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Social media influencers (SMIs) have become vital components of interactive marketing to promote beauty-endorsed products. However, there are three major research gaps in the literature on influencer marketing. This research aimed to fill these gaps by integrating the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) model with theories of source credibility and parasocial interaction (PSI).

A qualitative method was used to gain a deep understanding of the Korean beauty field in YouTube influencer marketing.

The data showed that YouTube influencer marketing is an ongoing PSI process that conforms to the extended SOR model. This model was based on four concepts: stimulus, which was the SMIs’ source credibility; organism, which was the followers’ perceptions of homophily/relevance to the SMIs in PSIs; response, which was the desire to imitate and engage in impulse buying behavior, and management, which was the parasocial trust friendship and/or relationship.

This study expands the new concept into the existing SOR model and releases an insight into ongoing PSIs in YouTube influencer marketing.

A surge in demand for ethical products, including cruelty-free products, has been well documented in recent years, with direct ramifications for businesses. This trend towards ethical consumption seemed to be swiftly replicated in Eastern countries, especially in South Asian nations, as a result of westernisation. Based on the theory of planned behaviour and the concept of the attitude-behaviour gap, this study aims to investigate the impact of westernisation on the purchase intention of cruelty-free cosmetic products.

A positivist research paradigm was utilised in this study. Accordingly, an online self-administered questionnaire was shared among 242 consumers of cosmetic products in Sri Lanka in order to collect responses. The statistical techniques of correlation analysis, the Sobel test and moderator regression analysis have been utilised in this study.

It was found that there seems to be a positive impact of westernisation and the cruelty-free purchase intention of consumers. Moreover, consumer empowerment appears to mediate this relationship, while the attitude behaviour gap tends to further impact the relationship between consumer empowerment and the purchase intention of cruelty-free products.

This study seems to shed light upon the impact of westernisation on the purchase intention of consumers, especially from an ethical dimension and this study is likely to extend existing studies which have focussed on consumer empowerment, attitude-behaviour gap as well as the theory of planned behaviour, especially in the context of South Asia, where there seems to be a dearth of such investigations. Moreover, this study has attempted to contextualise the construct of “Westernisation” to the South Asian region in line with the tone set by an editorial article Dewasiri et al. (2021).

The purpose of this study is to analyze the technological change under development linked to the convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital transformation (DT) from the perspective of a scientific mapping in a context marked by the occurrence of an unexpected event that accelerated this process such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and its variants.

The study was developed under the longitudinal scientific mapping approach and considered the period 1990–2021 using as a basis the descriptors DT and IoT. The steps followed were identification and selection of keywords; design and application of an algorithm to identify these selected keywords in titles, abstracts and keywords using terms in Web of Science (WoS) to contrast them; and performing a data processing based on the journals in the Journal Citation Report during 2022. The longitudinal study uses scientific mapping to analyze the evolution of the scientific literature that seeks to understand the acceleration in the integration of technology and its impact on the human factor, processes and organizational culture.

This study showed that the technologies converging around IoT form the basis of the main DT processes being experienced on a global scale; furthermore, it was shown that the pandemic accelerated the convergence and application of new technologies to support the major changes required for a world with new needs. Finally, China and the USA differ significantly in the production of scientific knowledge with respect to the first eight followers.

The knowledge gap addressed by this study is to identify the production of scientific knowledge related to IoT and its impact on DT processes at the scale of individuals, organizations and the new way of delivering value to society. This knowledge about researchers, institutions, countries and the derivation is multiple indicators allows improving decision-making at multiple scales on these issues.

This paper aims to empirically investigate the typologies of phygital (synaeresis of “physical” and “digital”) customer experiences (CXs) that can arise in high-tech retail based on the intensity of consumers' responses and reactions to the stimuli triggered by firms. Moreover, it explores how firms attempt to shape the architecture of the phygital CXs. Notably, this article identifies the flexible and agile strategies implemented by firms to enhance the several typologies of phygital CXs, with the intention of better exploiting physical and digital features to respond to the differences in customers' needs, preferences and expectations.

This study performs an in-depth exploratory single-case study based on semi-structured interviews with the customers, managers and employees of the Webidoo Store.

This study develops a framework illustrating the main typologies of ordinary (“hostile”, “controversial” and “disappointing”) and extraordinary (“passionate” and “explorative”) CXs that can arise in phygital contexts. Also, it identifies some key flexible and agile strategies (“decompressive strategy”, “mentoring strategy”, “prompting strategy” and “entertaining strategy”) that companies might follow to adjust their offerings and respond quickly to the different forms of phygital CXs to create a more compelling experience tailored to customers' needs, preferences and expectations.

Among the study's limitations are the single-case study methodology and a specific setting like the Italian one. As a result, future studies could broaden the study to include other research contexts and countries. The paper offers significant managerial insights based on the many forms of CX across ordinary and extraordinary CXs. Thus, it provides critical takeaways for businesses to meet customer demand.

This paper analyzes the different typologies of ordinary and extraordinary CXs that could occur in phygital contexts based on the intensity of consumers' responses and reactions to firms' stimuli. Also, it explores how firms attempt to shape the architecture of the phygital CXs through flexible and agile strategies. From this paper, managers and decision-makers can reflect on successful strategies they could use to affect the stimuli to which customers respond in an agile manner, thus enhancing phygital CXs.

The aim of this paper is to offer a comprehensive overview of the field of international human resource management (IHRM) research by tracing its evolutionary development over a 24-year period. The study seeks to understand how the field has progressed by considering historical research themes and their subsequent integration into more recent scholarly work, thereby identifying current and emerging research trends.

This paper employs bibliometric analysis to examine the evolutionary path of IHRM research from 1995 to 2019. A dataset of 1,507 articles from journals specializing in IHRM, international business and general management was created. Analysis at the keyword, thematic and network levels was conducted to identify trends, historical context and the interrelatedness of research themes.

The analysis reveals that IHRM research has gone through several phases of thematic focus, from initial emphasis on cultural differences and expatriate management to more recent topics like global talent management and digital transformation. Earlier research themes continue to be incorporated and re-contextualized in modern scholarship, highlighting the field’s dynamic nature.

This paper is one of the first to use a bibliometric approach to systematically examine the evolution of IHRM research. It not only provides a historical perspective but also outlines future research trends, incorporating the institutional logic perspective. The findings offer deep insights that are valuable for researchers, practitioners and policymakers interested in the development of IHRM research and its practical implications.

This paper aims to capture the complex interdependences between supply chain disruptions (SCDs), SC risk mitigation strategies and firm performance in the context of disruptive events to enhance resilience for medium-sized and large firms coping with complex supply chain networks. The roles of digitalization, insurance and government support have also been addressed as potential strategies to counteract the impacts of disruptions on supply chains.

This study is based on an empirical investigation in an FMCG company – using a hybrid causal mapping technique based on the frameworks of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Bayesian networks (BN) – of 11 levels of relationships between SCDs (in supply, production, logistics, demand and finance), SC risk mitigation strategies (flexibility, efficiency, agility and responsiveness), insurance, government support, information and knowledge sharing, digitalization and finally the key firm performance measures (continuity, quality and financial performance).

The results of the empirical investigation reveal and describe: (1) the nature and probabilistic quantification of the lower-level relationships among the four SCDs, among the mitigation strategies and the three firm performance measures; (2) the nature and probabilistic quantification of the higher-level relationships among the impacts of SCDs, SC risk mitigation strategies and firm performance and (3) how to model and quantify the complex interdependences in single firms and their supply chains.

Our results can support managers in developing more effective decision-making models to assess and manage unfavorable events and cascade effects among different functions and processes in the context of risks and disruptions.

The purpose of this paper spans twofold. Firstly, to investigate Human Resource Management practices (HRMP) adopted by organisations during the pandemic. Secondly, to bundle similar HRMP into Human Resource Management (HRM) bundles that provided unhindered organisational support to employees during the crisis.

The authors conducted 39 in-depth interviews across industries using a semi-structured interview schedule. Thereafter, the authors transcribed the interviews verbatim and analysed them thematically using MAXQDA 2021.

The study identifies effective practices during times of uncertainty and how soft HRM practices helped organisations survive during a crisis. When bundled together, these practices enabled organisations to continue operations during the pandemic, keeping their employees engaged and motivated.

Based on the learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, the study provides a toolkit of HRMP bundles that organisations can adopt for future crisis management, enhancing the organisations’ absorptive capacity.

The study investigates the practices incorporated during COVID-19, leading to the identification of soft HRM bundles. The study adds value to the existing domain of HRM by including a unique set of soft HRMP bundles that have not been discussed in earlier studies and could be of high utility to organisations during the crisis.

This study aims to explore the challenges faced by the tourism and hospitality industry following the COVID-19 pandemic and to propose effective strategies for recovery and resilience of this sector.

The study analysed the challenges encountered by the tourism and hospitality industry post-pandemic and identified key strategies for overcoming these challenges. The study utilised the modified Delphi method to finalise the challenges and employed the Best-Worst Method (BWM) to rank these challenges. Additionally, solution strategies are ranked using the Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method.

The study identified significant challenges faced by the tourism and hospitality industry, highlighting the lack of health and hygiene facilities as the foremost concern, followed by increased operational costs. Moreover, it revealed that attracting millennial travellers emerged as the top priority strategy to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on this industry.

This research contributes to understanding the challenges faced by the tourism and hospitality industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers valuable insights into practical strategies for recovery. The findings provide beneficial recommendations for policymakers aiming to revive and support these industries.

This pragmatic investigation examines the dynamic nexus between crude oil prices and food inflation from South and Southeast Asian perspectives.

This study investigates the asymmetric effects of global crude oil prices on food inflation using a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model with monthly data covering the period from May 2012 to April 2022.

The empirical evidence reveals that international crude oil has a substantial impact on food prices in the majority of countries. Additionally, the relevant outcome documents that the asymmetric effect of global crude oil on food inflation applies to Sri Lanka and Vietnam, while in the other countries, it is symmetric.

Considering the optimistic outcomes, this empirical investigation is certain to have important shortcomings. Initially, the conclusions drawn from the above findings were based only on detailed assessments of the aforementioned variables' data over a 10-year period. The current scholarly analysis investigates the existence of an asymmetric impact of crude oil on food inflation, limited to six Asian countries. On the other hand, considering a greater number of Asian economies could enhance the analysis’s robustness and precision.

The current research aims to contribute to the existing literature on food inflation and global oil prices in the following ways: First, this study investigates the nexus between global crude oil and food inflation in a novel way, considering the nonlinear relationship between the variables. To figure out the nonlinear relationship or uneven effect of the global oil shock on food prices, we use the nonlinear ARDL model. Secondly, as food inflation is one of the major issues for the South and Southeast Asian economies, this empirical investigation broadens the analysis by incorporating a perspective from South and Southeast Asia, an area largely overlooked by previous researchers. Finally, we are very optimistic about the phenomenal contribution of current analysis to comprehending the conception of oil and food price dynamics from a broader perspective to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which aims for a sustainable resolution to end hunger in all its forms by 2030 and to accomplish food security, especially in emerging economies.

This study aims to conduct a bibliometric assessment of existing literature in the fields of health communication and social media in the Asian context.

Using 265 Scopus-indexed papers, a comprehensive bibliometric study was performed, incorporating both performance and science mapping analyses.

The results reveal an increasing trend in the publication of this topic. This study also identified the top author, country, articles and author collaboration clusters. Four primary themes emerged from the publications: “Papillomavirus” and “the COVID-19 pandemic” were categorized as niche themes; “gender and cohort” was identified as a basic theme; and “behavioral intention” was classified as an emerging or declining theme. These can serve as the foundations for future research directions.

This research used only the Scopus database as its data source. However, future bibliometric research could investigate other databases.

This paper has practical implications for researchers, health communication managers, government and policymakers. It provides valuable information that can guide researchers in conducting new studies, fostering collaborations and conducting further bibliometric analyses. Health communication managers can use this paper to design and manage social media-based health communication programs. The government could leverage these findings to support evidence-based policy implementation in the field of health communication.

This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, marks the first bibliometric analysis focused on the literature in the field of health communication and social media in the Asian context.