Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of banks in enhancing consumer knowledge aiming to increasing customer’s financial well-being. Design/methodology/approach This research applied two quantitative studies with customers of banks in a Latin American country. The literature review and the results of the data analysis founded the development of a model that relates bank information transparency and subjective financial well-being through consumer financial knowledge. Findings By being transparent banks may transform the financial well-being of their customers. Particularly, this paper shows that consumer financial knowledge mediates the relationship between bank information transparency and the subjective financial well-being of individuals. However, the mediational effect occurs by subjective but not objective financial knowledge. Research limitations/implications The mediational model of this research does not take in consideration the role that individual factors play in the exposition and processing of the information provided by banks and its final impact on the subjective well-being of individuals. Also, this paper does not explore potential moderators of the theoretical relationships neither include cultural variables in the analysis. Originality/value Firm transparency has been related to various constructs in the marketing literature; however, its impact on consumer financial well-being is under-researched. This paper shows that companies need to aim to increase the subjective financial knowledge of their customers as a way to improve ultimate well-being of their customers.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematize the strategic capabilities of seven surviving industrial Catalan companies which were going through explosive growth in 1999. Design/methodology We use the comparative case studies method to draw on the common features among the seven in‐debt cases we built. We are well aware that the method of comparative case studies does not provide a sufficient base for bold generalizations. However, the qualitative approach adopted here allows for the first in‐depth look at the strategies that bring surviving entrepreneurs from explosive growth to a more balanced growth path. Findings We identify four organizational capabilities as key to the survival of these businesses ten years later: first, ability to prioritize product and market development, including internationalization, over operations; second, ability to reorganize internally and delegate in a timely manner; third, ability to manage innovation and support creativity linked to productivity; and finally, ability to manage economic and financial resources. Social implications Implications for the culturally proximate and less‐studied Latin‐American gazelles are presented.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to test the existence of true persistence in the generation and adoption of product innovations in the context of a developing country. Design/methodology/approach -A dynamic probit model with random effects is used to test true persistence relying on a panel data set constructed from three waves of the Colombian innovation survey (Encuesta de Desarrollo e Innvovación Tecnológica) covering the time span from 2003 to 2008.Findings -This paper empirically shows the existence of true innovation persistence for two of the three types of product innovation studied: the adoption of product innovation that is new to the firm; and the adoption of product innovation that is new to the national market. However, the study could not confirm true persistence in the generation of product innovation. Originality/value -To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that systematically tests innovation persistence differentiating between the adoption of innovations that are new to the firm and innovation that is new to the national market. It is also the first study in this research area that uses a dynamic probit model with random effects according to the original specification by Wooldridge (2005). ResumenPropósito -En este trabajo se prueba la existencia de verdadera persistencia en la generación y adopción de innovaciones de productos en el contexto de un país en desarrollo. Diseño/metodología -Para probar la existencia de verdadera persistencia se estima un modelo probit dinámico con efectos aleatorios utilizando tres cohortes de la Encuesta de Desarrollo e Innvovación Tecnológica (EDIT) que cubren el periodo de tiempo 2003-2008. Resultados -Este trabajo muestra empíricamente la existencia de verdadera persistencia en dos de los tres tipos de innovación de productos estudiados: en i) la adopción de innovación de productos nuevo para la empresa, y ii) la adopción de innovación de productos nuevo para el mercado nacional. Sin embargo, el estudio no pudo confirmar la verdadera persistencia en la generación de innovación de productos. Originalidad -Este es el primer estudio que evalúa sistemáticamente la persistencia en la innovación diferenciando entre la adopción de innovaciones que son nuevas para la empresa de las que lo son para el mercado nacional. También es el primer estudio en esta área de investigación que utiliza un modelo probit dinámico con efectos aleatorios de acuerdo con la especificación original de Wooldridge (2005). Palabras claves Persistencia en innovación, dependencia verdadera, innovación de productos, adopción de productos, imitación, país en desarrollo, empresas manufactureras Tipo de papel Trabajo de investigación

Purpose This study aims to examine how corruption influences the voluntary disclosure of corporate governance (CG)-related information by developed country multinationals (DC-MNEs) and emerging market multinationals (EM-MNEs) investing in six Latin American countries. Design/methodology/approach The study uses information from 300 MNEs included in the 2018 ranking of the 500 Largest Latin American companies (America Economía, 2018). Each MNE’s final annual report for the financial year ending 2018 was examined and coded to obtain the corporate governance disclosure index. Fractional probit regression was applied to test the hypotheses of the research. Findings DC-MNEs disclose more CG-related information in corrupt environments than EM-MNEs. This differentiated behavior occurs because DC-MNEs face higher legitimacy pressures in corrupt environments than EM-MNEs and because EM-MNEs are more experienced than DC-MNEs in dealing with such corrupt environments. Practical implications While both EM-MNEs and DC-MNEs need to continue investing in corrupt countries to grow, they need to disclose CG-related information as a strategic tool to manage the legitimacy issues triggered by corruption in the markets they operate. Originality/value Despite corruption being pervasive in emerging markets, its implications for firms’ strategic behaviors are still under-researched. This paper extends the scope of corporate governance and international business fields by studying how MNEs respond to relevant dimensions of the macro environment. This research shows that voluntary disclosure of CG-related information is a strategic response of the MNEs to gain legitimacy in corrupt environments.

The need for the banking sector to digitize its services to improve the efficiency of its processes has motivated a wave of research among academics and professionals. One of the most important themes emerging in e-service adoption research is the customer experience. The customer experience has been explored from different angles, being explained from personal elements, interactions between peers, and in terms of the tools provided by companies to improve the experience. However, one of the key elements for improving the customer experience understood from the perspective of service-dominant logic is the co-creation of value. This research explores the personal elements that lead customers to co-create value and how this impacts the customer experience of digital banking channels. We present a cross-sectional quantitative investigation, carried out through a structured questionnaire applied to 406 financial consumers in Colombia. The results indicate that perceived brand knowledge, creativity, and connectivity are antecedents of value co-creation that have a direct effect on the customer experience. The value of the co-creation process allows banks to offer personalized products to their clients without making significant financial and time investments to understand what the client wants, thus improving customer experience with the brand.

PurposeThe authors seek (1) to identify the profiles of subjective financial well-being (SFWB) of bank customers before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, (2) to analyze the transition to profiles of lower SFWB during the pandemic and (3) to identify the factors driving such transitions.Design/methodology/approachThe authors surveyed five countries during 2019 and 2020 to measure SFWB. The authors applied latent class analysis (LCA) to identify profiles of bank customers according to a mix of SFWB indicators in pre-pandemic times (Study 1). The authors validated the profiles during the pandemic and identified the SFWB dimensions that deteriorated during the crisis (Study 2). Finally, the authors applied latent transition analysis (LTA) to explore transitions to profiles of lower SFWB and identify the drivers.FindingsThe authors identified three profiles of customers in pre- and post-pandemic periods for four dimensions of SFWB: control over finances, capacity to absorb financial shocks, ability to track financial goals and financial freedom. Gender, age, trust in banks and bank-supporting policies were related to transitions across profiles of SFWB during the pandemic. These relationships are contingent upon contextual country-related variables.Research limitations/implicationsBanks and policymakers should reduce customers' exposure to the pandemic's long-lasting adverse effects on SFWB and should identify and control the multiplier role that contextual variables play.Originality/valueExtant literature has not fully identified the dimensions of SFWB that changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors narrow this gap by identifying three SFWB profiles of customers, analyzing the patterns of SFWB change and connecting these changes to individual, provider and contextual factors.

Service-dominant logic established that for the success of service industries, it is vital to acknowledge the customer as an active agent in the commercial ecosystem. To carry it out, the consumer must participate in value creation. The resource integration theory exposes the importance of recognizing the customer as an agent capable of improving the company’s competitive advantage. It is only necessary for the participants to perceive benefits to make their resources available and integrate them into the co-creation process. This study aims to find the key customer-based factors that influence the brand value co-creation (VCC) process in the banking sector, analyzing the dynamics in different customers across national cultures and idiosyncrasies. In this paper, we analyze the potential heterogeneous idiosyncrasy of customers and how it leads to becoming more engaged in the co-creation process. Quantitative research was performed in five countries, obtaining a total of 2,029 valid questionnaires where latent profile analyses and ANOVAs were performed to identify and describe the latent profiles (LPA) of consumer co-creators of brand value. Afterward, a PLS-SEM was performed to test the research model in each segment. The results show four different profiles of customer co-creators of brand value, from non-co-creators (detractors), skeptical and neutral, to customers committed to co-creating brand value with their banks. The results indicate that detractor customers lack the motivations and resources to carry out co-creation behaviors. On the other hand, creativity and connectedness were crucial for customers co-creators of value. To the authors’ understanding, no studies have used latent segmentation to find the profiles of customer co-creators of brand value.