This study explored the generalizability of citizenship behavior, support, and fit to the occupational domain. In doing so, arguments to include occupation constructs in organizational analyses were offered, reliability and validity testing of the occupation constructs was performed, and relationships among the occupation constructs, their respective organizational counterparts, occupation-related outcomes, and organization-related outcomes were explored. Results of the assessments demonstrated that occupational citizenship behavior, perceived occupational support, and person-occupation fit are distinguishable from their organizational counterparts and that occupation constructs and organization constructs contributed independently to occupational activity and work place behavior. Overall findings from the study suggest inclusion of occupation constructs in organizational analyses can enrich, complement and/or supplement our understanding of organizational behavior. / Business Administration

For many enterprises, brand extension has played an important role in the new products developement and brand strategy. By using brand extension, corporation could reduce costs and effectivly gain their reputation while they sell new products. Recently, certain reserch about brand extension have shown that the key factor of successful brand extension lies in the connection between consumer brand extension and parent brand, the more related of the brands and the products, the higher of the effect of brand extension. In addition, self-construals also make effects in understanding the effects of brand extensions. In this study, we form the concept from this base and would like to exam the further extension effect of brand concept and the distance of each case. Also, we would like to testify how would different self-construals of consumer products works while they evaluate the products and try to examine their influence to consumer through advertising techniques by the extension of self-construals and product reviews. In this study, we use really existed brand as our studing case ,"Nike", "Adidas" and "New balance". We would like to explore the different brand extension degree lie in several types of consumer self-construals from the case. In this study, based on attitude function theory, we form the questions toward advertising manipulation of different attitudes inoder to explore whether consumer self-construals affect cognition, and thus affect the extension of consumer product evaluation. The results indicate that, in general, different types of consumer self-construals for evaluation of the product from the extension make significant difference in distance extension products. When the parent brand as a functional brand concept, no matter the distance or distance extension products, self-construals on the extension of product evaluation is not significant. The study also find that different attitude affects advertising strategy for the consumer, and have no significant effects for self-construals. In addition, they can not affect the extension of product evaluation.

Corporations follow different strategies to leverage their existing brands. One of these is brand extension, which is the extension of an existing brand to a new product category. In this strategy, corporations have two alternatives, one of which is the family brand extension. Here, the new product is introduced under the corporate name along with the extension’s category name (e.g. Sony mobile, Nestlé mineral water, and Gillette shampoo). The second alternative is the brand endorsement. In this alternative, the extension is given a new name. Moreover, the corporation’s name is presented as the endorser in the extension brand structure and communications (e.g. Scandic by Hiliton, Courtyard by Marriott). However, the focus will be on the extension brand name, rather than the corporate name. The endorser’s main role is to provide credibility and substance to the endorsed brand, while maintaining the endorsed brand’s freedom to establish its unique associations and personality. It is well-known that, in the family brand extension, the perceived fit between the parent brand and the extension product category moderates consumers’ judgement of the extension (i.e. the new product which is introduced under the parent name). However, widely-diversified corporations (e.g. Nestlé, Unilever) often endorse their products to leverage their corporate credibility. The proliferation of using a corporate name to endorse products in the case of corporations with diversified product portfolios puts the importance of the fit on the corporate endorser, and the endorsed product brand under scrutiny. Specifically, it raises the following questions: to what extent is the perceived fit between the corporate brand endorser and the endorsed brand really important in an endorsement context? What is the relative importance of fit and endorser credibility in an endorsement context, and why? In the current research, it is proposed that both corporate credibility and fit affect consumers’ judgement in an endorsement context. However, the endorser credibility is more important. It is also proposed that corporate credibility is more important than fit because it is more diagnostic, which makes the endorser credibility more recallable for the consumer. The current research results have shown that, when consumers can easily recall information related to the endorser credibility and the fit between the endorser and the endorsed brand, both endorser credibility and fit has an effect on the endorsed brand. However, endorser credibility has a stronger effect on the endorsed brand judgement than fit. Moreover, the results have shown that fit moderates the effect of corporate credibility only when the endorser credibility is high. When consumers have difficulty recalling information, fit does not moderate the effect of the endorser credibility on the endorsed brand. The current research findings have been obtained by conducting two experiments. In Experiment One, corporate credibility and perceived fit were manipulated in an endorsement context. Consumer judgement of the endorsed brand was measured by the perceived quality and purchase intention. Experiment Two was conducted to study the impact of the information accessibility on the effect of the endorser credibility and fit on the endorsed brand judgement. Endorser credibility, fit and information accessibility were manipulated in an endorsement context. Perceived quality and purchase intention of the endorsed brand were also used to measure the consumers’ judgement of the endorsed brand.

Abstract This study examines the relationship between perceived brand fit, perceived risk, perceived value and intention to purchase in the context of co-branded hotels and restaurants. Today’s market contains many products and services that can look very similar, and companies use co-branding of their products to make them distinctive from other products on the market. A better understanding of consumer behaviour and attitude to co-branding may improve restaurant profitability and hotel occupancy. One important question to be considered is what determines consumers’ willingness to purchase in co-branded hotel and restaurants? In spite of a number of research papers on hotel-restaurant co-branding written in recent years, previous academic studies have not addressed the relationship between co-branding of hotels and restaurants and intention to purchase. The aim of this research is to examine how the relationship of brand fit, risk and value relate to intention to purchase, and to do this three research questions and eleven hypotheses are proposed. A previous study by Boo and Matilla (2002) has proposed a conceptual model of hotel-restaurant brand alliance strategies, relating management strategy characteristics and consumer characteristics with the consequences of perceived brand fit. The present study develops this existing model by examining the components of brand fit that determine consumer intention to purchase. The study investigates three main areas: firstly, it examines the relationship between perceived brand fit and intention to purchase in terms of perceived fit (overall), complementary fit based on product usage and product goal, and transferability fit based on service quality. Secondly, it examines the relationship between perceived risk and intention to purchase in terms of personal characteristics including risk-taking behaviour and self-confidence; uncertainty of loss including financial loss, time loss and physical loss, and, performance risk. Thirdly, it examines the relationship between perceived value and intention to purchase in terms of perceived brand image, perceived quality and perceived sacrifice, based on monetary and non-monetary price. A quantitative approach involving survey of hotel guests has been employed with data collected in four and five star hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand from August to September 2008. A survey questionnaire was administered to guests and a total of 511 completed responses were collected. The data analyses performed using a standard multiple regression method, a paired sample T-test, a chi-square test and a multiple response technique. The results indicate that the model of perceived brand fit in this study has two key components which positively influence a consumer’s intention to purchase. Firstly, the perceived fit (overall), and, secondly, complement fit based on product usage and product goal. Furthermore, for the perceived risk model the finding also indicates two key components which positively influence a consumer’s intention to purchase. The first component is uncertainty of loss in terms of financial, time and physical loss. The second component is performance risk in terms of product and service performance. Lastly, the results indicate that the perceived value model revealed three components which are positively related to consumer’s intention to purchase. The first component is perceived brand image, the second component is perceived quality, and the last component is perceived sacrifice in terms of both monetary and non-monetary price. The conceptual framework developed and tested in this study can be used as a guideline to enable an appropriate co-branding marketing strategy to be developed.

In this manuscript I examine outcomes associated with social networks in organizations. Specifically, I consider how two characteristics of social networks (i.e., centrality, tie strength) can affect the performance and satisfaction of employees at work. Then, I explore the role that perceptions of fit (i.e., person-group fit, person-organization) may play in mediating the relationship between social network characteristics and (a) employee performance and (b) job satisfaction. Moreover, I investigate boundary conditions of the aforementioned mediated relationships (i.e., social network characteristics - fit perceptions - employee performance; social network characteristics - fit perceptions - job satisfaction). First, I consider how individual differences (i.e., racioethnicity, sex) generate employee dissimilarity that likely moderates the relationship between structural network characteristics and perceived fit in the mediated relationships proposed. Second, I examine an organizational variable (i.e., perceived diversity climate) as a first and second stage moderator of the aforementioned mediated relationships. Overall, it is necessary to investigate the relationships proposed in the model, because studying social networks helps us to understand why employees interact with certain individuals (or not with others) and how organizational outcomes are affected by employees' choices regarding their social networks. / Business Administration/Human Resource Management

This study explores the turnover intentions of fundraisers employed by 501(c)(3) public charities in the United States. Specifically, the study considers the effects of the following variables on fundraisers’ intentions to leave their current position (in the short-term and long-term) and/or the profession of fundraising: perceptions of fit with organization and job; exchange relationships between employees and their organization and supervisor; overall job satisfaction; culture of philanthropy; salary; age; and organizational size. Through a secondary analysis of a national data set, multiple regression analysis identifies the variables that are statistically significant predictors of turnover intentions. Perceived person-organization fit, job satisfaction, and age are supported as the significant predictors of long-term turnover intentions. Fundraisers who believe they fit well with the culture of their organization, are highly satisfied with their job, and are older will likely stay in their position longer. Perceived person-organization fit and job satisfaction are supported as the significant predictors of short-term turnover intentions. Similar to long-term turnover intentions, but without the effect of age, fundraisers who perceive a high level of congruence with their organization’s culture, and who are satisfied with their job, are less likely to have plans to give notice. Lastly, perceived person-job fit and job satisfaction are supported as the significant predictors of intentions to leave the field of fundraising. Fundraisers who report that their position is a good match for their abilities, and who are highly satisfied in their position, are more likely to remain committed to fundraising as a career.

In October 2017, the Olympic Committee rendered official its decision to consider electronic sports (eSports) as sports. The global eSports market was valued at nearly 493 million U.S. dollars in 2016, with 80% of the revenues coming from sponsorship. Sponsorship has become an important matter for organizations, since it can be a powerful tool to establish or change a company’s brand image; indeed, more than 600 sponsorship agreements were signed in 2016 in the eSport industry. This paper aims at finding out how do sport and eSport enthusiasts differ in their perception of the brand image of a sponsoring brand. The study was conducted by using combined research methods. First, we used a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews, in order to get a better understanding of the general context. Then a questionnaire was used to fully understand the differences and similarities between sport and eSport enthusiasts, and to identify the variables that impact the sponsorship response (measured by favour, interest, and use). The variables studied were event image, perceived fit, attitudes towards the brand as a sponsor, brand personality, brand associations, self-concepts and brand identification. The results show that sport enthusiasts are more impacted by factors such as brand identification and self-concepts, while brand associations matter for both groups.

No description available.

Esport har under de senaste åren vuxit enormt snabbt och kommit att bli ett globalt fenomen. Samtidigt visar de framtida prognoserna att marknaden för esport kommer växa ytterligare, vilket har gjort det attraktivt för varumärken att sponsra lag, event och organisationer. Trots detta kommer det rapporter som menar på att sponsorer fortfarande är tveksamma till att investera inom esporten då det råder en osäkerhet kring hur effektivt det faktiskt är. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur effektivt sponsorskap är inom esport. Studien har ämnat att undersöka detta från ett konsumentperspektiv i syfte att ge större verktyg till företagen för att hjälpa dem att göra medvetna val vid sponsring inom esport. Utifrån syftet har huvudfrågeställningen fastställts:  Är sponsring inom esport en effektiv marknadsföringsstrategi när sponsorer vill öka sitt varumärkeskapital? Metoden har utgått från en kvantitativ forskningsdesign där empirin består av fyra olika enkätundersökningar, två nollmätningar och två eftermätningar. Totalt ingick 442 respondenter varav 192 var svenska och 250 var internationella. Respondenterna var avgränsade till att endast inkludera esportkonsumenter som hade för avsikt att titta på och/eller tittade på Dreamhack Open Winter 2018, ett evenemang inom esport som hålls varje år i Jönköping, Sverige. Utifrån resultatet har studien tagit fram slutsatser som är kopplade till frågeställningarna som utformats. Eftermätningen visade att samtliga sponsorers varumärkeskapital ökade efter eventet, vilken visar på att esport kan vara en effektiv marknadsföringsstrategi för varumärken som vill öka sitt varumärkeskapital genom sponsring. Dock har det identifierats att olika varumärken, av olika storlekar sponsrar för olika syften. Fortsättningsvis visar studien att köpintentioner endast ökade för de sponsorer som hade en hög grad av upplevd kvalité samt lojalitet, det finns således ett samband mellan dem. Avslutningsvis visar studien att det fanns en skillnad mellan svenska och internationella esportkonsumenter i deras uppfattningar av sponsorer och att detta kan bero på att svenska respondenter håller starkare och mer gynnsamma associationer gentemot en svensk arrangör som Dreamhack. / Esports have grown rapidly over the last couple of years and have now become a global phenomenon. At the same time forecasts show that the market for esports will continue to grow, which in turn has made it attractive for brands to sponsor teams, events and organizations. Despite all of this there are concerns from several reports which suggest that there are still sponsors who are hesitant to invest in esports because there is an underlying uncertainty regarding how effective it really is. The purpose of the study is to examine how effective sponsorship within esports is. The study has intended to examine this from a consumer perspective for the purpose of providing more tools for companies to help them make conscious choices when sponsoring esports. Based on the purpose of the study, the main issue was established.  Are sponsorships within esports an effective marketing strategy when sponsors want to increase their brand equity? The method was based on a quantitative research design where the empirical data consists of four different surveys, two benchmark measurements and two measurements after the event. A total of 442 respondents participated in the study, 192 of them were Swedish and 250 of them were international. The respondents were limited to only include esports consumers who were either going to watch and/or watched Dreamhack Open Winter 2018, an event within esports that is held every year in Jönköping, Sweden. Based on the results, the study developed a set of empirical findings which were then connected to the issue that had been established. The measures after the event showed that the brand equity of all of the sponsors had increased. This indicates that esports can be an effective marketing strategy for brands that want to increase their brand equity through sponsorships. However, the results showed that brands of different sizes sponsor for different purposes. Further, the study found that purchase intentions only increased for the brands that had a high degree of perceived quality and loyalty, therefore it was concluded that there is a connection between them. In conclusion the study showed that there was a difference between Swedish and international esports consumers in their perception of sponsors. This could depend on the fact that Swedish respondents hold stronger and more favorable associations towards Swedish organizers such as Dreamhack.

La recherche en gestion de la force de vente concernant les produits du luxe en est à ses prémices. Compte tenu du poids accru des marques de luxe et des perspectives futures très prometteuses, il importe d’enrichir la recherche et de comprendre les leviers de ventes des produits de luxe. L’industrie du luxe dispose de deux voies d’accès aux consommateurs finaux. D’une part, un réseau spécialisé / dédié contrôlé directement par les fabricants du luxe et d’autre part, des boutiques généralistes multi-marques (en dehors du contrôle des fabricants du luxe). Une part importante des ventes de produits de luxe est réalisée dans ces boutiques non dédiées au luxe où de multiples marques de luxe coexistent et côtoient d’autres marques aux divers statuts. Cette thèse s’attache à expliquer le niveau d’effort que la force de vente de ces boutiques généralistes va dédier aux marques de luxe. Cette thèse repose sur une vaste littérature sur la dissonance cognitive et la théorie de l’identité sociale / The domain of sales management research for luxury products is still nascent. With the persistent growth of luxury brands and ongoing optimistic projections for the future, it is imperative to take a step forward in this field and understand the triggers that enable luxury sales. The personal luxury goods industry operates via two routes to market – “retail” (directly controlled by luxury brand manufacturers) and “wholesale” (outside of luxury brand manufacturer’s control). A significant amount of sales happen via the “wholesale” route, in multi-brand stores where a mix of luxury brands co-exists with non-luxury brands. Drawing from a literature on cognitive dissonance and social identity theory, using multilevel methods, this dissertation raises the question of how to predict salespeople’s effort allocation towards a focal luxury brand in this multi-brand selling environment