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Purpose: The emerging consumer-dominant logic of marketing captures consumers’ active and primary role in a range of mainstream marketing processes such as branding, product development and sales. However, consumers’ active role in driving pro-social behaviour change has not yet received close attention. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and explore consumer dominance in social marketing. The authors propose a definition of consumer-dominant social marketing (CDSM) and explicate five key elements which underpin the phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach: This conceptual study offers an analysis informed by exemplars with significant representations of consumer-dominant pro-social behaviours and projects. The methodological approach is characterised as “envisioning conceptualisation”, which is explained in terms of MacInnis’ (2011) framework for conceptual approaches in marketing. Findings: As a phenomenon, CDSM operationalises the following elements: power, agency, resources, value and responsibility. The authors demonstrate how these elements are interconnected and define their meaning, significance and implications in the context of social marketing and pro-social behaviour change. The authors also identify this new form of social marketing as existing on a continuum depending on the level of involvement or dominance of the consumer and of social marketers; at one end of this continuum, exclusive CDSM is entirely consumer-driven and does not engage with businesses or organisations, while on the other end, inclusive CDSM encompasses partnership with external stakeholders to achieve pro-social behaviour change. Research limitations/implications: The existence of inclusive and exclusive CDSM points towards an intricate power balance between consumers, mainstream social marketers and businesses. While this study identifies and explains this substantial distinction, it is an important task for future research to systematise the relationship and explore the

Globally, environment and consumer interactions are rapidly changing due to digital technologies and digital media marketing. The introduction of new digital technologies and the complexity it has brought about has led to a change in the old marketing paradigm. Traditional consumer dynamics have evolved drastically with innovative ways to interact, communicate and connect with consumers supported by digital technologies. With the progression of new age digital marketing mediums communication practices have transformed and consumers have become empowered, which has led to a shift in the balance of power towards consumers. Consumer empowerment is considered as an integrated factor which promotes adoption of digital media as it allows a consumer to communicate and share views with others. With the increased user-generated content available online, there has been a shift of power from practitioners to consumers and as such it is an important factor in the adoption of digital media. This paper applied a semi-systematic comparative literature review about the elements of digital media that lead to consumer empowerment in the context of Pakistan, and compared them with China, South Korea, and Mexico, which are the highest spending countries in digital advertising in 2021. It was found that in comparison with China and South Korea, Pakistani and Mexican brands and organizations were not well equipped to meet the multifaceted challenges of digital transformation.

Livestock farming is a part of animal husbandry. Livestock often includes cows, buffalo, ox, poultry, and goat. Sustainable livelihood produces almost all kinds of food needs itself. The concept of sustainable rural livelihood amalgamates livestock farming with agriculture farming. The livestock mainly provides milk (cow, buffalo, and goat) and meat (goat and poultry). The livestock i.e., ox and buffalo utilized for ploughing and transporting. The manure of live stocks, especially cow, acts as rich mineral fertilizer e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and also nourish agricultural soil microbes. Manure has also a diverse group of microbiota used for agriculture fertility and produces fuels such as methane biogas. Non-agriculture land produces fodder for livestock as a payoff and mitigates the environmental footprint of livestock diet and unwanted grazing. The literature claimed that the Green House Gas i.e., CH4 and N2O, emissions from livestock farming can be diminished by livestock integration with farming. Hence the integration of livestock farming with agriculture practices serves milk, meat, agricultural crop products, fertilizer, biogas, ploughing, and transportation.&nbsp

[ES] En este proyecto Fin de Máster se hará un estudio en profundidad sobre las comunidades energéticas dentro del panorama europeo y nacional para poder contextualizar y acotar este nuevo modelo de negocio, que pretende ser uno de los principales bastiones de la transición energética. Posteriormente se elaborará una metodología general de trabajo que podría servir de guía en la creación de nuevas comunidades energéticas en España. Esta metodología se apoyará en el software Homer Grid como herramienta de cálculo, ya que las simulaciones que es capaz de realizar proporcionan una potente fuente de información para poder establecer diseños de sistemas energéticos híbridos precisos y viables tanto técnica como económicamente. Finalmente, se aplicará la metodología de trabajo a un caso práctico que abarcará el diseño de una comunidad energética en el pueblo de Vinalesa para poder estudiar su viabilidad. Se desarrollará la configuración y capacidad de los activos de generación necesarios para la comunidad energética así como su nueva tarifa eléctrica, además de un análisis final de sensibilidad., [EN] In this thesis, an exhaustive study on energy communities within the European and national framework will be carried out in order to contextualise and delimit this new business model that aims to be one of the main bastions of the energy transition. Subsequently, a general working methodology will be developed which could serve as a guide in the creation of new energy communities in Spain. This methodology will be based on the Homer Grid software as a calculation tool, as its simulations provide a powerful source of information to establish technically and economically viable hybrid energy system designs in an accurate way. Finally, the methodology will be applied to a practical case study covering the design of an energy community in the town of Vinalesa to study its viability. It will be developed the configuration and capacity of the generation components necessary for the energy community and its new electricity tariff, as well as a final sensitivity analysis., [CA] En aquest projecte Fi de Màster es farà un estudi en profunditat sobre les comunitats energètiques dins del panorama europeu i nacional per a poder contextualitzar i delimitar aquest nou model de negoci que pretén ser un dels principals bastions de la transició energètica. Posteriorment s’elaborarà una metodologia general de treball que podria servir de guia en la creació de noves comunitats energètiques a Espanya. Aquesta metodologia es recolzarà en el software Homer Grid com a ferramenta de càlcul, ja que les simulacions que és capaç de realitzar proporcionen una potent font d'informació per a poder establir dissenys de sistemes energètics híbrids precisos i viables tant tècnica com econòmicament. Finalment, s'aplicarà la metodologia de treball a un cas pràctic que abastarà el disseny d'una comunitat energètica al poble de Vinalesa per a poder estudiar la seua viabilitat. Es desenvoluparà la configuració i capacitat dels actius de generació necessaris per a la comunitat energètica així com la seua nova tarifa elèctrica, a més d'una anàlisi final de sensibilitat.

Renewable and distributed energy sources, with photovoltaic in the first place, are leading the energy transition. However, they alone will hardly find the way to success in this challenge because of their intrinsic limitations, such as their dependency on weather condition and the unpredictability of their production. Demand Response services are considered crucial for the integration of renewable sources in the grid. This study presents a methodology to evaluate potential flexibility in commercial buildings by managing air conditioning and lighting systems of the site. The study proposes two different data-driven approaches to evaluate flexibility depending on the technology considered. For lighting systems, flexibility is evaluated using the XGBoost classification algorithm combined with a piecewise function. The thermal behavior of the building is modeled with a simplified RC equivalent state-space model. For both algorithms, preprocessing showed to be a critical part of the process, which is explained stage-by-stage in the paper. Results show that the lighting flexibility algorithm is very reliable, reaching an average error of less than 1 % during the months considered. The simplified thermal modeling proposed shows promising results, having less than 0.2 o C of RMSE error for the internal temperature forecast. In addition, results show the flexibility potentiality of the building, which is potentially able to shift up to 23 % of its power consumption during certain hours of the day. This opens huge opportunities for taking advantage from dynamic tariffs, increase self-consumption from renewable sources or participate in flexibility markets to reduce buildings' electricity bill and help renewable integration., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Strong, favourable and unique brand associations are essential for brands to be successful (Keller, 1993). This thesis investigates what consumers associate with consumer-generated brands (CGBs) and brands generated by companies. Free association tasks are, therefore, used in the survey to examine the associations that immediately come to participants minds when thinking of the CGB Ben Parkes Running and another running brand created by a company that they are equally fond of. For the data analysis, the qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2000) is applied using an inductive category formation process. The comparison of the results allows identifying differences and similarities between the associations with both brand types. The findings unveil that a CGB such as Ben Parkes Running is strongly associated with non-product attributes. Whereas, brands generated by companies are more strongly linked to the offered products and their characteristics. Ben Parkes is the face of the CGB and his name is included in the brand name. The results show that respondents tend to link the person of interest to the brand since many associations are related to Ben Parkes character traits which can be transformed into the personality of the brand. Further suggestions for brand managers and CGB creators are given in order to recognize potential areas of improvement with respect to developing or maintaining a strong brand., submitted by Franziska Gassner, University of Innsbruck, Diplomarbeit, 2020, (VLID)5447945

While online price comparison websites have burgeoned, there is scant understanding of how they influence online consumer behavior. This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the influence of price comparison websites on online switching behavior, and also suggests some additional factors that may be considered when looking at this relationship. We argue that shopper innovativeness, their perceived usefulness of the ad, and their customer service experience consciousness are important factors to consider when evaluating the impact of price comparison websites on eSwitching behavior. We also argue that the most appropriate theoretical lens through which to investigate this relationship is that of the consumer empowerment paradigm. A conceptual model is proposed and tested. Our analysis of 345 sample respondents finds that perceived usefulness of ads and customer service experience expectations are important enablers to price comparison websites use. Similarly, we find that shopper innovativeness and customer service expectations, in addition to price comparison websites use, are significant enablers to eSwitching behaviour. However, contrary to prediction, we find that shopper innovativeness has little to no influence on shoppers’ use of price comparison websites; we also observed similar patterns concerning the link between the perceived usefulness of online ads and eSwitching behaviour. In conclusion, our research contributes to better understanding the influence of price comparison websites on online switching behavior, and the factors that might influence this relationship. © 2020, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Social media have emerged as a game changer for tourism by empowering consumers to collectively approve or oppose organizational behaviors. When consumers rise against organizations, social media storms (SMSs) can be an outcome. This research proposes a conceptual framework to help tourism organizations understand SMSs and to guide more effective decision making. Contextualized by a case study of the Copenhagen Zoo, it is shown how and why SMSs are an expression of negative consumer empowerment that brings challenges as well as opportunities. As demonstrated, an SMS can lead to a helix for value creation for the organization, consumers, and society.

3D printing has the potential to produce on-demand food tailored to individuals’ needs and preferences. The present study explored 3D printed food acceptance in a real-life military setting. Over a period of 4 weeks, soldiers consumed and evaluated multiple recovery snack bars. In week 1, participants received a benchmark bar that was created with conventional manufacturing processes. In week 2 to 4 participants received a 3D printed snack bar with increasing customisation options: choice of texture (soft or crunchy) in week 2; choice of texture and taste (sweet or savoury) in week 3; and choice of texture, taste and ingredients (4 types of dough, 13 types of filling) in week 4. Attitudes towards 3D food printing and potential drivers of 3D printed food acceptance were assessed in weeks 1 and 4 before and after repeated consumption of the snack bars. After repeated consumption participants judged 3D printed food to be significantly better as compared to before consumption (t = 2.86, p = 0.015). Food neophobia, food technology neophobia and food choice motives did not change during the experiment (all p > 0.05). The benchmark bar was liked better than the 3D printed bars. However, among the 3D printed bars, mean scores on overall liking, and liking of taste and texture were highest for the version that was customized most (week 4). Our findings illustrate that consumer empowerment, desired degree of personalisation, state of development and appropriateness of 3D food printing technology all play a role in 3D printed food acceptance.

Consumers may incur deliberation costs in learning about their valuations for new products. When the deliberation cost is not trivial, the retailer may set a low price to inhibit deliberation (regressive pricing) or choose a high price to induce deliberation (transgressive pricing). In a decentralized channel, we find that, first, the retailer is more likely to adopt the regressive pricing (versus transgressive pricing) when the wholesale price is lower. In response, the manufacturer sets a high (low) wholesale price to induce the transgressive (regressive) pricing when the deliberation cost is intermediate (high). Second, channel members can be misaligned in the incentive in investing in consumer empowerment. The ability to empower consumers and reduce their deliberation costs enhances the retailer’s channel power and its share of channel profit. Finally, the manufacturer may offer a socially suboptimal product quality because a high quality can lead to excessive deliberation. These nontrivial effects of the deliberation cost underscore the importance of considering consumer deliberations in channel management. The insights are robust under a positive production cost, heterogeneous deliberation costs, continuous deliberation efforts, and a channel structure with multiple layers.

This work utilizes the theory of social power as a lens through which to analyze the power structure of firms and consumers involved in crowdsourcing and discusses the managerial implications of this power balance. The results of this analysis reveal how power is structured differently in each form of crowdsourcing, with consumer power being strongest in the case of idea crowdsourcing and weakest in the case of microtask crowdsourcing. These differences in power have implications for managers who initiate and maintain crowdsourcing endeavors. Understanding the structure of consumer power in different types of crowdsourcing allows firms to better prepare for the wide range of possible outcomes as consumers inevitably push their own agendas regardless of whether or not these agendas are aligned with those of the firm., QC 20180731

Dell, McDonald’s, PespiCo and Starbucks are examples of firms relying on customer empowerment strategies for their new product development. Advertising those new products as user-driven has proven to have impacts on brand preferences and brand evaluations even on people not participating in the tools or platforms, namely the brand audience. With the present research, we respond Nishikawa et al. (2017)’s recent call: our moderated mediation model explains why and when a product marketed as “customer-ideated” better performs in terms of purchase intentions. Drawing on the co-creation literature and on the signalling theory, we design two studies with between-subject experimental designs. First, we show first that the publicity about the feedback given by the brand on participants’ submitted ideas as well as the process transparency enhance the non-participating brand audience’s perceptions of brand integrity. Second, we find that this effect is of substantive importance because it mediates positive outcomes with respect to non-participants’ purchase intentions. Third, we identify the product complexity as a moderator that creates boundary condition for the impact on perceived brand integrity.

The purpose of this research was to analyze the influence of demographic, social and economic characteristics towards the consumer empowerment of electronic products. The research used cross-sectional study with an online survey of 100 respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive analysis used to identify the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the sample and the consumer empowerment index. The inferential analysis used in this study include chi-square test and logistic regression. The level of consumer empowerment in electronic products only 41.78 that belongs to capable category. The largest index was found in goods selection dimension (88.33) and the lowest (6.4) on behavior complaint dimension. The result of this study showed that female, early-aged adult (18-40 year), higher education, employed, income between Rp2 000 000-Rp3 000 000 per capita per month, origin from the urban area, and family size ≤ 4 were the most empowered consumers. Only two of six variables significantly affect consumer empowerment, namely age and education. Age has a negative and significant effect on consumer empowerment, while education has a positive and significant effect on consumer empowerment of electronic products. Based on the results of the research, it is necessary to raise awareness of consumers to be able to choose the brand of local products. Also consumers need to use their rights as consumers to be able to file complaints if they experience disappointment or loss when buying electronic products.

The abstract is published online only. If you did not include a short abstract for the online version when you submitted the manuscript, the first paragraph or the first 10 lines of the chapter will be displayed here. If possible, please provide us with an informative abstract. Current consumer-brand relationship scenario is increasingly characterized by empowered individuals who claim ownership of brands and brand-related contents and manifest leadership in activating, nurturing, and quitting conversations that contribute to brand value creation or destruction beyond the efforts of marketers. When brand actors are only one of the players and not even the most impactful one in generating, modifying, or even overturning brand meanings and values, who does then take the lead in making sense of brands? And how does that happen? This chapter aims at elucidating the concept of distributed leadership of current networked individuals toward their brands and support it with anecdotal evidence of groundbreaking practices of people leadership in brand value creation at the global level.

The present article argues that the fact that personal data holds great value, in combination with a lack of transparency in its commercial use, leads to a need for consumer policy that strengthens consumer protection. The widespread practice of user agreements and consent-based regulation of personal data collection is not satisfactory for balancing these information-asymmetric markets. The lack of transparency deriving from the complex and massive datafication of consumers – where consumers are profiled, data is brokered and the algorithmically automated decision-making is opaque – speaks to the need for improved supervision at a more structural level above and beyond the individual consumer’s choices, preferably by more active consumer protection authorities.

In recent years, several business models of the aggregator company have emerged in Europe, in response to a general quest for flexibility in power system operations. A systematic approach of analysing the organisational arrangements underlying a business model is still lacking, whereas the available information on the potential of aggregated resources in electricity markets is limited. This work contributes to the systematic development of the business model concept of an aggregator company, and provides insight into its economic potential. A set of elements is identified that can be used for analysing the various implementations of a business model. A revenue analysis is performed based on historical data from the day-ahead market and the imbalance settlement system in the Netherlands. The case study is about a hypothetical implementation of the aggregator company with focus on residential demand-side resources. The results show a significant theoretical potential and suggest an interesting business case.

Revisiting Consumer Empowerment: An Exploration of Ethical Consumption Communities, DOI: 10.1177/0276146715619653 URL: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0276146715619653 Filiació URV: SI Memòria, This article explores the notion of consumer empowerment in ethical consumption communities, known as responsible consumption communities (RCCs) in Spain. Although consumer empowerment has previously been discussed in the ethical consumer field, mainly in relation to notions of voting in the marketplace, it has yet to be explored thoroughly. In particular, the concept of empowerment should be moved beyond an individualized lens of analysis, acknowledging connectedness of persons. A combination of qualitative techniques was employed, including focus groups, in-depth interviews, observation, and documentary analysis. Our empirical case shows that consumer empowerment should be understood not in relation to consumption, but in relation to new forms of social organizing and experimentation that emerge around consumption.

The human body is a complex, finely-tuned, and ever-evolving “open system” which is always trying to regain good health. Being an open system, the human body relies on surrounding ecological systems for its sustenance, survival, and growth, making it susceptible to the consequences of these ecological systems. One of the biggest concerns for human health in the 21st century is the ever-increasing obesity rate and its associated mortality rate. Of equal concern is the resultant loss of productivity and the net impact of this on publicly-funded healthcare expenditures. Years of research and investment in health-promotive programmes have failed to stymie the growing obesity epidemic. Evidently, current intervention strategies are not working and are in desperate need of remodelling. Obese individuals attempt to remedy the status quo, but often fail to achieve healthy changes in their lives. These individuals appear to be disempowered entities who seem to have given up on their quest for a better quality of life. The purpose of this grounded theory based enquiry was to develop a substantive theory of the phenomenon of consumer empowerment. The study was designed to explore the multi-level, cross-disciplinary complexities associated with the obesity epidemic and to find a workable solution that would assist with curtailing its growth. The key aim of this research was to understand the social processes that either empower or dis-empower individuals during episodes of consumption. In total, 24 individuals participated in this enquiry by sharing their stories of weight gain and their personal experiences with the weight-management programmes they tried to help them improve their quality of life. The data collection and analysis was guided by the philosophical viewpoints of constructivist grounded theory. This study revealed two core categories that helped explain the processes that either empowered or disempowered individuals during episodes of consumption: feeling entrappe

Purpose - This study aims to explore if, with increasing consumer empowerment, consumers are actively pulling content through a multitude of platforms rather than relying on media owners to dictate their product choices. How do media owners and content producers move toward a more reciprocal and interactive business strategy to deal with the change? Design/methodology/approach - The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature and utilized in-depth and semi-structured interviews of media consumers and experts. Findings - Consumer behavior has changed due to increased product control, in terms of type and occasion, across all income levels. The value of curatorship has increased and social media has fundamentally changed consumption patterns. Using the Berthon et al. model of response functions, we found that, content producers often suffer from inertia and operate with an Isolate strategy. The second most common approach is that of Follow or customer orientation. There is limited engagement with the innovation orientations of Shape and Interact. It is best for the industry to move toward an Interact model, accepting that consumers sometimes wish to create and at other times wish content to be effortlessly provided to them. Research limitations/implications - This study adopted a qualitative approach of industry experts and consumers within a single context. The further implications would be to develop the Interact strategy in more detail, especially toward the end of how to get media providers to change their current orientations. Practical implications - Business models of product producers in the new business environment seek to be more consumer-centric. This must not be done at the expense of an innovation orientation. Originality/value - There has been a lot of discussion on the need to change business models in the wake of changed consumer behavior. The current paper provides guidance on how to respond to the new media world., QC 20161011

Uppsatsens syfte är att genom intervjuer undersöka hur ekonomistudenter resonerar kring sin personliga, karriärorienterade identitetsskapande på sociala medier med utgångspunkt i teorier kring Consumer Culture Theory, symbolisk interaktionism och consumer empowerment. Studiens syfte uppnås med en kvalitativ metod samt ett fenomenologiskt och hermeneutiskt förhållningssätt. Primärdata har samlats in genom semistrukturerade djupintervjuer och en abduktiv ansats har använts i syfte att dra slutsatser utifrån såväl befintliga teorier som empiri. Sekundärdata består främst av vetenskapliga artiklar vilka har skapat den teoretiska referensramen. Studiens teoretiska ramverk utgår från Consumer Culture Theory, men kompletteras med teori inom symbolisk interaktionism och consumer empowerment. Studieobjekten består av en urvalsgrupp på tio studenter vid Ekonomihögskolan i Lund. Empiri består av den information vi har samlat in genom djupintervjuer, vilket sedan har analyserats utifrån det teoretiska ramverket. Det empiriska materialet i kombination med den teoretiska referensramen, har resulterat i insikter kring hur ekonomistudenter resonerar kring sin personliga, karriärorienterade identitetsskapande på sociala medier. Dessa insikter tyder på att det existerar en karriärrelaterad maktparadox på sociala medier, som påverkar ekonomistudenters framställningar av sina digitala identiteter. Studiens resultat kan således ge bidrag och inspirera till vidare forskning inom Consumer Culture Theory, symbolisk interaktionism och consumer empowerment.

Purpose The purpose of the thesis is to present, analyse and verify a self-constructed strategic retail model, consisting of four constituents: product, service, positioning and technology. Each constituent represents a focal area, which forms a basis for discussing and interpreting factors and challenges connected to the future of retailing. Additionally, the thesis aims to examine the significance of the strategic retail model in regards to the future of retailing in a fashion context. Method The study is characterised by a qualitative nature, conducted with an abductive approach. The background has been rooted in reality, taking in account the digital revolution, the assumption that traditional marketing is dead and current retail trends. The problem discussion has been based in an academic approach where the concept of business models has been elaborated, along with a presentation of the traditional marketing mix and criticism of its changing nature. The empirical data collection has been conducted through nine interviews, seven face-to-face interviews and two online interviews. The strategic retail model has been verified through an empirical study and a second stage of literature review. Conclusion In a market where the consumer empowerment has fundamentally affected the retail environment, and traditional marketing has lost its former importance, the issue regarding the future of retailing remains. It could therefore be assumed that the significance of the strategic retail model is high. By managing each constituent and consistently strive to achieve an integration of the consumer focus in the strategic retail model, the four constituents and translated underlying consumer understanding is unified., Program: Master Programme in Fashion Management

Web 2.0 has empowered consumers to voice complaints with reduced costs (physical and psychological), and to share these with a multitude of other consumers on the Internet. As a public phenomenon, online complaints have a negative impact on consumers' evaluations of brands that are under attack in online complaints. By means of an experiment, we study the most effective means for companies to counter complaints as expressed in negative electronic word of mouth (NWOM). The results show that negative brand evaluations engendered by NWOM can be attenuated by webcare interventions dependent on type of strategy (proactive vs. reactive) and platform used (consumer-generated vs. brand-generated blog). This effect appeared to be mediated by conversational human voice. The findings are discussed in the light of practical implications for online complaint management.

Information technology is empowering consumers through the availability of information, interactivity of online communication tools, and the connectivity with others. The newly empowered consumer is a co-creator of brand communications and is rapidly developing a sense of co-ownership in brands. Consumers are increasingly imposing themselves on the marketing function leaving many practitioners perplexed and unsure about how to respond. This thesis reports on five studies conducted to address specific challenges to marketers. The proactive marketer needs to respond to the adjustment in the marketing equilibrium by initiating and sustaining a meaningful dialogue with the marketplace. It was found that to initiative online brand communications, bloggers and event sponsorship can be effective means, but both have specific requirements and sponsorship is subject to ambush marketing. Consumers may respond to brands by creating their own online brand content which has a source-effect on online advertising. As consumer's brand communications rely on their relationships with the brand, the use of brands as means of self-expression is investigated., Godkänd; 2009; 20091106 (pieste); DISPUTATION Ämnesområde: Industriell marknadsföring Opponent: Professor Victoria L. Crittenden, Boston Collage, Massachusetts, USA Ordförande: Esmail Salehi-Sangari, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Måndag 14 december, 2009, klockan 10:30 Plats: A109, Luleå tekniska universitet

This paper uses a case study methodology to explore the structure of consumer power in an Australian online brand community. It applies the factors of online consumer power developed by Denegri-Knott (2006) for the Internet to the increasingly important context of online brand communities. In doing so, factors such as control over the relatioship information, aggregation and participation are identified and descriptors modified for the online brand community. Characteristics of the online brand community suggested in the literature such as consciousness of kind, shared rituals and sense of responsibility are demonstrated in Haloforum and linked to consumer power. The findings help the practioners to understand more about the online brand community, which set up the foundation for relevant strategy development.

Det finns idag ett väldigt stort urval av återförsäljare som agerar på Internet och dessa kan vid en första anblick te sig väldigt svåra att överskåda för konsumenter inför ett köp. Prisjämförelsesajter finns därför som en konsumentguide som med sina sökfunktioner snabbt hjälper konsumenter att hitta återförsäljare med de billigaste priserna samt även tillhandahåller information om såväl produkter som återförsäljare. Uppsatsen syftar till att studera prisjämförelsesajternas roll i samspelet mellan återförsäljare och konsument på den Internetbaserade marknaden för hemelektronik. Den kvalitativa studien grundas på intervjuer med de två marknadsledande prisjämförelsesajterna, PriceRunner och Prisjakt, samt intervjuer med tre återförsäljare inom detta branschsegment, CDON, Expert och Kameraexperten. Intervjuerna analyseras med hjälp utav en analysmodell där vi kopplat samman flera olika marknadsföringsteorier. Det resultat vi kommit fram till visar på att det nätverk av återförsäljare och konsumenter som prisjämförelsesajterna tillhandahåller har lett till en ökad konsumentmakt men att detta inte behöver ses som negativt för återförsäljarna då dessa har stora konkurrensfördelar att vinna om de sköter sina kundrelationer på ett bra sätt.

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of brands, as well as the importance of the time-consuming and typically expensive activity of creating and managing brands. However, according to the open source perspective and consumer empowerment theory, consumers nowadays may promote their own authored brands (consumer-generated brands) as a side effect of the activities in which they engage. Nowadays, this topic gains even more importance due to the increasing relevance of social networks. By interviewing 10 professional and non-professional athletes who have created their own brands, this thesis investigates the non-traditional consumers’ brand creation process, in order to analyze and explain the motivation that lead them to create their own brands. Thus, this study provides new knowledge on why and how consumers generate their own brands, in order to gather some useful managerial implications., submitted by Andrea Maranelli, Masterarbeit University of Innsbruck 2020

Previous research has demonstrated the importance of brands, as well as the importance of the time-consuming and typically expensive activity of creating and managing brands. However, according to the open source perspective and consumer empowerment theory, consumers nowadays may promote their own authored brands (consumer-generated brands) as a side effect of the activities in which they engage. Nowadays, this topic gains even more importance due to the increasing relevance of social networks. By interviewing 10 professional and non-professional athletes who have created their own brands, this thesis investigates the non-traditional consumers’ brand creation process, in order to analyze and explain the motivation that lead them to create their own brands. Thus, this study provides new knowledge on why and how consumers generate their own brands, in order to gather some useful managerial implications., submitted by Andrea Maranelli, Masterarbeit University of Innsbruck 2020