A new fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approach for risk assessment of competitors’ cooperation in new product development projects

Purpose This study aims to identify and accurately assess the risk factors of competitors’ cooperation in the NPD project. Design/methodology/approach New product development (NPD) is essential to the survival of companies and surpassing other competitors. A key prerequisite for the success of an NPD project is the timing of new product delivery to the market. The main challenge faced by many project managers is the delay in execution and completion phases due to the complex nature and uncertainty of these projects. Rival companies' cooperation reduces the time spent on an NPD project which is an excellent way to reduce the risk of losing the market, but it increases other risk factors. Findings Based on the results, the security and confidentiality of innovation, the competitors attracting human resources and the company’s brand credibility factors were ranked higher than other factors and should be predicted and managed before cooperating with competitors. Originality/value This paper proposed a new model to assess risk factors in cooperation with rival companies in NPD projects. This model takes into account new parameters, for example, negative and positive risks, negative and positive passable risks and risk-based multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis plus full multiplicative form methodology for the rival companies cooperation in NPD projects. To evaluate the efficiency of the proposed model, a real case of the R&D unit of Iran Khodro Company was studied.

The role of celebrity endorser toward brand attitude and purchase intention

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the source credibility of celebrity endorsers such as trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness) on brand attitudes and purchase intentions for endorsed brands. The type of sampling used is purposive sampling with a total of 300 respondents. The analytical method used is the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method using Smart PLS (Partial Least Square) software. This study finds that the trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness of a celebrity endorser have a positive and significant effect on brand attitude and purchase intention. This shows that the better the trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness of a celebrity endorser, the better the consumer's positive attitude towards the brand (brand credibility). Furthermore, the better the consumer's positive attitude towards the brand (brand credibility), the higher the purchase intention that arises from a consumer.

The fake news effect: what does it mean for consumer behavioral intentions towards brands?

Purpose This study aims to understand how fake news can cause an impact on consumer behavioral intentions in today’s era when fake news is prevalent and common. Brands have not only faced reputational losses but also got a dip in their share prices and sales, which affected their financial standing. Hence, it is significant for brands to understand the impact of fake news on behavioral intentions and to strategize to manage the impact. Design/methodology/approach This study uses several branding and marketing concepts such as brand experience, brand trust, brand credibility, consumer behavioral intentions along with variables suggested by Elaboration Likelihood Model and Heuristic Systematic Model such as personal relevance/involvement. For fake news, news truthfulness, news credibility and source credibility are used. Findings The results of this study shows that positive brand experience, brand trust, brand credibility help in creating positive behavioral intentions for brands. This study shows that brands focusing on providing positive brand experience have a stronger brand trust and credibility and are affected less by fake news than those brands which do not emphasize on these factors. Practical implications This paper can assist brand managers in understanding the impact fake news can have on behavioral intentions of consumers. The managers can strategize such that the fake news affects their brands the least. Originality/value The authors in this paper attempt to fill in the gap in literature, which is to study how the fake news impacts the brands considering the credibility, trust and experience they establish with their customers. The existing literature discusses the generation and dissemination of fake news on social media and its impact on political scenarios and personalities. Also, studies explain the impact of fake news on the financial position of brands, but marketing facets are not tested empirically.

What Do We Know About Customer Churn Behaviour in the Telecommunication Industry? A Bibliometric Analysis of Research Trends, 1985–2019

The literature on telecommunications customer churn behaviour has grown in importance and volume since the early 2000s. This study performed a quantitative bibliometric retrospection of selected journals that qualified for the ABDC journal quality list to examine relevant studies published by them on customer churn research in telecommunication. Using bibliometric data from 175 research articles available in the Scopus database, this review sheds light on the publication trends, articles, stakeholders, prevalent research techniques, and topics of interest over three decades (1985–2019). According to the findings of this review, the current level of contributions are manifested through ten overarching groups of scholarship—namely churn prediction and modelling, feature selection techniques and comparison, customer retention strategy and relationship management, service recovery, pricing and switching cost, legislation, legal, and policy, word-of-mouth and post-switching behaviour, new service adoption, brand credibility, and loyalty. The existing literature has predominantly utilized quantitative methods to their full potential. For far too long, scholars, according tothe study’s central thesis, have ignored the metatheoretical consequences of relying solely on a logical positivism paradigm. In addition, we highlight research directions and the need for customer churn research to go beyond feature selection and modelling.

Exploring the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers by investigating the mediating role of perceived value in the impact of normative community pressure and perceived brand credibility on purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from two studies in India, one with urban (N = 307) and another with rural (N = 206) consumers of fast moving consumer goods brands being endorsed by popular celebrity business founders. The authors tested all our hypotheses using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach with SmartPLS software.FindingsPerceived value mediates the positive impact of normative community pressure and perceived brand credibility on purchase intention for the brands endorsed by celebrity business founders, and these mediating effects are stronger for urban (vs rural) consumers.Research limitations/implicationsThe results from Indian consumers may not be generalizable to other emerging markets with diverse cultural and socio-economic conditions.Practical implicationsThis research would help international marketers understand the unique branding and marketing strategies used by local players to learn how to successfully target both urban and rural consumers in the emerging markets.Originality/valueThis paper extends the celebrity endorsement literature by exploring the role of spiritual leaders as celebrity business founders and brand endorsers, a growing trend in the emerging markets with high cultural and religious diversity (e.g. India and Indonesia).

The authority of fashion: The impact of brand credibility and gender blurring on attitudes towards gendered fashion advertisements

<p>Gender identity is increasingly accepted as a continuum. Consumers feel that they are no longer constrained by the norms of gendered consumptions, so they are expressing themselves and their identities through new purchase behaviours. Gender blurring refers to the crossing of gender boundaries, when masculine and feminine traits are swapped. This has been seen in the fashion industry, where brands are featuring male models in womenswear and vice versa. Despite the increasing usage of gender blurring in fashion campaigns, there is little empirical evidence as to how consumers respond to it. This study attempted to fill this gap in knowledge, investigating how brands that can utilise gender blurring in their advertising without eliciting negative consequences. Brand credibility influences the persuasiveness of advertising, and it is evident within luxury fashion brands and their ability to set fashion trends. In this study, a 3x2x2 between-subjects experimental design was used. Subjects were exposed to a fashion advertisement, featuring either a high- or low-credibility brand (Louis Vuitton or the Warehouse), with a male model wearing stereotyped, androgynous, or gender blurred clothing. The clothing was framed in either a work or casual context. As the purpose of the study was to assess responses irrespective of gender or social class, the sample was made up of adult consumers from New Zealand randomly assigned to experimental conditions. The findings indicate that overall consumers respond more negatively to gender blurring in fashion advertising, and more positively to advertising from a high-credibility brand. Interestingly, no main effect of context was found. The analysis suggests that brand credibility moderates the effect of gender blurring, as consumers exposed to gender blurring by the Louis Vuitton advertisements reported more positive attitudes than those in the Warehouse conditions. This normalising effect contributes to our understanding of cultural authority and the movement of meaning. High credibility brands have an authority over consumer culture, and thus can facilitate the movement of fringe issues, like gender blurring, into the mainstream, fostering wider acceptance. Managerially, marketers should be aware of the potential negative impacts of utilising gender blurring, and understand that brand credibility is an important factor.</p>

The authority of fashion: The impact of brand credibility and gender blurring on attitudes towards gendered fashion advertisements

<p>Gender identity is increasingly accepted as a continuum. Consumers feel that they are no longer constrained by the norms of gendered consumptions, so they are expressing themselves and their identities through new purchase behaviours. Gender blurring refers to the crossing of gender boundaries, when masculine and feminine traits are swapped. This has been seen in the fashion industry, where brands are featuring male models in womenswear and vice versa. Despite the increasing usage of gender blurring in fashion campaigns, there is little empirical evidence as to how consumers respond to it. This study attempted to fill this gap in knowledge, investigating how brands that can utilise gender blurring in their advertising without eliciting negative consequences. Brand credibility influences the persuasiveness of advertising, and it is evident within luxury fashion brands and their ability to set fashion trends. In this study, a 3x2x2 between-subjects experimental design was used. Subjects were exposed to a fashion advertisement, featuring either a high- or low-credibility brand (Louis Vuitton or the Warehouse), with a male model wearing stereotyped, androgynous, or gender blurred clothing. The clothing was framed in either a work or casual context. As the purpose of the study was to assess responses irrespective of gender or social class, the sample was made up of adult consumers from New Zealand randomly assigned to experimental conditions. The findings indicate that overall consumers respond more negatively to gender blurring in fashion advertising, and more positively to advertising from a high-credibility brand. Interestingly, no main effect of context was found. The analysis suggests that brand credibility moderates the effect of gender blurring, as consumers exposed to gender blurring by the Louis Vuitton advertisements reported more positive attitudes than those in the Warehouse conditions. This normalising effect contributes to our understanding of cultural authority and the movement of meaning. High credibility brands have an authority over consumer culture, and thus can facilitate the movement of fringe issues, like gender blurring, into the mainstream, fostering wider acceptance. Managerially, marketers should be aware of the potential negative impacts of utilising gender blurring, and understand that brand credibility is an important factor.</p>