Big project ventures: facilitating a collaborative planning and implementation process

This book is based on a study of a complex project proposal by governments and corporations for a futuristic city, the Multifunction Polis (MFP). It encompasses issues and challenges symptomatic of growth initiatives in the global competitive environment. Academic rigor is applied using corporate strategy and business principles to undertake a detailed analysis of the project proposal & feasibility study and to subsequently construct practical guidelines on how to effectively manage the interpretation & implementation of a large-scale collaborative venture. It specifically addresses a venture which involves fragmented groups representing a diversity of interests but which aspire to related goals and, to this end, there is a need for cooperation & synergy across the planning process.This is an easy to read book of general interest and well suited to practitioners and academics alike. Its relevance is far-reaching, extending to venture situations defined by location, industry, community or social interest, the context, scale and scope of the project, and the role of organization management, project management, market and industry development and public policy. flap text of book

Establishing a quality franchise relationship in Taiwan : Investigating relationships between relationship quality, loyalty and cooperation

Franchised convenience stores successfully operate throughout Taiwan, but the convenience store market is approaching saturation point. Creating a cooperative long-term franchising relationship between franchisors and franchisees is essential to maintain the proportion of convenience stores...

Consumer satisfaction and redress with a government third-party complaints agency

As governments around the world adopt a marketing orientation, the importance of consumer satisfaction to the effectiveness of the organization is being recognized. While some investigation of satisfaction with a government agencies' service has occurred, there is little examination of satisfaction with a government agency that acts as a third-party on the behalf of consumers to gain marketplace redress. Given the number of third-party complaints is increasing as a result of internet access to complaint channels, this research is a timely investigation. This study reports the findings of a survey of 454 complainants to an Australian Government agency: the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The findings show that satisfaction with the service was subjectively experienced, based around individual expectations of the redress and satisfaction levels were higher when the redress sought was financial compared with non-financial forms of redress such as apology.

Alcohol use within the sibship

With over 100,000 alcohol-related hospitalisations every year, risky drinking within Australia is a major health issue (Pascal, Chikritzhs, & Jones, 2009). Typically health advocates focus on parental and peer influence as a source of excessive drinking; leaving out the often overlooked role of siblings. Using consumer socialisation theory (Ward, 1974), the adoption of alcohol related behaviours between siblings was examined. Using a sample of 257 young adults alcohol behaviours were examined between sibship groups. The results revealed that alcohol type similarity was significant for siblings of who were of the same gender, but not significant for siblings of opposite genders. The results suggest that in order for an older sibling to influence a younger brother or sister they must be of the same gender and that there must be a relatively large age gap between them. This suggests that power in sibling relationships could play an important factor in alcohol behaviours.

A qualitative investigation of socio-cultural factors influencing binge-drinking : a multi-country study

Despite substantial investment by governments in social marketing campaigns and the introduction of various legislative and supply controls on alcohol, the binge drinking phenomenon amongst young people continues unabated in many countries and appears to be spreading to others. This paper examines drinking behaviour amongst university students from 50 countries across Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific region and argues that more needs to be done in understanding socio-cultural factors. To date, little is known of the specific socio-cultural factors that are common in countries that have high drinking behaviour compared to countries that have moderate bingedrinking behaviour. Using a marketing systems approach, this exploratory study identifies two key themes that distinguish these countries, namely family influences and peer influences.

The role of mother-centered factors influencing the complex social behaviour of breastfeeding : social support and self-efficacy

This research investigated the role of mother-centred issues that influence breastfeeding behaviours. The need for social marketing research for breastfeeding is indicated by the fact that despite evidence of the health benefits to both the infant and mother of longer breastfeeding duration, rates in developed countries have failed to increase in recent decades. Breastfeeding is a complex behaviour that for many women involves barriers that influence their commitment to continue breastfeeding. Structural equation modelling was used on a sample of 405 respondents to an online survey. The analysis revealed that personal social support had a significant impact on breastfeeding self-efficacy, which in turn had a significant impact on breastfeeding behaviour. The findings and implications for both social marketing theory and practice are discussed.

Digital dawn : a revolution in movie distribution?

How will the digital technology revolution impact the movie business? Hollywood developed a highly successful industrial system that has functioned well for almost a century in the sense that it enabled the Major film studios to largely control and dominate the industry. However, the new digital technology may now be propelling Hollywood toward the biggest technological transition since the creation of the studio system almost a century ago. For example, Major Hollywood studios are already beginning to provide video-on-demand (VOD) digital distribution of movies over the Internet. This article examines what is happening, and why. It sets out the background and the incipient changes already occurring. It makes an argument regarding the fundamental strategic dynamics, that acetate film was the key to the control of the Hollywood system, and speculates about how a shift away from acetate film to digital video may transform that system. The focus is on the impact on how the Major studios release and market their movies, and how new market and marketing opportunities for the low-budget independent filmmaking sector may arise.

The Blair Witch Project : a marketing case study

The Blair Witch Project was a low budget movie made by student filmmakers that become an international box office hit in 1999. Blair Witch was a landmark in movie marketing and distribution because it was the first time that any movie had successfully leveraged the Internet as a marketing platform to reach a wide audience. The marketing team employed a range of innovative strategies and tactics to stimulate audience demand. This case study describes and analyses the success of the marketing launch of The Blair Witch Project.It also provides an Instructors booklet comprising seven questions and answers related to the marketing success of the movie.

Analysing the effect of digital technology on channel strategy, power and disintermediation in the home video market : the demise of the video store?

The antecedents of channel power (e.g. El-Ansary and Stern, 1972) and the impact of channel structure ( e.g. Anderson and Narus,1984) on channel dynamics have long been important topics within the channel literature. In addition to the theoretical and methodological contributions, research in these areas has helped channel managers to understand how power is generated and used in coordinating distribution strategies in different contexts. The study presented in this paper builds upon these previous literatures, which are first briefly reviewed below.

The Blair Witch Project : Forming strong attitudes, beliefs and consumer intentions from a myth

This brief consumer marketing case study was published in a consumer marketing text book.

Gender differences and store characteristics : a study of Australian supermarket consumers

It is argued, there is a paucity of research with regard to male and female consumer behaviour in the context of supermarket shopping in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to identify the differences between male and female shoppers rating the importance of store characteristics within an Australian Supermarket retail environment. A survey gathered data from two hundred and eighty male and female grocery shoppers, across four major Brisbane supermarkets. A simple-random-sample, collection methodology was employed to collect data. Significant statistical differences between male and female grocery shoppers were evident on all ten store characteristics constructs. Significant gender differences featured on twenty-eight of thirty scale items tested. Female grocery shoppers considered supermarket store characteristics more important than male shoppers. This study has implications for sociology, gender studies and consumer behaviour disciplines. It also has commercial implications for food retail management and consumer marketing activities that can positively influence consumer participation levels, increased store revenues and profitability.

Visitor relationship orientation of destination marketing organisations

The proposition underpinning this study is engaging in meaningful dialogue with previous visitors represents an efficient and effective use of resources for a destination marketing organization (DMO), compared to above the line advertising in broadcast media. However there has been a lack of attention in the tourism literature relating to destination switching, loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM) to test such a proposition. This paper reports an investigation of visitor relationship marketing (VRM) orientation among DMOs. A model of CRM orientation, which was developed from the wider marketing literature and a prior qualitative study, was used to develop a scale to operationalise DMO visitor relationship orientation. Due to a small sample, the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method of structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Although the sample limits the ability to generalise, the results indicated the DMOs’ visitor orientation is generally responsive and reactive rather than proactive.

The emergent male shopper : an identification of male supermarket shopper types

Grocery shopping is a routine activity widely considered the responsibility of the female spouse, yet modern social and demographic shifts are causing men to engage in this task. This study develops a retail shopping typology of male grocery shoppers, employing a cluster analysis technique. Five distinct cohorts emerge from the data of eight constructs, measured by seventy one items. One new shopper type emerges from this research. This shopper presented as a younger man, at the commencement of their family lifecycle, attracted by a strong value offer, focusing on price and promotional discounts. Our research offers a contribution to the marketing, consumer behaviour and supermarket retailing disciplines in three ways. By examining and identifying male shopping behaviour in the context of grocery shopping, the development of a retail shopping typology of male grocery shoppers and the extension and employment of a cluster analysis in identifying distinct groups. This research has implications for gender, segmentation studies and consumer behaviour disciplines in regard to grocery shopping. The identification of specific groups of male grocery shoppers will enable grocery retailers to effectively implement important, targeted marketing strategies.

An innovative approach to reducing risks associated with infant feeding : the use of technology

Infant feeding is a complex behavior enacted in a risk adverse society. Despite ongoing communication and education strategies, breastfeeding rates in countries like Australia, the US, and the UK remain static, thus increasing the risk of short and long-term health problems. Health professionals and non-profit organizations recognize social marketing as an appropriate strategy for increasing breastfeeding duration since it addresses the shortfalls of education-only campaigns. Technology as an innovative alternative to mass media and education has the potential to reduce the social price of breastfeeding by assisting women to manage the identity and health risks associated with infant feeding. This paper reports findings from six focus groups that explored the risks associated with breastfeeding and the potential role of technology in ameliorating these risks. A key finding of this research was that technology has the potential to negate the impact of perceived uncertainty and lack of control associated with breastfeeding. The results indicated that future breastfeeding campaigns that are innovative in their approach and use technology may be more effective in changing breastfeeding behavior.

Antecedents of Destination Brand Loyalty for a Long-Haul Market: Australia's Destination Loyalty Among Chilean Travelers

Limited extant research examines Latin American consumers' perceptions of holiday destinations. This article measures destination brand equity for Australia as a long-haul destination in the emerging Chilean market. Specifically, it develops a model of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) to explain attitudinal destination loyalty. The proposed model is tested using data from a sample of Chilean travelers. The findings suggest that brand salience, brand image, and brand value are positively related to brand loyalty for Australia. Further, while brand salience for Australia is strong, as a long-haul destination the country faces significant challenges in converting awareness into intent to visit. Australia is a more compelling destination brand for previous visitors than non-visitors. This implies that a word-of-mouth recommendation from previous visitors, a key component of attitudinal loyalty, is a positive indicator of future growth opportunities for Australia's destination marketers to capitalize on.