Research on the influence of culture on consumer decision-making and consumption behavior has witnessed tremendous growth in the last decade. With increasing globalization, managers are becoming increasingly aware that operating in multiple markets is crucial for firms' survival and growth. As the world's growth engine shifts from Europe and North America to Asia and Latin America, it has become apparent that an inward-looking and domestic focus strategy will not be sustainable in the long run. And success in foreign markets requires marketers to understand not just what consumers in these markets need but also how they think, behave, consume, and purchase. Numerous studies have documented cultural differences in values and beliefs, motivational orientations, emotions, self-regulation, and information-processing styles, and the effects of these cultural variations on consumer behavior such as brand evaluation, materialism, and impulsive consumption. In this volume, experts from a variety of disciplines and perspectives trace the historical development of culture research in consumer psychology and examine the theoretical underpinnings that account for these findings and the current state of the field. Collectively, the chapters provide a forum for researchers to engage in thoughtful debates and stimulating conversations and offer directions for future research.

An accessible, unintimidating introduction to the focus group research project. For students in research methods or market research courses within mass media, communication studies, marketing, advertising, and public relations programs.

The study of power is the nucleus of political science and international relations. As a shift of power from traditional industrial countries to emerging powers has been perceived since the turn of the century, this book aims to present innovative theoretical and empirical approaches that can increase our understanding of this transition. Scholars from the fields of international relations, international political economy, economics and security studies not only explore current theoretical debates on 'power' and 'power shifts' among entities, but also provide fresh insights into relevant aspects of international power in the 21st century. With a particular focus on aspects of international security, trade and production, new methods of identifying power and its sources are presented, and their potential implications and challenges are discussed.

Transition economies, such as the countries in Southeast Europe, face an expeditious institutional transition from a centrally planned to a market economy. The state withdraws from its monitoring function, which results in institutional voids that affect the economy in general and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in specific. With a qualitative case study approach Tine Schrammel develops a scheme to detect institutional voids as one source of competitive disadvantages of SMEs in transition economies. In a second step she demonstrates that specific cluster services bridge institutional voids and improve the competitive position of SMEs in environments of institutional voids. The findings add to the understanding of institutional voids and to the role of clusters in transition economies.

This book includes a fascinating range of up-to-date articles on China from the Journal of Brand Management that marshal research and scholarship undertaken by Chinese, British, European and American scholars. The development and management of brands in China has emerged as an area of considerable and growing interest among branding scholars and practitioners owing to the rise and significance of brands within China. Providing an overview of the development and management of brands in China, Advances in Chinese Brand Management also contains case studies of centuries old and greatly loved Chinese Corporate heritage brands, luxury brands, prominent cultural brands and foreign brands in China.

Big Data is a growing business trend, but there little advice available on how to use it practically. Written by a data mining expert with over 30 years of experience, this book uses case studies to help marketers, brand managers and IT professionals understand how to capture and measure data for marketing purposes.

Now, more than ever, customer experience plays a pivotal role in the success and longevity of a company. Based on rigorous scientific tools and global data, this book offers a simple but thorough guide on how to master the challenges of the market, and how to deliver superior performance through effective customer experience management.

The global focus of corporations, government institutions, and NGOs have led to a defining question of the era: How do foreigners feel about working for Americans? Through surveys with over 700 Foreign Service nationals working within the US State Department, Benton examines perceptions of non-Americans working in overtly American environments.

Advances in software, auction-based media, analytics, and big data have made it possible for the average marketer to compete with marketers with 100 times the spending power. Taking Down Goliath profiles the ways in which digital marketing can level the playing field, if you know how to use it.

Stefan R. Thallmaier's investigation enables mass customization businesses to better understand how co-design increases customers' value perception. He focuses on the increasing proliferation of service channels (online, mobile and in-store) and digital media (toolkits, social media and live help) at the co-design interface. Based on qualitative and quantitative research, the author examines how this proliferation impacts customers' value perception in the different stages of the co-design process. The research shows that customers' value perception profits from varying levels of social presence throughout the co-design process. The work helps researchers and practitioners with surprising insights as well as hands-on recommendations to improve and adapt interfaces for customer co-design.

Measuring the Success of Digital Marketing explains how to determine the success of a digital marketing campaign by demonstrating what digital marketing metrics are as well as how to measure and use them. Including real life case studies and experts viewpoints that help marketers navigate the digital world.

In a fast moving world, businesses need to keep up with data analysis and pattern spotting to identify future opportunities. Anne Lise Kjaer presents a unique methodology for global trend spotting along with practical tools and approaches to help companies and organizations analyse market changes and determine the way ahead.

This is a guide to help brand strategists consider what people really want in order to enhance their lives, and think about the role of their brand in responding to these desires. It offers a new framework for understanding desire, based on some of the things that are really important to us: our family, friends and community; the desire to explore, learn and grow; how we experience the world through our senses; our appetite to live life to the full; and what we set out to achieve. Brand strategists are the link between a commercial proposition and the lives it means to touch. They can talk to the people the company wants to reach, and - more importantly - listen to them. A brand which both enhances people's lives, and nurtures the resources on which they depend, will prove more resilient, win trust and achieve better results.

This book addresses the challenges and subtleties behind marketing to women and confronts the idea that gender alone can be used as an indicator to target your market. Darroch provides practical insights into market segmentation and recommends a new approach that focuses on targeting human needs, not gender, in order to reach female customers.

This in-depth guide provides managers with a solid understanding of data and data trends, the opportunities that it can offer to businesses, and the dangers of these technologies. Written in an accessible style, Steven Finlay provides a contextual roadmap for developing solutions that deliver benefits to organizations.

Luisa Wolter examines the travel motivations and interests of natural park visitors to Mallorca with a special focus on sustainable tourism development. The data for the study were collected from tourists in the two natural parks s' Albufera and Llevant in the North of Mallorca. Based on the results of the analysis, natural area managers can develop new products and marketing strategies that address their very own visitors, contribute to the sustainable development of their region, and influence the visitors' views and behaviors by raising environmental awareness.

The social web is defined as the social part of the Internet that enables (personally unknown) people to socially interact with each other in order to cherish friendships and make new acquaintances. The social web's current significance exceeds this initial focus, by also encompassing corporate and commercial activities. Nadine Chehimi examines to what extent the social web influences the information process of German hotel guests. In addition to the presentation of the social web's development and current state of use, general and tourist information processes as well as the German hotel market are described. With the help of a standardized guest survey, the author presents the exact role the social web currently plays in the tourist information search.

Auf die globalen Herausforderungen und die anhaltende Schuldenkrise mussen Staats- und Firmenlenker in Europa klare Antworten finden. Die neue Triade China-Indien-Russland bietet eine einmalige Chance fur zusatzliches Wachstum und Innovationen. Basierend auf langjahrigen Projekterfahrungen mit europaischen Technologiefuhrern wird ein praxisorientiertes Konzept vorgestellt mit dem es Managern gelingt Grosskunden zu gewinnen, Lieferketten zu optimieren und Wettbewerber zuruckzudrangen. Dieses Buch gibt Fuhrungskraften ein fundiertes Rustzeug an die Hand, damit sie in einem komplexen und dynamischen Umfeld den Weg der Marktfuhrerschaft einschlagen koennen.

In dieser Open-Access-Publikation analysieren die Autoren die oeffentliche Debatte um Chancen und Risiken von Big Data und diskutieren die konkreten Implikationen in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen. In einer reprasentativen Befragung vermessen sie das Wissen und die Einstellung der Bevoelkerung zu Big Data. Im Ergebnis verhalten sich die Nutzer paradox, sorglos und besorgt zugleich. Gezeigt wird aber auch, an welchen Punkten die Burger aufgeschlossen fur einen neuen Umgang mit Big Data sind. Daten-Sharing, Open Data finden durchaus Akzeptanz, ebenso auch neue Muster fur bestehende Branchen, jenseits der tradierten Vorstellungen.

Today, most firms employ online and offline distribution channels. Customers combine both channels for information search and purchase. However, researchers and practitioners are still lacking insight concerning the creation of additional customer value, in terms of a seamless purchase experience, by combining the online and offline channels. Also, it is unclear if these channel integration activities can actually help multichannel firms obtain a strategic advantage over their online pureplay competitors. Jochen Binder investigates how, why, and to what extent an integrated online channel increases customer value and leads to higher willingness to pay, customer loyalty and purchase intention in a firm's online and offline stores.

Das Buch beantwortet die Frage, wie Forschungskooperationen zwischen Unternehmen und Forschungseinrichtungen erfolgreich organisiert und gemanagt werden koennen. Dazu zahlen Themen wie Innovations- und Projektmanagement, Wissens- und Schutzrechtsmanagement sowie die Vermarktung der Ergebnisse der Zusammenarbeit. Auch die Bereiche der Fuhrung und Motivation des Projektteams, die Entwicklung von Zielen, Vision und Strategie sowie Corporate Governance-Richtlinien werden beleuchtet. Diverse Tipps und Beispiele verschiedener nationaler und internationaler Forschungskooperationen ermoeglichen einen leichten Transfer in die Praxis. Forschungsmanagement erfordert andere Kompetenzen als die Forschung selbst. Mit Handlungsempfehlungen und Anregungen zeigt dieses Buch Forschungsmangern, wie sie den Spagat zwischen Ressourcenknappheit, Zielerreichung der laufenden Projekte sowie der Akquisition neuer Foerderungen erfolgreich meistern. Dabei werden die relevanten Themen auch zueinander in einen zeitlichen Bezug im Kooperationszyklus gestellt. Welche Punkte sind zu welcher Phase relevant und wie haufig mussen oder durfen Themen angepasst werden? Die Empfehlungen werden aus anwendungsorientierter Sicht dargestellt und bieten daher auch fur Nachwuchsforscher, Projekttrager, Foerderer und Kooperationspartner einen Mehrwert. Der interdisziplinaren Zusammenarbeit wird neben ganzheitlicher Themenbearbeitung und der Foerderung von Sozialkompetenzen innovationsfoerderliches Potential nachgesagt. Eine interdisziplinare Forschungskooperation ist das Projekt "Deutsches EnergieRohstoff-Zentrum (DER)". UEber funf Jahre haben die wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Forschungslinien des DER Methoden und Ansatze von Forschungskooperationen untersucht. Das vorliegende Buch stellt die Erkenntnisse dieser Forschung praxisnah dar und richtet sich dabei an Forschungsmanager, Professoren und Nachwuchsforscher, Projekttrager, Foerderer und Partner aus Politik und Industrie, welche gemeinsam Forschungskooperationen zum Erfolg fuhren moechten.

To stay competitive, firms need to build great products but they also need to lend these products to the uses and misuses of their customers and learn extensively from them. This is the first book to explore the idea that allowing customers to adapt features in online products or services to suit their needs is the key to viral growth.

India is one of the major emerging economies of the world and has witnessed tremendous economic growth over the last decades. The reforms in the financial sector were introduced to infuse energy and vibrancy into the process of economic growth. The Indian stock market now has the largest number of listed companies in the world. The phenomenal growth of the Indian equity market and its growing importance in the economy is indicated by the extent of market capitalization and the increasing integration of the Indian economy with the global economy. Various schools of thought explain the behaviour of stock returns. The Efficient Market Theory is the most important theory of the School of Neoclassical Finance based on rational expectation and no-trade argument. The book investigates the growth and efficiency of the Indian stock market in the theoretical framework of the Efficiency Market Hypothesis (EMH). The main objective of the present study is to examine the returns behaviour in the Indian equity market in the changed market environment. A detailed and rigorous analysis, made with the help of the sophisticated time series econometric models, is one of the key elements of this volume. The analysis empirically tests the random walk hypothesis and focuses on issues like nonlinear dynamics, structural breaks and long memory. It uses new and disaggregated data on recent reforms and changes in the market microstructure. The data on various indices including sectoral indices help in measuring the relative efficiency of the market and understanding how liquidity and market capitalization affect the efficiency of the market.

Edited by Francois Depelteau and Christopher Powell, this volume and its companion, Conceptualizing Relational Sociology: Ontological and Theoretical Issues, addresses fundamental questions about what relational sociology is and how it works.

This book provides a road-map to successful implementation of strategic outsourcing programmes, providing down-to-earth approaches to outsourcing decision making and programme management, based on a grass-roots understanding. A practitioner-focused book for business leaders and managers providing a holistic view of strategic outsourcing, covering the three essential pillars of success: risks, rewards and relationships. The author shows how business leaders can transform organisational business models, structures and mind-sets, taking the reader on a journey through the book's fifteen chapters, helping the reader truly grasp: the drivers for change as a result of globalisation and convergence and their impact on organisational strategies; how outsourcing can transform the various processes and functions of an organisation; the impact outsourcing is having on various industry vertical sectors; the eight foundations of successful strategic outsourcing programmes, which when combined with strategic decision-making knowledge, guarantees that organisations embarking on the strategic outsourcing journey, derive the transformational benefits they seek.