M. Monshipouri and R. Motameni
To investigate the dynamics of the Europe ‘92 project, we have applied Johan Arndt's Political Economy Paradigm, four dimension of which are: external, internal, polity, and…
Abstract
To investigate the dynamics of the Europe ‘92 project, we have applied Johan Arndt's Political Economy Paradigm, four dimension of which are: external, internal, polity, and economy. These will provide us with an extensive domain of interactive and interrelated components. Our analysis of the so‐called Internal Market supports the notion that Europe '92 will be a new actor, on the global scene. This will have far‐reaching and pronounced effects on the political dynamics of the new global security system characteristics of the post‐hegemonic multipolar structures. Our arguments suggest that the long term implications of Europe '92 may well indicate cross‐border interactions among states of the magnitude that can and should integrate the U.S. and Japanese economies. Furthermore, no hegemonic power is certain to emerge from such a complex international political economy, for in a not too distant future all nations will likely have developed interests in some type of cooperation. The logical progression of this trajectory points to further predictability in and global stability for the interstate relations.
Aron O’Cass and Kenny Lim
This study examines consumer brand associations, focusing on the differences between association held for western brands and eastern brands by young Singaporeans under the…
Abstract
This study examines consumer brand associations, focusing on the differences between association held for western brands and eastern brands by young Singaporeans under the country‐of‐origin umbrella. The study also examines consumer ethnocentric tendencies (CET), finding very low levels of ethnocentrism among respondents, and results indicate CET had no effect on brand preference or purchase intention.
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Han Shen, Xinge Li and Yangfan Zhang
With the development of tourism industry, online travel agencies (OTA) have gradually become an important channel for tourism product supplies and sales. Some OTAs provide…
Abstract
With the development of tourism industry, online travel agencies (OTA) have gradually become an important channel for tourism product supplies and sales. Some OTAs provide consumers with a platform for tourism guidance and online travel sharing. They not only satisfy some tourists’ desire to share their experiences but also provide reference for more consumers to choose travel products. This process is the process of value co-creation by customers and online travel companies. This study is conducted under DART theory, a theoretical framework of value co-creation composed of four dimensions, namely dialog, access, risk-assessment, and transparency. Brand equity is divided into four aspects: brand loyalty, brand awareness, customer perceived value, and brand image. This study uses the structural equation model to investigate the impact of customer value co-creation behavior on brand equity of online travel enterprises and interprets the process and mechanism of customer value co-creation behaviors for online travel business brand equity, which provides more efficient strategies and methods for platform interaction and value co-creation.
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Hong Yan Yu, Deli Yang, Carol Yoder and Maho (Mahmut) Sonmez
This paper aims to study how brand owners and users enhance brand bond with three objectives. First, brand owners’ effort (BOE) to exercise care, innovate frequently and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study how brand owners and users enhance brand bond with three objectives. First, brand owners’ effort (BOE) to exercise care, innovate frequently and differentiate their brands enhances users’ bond with the brand. Second, brand users’ competence (BUC) in their knowledge and experience with the brand’s reputation, value and service quality improves brand bond. Third, BOE significantly enhances BUC.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposed an integrative model with new concepts and tested it with 2,135 young Chinese consumers using global smartphone brands. Results are drawn from structural equation modeling and comparisons between stakeholders and among smartphone brands.
Findings
The results show that BOE and BUC are significant and equally effective at enhancing brand bond. BOE also shows a significantly stronger effect on BUC than on brand bond. The temporal comparison between 2015 and 2018 confirms the changing reality of the smartphone world. As for brand comparison, young consumers perceive that iPhone differentiates itself from Huawei and Samsung rivals in terms of BOE and BUC on brand bond. However, none of these brands show significant differences in terms of BOE effect on BUC.
Research limitations/implications
Please see detail in the Conclusion and Discussions.
Practical implications
Please see detail in the Conclusion and Discussions.
Social implications
Please see detail in the Conclusion and Discussions.
Originality/value
This study introduced a validated model with new concepts based on the global smartphone industry, perceived by young Chinese consumers. The results prove that it takes both the owners and users together to contribute to the brand bond, but brand owners’ role on BUC is more significant.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of brand experience on brand equity dimensions in the perspective of customers (including brand identification, physical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of brand experience on brand equity dimensions in the perspective of customers (including brand identification, physical quality, staff behavior quality, brand awareness, ideal self-congruence and life style-congruence) on brand satisfaction and loyalty in Iranian banking industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The author designed the conceptual model of the research based on the existing relationships between the research variables and the proposed hypotheses. By a questionnaire, the opinion of 288 customers and clients of selected branches of Melli and Tejarat banks were collected in two Provinces, including East and West Azerbaijan Provinces. The research hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results of the paper showed that the brand experience directly affected all dimensions of brand equity. Also, the results indicated that except for lifestyle congruence, other dimensions of equity directly affected the customers' brand satisfaction.
Originality/value
This paper is significant, because it addresses the experience relationships and brand equity with the perspective of the customers of banks in an Islamic country, which affects the development of branding literature.
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In seeking to expand our understanding of brands and their impact on consumer behaviour, assesses the relationship between brand associations, which contribute to consumption…
Abstract
In seeking to expand our understanding of brands and their impact on consumer behaviour, assesses the relationship between brand associations, which contribute to consumption behaviour. A self‐administered questionnaire was developed and administered to a non‐probabilistic convenience sample of 315 young consumers. The findings of this research indicate that the status‐conscious market is more likely to be affected by the symbolic characteristics of a brand; feelings aroused by the brand; and by the degree of congruency between the brand‐user’s self‐image and the brand’s image itself. Results also indicate that the higher the symbolic characteristics, the stronger the positive feelings, and the greater the congruency between the consumer and brand image, the greater the likelihood of the brand being perceived as possessing high status elements. The suspicion that status‐laden brands would be chosen for status consumption and conspicuous consumption was also confirmed. These findings broaden our understanding of status‐conscious consumers and their behaviour towards brands.
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This paper aims to evaluate the financial performance of companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange by using negative data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate the financial performance of companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange by using negative data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the financial metrics for performance evaluation were extracted and then filtered based on the experts’ opinions. Upon choosing the appropriate financial measures, the financial information of 72 companies selected from four automotive, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and cement industries were collected, and the criteria values were also measured. The financial performance of selected companies was assessed using negative data bounded adjusted measure in the DEA, and efficient and inefficient companies were identified. Finally, the efficient companies were ranked using Andersen and Petersen model.
Findings
The required analysis was conducted, and the financial performance of selected companies listed on Tehran Stock Exchange was evaluated. There were 58 efficient companies with a performance value of 1; 14 companies became inefficient because the efficiency size was less than 1; therefore, reference units were also introduced to the managers for efficiency of inefficient companies.
Originality/value
The aim of this study was to identify the required financial criteria and to determine an appropriate model for performance evaluation based on negative DEA. The findings can help shareholders to identify efficient companies and make the optimal portfolio accordingly; the managers of inefficient companies can also take the proper reforming actions to improve efficiency.
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A real-time production scheduling method for semiconductor back-end manufacturing process becomes increasingly important in industry 4.0. Semiconductor back-end manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
A real-time production scheduling method for semiconductor back-end manufacturing process becomes increasingly important in industry 4.0. Semiconductor back-end manufacturing process is always accompanied by order splitting and merging; besides, in each stage of the process, there are always multiple machine groups that have different production capabilities and capacities. This paper studies a multi-agent based scheduling architecture for the radio frequency identification (RFID)-enabled semiconductor back-end shopfloor, which integrates not only manufacturing resources but also human factors.
Design/methodology/approach
The architecture includes a task management (TM) agent, a staff instruction (SI) agent, a task scheduling (TS) agent, an information management center (IMC), machine group (MG) agent and a production monitoring (PM) agent. Then, based on the architecture, the authors developed a scheduling method consisting of capability & capacity planning and machine configuration modules in the TS agent.
Findings
The authors used greedy policy to assign each order to the appropriate machine groups based on the real-time utilization ration of each MG in the capability & capacity (C&C) planning module, and used a partial swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to schedule each splitting job to the identified machine based on the C&C planning results. At last, we conducted a case study to demonstrate the proposed multi-agent based real-time production scheduling models and methods.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a multi-agent based real-time scheduling framework for semiconductor back-end industry. A C&C planning and a machine configuration algorithm are developed, respectively. The paper provides a feasible solution for semiconductor back-end manufacturing process to realize real-time scheduling.
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The purpose of the study is to examine three significant components of service brand equity – i.e. perceived service quality, brand loyalty, and brand image – and analyze…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to examine three significant components of service brand equity – i.e. perceived service quality, brand loyalty, and brand image – and analyze relationships among the components of brand equity and also their relationship with brand equity, which is still to be theorized and developed in the healthcare literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Effective responses were received from 206 respondents, selected conveniently from the localities of Jammu city. After scale item analysis, the data were analyzed using factor analysis, correlations, t‐tests, multiple regression analysis and path modeling using SEM.
Findings
The findings of the study support that service brand equity in the healthcare sector is greatly influenced by brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, brand image has an indirect effect on service brand equity through brand loyalty (mediating variable).
Research limitations/implications
The research can be criticized on the ground that data were selected conveniently from respondents residing in the city of Jammu, India. But at the same time the respondents were appropriate for the study as they have adequate knowledge about the hospitals, and were associated with the selected hospital for more than four years. Furthermore, the validity and reliability of the data are strong enough to take care of the limitations of the convenience sampling selection method.
Originality/value
The study has unique value addition to the service marketing vis‐à‐vis healthcare literature, from both theoretical and managerial perspectives. The study establishes a direct and significant relationship between service brand equity and its two components, i.e. perceived service quality and brand loyalty in the healthcare sector. It also provides directions to healthcare service providers in creating, enhancing, and maintaining service brand equity through service quality and brand loyalty, to sustain competitive advantage.
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Eda Atilgan, Şafak Aksoy and Serkan Akinci
This research study aims to examine the practicality and application of a customer‐based brand equity model, based on Aaker's well‐known conceptual framework of brand equity.
Abstract
Purpose
This research study aims to examine the practicality and application of a customer‐based brand equity model, based on Aaker's well‐known conceptual framework of brand equity.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employed structural equation modelling to investigate the causal relationships between the dimensions of brand equity and brand equity itself. It specifically measured the way in which consumers’ perceptions of the dimensions of brand equity affected the overall brand equity evaluations. Data were collected from a sample of university students in Turkey.
Findings
The study concludes that brand loyalty is the most influential dimension of brand equity. Weak support is found for the brand awareness and perceived quality dimensions.
Research limitations/implications
While it is acknowledged that student samples are normally an unreliable basis for conclusions and predictions to be applied to consumers in general, it is considered that they were an appropriate group for this study, given that the subject was beverages.
Practical implications
Implications for brand managers and marketing planners are discussed. Marketing managers should consider the relative importance of brand equity dimensions in their overall brand equity evaluations.
Originality/value
Branding plays an important role in contemporary marketing, and is the focus of much literature, both academic and professional. This study contributes to the body of knowledge.