Ethnic-themed restaurants are informal but powerful ambassadors for a country's culture and contributors to local and national economies. Communicating authenticity and quality are essential characteristics in the development of a competitive and effective marketing strategy for restaurants. This book analyses how authenticity and quality perceptions are both constructed and communicated within the ethnic dining sector. Drawing on qualitative research methods, the book explores examples from the Greek food industry to analyse restaurateurs' and consumer constructed meanings of authenticity, how it is transmitted and received. It follows by exploring the marketing implications of consumer constructs and effective promotional methods to aid restaurateurs to better engage with customers whilst also respecting their culinary culture. It also guides the reader through the use of NVivo for research purposes, and its utilisations to facilitate the inductive and interpretive analysis. This book offers a valuable resource for researchers across marketing, including consumer behaviour, food marketing, marketing research and communications. The data analysis tools explored are also transferable to a wide range of sectors outside of food and dining.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of corporate social responsibility and its development in Africa. It provides in-depth studies on 11 sub-Saharan countries, demonstrating that corporate social responsibility is forming and going through different stages of metamorphosis in the continent. Though corporate and individual attitudes towards sustainability in Africa still leave a lot to be desired, this book showcases how things are rapidly changing for the better in this regard. It demonstrates and provides evidence for the fact that corporate social responsibility contributes significantly to the way sub-Saharan African economies are being transformed, with service sectors expanding, commercial activities diversifying and industrial bases growing through the initiatives of small, medium and large organizations and innovators supported by widespread higher-education program rollouts. The book highlights how progressive and wide-ranging CSR approaches have emerged, and how much they differ from the obsolete approaches of the past, which promulgated negative stereotypes, marginalized communities and positioned them as victims or beneficiaries of development.

This book describes advanced machine learning models - such as temporal collaborative filtering, stochastic models and Bayesian nonparametrics - for analysing customer behaviour. It shows how they are used to track changes in customer behaviour, monitor the evolution of customer groups, and detect various factors, such as seasonal effects and preference drifts, that may influence customers' purchasing behaviour. In addition, the book presents four case studies conducted with data from a supermarket health program in which the customers were segmented and the impact of promotional activities on different segments was evaluated. The outcomes confirm that the models developed here can be used to effectively analyse dynamic behaviour and increase customer engagement. Importantly, the methods introduced here can also be used to analyse other types of behavioural data such as activities on social networks, and educational systems.

This book highlights the importance of understanding how trust and indigenous African cultural institutions enhance the development of entrepreneurial networks and relationships in Africa. Drawing on institutional theories, the author re-examines the way that entrepreneurial behaviour can be shaped, with a focus on trust, networks and the development of relationships. Analysing a combination of existing literature and empirical data from 50 internationally trading SMEs in Africa, this book reflects the growing interests of entrepreneurs, investors and corporate executives to develop trust and relationships with customers in order to invest and grow. By addressing the need for a greater understanding of how social and cultural institutions in Africa affect the continent's economy, this book not only offers theoretical frameworks, but also future implications for practice and policy, and will provide essential reading for those studying emerging markets and globalisation, African business, and entrepreneurship more generally.

Changes in the economy and greater competition force us to adapt our business practices and to take greater account of the needs of consumers and the social problems they care about. Consumers are placing an increasing weight on the social responsibility of the organisations they choose to purchase from and associate with, and businesses must adopt corporate social responsibility practices into their marketing strategies. This book demonstrates the concept of CSR and how it is included as an element of value-based marketing. Using research from the Polish market, the author explores the concept of value-based marketing, how organisations are implementing CSR and analyses the effect on consumer behaviour. It examines consumer awareness of CSR practices and the effect this has on their purchasing decisions and brand loyalty, making the argument that disregarding CSR can be detrimental to businesses success and profit. Providing both empirical and theoretical perspectives, this book will be a useful reference for scholars and upper-level students across business disciplines including marketing, CSR and business ethics.

This book explores the rapid growth of the sharing economy, specifically of Airbnb, in recent years and how it has challenged traditional economies in many countries around the globe. With almost 5 million listings in more than 190 countries, many consider Airbnb as one of the most disruptive developments in tourism over the past decade. While this is a book about Western Australia as a case in point, the issues addressed in this book speak to the broader development of the sharing economy and its effects experienced nationally and indeed internationally. Thus, through the adoption of a case-specific analysis of the growth and impact of Airbnb, the book significantly contributes to closing existing knowledge gaps on the Airbnb phenomenon by exploring not only stakeholder perceptions of the sharing economy and Airbnb, the extent of Airbnb supply and demand, and how this differs from conventional accommodation demand, but also what policy responses have been employed in other tourism destinations worldwide. Western Australia in this regard serves as an exemplar case to shed light on the Airbnb phenomenon. This book presents a comprehensive global study that has investigated the Airbnb phenomenon from a supply, demand, stakeholder, and government response perspective and thus offers new empirical insights, which are of interest to government agencies and the tourism sector and are a valuable source of data to inform current policy debate.

Contemporary consumer society is increasingly saturated by digital technology, and the devices that deliver this are increasingly transforming consumption patterns. Social media, smartphones, mobile apps and digital retailing merge with traditional consumption spheres, supported by digital devices which further encourage consumers to communicate and influence other consumers to consume. Through a wide range of empirical studies which analyse the impact of digital devices, this volume explores the digitization of consumption and shows how consumer culture and consumption practices are fundamentally intertwined and mediated by digital devices. Exploring the development of new consumer cultures, leading international scholars from sociology, marketing and ethnology examine the effects on practices of consumption and marketing, through topics including big data, digital traces, streaming services, wearables, and social media's impact on ethical consumption. Digitalizing Consumption makes an important contribution to practice-based approaches to consumption, particularly the use of market devices in consumers' everyday consumer life, and will be of interest to scholars of marketing, cultural studies, consumer research, organization and management.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of Chinese consumers from multiple perspectives, from the megatrends to their values and psychological changes. The book examines in detail the digital and mobile transformation of the consumers, the way their lifestyle, social interactions and shopping habits have changed, and the opportunities they offer to marketers. The analysis and insights are based on the author's first-hand observations of the metamorphosis of the consumers and consumption in China over the last fifteen years.

Businesses need strategies that determine the direction of functioning and further development. If a company deals with several multifaceted businesses, each of them subsequently requires their own strategy. The issue of strategy creation and realization is a key factor that must receive the closest possible attention. In order to assure victory and be thoroughly prepared for various directions and situations that may arise, companies create their own unique strategies. This book is primarily aimed at suggesting the necessary repertoire of knowledge and skills for strategy creating with the help of the TASGRAM integrated system - Thinking, Analyzing, Strategy, Goals, Risks, Actions, and Monitoring. The main outcome of TASGRAM is a combined strategic table: business strategy, corporate strategy, goals, risks, actions, and monitoring. Each element in TASGRAM has a concrete goal and it helps users become more focused. Creating Business and Corporate Strategy: An Integrated Strategic System offers a new tool for company strategy creation, showcasing various cases and examples based on theory and practice. Unlike the existing tools, the suggested system of strategy creation is simpler and definite. Its main purpose is to help create and further develop the created strategy, making this book especially valuable to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of strategy, leadership, and management.

This book looks at the recent emergence of "new ordinary consumption," in urban China and defines new ordinary consumption as a consumer practice in which people routinely integrate products and items, traditionally reserved for special occasions, into their daily lives, to accentuate their own well-being. The book, through the case study on the adoption of cut flowers and upscaling non-floral goods, provides insights on how deal proneness and high price sensitivity pose challenges to many market retailers. It also proposes how to go about resolving these challenging issues in retail through the alteration of perceived reasons to consume. The author also examined social media marketing narrative that two direct-to-consumer floral goods sellers used, to guide consumers away from the social and cultural baggage of consumption, thereby giving more consideration to products reshaping consumers' motivation, and driving the purchase. Heeding the findings of floral startups that awakened consumers' aspirations to redefine their everyday personal lives, and making such aspirations a profitable business, this interesting case study suggests that it is time to revisit the appeal of conspicuous consumption in the present-day Chinese markets. Anyone interested to learn more about the Chinese consumers and their novel consumption habits would find the book a useful reference.

This book articulates a new theoretical approach to branding, labelled the Communication as Constitutive of Brands (CCB) approach. This approach combines understandings from the CCO (Communication as Constitutive of Organization) perspective with the branding literature. The author outlines the evolution of corporate branding theory that has developed from an identity approach rooted in signalling theory to an understanding of brands as co-created by multiple stakeholders. She then develops and elaborates the latter approach by formulating and explicating the CCB approach, within which a brand is conceptualized as a discursive brand space grounded in a performative and interactional ontology. Brand discourses are produced in a number of conversational spaces inhabited by both human and non-human actors. Seeing that non-human actors have agency, hybrid agency and ventriloquism are key notions in the CCB approach, and the role of the brand manager is to function as a practical author. The CCB approach is explicated and sustained by five chapters that each elaborate on a certain aspect of CCB and demonstrate the theoretical points in a number of analyses (the process of brand creation, the set-up of conversational spaces, the role of materiality and macro-actors, frame games, and the brand manager as a practical author). The data in the analyses originates from a case that is used throughout the book. Written for scholars and university students within the field of branding and organizational communication, this book represents an area of developing interest within the field of marketing.

Brands - corporate, products, service - today are collectively defined by their customers, deriving from personal experiences and word of mouth. This book acts as a forum for examining current and future trends in corporate branding, identity, image and reputation. Recognising the complexity and plurality at the heart of the corporate branding discipline, this book fills a gap in the literature by posing a number of original research questions on the intrinsic nature of corporate branding ideas from corporate (external) and organisation (internal) identity perspectives as they relate to brand management, corporate reputation, marketing communications, social media, smart technology, experiential and sensory marketing. It incorporates current thinking and developments by both multidisciplinary academics and practitioners, combining a comprehensive theoretical foundation with practical insights. The text will serve as an important resource for the marketing, identity and brand practitioners requiring more than anecdotal evidence on the structure and operation of stakeholders communication in different geographical areas. It determines current practices and researches in diverse areas, regions and commercial and non-commercial sectors across the world. The book provides scholars, researchers and postgraduate students in business and marketing with a comprehensive treatment of the nature of relationships between companies, brands and stakeholders in different areas and regions of the world.

A true revolution has rocked the space industry, as Silicon Valley and new startup companies around the world have shaken up the status quo. This has in turn triggered a hefty response among traditional aerospace companies, launching the sector into the new Space 2.0. This book explains how and why this remarkable change has happened, starting from the industry's origins during the Space Age and working its way to the present day. No other industry in the world has experienced the dramatic shift in technology and services as rapidly as the field of satellite services and rocket launch systems has. This book analyzes the dynamic shift over the past decade in how satellites are designed, manufactured, launched, and operated. It also turns an eye to the future, discussing the amazing feats and potential issues we can expect from this shifting arena by 2030. With its beginner-friendly writing style and plethora of illustrations, this book serves as a perfect introductory text to students and professionals alike wishing to learn more about the key trends in the field of space applications and launch systems.

This open access book explores the impact of Covid-19 on universities, and how students, staff, faculty and academic leaders have adapted to and dealt with the impact of the pandemic. Drawing on experiences from Britain, Australia and Sweden, it showcases how Covid has challenged routines and procedures in universities, and thrown them into a disarray of ever-changing events and short-term adaptations. The authors pay particular attention to how students, staff, faculty, and leaders have coped with Covid, through a series of autobiographical portraits of their strains but also heroic efforts in the harshest of circumstances. This important book explores the exceptional ramifications of the pandemic but also how universities may contribute to a fairer and more robust society and concludes with a set of prescriptions for universities that aim to be proactive and resilient forces in society. It will be of interest to scholars interested in higher education, governance and organizational studies. This is an open access book.

This book explores the paradox of the hospitality industry: customers demand not only personal and innovative tourism products and services, but also cost-effective ones. Enterprises have the option to meet the former demand by offering authentic products and services while the latter could be achieved through standardization. Although it seems ideal to combine both concepts, they seemingly contradict each other leading to suppliers facing an authenticity-standardization paradox. The authors identify, analyze, and provide solutions for this authenticity-standardization paradox based on a series of case studies of restaurants in China. This book will be of interest to scholars, business owners, and consultants.

This book focuses on the growth of entrepreneurship in Oceania. This means focusing on cultural endeavors as well as digital and technology-based forms of entrepreneurship. It is the first to explore how Oceania has a distinctive type of business appeal given its strategic position in the world. Whilst other regions such as North America, Europe and Africa have been studied in terms of entrepreneurial endeavors, there is a lack of research on Oceania despite it being a unique and important region. This book thus fills this gap by taking a progressive approach as to how entrepreneurship in Oceania is managed, emphasizing the growth of new economic segments and changing geo-political powers.

This book is an annual research report prepared by the cruise industry experts and scholars at home and abroad invited by Shanghai International Cruise Business Institute based on the current development situations of the international cruise industry, is an important part of the "X Book Series" of the Social Science Academic Press (China). This book consists of five parts, i.e., "General Report", "Special Articles for High-quality Tourism: Common Value and Government Management", "The Cruise Industry", "Policy Suggestions" and "Appendix", and it has richer and more perfect contents in comparison with the previous versions. Under the Book, the development environment of the cruise industry at home and abroad during 2017-2018 as well as the development situations, strategic paths and future trends is analyzed in the form of the General Report and the current development trend of the cruise industry in China is introduced based on the top ten hot topics. With the economic development trend from the high-speed growth to the high-quality development in China, the new topic "Special Articles for High-quality Tourism: Common Value and Government Management" is presented in the Book to discuss the quality development patterns and paths of the cruise tourism in China, the high-quality development mechanism of the cruise tourism as well as the cruise tourism market cultivation and standardization system, so as to better enhance the quality of the cruise market development in China. In Part 3 "The Cruise Industry" and Part 4 "Policy Suggestions" under the Book, the whole picture of the cruise economy in China in the new era is presented, problems during the industrial development are analyzed and corresponding policy suggestions are given.

*2021 Financial Times Best Book of the Year* A bold exploration and call-to-arms over the widening gap between AI, automation, and big data--and our ability to deal with its effects We are living in the first exponential age. High-tech innovations are created at dazzling speeds; technological forces we barely understand remake our homes and workplaces; centuries-old tenets of politics and economics are upturned by new technologies. It all points to a world that is getting faster at a dizzying pace. Azeem Azhar, renowned technology analyst and host of the Exponential View podcast, offers a revelatory new model for understanding how technology is evolving so fast, and why it fundamentally alters the world. He roots his analysis in the idea of an "exponential gap" in which technological developments rapidly outpace our society's ability to catch up. Azhar shows that this divide explains many problems of our time--from political polarization to ballooning inequality to unchecked corporate power. With stunning clarity of vision, he delves into how the exponential gap is a near-inevitable consequence of the rise of AI, automation, and other exponential technologies, like renewable energy, 3D printing, and synthetic biology, which loom over the horizon. And he offers a set of policy solutions that can prevent the growing exponential gap from fragmenting, weakening, or even destroying our societies. The result is a wholly new way to think about technology, one that will transform our understanding of the economy, politics, and the future.

Over the past few decades emerging markets have experienced an increased share of global manufacturing service within the fashion industry, coupled with an increasing market share, particularly for women's mid-market apparel. In order for fashion firms to succeed in these markets it is crucial to gain an understanding of the state of the industry, macro-environmental factors, traditions and religious beliefs. A one-size-fits-all approach to global fashion marketing strategy now requires a step-change; fashion firms require dedicated strategies which fit the need of the fashion brands that are operating or seeking to operate within emerging markets. In this contributed volume, authors shed light on fashion marketing strategy for emerging economies and recognise these markets as major growth centres. Chapters explore core topics such as brand management, sustainability, digital marketing, analytics and data science. Covering a wide range of emerging markets, chapters provide case studies from China, India, Ethiopia, Romania, Turkey, Brazil and Nigeria, among others. This book responds to the growing demand for research, information, recommendations and insight from practitioners, entrepreneurs and academics who are eager to understand marketing strategies, tools and technologies that will work within this unique industry.

Investigating how international market actors create market morality on a global level, this book reflects on the unresolved questions and debates regarding the relationship between business and society. The author explores how market actors in international business communication are unified in their attempts to make markets moralised. Providing detailed case studies and empirical evidence based on interviews with practitioners, Moralising Global Markets is a useful read for anyone interested in international business, and for those researching morality, ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Transhumanisms and Biotechnologies in Consumer Society offers new, critical perspectives on the impact of 'life-enhancing' technological advancements on consumer identity positions and market evolutions. Technoprogressive innovations that include body modification technologies and reproductive technologies have enabled people to transcend bodily constraints. In parallel, they provoke necessary, critical interrogation around human capabilities, technological possibilities, gender equality, feminism, personal identity, bioethics, markets and morality. The contributions in this book re-evaluate these topics and elucidate some of the vexed relationships between consumers of biotechnologies and markets they consider restrictive or misleading. Secondly, by illustrating consumers' questioning of and resistance to biomedical, market imperatives, they highlight how the notion of consumer sovereignty, consumer influence over markets, has now advanced into novel forms of consumer activism made manifest through contemporary health justice movements. The chapters in this book also uncover profoundly personal consumer accounts on coping with and managing bodies-in-transition, focusing on illness, self-perception, survivorship and the vicissitudes of these corporeal experiences. This book will allow readers to understand how accelerated technological market changes are being experienced and creatively countered at the societal and individual level. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Marketing Management.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the changes that have taken place in the systems and practices of Japanese management over the last quarter century, identifies the positive and useful attributes that ought to be maintained, and clarifies the behavioral principles that form the groundwork of their strengths. Observing the changes in the business environment brought about by the forces of intensifying globalization, the book presents a highly effective management model that builds on the superior aspects of Japanese-style management while overcoming its weaknesses. It is a multi-layered human-resources management model that combines the mutually complementary aspects of the Japanese and Anglo-Saxon systems, incorporating the strengths of both systems. This hybrid model is aimed at increasing workplace motivation, promoting the creation of new value, and enhancing performance and can be used successfully in many countries around the world. It will be of interest to business strategists and consultants, scholars, and entrepreneurs.