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Over the last two decades, there has been growing interest from all stakeholders (government, manufacturers, and consumers) to make packaging more sustainable. Paper is considered one of the most environmentally friendly materials available. A qualitative study investigating consumers’ expectations and opinions of sustainable paper-based packaging materials was conducted where 60 participants took part in focus group sessions organized in two stages. In the first stage, participants expressed their opinions about currently available packages in the market and their expectations about a sustainable packaging material. In the second stage of the study, they evaluated five paper-based prototype packages for two product categories (biscuits and meat). Too much plastic and over-packaging were the key issues raised for current packages. Price and quality were the main driving forces for consumers’ purchase intent. While participants were impressed by the sustainable nature of the prototypes, the design did not necessarily meet their expectations, and they were not willing to pay more for a sustainable package. The key message that emerged from the discussions was the “3Rs”—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”—which should be the main points to consider when designing a sustainable packaging.

The study which explained the level of consumer preferences for various news. However these studies have related to the comparison of the consumers preference for newspaper and television media. Newspaper has become a part of any modern society. This is one of the most importance consumer products of our daily life. Like all other consumer good newspaper industry requires some special marketing efforts. The study regarding respondent's effectiveness after advertising creating created a deep in sigh about the market conditions which is really helpful for the mediums to further concentrate on this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential owned solar panels mounted on roof-tops generated 1.4% of the U.S. electricity supply in 2022. Utilities compensate residential customers using a net metering system by which each kilowatt-hour generated by the customer reduces the customer's bill by the amount the utility charges for one kilowatt. Despite the small impact of roof-top solar on the total market, in 2022, thirty-two states conducted ninety-four proceedings investigating whether to change the net metering system. In these proceedings, utilities advocated changing the rates to discourage residential investment in solar panels. Utilities argue that net metering provides a subsidy to solar customers because the rate the utility pays is greater than the avoided cost of energy. That excess payment allows solar customers to avoid paying for the distribution network. The cost of the distribution network is shifted to non-solar customers. This article will evaluate these claims. It will show that if the social cost of carbon were in the calculation, it would generate a Kapp cost shift from solar customers to non-solar customers. The size of the Kapp cost shift is greater than the cost of distribution networks, reversing any private cost shift that utilities have estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Even if it is often accepted that smart hotels are built on networks of technological devices, there is currently no consensus among researchers as to what level of technology is required to define a smart hotel. Based on the above-mentioned assumption that smart hotels are built on a network of technological devices, this paper aims to understand how smart hotels can be conceptualised based on customer preferences. Methodology/Design/Approach -- To achieve this goal, the paper conceptualises smart hotels as a service network in which the customer comes into contact with a variety of technological and traditional touchpoints on site. This conceptualisation allows the researcher to observe customer preferences at different touchpoints and identify the technologies that are central to the development of the customer experience. Findings -- The results show that the ideal customer journey includes both traditional and technological touchpoints and that artificial intelligence is of central importance for the development of the smart hotel concept. Originality of the research -- The methodological approach taken in this paper enables researchers and practitioners to easily visualise and identify important patterns in the customer journey, facilitating the task of identifying the most relevant touchpoints in complex service networks, such as smart hotels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the formulation and development of a supply-chain optimisation model for Fletcher Challenge Paper Australasia (FCPA). This model, known as Paper Industry Value Optimisation Tool (PIVOT), is a large mixed integer program that finds an optimal allocation of supplier to mill, product to paper machine, and paper machine to customer, while at the same time modelling many of the supply chain details and nuances which are peculiar to FCPA. PIVOT has assisted FCPA in solving a number of strategic and tactical decision problems, and provided significant economic benefits for the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of health claims for foods by the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation is intended, primarily, to protect consumers from unscrupulous claims by ensuring claims are accurate and substantiated with high quality scientific evidence. In this position paper, the Academy of Nutrition Sciences uniquely recognises the strengths of the transparent, rigorous scientific assessment by independent scientists of the evidence underpinning claims in Europe, an approach now independently adopted in UK. Further strengths are the separation of risk assessment from risk management, and the extensive guidance for those submitting claims. Nevertheless, four main challenges in assessing the scientific evidence and context remain: (i) defining a healthy population, (ii) undertaking efficacy trials for foods, (iii) developing clearly defined biomarkers for some trial outcomes and (iv) ensuring the composition of a food bearing a health claim is consistent with generally accepted nutrition principles. Although the Regulation aims to protect the consumer from harm, we identify some challenges from consumer research: (i) making the wording of some health claims more easily understood and (ii) understanding the implications of the misperceptions around products bearing nutrition or health claims. Recommendations are made to overcome these challenges. Further, the Academy recommends that a dialogue is developed with the relevant national bodies about Article 12(c) in the Regulation. This should further clarify the GB Guidance to avoid the current non-level playing field between health professionals and untrained 'influencers' who are not covered by this Article about the communication of authorised claims within commercial communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a guest editorial from the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management. It highlights a special issue that features papers presented at the 7th Colloquium on European Research in Retailing (CERR). The colloquium focused on the challenges of digitalization in retailing, covering topics such as marketing, distribution channels, operations, and consumer behavior. The special issue includes 15 papers that explore the transformation of retail channels in the digital era, covering topics such as shopper behavior, digitalization in retailing, online shopping experience, and sustainable retail operations. The goal of the special issue is to contribute to the scientific standing of both CERR and the International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management. [Extracted from the article]

For the Nordic paper industry the years 2001–2007 were a culmination point as to paper production and deliveries. The study uses plant level empirical time series data from these years from one large integrated Finnish paper mill. The research data covers complete customer data and cost components, and a major supplier for European paper markets. The case company worked actively with a customer base and concentrated on the most profitable markets. However, some unprofitable deliveries, which still covered the variable and fixed costs, also supported the operation of the mill and the continuing of the 24/7 shift. The results indicate that even with matured and bulky products like paper, it is still possible to operate on the basis of separated pricing, some bargaining power, and customized focus. In this respect, the markets do not seem to follow the economic theory expectation entirely, that is, for such a mature and bulky product market price differentiation should not be possible. However, to utilize this, it requires up-to-date information system concerning internal cost accounting, together with an emphasis on the management to have an active role with the customer base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This can take the form of empirical and conceptual work that reflects both the use of NPS, and metrics inspired by the use of NPS. i It is now 20 years since the proprietary Net Promoter Score (NPS) was popularised in the HBR article " I The One Number You Need To Grow i ". [Extracted from the article]

The aim of this study is to examine what business owners are experiencing while enforcing the no plastic policy. This research was carried out in different businesses within the city of Ormoc. Twenty participants who are company owners or representatives of business are included in this research. The research style of the analysis uses qualitative phenomenological design. The methodology used to perform the analysis was to answer open-ended questions through interviews. Conceptual analysis were used to analyze the result. The information collected is coded within the total population number. Throughout the general sample size, common information will be tallied throughout the overall sample size. The result gathered by the researcher on the issues and challenges that business owners were facing are the inconvenience of paper bags, costly alternative packaging, and the preference of consumers for plastic. The coping mechanisms of business owners for their concerns is by increasing the price of their goods, encouraging consumers to BYOB or bring your own bag, and, despite customer complaints, sticking to the policy because they will be penalised if they failed to do so. Businesses benefited from this program because it significantly reduces the waste production and is eco-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diverse marketing channels have been developed with the advent of digitalization. In the fresh food and grocery retail sector, consumers may have a large choice of channels to shop from. In this case, an analysis of their behavior is crucial for retailers. Therefore, the present paper provides a state-of-the-art review of existing papers dealing with consumers' channel choice when buying groceries. Methods: A systematic literature review (SLR) is performed following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) procedure, identifying 36 research papers published in the last decade. Results: The results present the principal methodologies adopted by the analyzed research papers to address this topic, along with the various channels available to consumers to date. Other important outcomes of this review include the main variables that can affect consumer choice when deciding between the available channels and the limitations of the analyzed papers, along with suggestions for future research directions to address these limitations. Conclusions: This paper discusses the essential effects of consumers' channel choice on the logistics and operation services of grocery retailers. It also provides an integrative framework linking the influencing factors of consumer choice with outcomes directly impacting grocery retailers' logistics services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the analysis of the preferences of different customer generations in Slovakia in the field of marketing communication and its influence on consumer behaviour. Currently, marketing communication is an integral part of company strategies and has a key influence on how customers choose products or services. With the increasing importance of the generational segmentation of customers, understanding their individual preferences and tendencies in communication becomes an essential prerequisite for success. In this paper, we explore how preferences differ between Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z, and how these preferences influence their consumer behaviour. Based on the analysis of primary and secondary data, the main trends and preferences of generations in the field of marketing communication were identified. This paper provides useful information that can be used by companies in the creation and implementation of marketing strategies. At the same time, the paper enables a better understanding of the dynamics of consumer behaviour in the context of generational preferences and will help identify opportunities for improving marketing activities and more effective communication with target groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite half a century's extensive scholarly research in the decision-making process of individuals around the adoption of new innovations, innovation practitioners are still not able to capitalise sufficiently on the existing knowledge base to successfully commercialise new products. Evidence of this stems from consumers' continued rejection of new offerings at alarming rates. This makes the marketing of innovation, with a focus on influencing consumers' decision-making process, one of the most challenging corporate challenges for new product managers. To address this gap, this paper sequentially applies a systematic literature review (SLR), followed by extensive descriptive and bibliometric analyses, to reveal and assess the current state of knowledge in this field. Furthermore, the analysis identifies six prominent future research paths that could fill identified gaps in knowledge. Using the results of the bibliometric section, practitioners can pinpoint specific research areas of interest, enabling them to access and utilise findings from past studies more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: New technologies may offer special opportunities for others to achieve very large returns with approaches to technology development like those of Amazon, Tesla, and Walmart. This paper summarizes those firms' overall approach and offers guidelines for carrying out similar efforts. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a multi-firm case study, examining long-term technology development processes of Amazon, Tesla, Walmart, Varian Medical, and Deere. Findings: The firms were able to create huge amounts of value (or in Deere's case, seems to be creating a huge amount of value today) because their leaders recognized a huge problem that limited customers greatly and spent decades solving it with digital technology. The approach appears to be replicable by others. Research limitations/implications: This is an initial review. Further study of these firms and others that have similar long-term digital achievements is warranted. Practical implications: The paper describes a practical approach to achieving sustained competitive advantage that may be effective for those willing to pursue solution to a large problem over many years. Originality/value: The most successful users of digital technology have followed a difficult but straightforward path to revolutionizing customer experience: Focus for decades on making something important work really well. This paper identifies similarities among the long-term strategies of the greatest producers of long-term value for the first time and identifies a path through which others may follow them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analysed the differential impact of repeated advertising on sales turnover and the attendant effect on accounting Ads to Sales Ratio. The paper adopts a quantitative approach and collects marketing and promoting expenditure data (as proxy for Ads activity) from Amazon Company for twenty years (2003 - 2022). The data was analysed by using the t-test of mean difference statistics and a simple regression. The t-test analysis showed that the Ads to Sales Ratio had a significant increase between two periods of comparison (2003-2012 and 2013-2022); in the same vein, there was a significant increase in mean net sales value by up to nine hundred percent - an increase which dwarfs the hundred percent increases in the Ads to Sales Ratio over the period. Furthermore, a simple regression analysis shows that marketing expenditures (used as proxy for Ads activity) produced a highly significant positive effect on net sales at a P-value of less than P<0.00001. This finding shows that current literature suggestion that increased Ads may wane consumer brand patronage may not be applicable to all industries, rather, this paper's result indicates that for companies such as Amazon, increased Ads, or marketing and promotion activities may produce high net sales in some companies such as Amazon. The paper contributes by developing a process framework for repeated advertisement, Ads to Sales Ratio and net sales. It recommends further application of the proposed framework in related companies by future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study assessed the significance of difference of consumers' perception towards various factors (Risk, Delivery time, Convenience, Charges, Offer, and Privacy) of online shopping on the basis of consumer attributes such as age group, educational qualification, and monthly income. The primary data collected with the help of questionnaires. Researchers circulate 500 questionnaires in the selected area during stipulated time. In these 500 questionnaires researcher did not reject any Questionnaires on the basis of the incompleteness of data. Finally researcher gets 500 questionnaires for completing his research part. Data from Books, Websites, Reports, Journals, Conference papers, Audit reports, Magazines and other published and unpublished data from government and nongovernment sector was utilized for the research. The study indicates that there is no significant difference in consumers' perception towards various factors of online shopping on the basis of age group of consumers and educational qualification of the consumers. It stated that the respondents whether they belong within the age group or between the age group his perception towards online shopping is same. It stated that the respondents whether they belong within the educational qualification or between the educational qualification his perception towards online shopping is same. The study further indicates that there is a significant difference in consumers' perception towards various factors of online shopping on the basis of monthly income of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, more and more AI-based smart devices are being applied in the service. Although this brings many benefits to enterprises and consumers, AI's rapid development and application also induces consumers' anxiety. This negative emotion affects consumers' cognitive decision-making process. However, previous studies have focused more on the impact of positive emotion induced by AI and less on negative emotion induced by AI. Therefore, this paper starts from the negative emotion induced by AI and builds an influencing factor model of unmanned smart hotels (USH) resistance guided by feelings-as-information theory (FIT) and innovation resistance theory (IRT). Based on 355 questionnaires, the data are empirically tested. The results show that surveillance anxiety and delegation anxiety induced by AI positively impact functional barriers evaluation of USH, and functional barriers evaluation of USH has a positive impact on USH resistance. This paper enriches the research results in AI and USH by exploring the factors affecting USH resistance and providing suggestions for USH's future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of plastics and paper as food packaging materials is reviewed with a brief outlook on the historical background of food packages in general. The inherent properties of these food packages that should be considered by food processors are also discussed. The current efforts in meeting the needs of consumers in ensuring food's quality with prolonged shelf life during storage and distribution were highlighted. This review article also reflects on the emerging trends in technology that address innovations on Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), Active packaging (AP), Intelligent packaging (IP) and the use of anti-microbial agents to extend the shelf life of foods under storage and distribution conditions. The future of these packaging materials in the food industries and their impacts on the environment and the society at large will continue to receive attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This review systematically maps the scholarly articles on waste management practices in the textile sector in light of consumer-disposed textiles and the adoption of the circular economy. It emphasizes the significance of scholarly research to the existing knowledge on waste management practices in the context of India's textile sector. Materials and Methods: A thorough Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was employed, which included an analysis of the content of 58 papers published in academic journals in the last 6 years. Findings: The integration of textile waste management methods/practices in this review depicts the varied and challenging domain of waste management in the textile industry. Conversely, there are very limited studies conducted in developing economies, where most textile manufacturing occurs. Research Limitations: The study includes literature from selected databases published between 2015 and 2021. More comprehensive research coverage and continuous evaluation of the health and status of the textile industry are required for valuable insights to effectively adopt circular economy practices from the perspective of developing countries like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a constructional model that explores the effects of pricing strategies on exporting petrochemical products in Iran. The model is based on a comprehensive review of existing literature and case studies and input from industry experts and stakeholders. The constructional model identifies the main pricing strategies that petrochemical companies in Iran use, such as maximizing profits, increasing market share, and maintaining a certain level of quality. The model also considers the impact of external factors such as demand elasticity, market competition, and regulatory constraints on pricing decisions. Using the constructional model, this paper analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of different pricing strategies in the Iranian petrochemical industry. The model also simulates the impact of different pricing strategies on various stakeholders, including producers, consumers, and the Iranian government. The results of the constructional model suggest that while pricing to maximize profits may lead to short-term gains, it can limit a company's ability to compete in the global market. On the other hand, pricing to increase market share can lead to long-term growth but may require significant investment in research and development. The model also highlights the importance of considering external factors such as demand elasticity and regulatory constraints when making pricing decisions. For example, demand for petrochemical products in Iran may be highly elastic, meaning that small price changes can lead to large changes in demand. Additionally, regulatory constraints such as trade agreements and environmental regulations can significantly impact pricing decisions in the Iranian petrochemical industry. Overall, this paper provides a useful constructional model for analyzing the effects of pricing strategies on exporting petrochemical products in Iran. The findings of this paper can help petrochemical companies in Iran make strategic pricing decisions that take into account both internal and external factors, to ensure their long-term success in the global market. The variables of the study are restrictions of entry into the export market, penetration strategy, market development strategy, and opportunity creation, all of which have effects on product export. Here, the following features are described, penetration strategy (importance coefficient: 0.95), market development strategy (importance coefficient: 0.94 opportunity creation (importance coefficient: 0.9), and the restrictions of entry into the export market (importance coefficient: 0.8). The Alpha Cronbach of the two questionnaires are 0.817, 0.814, in turn, that indicates the appropriate validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important challenges of smart grids is the congestion of transmission lines. A flexible smart grid with demand-side resources can be a suitable solution to manage transmission lines congestion. This paper proposes a multi-objective model with the aim of congestion management through generation rescheduling considering cost and emission purposes in a flexible smart grid. An inconvenience cost for consumers is defined to model the consumers' unsatisfactory as a consequence of participating in demand response programs (DRPs). Furthermore, a smart grid flexibility index (SGFI) has been presented to show the available flexibility of smart grid as a result of DRPs and gas turbine generators as fast response resources. The DRPs could increase the flexibility of the smart grids due to their impact on flattening the load curve, but this may cause some inconveniences for consumers. On the other hand, participation of consumers in DRPs and the power output gas turbine are associated with uncertainty. In this paper, the uncertainty of consumer's participation in the DRPs has been modeled by Fuzzy-Markov. The proposed multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) has been implemented on the IEEE 30-bus system. The results show that the total operation cost including the generation cost, DRP cost, inconvenience cost of consumers, and pollution is reduced. In fact, the share of generation of expensive generators is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is vital for financial institutions to acquire and digitally onboard customers in a user-friendly and seamless manner. This is relevant and urgent for financial products. Despite its importance in the financial sector, digital onboarding has not been studied from a business process perspective. To address this gap, we conduct a multivocal literature review to examine how customer onboarding is defined, its main sub-processes, associated issues, how onboarding processes can be improved, and the value of such improvements. Our results show that the main issues concern consumer-facing aspects, competition, regulations, and organizational aspects. Moreover, process improvements aim to address customer experience, compliance, incorporating digital technologies, and data-driven decision support. Therefore, the results of this paper are twofold. First, we address a gap in the study of digital onboarding from a business process perspective. Second, we classify the findings in a framework for improving customer onboarding processes in financial services. The framework is particularly useful for business and process analysts who work with redesigning onboarding processes for digital financial services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-commerce is a boom in the modern business. E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the activity of electronically buying or selling products on online services or over the Internet. E-commerce is one of the most dynamic and important sectors of the economy as well as one of the main factors leading to greater competitiveness. The development of E-commerce is driven by rapidly expanding Internet access, but also by growing mobility and popularity of portable devices, via which customers order goods and services at a convenient time and place more and more frequently. The strength of a business is determined by how well it can manage to provide its products and services at the right price, time, and quality. In today's fierce competitive world, E-commerce businesses are often up against their peers from different geographical regions. It makes perfect sense for a company to expand its operations geographically, which would allow them the advantages of quickly reaching out to more customers and building good word of mouth for the brand. But, it also give rise to the risks like additional costs associated with logistics, longer delivery time than expected, problems with adjusting the inventory levels to match customer needs at each location, etc. That's why it makes sense to think about Return to Origin (RTO) before calculating revenue and profits. So, this paper is on impact of RTO on E-commerce business and it also discussed preliminary findings of research undertaken with the Indian ecommerce company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to integrate the consumption perspective within the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) debate. The study delves into how consumer communities can be conceived like other network business actors. The perspective of sustainable new ventures (SNVs) in the fashion industry is adopted, considering their specific connection with consumer communities. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting a multiple case study methodology, this paper uses a qualitative approach. Data collection mainly relies on interviews conducted with 10 SNVs in the fashion industry; this sector is a fertile ground for studying sustainability and consumer communities. For data analysis, the abductive approach of systematic combining is applied. Findings: The paper identifies four distinct types of consumer communities and four roles that they can assume as business actors in the business network. Owing to their engagement in these specific roles, consumer communities become part of the SNVs' network, akin to other business-to-business players. Originality/value: This study represents one of the initial endeavors to introduce consumption into the IMP theoretical framework. In this paper's conceptualization, consumer communities are groups of consumers and collective actors in the business network. Additionally, this study advances the research on sustainability as a network concept by including consumer communities' roles in business networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green pesticide use, as a key means to reduce pesticide use, plays a crucial role in promoting environmental and food safety. However, the effectiveness of green pesticide use policies in China falls short of expectations. Existing research mainly examines the policy promotion issues of green pesticide use from a static and single-agent perspective. However, green pesticide use behavior is a dynamic process influenced by multiple factors, including the government, farmers, and consumers. This paper builds an evolutionary tripartite game model of the government, farmers, and consumers from the perspective of dynamic strategy evolution and explores the evolutionary conditions that affect the stability of the tripartite game strategy during green pesticide application. The results show that 1) through different partnership models, the government, farmers, and consumers can evolve to a stable state. 2) Keeping the government’s regulatory intensity in the market for green agricultural products within a reasonable range will help farmers apply green pesticides. 3) Users’ preference for high-quality vegetables will increase the market selling price of green products. 4) Maintaining the government’s ecological subsidies for green pesticides will help stimulate farmers’ enthusiasm for using green pesticides. Therefore, the government should appropriately strengthen ecological subsidies and market supervision, guide consumers’ green consumption behavior, and encourage farmers to use green pesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a profit maximization model for a data consumer when it buys personal data from data providers (by obtaining consent) through data brokers and provides their new services to data providers (i.e., service consumers). To observe the behavioral models of data providers, the data consumer, and service consumers, this paper proposes the willingness-to-sell model of personal data of data providers (which is affected by data providers' behavior related to explicit consent), the service quality model obtained by the collected personal data from the data consumer's perspective, and the willingness-to-pay model of service consumers regarding provided new services from the data consumer. Particularly, this paper jointly considers the behavior of data providers and service users under a limited budget. With parameters inspired by real-world surveys on data providers, this paper shows various numerical results to check the feasibility of the proposed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]