Benchmarking customer service on the internet: best practices from family businesses

Corporate social responsibility in Austrian family firms: socioemotional wealth and stewardship insights from a qualitative approach

Purpose

This paper provides a comprehensive view about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Austrian family firms. In detail, the conceptual understanding, motives for, institutionalisation, planning and the outcomes of CSR are investigated. The authors refer to socioemotional wealth and stewardship aspects as explanation approaches for CSR in family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This study offers new insights into CSR in Austrian family firms based on qualitative data from 30 companies.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that despite numerous social, environmental and economic activities, referral to CSR is just in the beginning, indicating a lack of dissemination of the concept of CSR. The main motives for CSR engagement are image and reputation concerns, a strengthened regional embeddedness and employee-related improvements. Social CSR activities concerning employees and the close company surroundings dominate, whilst environmental CSR measures are often determined by the need for fulfilling the requirements of eco-certifications.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing CSR literature by offering deeper insights into CSR in Austrian family firms (e.g. motives and outcomes of CSR), which are discussed under socioemotional wealth and stewardship aspects. Moreover, a broad range of implications for future research and corporate practice (e.g. family firms, owning family, policy) are discussed.

Brand management research in family firms

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relevance of conducting brand management research in a family firm context and to identify future research directions by reviewing and structuring the existing literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The potential consequences of being a family firm on internal organizational processes and stakeholders’ external perception are depicted. Afterwards the literature considering brand management research in family firms is reviewed systematically (n=41) and structured by applying the Organizational Viewpoint Framework. Relevant research questions are derived based on the findings and their practical relevance is tested.

Findings

The contributions are threefold. First, depicting the effects of being a family firm on the organization and its stakeholders highlights the relevance of conducting brand management research in family firms. Second, structuring the literature regarding the effects of being a family firm on organizational identity, intended brand image, construed brand image, and reputation helps derive research questions of theoretical and practical relevance that will serve the field as a guide for future research directions. Third, by extending the Organizational Viewpoint Framework originating from brand management research with the element of being a family firm, a further attempt at bridging both research fields is undertaken.

Originality/value

This paper represents an important next step in the development of this research field by highlighting the importance of conducting brand management research in a family firm context and by structuring existent research to depict future research opportunities with theoretical and practical relevance.

A new advertising effectiveness model for corporate advertising web sites

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an effectiveness conceptual framework to evaluate the overall performance of corporate advertising web sites towards the multiple advertising, promotional and relationship marketing objectives of their establishment. Specifically, communication, feedback and customer support policies are examined in order to identify their contribution in creating or influencing advertising “effects”.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from a questionnaire‐based survey of 160 undergraduate and postgraduate students within the department of applied informatics are used to accomplish greater understanding of their perceptions and requirements towards the factors in question.

Findings

Findings reveal significant dimensions of the participants' behaviour based on their actions, activities, preferences and intentions. Also, the outcomes show a great impact of the relationship marketing qualitative factors in question on specific advertising effectiveness indicators.

Research limitations/implications

The stimulus materials are limited to two corporate advertising web sites. Further testing to a wider sample of advertising stimulus of different product categories is required.

Practical implications

Effectiveness measures provide to practitioners a factual demonstration of consumers' use and intended use regarding functions and features incorporated by corporate advertising web sites and enable the optimisation of their execution.

Originality/value

The paper introduces a new conceptual framework to support the contribution and significance of relationship marketing factors on the overall performance of corporate advertising web sites. This should be a useful approach for both academic researcher and practitioners.