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Aim of the study is to develop a model delineating customer perceptions on wedding marketing strategies in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Main objective of this paper is to analyse a category of special events: the wedding market sector in Kaohsiung, Taiwan by examining how they attract consumers regarding their marketing strategies using the method of fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Based on a survey to married, in relationship and singles local citizens of Taiwan the relationships between impressions, importance, push factors with decision making was explored. To test the hypotheses of the proposed model a primary research study was conducted employing a mall intercept technique via distribution of a self-administered questionnaire within a cross sectional on-site field research context. A fsQCA modelling approach technique was employed in order to measure, estimate and confirm the different casual paths constructs, as well as to test the significance of the paths between different segments of the wedding industry. Our findings reveal that the presence of importance, push factors and decision making determines the level of consumer perception performance. However, impressions do not show significant impact on consumer perceptions.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether there are different configurations of lean bundles leading to successful (bad) financial performance and to explore how the complementarities and substitutions between lean bundles shape these configurations.Design/methodology/approachA fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was performed on 19 manufacturing firms. Data on financial performance (return-on-asset and growth rate) were retrieved from the AIDA database and data on the lean bundles of just-in-time, total quality management, total preventive maintenance and human resource management were collected via surveys conducted in all the plants belonging to the sampled firms.FindingsNone of the lean bundles is able to explain alone the firm's successful financial performance. Lean bundles always have to be complemented by other lean bundles. There are different, equifinal configurations of lean bundles leading to successful (bad) financial performance. Configurations characterized by low implementation of lean bundles are related to bad financial performance.Practical implicationsBy finding different configurations of lean bundles associated with successful and bad financial performance, this study informs operations managers on the most effective investments concerning the implementation of lean manufacturing.Originality/valueThis study extends literature on complementarities in lean manufacturing literature. It also bridges together apparently contradictory research on the relationship between lean manufacturing and financial performance. Finally, the study demonstrates that lean bundles have different roles in reaching successful and bad financial performance.

Resenha de BETARELLI JUNIOR, Admir Antonio; FERREIRA, Sandro de Freitas. Introdução à análise qualitativa comparativa e aos conjuntos Fuzzy (fsQCA). Brasília: Enap, 2018. Disponível em: <http://repositorio.enap.gov.br/handle/1/3333>. (Coleção Metodologias de Pesquisa).

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explain how the application of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and experiments can advance theory development in the field of servitization by generating better causal explanations.Design/methodology/approachFsQCA and experiments are established research methods that are suited for developing causal explanations but are rarely utilized by servitization scholars. To support their application, we explain how fsQCA and experiments represent distinct ways of developing causal explanations, provide guidelines for their practical application and highlight potential application areas for a future research agenda in the servitization domain.FindingsFsQCA enables specification of cause–effects relationships that result in equifinal paths to an intended outcome. Experiments have the highest explanatory power and enable the drawing of direct causal conclusions through reliance on an interventionist logic. Together, these methods provide complementary ways of developing and testing theory when the research objective is to understand the causal pathways that lead to observed outcomes.Practical implicationsApplications of fsQCA help to explain to managers why there are numerous causal routes to attaining an intended outcome from servitization. Experiments support managerial decision-making by providing definitive "yes/no" answers to key managerial questions that address clearly specified cause–effect relationships.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this study is to help advance theory development in servitization by encouraging greater methodological plurality in a field that relies primarily on the qualitative case study methodology.

How should new venture ideas be framed in order to acquire human resources and gain support in times of crisis characterized by struggling or failing institutions and governmental organizations? To answer this question, we analyze 316 new venture ideas aimed at alleviating the COVID-19 crisis in 11 countries. We investigate different linguistic framing configurations and test their persuasive power for human resource acquisition. Our fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and linguistic analysis reveal that a "common enemy framing" is crucial for obtaining resources in crisis contexts. Non-profit venture ideas, specifically, may acquire resources via two additional paths: adding positive emotional content or using an entrepreneurial hustle framing with concrete calls to action. Our findings provide novel insights into entrepreneurial resource acquisition and idea framing during crises.

Why do some post-communist countries become democratic, while others do not? What cross-border determinants are necessary for the establishment of a democratic regime in this region? Most researchers believe that the establishment of democracy is due to socio-economic factors, political culture, or political changes occur simply by chance. The article is devoted to the study of the influence of international factors. The purpose of the article is to identify the main international factors that contribute to the democratization and consolidation of democracy in post-Soviet states. The author examines the influence of the theory of territorial peace, the international democratic environment, membership in a regional democratic intergovernmental organization, a regional autocratic power, as well as foreign economic activity. To find the answer to the research question, this paper uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). As a result of the conducted research, four conditions necessary for the establishment and/or strengthening of democracy were identified. It is shown that the absence of both a militarized interstate dispute and the state's membership in Eurasian intergovernmental organizations has a positive effect on the consolidation of the democratic regime. The author argues that the presence in Western political and economic integration structures and the predominance of the European direction in foreign trade are also important conditions. The transition to democracy and its strengthening in post-communist countries is exogenously conditioned, the regional and/or international context is important.

This study investigates the determinants of semi-democracy as a distinct but under-researched outcome among 12 of the 29 European and post-Soviet post-communist states. Institutional theory's limitations in explaining enduring semi-democracy suggest other approaches may offer new insights, specifically realist international relations theory, given the concentration of unresolved conflicts, asymmetrical trade dependencies on regional powers, and revolutionary overthrows of government among the 12 semi-democracies. The study uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, incorporating both established institutional and novel power-relational conditions drawn from realist IR theory, finding that 10 of the cases fit four explanatory patterns, which suggest that institutional conditions do matter for democratization but are intertwined with and subordinated to realist conditions.

Scholars have increasingly turned to fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to conduct small- and medium-N studies, arguing that it combines the most desired elements of variable-oriented and case-oriented research. This article demonstrates, however, that fsQCA is an extraordinarily sensitive method whose results are worryingly susceptible to minor parametric and model specification changes. We make two specific claims. First, the causal conditions identified by fsQCA as being sufficient for an outcome to occur are highly contingent upon the values of several key parameters selected by the user. Second, fsQCA results are subject to marked confirmation bias. Given its tendency toward finding complex connections between variables, the method is highly likely to identify as sufficient for an outcome causal combinations containing even randomly generated variables. To support these arguments, we replicate three articles utilizing fsQCA and conduct sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations to assess the impact of small changes in parameter values and the method's built-in confirmation bias on the overall conclusions about sufficient conditions.

Which conditions foster accountability for health policy implementation in Spain's 17 regional governments? We analyze five conditions: private management of health services, political salience of health policies, governments' left ideological position, strong presence of non-statewide parties, and minority governments. We use fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify how necessary and/or sufficient these conditions are (alone or in combination) to foster accountability. We find that there is no single recipe to 'cook' accountability. Three conditions appear to be 'quasi-necessary' but must be combined with others to foster accountability, thus defining three routes to accountability. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of current debates on the effects of decentralization, left-right ideologies, and privatization, on accountability for public policies.

PurposeDuring the past few years, social media has faced the challenge of maintaining its user base. Reports show that the social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter experienced a decline in their users. Taking WhatsApp's recent change of its terms of use as the case of this study and using the push-pull-mooring model and a configurational perspective, this study aims to identify pathways for switching intentions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 624 WhatsApp users recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and analyzed using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).FindingsThe findings identify seven configurations for high switching intentions and four configurations for low intentions to switch. Firm reputation and critical mass increase intention to switch, while low firm reputation and absence of attractive alternatives hinder switching.Research limitations/implicationsThis study extends extant literature on social media migration by identifying configurations that result in high and low switching intention among messaging applications.Practical implicationsThe study identifies factors the technology service providers should consider to attract new users and retain existing users.Originality/valueThis study complements the extant literature on switching intention that explains the phenomenon based on a net-effect approach by offering an alternative view that focuses on the existence of multiple pathways to social media switching. It further advances the authors' understanding of the relevant importance of switching factors.

This article contributes to the literature on comparative methods in the social sciences by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of regression analysis and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for studies with a moderately large-n (between approximately 50 and 100). Moderately large-n studies are interesting in this respect since they allow for regression analysis as well as fsQCA analysis. These two approaches have a different epistemological foundation and thereby answer different, yet related, research questions. To illustrate the comparison of fsQCA and regression analysis empirically, I use a recent data set (n = 53) that includes data on the conditions under which governments in Western democracies increase their spending on active labor market policies (ALMPs). This comparison demonstrates that while each approach has merits and demerits, fsQCA leads to a fuller understanding of the conditions under which the outcome occurs. © The Author(s) 2012.