James Agarwal - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by James Agarwal
International Journal of Research in Marketing, Dec 1, 2021
Abstract Online retailers provide social selling cues, such as “39 customers bought this product”... more Abstract Online retailers provide social selling cues, such as “39 customers bought this product” or “156 customers viewed our product per hour”, to encourage sales. Revealing the numbers bought has been shown to increase purchase intentions, but what remains unexplored are the ramifications of posting the number of brand-related views or revealing both numbers bought and viewed so customers can determine the views-to-bought ratio. The number of views is much higher than the numbers bought, which customers may anchor on as a signal for product quality; however, a countervailing force is that views are a more ambiguous, hence a less diagnostic, cue. Five experiments revealed that: (1) showing the number of views or bought can, but does not always, increase purchase intentions; (2) revealing the number bought has a monotonically increasing (at diminishing rate) effect on purchase intentions; and (3) views exhibit a concave curvilinear effect in that, beyond a tipping point, increasing the number of views lowers purchase intentions. Given the anchoring effect of the larger views number, if the number of views or the number bought are relatively low, it is better to show the larger views number, but the reverse is true if the respective numbers are both high. Additional insights reveal that it is only advantageous to reveal both numbers if the views-to-bought ratio is lower than 20:1, which would apply to about the top 25% of brand landing pages. These findings were further validated in a choice experiment. Perceptions of product quality mediate the relationship between these social selling cues and purchase intentions; however, this is not the case for perceived skepticism (lack of trust in the information). Revealing these social selling cues is an online retailer’s prerogative; hence, these insights are theoretically interesting and have practical relevance.
International Marketing Review, Jun 1, 2004
The transition from a command economy to a market-based economy has been remarkably successful in... more The transition from a command economy to a market-based economy has been remarkably successful in China. After 15 years of negotiations, China finally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001. Because of trade and investment liberalization under the WTO, there will be greater competition between Chinese and foreign firms, both inside China and outside China. While there is a great deal of economic literature on China's entry to the WTO, there has been no research on the global marketing impact and implications of China's membership of the WTO. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap. The objective of this study is to examine the general impact of China's entry to the WTO and to assess the global marketing implications of specific trade-related policy issues within the WTO framework for China. Eleven specific WTO policy issues are examined and several global marketing propositions offered in terms of the WTO's impact on and implications for China.
Customer Relationship Marketing, 2021
AIB insights, Oct 21, 2021
Organizational reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous firm-level benefits. Yet, the ... more Organizational reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous firm-level benefits. Yet, the translation of favorable reputation into valuable organizational outcomes in global markets depends on whether national (vs. individual) culture is modeled. We provide a framework of customer-based 'organizational reputation' comprising three distinct reputational facets: product & service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality, with organizational character forming a higher-order 'halo effect'. Individual (vs. national) culture plays a significant moderating role in translating reputation into customer-specific outcomes and these insights have implications on how MNEs can form and leverage their reputation in global markets.
Research in global strategic management, Jun 26, 2019
Abstract Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcom... more Abstract Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcomes. Motivated by the prediction that the translation of customer-based corporate reputation to customer-level outcomes (trust, customer–company identification, and word-of-mouth intentions) might be highly context-dependent, we investigate the moderating role of national culture (particularly, individualism–collectivism dimension) and individual trait (self-construal) in the association between reputational dimensions (product and service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality) and their outcomes. Using survey data from two countries (US and India, N = 812), we estimate the effects of corporate reputation on focal outcomes, moderated by country as a proxy for individualism/collectivism and independent self-construal (IND)/interdependent self-construal (INTER). The results strongly suggest that when individual-level variables are taken into account, the country-level variable does not affect the translation of reputational dimensions to customer-level outcomes. Moreover, individuals high on IND are more responsive to utilitarian (egoistic) reputational dimensions of product and service efficacy, whereas individuals high on INTER are more sensitive to the group-oriented reputation for market prominence and society-oriented reputation for social ethicality. The reported findings have major implications for cross-country reputational research and global reputation management strategies.
Journal of Business Ethics, Aug 26, 2014
The name of the third author has erroneously registered as Percy M. Feldman. It should read Percy... more The name of the third author has erroneously registered as Percy M. Feldman. It should read Percy Samoel Marquina instead.
Journal of World Business, Aug 1, 2022
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2021
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2016
The existing literature on corporate reputation (CR) suffers from substantive divergence between ... more The existing literature on corporate reputation (CR) suffers from substantive divergence between the studies in terms of defining the construct’s domain, dimensional structure, and the methodological operationalization. The current study aims to integrate varying theoretical perspectives and build on the corporate reputation’s landscape by proposing a holistic but parsimonious triadic reconceptualization of the construct for customer-specific stakeholders. Customer-based CR is presented as a superordinate construct (generalized favorability) affecting three distinct first-order dimensions (cognitive evaluations of corporate reputation): product & service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality. Further, relying on several commonly used corporate reputation measures, the current paper suggests a parsimonious triadic short customer-based corporate reputation scale (CR-3) that spans the breadth of the construct. Results show that the proposed triadic conceptualization and operationalization are ...
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2016
Existing literature suggests that enhancement of corporate reputation is a crucial mechanism tran... more Existing literature suggests that enhancement of corporate reputation is a crucial mechanism translating a firm’s engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) into its financial performance....
Developments in marketing science: proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2017
Journal of Business Research, 2021
Abstract The ways in which emergent technologies are disrupting retailing are manifold. The Inter... more Abstract The ways in which emergent technologies are disrupting retailing are manifold. The Internet, social media, mobile technologies, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, and natural user interfaces all combine to grant consumers access to more information and channels than ever before, through virtually seamless connections with retailers, competitors, and other consumers. The resulting transformations, due to such technologies, thus are widespread, affecting retail marketplaces, the retailing industry, retail real estate, and consumers’ behaviors in terms of where and how they shop for products and services. In response to these changing circumstances, retailers develop innovative strategies and new business models in their efforts to enter, expand, and defend their markets. This special issue offers some insights, with the objective of motivating researchers to undertake in-depth investigations of the effects of new, emergent technologies, on both retailers and evolving consumer behaviors.
Esic market, 2008
This research examines the relationship between public complaint (i.e. complaining to the organiz... more This research examines the relationship between public complaint (i.e. complaining to the organization) and private complaint (complaining to family members and friends without a word to the organization) on customer defection. The research also investigates the moderating effect of ethnicity, income and switching cost in this relationship. A survey of 218 randomly selected customers of banks in Malaysia was conducted. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Method was used for data analysis. The results show that both public and private complaints are significantly associated with defection, albeit private complaint had a stronger impact. Ethnicity and switching cost do not moderate the observed relationships. Income has a significant moderating effect in the relationship between private complaint and defection. Low income earners are more likely to defect without complaining to the bank than high income earners. Key implications of the findings are discussed.
Psychology & Marketing
Social Science Research Network, 2015
This review article provides reflections on the state of the art of research in conjoint analysis... more This review article provides reflections on the state of the art of research in conjoint analysis-where we came from, where we are, and some directions as to where we might go. We review key articles, mostly contemporary published since 2000, but some classic, drawn from the major marketing as well as various interdisciplinary academic journals to highlight important areas related to conjoint analysis research and identify more recent developments in this area. We develop an organizing framework that attempts to integrate various threads of research in conjoint methods and models. Our goal is to (a) emphasize the major developments in recent years, (b) evaluate these developments, and (c) to identify several potential directions for future research.
In Chapter 11, we discuss several important research directions that are promising as a result of... more In Chapter 11, we discuss several important research directions that are promising as a result of big data revolution, availability of computing power, and emerging models of estimating customer lifetime value (CLV), both transaction/engagement-based B2C activities. We also discuss some unintended consequences (dark side) of customer–brand relationships including forms of dis-identification and privacy related issues. In particular, we provide a discussion on the role of ethics in general, and normative ethics in particular, in building customer relationship marketing (CRM). Finally, we provide a brief discussion on some challenges and research opportunities facing B2B relationship marketing. At the end of the chapter, we provide key takeaways and conclude with discussion questions and HBS and Ivey cases. But first, to give a flavor of CRM and future research trends, we provide some real-life vignettes.
Journal of Business Research, 2019
International Journal of Research in Marketing, Dec 1, 2021
Abstract Online retailers provide social selling cues, such as “39 customers bought this product”... more Abstract Online retailers provide social selling cues, such as “39 customers bought this product” or “156 customers viewed our product per hour”, to encourage sales. Revealing the numbers bought has been shown to increase purchase intentions, but what remains unexplored are the ramifications of posting the number of brand-related views or revealing both numbers bought and viewed so customers can determine the views-to-bought ratio. The number of views is much higher than the numbers bought, which customers may anchor on as a signal for product quality; however, a countervailing force is that views are a more ambiguous, hence a less diagnostic, cue. Five experiments revealed that: (1) showing the number of views or bought can, but does not always, increase purchase intentions; (2) revealing the number bought has a monotonically increasing (at diminishing rate) effect on purchase intentions; and (3) views exhibit a concave curvilinear effect in that, beyond a tipping point, increasing the number of views lowers purchase intentions. Given the anchoring effect of the larger views number, if the number of views or the number bought are relatively low, it is better to show the larger views number, but the reverse is true if the respective numbers are both high. Additional insights reveal that it is only advantageous to reveal both numbers if the views-to-bought ratio is lower than 20:1, which would apply to about the top 25% of brand landing pages. These findings were further validated in a choice experiment. Perceptions of product quality mediate the relationship between these social selling cues and purchase intentions; however, this is not the case for perceived skepticism (lack of trust in the information). Revealing these social selling cues is an online retailer’s prerogative; hence, these insights are theoretically interesting and have practical relevance.
International Marketing Review, Jun 1, 2004
The transition from a command economy to a market-based economy has been remarkably successful in... more The transition from a command economy to a market-based economy has been remarkably successful in China. After 15 years of negotiations, China finally joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in December 2001. Because of trade and investment liberalization under the WTO, there will be greater competition between Chinese and foreign firms, both inside China and outside China. While there is a great deal of economic literature on China's entry to the WTO, there has been no research on the global marketing impact and implications of China's membership of the WTO. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap. The objective of this study is to examine the general impact of China's entry to the WTO and to assess the global marketing implications of specific trade-related policy issues within the WTO framework for China. Eleven specific WTO policy issues are examined and several global marketing propositions offered in terms of the WTO's impact on and implications for China.
Customer Relationship Marketing, 2021
AIB insights, Oct 21, 2021
Organizational reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous firm-level benefits. Yet, the ... more Organizational reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous firm-level benefits. Yet, the translation of favorable reputation into valuable organizational outcomes in global markets depends on whether national (vs. individual) culture is modeled. We provide a framework of customer-based 'organizational reputation' comprising three distinct reputational facets: product & service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality, with organizational character forming a higher-order 'halo effect'. Individual (vs. national) culture plays a significant moderating role in translating reputation into customer-specific outcomes and these insights have implications on how MNEs can form and leverage their reputation in global markets.
Research in global strategic management, Jun 26, 2019
Abstract Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcom... more Abstract Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcomes. Motivated by the prediction that the translation of customer-based corporate reputation to customer-level outcomes (trust, customer–company identification, and word-of-mouth intentions) might be highly context-dependent, we investigate the moderating role of national culture (particularly, individualism–collectivism dimension) and individual trait (self-construal) in the association between reputational dimensions (product and service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality) and their outcomes. Using survey data from two countries (US and India, N = 812), we estimate the effects of corporate reputation on focal outcomes, moderated by country as a proxy for individualism/collectivism and independent self-construal (IND)/interdependent self-construal (INTER). The results strongly suggest that when individual-level variables are taken into account, the country-level variable does not affect the translation of reputational dimensions to customer-level outcomes. Moreover, individuals high on IND are more responsive to utilitarian (egoistic) reputational dimensions of product and service efficacy, whereas individuals high on INTER are more sensitive to the group-oriented reputation for market prominence and society-oriented reputation for social ethicality. The reported findings have major implications for cross-country reputational research and global reputation management strategies.
Journal of Business Ethics, Aug 26, 2014
The name of the third author has erroneously registered as Percy M. Feldman. It should read Percy... more The name of the third author has erroneously registered as Percy M. Feldman. It should read Percy Samoel Marquina instead.
Journal of World Business, Aug 1, 2022
Proceedings - Academy of Management, Aug 1, 2021
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2016
The existing literature on corporate reputation (CR) suffers from substantive divergence between ... more The existing literature on corporate reputation (CR) suffers from substantive divergence between the studies in terms of defining the construct’s domain, dimensional structure, and the methodological operationalization. The current study aims to integrate varying theoretical perspectives and build on the corporate reputation’s landscape by proposing a holistic but parsimonious triadic reconceptualization of the construct for customer-specific stakeholders. Customer-based CR is presented as a superordinate construct (generalized favorability) affecting three distinct first-order dimensions (cognitive evaluations of corporate reputation): product & service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality. Further, relying on several commonly used corporate reputation measures, the current paper suggests a parsimonious triadic short customer-based corporate reputation scale (CR-3) that spans the breadth of the construct. Results show that the proposed triadic conceptualization and operationalization are ...
Proceedings - Academy of Management, 2016
Existing literature suggests that enhancement of corporate reputation is a crucial mechanism tran... more Existing literature suggests that enhancement of corporate reputation is a crucial mechanism translating a firm’s engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) into its financial performance....
Developments in marketing science: proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science, 2017
Journal of Business Research, 2021
Abstract The ways in which emergent technologies are disrupting retailing are manifold. The Inter... more Abstract The ways in which emergent technologies are disrupting retailing are manifold. The Internet, social media, mobile technologies, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, and natural user interfaces all combine to grant consumers access to more information and channels than ever before, through virtually seamless connections with retailers, competitors, and other consumers. The resulting transformations, due to such technologies, thus are widespread, affecting retail marketplaces, the retailing industry, retail real estate, and consumers’ behaviors in terms of where and how they shop for products and services. In response to these changing circumstances, retailers develop innovative strategies and new business models in their efforts to enter, expand, and defend their markets. This special issue offers some insights, with the objective of motivating researchers to undertake in-depth investigations of the effects of new, emergent technologies, on both retailers and evolving consumer behaviors.
Esic market, 2008
This research examines the relationship between public complaint (i.e. complaining to the organiz... more This research examines the relationship between public complaint (i.e. complaining to the organization) and private complaint (complaining to family members and friends without a word to the organization) on customer defection. The research also investigates the moderating effect of ethnicity, income and switching cost in this relationship. A survey of 218 randomly selected customers of banks in Malaysia was conducted. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Method was used for data analysis. The results show that both public and private complaints are significantly associated with defection, albeit private complaint had a stronger impact. Ethnicity and switching cost do not moderate the observed relationships. Income has a significant moderating effect in the relationship between private complaint and defection. Low income earners are more likely to defect without complaining to the bank than high income earners. Key implications of the findings are discussed.
Psychology & Marketing
Social Science Research Network, 2015
This review article provides reflections on the state of the art of research in conjoint analysis... more This review article provides reflections on the state of the art of research in conjoint analysis-where we came from, where we are, and some directions as to where we might go. We review key articles, mostly contemporary published since 2000, but some classic, drawn from the major marketing as well as various interdisciplinary academic journals to highlight important areas related to conjoint analysis research and identify more recent developments in this area. We develop an organizing framework that attempts to integrate various threads of research in conjoint methods and models. Our goal is to (a) emphasize the major developments in recent years, (b) evaluate these developments, and (c) to identify several potential directions for future research.
In Chapter 11, we discuss several important research directions that are promising as a result of... more In Chapter 11, we discuss several important research directions that are promising as a result of big data revolution, availability of computing power, and emerging models of estimating customer lifetime value (CLV), both transaction/engagement-based B2C activities. We also discuss some unintended consequences (dark side) of customer–brand relationships including forms of dis-identification and privacy related issues. In particular, we provide a discussion on the role of ethics in general, and normative ethics in particular, in building customer relationship marketing (CRM). Finally, we provide a brief discussion on some challenges and research opportunities facing B2B relationship marketing. At the end of the chapter, we provide key takeaways and conclude with discussion questions and HBS and Ivey cases. But first, to give a flavor of CRM and future research trends, we provide some real-life vignettes.
Journal of Business Research, 2019