Issue #2 (Volume 16 2020)

This study investigates the brand loyalty of consumers in the online booking platform industry. The Mabalingwe Nature Reserve served as a case study, while the Moolla and Bisschoff brand loyalty model was used to measure brand loyalty across twelve antecedents. This study aimed to, firstly, validate the model for use in online booking platforms, secondly, to measure the reliability of the data, and finally, to measure brand loyalty across twelve antecedents in online booking platforms. Online questionnaires were distributed via an online link by the booking managers of the game reserve, and 131 responses were captured; this represented a statistically adequate sample as per the KMO measure (.741). The descriptive statistics, using a 5-point Likert scale, showed that Brand trust (4.03) and Customer satisfaction (3.96) are the most important brand loyalty antecedents, while Culture (2.34) is the least important brand loyalty antecedent in an online booking platform. Exploratory factor analysis validated the questionnaire for online booking platforms, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (.701) indicated that the reliability of the data is acceptable. Regarding latent variable identification, Brand quality and Brand relationship are two most important factors, respectively, explaining variance of 13.1% and 8.7%. The study culminated in a model to measure and manage brand loyalty of online booking platforms. This model can be operationalized for use by managers, researchers, and academia.

Given the negative utilitarianism and difficulty in maintaining long-term loyalty, hospitals resort to a variety of images that define and redefine their relationship strategies in order to stay patient-centric. As in any other sector, in healthcare, patients play an important role in service design and delivery. The basic services of medical appointment scheduling, online payment and health information search are recognized as one of the most important elements that increase patient footfall, service planning, patient satisfaction and their continued usage, in particular in developing economies such as India. This study seeks to understanding the basic e-Health services continuance usage intention among patients by integrating the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and extending them by including certain external variables. With a well-structured questionnaire, a survey of 453 respondents – out-patients and care-givers, who should have used e-Health services at least once, in particular, visited multispecialty hospitals, revealed that along with the ECM and TAM constructs such as satisfaction, confirmation, perceived ease-of-use, and perceived usefulness, the external variables such as trust, social influence, perceived service quality, and perceived privacy and security had a significant influence (p < 0.05) on e-Health services continuance usage. The main findings of the study contribute to developing and empirically testing a model that explains the basic process of motivating the e-Health service users for continuance usage intention.

To identify the trends of air transportation market development in Ukraine during the period 2010–2018, the analysis of the riskiness of the external market environment of airlines being the major market actors and main factors, which influence the air transportation market development, were made in the paper using statistical methods and methods of probability theory. The working hypothesis was proved on corresponding the main trends of air transportation market development in Ukraine with the world ones and the very high riskiness of the external environment of the airlines. There is some local specifics of the air transportation market in Ukraine connected with the armed conflict at the East of the country, a significant impact of non-economic factors in some years, and implementation of international safety standards. The COVID-19 impact is considered only as a discussion question. The originality of the paper is in discussing the modern trends of air transportation market development in Ukraine in the context of considering the interaction “subject – poly-subject environment”. The airlines are considered as the subjects that interact with a market as an external poly-subject environment. The results of the research identified that the riskiness of the external market environment is at the critical level for the majority of the studied airlines that does not contribute to successful business activity in Ukraine. European and Ukrainian official authorities can use the obtained results during the development and implementation of the joined cooperation in the sphere of air transportation. Besides, in the context of COVID-19, the trends of imroving aviation safety and satisfying international standards are becoming increasingly important for airlines as well as for state authorities in developing the appropriate state policy.

Smoking, as one of the main causes, is a negative factor associated with many diseases. The primary objective of the research is to determine the effect of innovation on selected smoking indicators in a sample of countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Four variables enter the analytical processing, such as Global Innovation Index, Population ratio of daily smokers (age 15+), Daily smokers (age 15-24), and Tobacco consumption in grams per capita (age 15+). These variables were included in the research from 2011 to 2018. The simple linear regression – the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model – and correlation analysis – Spearman’s rank correlation – was used for statistical processing. The results show that the effect of innovation on the ratio of daily smokers over the age of 15 to the total population may be considered a highly significant relationship. The effect on the annual tobacco consumption per capita is the second most significant relationship, and the effect on the ratio of daily smokers over 15 and under 24 years to the total population is the least significant compared to the previous two cases. Correlation analysis shows similar outputs. All these relationships may be considered negative. It is possible to talk about the lost innovation potential associated with smoking, primarily in the productive part of the population. A higher level of smoking can be associated with a lower level of innovation. Also, innovation negatively affects the tendency to smoke. Therefore, public policies should promote a healthy lifestyle.

Acknowledgments
This research is funded by the RVO 2020 internal grant scheme of the Tomas Bata University in Zlín titled “Economic quantification of marketing processes aimed at increasing value for the patient in the process of construction of system in order to measure and to manage performance in healthcare facilities in the Czech Republic.”

This paper intends to analyze the impact of store layout, ambient factors, and employees on impulsive decision-making among female customers visiting the apparel outlets. The responses were collected through a single-stage mall intercept survey method using a structured questionnaire from 385 respondents in leading apparel stores in selected Tier I and Tier II cities in the state of Karnataka, India. The responses were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Constructs such as store layout, ambience and employees were found to be significantly positively correlated with impulse buying behavior. The variables largely explain the variation in impulse buying under store ambiance. Except ‘attention to the window display’ and ‘friendly staff’ all other twelve variables considered in the study were found to have significant impact on the impulse buying behavior. Though store ambiance, well-structured layout, and pleasant shopping experience are essential determinants of customer satisfaction, the study results imply that the number of store staff and sales skills are critical aspects of impulse buying in the apparel business and true assets to the retail organization. Additionally, poor customer interaction, staff shortage, and high employee attrition could discourage the store’s revenue generation.

Inclusive literature as a component of the process of real involvement of people with disabilities in active social life remains out of the attention of researchers. The paper aims to study the state and existing problems in publishing literature for people with disabilities and the use of inclusive topics by Ukrainian publishers. The results were obtained due to the theoretical comprehension of the empirical materials, which were based on a survey of 42 operating various domestic publishing houses. The vast majority of them expressed an understanding of the importance of publishing literature about people with disabilities and accessible editions for them. One-third of those surveyed publishers have experience in publishing inclusive literature. About 24% of respondents have books in accessible formats. They mainly used such publishing or engineering technologies as books with large print, picture-books, and books with pictograms. The study also found that among a few current insurmountable restraining factors of development of inclusive literature is the commercial inexpediency of such projects. The results of this study will contribute to the formation of collective public opinion on the importance of inclusive literature and, consequently, the attraction of the financing of inclusive publications of patrons, sponsors, crowdfunding platforms, etc.

Mobile telecommunication service providers in Zimbabwe are using a brand image to market their products and minimize brand switching, resulting from increased market competition. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 385 participants in Zimbabwe. The sample size was determined using Rao software sample size calculator to extract an acceptable sample from apopulation of 1,973,906 inhabitants. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire and were also tested for reliability and validity using SPSS version 20. It was ascertained that 70% of the respondents’ switched SIM cards, 20% never switched, and 10% were indifferent to the different providers. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) showed that mobile network service providers’ brand image positively affects customer satisfaction, a positive relationship exists between mobile network service providers’ brand image and consumer brand switching behavior, customer satisfaction positively affects their loyalty. Corporate brand image indirectly affects customer loyalty through customer satisfaction. The researchers recommend marketers to consider the findings when designing strategies for marketing mobile network services.

Acknowledgments
The authors of this paper greatly appreciate the support and cooperation they received from the Postal and Telecommunications Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) and research participants during the survey.

Various recently-introduced applications of artificial intelligence (AI) operate at the interface between businesses and consumers. This paper looks at whether these innovations have relevant implications for marketing theory. The latest literature on the connection between AI and marketing has emphasized a great variety of AI applications that qualify this relationship. Based on these studies but focusing only on the applications with a direct impact on the relationship at the very heart of marketing, i.e., the one between firms and consumers, the paper analyzes three categories of AI applications: AI-based shipping-then-shopping, AI-based service robots, and AI-based smart products and domestic robots. The main result of this first analysis is that all three categories have to do, each in their own way, with mass customization. A discussion of this common trait leads us to recognize their ways to mass customization that – unlike the traditional approach developed thanks to flexible automation and product modularity technologies – place the customization process within a broader perspective of consumer needs management. This change in approach means that marketing should focus more on managing consumers’ needs than directly on the satisfaction of those needs. This finding marks a genuine discontinuity that opens up a new space for reflection for scholars and marketing managers alike.

Banks have not come to rest since the 2008 banking crisis and have been struggling for their future ever since. In addition to serious market distortions, there are increasingly digital challenges and investments in the banks’ platforms to remain competitive and continue to meet customer requirements. Other industries are showing the banks how to do it and investing heavily in the networking of distribution channels to form an omni-channel system, as this is where all interfaces converge. The banking industry has also recognized this groundbreaking approach in the distribution channel. Academic literature is also increasingly examining omni-channel management, but studies in the banking industry are still sparse. This study uses multi-method research in the form of a systematic literature review and semi-structured qualitative bank expert interviews to examine omni-channel management in the banking industry. Thereby, the state of scientific research and the future objectives of the banks are analyzed. Bank experts in Germany explain what bank customers will expect, how far German banks have progressed in implementing an omni-channel system, and how the bank-customer relationship will change. Findings show that banks will completely transform their distribution by omni-channel management by breaking with existing structures and creating a new customer experience and higher customer value. The paper provides critical insight into what omni-channel integration means for the banking sector.

Competition has increased due to the proliferation of different brands of malt drinks in Nigeria. Thus, manufacturers and brand managers of malt drinks need to explore strategic approaches to acquiring and retaining their customers. However, this paper assessed the multisensory attributes of malt drinks and consumer purchase decisions in South-Eastern Nigeria. The study population comprises consumers of Maltina, Malta Guinness, Amstel Malta, Dubic Malt, and Grand Malt in South-Eastern Nigeria. A sample size of 384 consumers of malt brands was determined using Topman formula. A convenience sampling technique was adopted, and respondents were drawn from five states such as Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research method. Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability were estimated to check the internal consistency of the study constructs. The structural equation modeling technique was used in data analysis. Findings revealed that the visual attribute of malt has a significant positive relationship with consumer purchase decisions. It was also revealed that malt brand gustatory attribute has a significant positive relationship with consumer purchase decisions. Similarly, it was revealed that the tactile attribute of malt brand has a significant positive relationship with consumer purchase decisions. Finally, it was revealed that the malt brand olfactory attribute has a significant positive relationship with consumer purchase decisions. Therefore, manufacturers and brand managers of malt should improve on packaging their malt brands by strategically adapting a multisensory synergy to guarantee wider consumer purchase and experience toward ensuring more customer satisfaction, patronage, and increased profits for the organizations.

Acknowledgments
In the course of this study, a few researchers assisted and contributed immensely in developing the methodology for the study. They include: Prof. Donatus Chigbo Ngige, Dr. Ezeh Precious, Dr. Osegbue Francis Ifeanyi, Dr. Ofor Theresa Nkechi, Prof. Mary Margret N. Okeke, Mrs Vivian C. Anetoh and Dr. Egbeh Placid C. Thank you very much and God bless you all. Also, we thank our respondents who supplied us with the needed data that made this study a reality.

The study aimed to investigate the impact of motivation factors on an individual’s decision to choose Jordan as their primary tourism destination in the Middle East. The decision to choose Jordan as a medical destination will be analyzed based on factors, including government support; push engagement, and image perception. To this end, the study will gather data from 300 online individuals who have traveled to the Middle East for medical purposes. A qualitative approach will be adopted to provide insight into an individual’s preference for Jordan as the primary medical destination. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling method was adopted, which allows for the creation of relations with different variables. The study’s findings indicate that people from rural areas in the Middle East preferred Jordan as a medical destination. Also, more women than men traveled to Jordan for medical purposes. Finally, more single people than married persons choose medical assistance in Jordan. Future studies are needed to ascertain how factors such as quality and cost influenced medical tourism into Jordan.

Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the Business School at Al Ahliyya Amman University, Jordan. Specifically, many thanks go to the departments of marketing.

Corrections to the article made on November 24, 2020

The standardization/adaptation debate in cross-cultural advertising is a topic on which little consensus prevails and which remains heavily discussed. Using evolutionary psychology, this paper presents a typology of advertising cues and explains their cross-cultural relevance and transportability. The paper highlights three distinct categories – human universals (evolved similarities), local adaptations (evolved differences), and local socialization (differences not due to evolution). The paper contributes to advertising theory by providing a meta-framework for the study of cross-cultural similarities and differences in the processing of advertising cues. It further assists advertising practice by delivering a framework aiding in cross-cultural advertising copy decisions. By raising the questions that the paper poses to develop the proposed typology categories, advertisers can identify which advertising cues are malleable by advertising and which are based on innate human preferences and are relatively stable. With that knowledge in hand, advertisers can decide when and to what extent to use a standardization approach versus an adaptation approach.