[雙語翻譯]產(chǎn)品創(chuàng)新外文翻譯--產(chǎn)品創(chuàng)新的聲譽對消費者的影響（英文）

1、Reputation for Product Innovation: Its Impact on Consumers?David H. Henard and Peter A. DacinJust as firms compete for customers, they also vie for reputational status across their relevant constituent groups. To many fi

2、rms, a reputation as an innovative company is something that is both prized and actively sought after. Despite an abundance of anecdotal evidence pointing to several firms’ active pursuit of an innovative reputation, the

3、re is little empirical evidence to evaluate the soundness of this pursuit. On a general level, this research recognizes that firms compete for competitive advantage via their tangible and intangible resources. Much of th

4、e innovation literature centers on the tangible impact that new product development initiatives have on outcomes of innovation. Yet research inves- tigations of the less tangible facets of innovation, such as a reputatio

5、n, remain relatively uninvestigated despite their promise as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This study investigates the effects of a corporate reputation for product innovation (RPI) and its impact on con

6、sumers. Consumer involvement levels are proposed to mediate the relationship between RPI and consumer outcomes. Empirical results indicate that a high consumer perceived RPI, via the involvement construct, leads to excit

7、ement toward and heightened loyalty to the innovative firm. A more positive overall corporate image and tolerance for occasional product failures are also positive outcomes noted in the results. Contrary to expectations,

8、 a high perceived RPI does not lead to a consumer propensity to pay price premiums.Introduction Each year, corporations collectively spend bil- lions of dollars on research and development (R Freeman, 1984). Some scholar

9、s think that developing a corporate reputation and actively promoting it is a modern business necessity (e.g., Gray and Balmer, 1998); thus, firm reputationmay serve as a strategic business tool (Aaker, 1989; Fombrun, 19

10、96; Hall, 1993). Among other effects, a corporate reputation impacts individual beliefs and attitudes regarding a firm (Brown and Dacin, 1997; Rao, Qu, and Ruekert, 1999), signals strategic inten- sions to competitors (K

11、reps and Wilson, 1982; Milgrom and Roberts, 1982) and influences employee organiza- tional identification (Dutton, Dukerich, and Harquail, 1994). Yet despite the potential influence that a firm reputation can have on its

12、 constituents, academic in- vestigation of many of its effects is noticeably absent. This research investigates a corporate reputation for product innovation. Understanding how an innovative reputation impacts various fi

13、rm constituents allows scholars to more accurately design research initiatives that lead to effective managerial prescriptions. This re- search undertakes an empirical study to test the impact that perceptions of a firm’

14、s reputation for product in- novation has on a key constituent: consumers. In the following section, the conceptual foundation for the re- search hypotheses is presented. The hypotheses are then tested, and a discussion

15、of the results is presented. Im- plications for managers and scholars follow this.Conceptual DevelopmentA corporate reputation for product innovation (RPI) is defined as a constituent-specific perception of a firm’s trac

16、k record of product innovations, degree of creativity, and potential for continued innovative ac-? This research was funded in full by a grant from Procter 27:321–335 r 2010 Product Development Milgrom and Roberts, 1982

17、; Nelson, 1974; Olson, 1977; Rao and Monroe, 1989; Rao et al., 1999; Robertson, Eliashberg, and Rymon, 1995; Spence, 1974) posits that firms possess observable, unalterable attributes as well as other unobservable attrib

18、utes that are subject to manipulation. A further premise is the assumption that the environment is un- certain in that individuals cannot readily obtain all salient information regarding the firm. Spence (1974) regards s

19、ignals, such as corporate reputation, as parameters by which firms can shape the beliefs of individuals and therefore influence their behavior. Within the context of this research, a corporate rep- utation is viewed as a

20、n intangible firm asset that is subject to manipulation (via signaling) by the organization. Given that the marketplace is inherently uncertain, a corporation’s promotion of its reputation serves as a signal to potential

21、ly influence constituent behavior. Signaling is widely regarded as a rational strategy to convey pertinent information to individuals. The message signaled is likewise thought to be a reliable indicator since a false or

22、inaccurate signal makes the firm vulnerable to future economic sanctions (Rao et al., 1999). Conceptually speaking, firms that signal false claims to constituents run the risk of damaging their past investment in corpora

23、te reputation as well as their future profit stream since the promotion of corporate reputation is a dissipative signal that involves upfront firm expenditures that will be for- feited if the claims are later discovered

24、to be inaccu- rate (ibid.). Due to the imperfect information inherent in the marketplace, constituents of a firm routinely rely on its reputation when forming perceptions and making judgments regarding investment decisio

25、ns, product purchases, career choices, or partnership opportuni- ties (Dowling, 1986; Fombrun and Shanley, 1990). Corporate reputations act as a signal, imparting in- formation that allows firms to promote product qual-

26、ity, to erect market entry barriers, to charge price premiums, and to shape individuals’ attitudes toward company products among other outcomes.Consumer ImpactIn this section, the model of the proposed impact that a corp

27、orate RPI has on consumers is presented. The study hypotheses, methodology, and results are then presented. Figure 1 details the proposed model of how a perceived RPI impacts consumers. The model is not intended to be ex

28、haustive but is simply a model of strategically important factors associated with a con- sumer’s perception of firm RPI levels. RPI is mea- sured here as the individual consumer’s perception. How the reputation signal wa

29、s broadcast is not a concern, but rather how the company’s reputation is perceived and the resulting outcomes of that percep- tion is the focus. Firms with a positively perceived reputation for product innovation are lik

30、ely to have a track record of successful new products. They are perceived as new product leaders on the cutting edge of product devel- opment. Such firms are likely to be perceived as both creative and progressive with r

31、egard to product in- troductions and should instill expectations of future new product innovations. In this research, RPI is con- ceptually perceived along a continuum from a high (i.e., strongly positive) reputation to

32、a low (i.e., strongly negative) reputation. With the previous con- ceptual discussion serving as the foundation for a firm’s reputation for product innovation, the discus- sion now focuses on the remaining model variable

33、s.The Role of InvolvementThe involvement level of consumers is viewed as play- ing a mediating role between a perception of a firm’s RPI and the hypothesized outcomes of that percep- tion. The personal involvement level

34、of individuals is a key construct by which researchers study the effec- tiveness of a firm’s message (Greenwald and Leavitt, 1984; Petty and Cacioppo, 1981; Petty, Cacioppo, and Schumann, 1983; Zaichkowsky, 1985, 1994).

35、Involve- ment is defined here as personal relevance—an endur- ing trait over time (Greenwald and Leavitt; Petty andRPI Consumer Involvement? Excitement Toward the Firm ? Overall Firm Image ? Propensity to Pay Price Premi

36、ums ? Loyalty to the Firm ? Tolerance For Occasional FailureFigure 1. Model of the Impact of a Firm’s Reputation for Product Innovation on ConsumersREPUTATION FOR PRODUCT INNOVATION: ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMERS J PROD INNOV