure and compare vehicle travel both before and after a land-use policy change. The opening of the first big-box retail store in Davis, California, represented a major change in the retail landscape and an unusual opportunity to study its effect on shopping travel. Surveys of residents' shopping behavior conducted before and after the opening of the store revealed a significant shift in where people shopped and a measurable reduction in overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for shopping. Although the observed change in VMT is specific to the Davis context, the findings support the general proposition that bringing retail destinations closer to residences could help reduce vehicle travel, particularly where the comparable alternatives for the newly introduced store are far away. The study also offers important insights into the challenges of conducting before-and-after studies of the impact of local land-use changes.

Reference Prices and Bidder Heterogeneity in Secondary Market Online B2B Auctions

Online auction environments provide several sources of information that can be used by bidders to form their bids. One such information set that has been relatively understudied in the literature pertains to reference prices available to the bidder from other concurrent and comparable auctions. In this paper, we study how reference prices from such auctions affect bidding behavior on the focal auction. We also study how the impact of these reference prices is moderated by bidder heterogeneity. Bidders are shown to be influenced by two sets of references prices: internal reference prices from their own historical bidding behavior and external reference prices, formed from other open and just-finished auctions relative to the focal auction. We measure bidder heterogeneity using bidder experience and level of participation in concurrent auctions. Our results show that external reference prices are significantly moderated by bidder heterogeneity. In a departure from current work, we use longitudinal data on auctions and bids in the B2B secondary markets, where goods represent salvage or returned items from big-box retailers and bidders are business buyers. The dataset comprises over 4000 auctions collected from a large liquidator firm in North America and is unique in its comprehensiveness. Our work provides theoretical insights that are complementary to the current set of results from B2C auctions as well as managerial implications for auctioneers in the B2B space.

The Effects on Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Renewed Traditional Retail Market Renewal in Small and Mid-sized Cities - The Case of Yeongchun Public Retail Market in Yeongchun -

Traditional retail markets in Korea are unique public places as well as trade space of goods. These facilities are in decay because of the emerging of big-box retailer and changing of consumer's tastes. So, it is important to find out what gives consumers satisfaction and loyalty in Renewed Traditional retail Market Renewal as well as government investments to revitalize these places. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the quality of service, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty at renewed traditional markets. To do so, we investigated the quality of the physical environment, the interaction between vendors and customers, customer satisfaction with the merchandise at the Youngchun Public Market. One hundred and ninety two customers at the Youngchun Public Market were and surveyed using a questionnaire. Regression analysis of the structural equation model was conducted to test the research hypotheses. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: First, quality of service at a traditional market is properly modeled on the physical environment, the interaction between customers and vendors and customer satisfaction with the merchandise the same as a big discount store. Second, taken together, the quality of the physical environment, the customer-vendor relationship and the sales transaction affected consumer satisfaction and loyalty. In particular, the quality of the merchandise affects consumer satisfaction and loyalty more than the physical environment and the customer-vendor interaction.

Money and Influence in the Chicago City Council

This paper examines the impact of campaign spending on the 2006 vote of the Chicago City Council on a proposed living-wage ordinance for big-box retailers. It finds that some aldermen supported the ordinance, despite the strong opposition of Mayor Richard M. Daley and their own private reservations, because labor unions were preparing to spend huge sums of money to unseat aldermen who voted against the proposal. Further analysis of campaign contributions in the 2007 election indicates that spending by labor unions was indeed instrumental in defeating aldermen who opposed the ordinance. The results demonstrate that campaign spending can influence policy decisions at the local level, particularly when an interest group is capable of spending enough money to make a difference in the upcoming election.

Competitive markets, collective action, and the Big Box Retailer problem

I use a stylized scenario - the Big Box Retailer Problem - to demonstrate that the presence of behavioural interdependence in economic markets may result in deficient outcomes that are both stable and supported by ongoing participant behaviour. I present a theoretical discussion of social dilemmas and use the Big Box Retailer Problem to illustrate that these characteristics - stability and ongoing support - cannot be reliably employed as indicators of outcome efficiency. Equally important is the conclusion that upfront costs and the ongoing necessity of monitoring and encouraging contributory behaviour are not reliable indicators of the relative inefficiency of outcomes associated with collective action. Questions are raised regarding the ethical responsibilities of business educators and the implications of social dilemmas for corporate social responsibility research.

Reference Prices and Bidder Heterogeneity in Secondary Market Online B2B Auctions

Online auction environments provide several sources of information that can be used by bidders to form their bids. The impact of this information on bidding is likely to be higher when ambiguously specifi ed products are auctioned. The secondary market represents one such environment, where used and returned items from big-box retailers are auctioned off to other business buyers. Using a proprietary dataset of secondary market auctions hosted on an online B2B platform, we study how market pricing information from other auctions for comparable products a ffects the bidding behavior of the first bidder. First bidders are shown to be influenced by two sets of pricing information: prices from their own historical bidding behavior and concurrent prices, formed from other open and just-finished auctions relative to the focal auction. We also study how the impact of these market pricing information are moderated by bidder heterogeneity, captured by bidder experience and cross bidding activity on the platform across comparable concurrent auctions. Finally, we show the fi rst bid is signi cantly associated with the auction's nal price, contingent on the type of first bidder. Auctions are increasingly being used for the sale of ill-defi ned and idiosyncratic products; our work thus provides managerial implications for how auctioneers may design and manage the flow of relevant information to di erent classes of bidders on their sites in order to enhance their yields.

Organizational Identity and Identification: Implications for the Localism Movement

Localism is a social movement that is often associated with “buy-local” food initiatives or the prevention of big box retail expansion. However, at its core, localism is also about fostering local ...

Exploring small family‐owned firms’ competitive ability

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight points of differentiation for small family businesses, relative to larger “big box” retailers, which may provide marketing‐oriented competitive advantages.Design/methodology/approachFrom a conceptual perspective, the authors illustrate how small family‐owned businesses may be able to successfully compete against big box retailers by differentiation in three key areas.FindingsThe authors conclude that small family businesses may be able to successfully differentiate themselves from the larger big box retailers by: establishing a relationship with customers based on trust; competing on value (not price); and focusing the business on serving a specialized segment of the market.Practical implicationsThe paper offers theory‐based advice for practitioners, as well as thoughts on future directions for academic research.Originality/valueMuch of the research that has been done on family‐owned businesses has focused on the characteristics of the family operating the firm, and how they interact with one another while running the business. Less attention has been given to the exploration of points of differentiation for small family retailers, relative to big box retailers, and how these areas may provide marketing‐oriented advantages. Thus, this work offers substantial benefit for practitioners and the authors’ suggestions for future research will benefit academics.

Delta blues at the crossroads

For many years, the downtown in Clarksdale, with a municipal population of 17,960 and located in the northern part of the Mississippi Delta, had lost its role as the centre providing a wide range of jobs and services to those living in the surrounding region. For many cities and towns in America, downtown decline has been associated with the flight to the suburbs and the growth in shopping malls serving flourishing gated communities. In Clarksdale’s case, downtown decline has been due largely to the advent of big box retailing and the location of new retail and commercial developments along the state highway on the edge of town, combined with the loss of jobs and population associated with agricultural restructuring. Today, however, Clarksdale has taken up the challenge to ‘revitalize’ the downtown in the face of economic adversity. Recovery is under way, and much of this is associated with blues music and Delta culture: Clarksdale is situated at the fabled ‘crossroads’ of Highways 49 and 61 and is also the home to national icons in literature, art and other cultural pursuits. These are key elements around which the downtown revitalization effort is focused. This paper charts the process by which the Clarksdale community has embarked on the road to downtown recovery, and highlights the town’s indelible links with the blues, borne out of years of toil, hardship and social deprivation. The paper emphasizes the importance of ‘champions’ and ‘creative people’, drawing on community support, in achieving downtown revitalization. Positive results are becoming evident with new businesses and jobs, improved levels of service, refurbishment of derelict buildings, a renewed sense of place, and an uplift in community confidence. The significance of cultural tourism to downtown revitalization is highlighted, with particular emphasis on the global appeal of blues, but with its roots firmly established in Clarksdale and the Delta.