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Current Issue and Preview

sbr October 2015

	Relating eWOM Motives to eWOM Channel Choice - Why Do We Post Where We Do? Henning Kreis/Sabrina A. Gottschalk Given the importance of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM ) in consumer decision making and the great number of possible outlets for eWOM articulation, we focus on why consumers choose a particular eWOM channel. We apply the uses and gratifications approach to channel selection for creating media output. Doing so enables us to explain eWOM channel choice through consumers' eWOM motives. We find that consumers tend to select eWOM channels that provide gratifications that support their motives for eWOM articulation. These findings can help companies to organize their eWOM management strategies more efficiently and to decide on which channels to focus their efforts. pp. 406 – 429

	The Benefits of Computer-Based Brand Concept Mapping Martin Meissner/Pascal Kottemann/Reinhold Decker/Sören W. Scholz Despite the widespread application of computer-aided interviews in both marketing research and practices, computer-based mapping has not been tested empirically in the brand image measurement context. We compare traditional poster-board and computer-based mapping using the Brand Concept Maps approach. Our results show that consumers who use computer-based mapping build valid and reliable brand association networks. Moreover, we validate the computer-based mapping by using representative online samples. Overall, the results suggest that the computer-based approach extends the flexibility and applicability of brand association mapping by enabling independence from stationary test studios. pp. 430 – 453

	Family Exit in Family Firms: How Network Ties Affect the Owner's Intention to Follow the Private Equity Succession Route Florian Kreer/René Mauer/Peter Limbach/Malte Brettel We study private equity as a succession route in family firms. Using survey data from Germany, we empirically examine the role owner-managers and their network ties play in the early process of firm succession. Our evidence suggests that network ties, strong ties in particular, matter to owner-managers when they consider a sale to private equity. Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior, we find that subjective norms and attitude explain the intention to sell to private equity investors, while entrepreneurial network ties explain the subjective norm component. We further show that subjective norm mediates the relationship of network ties on intention. pp. 454 – 488

	When Cospecialization Leads to Rigidity: Path Dependence in Successful Strategic Networks Thomas Schmidt/Timo Braun By taking advantage of interorganizational complementarity effects (cospecialization), firms utilize strategic networks to gain relational advantages. Nonetheless, in the long run, firms are sometimes found to be unable to adapt their interorganizational arrangements because of path dependencies. We investigate different effects of cospecialization with a qualitative case study of a strategic network in the software industry. Thereby, we are able to specify how cospecialization contributes to the success of a strategic network. Further, by analyzing multiple data sources, we identify boundedness and asynchronicity as two specific pitfalls for change initiatives in strategic networks. pp. 489 – 515

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