Business Commons^™

Market Disintermediation And Producer Value Capture: The Case Of Fair Trade Coffee In Nicaragua, Peru And Guatemala, Eric J. Arnould, Alejandro Plastina, Dwayne Ball

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

Does participation in Fair Trade coffee marketing deliver added value to small-scale producers in developing countries? Is Fair Trade fair to producers as promised? The present study adopts a survey methodology designed to measure a combination of socio-economic impact indicators as well as measures particular to the Fair Trade coffee growing and marketing experience. We surveyed over 1200 small-scale coffee producers in Nicaragua, Peru, and Guatemala, of which about two-thirds participate in coffee marketing schemes sponsored by Transfair, USA. The study reports selected results related to production, marketing, material quality of life, education, health, and general wellbeing. Results show that …

Service Personalization And Loyalty, A. Dwayne Ball, Pedro S. Coelho, Manuel J. Vilares

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

Purpose:

To investigate the effect of service personalization on loyalty, and to measure some of the psychological dynamics of the process.

Methodology:

structural equation modeling.

Findings:

We show that the effect of service personalization on loyalty exists, but that the effect is not all direct. Personalization works through improving service satisfaction and trust. Personalization and improved communication act together in such a way that they account for the variance in loyalty that would be otherwise explained by corporate image.

Research limitations:

Data, though comprising a very large probability sample, are from one economic sector in one European country.

Practical implications: …