Many researchers have demonstrated the existence of an attraction effect that increases the choice probability of an existing “target” brand by the introduction of a relatively inferior “decoy” brand. This study develops a causal model that links antecedent variables with the attraction effect. We find that the attraction effect is explained to a considerable extent by changes in the following seven variables: (1) information relevance or stimulus meaningfulness, (2) product class knowledge, (3) task involvement, (4) perceived similarity between decoy and target, (5) relative brand preference, (6) share captured by decoy brand, and (7) perceived decoy popularity. The overall results were consistent across product classes studied, which included beer, cars, and TV sets. The popularity explanation for attraction effect, alluded to by Huber, Payne, and Puto (1982), was tested and found to hold true.

Warner (1965) introduced the Randomized Response Method (RRM) 20 years ago. This method has been advocated as a useful tool in eliciting sensitive information. Much of the early research focused on various parameter estimation methods. This article provides a comprehensive review of applications of the randomized response method with emphasis on recent publications, identifies issues now being studied, and suggests future research directions. As such, the article addresses method validation, respondent jeopardy, and new applications. In so doing, the method is considered in the broad context of obtaining responses to sensitive questions. Judging by the number of articles published, randomized response method continues to be of interest in numerous and diverse disciplines.

This article develops and examines an empirical typology of entrepreneurial firms, based on organizational and life cycle characteristics. Results indicate five entrepreneurial configurations representing the essential contingent features of age, size, innovation, and governance structure (Elders, Giants, Innovators, and Owners) and one configuration representing a mix of all features (Balanced). We found that (i) outsourcing affected financial performance in entrepreneurial firms and (ii) configurations moderated this relationship. Results support the use of salient contingent features of age, size, innovation, and governance structure to predict outsourcing effectiveness in the entrepreneurial configurations. That is, entrepreneurial firms that aligned their configurational characteristics with outsourcing tended to have greater gains in financial performance. From a resource dependency perspective, managing these alignments has important implications for entrepreneurial firm performance.

The observed degree of agreement between judges is commonly summarized using Cohen's (1960) kappa. Previous research has related values of kappa to the marginal distributions of the agreement matrix. This manuscript provides an approach for calculating maximum values of kappa as a function of observed agreement proportions between judges. Solutions are provided separately for matrices of size 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4, and k X k; plots are provided for the 2 x 2, 3 x 3, and 4 x 4 matrices.

Purpose -This paper aims to advance interfirm relationship (IR) research by applying a theoretically based typology in IR settings and empirically investigating the association of information technology (IT) and relational reciprocity with IR types. Design/methodology/approach -This study draws on Fiske's relational models theory to conceptualize an IR typology. In a business service context, a questionnaire was administered and IR types modeled via a multivariate logistic regression with IT pervasiveness, IT customization, reciprocity and embeddedness as predicting variables. Findings -The IR typology comprises communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching, and market pricing types. The authors find that reciprocity is more likely to associate with an equality-matching relationship and a communal sharing relationship than with a market-pricing relationship. Pervasive use of IT fosters an equality-matching IR, but IT-enabled customization distances an IR from an equality-matching relationship.Research limitations/implications -A theoretical implication flows from the innovative application of Fiske's relational models theory to a context of business interactions and investigation of IT in association with IR types. The affirming findings empirically validate the IR typology and offer a new perspective in studying IR structures. This research also exemplifies the theoretical value and great potentials for further exploration of the theory in IR research. Practical implications -The IR typology equips marketing managers with a useful tool in comprehending the intricate IRs and developing appropriate strategies for effective IR management. In designing IT use in IR interactions, both the scope and specific function of IT should be considered in order to ensure that all aspects affect consistently. Managers may encourage reciprocal exchange in shifting an IR away from a calculating relationship but consider intensive IT to foster an IR emphasizing balance and correspondence. Originality/value -The novelty of this paper lies in the innovative application of Fiske's relational forms in IR settings and the empirical examination of the IT-IR structure association. The IR typology advances IR research by offering a theoretically compelling and practically advantageous framework in studying IR structure, and the examination of IT-IR associations brings to light the significance of IT in IR structures, which has been largely underexplored.