Most methodological fields undertake regular critical reflections to ensure rigorous research and publication practices, and, consequently, acceptance in their domain. Interestingly, relatively little attention has been paid to assessing the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in marketing research—despite its increasing popularity in recent years. To fill this gap, we conducted an extensive search in the 30 top ranked marketing journals that allowed us to identify 204 PLS-SEM applications published in a 30-year period (1981 to 2010). A critical analysis of these articles addresses, amongst others, the following key methodological issues: reasons for using PLS-SEM, data and model characteristics, outer and inner model evaluations, and reporting. We also give an overview of the interdependencies between researchers’ choices, identify potential problem areas, and discuss their implications. On the basis of our findings, we provide comprehensive guidelines to aid researchers in avoiding common pitfalls in PLS-SEM use. This study is important for researchers and practitioners, as PLS-SEM requires several critical choices that, if not made correctly, can lead to improper findings, interpretations, and conclusions.

An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research

The internal marketing concept specifies that an organisation’s employees are its first market. Themes such as ‘internal advertising’ and ‘internal branding’ have recently entered the marketing lex...

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Captivating company: dimensions of attractiveness in employer branding

The authors investigate the overall and subarea influence of a comprehensive set of marketing and marketing-related journals at three points in time during a 30-year period using a citation-based measure of structural influence. The results show that a few journals wield a disproportionate amount of influence in the marketing journal network as a whole and that influential journals tend to derive their influence from many different journals. Different journals are most influential in different subareas of marketing; general business and managerially oriented journals have lost influence, whereas more specialized marketing journals have gained in influence over time. The Journal of Marketing emerges as the most influential marketing journal in the final period (1996-97) and as the journal with the broadest span of influence across all subareas. Yet the Journal of Marketing is notably influential among applied marketing journals, which themselves are of lesser influence. The index of structural inf...

https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/30040527

The structural influence of marketing journals: A citation analysis of the discipline and its subareas over time

This article presents a framework for understanding and revitalizing the important role of conceptual articles in the development of knowledge in the marketing discipline. An analysis of 30 years (1978–2007) of publishing data from major marketing journals indicates that conceptual articles are declining, despite repeated calls for more emphasis on this form of scholarship. The sharpest decline has occurred in Journal of Marketing (JM), with much of the shift occurring over the past decade. Many substantive areas remain largely unexplored in conceptual articles. Over this 30-year period, conceptual articles published in JM have disproportionately more citations relative to their numbers, attesting to the importance of their role in knowledge development. Addressing the decline of conceptual articles and restoring their synergistic balance with other forms of scholarship will require concerted efforts on several interrelated fronts: the current generation of scholars; doctoral programs and student...

The Decline of Conceptual Articles and Implications for Knowledge Development

A sizeable body of international business (IB) research is devoted to building knowledge about the determinants of organizational performance. A key precursor to accurately diagnosing why some organizations succeed in the international marketplace while others struggle is operationalizing performance appropriately. Yet, to date, no systematic investigation has considered how well IB research measures performance. We examine the measurement of performance in 96 articles published in the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of International Business Studies, Management Science, Organization Science ,a nd theStrategic Management Journal between 1995 and 2005. The findings reveal that most studies do not measure performance in a manner that captures the multifaceted nature of the construct. We describe the implications of these results, and offer suggestions for improving future practice. Journal of International Business Studies (2008) 39, 1064–1080.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/info/25483322

An assessment of the measurement of performance in international business research

The qualitative assessment of scholarly journals plays an important role in promotion and tenure decisions, recognition, scholarly dialogue, and the contribution to the knowledge base of marketing. To aid marketing faculty and administrators in this assessment, the latest perceptions among marketing faculty regarding the relative hierarchical positioning of scholarly marketing journals are reviewed. Besides the overall ranking, the study segments journals along two dimensions: AACSB- / non-AASCB-accredited institutions (American Assembly of College Schools of Business) and marketing doctorate- / non-doctorate-granting institutions. The results of this study can be used by various marketing faculty constituencies to aid in evaluating publication importance via their selected reference groups.

Faculty Perceptions of Marketing Journals

Verbal strategies for indirect comparative advertising

An analysis of federal mail and wire fraud cases related to marketing

This study explores the ability of comparative advertising featuring foreign and domestic automobile brands to influence consumer ethnocentric reactions as the advertisement is being processed. Consumer ethnocentrism is inherently comparative (e.g., American automobiles versus those imported from Japan), so lack of published research testing this influence on consumer decision making is surprising. Two major findings resulted: (1) theoretically, Shimp and Sharma’s (1987) CETSCALE can be modeled as one component of a Hierarchy-of-Effects dependent vector score using MANOVA, and (2) practically, advertising where a foreign sponsor names a domestic brand can result in an ethnocentric stimulus significantly influencing automobile brand Purchase Intentions.

The Influence of Comparative Advertising on Consumer Ethnocentrism in the American Automobile Market

Shimp and Sharma’s (1987) CETSCALE was used to segment a local retail luxury sedan market into pro-import and Buy American groups. Eight versions of a finished-form newspaper advertisement were tested to determine whether the two opposing CETSCALE segments preferred certain verbal strategies rather than others. An existing automobile dealership selling both the Cadillac and Lexus brands featured was used as the test sponsor. On five out of ten Attitude-Toward-the-Advertisement (Aad) items measured, the pro-import segment favored the hardhitting direct comparison format (i.e., 7–8 below) significantly less than the Buy American segment, finding it less believable (p=.026), less likable (p=.034), less convincing (p=.001), not as professional (p=.006), and more boring (p=.002). No significant differences materialized for the other six verbal strategies examined.

William T. Neese

Papers

Faculty Perceptions of Marketing Journals

Verbal strategies for indirect comparative advertising

An analysis of federal mail and wire fraud cases related to marketing

The Influence of Comparative Advertising on Consumer Ethnocentrism in the American Automobile Market

Local Retail Segmentation using the CETSCALE: A Test of Comparative Advertising Effectiveness in the Domestic Versus Imported Luxury Sedan Market