Issue #1 (Volume 13 2017)

Meta-analysis is a method that allows us to accomplish such a work by combining the results of several studies in order to make an objective synthesis following precise stages. With the help of meta-analysis, we can quantify a global result for the entire studies taken into consideration and obtain a more precise response and a more acceptable generalization.

This paper focuses on the steps of meta-analysis on resumed data, which are used more frequently, because they can easily tend towards exhaustiveness. The synthesis work has to be standardized. It consists in four stages: studies’ research, selection, data extraction and analysis. Its feasibility is linked to the existence of a sufficient number of studies that can be included in this meta-analysis. This method has been used in research since 1970 and it became irreplaceable for making recommendations. Its application field is only limited to that of existent studies.

Materialism has been given great attention in the consumer behavior literature. How materialistic tendencies are shaped by advertising has also been documented. Yet, the impact of consumers’ materialism on their perceptions of ads is not clearly understood. The goal of this research is to examine the relationship between an individual’s materialism and his/her perceptions of various kinds of advertising. Using four specific advertising appeals (i.e., interpersonal, prestige/status, achievement, and appearance-related), attitudes toward the ad, and thoughts elicited by the advertisement were measured and compared across high and low materialism groups. Significant differences were found between respondents from the two groups with respect to the evaluation of each type of appeal. When prestige/status, achievement, and appearance-related appeals were used in advertising, they were evaluated more favorably by consumers with high levels of materialism than by consumers with low levels of materialism. In contrast, advertising that used an interpersonal appeal was viewed more favorably by consumers with low levels of materialism. The results of this research provide implications for marketers on three perspectives: the furthering of our conceptualization of the materialism construct, the design of promotional communication for specific target markets, and the public policy dimension of targeting consumers more vulnerable to certain appeals.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the relationship between quality differentiation, income distribution and product line design. According to the findings, the author can explain the trend of quality differentiation and the phenomenon of extreme product diversity in different conditions of income distribution. When the middle class of consumers reach a certain critical few number, the quality for them will descend. Only the high-end and low-end quality left for this extreme condition; that is, the product quality spectrum will shrink. The product quality for middle and low class will gradually get worse and worse, even lower than original quality. The product line design will be reconsidered to the opposite extremes.

Current research suggests that social identification processes play an important role in markets. In this study, the authors propose that marketing research has neglected one important factor, which influences the success of a brand extension, namely the group processes between social groups and brand communities framing the new product introduction. Based on social identification theory, the authors derive a framework integrating identification and stereotyping processes, simultaneously testing for drivers of brand extension potential, which have been found to be important in past empirical studies. Using a structural equation modeling approach, the authors test for in-group and out-group effects in two hypothetical brand extension scenarios of one snowboard brand (Burton), and a surf brand (Billabong) into the ski market. They find that the social identification processes underlying the new product introduction significantly drive the potential success of the brand extension. By being the first study to explore the role of identification and stereotype effects in brand extension, the authors make an important contribution to research in this area. Moreover, our study provides important implications for brand managers planning to extend their brands into new product categories.

Information technology is characterized by an increasing pace of development, a high level of innovation and an increasing share in the GDP of most countries. Similar tendencies are inherent in Ukraine. But it should be noted that the economic crisis in the country began in 2014 and the historical conditions of development cause a number of problems that slow down development and create barriers for the integration of the Ukrainian IT market with the world market. The article analyzes the current situation of information technology in Ukraine as the leading innovative industry and identifies the main system problems, as well as industry trends, and suggests solutions to enhance the international competitiveness of the country. Forecasts were created using extrapolation polynomial trendline construction models and by the construction of an artificial neural network. Based on actual and predicted values of the IT market volumes, the authors estimated the level of its future development using taxonomic analysis. The results enable interested parties to determine the risks and increase the effectiveness of management decisions in IT field.