Science (Universidade Europeia)
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Promoting the Integration of Payment Markets: A Stakeholder’s Vision
No full textWe validate stakeholder theory using a natural experiment in the European payments industry, the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), supported by unique primary data. SEPA is an important part of the single European market, on the back of the creation of the single currency in 1999. SEPA created a new environment of competition across Europe by making national borders irrelevant. Interviews with Portuguese experts directly involved in the realization of SEPA make it possible for us to provide a new taxonomy of stakeholders according to their power and role. Our study highlights the association between stakeholder theory and a strategic project at the European level and invites further research on the theoretical underpinnings of large-scale ventures
Marketing performance measurement: A model of organisational and behavioural factors
No full textPerformance measurement and analysis has been a major concern in marketing and remains a vital issue in many companies. However, specialised literature has devoted much more attention to the choice of metrics to be used than to the identification and description of mechanisms through which the effectiveness of the process can be improved. These mechanisms are more managerial than technical in nature and include the set of rules, policies and structures allowing management to ensure that strategies are in place and objectives are monitored and achieved. When deployed, they assist in coordinating activities and aligning interests to maximise the value of measurement. Addressing the preceding topic, this work proposes a theory-based model aimed at helping professionals to overcome some of the internal barriers that hamper the design and proper functioning of a marketing performance evaluation system. The model is composed of six organisational and behavioural factors: marketing strategy, marketing capabilities, organisational context, measurement focus, measurement integration and interactivity, and organisational structure
Quality of facility-based maternal and newborn care around the time of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic: Online survey investigating maternal perspectives in 12 countries of the WHO European Region
No full textBackground
Multi-country studies assessing the quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) during the COVID-19 pandemic, as defined by WHO Standards, are lacking.
Methods
Women who gave birth in 12 countries of the WHO European Region from March 1, 2020 - March 15, 2021 answered an online questionnaire, including 40 WHO Standard-based Quality Measures.
Findings
21,027 mothers were included in the analysis. Among those who experienced labour (N=18,063), 41·8% (26·1%- 63·5%) experienced difficulties in accessing antenatal care, 62% (12·6%-99·0%) were not allowed a companion of choice, 31·1% (16·5%-56·9%) received inadequate breastfeeding support, 34·4% (5·2%-64·8%) reported that health workers were not always using protective personal equipment, and 31·8% (17·8%-53·1%) rated the health workers’ number as “insufficient”. Episiotomy was performed in 20·1% (6·1%-66·0%) of spontaneous vaginal births and fundal pressure applied in 41·2% (11·5% -100%) of instrumental vaginal births. In addition, 23·9% women felt they were not treated with dignity (12·8%-59·8%), 12·5% (7·0%-23·4%) suffered abuse, and 2·4% (0·1%-26·2%) made informal payments. Most findings were significantly worse among women with prelabour caesarean birth (N=2,964). Multivariate analyses confirmed significant differences among countries, with Croatia, Romania, Serbia showing significant lower QMNC Indexes and Luxemburg showing a significantly higher QMNC Index than the total sample. Younger women and those with operative births also reported significantly lower QMNC Indexes.
Interpretation
Mothers reports revealed large inequities in QMNC across countries of the WHO European Region. Quality improvement initiatives to reduce these inequities and promote evidence-based, patient-centred respectful care for all mothers and newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond are urgently needed.
Funding
The study was financially supported by the Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste, Italy
Subject line personalization techniques and their influence in the e-mail marketing open rate
No full textE-mailing is an effective and close form of communication between
company and customers. However, due to the massive number of e-mails sent by
almost all brands, companies have faced recently low open rates on their e-mail
marketing campaigns. It is important to understand the most effective techniques
that capitalize e-mail marketing. Considering the importance of customization in
direct marketing, this study explores the impact of e-mail marketing customization
in subject line. Four A/B tests were used regarding the subject line of a specific
brand campaign. Four tactics were used: include the first name of the reader to
the subject line; include the first and last name of the reader; add emojis to the
subject line; opting for a subject line in form of a question; and lastly, the default
subject line without any of the previous variables. The study considered a sample
of 102.574 individuals of a company’s e-mail marketing database. The variables
of subject line were analyzed according to the layout and segmentation, as well as
open rates and clicks. The results showed that e-mails containing the variable with
the first and last name had the highest open rate, specifically 50,07%. Although
A/B tests should consider the specific database of the company under analysis and
generalization should be seen with caution, the study enhances the importance of
e-mail personalization in the subject line
Design for new materials and new manufacturing technologies
No full textDesigning new materials introduce new challenges – from the setting of materials physical characteristics to the project of their cultural identity. Such a complex challenge is being embraced by many designers in the present, however, this comes to a price. The large number of materials is already problematizing the traditional modality of direct experience upon them. For example, the traditional systems for classifying materials, commonly referred to as “material families”, struggles to incorporate some new materials’ unusual and contradictory properties. But also, technologies are characterized by a great dynamism and rapid evolution. This poses significant challenges but also great potential for the design of our future physical world: from the ecological to the social one’s
Robot Coworkers: The Vision of Future Hoteliers
No full textThe purpose of this study is to understand how future employees in the hospitality and tourism industry envision the use of artificial intelligence in the organizations where they wish to work in the future. Through open-ended questions applied to undergraduate and master's students in the area of tourism and hospitality, we capture their opinions when thinking about the partial or total use of robots in hospitality. Despite the increasing implementation of artificial intelligence in hospitality and tourism, existing research mainly focuses on current hoteliers and/or customers. However, anticipating how digital generations expect their future roles in a close engagement with robots allows researchers to predict and focus their attention on future problems. Their statements were subjected to a qualitative content analysis methodology, based on themes and sentiment. Participants expressed a negative view of the presence of robots in hospitality, mostly associated with a fear of job loss. Many also reported that interacting with robots is negative for both staff and customers due to robots' lack of emotions. However, there is some division concerning the impact of robots on service quality: some believe that the service will be more efficient and with fewer failures; others believe that the limitations of robots will lead to worse service. The findings suggest that the acceptability and desirability of robotization may vary depending on the level of robotization in hotels, on the type of customer, and on the level of service provided
Consumer reactions to pay-what-you-want and name-your-own-price mechanisms
No full textPay-what-you-want (PWYW) and name-your-own-price (NYOP) participative pricing mechanisms are becoming more popular among firms. In response, researchers have examined separate outcomes for each mechanism. However, questions remain, especially regarding which mechanism is most beneficial for consumers and companies. Therefore, our main objective is to investigate the role of these participative pricing mechanisms on consumers' pricing satisfaction, pain of payment, and amount of money they intend to pay. We also explore perceived control as mediating the effect of pricing mechanism on pricing satisfaction and pain of payment. Results from two experimental studies indicate that consumers are more satisfied with the pricing mechanism and feel less pain of payment under PWYW offers rather than under NYOP offers, but they intend to pay less than they would have paid for NYOP. External reference prices (ERPs) act as a boundary condition. That is, in both PWYW and NYOP pricing conditions, when retailers use ERPs, consumers intend to pay more but they are less satisfied with pricing and feel more pain of payment. The article concludes with implications for retailers using participative pricing
An evaluation of artificial intelligence components in e-commerce fashion platforms
No full textTechnological innovation and democratization of artificial intelli-gence (AI) have been leveraging the potential success in every field we know today, while more is yet to come. This paper presents an analysis of AI achievements within the fashion industry, particularly in e-commerce fashion brand platforms, and how it is impacting the consumer personal sphere, particu-larly the decision-making process of young (Gen-Z) consumers. The field of AI has been evolving in such a way that allows companies to not only improve their supply and customer demand, but also provide a shopping experience that goes beyond the mechanical “select and buy”: AI-driven touchpoints influence and enrich each stage of the decision-making process, whether more positively or negatively. Ultimately, this paper intends to provide the reader with a better knowledge of AI and fashion e-commerce joining applications, and to delineate their impact on the online customer journey
Cultural appropriation and destination brands
No full textIncreasing public scrutiny, intensifying consumers’ demand for political correctness, and rising concerns about cultural appropriation have pressed marketers to reassess products, brand names, logos, mascots, claims, advertising, and so forth. This article reports on the evaluation of consumers’ awareness of cultural appropriation within a destination branding context by means of an experimental design. The study tested the impact of priming participants with information about cultural appropriation on their attitudes toward local souvenir sales, theatrical performances, and the use of artifacts by outsiders. A questionnaire was applied to 201 people. Results suggest that the concept of cultural appropriation is little understood. On the other hand, those participants who were introduced to the concept displayed some significantly different perceptions about its impact compared to those who were not. Hence, place marketers should assess the extent to which cultural appropriation could