Open Innovation through Customers

This chapter aims at analyzing how firms can successfully embrace an Open Innovation (OI) process through customers, involving them, individually or in communities, in the co-creation of ideas, knowledge, products, services, processes, putting into action and integrating their creativity with firms' resources. Three main areas of interest are analyzed through a literature review process, to create a framework able to show the challenges organizations have to meet simultaneously externally (i.e. consumerism) and internally (i.e. organizational changes) in this shift of the innovation paradigm: consumerism features and challenges, OI approach and web-based platforms, and organizational issues involved in the OI paradigm shift. This chapter affords consumerism and OI approach, while the next, which is the sequel of this one, discusses OI platforms and organizational changes as well as the resulting framework. Four contributions distinguish this study: (i) the link between consumerism and OI; (ii) the focus on customers as a source of external innovation; (iii) the identification of alternative ways to access OI with customers and their features; (iv) the disclosure of a “hybrid” mode to develop OI through customers.

Consumer Confidence in Responsible Tourism

The chapter focuses on reporting systems which assess responsible tourism and Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) in the tourism industry. These tools have recently received more and more attention from the international academic and professional community, given the urgent need to promote a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable development of tourism. The use of reporting systems can encourage responsible practices by tourism businesses, improving internal processes and activities along the tourism value chain, as well as enhance consumer confidence in respectful companies and in responsible tourism. Through the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the chapter develops a critical assessment of the reporting systems currently available in Europe, in order to support the diffusion of responsible policies and practices in the tourism industry and the businesses' commitment towards clients. Particular attention is paid to small and medium-size tourism enterprises, since they have more difficulties in organising their business according to social and ecological principles and to develop the conditions under which a product can be defined as “responsible”. The analysis underlines that the evaluation of these tools, in terms of their effectiveness and reliability in monitoring business responsibility, depends on the criteria taken into account for the analysis and then on the auditors' selection of appropriate variables.

Consumer Preferences and Key Aspects of Tourism and Hospitality Marketing on Island Destinations

The decision of destination's selection is almost always accompanied by hotel selection. Hence, it is essential for tourism stakeholders to understand the marketing means' correlation toward destinations and hotels. In addition the purchasing behavior of consumers in tourism and hospitality needs to be examined in order to give the ability to optimize marketing strategies and promotional campaigns. The purpose of this chapter is to examine and present the perspectives on the island's destination and hospitality marketing held by consumers visiting Crete. The study's contribution is based on the clarification of consumers' purchase behavior and consumerism patters in tourism with reference to destination and hotel selection. It also gives an understanding for the marketing's influential importance for tourism purchases. The research was undertaken with departed tourists from Crete. As the research findings revealed, the perspectives of tourists concerning destination and hospitality marketing may vary significantly toward gender, age, education, and income. The research findings also indicate that younger and more educated consumers seem to have better knowledge and higher use of Information Technologies. On the contrary, elder people and those who are less educated are dependant to traditional ways of advertising. Furthermore, income plays a significant role dealing with additional services, better accommodation, and – in general – higher quality of provided products, whilst pricing policy still remains crucial for all tourists, no matter their financial revenues. The chapter also provides suggestions for further destination and hospitality marketing development, and information for the importance of each marketing mean used to lure tourists to visit the destination.

Anatomy of Green Marketing

There has been much discussion since the late 1980s concerning “green” issues. Society is becoming increasingly concerned with the rapid depletion of the world's resources and the increasing rate that the environment is being polluted by our activities. Since environmental improvement and competitiveness are defined as the new paradigm for the world economy, green marketing has been one of the most popular topics in the business arena. This chapter aims to examine this concept from several different perspectives. The first section summarizes the evolution of the green marketing concept with the help of theoretical underpinnings. The criticisms regarding green marketing are also discussed. The second section investigates green consumer behavior. In order to position green product offerings, companies need to understand the characteristics and buying patterns of different segments of the green consumer. This section helps to identify the Turkish green consumer. The language and appeals used in environmental communication are very important in changing attitudes. Thus, the third section focuses on the effectiveness of green messages. In the last part of the chapter, the Gezi Park protests from Turkey are examined as an important case with political, economic, social and international impacts as well as its triggering effect of leading to mindful consumption. This chapter explores existing literature on an interest provoking subject--green marketing--as well as integrating theoretical concepts with a recent social event from an emerging market with a case study approach.

The Evolution of Consumerism in the Marketing Education

The chapter examines how consumerism- one of the primary key themes in marketing and business courses- has evolved the last decade and envisages the shape of these set of courses in the future. From the 1,935 words for 20 key-concepts counted in 141 online course descriptions in English of the last 10 periods delivered by Business and Management Schools or Business/Marketing Academic Depts. of 88 Universities and Colleges, “Marketing,” “business,” “ethics” and “social responsibility” were included in 100% of the course descriptions analyzed, indicating their coverage by all courses. In order to investigate the five (5) research objectives, HCA was adopted for an exploratory analysis based on single-linkage clustering method to reveal natural groupings of the key concepts within a data set of word counts that were not apparent and then multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. The trend analyses indicated prospects for the increasing focus around specific topics. The interpretation of the research results based on the assumptions of Mezirow's critical reflection provided very strong recommendations.

Consumerism

This chapter reveals that the term ‘consumerism' encompasses a number of meanings which create confusion regarding the term. The discussion that follows, attempts to distinguish the different perspectives regarding the term by presenting its historical development and discussing the three definitions that have marked it. It explores the relationship between consumerism, marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The growth of consumerism has led to the over-use of marketing which provided a flourishing ground for compulsive buying and consumption. There is evidence in the literature to suggest that in an era of increasing social problems and environmental challenges, there is a need for CSR and sustainable marketing. In fact, the second definition of consumerism is inextricably linked with CSR and societal marketing. The chapter is conceptual in nature and provides an in-depth review and discussion of some fundamental dimensions associated to consumerism based on the existent literature. The overarching aim is to provide an insight into the evolution and growth of consumerism based on the existent literature related to the topic. The discussion also focuses on exploring the relationship between marketing and consumerism shedding light onto compulsive buying, consumer attitudes and concerns on the micro consumerism issues, sustainable consumption and sustainable marketing. The chapter proceeds to raise some concerns related to the impact of the global economic crisis on consumerism by using as an example Cyprus based on the author's observations and thoughts. The chapter concludes with a list of suggestions to practitioners and directions for future research.

Consumption, Anti-Consumption and Consumption Communities

Broadly, consumerism can be considered as a set of beliefs and values integrated into, but not exclusive to, the global market system, intended to make people believe that happiness is best achieved through possessions. In literature there are several other definitions of consumerism, consumption, anti-consumption and consumption communities. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to (i) present an overview of the research concepts, models and main theories of this topic, based on a systematic literature review and using the following databases to search information: Elsevier, Emerald, Science Direct, EBSCO, Springer, and ISI web knowledge; (ii) formulate a framework of consumption waves and anti-consumption motivations and types (iii) discuss consumption and anti-consumerism in football (soccer) context. The current study also carried out semi-structured interviews with 15 football fans with an average duration of 60 minutes each. Findings revealed four main types of anti-consumption: Global impact consumers or anti-consumption society; Selective consumption or anti-loyalists market activists; Conservative or Simplifiers; and Rejection of brand hegemony. Football fans are avid consumers of many products, such as information, knowledge, travels, tickets to matches, and diverse merchandizing from brands that sponsor the team and the club. Nevertheless, they are also selective consumers, rejecting everything connected to the rival clubs. Finally, the chapter provides insights for further research and managerial implications. In this vein, this chapter contributes to the existing literature giving insights for a better understanding of football clubs and fans as consumers and anti-consumers.

Open Innovation through Customers

This chapter aims at analyzing how firms can successfully embrace an Open Innovation (OI) process through customers, involving them individually or in communities, in the co-creation of ideas, knowledge, products, services, processes, putting into action and integrating their creativity with firms' resources. Three main areas of interest, essential in the authors' opinion to meet this new challenge, have been analyzed through a literature review process, to create a framework able to show the challenges organizations have to meet externally (i.e., consumerism) and internally (i.e., organizational changes) in this shift of the innovation paradigm: consumerism features and challenges, OI approach and web-based platforms, and organizational issues involved in the OI paradigm shift. The previous chapter has discussed consumerism and OI approach, while this one will afford OI platforms and organizational changes as well as the resulting framework. Four contributions distinguish this study: (i) the link between consumerism and OI; (ii) the focus on customers as a source of external innovation; (iii) the identification of alternative ways to access OI with customers and their features; (iv) the disclosure of a “hybrid” mode to develop OI through customers.

Predicting Behavioral Intentions Toward Sustainable Fashion Consumption

In recent years, sustainable consumption has received considerable attention. In fact, to save the planet Earth and future generations, it has been proposed the issue of sustainable consumption should be addressed. Consequently, in the present chapter, two theoretical models are analyzed separately, as well as in conjunction, to understand sustainable consumption in the context of fashion. Furthermore, the present study's theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

The Meaning of Consumption

The “un-contestable hegemony of consumer capitalism” (Gabriel & Lang, 2006, p. 2) as the prevailing ideology of our times locates it as the primary creator and driver of production, competition, innovation, value and, latterly, values. In 1995, Miller recognised that “consumption, rather than production, was the vanguard of history” (p. 1). In that same year, the United Nations issued alarming statistics highlighting the influence of marketing on materialism and the fact that inequality in consumption was far wider than expected, severely undermining the environmental resource base. The backdrop of social theory and political economy within which consumerism and consumption are framed is a fragmented and complex one which has an unstable nature influenced by a range of complicated macro environmental factors. It is a postmodern landscape characterised by an all-pervasive consumer culture, the imperative of consumer rights and the use of consumption as a source of meaning. This chapter attempts to present a critical examination of the dominant academic, political, cultural and ecological discourses which constitute and contribute to this debate. At the epicentre is a post-modern dilemma about the delusion of choice, the illusion of freedom and the imperative of control - shifting priority from conspicuous consumption to conscientious conscience consumption.