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The purpose ofthis study is to synthesise the findings of existing research on brand-related user-generated content (UGC) in the context of fashion retail and to come up with future research directions.

A systematic literature review of 33 research papers, selected using well-defined criteria, was done. Further, the thematic analysis identified underlying themes and their inter-linkages.

The inter-linkages of 12 emergent themes were showcased in the form of a causal-chain conceptual framework, highlighting antecedents, mediators, moderators and consequences.

Future research involves six directions, and researchers should empirically test out the proposed conceptual framework and take the given research directions forward.

Retailers should understand UGC motivators to launch targeted campaigns to amplify UGC with firm-generated content and increase overall engagement and sales of a brand.

First, this study fills the gap of missing synthesis of existing studies on UGC about fashion retail by analysing the publication distribution, paper types, data collection tools and techniques and data analysis methods. Second, the authors have proposed a causal-chain conceptual framework based upon thematic analysis of the research literature. The emergent themes touch upon three crucial aspects of marketing on enabling technology, consumer behaviour and marketing tactics. Finally, the academic contribution of this study lies in coming up with six vital research agenda for future research.

This study aims to perform the bibliometric analysis of the customer engagement (CE) literature, highlights the major research themes and classifies the subdomains. The study also identifies antecedents and consequences, as well as dimension evolution, and suggests future research directions.

This study used a comprehensive bibliometric approach using Scopus data from 2002 to January 2024. Advanced analytical techniques, including bibliometric and cocitation analysis using R and bibexcel, were used. In addition, machine learning (ML)-based Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) was used to extract latent themes.

This study reveals the domain’s past trend and present research scenario. The thematic analysis of CE is classified into three phases. Document cocitation analysis provided four broad clusters: conceptualization and operationalization, value creation through engagement, building relationships with brands and engagement-social media interface. The antecedents and consequences are categorized and presented along with the evolution of the multidimensional nature of CE.

This study adds to the literature in two key ways. First, the entire scholarly production has been compiled into one frame. Second, multiple methods were used to unravel citation, cocitation and textual data. Furthermore, ML-based LDA was used to extract latent themes from clusters and future research directions were proposed.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of augmented reality (AR) on retailing by conducting thematic analysis on variables studied in the existing literature.

The data set includes 232 variables studied in 35 research papers, collected using well-defined search and inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis is used to identify patterns in the data set.

The eight themes emerging from the analysis are arranged in the form of a conceptual framework to model the decision-making process of users. The position of themes in the model is determined by the most dominant variable type in the theme and by employing the technology acceptance model as the reference paradigm.

The current review contributes to the advancement of literature by setting a research agenda for scholars working in the field of consumer behavior and human–computer interaction. Future research should improve the generalizability of the research by replicating the method and testing the conceptual framework on other immersive technologies.

Marketers should incorporate AR technology into their experiential marketing strategies. Since integrating and managing AR technology requires expertise, organizations are advised to make use of existing toolkits or collaborate with technology companies to develop their offerings.

To maintain the uniqueness of the current study from other papers focusing on existing research done in this area, this review considers only studies using statistical techniques to study consumer behavior pertaining to AR in retail. The study uses an unconventional method for identifying patterns in the existing literature by employing theories and frameworks as the basis of classification.

The education services sector faces ever-changing global market dynamics with creative disruptions. Building knowledge brands can push the higher education sector beyond its geographical boundaries into the global arena. This study aims to identify key constructs, their theoretical background and dimensions that aid in building a global knowledge brand. The authors' research focuses on adapting and validating scales for global knowledge and education services brands from well-established academic literature.

The authors have adopted a mixed methodology approach and a systematic literature review. Authors interviewed 18 subject matter experts as part of content and face validity to arrive at select constructs, dimensions and items. Quantitative methods with random sampling were adopted as the primary methodology. Initially, the survey was administered to 390 students to test preliminary results. The survey was also administered to 5,112 students at a later part of this study. Valid responses stood at 3,244 with a 63% response rate. Further, the authors conducted confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test the reliability and validity of scales. This study analyzed composite reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity to finalize items for scales. The authors also validated the hypotheses based on the discriminant validity assessment scores.

Authors' key research findings are that academic stimulus, campus infrastructure and student intent play a significant role in campus culture and events design and experience at campus. Authors were able to bring out 16 key constructs and 55 critical dimensions vital to global education services brand building. This study also adapted and validated 99 items that meet construct validity and composite reliability criteria. This study also highlights that constructs such as student intent, academic stimulus, campus infrastructure scalability, selection mechanism, pedagogical content knowledge, brand identity, events experience and campus culture play a vital role in global brand recognition.

The authors' work is fairly generalizable to education services and the higher education sector. However, this study must be extrapolated and empirically validated in other industry sectors. The research implications of this study are that it aided the authors in building theoretical background for student brand loyalty theory, student expectation theory and study loyalty theory. This study adds to the body of knowledge by contributing to theoretical concepts on students, knowledge culture, events, infrastructure and branding. Researchers can adopt the scales proposed in this study to build research models in higher education branding. This study acts as a catalyst for building theories in education services areas. Researchers can delve deep into proposed research aspects of campus infrastructure, knowledge infrastructure, campus knowledge culture, events design and events experience.

This study aids educators and brand managers to develop global education services and optimize their effort and budget. Administrators in the education services sector must focus on practical aspects of student perception, campus infrastructure, culture and events experience. Practically administrators can reorient their efforts based on this study to achieve global brand recognition.

This study highlights that students are not customers but are co-creators of value in the education sector. This study provides scales and dimensions needed to build co-creation frameworks and models.

Most research in higher education branding has not covered wider aspects of global brand building. Existing theories proposed in higher education and education services articles cover only narrower aspects of campus infrastructure, culture, events design and branding. This study presents a comprehensive list of critical factors that play a vital role in global knowledge brand building. This study highlights the constructs and scales integral to building a global education services brand.

As the retail banking institutions are becoming more customer centric, their focus on service quality is increasing. Established service quality frameworks such as SERVQUAL and SERVPERF have been applied in the banking sector. While these models are widely accepted, they are expensive because of the need for replication across bank branches. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel, user friendly and cost effective approach by amalgamating the traditional concept of service quality in banks (marketing base) and sentiment analysis literature (information systems base).

In this study, the main objective is to analyze user reviews to better understand the correlation between RATER dimension sentiment scores as independent variables and user overall rating (customer satisfaction) grouping in “good” and “bad” as dependent variable through development of authors’ own logistic regression model using lexicon-based sentiment analysis. The model has been developed for three largest private banks in India pertaining to three banking product categories of loans, savings and current accounts and credit cards.

The results show that the responsiveness and tangibles dimensions significantly impact the user evaluation rating. Even though the three largest private banks in India are concentrating on the tangibles dimension, not all of them are sufficiently focused on the responsiveness dimension. Additionally, customers looking for loan products are more susceptible to negative perceptions on service quality.

This study has highlighted two types of scores whereby user provided overall evaluation scores help provide validation to the sentiment scores. The developed model can be used to assess performance of a bank in comparison to its peers and to generate in depth insights on point of parity (POP) and point of difference (POD) fronts.

This case provides insights about the importance of market research, market segmentation, distribution, product positioning, branding and advertising for a small but growing enterprise. This case provides insights into nuances about organizing and running a family-owned small business –Bhuira Jams has to objectively decide on its way-forward which can be a pure social enterprise or a pure commercial enterprise. This case provides understanding regarding the differences between the two models in terms of funding, accounting, legal, marketing and operational aspects.

In January 2017, Linnet Mushran had just won an award from the PHD Chamber of Commerce for her work in generating local employment for rural women in the village Bhuira, Himachal Pradesh, India. This award did make her feel happy. However, more than happiness, it got her thinking as to how would Bhuira Jams – the child born out of her passion for mountains and out of the desire to do something good survive in the coming years? Bhuira Jams was never designed like a formal business. Being a family run socially relevant business, Bhuira Jams faces the challenge of operational efficiency, along with an uphill task in marketing and distribution. Almost 35 per cent of its sales comes from Fabindia, which re-sells the Bhuira products under the Fabindia label. Thus, currently there is very little focus and expenditure in Bhuira on marketing and distribution. Another challenge faced by Bhuira Jams is driven by the health and lifestyle changes occurring in the Indian society. Consumer preferences are shifting towards low fat diets, and there is growing Americanization of the Indian society. This can be a double whammy for Bhuira’s main product line of preserves, which are high on calorie and are traditionally British.

Bhuira Jams conceptually is close to a family owned business due to the involvement of husband, daughter-in-law and son-in-law of Linnet. Thus, this case provides insights into nuances about organizing and running a family owned small business.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS 11: Strategy

Strategy.

The case can primarily be used for a Strategic Management course for teaching the revival strategies for financially weak plants. The case highlights the need to shift from a product manufacturing perspective to a market orientation perspective and, hence, may add value as an add-on case in a Strategic Marketing course. The case also covers the topic of benchmarking which may be of use in an Operations Management course.

DJSL Ltd. is the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India in the energy-related/infrastructure space in the public sector. Its Lucknow unit, manufacturing porcelain insulators and wear resistant ceramic lining (CERA LINING), has started reporting losses. A change of management took place in October 2015, whereby Mr. S P Singh was appointed as the Head of the Lucknow Unit. Mr. Singh had rich functional experience of 30 years, mainly in the domains of strategy, project execution and commercial aspects. He was asked to come up with a revival plan for the Unit by the top management of DJSL. The case highlights the importance of operational issues in turnaround management.

Students may be encouraged to debate the benchmarking practices that are best suited for the Lucknow unit. They can also discuss the impact of benchmarking efforts upon turnaround strategy. Students are also encouraged to understand the constraints which may limit the success of initiatives impacting operational improvements. Students need to develop the understanding of marketing strategy to perform a SWOT analysis of each product of the Lucknow unit and to sense the business opportunities in and around the environment. Students need to discuss how productivity may be improved with the adoption of appropriate people development strategies. Students are encouraged to discuss the revival/turnaround strategies and to identify the influence of improvement in operational efficiency/productivity upon revival plan.

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

CSS: 11: Strategy.

The paper presents the pros and cons of crowdsourcing competitions and highlights the importance of strategy and collaborative efforts. The study identifies the key stakeholders of crowdsourcing and its critical elements (7Ps) that need to be mapped and managed efficiently for obtaining innovative solutions.

The paper draws its insights from the explorative research conducted over a two-year period (2016-18). Qualitative interviews held with competition organizers, participants and innovation intermediaries (Innocentive, Nine Sigma, Skild) provided the primary data. Secondary data came from literature survey and the study of archival documents and competition websites. The study was conducted as a part of doctoral research.

Crowdsourcing competitions can help organizations to discover innovative solutions by tapping the power of collective intelligence. However, they need to envision and execute these collaborative initiatives strategically and synergistically. Proper design, managerial buy-in and orchestrated efforts by the triumvirate ‘Seekers, solvers and supporters’ are critical to derive the desired outcomes.

These findings are the resultant outcomes of an exploratory research. Further investigation can help companies to identify the relative importance of the critical elements identified in the study. Future research on the best practices can amplify the prospects of finding innovative solutions through crowdsourcing competitions.

Crowdsourcing competitions cannot be used impulsively and indiscriminately. Managers have to carefully align the motive and incentive of different actors. Attention to design and the critical factors identified in the study can enhance the prospects of getting qualitative and innovative submissions from the crowd.

Crowdsourcing competitions have great potential to find innovative solutions for many stubborn global problems. When designed and driven rightly, it can expand the solution mix and accelerate the discovery process.

The paper highlights the need to converge the efforts for diverse stakeholder in crowdsourcing competitions. There are actionable insights for managers in form of 7 Ps- Purpose, Problem, Prize, Platform, Promotion and Partners. When aligned effectively, it can yield innovation dividends to all. By focusing on these vital factors, companies can fine-tune their crowdsourcing strategy and make the initiative more engaging and create value for all the actors.

The paper aims to document the findings of an expert survey in the organic food category in India. It seeks to highlight the relative importance attached by the experts to key explanatory variables in the consumers' purchase process of organic food. It attempts to integrate with the relevant consumer survey findings published in India in recent times in organic food category.

The list of experts was prepared by including regular and well‐known speakers in different agri enclaves and summits and who are members of different food industry bodies. Experts were contacted through judgmental sampling method. Feedback on the expert questionnaires was collected from July to October 2007 from 33 highly knowledgeable senior experts primarily through face‐to‐face personal surveys and through e‐mail surveys.

Importance placed on health motivation has the highest average rating and is one of the lowest standard deviations among the explanatory variables in the expert survey. Experts also rate the importance of the three mentioned attitudes (about conviction about utility of organic food, reputation of store and certification process‐related information), organic food‐specific consumer innovativeness, organic food‐specific consumer opinion leadership, word of mouth (WOM) (activity), WOM (praise) and affective commitment about the store to be high in the consumers' purchase process.

The novelty of the paper lies in the fact that it addresses the key issues facing the organic food category in India from an expert survey point of view.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of delayed water curing on the mechanical and microstructural properties of fly ash-based geopolymer paste-blended with Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) with different rest periods.

The blended geopolymer paste was composed of GGBS (15 per cent of the total weight) and the base material, Fly Ash (FA). The blended mix was activated by activator solution (Sodium hydroxide and Sodium silicate) containing 6 per cent Na₂O of total base material. The effect of delayed water curing has been studied by gradually increasing the aging period (Rest Period) from 2 hours to 24 hours in the formation of activated outcome along with Calcium Silicate Hydrate (CSH). To analyze the mechanical and microstructural properties of the resultant blended geopolymer paste, compressive strength test, FESEM and XRD have been carried out. Moreover, a long-term durability test subjected to sulphate exposure has been performed to evaluate the durability of the designed sustainable geopolymer paste.

The present paper shows that the delayed water curing incorporates secondary heat input enhancing the partial polymer formation along with CSH. Slag-blended AAFA-based geopolymer paste is seen to exhibit quick setting property. Also, AAFA-based geopolymer paste samples subjected to longer rest period show early strength gain at a high rate under water curing as compared to those subjected to the shorter rest period.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, the effect of delayed water curing on the mechanical and microstructural properties of slag-blended AAFA-based geopolymer paste has not been studied before.