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Literature reviews are an essential feature of academic research because, fundamentally, the advancement of knowledge must be built on prior existing work, and to push the frontiers of knowledge, one must be clear as to where these frontiers presently are. By systematically analyzing, synthesizing, and summarizing bodies of related literature, hypotheses can be tested and/or new theories and insights developed. However, despite the recent increase in systematic review research in business and management, and particularly marketing literature, arguably, many reviews continue to be poorly undertaken and reported due to a lack of a rigorous modus operandi for their journal editors, reviewers, and readers. The purpose of this paper is twofold, first to offer marketing researchers and practitioners a modus operandi to better demonstrate the optimization of rigor when undertaking quantitative systematic review research, and second to represent a call-to-action for marketing scholarship to engage further with optimizing rigorous systematic review research in the future. The paper thereby contributes to marketing literature by offering researchers and practitioners a three-stage protocol to demonstrate the optimization of rigor when undertaking systematic review research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decades, marketing literature has persistently been interested in how marketers and consumers alike engage with the past through past-themed brands, products, and services. However, our knowledge on past-themed marketing is scattered and treated in largely separated literature streams on retro, heritage, nostalgia, and vintage. This article reviews marketing literature on retro, heritage, nostalgia, and vintage – and their ontological, methodological, and axiological underpinnings – to synthesise a differential overview of these streams and contribute shared future research directions for researching and understanding past-themed marketing. Thus, based on our review, we identify and discuss areas for future research on marketing the past, specifically concerned with authenticity complexities and marketing management perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, the marketing literature has seen the emergence of research dedicated to consumers with disabilities (CWD). This work is mostly based on the social model of disability, which encourages practitioners to eradicate the physical and architectural barriers faced by individuals. However, in the field of disability studies, the social model is increasingly criticised both for being too radical and for neglecting the subjective experience of disability. In this paper, we attempt to illuminate existing views, while advocating new perspectives, for conceptualising and representing disability in consumer research. With this in mind, we first briefly present the major conceptual foundations and models of disability research. Then, we systematically review marketing literature on CWD to examine the perspectives used when studying this phenomenon. Finally, we propose a research agenda aimed at advancing the understanding of consumption and disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the Net Promoter Score's (NPS) popularity among managers, the marketing literature has given limited attention to this indicator and has, instead, focused primarily on its impact on business performance. However, to highlight the mechanisms that contribute to the formation of the NPS and identify operational means to improve the score, it is important to get a deeper understanding of the factors that distinguish the NPS's customer categories ("detractors," "passives," and "promoters"). Accordingly, this research explores the relationship between perceived value and the NPS. An empirical study of 893 customers from two specialized retail chains was conducted to examine the relations between value sources and customer categorization as "detractors," "passives," or "promoters". The results also lead to the identification of differentiated value profiles according to these customer categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although rapid technological development has resulted in the proliferation of digital platforms, there is limited understanding of these platforms' roles in international markets. Drawing on the information economics perspective, the authors investigate whether live streaming, as an emerging platform-based function, enables foreign sellers to enhance their sales performance in host markets. Using a unique longitudinal data set from a business-to-customer digital platform in China, the authors find that live streaming use is positively associated with international seller sales performance. This positive effect is stronger when cultural distance is higher. Moreover, the influence becomes stronger when product price is higher, while the effect is weaker for name-brand products than for non-name-brand products. These findings provide rich insights on the role of digitalization to the international marketing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While interfunctional collaboration remains well-studied within the marketing literature, this research is the first to empirically explore the effects of sales–supply chain management (S-SCM) collaboration among salespeople selling internationally. Survey data from 310 international salespeople provide initial empirical evidence showing that S-SCM collaboration can positively predict international salesperson performance outcomes. To show that the effect is unique and provide rare empirical evidence, the authors simultaneously account for the effects of multiple forms of cross-functional collaboration (i.e., sales–marketing collaboration and sales–research and development collaboration). Matching the survey responses with objective country-level data, the authors also find that the value of S-SCM collaboration varies across countries. In particular, the positive effects of S-SCM collaboration were amplified by logistics capacity (or "logistics friendliness") at the country level. The study's findings also indicate that the positive performance returns provided by S-SCM collaboration are even stronger for international salespeople focused on customer acquisition (vs. customer retention). Broadly, the study implies that, for optimal firm performance, those who are responsible for managing global supply chains should coordinate activities with those responsible for selling to global customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This manuscript examines the adaptation and integration of intergenerational learning to create an inclusive marketing education environment. The development of innovative course designs to promote intergenerational learning and age-friendly curricula is an opportunity for educational institutions, given a demographic shift in many parts of the world. An innovative course design is featured that addresses a gap in marketing education literature regarding intergenerational classrooms, aligning with AACSB's societal impact objectives and the UN Sustainable Development Goal #4 – to promote inclusive education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. Guided by the contact hypothesis, we discuss a modular approach to intergenerational classrooms that promises to break down barriers for older adult learners, increase the effectiveness of intergenerational learning, and benefit students of all ages. This manuscript features a three-week intergenerational module integrated into a semester-long (16-week) consumer behavior course consistent with experiential learning theory principles. We use this module to illustrate the potential of integrating intergenerational learning in marketing education and highlight the necessary conditions to adopt similar modules in other marketing classes. This approach fosters environments conducive to inclusivity and societal wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flipped classes have been gaining in popularity in recent years, and yet only a handful of marketing education papers have examined flipped class methods. In a time when creative methods for engaging students online and in-person are critical, this study analyzes open-ended, qualitative student comments from a flipped class course to explore the benefits and drawbacks of this method. This paper will also examine the qualitative student feedback through the lens of adult learning theory (ALT) to see the ways in which student comments overlap with best practices in the adult learning field. Three sections of a business communication course were converted into a flipped class, and qualitative responses from 84 students were analyzed. This research will help fill a much-needed gap in the marketing education literature by providing key insights into flipped class approaches while also connecting them with ALTs, which have heretofore remained under-explored in marketing education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketing is one of the areas where large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT have found practical applications. This study examines marketing prompts—text inputs created by marketers to guide LLMs in generating desired outputs. By combining insights from the marketing literature and the latest research on LLMs, the study develops a conceptual framework around three key features of marketing prompts: prompt domain (the specific marketing actions that the prompts target), prompt appeal (the intended output of the prompts being informative or emotional), and prompt format (the intended output of the prompts being generic or contextual). The study collected hundreds of marketing prompt templates shared on X (formerly Twitter) and analyzed them using a combination of natural language processing techniques and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that the prompt templates target a wide range of marketing domains—about 16 altogether. Likewise, the findings indicate that most of the marketing prompts are designed to generate informative output (as opposed to emotionally engaging output). Further, the findings indicate that the marketing prompts are designed to generate a balanced mix of generic and contextual output. The study further finds that the use of prompt appeal and prompt format differs by prompt domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the embodied nature of the customer experience. Engaging prior research, we suggest marketing literature is still coming to terms with how best to incorporate the body into its studies, noting manuscripts rarely attend to the bodies of customers moving in situ or analyse what customers do and achieve with their bodies. As a result, theoretical accounts remain quite disconnected from the de facto activities that comprise many marketing processes. Drawing on ethnomethodological study policies, and Wittgenstein's notion of language games, our paper zooms-in on embodied conduct, analysing video recordings of consultations in hair salons. We analyse how customers embody thoughts about and emotional responses to the service provided. Rather than separating mind and body, we identify precise moments where customers draw service employees into their experience during live interaction. In so doing, the paper offers a vantage point from which to think anew about the customer experience as something that is public, shared, and thus accountable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their article entitled "AI is Changing the World: For Better or for Worse?" Grewal, Guha, and Becker imply two symptom-avoidance rather than goal-approach questions: (1) What fundamental societal problems, previously identified in the marketing literature, will AI exacerbate? and (2) How can society remedy these problems? By only considering articles published in prestigious marketing-related journals, their restrictive bottom-up thought-leader-grounded process for deriving answers to these questions is blinkered and somewhat backward-looking. Instead, a top-down approach, driven by preferred-outcome questions like 'How can marketing best help optimize societal flourishing in a post-scarcity, AI-rich environment?', may foster comprehensive, extra-disciplinary, future-oriented, and proactive analyses that yield more effective answers. We close by speculating that marketing can survive in a transhuman and AI-rich environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brand hate (BH) may be defined as a 'psychological state in which a consumer forms an intense negative emotion and hatred towards a brand, a hatred that reveals itself through anti-branding activities'. This paper seeks to examine the keywords related to the concept of BH and uses keyword co-occurrence analysis, followed by a review of the short history of BH as reported in the relevant marketing literature. The Scopus database was chosen for analysis due to its comprehensive coverage and rigorous indexing principles, and VOSviewer was used to visualise the term 'Brand Hate', revealing research trends and patterns. This keyword analysis identifies seven clusters: 'Emotional and Behavioural Responses', 'Brand Relationship Dynamics', 'Reactive Consumer Behaviours and Relationship Dynamics', 'Digital and Social Media Dynamics', 'Psychological and Emotional Triggers', 'Impact of Brand Hate on Consumer Behaviour' and 'Strategies for Managing and Mitigating Brand Hate'. By presenting a comprehensive and up-to-date keyword analysis of BH, this study will spur scholarly research and serve as a valuable tool for the researchers in advancing the research in BH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the role of social media visual posts (known as foodstagramming) on restaurant visit intention. Drawing on the heuristic–systematic model and normative focus theory, this research introduces a framework that assesses the effects of key foodstagramming attributes – vicarious expression, aesthetic appeal and post popularity – and the mediating roles of goal relevance and mimicking desire, in the process. Design/methodology/approach: Structural equation modelling was performed to test the proposed model using a sample of tourists (n = 377) and residents (n = 341). Multi-group analysis was performed to compare the differences between these groups. Findings: Results reveal that mimicking desire and goal relevance influence restaurant visit intention; however, mimicking desire has a stronger influence than goal relevance. Little difference was found between the tourist and the resident groups in the proposed relationships, except that vicarious expression positively influences mimicking desire in the tourist group but not in the resident group. Practical implications: This study guides restauranteurs and social media influencers (foodstagrammers). It shows that consumers value the textual content and aesthetic appeal of photos over the popularity of a post. It also indicates that vicarious expression is more important for tourists than for residents. Originality/value: This research advances social media marketing literature by proposing a new information processing framework. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study is one of the first studies to explore the impact of visual post attributes on individual decision-making behaviours through socially acceptable norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students’ approaches to learning, including deep, surface, or strategic methods, significantly impact their academic success and skill development. This study investigates the transition in learning approach preferences among marketing majors, comparing junior-level students beginning their upper-division business coursework with senior-level students completing their marketing capstone course. Results show that use of the strategic approach prevails in both groups, with a notable increase in engagement with deep learning over time and a decrease in reliance on surface approaches. Additionally, gender differences reveal that females prefer the strategic approach more strongly, particularly in the capstone course. Of the three learning approaches, the use of the strategic approach relates most positively with academic achievement satisfaction and the acquisition of sought-after, generic skills. This exploratory research fills a gap in the marketing education literature by examining the transition in learning-approach preferences over time. It underscores the importance of promoting strategic learning behaviors in curriculum and course delivery. Implementing strategies to cultivate strategic learning will aid students in achieving their academic performance and skill development objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media influencers (SMIs) have a significant impact on consumer decisions, and research in this area comprises a substantial portion of the literature. Despite marketing firms' attention to SMIs, a comprehensive evaluation of their impact on the consumer decision literature is lacking. Therefore, this study offers a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the impact of social media influencers on consumer decisions. Using a framework‐based approach, the TCM framework provides a structured exploration of the theories, contexts, and methods found in 106 relevant articles. Concurrently, the ADO framework examines the determinants of consumers' decisions. This review identifies 62 distinct antecedents categorized into seven broad groups and explores why specific factors positively or negatively affect purchase decisions and outcomes. This study highlights key gaps in the current influencer marketing literature and provides insights for future research and practical implications in the fields of psychology, marketing, and consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study intends to (1) systematically review methodological, theoretical and empirical aspects of dynamic capabilities (DCs) research in international marketing; (2) identify problematic areas and gaps in the reviewed literature and (c) provide directions to address problematic aspects and fill the gaps in future research. Design/methodology/approach: The study applies a systematic literature review methodology and covers 97 articles published between 2001 and 2022 in peer-reviewed journals ranked 2, 3, 4 and 4* in the Academic Journal Guide 2021. Findings: The content analysis shows that (1) methodologically, the literature is dominated by single-country studies conducted mostly in Asia and Europe on a cross-section of industries, mostly adopting survey-based approaches with a cross-sectional time emphasis; (2) theoretically, dynamic capabilities view is mainly accompanied by resource-based view, followed by institutional-, organizational learning- and internationalization theories; and (3) according to the nomological network, DCs are predicted by firm-characteristics, factors related to networks/relationship/partnerships and managerial characteristics, while they act as predictors of performance-related, strategy-related and operational change and renewal-specific outcomes. Several problematic aspects and gaps for each part of the review are diagnosed. Originality/value: The authors provide a comprehensive assessment of current knowledge on methodological, theoretical and empirical aspects of the relevant literature, map a nomological network of variables surrounding DCs in international marketing research and offer future research directions capitalizing on the problems and gaps identified in the review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Motivated by the severe impact of global supply chain disruptions and the lack of understanding of supply chain resilience from an SME exporter perspective in the international marketing literature, this paper sets out to explore how SME exporters achieve resilience through strategic choices related to sourcing and manufacturing during global disruptions. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative, multiple-case-studies approach to identify the key strategic drivers and contextual factors influencing SME exporters' supply chain resilience. Our study adopted an SME exporter perspective and featured an unprecedented global supply chain disruption context. New Zealand (NZ) was chosen as the key home country context for the participants of this study. Five NZ SME exporters were selected for our case studies. Findings: This study redefines buffering, bridging and a mixed strategy for an SME exporter facing global supply chain disruptions. SME exporters with high situational control are likely to pursue a buffering strategy that reduces their resource dependence on foreign suppliers and their reliance on information support from these suppliers. In contrast, when the firm perceives little control over the supply chain, it will decide upon a bridging strategy that aims to build solid relationships with supply chain partners. Exporters opt for a mixed strategy when they do not see themselves clearly in high or low situational control. Research limitations/implications: As global disruptions arise and evolve, supply chain uncertainty and exporters' sense of situational control manifest differently across industries, product lines, markets and sourcing countries. It is essential to understand that firms can choose a mixed strategy based on these supply chain conditions. While our study was fortuitously timed, conducting multi-country studies could provide more comparative insights that transcend national borders. Additionally, our study did not examine organizational and capability-based factors. Future research may benefit from exploring how an SME exporter develops strategic capabilities to achieve resilience over its lifetime. Practical implications: Businesses see survival as the most pivotal concern during a global supply chain disruption. Many companies have had to make on-the-spot decisions about whether they should shift or redesign their supply chains in the middle of a global disruption. There is no "best strategy" for an SME exporter to take. Rather, managers should make strategic decisions based on how much control or influence they have over a particular part of their supply chain. The level of control is determined by the SME exporter's overall resource dependencies and information needs in particular parts of their supply chain. Originality/value: We adopt resource dependence theory and information processing theory to guide our study and place exporters' situational control in the centre of drivers to firms' strategic choices during global disruptions. We make a novel attempt to incorporate the contextual conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic into the theorization of supply chain resilience. We make managerial recommendations to help SME exporters navigate global supply chain disruption challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through time, spatial competition has become the natural environment for studying a number of problems, ranging from product differentiation to mail order versus traditional business, to service provision under various assumptions about the institutional setting. Health economics research has greatly benefited from the intuitions that underlie the Hotelling model and several authors have contributed to the literature on the architecture of the market for health care by proposing models within this framework. In this paper we explore how spatial competition has been used in health economics to improve the knowledge of the mechanisms of the market for health care through the derivation of significant policy implications. One of the most important messages is that in spite of competition, the regulator still should have a central role in the architecture of the market and policies have to be carefully tailored in order to avoid the onset of perverse, undesired effects on quality and welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer perceived value (CPV) is a cornerstone of marketing literature. However, myriad studies have generated contradictory empirical findings. In addition, though some existing literature reviews help clarify the conceptual foundations of CPV, the literature lacks a meta-analysis of empirical evidence about the CPV model and its effects. To consolidate existing research, the current meta-analysis assesses the findings of 687 articles, involving 780 independent samples and 357,247 customers. The most integrative CPV model, which includes benefits, sacrifices, and overall value, performs best. Empirical generalizations also reveal the relative weights of various benefits and sacrifices integrated into this CPV model and causal chains between CPV and different outcomes (satisfaction, word-of-mouth, and repurchase intentions). Finally, this analysis uncovers moderating effects of multiple relational contexts: nonprofit/for-profit, public/private, contractual/non-contractual, online/offline, business-to-business/business-to-consumer, and goods/services. For scholars, this article synthesizes existing findings on CPV; for managers, the results provide suggestions for ways to increase CPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a communication platform distinguished for its high-quality content, where advertising can take two different forms: traditional and sponsored (also known as native advertising in the marketing literature). Native advertising is a widely used marketing tool that aims to mimic the regular topics of the platform on which it is placed. Due to this striking resemblance, native advertising may be very effective, but at the same time, it may negatively influence the perceived credibility of the media outlet. In our model, a firm allocates investments to both traditional and native advertising on such a platform. Meanwhile, the media outlet must grapple with the trade-off between the profit accrued from publishing native advertising and the ensuing decline in credibility. We formalise this problem as a hierarchical infinite-time horizon linear state differential game, played à la Stackelberg, where the media outlet acts as the leader while the firm is the follower. Finally, we characterise a time-consistent open-loop equilibrium and obtain the conditions that make it optimal for the media outlet to accept native advertising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn recent years, AI virtual streamers (i.e., digital characters with human-like appearances) have become a pervasive e-commerce phenomenon but remain almost unexplored in the literature on e-commerce marketing. The possible reasons for this deficiency are the vagueness of the AI virtual streamer concept and the lack of a measurement tool. Therefore, this study aimed to conceptualize AI virtual streamers and develop an AI virtual streamer characteristic scale through five stages based on social response theory. Following item generation, measurement refinement, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factory analysis and nomological validity, a third-dimensional (persona, anthropomorphism, and interactivity) scale with 10 items was established. Empirical results reveal sound measurement qualities in terms of reliability and validity, and demonstrate its unique position in respect to established marketing concepts. The developed scale has managerial implications for designing and applying virtual humans or avatars, such as virtual employees, virtual spokespersons, virtual idols, and virtual guided tours. This tool also enables future research on virtual live streaming, such as virtual destination live streaming, virtual education live streaming, or virtual live concerts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cause-related marketing (CRM) is an effective brand strategy involving partnering with charities or causes. A decade of research indicates CRM influences brand attitude, which is a consumer’s liking for a brand or an item they have purchased. However, the literature on this relationship is ambiguous without giving clear convulsive insights. Hence, this review targets to elucidate the way CRM influence brand attitude. The current study employed the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta – Analysis” (PRISMA) to identify and select the studies included in the review. Further, the review employed the principles of concept matrix and thematic analysis to synthesize knowledge from the identified articles. In this study, CRM strategies are comprehensively examined in terms of how they build the attitude strength of corporate brands and influence cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions of brand attitude. The study findings reveal how CRM (a) influences, (b) strengthens, and (c) alters the consumer’s attitude regarding the brand. Furthermore, it presents potential research directions and a sequence of research questions along with its implications and limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antecedents of customer engagement have been extensively examined in marketing and management literature since it is vital for the firm performance. Researchers have long assumed that relationship between these variables is linear. However, some asymmetric connections may be undiscovered. Drawing inspiration from the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction, this study investigates the possibility of asymmetric relationships between service quality attributes and customer engagement. The results revealed that service quality attributes can be categorized as the basic, excitement, and performance factors based on their varying impacts on customer engagement. Therefore, the findings reflected that the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction can be applied to customer engagement context. This research is a pioneering work in the customer engagement literature as it provided a new perspective to academics by showing that the three-factor theory of customer engagement can be used to gain more detailed and actionable insight to enhance customer engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While researchers have shown notable interest in influencer marketing for promoting customer-brand relationships, its impact on customer equity and, in turn, purchase intention warrants further investigation. This study explores how influencers' quantitative metrics—including the number of "likes," "comments," and "shares"—displayed on their content affect purchase intentions through perceived message authenticity and customer equity. The data were gathered from 432 Facebook customers and analyzed by partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed that the number of "likes," "shares," and "comments" directly influences perceived message authenticity and indirectly influences customer equity drivers (including value equity, brand equity, and relationship equity) through perceived message authenticity. Customer equity drivers significantly influence purchase intention and mediate the effect of perceived message authenticity on purchase intention. This study is one of the few that focuses on demonstrating the relationship process through which influencers' interactive content shapes customer equity and purchase intention. It extends the influencer marketing literature by adding new empirical evidence regarding the significant role of influencer marketing in maintaining customer-brand relationships, which receives a wide interest from researchers, practitioners, and social media marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven marketing has become a prominent strategic marketing approach, but it is prone to complex challenges, often referred as its dark side. The literature on data-driven marketing is dominated by its positive aspects, but there is an emerging literature stream focussing on its challenges. This study aims at contributing to this literature stream by providing an empirical study involving a holistic analysis of the undesirable effects of data-driven marketing using a systems thinking approach. The challenges faced by a New Zealand university in its international marketing using data-driven marketing is used as a case. Using 23 interviews, a systems model was developed, capturing the underlying structure behind these challenges. Eight interacting feedback loops were identified in the model, responsible for these complex challenges. A focus group was used to formulate three strategic interventions to address the complex challenges facing this organisation involved in data-driven marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the impact of customers' delight on the likelihood of frontline employees (FLEs) receiving expressions of gratitude from customers, as well as the subsequent effects on their customer-focused and coworker-focused behaviors. Additionally, it examines how customer orientation moderates the relationship between FLE's likelihood of receiving customer gratitude expressions and their performance behaviors. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a sample from a Canadian retailer specializing in the sale of artistic and creative materials for artists, crafters and hobbyists. Longitudinal data was collected through a survey administered to frontline employees, unit managers and customers, spanning 7 assessment waves over a 12-month period. In total, the data set comprised 1,609 individual observations and 3,533 customers nested within 35 business units. The hypotheses were tested by using a multilevel longitudinal modeling approach. Findings: This research has yielded important insights. First, significant relationships emerged between enhanced customers' delight and an increased likelihood of FLEs receiving expressions of gratitude from customers. Second, gratitude expressions received from customers were found to be positively associated with prosocial behaviors toward both customers and coworkers. Third, the findings indicate that the impact of receiving customer gratitude expressions on FLEs' performance behaviors is more pronounced for employees with a high level of customer orientation. Practical implications: This study highlights the importance of investing in relationship-building strategies aimed at enhancing customers' delight. This can motivate customers to express their gratitude toward service employees and to elicit higher prosocial behaviors from employees. Originality/value: This study offers theoretical insights into gratitude, customer behaviors and employee performance in the retail industry. A pivotal contribution of this study to marketing literature lies in its paradigm shift, redirecting attention from the traditional examination of firm-customer relationships to a nuanced exploration of customer–employee relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses bibliometric analysis to integrate, synthesise, and expand the knowledge regarding the relationship between automation and the labour market. In this paper, the authors examined the Web of Science (WoS) core collection database for articles published between 2002 and 2022. The co-citation, co-occurrence, and publication patterns were analysed using VOSviewer 1.6.19. The study comprised 287 papers, with the United States having the highest percentage of research publications, followed by Germany, China, and the United Kingdom. The institutional study shows that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University, National Bureau of Economic Research, Harvard University, and the University of London are all leading institutions in this field of study and have more than 100 links. The co-occurrence of keywords revealed "automation", "employment", "growth", and "jobs" as the most discussed terms. The paper concludes by identifying gaps in the literature and proposing possibilities for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the interplay of ambicultural sensitivity and relational embeddedness in the quality of B2B relationships. Specifically, it examines how these factors contribute to enhancing the adaptability, collaboration and competitive advantage of multinational corporations and institutions operating within diverse cultural landscapes. Design/methodology/approach: Using an abductive qualitative case study methodology, this study engaged professionals from three diverse multinational corporations in Indonesia − an energy services provider, a logistics services company and a not-for-profit institution. The objective was to explore the integration and implications of ambicultural sensitivity across varied cultural and industry settings. Findings: This study demonstrates that ambicultural sensitivity − the ability to understand, appreciate and integrate diverse cultural values − enhances B2B relationships through its manifestation in individual and organizational practices. It facilitates a dynamic merging of cultural perspectives and management approaches within intercultural interactions. Furthermore, relational embeddedness is identified as crucial for successful cross-cultural collaboration and innovation. These insights highlight the strategic value of cultural integration and sensitivity in maintaining a competitive edge in the global marketplace. Originality/value: This study adds to the B2B marketing literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how ambicultural sensitivity and relational embeddedness operate in the context of B2B relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the negotiation process underpinning the creation of authentic experiences in luxury lodges. The findings of this study highlight how this is a balancing act performed by the hosts through the provision of an authentic experiential platform connecting guests with unique places and genuine people and is of a luxurious nature. Staged experiences are authenticated by the guests through their bodies and minds, activating, in turn, experiences of existential authenticity. Contributing to service marketing and management literature, the study departs from purely abstract authenticity conceptualisations by applying an experience design and management lens to understanding authentic experiences. Practically, our findings demonstrate how authenticity is operationalised in luxury lodges and how these experiences are understood and valued by tourism and hospitality consumers and providers, providing crucial implications for luxury accommodation marketers and managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the consequences of employees' behavior (teleology) and the norms attributed to the behavior (deontology) have been two familiar determinants of ethical decision making (EDM). More recently, emotions have also gained considerable attention for their ability to affect EDM. Marketing ethics literature overlooks how emotions are related with norms and consequences. Hence, this study investigates how normative, consequentialist, and emotional factors interactively influence EDM in a sales ethics context. Using scenarios with a 2 × 2 between‐groups factorial design, we collected data online from 303 sales professionals. Then we used independent samples t tests and hierarchical regression models to analyze the hypothesized relationships. Results indicate that violation of and obedience to deontological norms stimulate negative and positive anticipated emotions, respectively, leading to stronger EDM. However, to a lesser extent, when violation of and obedience to deontological norms do not stimulate anticipated emotions, those emotions lead to weaker EDM. Moreover, consequences do not stimulate any anticipated emotions. Instead, consequences moderate the relationship between anticipated emotions and EDM. In addition, deontological and teleological evaluations mediate the relationship between anticipated emotions and EDM. These findings highlight the importance of considering the interplay between normative, consequentialist, and emotional factors in the formation of ethical judgments and intentions. The article discusses the implications of these results for sales professionals and organizations and suggests future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to systematically review the existing literature on the concept of consumer sovereignty. Design/methodology/approach: By leveraging a systematic literature review using a data-driven approach and quantitative methodology, this study provides an overview of the intellectual structure of consumer sovereignty research. Findings: We explored the main topics that researchers tackled in consumer sovereignty research. Furthermore, we identified the theoretical lenses used in these studies. Finally, we proposed a research agenda to advance the scholarly debate on consumer sovereignty. Research limitations/implications: Some limitations should be acknowledged. First, the study only studied and analyzed consumer sovereignty articles that were published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Second, our review comprised journals identified in Scopus. Third, in this study, we have taken into account only articles written in English. Practical implications: The authors expect the current review to significantly impact the identification of theories for the main trends in the academic analysis of consumer sovereignty and consumer behavior. Originality/value: This study is the first to provide an integrated view of the body of consumer sovereignty. This review provides a strong contribution to consumer sovereignty literature by recommending a new research agenda for the concept of consumer sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper advances a subcategory of influencers who mobilise their audiences towards consumption-driven change; we label them 'ethical influencers'. Using netnography and an archival dataset on ten ethical influencers, we delineate their unique challenges and positioning. Ethical influencers legitimate their accounts via a close-up of personal practices, as opposed to an articulated persona, and connect with divergent audiences to advocate for the needed change. Our paper describes the divergent audience groups and engagement styles: allies, inquisitives, detractors, and enigmatics. We also identify the ethical influencers' linking strategies to connect these audiences with other market actors (e.g. ethical businesses and other ethical influencers) which include acting, humanising, framing, pivoting, and evangelising. This research advances influencer marketing literature and offers important managerial and public policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the prominence given to firm-level international experience (IE), there is a dearth of comprehensive and unified conceptualizations of this concept in the literature. This problem necessitates a targeted study to investigate IE, compile its common conceptualization methods, and integrate the existing literature with a new comprehensive approach. The author aims to achieve this by employing Dewey's philosophy to define IE, reviewing 306 high-quality articles to extract extant approaches to the concept, and integrating these results to provide a new conceptualization. This article supports situations as generators of experience and demonstrates that previous approaches primarily focus on only some aspects of IE, overlooking the phenomenon as a whole. The new IE conceptualization is a seven-dimensional construct that includes length, breadth, depth, intensity, diversity, complexity, and echo. Additionally, the author discusses that IE can be analyzed at six levels depending on its origin (entry mode specific, international marketing specific, or both) and geographical scope (regional vs. global). The results provide a robust foundation for scholars and managers aiming to investigate and explore the realm of experiential knowledge and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a fit-for-purpose lab and field evaluation of commercially available portable sensor systems for PM, NO2, and/or BC. The main aim of the study is to identify portable sensor systems that are capable of reliably quantifying dynamic exposure gradients in urban environments. After an initial literature and market study resulting in 39 sensor systems, 10 sensor systems were ultimately purchased and benchmarked under laboratory and real-word conditions. We evaluated the comparability to reference analyzers, sensor precision, and sensitivity towards environmental confounders (temperature, humidity, and O3). Moreover, we evaluated if the sensor accuracy can be improved by applying a lab or field calibration. Because the targeted application of the sensor systems under evaluation is mobile monitoring, we conducted a mobile field test in an urban environment to evaluate the GPS accuracy and potential impacts from vibrations on the resulting sensor signals. Results of the considered sensor systems indicate that out-of-the-box performance is relatively good for PM (R2 = 0.68–0.9, Uexp = 16–66%, BSU = 0.1–0.7 µg/m3) and BC (R2 = 0.82–0.83), but maturity of the tested NO2 sensors is still low (R2 = 0.38–0.55, Uexp = 111–614%) and additional efforts are needed in terms of signal noise and calibration, as proven by the performance after multilinear calibration (R2 = 0.75–0.83, Uexp = 37–44%)). The horizontal accuracy of the built-in GPS was generally good, achieving <10 m accuracy for all sensor systems. More accurate and dynamic exposure assessments in contemporary urban environments are crucial to study real-world exposure of individuals and the resulting impacts on potential health endpoints. A greater availability of mobile monitoring systems capable of quantifying urban pollutant gradients will further boost this line of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1980s, "experience" has become a central object of reflection for marketing as well as for semiotics, to the extent that meaning is always created during an experience. However, English and French literatures on experiential marketing often approach the concept of experience differently. This article argues that these divergences concern the thematic of the experience (i.e. shopping vs consuming), and that, more essentially, experience should be conceived as the common denominator of all marketing offerings, no matter if it is a product, a service, an event, a place ... Using the post-structural semiotic frameworks of the "interactional regimes" theory, the author proposes to consider four fundamental consumer experiences (domination, cooperation, emancipation, and harmonization), each of these related to the logic of a specific type of offering: "goods," "play," "work" and "existence." In considering these four macro-offerings, this paper aims to better grasp the interactional and semiotic stakes of consumer experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourist satisfaction is one of the most important factors for a destination's perpetual survival. The stakeholders seek to understand how to enhance tourist satisfaction. Prior research highlighted various methods to measure tourist satisfaction, but the use of Improvement Gap Analysis (IGA) has been found more effective in positioning the key destination satisfaction attributes in a grid form. The aim of this study is to analyze the attributes that influence the overall satisfaction of foreign tourists visiting Varanasi, which is a leading tourist destination in India. This study used IGA to distinguish and position 21 destination satisfaction attributes. Further, the statistically significant difference between average expected satisfaction and average current satisfaction is examined using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The results provide a deeper understanding of the current satisfaction status of a heritage destination, but also provide scope for possible improvements by introducing new attributes. Furthermore, the study identifies critical areas of improvement for the following attributes: "maintenance of historical structures and monuments," "convenient local transportation," "sight‐seeing prices in terms of tourist satisfaction" in the context. The attributes used in the study to examine satisfaction of heritage destination can be used in similar contexts and adds knowledge to the existing body of tourism marketing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the concept of transgression is clearly of interest in marketing literature, its "ordinary" nature remains largely unknown. Yet, in the face of societal challenges, ordinary acts of transgression by brands are becoming increasingly common. This article focuses on the innovative concept of auto-transgression. It examines the case of a supermarket breaking with its own distribution standards to reduce food waste. A study carried out in collaboration with a national chain (896 consumers) shows that, although socially engaging, transgression can ultimately have a negative effect on brand relations. The ambivalence of its contrasting influence on symbolic associations – loss of legitimacy and gain of enterprising character – makes it necessary to think strategically in order to encourage the positive associations of these new, more virtuous standards, particularly those affecting food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology from the international trade literature is adapted to study country-of-origin (COO) effects. The resulting measures offer improvements over those used in the marketing literature by using actual household consumption data that is widely available. The measures capture consumer cosmopolitanism vs. ethnocentrism in each country, and nostalgia vs. animosity between country pairs. Research questions addressed include how cultural, linguistic, geographic, and historical factors impact COO effects. The results confirm several earlier findings from the literature and advance it as follows: Consumers exhibit more animosity toward countries that are culturally distant; do not speak the same languages; historically less connected; geographically close; and less developed, but also toward regional powers, and toward the US. Additionally, ethnocentric countries tend to be large; individualistic, feminine, risk averse, short-term oriented with high power distance and less prone to indulgence; with a high percentage of English speakers; and central in alliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, luxury marketing increasingly utilizes "masstige marketing" as a strategic approach. This approach combines luxury and mass brands and targets middle‐class consumers with an aim to make high‐end brands more accessible and affordable. However, despite a surge in research interest over the past two decades, the literature on masstige marketing remains scattered. Therefore, the present moment offers an appropriate time to consolidate the existing literature and lay the groundwork for future researchers. To achieve this aim, this paper endeavors to narrow the literature divide between luxury and affordability to establish a strong conceptual boundary using SPAR‐4 protocol and the TCCM approach. It thoroughly examines 75 papers published between 2003 and 2023 to identify critical research gaps. Furthermore, following manual coding and inductive analysis, the review outlines the theoretical perspective like masstige and bandwagon (Theory); identifies the contextual elements like B2B space and culture (Context); reveals the antecedents, gaps, and outcome variables, that is, CBBE and purchase intention (Characteristics); and suggest diverse approaches, that is, mixed and experimental methods (Methodology). The article also confirms the incorporation of themes, that is, value‐based and masstige‐evolution dimensions, by using Corbin and Strauss open, axial, and selective coding. Lastly, by employing in‐depth knowledge gap analysis, the review proposes future research directions as an efficient path for obtaining a holistic understanding of masstige marketing dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There has been a lot of research on how to set marketing budgets, but the overlooked aspect was how allocating funds influences business performance in a multi-goal context. This study aims to examine the relationship between business performance, the process of allocating funds to multiple goals and the interaction among the goals. Design/methodology/approach: Ratio data were generated through "a constant sum scale" from a sample of 362 managers from the B2C sector, besides data on after-tax revenue for two years. The data file was created. Then, a factor analysis was performed on the data. Furthermore, an econometric model with interaction terms was fitted to the data. Findings: The results show that allocating funds to multiple marketing goals – demand generation, customer experience, brand image, marketing competency and purchase intention – influences business performance. Furthermore, a goal's impact on business performance is higher when coupled with other goals than in isolation. Practical implications: The findings of the study should assist managers in increasing revenue while spending less on marketing and shifting funds from less efficient goals and pairs of goals to highly efficient ones. Originality/value: By extending the relevant theory on the relationship between the process of marketing fund allocation, multiple goals and business performance, this study contributes to the literature on marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This work aims to explore the effects of (equity and non-equity) strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs on FinTechs' online visibility. Design/methodology/approach: For a sample of 124 Italian FinTechs, the authors measured online visibility through their website ranking (Google PageRank) and website traffic (Google Trends). Consistent to the historical depth of these measures, the authors separately investigated the effect of equity and non-equity (contractual) agreements on online visibility by means of ordinal logistic regressions and diff-in-diff analysis. Findings: Strategic alliances with banks enhance FinTechs' online visibility. Although both equity and contractual agreements positively influence the popularity of FinTechs' website achieved through the activity of internal and external online content creators (websites ranking), only equity agreements are effective in attracting Internet users (website traffic). Practical implications: When deciding to interact with banks, FinTechs' managers should consider that equity agreements may be a powerful strategic choice for enlarging the customer base and boosting visibility of FinTechs. Social implications: Fostering strategic alliances between banks and FinTechs contributes to FinTechs' growth, generating virtuous mechanisms of innovation, financial inclusion and better allocative efficiency of the financial system. Originality/value: This work expands marketing knowledge and literature regarding online visibility determinants, by investigating the benefits of strategic alliances and cooperation in the market, while providing an empirical strategy replicable by future marketing studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While consumers frequently seek meaning through their marketplace interactions, a comprehensive understanding of meaningful consumption is conspicuously absent from marketing literature. Such insight would notably benefit macromarketing scholars who aim to evaluate the implications of consumer purchasing decisions on quality of life. Addressing this gap, our study employs 40 in-depth interviews to arrive at the phenomenological essence of meaningful consumption. We discover that meaningful consumption comprises three key themes—rejuvenation, expansion, and consolidation—accompanied by seven related sub-themes: repair and reconnection; intellectual, pragmatic, and relational expansion; and crystallization and contextualization. Our overarching framework enriches macromarketing theory by virtue of its ability to accommodate a large variety of meaningful consumption experiences while simultaneously enhancing existing discourse on the eudaimonic aspects of consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cross-border e-commerce continues to garner much attention within the international marketing literature as the world becomes hyperconnected through digital channels. Although there is an abundance of international marketing research on cross-border e-commerce, there is a lack of information regarding the influences of meta-institutional factors, such as a country's level of globalization, on the relationship between digital advertising and cross-border e-commerce buyers. The objective of this research is to examine the effects of digital media ad spend at the country level on cross-border e-commerce buyers across countries under differing degrees of formal (i.e. political) and informal (i.e. cultural) institutional globalization. Design/methodology/approach: This work examines the influence of digital ad spend at the country level and the degree of the country's formal and informal institutional globalization on the share of cross-border e-commerce buyers. We examine this issue within a 21-country, 8-year, unbalanced panel dataset. Findings: We find that there is substantive heterogeneity in degrees of formal (i.e. political) and informal (i.e. cultural) institutional globalization and cross-border e-commerce across countries. Digital ad spend at the country level is positively associated with cross-border e-commerce buyers within a country. A country's level of political globalization enhances, but cultural globalization was found to dampen the positive association. The results indicate that political and cultural globalization of a country both contribute to increased interconnectedness with the global market, yet the nature of the interconnection differs. Originality/value: The findings are informative to international marketing managers navigating the digital landscape and highlight the importance of institutions in international marketing activities. The study specifically demonstrates the varying effects of the meta-institutional factors of a country's level of political and cultural globalization on the association between digital ad spend and cross-border e-commerce buyers at the country level, across a wide variety of countries, thus also contributing to the effort to improve generalizations from multi-country comparisons in international marketing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews five free online email design platforms that libraries can use to create visually appealing and engaging email newsletters and other email communications. The five platforms reviewed in this article -- Beefree, Mosaico, Smore, Stripo, and Tabular -- are assessed according to ease of use, the availability of pre-designed templates, and other features, such as the ability to add collaborators. This review begins with a summary of the library and marketing literature on email communications, including best practices, and ends with a brief overview of email marketing platforms and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the influence of framing a brand's concept as functional versus symbolic in the advertising of a new vertical line extension. In this research, we carried out two online experiments and collected data from 415 participants recruited from MTurk to investigate the moderating role of believability on the effect of brand concept framing on consumers' purchase intentions of vertical line extensions. The results indicate that (i) consumers evaluate a vertical extension advertising message more positively when it is framed in a consistent manner with the targeted price/quality segment and not with its parent brand or existing product line and that (ii) this effect is moderated by consumer believability such that an advertising framing effect is found for high, but not low, in believability. Perceptions of category fit mediate the relationship between framing brand concept and the evaluation of the extension. This study contributes to the advertising and marketing literature by exploring how consumers can interpret brand concept framing in advertising messages of vertical line extensions differently depending on their level of believability and, in turn, influence their purchase intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper postulates that consumers' desire for doing-luxury – pursuing luxury with the intention of acquiring a life experience (vs. having-luxury) – pursuing luxury with the intention of acquiring a material good reduces counterfeiting schadenfreude – consumers' feelings of pleasure from the losses of luxury brands due to counterfeiting. Two experiments employed various methods of invoking doing-luxury (vs. having-luxury) – actual product exposure and brand positioning to test the predicted framework. The results demonstrate that doing-luxury (vs. having-luxury) leads to a lower counterfeiting schadenfreude; an effect explained by the lower perceived similarity. This research makes an important contribution to the counterfeiting and experiential marketing literature by demonstrating the role of brand positioning in reducing a critical counterfeit-related social emotion. The results also validate the relevance of the intentions-based distinction of experiential versus material purchases in predicting counterfeiting schadenfreude. To reduce counterfeiting schadenfreude, luxury brands must signal an ephemeral image focusing on moments of luxury rather than functions of luxury. In addition, ad appeals must invoke sensory elements, feelings, emotions, imagination, and mental stimulation rather than the hard facts about the products per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Chinese market represents an increasingly popular destination for wine firms and recent opportunities derive from the growth of e-commerce. The aim of this paper is to understand the impact of digital platforms on wine firms' internationalisation in China by adopting the service ecosystems approach. Design/methodology/approach: The authors carried out a case study of Italian premium wine firms from the Valpolicella area by collecting 27 semi-structured interviews with key informants that operate at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels of the internationalisation ecosystem. Italian wine firms were selected as the focus of the analysis, given the recent sales growth of their products in the Chinese market. Findings: Results show that digital platforms hold a key role in the wine firms' internationalisation in China, intervening with resource integration mechanisms, alignment to the cultural context and mediating firms' digital presence in the market. The platformisation dynamics also reveal the existence of enablers and constraints in the firm internationalisation through digital platforms. Research limitations/implications: The authors aim to contribute to the marketing literature by analysing how digital platforms influence the wine firms' internationalisation in China through an original perspective, i.e. the service ecosystems lens. Originality/value: The study adopts the service ecosystems approach to understand the internationalisation of wine firms in the Chinese market through digital platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study verifies a model linking the relative advantage and complexity of mobile shopping apps with perceived value and behavioral intentions. It also investigates the moderating role of the customers’ nationality in terms of expatriates vs. native citizens, a factor that has been scarcely considered in the marketing literature. The findings of this study have significant practical implications, contributing to the development of targeting strategies in marketing. This study also uncovers new paths, namely the moderation of cultural dimensions: uncertainty avoidance and collectivism. A survey was distributed using two sampling paths, namely intercepts combined with snowball sampling. The sample comprised 350 participants of various nationalities. The results revealed significant differences between expats and native citizens regarding the impact of relative advantage and complexity on perceived value, as well as the latter’s effect on behavioral intentions toward mobile shopping apps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeDesign/methodology/approachFindingsOriginality/valueBy collaborating with public research institutions, the paper seeks to understand how firms can leverage strategic intent and co-created value to gain strategic opportunities in new product development.This study employed Eisenhardt’s case approach (1998) to develop a theory. Data was gathered through a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 40 personnel from public research institutions. The key informant, who possessed extensive experience in new product development and a deep understanding of partner firms’ motivations to collaborate, was also consulted. This primary data was supplemented with secondary data, including published information and field notes, to ensure a comprehensive research approach.The results offer four propositions that can be explored further. First, the higher the strategic intent among PRI stakeholders, the higher the likelihood of strategic opportunities leading to new products. Second, the higher the co-created value in the NPD process, the higher the likelihood of strategic opportunities. Third, the higher the strategic intent and co-created value, the higher the strategic opportunities. Fourth, the higher the strategic intent and co-created value, the higher the likelihood of strategic opportunities. Such strategic opportunities may not have immediate desired commercial outcomes, but their cumulative knowledge could provide additional strategic opportunities for future NPD.This research contributes to the business marketing literature by deepening our understanding of the potential strategic opportunities that can arise from firms Collaborating with public research institutions. It highlights the benefits of these institutions being more knowledge (as compared to profit) focused and how these collaborations can, directly and indirectly, lead to new product developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the interplay between art, commerce and democratization in the contemporary art market. It studies the roles of art merchandise, such as mugs decorated with images of high art, in the contemporary art market in China. Relying on interviews, observations and other qualitative data, this article demonstrates that the merchandising of contemporary art is legitimate in China. The generation of income and promotion of artists and contemporary art generally emerged as important roles that China's art world participants assign to art merchandise. Art merchandise is fitting for these roles in a consumer society. The prevalence of art merchandising in China stems from a lack of state support for contemporary art, and a specific cultural and historical context that makes people more attuned to accept multiples. This article contributes to the sociology of art, the literature on the democratization of art and arts marketing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]