Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of empathy and apology in service recovery, and more specifically, establish how these factors promote positive service outcomes, typified by reconciliation and mitigate negative occurrences, characterised by customer retaliation and avoidance. Design/methodology/approach This study used an online panel to collect data from 213 US residents, who were asked to recall a service failure episode they experienced within the past six months, write briefly about it and answer a questionnaire measuring constructs of interest in relation to their previous experience. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the quantitative data. Findings Both service employee empathy and apology were found to have a moderating effect on the relationship between service failure severity and reconciliation, retaliation and avoidance. Originality/value The combination of empathy and apology as moderators into a single framework represents a unique contribution of this research. Furthermore, outcome variables of reconciliation, retaliation and avoidance are utlilized to measure relationship outcomes following service failure. This study highlights the need for managers to design hiring and training policies to promote empathy and the use of sincere apologies throughout customer interactions.

This study examines the role of national culture on the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) rhetoric contained within franchisee recruitment promotional materials, where EO rhetoric is defined as the strategic use of words in organizational narratives to convey the risk taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness of the firm. The sample comprised 378 franchise organizations, in five different countries (Australia, France, India, South Africa, and the UK). The results indicate that franchise systems operating in high uncertainty avoidance and feminine cultures use less entrepreneurially oriented rhetoric, suggesting that EO rhetoric in franchise organizations varies according to different national cultural contexts. Keywords franchising, entrepreneurial orientation, national cultureResearch suggests that there are cross-cultural variations in entrepreneurial entry rates (Autio, Pathak, & Wennberg, 2013) and it seems that this in part stems from differences in national cultural values. It has been contended that entrepreneurship is a response to certain environmental conditions that can help or hinder entrepreneurial success (Lee & Peterson, 2000). Berger (1991, p. 122) comments that ''culture [. . .] serves as the conductor, and the entrepreneur as the catalyst'' to entrepreneurship. Mueller and Thomas (2001, p. 58) argue that values and norms are ''powerful forces in controlling and directing human behavior,'' and thus differences in cultural values may mean that the extent to which entrepreneurial behaviors, such as risk taking and independent thinking, are considered desirable will differ between cultures (Hayton, Gerard, & Zahra, 2002). Therefore, it is suggested that some cultures will be Covin and Miller (2014), empirical research on the relationship between EO and national culture is very limited. This provides a significant research opportunity (Covin & Miller, 2014), which the present study seeks to develop further.This paper examines the role of national culture on the EO rhetoric contained within franchisee recruitment promotional materials. Drawing on Zachary et al. (2011a), we define EO rhetoric as the strategic use of words in organizational narratives to convey the risk taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness of the firm. We argue that cultural differences in EO will lead to differences in the extent to which EO rhetoric is used to attract franchisees. Thus, for example, in cultures where autonomy is more highly valued, franchisors may be more likely to stress the independence offered by franchising in their communications. Similarly, in cultures where risk taking is not valued (or indeed where cultures are risk-averse), franchisors may emphasize the reduced risk offered by being part of an established system. EO has been conceptualized in a number of different ways in the literature (see Covin & Lumpkin, 2011 for a discussion), but these have principally been aligned to one of two key conceptualizations. The first,...

This research considers the issue of franchisees who exit the franchise system in order to continue operating independently. The literature regarding incentives for entering franchising is reviewed in an attempt to reveal why franchisees become dissatisfied and leave. The use of power by the franchisor and its relationship to brand piracy by franchisees is explored. Franchisors and their current and former franchisees are interviewed to uncover insights into this phenomenon. Explanations concerning the effectiveness of contractual remedies, dissatisfaction with the franchise, level of dependence and expectations in the relationship, and franchisorfranchisee goal incongruence are proposed.

Governments worldwide have launched various schemes to promote recycling by individuals, from legislation to voluntary and mandatory policies, waste charging, kerbside collection, waste separation bins, and promotional campaigns. Much remains to be done, however, in terms of understanding the psychological relationships among consumers' attitudes, intentions, and behaviours when it comes to recycling. This study was designed to examine recycling intention through the lens of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Using online survey, participants (n=827) were recruited through an online survey platform (mturk.com). The results show that TPB can predict consumers' intention to recycle. It was further found, however, that attitude towards recycling did not predict intention to recycle. The findings presented here have significant implications for policymakers and practitioners who are interested in inculcating recycling intention and behaviours in members of the public. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of recycling. There is a need to examine the theories' explanatory power in different research settings and context. Moreover, Regulations and policies on recycling continue to evolve. For example, recently in 2018, Australia is banning plastic bag. Consequently, the new policy will affect people's perception toward recycling. Hence, continues research on recycling are needed.

PurposeAlthough research in franchising is currently experiencing an advancement in the investigation of behavioural attributes, the motivators and perceptions of participants within this partnership, the key variables of trust and commitment, a key to successful business relations, requires further insight. The purpose of this paper is to extend the idiosyncratic dynamics of the franchisor‐franchisee relationship and the influence of such constructs from a distance perspective. Seminal work on relationship marketing (Morgan and Hunt) forms the foundation in the development of the franchising relational dynamics model posed within this paper.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a qualitative, case‐based approach of four Australian retail franchises with holdings in New Zealand. In‐depth interviews were conducted with 20 franchisees to derive perceptions on trust and commitment currently experienced within the franchise relationship to inform the resultant findings.FindingsKey findings suggest trust and commitment are limited or non‐existent within franchise systems if the provision of consistent, transparent communication is absent or minimal, increasing the propensity for dysfunctional agent‐based behaviour. Three major antecedents for success of a franchise system exist: goal congruence, organisational culture, and communication. Minimal levels of commitment and trust exist where distance affects the stated antecedents.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is exploratory with the findings providing an imperative for further investigation in the management of human factors within franchise systems as opposed to transactional‐based foci in many current studies. Theoretical development adopting a relationship marketing focus from a distance perspective rather than the transaction‐based approach of a single country adds to existing research. This paper is limited to analysis of franchisees' perceptions. Future research should look at both franchisor and franchisee perspectives.Originality/valueResearch of perceptions of individual franchisees, trust and commitment within the franchise relationship is limited within the Asia‐Pacific region. Findings of possible dynamic differences in the franchisor/franchisee dyad provide initial evidence advancing and informing both academic and managerial practice.

Background Ileus is common after elective colorectal surgery, and is associated with increased adverse events and prolonged hospital stay. The aim was to assess the role of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for reducing ileus after surgery. Methods A prospective multicentre cohort study was delivered by an international, student‐ and trainee‐led collaborative group. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The primary outcome was time to gastrointestinal recovery, measured using a composite measure of bowel function and tolerance to oral intake. The impact of NSAIDs was explored using Cox regression analyses, including the results of a centre‐specific survey of compliance to enhanced recovery principles. Secondary safety outcomes included anastomotic leak rate and acute kidney injury. Results A total of 4164 patients were included, with a median age of 68 (i.q.r. 57–75) years (54·9 per cent men). Some 1153 (27·7 per cent) received NSAIDs on postoperative days 1–3, of whom 1061 (92·0 per cent) received non‐selective cyclo‐oxygenase inhibitors. After adjustment for baseline differences, the mean time to gastrointestinal recovery did not differ significantly between patients who received NSAIDs and those who did not (4·6 versus 4·8 days; hazard ratio 1·04, 95 per cent c.i. 0·96 to 1·12; P = 0·360). There were no significant differences in anastomotic leak rate (5·4 versus 4·6 per cent; P = 0·349) or acute kidney injury (14·3 versus 13·8 per cent; P = 0·666) between the groups. Significantly fewer patients receiving NSAIDs required strong opioid analgesia (35·3 versus 56·7 per cent; P < 0·001). Conclusion NSAIDs did not reduce the time for gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery, but they were safe and associated with reduced postoperative opioid requirement.

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This paper represents a brief history of the development of franchising in Australia and its regulatory framework and links this to an analysis of relevant research. Findings indicate a disparate ad hoc approach to research including scoping studies at the embryonic stage of franchise development; significant evidence of census style research culminating in a trajectory of disparate studies utilising more sophisticated research methods. For franchising research to advance there appears to be a need to interface with other research domains in SME and entrepreneurship research, extend the range of issues which are the subject of franchising research; begin longitudinal studies in order to better understand change over time; promote studies which have a sectoral focus in order to improve knowledge and understanding at that level of analysis; and, increase the representation of crosscultural research in the volume of work being undertaken.