Country Differences in Family Firm Reputation: An Exploration in Germany, India, and the United States

Purpose Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are a critical time for organizations and their consumers. For the company, there are many financial and non-financial risks. For customers, it requires deciding whether or not to continue the relationship that they had with the previous firm. This paper explores the extent to which communicating the family business (FB) brand, and the previous reputation of the acquirer affects customer perceptions and intentions after an M&A event.Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected from 159 Italian participants. We used a 2 (Communication of FB brand: Yes vs. No) by 3 (Reputation: positive, neutral, negative) between subjects’ experiment to test how the communication of the FB brand and the reputation of the acquirer affected perceived trustworthiness and service quality, and how this, in turn, influenced customer purchase intentions.Findings We find that communicating the FB brand does not influence consumer perceptions and intentions toward the acquired company. However, the previous reputation of the acquiring firm is critical in influencing consumer perceptions and intentions to buy.Originality/value Our study continues the growing research on M&A in family firms. It also increases our understanding of the boundary conditions of the FB brand effects, and the relevance that the previous reputation of a family firm can have in M&A scenarios. Finally, our study introduces the “Halo” and “Velcro” effects into the FB literature.

show abstract

Semantic network analysis in consumer and marketing research: application areas in phygital contexts

Schöps,

Jaufenthaler

2024

QMR

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Large-scale text-based data increasingly poses methodological challenges due to its size, scope and nature, requiring sophisticated methods for managing, visualizing, analyzing and interpreting such data. This paper aims to propose semantic network analysis (SemNA) as one possible solution to these challenges, showcasing its potential for consumer and marketing researchers through three application areas in phygital contexts. Design/methodology/approach This paper outlines three general application areas for SemNA in phygital contexts and presents specific use cases, data collection methodologies, analyses, findings and discussions for each application area. Findings The paper uncovers three application areas and use cases where SemNA holds promise for providing valuable insights and driving further adoption of the method: (1) Investigating phygital experiences and consumption phenomena; (2) Exploring phygital consumer and market discourse, trends and practices; and (3) Capturing phygital social constructs. Research limitations/implications The limitations section highlights the specific challenges of the qualitative, interpretivist approach to SemNA, along with general methodological constraints. Practical implications Practical implications highlight SemNA as a pragmatic tool for managers to analyze and visualize company-/brand-related data, supporting strategic decision-making in physical, digital and phygital spaces. Originality/value This paper contributes to the expanding body of computational, tool-based methods by providing an overview of application areas for the qualitative, interpretivist approach to SemNA in consumer and marketing research. It emphasizes the diversity of research contexts and data, where the boundaries between physical and digital spaces have become increasingly intertwined with physical and digital elements closely integrated – a phenomenon known as phygital.

show abstract

Country Differences in Family Firm Reputation: An Exploration in Germany, India, and the United States

Cited by 5 publications

References 76 publications

The localness effect of family firm branding on consumer perceptions and purchase intention: An experimental approach

The localness effect of family firm branding on consumer perceptions and purchase intention: An experimental approach

Understanding customer’s post-M&A intentions and behaviors: the role of the family business brand and previous reputation of the acquiring firm

Semantic network analysis in consumer and marketing research: application areas in phygital contexts

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About