Walfried M. Lassar

Florida International University | FIU · Department of Marketing

Using an experiment, this study examines the impact of industry specialization and firm size on juror evaluations of blame, findings of negligence, and damage awards in auditor malpractice cases. The results indicate that jurors attribute less blame to industry specialist auditors and are less likely to find them negligent than non-industry special...

Despite the danger of franchisee non-compliance as a severe impediment to overall franchise operation and performance, there is currently minimal understanding of the key factors that lead to these behaviors. Using a foundation of relational exchange theory, we construct and test a model that demonstrates how two distinct forms of trust, based upon...

Risk mitigation in global supply chains has grown in importance in recent years, in tandem with globalization and both the commercial and security threats faced by firms both large and small. This study hypothesizes that a firm’s ability to manage risk strategy—and therefore support its competitiveness—is determined by a symbiotic triad of factors:...

After measuring consumers’ sentiments toward business ethical practices in mostly Christian countries, the Business Ethics Index was expanded to two Muslim countries – Turkey and Egypt. The overall BEI for both countries was on the negative range, with Egypt exhibiting the widest gap between personal ethical perceptions and vicarious ones. No diffe...

It is deduced from evolutionary economics theory that the first priority in sales and customer relationship management improvement is to identify, recruit, and train process thinking excellence. A method of measuring process thinking excellence is presented. We also propose a method and metric that the excellent process thinkers in sales management...

When a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy is integrated with a firm's overall strategic plan, it helps the firm perceive and respond to business and economic trends. CRM strategy starts with an understanding of a firm's clients that is derived by collecting client data and converting data to usable intelligence about your clients, thei...

Purpose Although internet growth has allowed producers to shift control of service transactions to the customer, little research has examined the effects of this shift. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how the performance of different task types differentially affects consumer responses. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a field stu...

This exploratory research investigates whether or not Anglo versus Hispanic consumers in the United States (US) differ with respect to purchase behavior on the Internet. As a new, ground-breaking innovation, the Internet represents an entirely new medium of exchange. In this study, we address whether or not the Internet has been adopted to the same...

Purpose This paper explores the relationships between consumer innovativeness, self‐efficacy on the internet, internet attitudes and online banking adoption, while controlling for personal characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The study integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and adoption of innovation framework to develop predicti...

Mark Kaufman, M.D. was faced with a crucial decision. After spending about $200,000 on the launch of the Used Insurance Web-Business he had yet to see any progress towards the achievement of his business goals for the firm. While the concept of buying back life insurance policies that are no longer needed sounded like a winner given the potential m...

The growth of the Internet has created an explosion of sites that seek to provide information and conduct business transactions. The service industry and especially online banking stand to gain from that development. This study, anchored in the marketing, social psychology, media, and information systems literature, investigates how users perceive...

This paper advances the Hunt-Vitell General Theory of Marketing Ethics as a framework for enriching current understanding of both long-term marketing relationships in general, and principal-agent associations specifically. Under economic models of agency theory, manufacturer-distributor relationships are conceptualized as principal-agent associatio...

This paper advances the Hunt–Vitell General Theory of Marketing Ethics as a framework for enriching current understanding of both long-term marketing relationships in general, and principal-agent associations specifically. Under economic models of agency theory, manufacturer-distributor relationships are conceptualized as principal-agent associatio...

After investing in service quality improvement programs, firms may realize that they still face a daunting challenge: How should they persuade consumers that service has actually improved? One way of attempting to persuade consumers is to offer a service guarantee. But are guarantees credible? Are they really effective? Can they overcome consumers’...

Examines the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction from two distinct methodological perspectives. Specifically, a study utilizing a sample of international private banking customers is conducted wherein service quality is operationalized via two distinct and well‐known measures – SERVQUAL and Technical/Functional Quality. These two se...

Examines the effects of service quality on customer satisfaction from two distinct methodological perspectives. Specifically, a study utilizing a sample of international private banking customers is conducted wherein service quality is operationalized via two distinct and well-known measures – SERVQUAL and Technical/Functional Quality. These two se...

The use of sex in advertising continues unabated, public outcry against it notwithstanding. Although some sex in ads might sell, as advertisers obviously believe to be the case, the question is, when is the use of sex appropriate, and for which target audiences? The present research examines this question, with consumer data from a study where cons...

Two experiments explored how timing of product failure in relation to warranty coverage influences consumers' affective reactions to product breakdowns. Subjects read scenarios describing a product needing repairs and the warranty coverage on the product. The timing of product failure and the presence and/or absence of warranty coverage influenced...

One of the most unexamined assumptions marketing firms have made in recent years is that satisfaction alone will guarantee customer loyalty. Our research questions this assumption. We explored the correspondence between customer satisfaction and loyalty, and found as many as half of the “satisfied” customers to be predisposed to switching service s...

This paper examines the impact of retailer behavior control systems on brand performance. Brand performance is measured from the retailer's perspective and consists of two factors; brand profitability and brand sales volume. This paper proposes alternative forms of control systems and their impact on performance. Cluster analysis results show that...

An experiment explored how timing of product failure in relation to warranty coverage influences consumers’ affective reactions to product breakdowns. A total of 131 subjects read scenarios describing a recently purchased product needing repairs and the warranty coverage on the product. Consumers’ reactions to product breakdown were examined by col...

Within many categories of consumer products, manufacturers differ markedly in how intensively they distribute their brands among retailers. A study enhances understanding of why such differences in distribution intensity occur. Literature in the marketing and economics disciplines on brand and channel management, agency theory, and credible commitm...

This paper examines the influence of competitive strategy on the relationship between suppliers and their distribution networks. Drawing on agency theory, hypotheses are developed specifying the appropriate match between manufacturer strategies and systems of control within distribution channels. Cluster analysis is used to show distinct difference...

Personalization—the social content of interaction between service or retail employees and their customers—is advanced as an important mediator of customer satisfaction and patronage behavior. The influence of this service-enhancing factor is investigated within the nexus of SERVQUAL, a comprehensive measure of service quality. Survey data from 233...

Brand equity is very important to marketers of consumer goods and services. Brand equity facilitates in the effectiveness of brand extensions and brand introductions. This is because consumers who trust and display loyalty toward a brand are willing to try to adopt brand extensions. While there have been methods to measure the financial value of br...

Evidence is presented showing that contracts may not be an essential ingredient of channel relationships in logistics. By examining formal (contractual) and informal relationships in the distribution of hi-fi speakers, the importance of such attitudinal factors as a long-term perspective on the relationship and expectation of future business are ev...