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The study explores the moderating role of peer conformity on the relationship between self-concept, economic literacy, and e-money adoption with the consumptive behavior of university students, specifically those receiving the KIP Kuliah scholarship in Indonesia. Data were collected through an online survey of 328 students and analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results indicated that the relationship between self-concept and consumptive behavior, as well as e-money adoption and consumptive behavior, was significantly strengthened by peer conformity. However, the effect of economic literacy on consumptive behavior was not moderated by peer conformity. These findings suggest that while self-concept and e-money adoption are influenced by peer conformity, economic literacy operates independently of peer conformity. The importance of fostering economic literacy and a critical self-concept among students to mitigate the effects of peer pressure on consumption was highlighted in this research. The findings reveal that peer conformity strengthens the effect of self-concept and e-money adoption on consumptive behavior, but does not moderate the impact of economic literacy. The research highlights the need for fostering economic literacy and critical self-concept to reduce the influence of peer conformity on student consumption decisions. Further research should expand the scope beyond KIP Kuliah students to include a broader student population.

This study explored the motivational drivers that influence customers’ decisions to frequent physical fashion retail stores in South Africa, so as to be more competitive and customer-satisfaction driven in the face of challenges orchestrated by increased online shopping and the COVID-19 pandemic. The qualitative methodology followed an exploratory research design. Data were collected by conducting ten in-depth interviews analyzed by coding, categorization, and thematization. The findings of this study show that South African customers prefer to shop in-store due to tactile and sensory reasons, instant gratification, and social contact. Six themes were identified by analyzing the data: browsing, fitting, timeliness, therapy, socializing, and expectation. The insights gained from this study are of importance to academics, researchers, and retail administrators for deepening the understanding of why customers shop at physical fashion retail stores, and how improvement of customer experience and store attractiveness can be implemented within physical retail environments. Improving the identified motivation drivers should be attempted by fashion retailers in an effort to remain competitive, increase customer footfall and pivot on shifting customer preferences, given that it could increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the purchase intentions of male and female Muslim Gen Z in Indonesia toward halal cosmetics. A total of 434 female and 302 male respondents participated in the survey, and the data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) technique. The results indicated that religiosity significantly influenced attitudes and subjective norms of female respondents (β = 0.170, p = 0.000; β = 0.184, p = 0.000), and affected attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of males (β = 0.119, p = 0.014; β = 0.105, p = 0.092; β = 0.181, p = 0.002). Halal knowledge significantly affected attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and purchase intentions of females (β = 0.149, p = 0.004; β = 0.272, p = 0.000; β = 0.361, p = 0.000; β = 0.185, p = 0.001), whereas it affected attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of males (β = 0.202, p = 0.009; β = 0.370, p = 0.000; β = 0.367, p = 0.000). Halal certification also significantly influenced attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of females (β = 0.200, p = 0.000; β = 0.310, p = 0.000; β = 0.169, p = 0.009) and males (β = 0.124, p = 0.043; β = 0.305, p = 0.000; β = 0.189, p = 0.006). In conclusion, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are key determinants of the purchase intentions of both male and female Gen Z individuals regarding halal cosmetics.

Peer-to-peer recommender systems play a critical role in online shopping in Vietnam. This paper aims to identify the relationship between Recommendation Quality and Purchase Intention and the moderating effects of Attitude and Trust on this relationship. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used as a research method. The sample consisted of 365 respondents who frequently use recommender system when shopping online. Data were collected using non-probability sampling method. The questionnaire is delivered to online customers who frequently rely on peer-to-peer recommender systems to make a purchase decision. The results show that Recommendation Transparency, Recommendation Accuracy, Recommendation Novelty, and Recommendation Diversity are positively related to Recommendation Quality. Consequently, Recommendation Quality has a positive impact on Attitude, Trust, and Purchase Intention. Besides, Attitude has a positive impact on online Purchase Intention. Trust also has a positive impact on online Purchase Intention. Practical implications are proposed to improve the impacts of peer-to-peer recommender systems on online shopping.

The purpose of this study is to describe the role of Gapoktan through the Cooperative Farming Model in Karang Indah Village, Mandastana District, Barito District, Kuala Kalimantan. Describe the Gapoktan Karang Indah Program in advancing the community's economy, describing. Describe the impact of the Gapoktan program through cooperative farming. This type of research is qualitative research with a description approach. Research Instruments with Quantitative data through self-researchers (Human Instruments). Sources of data through interviews, observations and documentation. Qualitative data analysis consists of data reduction, data display and drawing conclusions. The validity of the data through triangulation. The results showed that (1) the Cooperative Farming Model plays a role in the management of rice entrepreneurs in expediting the distribution of rice commodities and encouraging the development of sustainable agricultural development. (2) The Gapoktan program in Karang Indah for rice farmers consists of socialization, partnership programs (government and private), and entrepreneurial agriculture-based training. (3) Gapoktan through the Cooperative Farming Model has a real impact on increasing rice farmer household income with the help of capital and financing. The use of the Cooperative Farming Model has a positive and significant impact in terms of the pattern of economic life of the Karang Indah village community.

The development of social media makes performance faster, more precise and accurate so that it can improve learning outcomes. The social media that is often used nowadays is Facebook. A person's learning outcomes can be seen from the level of success in studying subject matter which is expressed in the form of grades or report cards for each field of study after experiencing the teaching and learning process. In the national education system, the formulation of educational goals, both curricular goals and instructional goals. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of using Facebook on student learning outcomes in integrated social studies subjects at SMP Negeri 2 Satap Biluhu. This research uses a quantitative approach, using survey research methods. The data used is primary data obtained from distributing questionnaires to students at SMP Negeri 2 Satap Biluhu. WhereasThe population in this study was all 69 students at SMP Negeri 2 Satap Biluhu. The sample for this study was taken from the entire population, namely 69 people.The data analysis technique uses simple linear regression.The results of the research show that there is an influence of using Facebook on student learning outcomes in the eyesIntegrated Social Sciences Lessons at SMP Negeri 2 Satap Biluhu. The magnitude of the influence of Facebook use on student learning outcomes is 31.6%.

Technological developments are currently increasingly rapid from year to year, making technology the main resource in all aspects of life. In all aspects or jobs, humans require the availability of technology to complete each job efficiently. Moreover, currently online transactions use the internet, one of which is using the TikTok application, where in this application someone can carry out online transactions such as promotions, selling, purchasing goods and services. The aim of this research is to find out how much influence subjective norms, perceived ease, usefulness and complexity have on interest in using e-commerce-based AIS on the TikTok application, then acceptance using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) method. For the population in this study, researchers took students from the Uin Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang Accounting study program who had taken the Accounting Information Systems course and had used the Tiktok application several times. The sample in this study was 60 respondents and distributed questionnaires using random selection techniques without any engineering. Then the data is processed into an SPSS application and then the results of the processed data show that subjective norms, perceptions of ease, usefulness and complexity have a significant positive effect on the intention to use e-commerce based AIS on the TikTok application using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) method.

The study examined the impact of remittances on economic development in Nigeria between 1980 and 2020. ARDL (Auto-regressive Distributed Lag) is used in this study. An analysis of the unit root test was conducted in which variables such as gross domestic product per capita, gross fixed capital formation and as well as inflation, which is integrated with order zero I(0), and variables such as exchange rate, household consumption expenditure and remittances are integrated of order one I(1). In order to confirm the long-term relationships among the variables, the Co-integration bound test was used. Long-term relationships were confirmed between the variables. In addition, the study was free of serial correlations and stable. The study revealed that a positive relationship exists between remittances, gross fixed capital formation and household consumption expenditure to gross domestic product per capital (economic development) and a negative relationship between real exchange rate and gross domestic product per capital. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that remittances have a positive impact and are linked to economic development in the long run, and that remittances should be encouraged as an alternative means of financing investment.

This study aims to analyze the specialization of online shopping for college students using descriptive analysis techniques. The sample used is 195 respondents using the total sampling technique. The student learned many things about economics and business. With e-commerce, this should be an opportunity to apply what has been learned in practice. These students can start by opening an online business. But they prefer to use e-commerce to buy specific items rather than sell products. The results showed that the categorization of student specialization (1) based on the device used to access e-commerce applications was a smartphone (android) as much as 84.10%; (2) by product category is fashion 45.64%; (3) the intensity of shopping frequency not less than three times a month is 51.79%; (4) based on the monthly budget in online shopping is less than one hundred thousand rupiahs is as much as 56.92%; (5) frequently used application is Shopee 72.31%, and (6) payment transaction system using Cash on Delivery (COD) as much as 72.31%.

Cyfryzacja przedsiębiorstw jest jedną z najbardziej dynamicznych zmian, jakie zachodzą w obecnych czasach. Z jednej strony otwiera ona nowe możliwości w tworzeniu modeli biznesowych, które mogą przełożyć się na wzrost konkurencyjności poszczególnych firm, jednak z drugiej strony niesie ze sobą pewne wyzwania, na przykład w postaci pojawiających się trudności w procesie poszukiwania pracowników o odpowiednich kompetencjach. Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja kluczowych kompetencji pracowników w dobie transformacji cyfrowej przedsiębiorstw na przykładzie województwa podkarpackiego. W publikacji zastosowano triangulację metod badawczych na podstawie krytycznej analizy piśmiennictwa, badań jakościowych oraz ilościowych. Przeprowadzona analiza pokazuje, że do najważniejszych kluczowych kompetencji należą m.in. kreatywność oraz umiejętności komunikacji.

The purpose of the study was to analyse the current economic problems in the energy sector of Kosovo and to develop effective strategies to overcome them, in particular ways to minimise losses and increase the stability of the energy system, as well as to study opportunities for ensuring the country’s long-term development and energy security. The main focus was on the economic impact of implementing international energy standards, particularly European ones, within Kosovo’s national policy and development strategy. The analysis emphasised the financial benefits and challenges associated with aligning the country’s energy sector with EU directives, especially those related to renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. Key areas of the study included the economic potential of enhancing energy security, promoting renewable energy development, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Additionally, the study evaluated the economic implications of these reforms on Kosovo’s energy market and overall economic growth trajectory. The study also included an economic analysis that assessed possible economic losses associated with the transition to renewable energy sources. Risks were considered, including job losses in traditional energy sectors such as coal and the significant financial costs required to upgrade infrastructure. However, the study found that the long-term benefits of a green energy transition, including increased energy security, reduced dependence on energy imports and improved environmental conditions, outweigh the short-term economic costs. The results showed that although the economic transition is accompanied by significant financial costs, the long-term benefits, such as increased energy security and reduced emissions, are substantial. The study highlights the importance of further reforms and investments to ensure the sustainable development of Kosovo’s energy sector, as well as the country’s integration into the European energy environment

Innovative development is one of the key factors in a company’s competitiveness. Ensuring a higher level of development and utilisation of the latest company technology is important and therefore the search for new methods is relevant. The study aimed to describe the current trends in digital business transformation in Georgia. The study analysed many different types of statistics describing both the state of digitalisation and innovative technologies in the country and the current describing the state of entrepreneurship. Based on the analysis, the study concluded that the situation with digital transformation in Georgia is improving, which correlates with the direction of development of enterprises. In Georgia, the government actively supports digital transformation through various initiatives aimed at developing digital infrastructure and offering e-services. This is evident in the level of existing projects in this area and the pace of change in the development of enterprises in the field of digitalisation. However, it is found that while the number of research and development institutions in the nation is rising, the expenditures (adjusted for inflation) are falling. New fintech businesses are starting to appear, providing cutting-edge services for online financing. Due to a mix of public policies, private funding, and international collaboration, Georgia is becoming progressively more digital. Nevertheless, the country needs to accelerate the pace of development of this area in companies, which indicates the need for more active stimulation of this area by the state. The findings of this study can be used to formulate both the company’s long-term development strategy and to create a state policy in this area

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has become a key source of economic growth for the Balkan countries, offering vital funding for development initiatives. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the dynamics of FDI in Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro from 2000 to 2023. An econometric model was used to conduct the research, namely, the relationship between FDI and economic growth in the region was analysed. A multiple regression model was developed that includes gross domestic product growth as the dependent variable. It was established that significant fluctuations in the rates of economic growth are characteristic of all three countries during this period. Serbia has shown particular resilience, with positive growth rates prevailing in most years. Key sectors attracting FDI were also identified, including services, manufacturing, automotive, IT, agriculture, energy and tourism. The obtained results emphasised the importance of reforms aimed at business development, infrastructure development and regional integration, especially with the EU, as critical factors in attracting FDI. In addition, diversification of FDI sources was emphasised with increased investments from China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, which complement traditional investors from the EU. More than 60% of foreign investment in Serbia has been found to be concentrated in the services sector, while North Macedonia has successfully attracted investment in high value-added industries such as information technology and engineering. These findings are consistent with established economic theories about the impact of FDI on growth, while providing specific insights into the Balkan context. It found that a 1% increase in FDI was associated with a 0.3-0.5% increase in gross domestic product in the Balkan countries studied. The obtained results can become the basis for future political decisions and investment strategies in the region

The online education market has experienced tremendous growth, creating a competitive landscape where effective marketing solutions are crucial for success. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool, offering innovative ways to enhance product marketing strategy. The purpose of the article was to highlight the integration of artificial intelligence into marketing product strategies in the online education market and to evaluate the chances of success for launching a new training course implemented through AI algorithms. A systematic review of advanced technologies and products in the AI market was carried out, along with a comparative analysis based on data from various authors and reports from organisations, considering the aspects of interpreting qualitative and quantitative market characteristics. Leaders in the global and Ukrainian online education market were analysed, and research was conducted on the marketing product strategy measures of successful players, indicating qualitative and quantitative data using SimilarWeb and Semrush online services. These results allowed for an analysis of the connection between the identified market segments and influencing factors to make practical recommendations for improving elements of marketing based on the identified issues of products and the online education market. To demonstrate the relevance and effectiveness of the proposals, an approach was applied to test if a product with enhanced AI marketing would fit into the market using the example of the Projector Institute company. The assessment obtained from the calculations showed that AI can strengthen the marketing of online education products, as they will fully meet the interests of interested economic counterparts. The results of the study could be used by marketing, AI experts, product experts, business owners in marketing, etc. to enhance marketing solutions

In Ukraine, there are imbalances between the specialities of graduates of higher education institutions and the needs of the market, so the issue of studying the possibilities of state influence on increasing the popularity of strategically necessary professions for the development of the country through the state-commissioned education is relevant. The purpose of the study was to determine how changes in the volume of state orders affect the choice of professions and competitive scores, and to develop recommendations for optimising the national policy in the field of financing specialities important for the country’s economic development. Clustering of specialities by the number of applicants enrolled for training was carried out, trends in changes in clusters in dynamics for 2018-2023 were considered, forecast models for changes in the number of applicants for each of the clusters were constructed, and correlation dependencies were determined on the impact of changes in the volume of state orders on attracting capable applicants to the speciality. The results of clustering, the visualisation of which is carried out using graphical methods, to a certain extent determine the popularity of the relevant professions and specialisations among applicants, including the level of sensitivity of the choice of applicants to the influence of external factors. It was determined that fluctuations in the number of applicants in small specialities occur within 1% despite significant changes in the share of state-funded places financed by budgetary funds, but in the cluster of specialities with a large number of applicants, such fluctuations are within 10%. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using the constructed models for each speciality to determine their sensitivity to the impact of changes in the amount of funding for state-commissioned education, which would optimise the distribution of financial resources for training specialists for sectors of the economy

In the context of war and economic instability, social enterprises in Ukraine face numerous challenges, including limited resources and the need for a special approach in the human resources area. These factors make an effective system of employee adaptation crucial for ensuring the stability and sustainable growth of such enterprises. The article aimed to study and analyse the main tools and approaches for assessing the effectiveness of the staff adaptation system in the context of social enterprises. To achieve this goal, the methods of analysis, synthesis and content analysis were used to systematise existing scientific data. The study found that well-organised staff adaptation system helps to reduce staff turnover, increase productivity and engage employees in the social mission of the enterprise. The analysis of scientific works has identified the key factors of successful personnel adaptation under martial law, as well as the main challenges and risks faced by newcomers. The essence of assessing the effectiveness of the adaptation system is revealed, the priority criteria and tools for its evaluation, their advantages and risks are identified. The need for regular assessment of the socio-psychological climate and the level of professional training was justified. The most priority criteria and tools for assessing the effectiveness of the staff adaptation system are highlighted. The objective and subjective results of the assessment are considered, on the basis of which recommendations to improve the adaptation processes in enterprises are developed. The practical value of the study lies in the development of specific recommendations for assessing and optimising adaptation processes in social enterprises, ensuring their stability and success even in conditions of war and limited resources; the results of the study can be used in business opera-tions, particularly in social enterprises of various ownership forms, to improve the efficiency of decisions in the human resources area

This study aimed to explore the potential of different supply channels in the restaurant industry, with a focus on optimizing direct supply using advanced technologies. By applying economic and statistical methods, the research analyses the role of large distributors and wholesalers in the United States food supply chain. While these supply chain participants support restaurant and manufacturer operations, they can also increase costs, reduce marketing and logistics control, and hinder the development of customer relationships. Direct supply presents significant advantages, such as improved brand loyalty, higher profit retention, and access to high-quality products. However, its growth is constrained by challenges like high marketing expenses and the implementation of same-day delivery. These costs include investments in advertising, technology platforms, CRM systems, and staff remuneration. Key obstacles to same-day delivery include staff shortages (especially drivers), high delivery costs, and inefficient logistics. The study suggests that technological solutions, including the development of direct access networks, automated promotional tools, and logistics infrastructure, can help mitigate these challenges. The Sample Box Marathon and Rgand Prime Fulfilment platforms are analysed as practical solutions that reduce costs and improve profitability. The findings of this research can provide valuable insights for producers and restaurants looking to optimize their supply chain operation

The article aimed to analyse the influence of psychological factors on the investment decision-making process, which shapes the economic behaviour of investors in Ukraine. The research involved surveys and experimental tasks conducted among investors, with the data analysed using statistical methods to identify the impact of psychological factors on investment decisions. Fear and greed have been found to be most significant emotions affecting investment decisions, whereas fear leads to excessive caution and risk avoidance. In contrast, greed drives investors to take on excessive risks. Overconfidence in one’s knowledge and skills results in an overestimation of opportunities and an increased risk of losses, while confirmation bias leads investors to seek information that supports their previous decisions, ignoring conflicting data. Expert opinions and group behaviour significantly influence investment decisions, particularly under conditions of uncertainty, often resulting in herd behaviour and the formation of economic bubbles. The experimental tasks demonstrated that investors frequently make irrational decisions under the influence of emotions and cognitive biases, even when they can access complete information about risks and opportunities. The survey results also indicated that investors with higher levels of financial literacy are less susceptible to the influence of emotions and cognitive biases, highlighting the importance of financial education in improving the quality of investment decisions. These findings illustrate how psychological factors can distort the investment decision-making process and underscore the necessity of considering these factors when developing investment strategies

The purpose of the study was to compare the pricing of physiotherapy treatment in various countries of the world. A comparative analysis of the cost of physiotherapy was conducted in the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland, Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia. The cost of physiotherapy was calculated considering 10 sessions per course of treatment in each clinic. The study determined that the cost of physiotherapy and massage varied substantially depending on the region and the medical institution. In the London clinic, the cost of 10 sessions of physiotherapy ranges from USD 721.62 to USD 1,818.49, depending on the duration of the procedures, and 10 massage sessions – from USD 787.23 to USD 1,115.24. In Switzerland, the same 45-minute course of physiotherapy costs USD 1,150, and an hour-long massage – USD 1,100. Financial costs for these procedures are substantially lower in Slovenia and Indonesia. In a Slovenian clinic, a course of 10 sessions of physiotherapy costs from USD 331.1 to USD 551.83, and massage – from USD 364.21 to USD 540.79. In Indonesia, the same course of physiotherapy is offered for USD 590.21-780.95, and massage – for USD 394.75-592.12. The cost of physiotherapy and massage procedures was directly related to the level of life and economic conditions in the country. In the United Kingdom and Switzerland, high health costs are explained by a high level of life and a developed medical infrastructure, while in Slovenia and Indonesia, services are more accessible to the public. Based on this, the most economically profitable solution for physiotherapy and massage is the introduction of batch sessions, which reduces the cost per session overall. In addition, financial costs are reduced due to reduced time for the procedure and the use of telemedicine during the rehabilitation session. This study helps to assess the pricing of physiotherapy procedures and further optimise national schemes with the formation of the most financially effective programmes

The rapid retail development has led to increasingly fierce competition, and micro retail businesses need innovation to survive and thrive. Retail innovation is reflected in the quality of consumers’ behavior in making purchase decisions. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the role of retail behavior quality as an intervening variable on merchandise offer and store image on consumers’ loyalty in micro retail businesses. In this study, the confirmatory and explanatory methods were used, and it was conducted in Jember Regency, East Java, Indonesia with a sample size of 306 consumers of micro retail businesses. Moreover, the data were obtained through a questionnaire, and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling analysis was used to determine the direct and indirect effects. The results showed that merchandise offer had a positive and significant effect on consumers loyalty both directly and indirectly through retail behavior quality with total effect of 50.4%. Store image had no significant direct effect on consumers loyalty. However, it had a positive and significant direct effect on consumers through retail behavior quality with total effect of 22%. In this context, retail behavior quality played an important role in increasing consumers’ loyalty to micro retail businesses. These results contributed to improved retail quality behavior oriented towards transparency in quality of goods, employee attitudes, in-store environment, product arrangement, and established good relationships with consumers to maintain loyalty. AcknowledgmentThe authors are grateful to the Muhammadiyah University of Jember for funding thisresearch.

This paper proposes a new value for retail store salespersons in response to the low productivity of the Japanese retail industry compared with that of the United States. The new value is innovation by retail store salespersons. Green Label Relaxing of United Arrows LTD., a Japanese apparel retailer, has launched a co-creation project on the basis of the ideas of store salespersons, who are the lead users inside a company, achieving effective results. First, the background of the introduction of the co-creation project, its outline, and its new products are explained. Next, the factors that enable store salespersons to contribute to innovation and a comparison of the results of the co-creation project with those of ordinary planning and development are explained. Finally, the factors that make the co-creation project successful are summarized in two points. First, by soliciting ideas from the public, salespersons who have high lead userness and can integrate their needs with customer needs can become involved. This high level of lead userness leads to better market results and greater evaluations of ideas. Second, the co-creation project functions effectively because of co-creation with the product development department in the co-creation project and the increase in motivation. This co-creation project leads to a greater evaluation of market outcomes and ideas.

An increasing number of brands have been redesigning their logos. While the manner of redesigning varies, some brands change only the logo color. This study examined the effect of changes in color saturation while brand logo redesigns on consumers’ brand attitudes. Saturation, which indicates the vividness of a color, gives consumers an impression of energy and dynamism. Therefore, we examined the impact of changes in brand logo color saturation on brand attitudes by enhancing perceptions of brand energy. Three studies revealed that 1) a highly saturated logo enhances consumers’ perception of brand energy; 2) increasing saturation when changing the logo color increases brand energy perception, which in turn increases attitude toward the brand; and 3) the effect of brand energy perception on attitude toward the brand is stronger for international brands than for domestic brands. This study, which clarified the relationship between the influence of saturation and brand attitude when a brand logo is redesigned, provides many suggestions for companies considering logo redesign.

The increasing global competitiveness of university admissions has propelled the need to understand the critical factors underlying students’ loyalty. Although extensive research has been conducted on student loyalty, it focuses predominantly on student-centric activities, targeting only inward-looking measures aimed at students. In the corporate context, employees are considered the “second audience” for external marketing promotions, and the impact of these promotions on employee job satisfaction has been well researched. However, in the university context, little is known about how external policies affect student loyalty. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the influence of both inward- and outward-looking activities on student loyalty in Japanese universities. An online survey was conducted for 1,000 Japanese university students. The results of applying structural equation modeling to the survey data confirm the positive effect of inward-looking measures on student loyalty. Significant effects were found for lectures (β = 0.670, p-value < 0.000) and job hunting (β = 0.250, p-value < 0.000), while campuses also showed a positive effect (β = 0.148, p-value = 0.039). Among outward-looking measures, only celebrity endorsements contributed positively to loyalty (β = 0.136, p-value = 0.026), while sports and digital channel promotions had negative effects, contrary to expectations. This may be attributed to the reliance of sports on wins and losses and digital channel promotions often inducing feelings of envy when students observe others’ successes. Therefore, when university policymakers implement measures to strengthen their external brands, they must consider their impact on enrolled students.

The growing dominance of social media as a marketing platform underscores the importance of understanding how influencer credibility affects consumer behavior. Social media influencers, through effective personal branding and content creation, form strong connections with their followers, significantly impacting their audience’s perceptions, attitudes, and purchasing decisions. This study explores the effects of social media influencers’ source credibility, comprising trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness, on consumers’ purchase intentions and behaviors regarding beauty products in Vietnam. A quantitative approach was utilized, with data collected from 269 Vietnamese consumers through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results showed that all three components of source credibility, including trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness, significantly and positively influenced consumers’ purchase intentions for beauty products. Among these factors, expertise had the strongest effect on purchase intention (β = 0.289, p < 0.001), followed by trustworthiness (β = 0.216, p = 0.001), and attractiveness had the weakest influence on purchase intention (β = 0.195, p < 0.001). Moreover, purchase intention was found to have a significant positive impact on purchase behavior (β = 0.545, p = 0.004). These findings provide valuable insights for marketing managers and companies seeking to optimize their influencer partnerships by selecting influencers whose credibility aligns with their brand values and leveraging their expertise to build consumer trust, drive engagement, and influence purchase decisions. AcknowledgementThe researchers express sincere gratitude to all the participants who participate in this research study.

Sport events of various scales are becoming increasingly popular in modern society, attracting diverse audiences and offering significant entertainment value. This study aims to explore the factors that influence spectators’ intention to attend the stadium, by extending theory of planned behavior model from the perspective of perceived value. Using a quantitative research approach, the study involved a sample size of 334 spectators surveyed from the 2023 Vietnam Student Football Championship and utilized Smart PLS version 4.0 for data analysis. The results indicated that perceived enjoyment significantly affects both attitude (β = 0.358, p = 0.000) and perceived value (β = 0.712, p = 0.000). Perceived fee negatively affects attitude (β = –0.084, p = 0.025) and perceived value (β = –0.068, p = 0.047). Perceived risk negatively affects attitude (β = –0.130, p = 0.001) but does not significantly affect perceived value. Attitude positively influences intention (β = 0.227, p = 0.000), and perceived value significantly influences both attitude (β = 0.293, p = 0.000) and intention (β = 0.437, p = 0.000). Team identification moderates the relationship between attitude and intention (β = 0.128, p = 0.010). The findings highlight the importance of enhancing perceived value to positively shape spectators’ attitude and intention, thereby increasing attendance at sport events.

Purpose – Based on relationship marketing theory, this study aims to test the effect of social customer relationship management (social CRM) on customer satisfaction (CS) and loyalty (CL). Design/methodology/approach – To assess the proposed framework, structural equation modeling was performed on the data of 314 automotive customers surveyed online. Findings – Social CRM dimensions [traditional CRM (TCRM) and social media (SM) technology use] have a direct and positive effect on CS. On the other hand, only TCRM has a direct and significant influence on CL, while the SM technology use effect seems to be indirect rather than direct. Indeed, the findings have provided empirical support for the contention that CS plays a mediating role between social CRM dimensions and CL. Practical implications – In the automotive sector and developing countries in particular, companies’ managers could increase CS and CL and consequently enhance their competitiveness and market share by adopting an effective social CRM strategy. From this perspective, companies should focus their social CRM campaigns on the most SM used by customers, offer personalized choices and improve customer experience, interaction and value co-creation. Originality/value – This paper enriches the understanding of how social CRM can affect CS and CL. The scales of social CRM, CS and CL were validated in the context of developing countries and the automotive sector. Furthermore, the direct and mediating effect of CS between social CRM (TCRM and SM) and CL was also confirmed. Objetivo – Basándose en la teoría del marketing relacional, este estudio pretende comprobar el efecto de la gestión social de las relaciones con los clientes (CRM social) sobre la satisfacción y la fidelidad de los clientes. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – Para evaluar el marco propuesto, se realizó un modelado de ecuaciones estructurales sobre los datos de 314 clientes de automoción encuestados online. Resultados – Las dimensiones del CRM social (CRM tradicional y uso de tecnología de medios sociales) tienen un efecto directo y positivo en la satisfacción del cliente. Por otro lado, solamente el CRM tradicional tiene una influencia directa y significativa en la fidelidad del cliente, mientras que el efecto del uso de la tecnología de medios sociales parece ser más indirecto que directo. De hecho, los resultados han proporcionado apoyo empírico a la afirmación de que la satisfacción del cliente desempeña un papel mediador entre las dimensiones del CRM social y la fidelidad del cliente. Valor – Este artículo enriquece la comprensión de cómo el CRM social puede afectar a la satisfacción y la fidelidad de los clientes. Las escalas de CRM social, satisfacción del cliente y fidelidad del cliente se validaron en el contexto de países en vías de desarrollo y del sector automovilístico. Además, también se confirmó el efecto directo y mediador de la satisfacción del cliente entre el CRM social (CRM tradicional y medios sociales) y la fidelidad del cliente. Implicaciones prácticas – En el sector de la automoción y en los países en desarrollo en particular, los directivos de las empresas podrían aumentar la satisfacción y fidelidad de sus clientes y, en consecuencia, mejorar su competitividad y cuota de mercado adoptando una estrategia eficaz de CRM social. Desde esta perspectiva, las empresas deberían centrar sus campañas de CRM social en los medios más utilizados por los clientes, ofrecer opciones personalizadas y mejorar la experiencia del cliente, la interacción y la cocreación de valor. 目的 – 基于关系营销理论, 本研究旨在检验社会化客户关系管理（social CRM）对客户满意度和忠诚度的影响。 设计/方法/途径 – 为评估所提出的框架, 对 314 名汽车客户的在线调查数据进行了结构方程建模。 研究结果 – 社交客户关系管理维度（传统客户关系管理和社交媒体技术使用）对客户满意度有直接的积极影响。另一方面, 只有传统客户关系管理对客户忠诚度有直接和显著的影响, 而社交媒体技术使用的影响似乎是间接而非直接的。事实上, 研究结果为客户满意度在社交客户关系管理维度和客户忠诚度之间发挥中介作用的论点提供了实证支持。 原创性/价值 – 本文丰富了人们对社交客户关系管理如何影响客户满意度和忠诚度的认识。本文以发展中国家和汽车行业为背景, 对社会化客户关系管理、客户满意度和客户忠诚度的量表进行了验证。此外, 还证实了客户满意度在社会化客户关系管理（传统客户关系管理和社会化媒体）与客户忠诚度之间的直接和中介效应。 实践意义–在汽车行业 – 尤其是发展中国家, 企业管理者可以通过采取有效的社交客户关系管理战略, 提高客户满意度和忠诚度, 进而增强竞争力和市场份额。从这个角度来看, 企业应将社交客户关系管理活动的重点放在客户使用最多的社交媒体上, 提供个性化选择, 改善客户体验、互动和价值共创。

Purpose – Hotels offer high-quality guest experiences to positively impact their emotions, satisfaction, perceived value, word-of-mouth (WOM) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This study aims to investigate the impacts of the quality perceived by hotel guests on their positive emotions, negative emotions, perceived value and satisfaction; verify the impacts of the price on perceived value and satisfaction; examine the impacts of satisfaction on WOM and eWOM; and test the moderating effect of hotel guests’ behavioural engagement on social networking sites (HGBE-SNS) on the relationship between satisfaction and eWOM. Design/methodology/approach – This survey included 371 guests who assessed their experiences at three Brazilian hotels. Structural equation modelling tested the hypothetical model supported by the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974). Findings – The quality perceived by hotel guests (stimulus) positively impacts perceived value, positive emotions and satisfaction and negatively affects negative emotions (organism). Price (stimulus) negatively impacts perceived value but does not affect satisfaction. Perceived value positively impacts satisfaction. Satisfaction positively impacts WOM and eWOM (responses). The HGBE-SNS moderates the relationship between satisfaction and eWOM. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first that simultaneously demonstrates the relationships between perceived quality, price, perceived value, positive and negative emotions, satisfaction, WOM, eWOM and HGBE-SNS. Hotels must offer their guests high-quality services to positively impact’ perceived value, positive emotions, satisfaction and WOM. Low prices boost the perceived value but do not directly increase guest satisfaction. Satisfied hotel guests share their experiences via WOM, but high HGBE-SNS is crucial to boost eWOM. Objetivo – Los hoteles ofrecen experiencias de alta calidad a sus huéspedes para influir positivamente en sus emociones, satisfacción, valor percibido, boca a boca (WOM) y boca a boca electrónico (eWOM). Este estudio tiene como objetivo a) investigar el impacto de la calidad percibida por los huéspedes del hotel en sus emociones positivas, emociones negativas, valor percibido y satisfacción; b) verificar el impacto del precio en el valor percibido y la satisfacción; c) examinar el impacto de la satisfacción en el WOM y eWOM; d) probar el efecto moderador del compromiso conductual de los huéspedes del hotel en las redes sociales (HGBE-SNS) en la relación entre satisfacción y eWOM. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – En esta encuesta participaron 371 huéspedes que evaluaron sus experiencias en tres hoteles brasileños. La modelización de ecuaciones estructurales puso a prueba el modelo hipotético apoyado en la teoría estímulo-organismo-respuesta (S-O-R) (Mehrabian y Russell, 1974). Resultados – La calidad percibida por los clientes del hotel (estímulo) influye positivamente en el valor percibido, las emociones positivas y la satisfacción, y negativamente en las emociones negativas (organismo). El precio (estímulo) afecta negativamente al valor percibido, pero no a la satisfacción. El valor percibido afecta positivamente a la satisfacción. La satisfacción afecta positivamente al WOM y al eWOM (respuestas). El HGBE-SNS modera la relación entre satisfacción y eWOM. Originalidad/valor – Este estudio es el primero que demuestra simultáneamente las relaciones entre calidad percibida, precio, valor percibido, emociones positivas y negativas, satisfacción, WOM, eWOM y HGBE-SNS. Los hoteles deben ofrecer a sus clientes servicios de alta calidad para influir positivamente en el valor percibido, las emociones positivas, la satisfacción y el WOM. Los precios bajos aumentan el valor percibido pero no incrementan directamente la satisfacción de los huéspedes. Los huéspedes satisfechos comparten sus experiencias a través del WOM, pero un alto nivel de HGBE-SNS es crucial para impulsar el eWOM. 目的 – 酒店提供高质量的宾客体验, 对宾客的情绪、满意度、感知价值、口碑（WOM）和电子口碑（eWOM）产生积极影响。本研究旨在 a) 调查酒店客人感知到的质量对其积极情绪、消极情绪、感知价值和满意度的影响; b) 验证价格对感知价值和满意度的影响; c) 检验满意度对 WOM 和电子口碑的影响; d) 检验酒店客人在社交网站上的行为参与（HGBE-SNS）对满意度和电子口碑之间关系的调节作用。 设计 – 本次调查包括 371 位客人, 他们对自己在巴西三家酒店的入住体验进行了评估。结构方程模型检验了由刺激-组织-反应（S-O-R）理论（Mehrabian 和 Russell, 1974 年）支持的假设模型。 研究结果 – 酒店客人感知到的质量（刺激因素）对感知价值、积极情绪和满意度有积极影响, 而对消极情绪（有机体）有消极影响。价格（刺激因素）对感知价值有负面影响, 但不影响满意度。感知价值对满意度有积极影响。满意度对 WOM 和 eWOM（反应）产生积极影响。HGBE-SNS 可调节满意度与网络口碑之间的关系。 原创性/价值 – 本研究首次同时展示了感知质量、价格、感知价值、积极和消极情绪、满意度、WOM、eWOM 和 HGBE-SNS 之间的关系。酒店必须为客人提供高质量的服务, 才能对 “感知价值"、"积极情绪"、"满意度 “和 “WOM “产生积极影响。低价会提升感知价值, 但不会直接提高客人满意度。满意的酒店客人会通过 WOM 分享他们的体验, 但高 HGBE-SNS 对促进 eWOM 至关重要。

Purpose – Grounded on brand equity theory and theory of patronage behavior, this study aims to investigate the moderating effect of consumer involvement and shopping situations in the relationship between consumer-based retailer equity (CBRE) and retail patronage behavior. Design/methodology/approach – The data is collected through a self-administered survey of 338 shoppers in the three biggest shopping centers in Pakistan. Moreover, the data is analyzed through multi-nominal (multiple) regression and interactions analysis. Findings – Results revealed a significant effect of CBRE on patronage behavior and confirmed shopping purpose as a boundary condition in the CBRE-retail patronage behavior relationship. However, the study surprisingly reported that this relationship is not moderated by consumers’ involvement. Research limitations/implications – Considering our focus on CBRE-based retail patronage behavior, the authors contribute to extant marketing/retailing literature that also yields ample openings for further research. The study offers valuable implications for retailers, especially for evaluating consumers’ behaviors. Practical implications – This study assists retail-brand managers in best comprehending the CBRE-based patronage behavior paves the way for managers to increase retail patronage behavior. Originality/value – Regardless of the growing comprehension of consumer-based brand equity and patronage behavior in marketing, more needs to be acknowledged about the relationship between CBRE/retail patronage behavior and related variables, as thus examined in this research. Objetivo – Basado en la teoría del valor de marca y la teoría del comportamiento de patrocinio, este estudio investiga el efecto moderador de la implicación del consumidor y las situaciones de compra en la relación entre el valor del minorista basado en el consumidor (CBRE) y el comportamiento de patrocinio minorista. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – Los datos se recogen mediante una encuesta autoadministrada a 338 compradores en los tres mayores centros comerciales de Pakistán. Además, los datos se analizan mediante regresión multinominal (múltiple) y análisis de interacciones. Resultados – Los resultados revelaron un efecto significativo del CBRE en el comportamiento de patrocinio y confirmaron el propósito de compra como una condición límite en la relación CBRE-comportamiento de patrocinio minorista. Sin embargo, el estudio informó sorprendentemente de que esta relación no está moderada por la implicación de los consumidores. Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación – Teniendo en cuenta que nos centramos en el comportamiento de patrocinio minorista basado en el CBRE, contribuimos a la literatura existente sobre marketing/minoristas que también ofrece amplias posibilidades para futuras investigaciones. El estudio ofrece valiosas implicaciones para los minoristas, especialmente para evaluar los comportamientos de los consumidores. Implicaciones prácticas – El presente estudio ayuda a los gestores de marcas minoristas a comprender mejor el comportamiento de patrocinio basado en la CBRE y allana el camino para que los gestores aumenten el comportamiento de patrocinio minorista. Originalidad – A pesar de la creciente comprensión de la equidad de marca basada en el consumidor y el comportamiento de patrocinio en marketing, es necesario reconocer más sobre la relación entre el comportamiento de patrocinio basado en la CBRE y las variables relacionadas, como se examinó en esta investigación. 目的 – 本研究以品牌资产理论和顾客行为理论为基础, 探讨了消费者参与和购物情境在基于消费者的零售商资产（CBRE）与零售顾客行为之间关系中的调节作用。 设计/方法/途径 – 数据是通过对巴基斯坦三大购物中心的 338 名购物者进行自填式调查收集的。此外, 还通过多项式（多元）回归和交互分析对数据进行了分析。 研究结果 – 结果表明, CBRE 对顾客光顾行为有显著影响, 并证实购物目的是 CBRE 与零售顾客光顾行为关系的边界条件。然而, 令人惊讶的是, 研究报告称这种关系并没有受到消费者参与度的调节。 研究局限/启示 – 考虑到我们对基于 CBRE 的零售顾客行为的关注, 我们为现有的市场营销/零售文献做出了贡献, 同时也为进一步研究提供了广阔的空间。本研究为零售商提供了宝贵的启示, 尤其是在评估消费者行为方面。 实践意义 – 本研究有助于零售品牌管理者更好地理解基于 CBRE 的顾客行为, 为管理者提高零售顾客行为铺平了道路。 原创性/价值 – 尽管市场营销中对基于消费者的品牌资产和顾客行为的理解不断加深, 但仍需进一步认识 CBRE/零售顾客行为与相关变量之间的关系, 正如本研究中所探讨的那样。

Purpose – Integrating the theory of consumption value into the stimulus-organism-response framework, this study aims to analyse the influence of external and internal factors on the customers’ perceptions of utilitarian, hedonic, social and epistemic values as drivers of the overall perceived value and customers’ continuance use of mobile banking (m-banking). Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was conducted with 252 actual m-banking users, and the partial least squares structural equations modelling was applied to analyse the data. Findings – The results reveal that ubiquity and gamification positively influence the perceived usefulness and entertainment, that is the utilitarian and hedonic perceived values. Furthermore, users’ self-congruence and innovativeness affect subjective norms and novelty-seeking, representing social and epistemic values. Except for the hedonic value, each value element impacts the overall perceived value, which in turn incites clients’ intention to continue using m-banking services. Originality/value – By exploring the simultaneous effect of service-related and personal factors (stimuli) on different elements of perceived value (organism), this study contributes to the existing knowledge of consumption reactions (response) in the context of m-banking. The research of the Macedonian m-banking offers a closer insight into Western Balkan mobile commerce. Objetivo – Integrando la Teoría del Valor de Consumo (TCV) en el marco Estímulo-Organismo-Respuesta (S-O-R), este estudio pretende analizar la influencia de factores externos e internos en las percepciones de valor utilitario, hedónico, social y epistémico de los clientes, como impulsores del valor percibido global y del uso continuado del m-banking por parte de los clientes. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – Se realizó una encuesta en línea a 252 usuarios reales de banca móvil y se aplicó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales por mínimos cuadrados parciales (PLS-SEM) para analizar los datos. Resultados – Los resultados revelan que la ubicuidad y la gamificación influyen positivamente en la utilidad y el entretenimiento percibidos, es decir, en los valores utilitarios y hedónicos percibidos. Además, la autocongruencia y la capacidad de innovación de los usuarios afectan a las normas subjetivas y a la búsqueda de novedades, que representan el valor social y epistémico. A excepción del valor hedónico, cada elemento de valor influye en el valor percibido global, que a su vez incita a los clientes a seguir utilizando los servicios de banca móvil. Originalidad – Al explorar el efecto simultáneo de factores personales y relacionados con el servicio (estímulos) sobre diferentes elementos del valor percibido (organismo), contribuimos al conocimiento existente sobre las reacciones de consumo (respuesta) en el contexto del m-banking. La investigación del m-banking macedonio ofrece una visión más cercana del comercio móvil de los Balcanes Occidentales. 目的 – 本研究将消费价值理论（TCV）纳入刺激-组织-反应（S-O-R）框架, 旨在分析外部和内部因素对客户感知功利价值、享乐价值、社会价值和认识价值的影响, 这些因素是客户整体感知价值和持续使用移动银行的驱动因素。 方法 – 对 252 名实际移动银行用户进行了在线调查, 并采用偏最小二乘法结构方程模型（PLS-SEM）分析数据。 研究结果 – 结果表明, 普遍性和游戏化对用户的有用性和娱乐性感知, 即功利性和享乐性感知价值有积极影响。此外, 用户的自我一致性和创新性也会影响主观规范和新奇寻求, 这代表了社会价值和认识价值。除享乐价值外, 每个价值要素都会影响整体感知价值, 进而激发客户继续使用移动银行服务的意愿。 独创性 – 通过探索服务相关因素和个人因素（刺激）对感知价值不同要素（有机体）的同时影响, 我们为现有的有关移动银行背景下消费反应（响应）的知识做出了贡献。通过对马其顿移动银行的研究, 我们可以更深入地了解西巴尔干移动商务。

Purpose – The aim of this study is to assess the mediating effect of source appearance (SA) and self-influencer congruence (SIC) on the relationship between visual content (VC) and customer engagement (CE) towards mobile advertisement. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a quantitative approach to test the proposed model based on the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theory. The non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to collect data from Pakistani mobile users through a self-administered questionnaire. Findings – The study results prove that VC alone cannot generate mobile users’ engagement. SA is the key in this regard, which has a relatively higher importance compared to SIC. Furthermore, the serial mediation effect of SA and SIC on CE shows that attractive sources are likely to induce higher SIC and subsequent CE. Practical implications – The results reveal that without a pleasing SA and positive SIC, mobile users skip the ads by perceiving them to be irritating or interruptive. Mobile ads might cost relatively less, but the advertisers should understand the significance of the SA toward minimizing the mobile advertising skepticism. Originality/value – Advertisers can enhance the user’s engagement on mobile devices by addressing both the SA and SIC in their VC. The combined effect of both the SA and SIC on CE has not been assessed before. Furthermore, this study has used the SOR mechanism to examine CE. Propósito – El objetivo general de esta investigación es evaluar el efecto mediador de la apariencia de la fuente (SA) y la congruencia del auto-influencer (SIC) en la relación entre el contenido visual (CV) y el compromiso del cliente (CE) hacia la publicidad móvil. Diseño/metodología/enfoque – Este estudio utiliza un enfoque cuantitativo para probar el modelo propuesto basado en la teoría estímulo-organismo-respuesta (SOR). Se utilizó la técnica de muestreo intencional no probabilístico para recoger datos de usuarios de móviles paquistaníes mediante un cuestionario autoadministrado. Conclusiones – Nuestros resultados demuestran que el contenido visual por sí solo no puede generar el compromiso de los usuarios de móviles. La apariencia de la fuente es la clave a este respecto, que tiene una importancia relativamente mayor en comparación con la congruencia del auto-influencer. Además, el efecto de mediación en serie de SA y SIC en CE muestra que es probable que las fuentes atractivas induzcan un mayor SIC y el consiguiente compromiso del cliente. Implicaciones prácticas – Los resultados revelan que sin una SA agradable y una SIC positiva, los usuarios de móviles omiten los anuncios al percibirlos como irritantes o interruptores. Los anuncios para móviles pueden costar relativamente menos, pero los anunciantes deben comprender la importancia de la apariencia de la fuente para minimizar el escepticismo de la publicidad móvil. Originalidad/valor – Los anunciantes pueden mejorar la participación del usuario en los dispositivos móviles abordando tanto la AS como el SIC en sus contenidos visuales. Hasta ahora no se había evaluado el efecto combinado de la AS y el SIC en el CE. Además, este estudio ha utilizado el mecanismo del SOR para examinar el engagement del cliente. 目的 – 本研究的总体目标是评估源外观（SA）和自我影响者一致性（SIC）对移动广告视觉内容（VC）和客户参与（CE）之间关系的中介效应。 设计/方法/途径 – 本研究采用定量方法来检验基于刺激-有机体-反应（SOR）理论提出的模型。研究采用了非概率目的性抽样技术, 通过自填问卷的方式向巴基斯坦移动用户收集数据。 研究结果 – 我们的研究结果证明, 仅靠视觉内容并不能引起移动用户的参与。在这方面, 源外观是关键, 与自我影响者一致性相比, 源外观的重要性相对更高。此外, SA 和 SIC 对 CE 的串联中介效应表明, 有吸引力的信息源可能会诱发更高的 SIC 和随后的客户参与。 实际意义 – 研究结果表明, 如果没有令人愉悦的SA和积极的SIC, 移动用户就会认为广告具有刺激性或干扰性, 从而跳过广告。移动广告的成本可能相对较低, 但广告商应了解广告源外观对减少移动广告怀疑的重要性。 独创性/价值 – 广告商可以通过在视觉内容中同时考虑广告联盟和广告投放中心这两个因素, 提高用户在移动设备上的参与度。之前从未有人评估过 “SA “和 “SIC “对消费者参与度的综合影响。此外, 本研究还使用了 SOR 机制来考察客户参与度。

Purpose – This paper aims to understand how the perceived usefulness of voice assistants (VAs) is affected by the perceived quality of the process (interaction) and the outcome (information). The authors also aim to determine the extent to which the perceived usefulness of VAs improves the perceived privacy associated with their use and increases users’ intention to continue using them. Consumer technology innovativeness is included as a personal trait moderator, to compare the results between tech and nontech innovators. For this purpose, the authors use the framework of the uses and gratifications theory (U&GT). Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 467 VA users was conducted and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Findings – The authors identify two main determinants of the perceived usefulness of VAs that influence users’ intention to continue using this technology, process quality and outcome quality. These two factors influence the continued use of VAs in different ways depending on the technology innovativeness of the consumers. The results show that tech innovators are oriented toward the interactive experience, and therefore, mainly value the process quality. In addition, nontech innovators are oriented toward a satisfactory response from VAs, and therefore, primarily value the outcome quality. In addition, the positive effect of perceived usefulness on perceived privacy is higher for tech innovators. Originality/value – This study enhances the literature on the perceived usefulness of VAs within the framework of U&GT. It identifies two antecedents (process quality and outcome quality) of perceived usefulness and observes significant differences based on technological innovativeness. Impacto de la calidad del proceso y resultado en la intención de seguir usando asistentes de voz Objetivo – Este artículo tiene como objetivo entender cómo la utilidad percibida de los Asistentes de Voz (AV) se ve afectada por la calidad percibida del proceso (interacción) y el resultado (información). Asimismo, busca determinar hasta qué punto la utilidad percibida de los AVs mejora la privacidad percibida asociada con su uso y, consecuentemente, la intención de los usuarios de seguir utilizándolos. La innovación tecnológica se incluye como moderador personal para comparar los resultados entre innovadores tecnológicos y no tecnológicos. Para este propósito, utilizamos la Teoría de Usos y Gratificaciones (U&GT). Diseño – Se realizó una encuesta a 467 usuarios de AVs, y se utilizó la modelización de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM) para analizar los datos. Resultados – La calidad del proceso y la calidad del resultado son antecedentes claros de la utilidad percibida de los AVs, que afecta a la intención de los usuarios de seguir usándolos. La influencia de ambos factores difiere entre usuarios según su nivel de innovación tecnológica. Los resultados muestran que los innovadores tecnológicos valoran más la experiencia interactiva y la calidad del proceso, mientras que los no innovadores tecnológicos se enfocan en obtener respuestas satisfactorias de los AVs. Además, la influencia positiva de la utilidad percibida en la privacidad percibida es más pronunciada en los innovadores tecnológicos. Originalidad – Este estudio enriquece la literatura sobre la utilidad percibida de los AVs dentro del marco de la U&GT. Identifica dos factores previos (calidad del proceso y calidad del resultado) de la utilidad percibida y observa diferencias significativas basadas en la innovación tecnológica. 过程和结果质量对继续使用语音助手意愿的影响 目的 – 本文旨在了解语音助手（VAs）的感知有用性如何受到过程（交互）和结果（信息）的感知质量的影响。我们还旨在确定语音助手的感知有用性在多大程度上改善了与使用语音助手相关的感知隐私, 并提高了用户继续使用语音助手的意愿。我们将消费者的技术创新性作为个人特质调节因素, 以比较技术创新者和非技术创新者的结果。为此, 我们使用了 “使用与满足理论"（U&GT）框架。 设计/方法/途径 – 我们对 467 名增值服务用户进行了调查, 并使用结构方程模型（SEM）对数据进行了分析。 研究结果 – 我们确定了影响用户继续使用该技术意向的虚拟机构感知有用性的两个主要决定因素：（1）过程质量和（2）结果质量。根据消费者的技术创新能力, 这两个因素以不同的方式影响着虚拟现实技术的持续使用。结果显示, 技术创新者以互动体验为导向, 因此主要看重过程质量。此外, 非技术创新者倾向于从虚拟机构获得令人满意的回应, 因此主要看重结果质量。此外, 对于科技创新者来说, 感知有用性对感知隐私的积极影响更大。 价值 – 本研究在 U&GT 框架内加强了有关虚拟机构感知有用性的文献。它确定了感知有用性的两个前因（过程质量和结果质量）, 并观察到了基于技术创新性的显著差异。

This study delves into the impact of visual marketing stimuli on consumer response times, focusing on the complexity and subjectivity of the questions posed. Conducted in Slovakia, the research involved 40 participants (20 men and 20 women, aged 30 to 50 years), all holding university degrees in economics to ensure consistent decision-making experience. Participants were presented with visual stimuli representing four well-known FMCG brands. The stimuli included simple brand preference questions and complex evaluative judgments of offer efficiency. Response times were measured in milliseconds and analyzed using statistical methods, including the Mann-Whitney U test and one-way ANOVA. Results revealed that responses to simple stimuli averaged 1212 ms, while complex stimuli elicited slower responses, averaging 2504 ms. A significant difference was observed for “No” answers in the offer evaluation tasks, with correct “No” responses taking 3000 ms compared to 2297 ms for incorrect ones (p < 0.05), highlighting the cognitive load involved in accurate decision-making. These findings provide valuable insights into the cognitive processes driving consumer decision-making and contribute to the theoretical understanding of how question complexity and subjectivity influence response times. AcknowledgmentThis paper was funded by research grant VEGA 1/0462/23 entitled “Circular economy in the context of societal demands and market limitations“ (100% share).

The study aims to specifically evaluate the potential impact of implementing AI-powered recommender systems on citizen satisfaction within Moroccan public services. As part of its ambitious digital transformation, Morocco is integrating digital technologies into its public sector to enhance service delivery. Recommender systems, by providing personalized, timely, and relevant recommendations, are hypothesized to significantly increase citizens’ satisfaction and transform public service delivery. The study highlights a comprehensive model that captures the complex and interrelated factors influencing recommender system success. This model was tested using Smart PLS (Partial Least Squares) on data collected from a diverse sample of 157 Moroccan citizens. These participants were randomly selected from various demographics and regions to represent the general population’s perspectives on the future implementation of AI-powered recommender systems in public services. The survey tested three hypotheses: the positive relationship between the potential use of recommender systems and anticipated citizen satisfaction (supported; b = 0.694, p = 0.000, t = 21.214), the impact of trust in AI-powered recommender systems on anticipated citizens’ satisfaction (supported; b = 0.543, p = 0.000, t = 14.230) ; and the moderating effect of trust on AI-powered recommender systems showing a positive effect on anticipated satisfaction (supported; b = 0.154, p = 0.000, t = 4.907). These findings suggest that the future integration of AI-powered recommender systems into public services can enhance citizens’ satisfaction, particularly where there is high trust in the technology. AcknowledgmentThis paper is partly supported by Sidi Mohamed ben Abdellah University, Morocco.

With the proliferation of digital platforms, businesses, including clothing brands, increasingly leverage digital advertising to reach and engage their target audiences. However, limited research explicitly explores its influence on purchasing decisions in Nigeria, particularly among private university students. This research aims to determine the effects of digital advertising on customer purchase decisions for clothing among students. The study surveyed a target population of 450 students randomly selected from four private universities (Covenant University, Bells University of Technology, Crawford University, Crescent University) in Ogun State, Nigeria. The data collected from the field were subjected to analysis using multiple linear regression. The results revealed that digital advertising affects consumer purchase decisions among students of private universities. Specifically, digital advertising has a significantly positive effect on customer awareness (adj. R2 = 0.220, F (4, 416) = 30.294, p < 0.05); customer interest (adj. R2 = 0.112, F (4, 416) = 14.024, p < 0.05), and customer purchase desire (adj. R2 = 0.102, F (4, 416) = 12.758, p < 0.05). Thus, this study recommends that any clothing businesses targeting students for sales growth and sustainability in Nigerian universities should leverage digital advertising. The result further noted the need to focus on variables such as search engine optimization, social media, and digital influencers to boost customer purchase decisions.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the e-commerce landscape, prompting businesses to adopt innovative marketing strategies. This study investigates the relationship between AI applications and marketing innovation in Egyptian e-commerce retailers, with a focus on the mediating role of organizational culture. The research employed a quantitative approach, utilizing a survey to gather data from 260 Egyptian e-retail store owners, managers, and marketers. The findings reveal a significant positive correlation between AI applications and marketing innovation, with organizational culture playing a crucial mediating role. The correlation coefficient (R) between AI and organizational culture was found to be 0.76, indicating that AI explains 57% of the variance in organizational culture. Similarly, the correlation coefficient (R) between AI and marketing innovation was 0.70, suggesting that AI explains 49% of the variance in marketing innovation. Path analysis further demonstrated a significant indirect effect of AI on marketing innovation through organizational culture. The study concludes that the integration of AI into marketing strategies can substantially enhance innovation, particularly when complemented by a supportive organizational culture. It underscores the importance for e-commerce retailers to invest in AI technologies and cultivate a culture that embraces technological advancements to drive marketing innovation and achieve sustainable competitive advantage. AcknowledgmentThe authors are thankful to the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at University of Bisha for supporting this work through the Fast-Track Research Support Program.

The sports industry has evolved into a multifaceted industry and it continues to change. Attention is especially focused on spectator sports, and related marketing research is being actively carried out. Many researchers have focused on the perceived quality as a leading factor in the process of forming customer satisfaction and loyalty. The perceived quality includes aspects of both technical quality (outcome) and functional quality (process), suggesting that, in the context of spectator sports, the technical quality is a strong predictor of customer satisfaction, and the functional quality plays a relatively weak role. However, superficial interpretations of the study results can cause problems. In spectator sports, the production and consumption of services are mostly present in the same space, and the interaction time between service providers and customers is longer than for other services. Athletic performance is discussed as a technical quality but it may also include aspects of the functional quality as well. Services are process consumption, and it is important to clarify the black box that is the complicated interaction process and create marketing as a whole service by combining diverse elements in the future.

Access-based services refer to services facilitated by platforms such as Uber and Rent the Runway that allow consumers to utilize products without the need for ownership. In response to the proliferation of these novel services, a burgeoning body of research has investigated their antecedents. However, there remains a paucity of research that comprehensively systematizes the insights gleaned from extant studies. This paper aims to categorize the antecedents of access-based services, as identified by marketing research since 2017, into four distinct factors: (1) access-specific factors, (2) social factors, (3) psychological factors, and (4) technological factors. In doing so, this study highlights two avenues for future research: the examination of the choice between ownership and access and the exploration of antecedents in the category of intangible content. Consequently, this paper provides strategic guidance to platform marketers and managers regarding initiatives that can positively influence the profitability of their platforms.

We estimate the demand for tourism on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, from multiple perspectives. While the literature on nonmarket valuation focuses on estimating the willingness to pay for single use value or a single purpose, this study applies onsite survey data to address visitors’ willingness to pay for multilayered tourism: for an Oʻahu trip as a whole and for individual beach visits on the island. Our survey data reveal that those visitors who have visited Oʻahu in the past do not necessarily visit beaches less frequently on subsequent Oʻahu trips. The estimated consumer surplus per person for a trip to Oʻahu is considerably large ($3,400–$5,480 based on the preferred estimate) and is in line with the literature on resort island travel costs. The aggregate surplus of all Oʻahu visitors would be approximately $21 to $34 billion. The surplus increases with the number of beach trips during each island visit, indicating that maintaining beaches enhances the demand for tourism as a whole. Our beach travel cost analysis also illustrates that the extent of substitution among different beaches is limited for Oʻahu visitors such that losing an Oʻahu beach is unlikely to be compensated for by access to the remaining beaches on the island.

Tourism destinations often rely on natural resources, highlighting the importance of coping with disasters and maintaining resilience. Rather than solely focusing on the resilience of tourism itself, it should be viewed within the broader context of the resilience of the social-ecological system. This study examined how tourism contributed to community resilience in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The research question was as follows: What is the role of tourism in fostering community resilience? This case study focuses on “Hamaguri-Do,” located in Hamagurihama, Ishinomaki, and Miyagi. Hamaguri-Do is developing a new socio-ecological system through tourism initiatives with local resources and businesses focusing on community issues. Findings obtained from interviews, aligned with the model, indicate that tourism plays a pivotal role in resilience by leveraging disasters as opportunities that open up the community to the outside world and 1) attract visitors to the area, 2) cultivate value through co-creation and communication among residents and tourists, and 3) facilitate the circulation of natural and social ecosystems.

During the COVID-19 pandemic period from March 2020 to September 2022 in Japan, the hotel revenue management mechanism through dynamic pricing for room revenue maximization did not work because of a lack of traditional room demand regardless of price level. This situation resembles a liquidity trap in monetary policy in the Keynesian economics world, where an interest rate drop does not stimulate investment volume. In this situation, hotel managers need to generate revenues with other methods and/or business models for survival rather than mere dynamic pricing. This research demonstrates that there was a liquidity trap in hotel revenue management where a drop in the room rate did not cultivate room demand during the pandemic in the case of Tokyo’s select-service hotel sector. Under such a liquidity trap, there were several ways for hotel managers to generate revenue by capturing nontraditional demands that emerged through the realignment of the management resources at hand.

As the importance of sustainable regional development increases, one matter that might become an issue is how to recover from events that have a negative impact on tourism demand, such as natural disasters, including earthquakes and infectious diseases. In this study, we focused on the concentration of tourism demand that a destination receives in the normal period and investigated its relationship with tourism demand resilience in the face of negative events, with the aim of gaining insight into future marketing policies in tourism destinations. In this study, we defined the concentration of tourism demand based on the number of overnight guests by nationality and examined its relationship with destination resilience in recent earthquake disasters in Japan and during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the relationship between the dependency of inbound tourism and resilience proposed in a previous study was not supported, a certain relationship between the concentration and resilience proposed in this study was suggested at the 10% significance level.

This study examined whether or not online community activities in the inbound tourism industry in Japan, which emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided social capital (SC) to its members and whether or not this led to increased business resilience for individual members. By analyzing data obtained from a questionnaire survey, this study found that approximately 30% of respondents felt that they had formed SC through these activities, which in turn enhanced their resilience. This study shows that the crisis fostered transboundary networks that spanned sectors and scales within the tourism industry, and those who actively engaged in these networks acquired SC, thereby driving their resilience. In addition to supporting prior research that SC is beneficial for crisis responses, this study suggests that crises can, conversely, generate SC and thus drive resilience.

Understanding the determinants of customer satisfaction is crucial for airlines to maintain and grow their customer base. This study aims to analyze how various service quality dimensions and prices impact airline attractiveness using the service quality (SERVQUAL) model. Data were collected from 400 respondents through an online questionnaire using the convenience sampling method. The respondents included a diverse mix of frequent flyers, occasional travelers, and business professionals, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of passenger perspectives in the Indian airline sector. This study tested the hypotheses by analyzing the data using structural equation modelling (SEM) to understand the relationships between service quality attributes, price, passenger satisfaction, and airline attractiveness. The results indicate that empathy, price, tangibles, and satisfaction determinants positively develop attractiveness among passengers to use and continue in airline services. The relationships between empathy and satisfaction (β = 0.130, t = 2.317, p = 0.021), tangibles and satisfaction (β = 0.214, t = 4.321, p = 0.000), price and satisfaction (β = 0.425, t = 7.825, p = 0.000) were statistically significant, and satisfaction positively influenced airline attractiveness (β = 0.895, t = 75.529, p = 0.000). The assurance, reliability, responsiveness attributes must improve to attract passengers. The results provide insights into aviation industry and help them to make better policies and strategies to implement services and customer satisfaction to sustain heavy aviation competition in India. AcknowledgmentThe authors express gratitude to GITAM University, department heads, leadership of department of management and all individuals who have supported and contributed to the successful execution of this study.

Despite the advantages and benefits of a battery electric vehicle, its adoption rate remains low. Previous studies have explored factors that influence the adoption of electric vehicles. However, studies investigating whether an electric car outperforms a gasoline car are still limited. Therefore, this study aims to assess the betterness of an electric vehicle compared with a gasoline vehicle in helping customers perform their jobs to be done. A multi-criteria decision-making approach using the analytic hierarchy process is built on two main criteria, namely, customer pains and customer gains, where customer pains are divided into cost pains and non-cost pains, and customer gains are divided into functional gains and emotional gains. Using the most affordable battery electric vehicle in the Indonesian market, interviewees who live in the greater Jakarta and drive to work were invited to perform the pairwise comparison processes. The finding of this study shows that with respect to helping customers perform their jobs to be done, a battery electric vehicle is equally to moderately worse than a gasoline vehicle with a worse score of 0.5946 compared with a better score of 0.4054. This finding comes from interviewees who prioritize customer gains with a priority score of 0.6993 over customer pains with a priority score of 0.3007. Considering that the analytic hierarchy process allows a small number of interviewees, the result obtained should be limited as an early prediction about the betterness of an electric car compared with a gasoline car from a certain group of persons.

The study examines the influence of market orientation on the performance of mobile operators in the telecommunication industry and the moderating effect of strategic marketing on the relationship. Based on a cross-sectional survey of 286 management staff of the four largest mobile operators in Nigeria (MTN, Glo, 9Mobile, Airtel), an empirical evidence was established. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The SEM outlined the connection between the dimensions of market orientation and organizational performance. The findings revealed that inter-functional coordination (β = 0.485, t = 2.542, p = 0.013 < 0.05) and customer orientation (β = 0.245, t = 2.043, p = 0.038 < 0.05) significantly influence organizational performance, while competitor orientation (β = 0.159, t = 1.870, p = 0.065 < 0.05) has no discernible effect. It was also found that strategic marketing has a major impact on organizational performance (β = 0.466, t = 4.175, p = 0.000 < 0.05), but it has no moderating influence on the relationship between market orientation and organizational performance (β = 0.032, t = 0.445, p = 0.665 > 0.05). This implies that strategic marketing has a direct effect on organizational performance and not a moderating effect. Therefore, the study recommends that market orientation especially customer orientation and inter-functional coordination, as well as strategic marketing, should become a culture in the telecommunication industry.

New market trends have prompted Peruvian companies to apply techniques aimed at attracting potential customers, that is, to use inbound marketing, especially in the pet market, which has a profitable and competitive niche, driven mainly by the “pet-friendly” trend. This research aims to determine whether inbound marketing actions have a positive correlation with online sales. The methodology is quantitative, correlation, cross-sectional, and non-experimental. The target audience is men and women, between 18 and 35 years old who have made online purchases in the Peruvian pet food SME, Rapi Pet S.R.L. The sample is non-probabilistic and is composed of 248 people who completed a structured questionnaire of 24 questions. The results show positive perceptions of both variables with values higher than 70% after applying the barometer test, the reliability of the questionnaire was also established under Cronbach’s alpha of 0.922 and a correlation coefficient of 0.66 was obtained for the variables, as well as a p-value lower than 0.05 after performing the normality test. It is concluded that there is a positive relationship between inbound marketing actions and the increase of online sales in the company under study.

This study examines the intricate dynamics of utilitarian browsing, hedonic browsing, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), e-satisfaction, and e-loyalty across three generational cohorts –Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers – in Indonesian online marketplaces. The research addresses the need to understand how different age groups engage with online platforms amidst technological advancements and emerging generational cohorts. A quantitative approach is employed to systematically investigate these phenomena. Data from a structured online survey of 962 respondents are analyzed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and correlation analysis. The majority of respondents (50.5%) belong to the Millennial generation, followed by Generation X (31.2%) and Baby Boomers (16.2%).The findings reveal significant differences in utilitarian browsing (F = 11.222, p < 0.001), hedonic browsing (F = 6.338, p = 0.002), e-WOM (F = 3.488, p = 0.031), e-satisfaction (F = 6.239, p = 0.002), and e-loyalty (F = 9.298, p < 0.001) across different generational groups. Notably, Millennials and Gen X exhibit higher levels of utilitarian and hedonic browsing, e-satisfaction, and e-loyalty compared to Baby Boomers, while e-WOM engagement remains consistent across all cohorts. These findings provide valuable insights for businesses operating in the Indonesian online marketplace, guiding targeted marketing strategies, enhancing user experiences, and fostering customer loyalty. The research emphasizes the importance of aligning marketing approaches with the distinct preferences and behaviors of different generational segments. Furthermore, it suggests avenues for future research, including exploring additional demographic variables and conducting longitudinal studies to track evolving consumer dynamics.

Influencer marketing and brand community have been popularly used as one powerful marketing strategy to enhance brand awareness. This study aims to find out how and to what extent influencer marketing and brand community affect brand awareness in a context of a growing beauty product brand in Indonesia. Using a quantitative approach and in context of Loreca’s brand, this study measured the role of influencer marketing and the beauty community on brand awareness. The brand equity and brand management theory has been used as the theoretical framework, where further influencer marketing and brand community were considered as the antecedents. This method was implemented using a structured questionnaire addressed to the brand community Loreca Babes, with total population of 385 people and 197 respondents. The data were further analyzed with PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The research results conclude that influencer marketing and brand community have positively and significantly affect brand awareness, in which influencer marketing exhibits a stronger effect (0.558) compared to brand community (0.276). Based on this finding, it is suggested that Loreca shall evaluate its brand community strategy and enhance its use of influencer marketing. This study provides insight into the importance of influencer marketing and brand community in increasing brand awareness.