To explain the new Crowdfunding Regulation to market participants and to describe the impact of the Crowdfunding Regulation on current crowdfunding business models in the European…
Abstract
Purpose
To explain the new Crowdfunding Regulation to market participants and to describe the impact of the Crowdfunding Regulation on current crowdfunding business models in the European Union.
Design/methodology/approach
This article provides an overview of the new Crowdfunding Regulation with a focus on the provisions concerning cross-border services (“European Passport”) and the new authorization requirements for crowdfunding service providers.
Findings
In particular the introduction of the European passport will open new funding sources for project owners. This together with the harmonized authorization requirements of crowdfunding service providers is expected to contribute to further growth of the crowdfunding market in the European Union. The Crowdfunding Regulation is a further step on the way to a Capital Markets Union in Europe and regulates crowdfunding for the first time on a European level.
Practical implications
The Crowdfunding Regulation does not cover all existing crowdfunding business models in Europe (e.g., consumer as project owners and qualified subordinated loans are exempted). Insofar, the rules of the Member States continue to apply with the consequence of a partial fragmentation of applicable regulations.
Originality/value
Expert guidance from experienced financial-services lawyer.
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Alessandra Vecchi, Emmanuel Sirimal Silva and Lina Maria Jimenez Angel
The objective of this research is to propose a framework which is apt to assess how a nation branding campaign could promote cultural identity by ultimately curbing political…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this research is to propose a framework which is apt to assess how a nation branding campaign could promote cultural identity by ultimately curbing political polarization.
Design/methodology/approach
By relying on a multidisciplinary approach that blends theoretical constructs from different fields the methodology is based on a mixed-method approach whereby the qualitative data stemming from a set of interviews with key-informants is coupled by a survey of Colombian citizens in order to gain in-depth insights over the impact of nation branding on political polarization.
Findings
From the findings, it emerges that a campaign based on nation branding and targeting domestic citizens could curb political polarization within Colombia, by also fostering cultural identity.
Research limitations/implications
The study considers only Colombia. To fully assess the robustness of the framework it would be useful to extend the analysis to a broader range of countries and to a wider set of domestic issues.
Practical implications
The research not only provides in-depth insights on how nation branding can be used effectively in order to curb political polarization but also practical guidance on how a nation branding campaign can be effectively designed. The findings are relevant to policy-makers that have the opportunity to implement informed and educated nation branding campaigns not just overseas, but also to strategically address important domestic issues by engaging the domestic stakeholders.
Originality/value
While country branding has been extensively investigated within the context of international business, we have a relatively limited understanding of its domestic impact. In contrast to traditional country branding literature, this paper aims to theoretically advance our understanding of nation branding and its effect on political polarization, as well as gauging its impact on cultural identity.
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Chris Heywood, Gregory Missingham and Russell Kenley
This paper aims to establish a basis for considering and then studying the affective psychology found in subjective assessments encountered in managing facility provision, in this…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to establish a basis for considering and then studying the affective psychology found in subjective assessments encountered in managing facility provision, in this case in Australian local government.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature was used to construct a suite of models that provides a legitimate basis to consider affective, subjective and other assessments in the field. A psychologically‐based orientational qualitative enquiry using an Affective Lexicon was used for an empirical study.
Findings
The study found that affect is pervasive in the management of local government facilities. It was found in expectations facility management has concerning consequences of its work, stakeholders' expectations and evaluations, and had utility in managing facility projects. A Scheme of Affective Management is proposed that uses a suite of techniques to achieve affective outcomes and consequences from facility management. These results challenge so‐called objectivity in the field.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical study occurred in Australian local government but it is likely that the results are generalisable to other countries and also to the private sector and could apply more generally to effective facility management.
Practical implications
A Scheme of Affective Management is introduced that provides a suite of practices that could be employed to manage facility projects' affective outcomes.
Originality/value
The field embraces the psychology of facilities. This paper is a very early example that demonstrates that considering psychology in the management of facilities is also important.
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Afia Khalid, Raheel Amir Awan, Rizwan Ali and Imran Sarmad
This study aims to examine the moderating effect of sustainability marketing on brand loyalty of brands that advertise their sustainable development agenda goals. The study…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the moderating effect of sustainability marketing on brand loyalty of brands that advertise their sustainable development agenda goals. The study highlights the mediating effect of brand love having cognitive antecedents of brand authenticity, popularity and congruence with private and social self of the consumer.
Design/methodology/approach
A mall intercept survey was used to collect data from consumers who use brands that embrace sustainable marketing strategies. Only those brands were selected which are popular as well as advertise sustainable practices in their brand communication (mainstream and social media). The data was self-administered by trained research assistants, who gathered data from a sample of 350 respondents.
Findings
The findings revealed that the popularity and authenticity of a brand play an essential role in developing brand love and later influences brand loyalty behavior. A larger effect is seen on brand love when there is congruence of private and social self with the brand. The brand has even a stronger relationship with brand loyalty when moderated by sustainability marketing.
Research limitations/implications
Brand love has the potential for long-term influences, only if sustainability marketing is used as a backbone. Brand managers should target an authenticity-seeking segment of consumers, who once convinced can lead to repeat business and brand loyalty and reduce dissonance. As sustainability marketing provides multiple benefits, genuine branding strategies should be devised that amalgamate into a single message spun around sustainability concerns and connecting the ethos of authenticity, popularity and self-expression. Future research may take into consideration more categories than this study on clothing, and consumer goods, adopting a mixed-methods approach. Moreover, a range of potential antecedents of brand love can be determined along with potential outcomes when aligned with external efforts such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility and international investment.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating the moderating role of sustainability marketing on the relationship between brand love and brand loyalty and the mediating role of brand love between brand authenticity, popularity, social/private-self-expression and brand loyalty. It is also the first study documenting how sustainability marketing reinforces the brand loyalty for popular brands in developing countries like Pakistan. This study fills a research gap as it expands the existing literature on sustainability marketing and brand love that is generally focused on brand dimensions and not the brand communications and thus has not reached similar results.
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This paper aims to address a fundamental research question on behavioral branding, as how behavioral branding experience in reference to self-congruence, brand attributes and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to address a fundamental research question on behavioral branding, as how behavioral branding experience in reference to self-congruence, brand attributes and vogue leads to a positive influence on behavioral branding.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on the qualitative information gathered from 25 purposively selected respondents using semi-structured research interviews in the Mexico City. The respondents belonged to the young executive segment within the age group of 20-40, who had trendy knowledge of fashion accessory brands and exhibited behavior toward buying high profile consumer brands. The respondents were located in the northern (Roma Sur) and southern (Coyoacan) municipalities of Mexico City representing 28 per cent male and 72 per cent female sample population.
Findings
Brands following the vogue in the market engage consumers emotionally toward its use and public expressions. The effect of vogue in fashion accessories was found to be greater for women. This effect influences personality traits, and comparison of appearance and social status. Brand attributes reveal a set of characteristics that identify the physical character and personality traits of the brand, congruent with the consumer emotions through which consumers identify themselves. Brand personality traits include brand image, responsiveness and trust among consumers. Consumer brand knowledge during the survey was explored in reference to the behavioral branding by gathering answers to what consumers identified as their favorite fashion accessory brands. Consumer perception on brand image, perceived use value and societal recognition to the brand drive the brand attachment feeling among consumers. Consumers personify the brands at an accelerated pace, and they get associated to these brands.
Research limitations/implications
Like many other empirical studies, this study also has some limitations in reference to the research methodology, sampling, data collection and generalization of the findings. As this study is qualitative in nature, there are possibilities of subjectivity in the responses, which might not be compatible with the quantitative data, if researched with such methodology.
Practical implications
This study prompts specific managerial implications allowing managers with insights to better understand the consumer perceptions on fashion brands, vogue and the cognitive dimensions in adopting the behavioral brands of the fashion industry. The study demonstrates that the process of co-creation of fashion brands, and setting up vogue in the society is based on the social needs and consumer engagement in the vogue.
Originality/value
There is paucity of qualitative research literature on brand behavior in reference to hispanic consumers in general and in reference to Mexican consumer in particular. Hence, this paper contributes to the existing literature. There are not many empirical studies that have addressed these questions either in isolation, or considering the interrelationship of the above factors. The determinants of brand behavior analyzed in this study can be further explored broadly with the consumer value and lifestyle management.
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Paul Harrigan, Sanjit K. Roy and Tom Chen
Drawing on service logic, the authors investigate how value cocreation leads to evangelical brand-related behaviors (brand defense and brand advocacy). The authors analyze the…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on service logic, the authors investigate how value cocreation leads to evangelical brand-related behaviors (brand defense and brand advocacy). The authors analyze the interplay between value cocreation and customer brand engagement on social media in driving these outcomes. The authors also consider the role of brand love in eliciting evangelical brand-related behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
Respondents recruited through Amazon MTurk were surveyed on social media use in tourism-related decisions. The total useable sample size was 397. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the research model.
Findings
Value cocreation and customer brand engagement are drivers of evangelical brand-related behaviors, emphasizing the importance of these two in marketing and how they drive behavioral outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
Service logic highlights the significance of value cocreation which, through customer brand engagement and love, leads to brand defense and advocacy. This explains the mediation in our model, where marketers must undertake efforts to support customer brand engagement and brand love.
Practical implications
Value is created by the user for the user through their experiences over time. Brands are owned by customers, and their defense and advocacy of them must be earned. Marketers facilitate customer value creation by providing the resources to cocreate value and love the brand.
Originality/value
Most studies investigate value cocreation from an in-role and/or extra-role perspective as to how it benefits firms. Through service logic, the authors illustrate how it leads to evangelical brand-related behaviors.
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Through the theoretical lens of social practice theory, the aim of this research is to investigate how business-to-business (B2B) high-tech startups build their brands in an…
Abstract
Purpose
Through the theoretical lens of social practice theory, the aim of this research is to investigate how business-to-business (B2B) high-tech startups build their brands in an omni-digital environment, particularly by focusing on the most important digital touchpoints implemented to interact with stakeholders.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative analysis was performed by conducting 36 semi-structured interviews with key informants operating in B2B high-tech startups, including founders, CEOs, managing directors, marketing managers and other actors from this sector.
Findings
The results reveal the enablers, inhibitors and specific objectives of startups in their brand-building processes across digital touchpoints in an omni-digital environment.
Originality/value
This study offers new theoretical insights into new ventures’ brand management strategies through the development of a theoretical framework in which the enablers, inhibitors and specific objectives of the brand-building process of startups are identified. Although the recent literature has addressed the topic of startup brand building, this is the first study, to the authors’ knowledge, focused on the brand-building process of B2B high-tech startups in an omni-digital environment.
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Danilo Brozović, Anna D'Auria, Marco Tregua and Mark Anthony Camilleri
This chapter delineates the conditions, challenges and opportunities for the sustainability of small entrepreneurial firms involved in local food tourism. It raises awareness on…
Abstract
This chapter delineates the conditions, challenges and opportunities for the sustainability of small entrepreneurial firms involved in local food tourism. It raises awareness on how these businesses can enhance their competitiveness in this market. It puts forward an analytical framework that is based on the economic, social, environmental and cultural sustainability of small local food tourism entrepreneurs in Swedish, Italian and Spanish contexts. This research implies that the financial sustainability of these small enterprises is contributing to local economic growth and employment in their country. From the social sustainability aspect these tourism businesses are intrinsically linked to local communities. Their responsible practices are meant to safeguard the environmental sustainability as well as the preservation of their local culture and heritage. At the same time, they enable them to add value to their destination’s cultural sustainability.
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Ana María García-Pérez and Vanessa Yanes-Estévez
This paper aims to deepen the strategic choices of wineries by identifying their strategic reference points in their internal and external dimensions, and presenting their…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to deepen the strategic choices of wineries by identifying their strategic reference points in their internal and external dimensions, and presenting their strategic positioning typology.
Design/methodology/approach
Strategic reference point theory (Fiegenbaum et al., 1996) and strategic positioning (Lavie and Figenbaum, 2000, 2003). The Rasch methodology (1960) is applied to a sample of wineries in the Canary Islands (Spain).
Findings
The principal internal reference is the quality of the wine and of the service offered, followed by social and environmental protection. The principal external reference are the customers, followed by society. Surprisingly, competitors, as an external factor, do not affect wineries’ strategic choices. Strategic positioning shows a polarisation of wineries: the largest group evidences a myopic strategic positioning, attaching little importance to internal and external references. In contrast, the second group of wineries is comprised of adaptive wineries who attach considerable importance both to internal as well as external references, and who are likely emerging as competitive wineries.
Research limitations/implications
These references urge wineries towards a conservative approach that focuses on satisfying their regular customers by offering the same quality products and services. Results also evidence a particular sensitivity towards society and the environment. Strategic positioning shows that the largest group of wineries (myopic) lack strategic orientation and are subject to high rates of failure.
Originality/value
Wineries’ strategic positioning emerges as a tool to help management and institutions in their strategic diagnosis. The Rasch method (1960) is applied for the first time to the strategic positioning of wineries according to the choices of their managers.
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Jose T. Marin-Aguilar and Natalia Vila-López
The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent emotional experiences lived in mega-events and ecological orientation of citizens could act as direct antecedents of city…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine to what extent emotional experiences lived in mega-events and ecological orientation of citizens could act as direct antecedents of city brand attitude improvements. In addition, it addresses the effect in terms of a perceived quality of life that a city brand consolidation would be able to bring the citizens of a particular place. Cities must manage and administer their geographical territories as if they were brands, seeking to increase the benefits to society.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical study was performed by collecting information from 398 residents of Aguascalientes (Mexico) during the National Fair of San Marcos in 2011.
Findings
Results show how in order to increase city brand attitudes, both the focus on mega-events and the ecological orientation are two successful ways. Moreover, improvements in city brand attitudes can bring significant benefits on the positive perception of quality of life among citizens.
Originality/value
This investigation has made progress in implementing the experiential marketing channeled through emotional experiences in mega-events and, particularly, in environmentally oriented mega-events, which is able to improve ecological orientation of citizens. To date, no evidence of empirical research referenced in mega-events of the features of the National Fair of San Marcos, Mexico, exists.