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The purpose of this paper is to trace the personal and intellectual evolution of the author via an autobiographic approach.

Personal, reflective, interpretive, historical narrative.

For the author, the writing of this paper opened new and reflective windows on personal and intellectual evolution, and similar effects may happen with some of the readers.

Some of the critical directions suggested herein could possibly inspire innovative critical marketing work.

There may be some insights on how to blend observations of the world at large with critical theories gleaned from the literature.

The paper offers reflections of the unequal, unjust state of the world, and this could inspire others to seek innovative ameliorative pathways.

As an autobiographical narrative, this paper – by definition – is original and unique.

This paper aims to the intricate relationship between digital influencers (DIs) and their followers, aiming to develop a comprehensive framework that explains how influence works in the digital world. It focuses on understanding the cultural aspects that shape these relationships in today’s global and digital marketplace.

This study employs a holistic methodology, intertwining historical, cultural and theoretical insights to decode the DI phenomenon. Applying a Grounded Theory approach, this paper coded articles into categories, developed abstract concepts and refined them through cycles of literature collection and analysis that allowed identifing gaps in the Influencer Marketing field. This comprehensive review and inductive analysis of globalization, mediated communication and digital interactions aim to unravel the intricacies of digital and virtual influence. This paper’s theoretical development advances propositions that dissect the facets influencing digital adoption, usage, interest and value perception, leading to a detailed model of digital influence grounded in both theory and real-world examples.

This research uncovers the significant impact DIs have, driven by global connections and the way we communicate in the digital age. Historical context situates DIs within the broader narrative of mediated persuasive communication. A preliminary typology of DIs and influence contexts forms the foundation for further exploration.

This study enhances the discussion around DIs by considering the influence of technology and culture together. It draws from the thoughts of leading thinkers on how technology connects us, providing a strong foundation for future studies.

As digital influence and the surrounding technology continue to change, it’s important to think critically about these trends. This research offers valuable insights for businesses looking to navigate the digital landscape effectively, helping them make better strategic decisions about their online presence.

This study breaks new ground by offering a detailed categorization of DIs and proposing a fresh way to understand their role. It links important ideas from the past about persuasion through media to the current state of digital influence, offering insights into how digital trends might affect communication strategies.

This paper aims to uncover links, overlaps and influence flows across two seemingly unrelated historical processes – the broadening of the marketing concept and the rapid rise of neoliberal ideology, and associated economic and social policies.

Historical examination of the pivotal points in marketing thought, especially since 1960s and 1970s, is juxtaposed with the historical rise of neoliberalism to uncover linkages between marketing and neoliberalism, with a particular reference to Foucault’s analysis of the neoliberal transgression of classical liberalism.

While noble intentions were behind the broadening of the concept of marketing, the implicit assumptions reinforced neoliberal ideology and policies that led to rapid rise in inequality and to disastrous financial and economic crises.

This study, relying on extensive interdisciplinary theorizing, could benefit from empirical and practical extensions.

Globally pervasive marketing practices – based on the broadening of the marketing concept – have become imbricated in contemporary spiraling crises. To escape such spirals, radical rethinking of marketing theories and practices is required.

To reorient away from serving only the interests of centralized capital and to serve the needs of people the world over, marketing thought and practice need to reorient to innovative ideas that transcend the broadened and generic marketing concepts.

The paper develops the linkages between marketing theory and practices since the late 1960s and the neoliberal ideology politics and policies, with roots in the 1920s, that rose to prominence in the 1970s. A key contribution is an exploration of, in a marketing context, Foucault’s analysis of the neoliberal eclipsing of classical liberalism.

The purpose of this paper is not to present a crystal ball, but to outline the conceptual strands – some already evident, others only dimly perceivable in emergent forms – that might drive the coming transformations and to weave the strands into a preliminary framework. The stance (and the political perspective) of the paper is informed by critical marketing studies (Tadajewski, 2010), the subfield of marketing that is vibrant in Europe but not yet well developed in other regions of the world.

This is a theoretical contribution, relying on discursive analysis.

Before an era of full and all-pervasive automation arrives, there will be a decades-long transitional stage of heteromation. In the heteromation, machines and humans will have to coexist adaptively. The spheres of production and consumption will be affected radically by the patterns of people-machine interactions, including coexistence, cooperation, adaptation, adjustments and conflicts. As the connective tissue between the spheres of production and consumption, marketing would also undergo major transformations in the age of heteromation.

The paper lays out the grounding concepts useful for how heteromation and the subsequent era of full automation could impact organizations and markets. It provides the stepping-stone for further work on how marketing could, would or should transform in relation to the challenges of heteromation and automation.

The paper offers some guideposts for public policymakers, public intellectuals and thought leaders and social activists. It also points to action options for visionary corporate leaders and for researchers wishing to explore the heteromation–automation futures from critical-social perspectives.

Using the concept of heteromation, this paper presents hitherto unexplored and critical implications of potentially epochal transformations for marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically test a new theory called the balanced theory of port competitiveness.

Data were collected from multiple respondents in 72 of the largest container ports. The instrument was translated into English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and French. The data were collected through online and paper-based surveys. The data were analyzed using analytical hierarchy process.

The theory was shown to explain the behavior of port stakeholders in improving competitiveness by balancing the need to attract new customers with that of attracting new investors when making decisions, which can often be contradictory. The analysis showed significant effects for the five variables of volume competitiveness (VC) and the five variables of investment competitiveness.

This study is limited in that it only tested the balanced theory on the largest container ports. The decisions by port managers may differ at smaller ports or those that do not handle containers.

Port stakeholders now have a ten-variable model of the factors needed to attract new customers and investors. These variables, and their tradeoffs, can evaluate the impact of managerial decisions on port competitiveness.

This study informs the literature by being the first to test a new theory that explains a greater level of port stakeholder behavior when improving competitiveness. Prior to this study, VC and investor competitiveness had only been studied separately, although they were related in practice.

This study explores enablers that firms could use to motivate consumers toward responsible consumption behavior. Completing the loop of responsible consumption – linking firms and consumers –helps firms to attain responsible consumption targets as part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The study uses netnography as the qualitative research methodology.

The important enablers of responsible consumption behavior are choice editing, design intervention, addressing consumers' environmental identity, brand assurance, promoting innovation mindset and consumer empowerment – at the level of consumers and at the crosslevel of interaction between firms and consumers. Such enablers can help the firms in nudging their consumers toward responsible consumption.

Using the lens of the expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation, this study extends the theoretical domain of responsible consumption.

The enablers of responsible consumption behaviors found here serve as a useful guide for the strategies to attain the SDGs.

The SDG goal 12 of responsible consumption is the focus of this study. The entire fabric of responsible consumption is woven around anthropocentric views, and hence the findings of this study have clear social implications.

This is a first study to explore how firms can facilitate consumers to consume responsibly, to attain the SDGs. This is also one of the first studies on responsible consumption, using netnography as the research methodology. Additionally, it also extends the applicability of the expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation to the context of responsible consumption behavior.

In a very personal reflection, this paper aims to trace the academic trajectory of a female marketing academic in a very male-dominated discipline. It also highlights the struggle balancing work and family, as well as protecting an immigrant identity in a foreign culture.

Given the period and unique conditions of the author’s academic journey, this highly personal retrospective account is based on recall of significant events that have shaped my singular experience. It attempts to capture the experience of an immigrant female novice navigating not only a foreign culture but also a very male-dominant discipline.

While times have changed and gender barriers are lower today, challenges remain. In addition, the set of choices faced by women with partners in the same discipline differ significantly and complicate the family-work balance decisions. There is no one set of path that can be followed.

While there is a professional cost to deviating from the mainstream, pursuing alternatives to the dominant topics is vital to advancing the health and relevance of the marketing discipline. The relationships between marketing and development have been an important topic for me; however, these macromarketing topics continue to be neglected. Given the current socio-economic-political conditions globally, perhaps future marketing scholars will devote greater attention to these topics.

This is purely the author’s personal reflection of a journey that began accidentally. It also occurred in the 1970s when women were rare in the business world, particularly business academia. It offers a retrospective comparison to male peers who, aside from their individual talents and history (Belk, 2017; Firat, 2014; Holbrook, 2017), were achieving their professional goals at a similar period. It also provides some historical context that can be compared to experiences of other female pioneers in marketing academia and marketing practice (Bolton, 2017; Tadajewski and Maclaran, 2013; Zeithaml, 2017).

Develops an approach to the discipline of macro‐marketing as a means for discussion. Approaches the task of agenda by considering: scope and domain of macro‐marketing; classification of research issues at a general level; and major macro‐marketing issues facing different groups in various developed and underdeveloped countries. Concludes that the promise of macro‐marketing as an emergent field is a function of the research directions this field takes; suggests, further, that these directions are a product of social processes and therefore not a matter of prescription or infallible predictions.