Kedge Business School

Since the beginning of the 2000s, online commerce has been gradually taking over and shaping the global marketplace. This has led several scholars to study the phenomenon from different angles, from consumer habits to privacy risks to related technological innovations. However, only recently has a branch of literature addressing the online channel management phenomenon from the manufacturers’ perspective emerged. This rapidly expanding literature strand remains rather fragmented, raising the need for a systematic literature review to comprehensively structure and discuss it. This study, accordingly, proposes a systematic literature review on online channel management from the manufacturers’ perspective. Firstly, it provides relevant bibliometric insights into the ongoing research on the topic. Secondly, applying the bibliographic coupling methodology individuates 92 interconnected contributions published by 31 December 2021. Three different, albeit interconnected, thematic clusters are discovered and reviewed, revealing their focus on (a) strategic marketing issues around manufacturervsretailer conflict, (b) pricing policies and trade-offs among pricevsservices, and (c) operational interactions and strategies between supply chain members. Finally, after a systematic literature review the authors develop thirteen original research propositions concerning new research pathways and theoretical advancements to be designed and implemented.

This qualitative research explores the psychological contract (PC) of a sample of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) working in the French hospitality sector, focusing on PC evaluation as well as reactions to PC breach and feelings of violation. The authors found evidence of a psychological contract type not discussed before in empirical studies. The employer in this research intentionally disrupts the exchange relationship, creating a destructive PC. In these cases, it is assumed that employees would exit such an employment relationship, but instead the study found a mix of dysfunctional behavior in the form of neglect, workplace deviance and revenge cognitions. Accounting for the limitations of the study the authors highlight the implications of the findings for theory, practice and future research.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) engage more and more in branding activities to sustain an advantage in an increasingly high competitive environment. In such a pressing managerial context, research on brand management in the specific context of higher education expanded over the past few years. While research indicates that brand authenticity is more and more important for consumers in the consumption sphere, it has remained unexplored in the context of HEIs. This paper contributes to the developing research area on HEIs branding by examining the determinants and implications of brand authenticity for those institutions. Across one field study with two different HEIs, we identify indexical, iconic and existential cues as antecedents of authenticity perceptions and examine the effects of such perceptions on theoretically grounded practical outcomes: brand attitude, emotional attachment, word-of-mouth, and willingness-to-pay. The study revealed that HEIs authenticity perceptions are a strong predictor of brand attitude, positive word-of-mouth, and emotional brand attachment.

Getting help is often difficult for people who trigger disgust (e.g., homeless, sick, or disabled people) as well as the charities representing them because of low trust in these groups. Prior research has demonstrated that physical contact can help increase generosity. However, it is difficult to trigger this phenomenon-called Midas Touch Effect-when people feel disgust and are uncomfortable with interpersonal touch. This research examines touch-related vocabulary (e.g., "I would be touched," "anyone who I can contact") as an alternative, non-physical way for prompting the Midas Touch Effect. This research examines if such a vocabulary may reduce the negative effects of disgust on trust, and thus increase the willingness to donate. Across two studies, it is shown that while disgust has a negative effect on trust and willingness to donate to a homeless person when no touch-related vocabulary is used, no such negative effect is observed when the message includes touch-related vocabulary.

In anticipation of the upcoming changes and turbulence caused by Industry 4.0, in which digital integration connects all value chain members, managers at leading multinational enterprises (MNEs) are scrambling to predict the associated changes in the market. This pioneering study advances our understanding by investigating the impact of an MNE’s Industry 4.0 orientation on the globalization of its value chain network. Identifying two types of value-generation activities as potential moderators, namely value creation and value capturing, we compare the moderation effects when these activities are conducted by headquarters versus foreign subsidiaries. We test the proposed model using a panel dataset comprising 5572 subsidiary-year observations from 358 Korean MNEs from 2011 to 2019. The results show that an MNE’s Industry 4.0 orientation leads to a more rapid expansion of its distribution network than of its supplier network. Furthermore, value creation by headquarters has a stronger positive impact on the globalization of its distribution network than that of its supplier network, whereas value creation by subsidiaries has a stronger positive impact on the globalization of its supplier network than that of its distribution network. However, value capturing has a stronger impact on the globalization of the MNE’s distribution network than that of its supplier network when performed by both locations. This study concludes by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications.

This research brings together insights from philosophy, political theory, and consumer research in conceptualizing and empirically examining the social dimension of negative and positive freedom in consumption. Drawing from ethnographic observations and interviews with Moroccan women regarding their shopping at the supermarket, the findings detail the roles of husbands, store employees, extended family members and friends as constrainer, protector, enabler, facilitator, indulger, and witness. The discussion explains a ‘domino effect’ in such innovative marketplaces, as these market and social actors together enact positive and negative forms of freedom in consumption in ways that co-disrupt social traditions. Implications for business ethics emphasize the need for greater theoretical understanding and practical transparency and accountability regarding the shared, yet disparate responsibilities among businesses and consumers for the changes to social traditions that result in the joint enactment of women’s freedom in consumption.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the greatest burden of disease worldwide and in Mexico, affecting more vulnerable groups in society, such as people with mental disorders (MD). This research aims to analyze the governance processes in the formulation of healthcare policies for people with MD in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. An analytical qualitative study, based on semi-structured interviews with key informants in the healthcare system was conducted in 2020. The study followed the theoretical-methodological principles of the Governance Analytical Framework (GAF). The software ATLAS.ti-V.9 was used for inductive thematic analysis, classifying themes and their categories. To ensure the proper interpretation of the data, a process of triangulation among the researchers was carried out. The findings revealed that in Mexico, the federal Secretary of Health issued guidelines for mental healthcare, but there is no defined national policy. Decision-making involved multiple actors, with different strategies and scopes, depending on the type of key-actor and their level of influence. Majority of informants described a problem of implementation in which infection control policies in the psychiatric population were the same as in the general populations which decreased the percentage of access to healthcare during the pandemic, without specific measures to address this vulnerable population. The results suggest that there is a lack of specific policies and measures to address the needs of people with mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. It also highlights the importance of considering the role of different actors and their level of influence in the decision-making process.

Prior literature suggests that teaching corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability has led to little development of students' reflexive engagement with the challenges of sustainable development. To shed light on this criticism, we apply sensemaking—as entailing the three stages of scanning for information, interpreting it and identifying alternatives of action—to CSR/sustainability education. Analysing cognitive maps of CSR, drawn by undergraduate finalists from a UK business school, we find that students are able to produce complex cognitive maps in terms of scanning for information; however, cognitive bottlenecks occur at the second and third stages of sensemaking. A key pedagogical challenge is, therefore, to support students in moving beyond scanning towards developing meaning and acting on that basis. By introducing a sensemaking lens, we add to a deeper understanding of the complexities associated with CSR education as it aids (or impedes) critical engagement and action.

Using newly collected data at the city level between 1910 and 1938, this article shows that, after World War I, France experienced an unprecedented expansion in bank branches mostly due to the creation of temporary branches in rural areas. The banking crisis in early 1930s paused this expansion. Nevertheless, the number of bank branches per capita remained four times higher than before the war. Also, the expansion of bank branches was not associated with an increase in the ratio of bank assets to national income. These findings re-evaluate the Great Reversal hypothesis in banking and reveal the disconnection between geographical expansion of banks and standard measures of financial development. Both trends can be reconciled if one considers that banks are multi-product firms – not just lenders – and that competition for new customers is not always associated with greater credit activity.

Based on the resource-based view (RBV) and value cocreation theories, this study investigated how supplier value cocreation, intracompany value cocreation, and customer value cocreation influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) innovation and economic performance. We collected data from 200 manufacturers to test the proposed relationships. The results showed that value cocreation had different positive impacts on CSR; intracompany value cocreation had the greatest impact, followed by customer and supplier value cocreation. CSR did not have a significant positive effect on economic performance. Companies’ innovation capacities completely mediated the relationship between CSR and economic performance. The findings of the analysis have theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study broadens the research scope on CSR innovation and value cocreation. Practically, it helps companies realize that by sharing information, establishing cooperative relations, and conducting interactions with stakeholders, which can promote the implementation of CSR innovation practices, economic performance can be improved.

Objective: Management practice commonly assumes that the value of a work-goal dictates the nature of motivation processes. We investigate instead how individuals invest resources from the perspective of their own value system. Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, we explore the valuation process by testing a reciprocal model between work-goal attainment, goal commitment and personal resources, including self-efficacy, optimism, and subjective well-being. Method: Data were collected in a two-wave longitudinal study among sales professionals (n= 793) from France (F), Pakistan (P), and the USA (U). Results: Multi-group cross-lagged path analysis confirmed the reciprocal model across all three countries. Time 1 resources and goal commitment predicted work goal attainment (F= .24; P= .37; U= .39) and (F= .31; P= .40; U= .36) respectively. T1 level of goal attainment also fuelled T2 resources and goal commitment (F=.30; P= .29; U=.34) and (F= .33; P=.32; U= .29). Conclusions: Our reciprocal findings suggest a revised approach on the nature of targets and goals. They indicate an alternative to linear path modelling, as the role of goal commitment is not necessarily that of an intermediary stage linking antecedent resources to attainment purposes. Furthermore, cultural values play a differentiating role in the goal attainment process.

Researchers have recently indicated that employee perceptions of their firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) may shape their work behaviors. However, why and when CSR perceptions lead to counterproductive work behavior, such as cyberloafing, remains unclear. In this article, we first investigate the mediating role of workplace boredom in explaining the effect of perceived CSR toward employees on cyberloafing behaviors. We further examine the moderating role of moral disengagement in this process. Overall, the results of our cross-sectional, experimental, and three-wave studies provide strong evidence for our hypothesized relationships. Our research suggests that moral disengagement weakens the effect of internal CSR on workplace boredom, such that for employees high in moral disengagement, the level of internal CSR has a weaker effect on workplace boredom.

Organizations are directing increasing attention towards corporate sustainability due to the regulative requests, the expectations of stakeholders and the greater community, environmental pressure, and the benefits of maximizing the firms’ performance [...]

Researchers have proposed different approaches to reduce the use of natural resources to a sustainable level. Operational eco-efficiency, circular economy, and sufficiency are three prominent examples that follow their own specific logics. So far, these approaches have been almost exclusively discussed in isolation, with the assumption that they are independent of each other. This paper brings all three approaches together in one coherent model. Our model shows that individually each approach can reduce the use of natural resources to a sustainable level. Yet, our model also reveals how various effects arise as a direct result of combining approaches, i.e. one approach affects another when executed in tandem. Our model identifies operational eco-efficiency and circular economy as ‘no regret’ approaches, while sufficiency constitutes a ‘regret’ approach. By way of example, we show that increasing operational eco-efficiency increases the costs or ‘regret’ of sufficiency approaches, reducing their effectiveness. Sufficiency approaches and increasing operational eco-efficiency risk interfering with the careful balance that is required for optimal circularity. We find that these interactions must be carefully considered if the three approaches are to be effective in reducing resource consumption to a sustainable level.

Does it pay for microfinance institutions (MFIs) to be socially responsible? Drawing on the information asymmetry framework and using an aggregate measure of social performance (social ratings), we investigate the association between MFI corporate social performance (CSP) and capital structure. Our findings suggest that among investors, a relationship between social performance and capital structure only emerges when considering subsidies. We also investigate the effects of profit orientation by analyzing whether the financial structure of for-profit (vs nonprofit) MFIs is sensitive to social ratings. Our findings highlight the importance of social performance as a major determinant of MFI capital structure.

This article introduces the special section, “Tribal Marketing After Covid: Consuming Together in an Age of Social Distance.” The authors trace the history of tribal marketing theory up until the present, ‘post-Covid' era, outlining each wave and some trajectories for future research.

Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming supply chain management from a linear model to what is known as supply chain 4.0, where operations are integrated, and flows stream in multiple directions. The study aims to explore the attributes of Industry 4.0 technologies and their impact to drive sustainability values. The findings were generated after a systematic literature review of 71 articles on various sustainability dimensions and multiple Industry 4.0 technologies. The study provides a review of the most studied technologies in the sustainable supply chain context and categorizes their attributes as well as their relevance to sustainability. The results show that advances in technologies such as Blockchain and Internet of Things have increased the potential for supply chains to reach sustainability values. The study expands the existing literature and encourages businesses and the scientific community to investigate the power of Industry 4.0 technologies for sustainability. It presents limitations and directions for future research.

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus and the massive influx of patients exceeded the intensive care units capacity limit. Hospitals have engaged community partners to request resources or transfer patients to facilities with available resources. This setting fosters the need for rationing decisions to allocate scarce resources consistently, rather than basing decisions on clinicians’ intuition in the heat of the moment. In this paper, we identify the inter-hospital COVID-19 patients’ transfer criteria, and we apply a multi-criteria decision-making methodology to classify and rank these criteria in order to determine the transfer priority scores between hospitals. We then develop an optimisation model for patient systematic referral from saturated to recipient hospitals with contingency capacity expansion and a ventilator donation scheme. To deal with the uncertainty related to the number of ill patients requesting beds in hospitals, a two-stage stochastic model is presented and solved using the sample average approximation. A case with real data related to the COVID-19 French context is presented, which allows us to assess the resilience of the hospital network under the proposed solutions. The results show how local and regional coalitions can avert the saturation of the hospital system and reduce the number of rejected patients.

How can stakeholder theory contribute to opportunity theory? We suggest that stakeholder theory affords appropriate theoretical lenses for grounding the opportunity-actualization perspective more firmly within the real-world constraints of business venturing. Actualization departs from a strong focus on entrepreneurial agency to conceptualize how pre-existing environmental conditions determine what entrepreneurial action can achieve. We explain that stakeholder theory can strengthen the outward-looking orientation of actualization by 1) bringing the entirety of stakeholders center-stage – beyond a narrow focus on market stakeholders, and 2) stressing the importance of non-economic considerations for the actualization of economic opportunities. Our theorization culminates in the concept of “strategic opportunity thinking” (SOT). We conceptualize SOT as a way of protecting prospective entrepreneurs from the blind-to-stakeholders mindset that either sleepwalks them into the territory of non-opportunity or prevents them from the actualization of real yet difficult-to-actualize opportunities in the absence of stakeholder-centric thinking.