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For any given customer, his/her profitability for a business enterprise can be estimated by the so-called customer lifetime value (CLV). One specific goal for many enterprises consists in maximizing the aggregated CLV associated with its set of customers. To achieve this goal, a company uses marketing resources (e.g. marketing campaigns), which are usually expensive.

This paper proposes a formal model of the Customer Life Value problem inspired by the uncapacitated facility location problem.

The computational experiments conducted by the authors illustrate the potential of the approach when compared with a standard (non-algorithm-supported) one.

The approach leads up to the economic trade-off between the volume of the employed resources and the aggregated CLV, i.e. the higher the number of resources utilized, but also the higher the cost of achieving this level of lifetime value. Hence, the number of resources to be “activated” has to be decided, and the effect of each of these resources on each CLV will depend upon how “close” the resource is from the corresponding customer (i.e. how large will the impact of the active resource on the customer).

This study aims to examine involvement and perceived usefulness (PU) as the drivers of loyalty for online booking websites, revealing findings of theoretical and practical relevance. The proposed conceptual model is drawn on elaboration likelihood model (ELM) along with the consideration of expectation confirmation model for loyalty development.

A two-stage structural equation modeling was applied to test the reliability and validity of the constructs and the strength of the hypothesized relationships.

Attitudinal loyalty (AL) is found to have a significant role, resulting in behavioral loyalty (BL) toward online booking. The results of this study supported the ELM framework, where involvement and PU resulted in BL through AL. PU and AL also served as mediating mechanisms underlying the impact of consumer involvement on BL.

This study applies the ELM to online ticketing mechanisms and nuances amid AL and BL with their drivers.

This case describes the vulnerability of the Indian aviation sector by highlighting the fall of Jet Airways from one of the biggest airlines in India to bankruptcy. The present case discusses the role of Jet Airways' leadership in managing the external threats that affect aviation business in India.

The present case is built on data collected from secondary sources, including publicly available information about the company, journals, websites, newspapers and reports.

The case reports findings of how hubris-driven strategic decisions and insecurity of the leader in losing control of the company, led to the grounding of one of the major airline companies in the Indian aviation industry.

The present case study provides valuable insights into the aviation industry in India, focusing on the threats to the aviation business. The case is useful to other airline companies and the aviation business community in dealing with external threats to business and issues of leadership dysfunction.

Acquiring economic literacy is not only important so that citizens may hold politicians accountable, ensuring a vibrant and effective democratic system, it is also necessary for business managers in order to attain effective organizational performance and compete in the complex global markets. Using a sample of 494 students, this study assesses the economic literacy of Indian MBA students. Several areas of alarming deficiencies are observed. Factors that influence the level of economic literacy are also investigated.

Service products being intangible and experiential in nature are different to evaluate prior to purchase and consumption. Consumers perceive risk while purchasing services and rely on various information sources to make a purchase decision. In services, personal sources of information are considered more than non‐personal sources of information. The present study focuses on understanding the significance of supplementary services as nonpersonal source of information to consumers for pre‐purchase evaluation of credit card services. In other words, whether information regarding supplementary services can help consumers make pre‐purchase evaluation of credit cards. In addition to pre‐purchase evaluation, the impact of supplementary services is studied towards post‐purchase evaluation of credit card services. Supplementary services being a part of full service product offer by marketers can be utilised as a beneficial tool to create interest and developing awareness among consumers.

Movement of people from one retail trade area to another in search of better options and deals has been studied across the world owing to its large impact on trade flow. Studies have been done in various rural and urban settings. However, almost all except one fails to provide a comprehensive model of outshopping which has its own limitations with regard to its applicability’s across cultures and in various settings. Nonetheless findings from the literature provides necessary inputs to start studies in various other cultures and settings. Results are presented in form of various definitions, various types, methodologies used, factors identified (individual characteristics, market characteristics, product related variables and accessibility factors) and patterns across continents. Attempts have also been made to explain their applicability to Indian conditions along with various limitations and gaps.

Multinational companies (MNCs) entering developing markets face cultural, language, and other barriers to understanding consumers. Ethnographic consumer insights research offers the best means of understanding needed product innovations and adaptations for these markets. This paper aims to focus on these issues.

The paper emphasizes qualitative methods and gives examples of their successful application in developing markets.

Despite a wealth of quantitative consumer data from surveys, online data, and secondary data analysis, these methods cannot provide a culture‐sensitive understanding of local consumers. Anthropological approaches are best situated to do this.

While MNCs have global experience they can gain local experience by coming to see through the lens of qualitative consumer insights.

This paper seeks to estimate importance of various factors affecting the choice of fast food outlets by Indian young consumers.

The study applies multivariate statistical tools to estimate importance of various factors affecting the choice of fast food outlets by Indian young consumers. In addition, the authors analysed the consumption patterns, impact of hygiene and nutritional values, and rating of various attributes of McDonald's and Nirula's.

Results indicate that the young Indian consumer has passion for visiting fast food outlets for fun and change but home food is their first choice. They feel homemade food is much better than food served at fast food outlets. They have the highest value for taste and quality (nutritional values) followed by ambience and hygiene. Three dimensions (service and delivery dimension, product dimension, and quality dimension) of fast food outlets' attributes are identified based on factor analysis results. The two fast food outlets' rating differs significantly on the seven attributes. McDonald's scores are higher on all attributes except “variety”. Further, consumers feel that fast food outlets must provide additional information on nutritional values and hygiene conditions inside kitchen.

Fast food providers need to focus on quality and variety of food besides other service parameters. There is need to communicate the information about hygiene and nutrition value of fast food which will help in building trust in the food provided by fast food players.

Estimates importance of various factors affecting the choice of fast food outlets by Indian young consumers.

The purpose of this viewpoint is to raise the issue of the development of marketing communication in and for emerging markets.

This is a conceptual piece which is not supported by formal research. It is based on existing literature and the experience of the author. Previous experience, writings, consulting and teaching are the primary base for the discussion. Suggestions and recommendations for further research and development are made.

This work suggests that present western models are inappropriate, therefore, it provides an alternative view and a new conceptual model. The model developed has been based on the needs and requirements of emerging markets and is presented and discussed.

This viewpoint provides practitioners with a new, practical way to consider and develop marketing communication programs in emerging markets. It also provides the academic community with a conceptual model which can be tested and refined over time. Thus, it serves a dual purpose: it provides a new, unique and relevant view of marketing communications in emerging markets and it also provides a platform for cooperative research among the academic and professional communities.

The concept suggests that consumers now and will in the future control the impact and effect of all forms of marketing communication. There are substantial implications of this shift of marketplace power if the suppositions of the author are accurate.

This viewpoint builds on other research, writing and developmental work by the author. It is the synthesis of several years of research, teaching, consulting and discussion by the author in a number of emerging markets and economies.