Kotimaisuus kunniaan : Suomen Metalliteollisuusyhdistyksen painostustoiminta julkisen valinnan teorian pohjalta vuosina 1928-1938

The dynamic interaction between internal and external pressures for MNCs’ HR management practices: The case of Lidl Finland

In this paper we build on the debates on cross-national transfer of management practices in MNCs, and especially examine how internal and external institutional pressures shape the way MNCs’ HRM practices evolve upon new market entry. In our longitudinal case study we examine the evolution of multinational hard discounter Lidl’s labour relations in Finland between 2002-2012. We show how Lidl Finland’s entry to Finnish markets was labelled by constant struggles between cross-border standardization and local adaptation of labour practices. We identify several tactics employed by Lidl management in order to weaken the effects of institutional pressures. Our analysis emphasises the dynamic inte…

The Roles of the Internet and Social Media in Political Marketing and Voter Behaviour : A Study of Finnish Parliamentary Elections

This chapter explores the roles of the internet and social media (SM) in political marketing and voter behaviour. We specifically analyse how voters’ use of both offline (television) and online (internet and SM) media to search for political information affects their voting preferences and decision-making. First, we examine how the use of offline and online media for political information differs among various voter groups based on voter demographics. Second, we investigate how the use of offline and online media is linked to voter choice (i.e., voting for a particular party). Our study is based on a voter survey of Finnish parliamentary elections in 2015. The results show a difference in t…

The importance of online retailers' ethics for traditional, online and multichannel customers

This chapter explores the role of retailers’ ethics in consumer behaviour and channel selection. It is largely acknowledged that many ethical issues in online retailing differ from those of traditional brick-and-mortar retailing. However, there is limited understanding of how ethical considerations vary among consumers that use various shopping channels. Our analysis is based on survey data from traditional shoppers (n = 216), online shoppers (n = 224) and multichannel shoppers (n = 244) in Finland. We firstly examine how these three customer types perceive four key elements of online retailer ethics: security, privacy, non-deception and fulfilment. Secondly, we examine how consumers’ perce…

The role of social capital in digitalised retail servicescape

This chapter examines how digitalisation has altered the way consumers experience the social interaction and service environment while shopping in retail stores. In this, we draw on the concept of servicescape, which comprises both tangible and intangible features which make up the service experience. Recognising the three realms of servicescape (physical, digital and social), we explore the role of social capital in determining the customer experience in digitalised retail servicescape. We demonstrate that social capital has two specific roles. Firstly, it is an integral part of the customer experience and thus contributes to the service experience. Secondly, social capital is created in t…

The Effect of Consumer Local Engagement and Personal Values to Local Store Patronage

The question of why customers patronize small stores is important to academics and practitioners alike, but the perspective of rural and local retail patronage is understudied and underdeveloped (Pan and Zinkhan 2006; Brown and Dant 2006; Runyan and Droge 2008). Also, store patronage from the standpoint of local communities seems to have been only little investigated (Runyan and Droke 2008).

Who wants to live forever: exploring 30 years of research on business longevity

This article presents a systematic review of the existing literature on business longevity by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 142 papers published in the leading business history and management journals during the last three decades. The results show similarities (e.g. in explanatory models) and differences (e.g. in citation patterns, theories, and methods) between the disciplines, thus indicating that the literature is partially segmented into separate domains that prevent business longevity research from representing a truly unified field of study.

Kauppa asuinalueen keskuksena : kyläkaupasta yksityisten ja julkisten palveluiden käyttöliittymä -hankkeen loppuraportti

Alueiden rakennemuutoksen myötä palvelut keskittyvät keskusalueille. Toisaalta samanaikaisesti etenkin maaseudun väestön ikääntyminen on lisännyt tarvetta lähipalveluille. Verkkopalvelut, lähikauppa ja tässä hankkeessa tutkitut pelkistetyt palvelukonseptit yhdessä mahdollistavat kuitenkin arjen palvelujen tuotannon myös reuna- ja haja-asutusalueille, mikäli paikallinen ostovoima riittää ylläpitämään kauppaa. Jotta kyläkaupoilla olisi paljon tarjottavaa myös tulevaisuudessa, käynnistettiin maaliskuussa 2013 kaksivuotinen hanke "Kyläkaupasta yksityisten ja julkisten palveluiden käyttöliittymä". Projektia rahoitti Hämeen ELY-keskus. Hanke liittyi Manner-Suomen Maaseudun kehittämisohjelman 2007…

The impact of consumer local engagement on local store patronage and customer satisfaction

This paper examines the drivers of local grocery retail patronage. Drawing on institutional and social network theory literature, we develop a framework to investigate how consumers’ personal values and engagement with local communities affect their satisfaction and local store patronage. We test our model with survey data on 1504 Finnish consumers. Our results show that the relationship between customer local engagement and local retail patronage is indirect rather than direct, and it is mediated by the vitality of local services, social interaction, and consumer satisfaction.