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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of brand attitude and brand attachment on different categories of visitors’ behaviour.

The paper adapts a model from the classical brand research on the cultural sector. This model is tested by a visitor survey for an independent theatre and the soft modelling approach PLS.

Brand attitude and brand attachment explain similar simple types of consumer behaviour in the cultural and arts context. However, most difficult visitors’ behaviour like volunteering or demonstration is only explained by brand attachment.

Cultural manager should consider brand attachment as an additional construct in classical visitor surveys. Furthermore, cultural manager should develop and implement measures for increasing the brand attachment via a higher level of brand identification and brand prominence.

This paper is the first research, which integrates the construct brand attachment in the cultural sector. Furthermore, the distinction between different categories of visitors’ behaviour is new and fruitful for further brand research in the cultural sector. Finally, the discussed measures for improving the brand attachment opens directions for further research.

This paper aims to analyse the general effect of co-created products on the brand equity of observers (OBBE). The influence of different implementations of the co-creation approach on the OBBE is tested. It is also discussed whether co-creation can be a strategic method for companies to positively affect the OBBE in the mass market.

A between-subject experiment with a 2 (intensity of integration: democratically voted vs commonly created) × 2 (expert knowledge: no expert knowledge vs expert knowledge) design plus one control group (zero co-creation) is conducted for two brands to test the postulated hypotheses.

Co-creation can have a weak positive effect on the OBBE. Integration intensity and expertise of integrated consumer also affect the OBBE only marginally.

Further research might investigate whether the initial brand equity has a moderating effect. Also brand image and underlying product category could influence the relation between co-creation and the OBBE and would be valuable for future studies.

Brand managers should aim to convert observers into participants, instead of setting the focus on the presentation of the user-designed product to the mass market.

This study is one of the few analyzing the effects of co-creation on observers in terms of brand equity. In addition to existing research, the concept of expertise in combination with co-creation and its influence on the OBBE is explored.

This paper aims to present historical examples of collaborations between brand strategists and artists; provide an extensive, structured overview of existing published research on such collaborations and their effects; present seven papers comprising this special issue; and discuss ideas for further research into brand–art collaboration.

This is an editorial based mainly on an extensive and broad literature review.

First, this editorial underpins the relevance of brand–art collaboration in the past and present by reference to real examples. Second, it structures the diverse literature into four key aspects of the topic: inspiration, insights, identity and image. Third, it provides a glimpse of the seven papers selected for this special issue. Fourth and finally, it identifies a total of 16 avenues for further research, on four levels (artist, brand owner, consumer and cooperation process).

This editorial and the entire special issue together represent the first anthology on the topic of the interface between brand management and arts. The collection and classification of the existing literature, the formulation of ideas for future research and the content of the seven papers are collectively excellent starting springboards for new and fresh brand research projects.

This paper aims to develop and empirically test a conceptual framework explaining the influence of the sales force on brand equity relative to the product and promotion elements of the marketing mix, in the context of business‐to‐business marketing.

Six research hypotheses, relating to the effects of four key drivers of B‐to‐B brand equity identified in a review of the relevant literature, were empirically tested with a sample of 201 respondents in B‐to‐B firms in Germany, using partial least squares analysis.

The results confirm the high relevance of the sales force to the building and maintenance of a strong B‐to‐B brand. The most important driver of brand equity in this environment is the salesperson's behaviour, followed in sequence by his or her personality, product quality and non‐personal marketing communications.

The sample size permits only a general analysis and conclusions. The choice of PLS analysis and formative scales limits the rigorousness of scale and model evaluation. The decision to interview one manager per company may have introduced informant bias.

The study identifies controllable variables that are critical to the effective management of a B‐to‐B brand and offers an alternative approach to the measurement of brand equity in B‐to‐B marketing.

This is the first study to test the widely claimed influence of the sales force on B‐to‐B brand equity empirically, developing a simple but powerful framework to integrate sales management and brand management in this context.

Increased environmental pollution and the globalization of economies have initiated an academic debate on the relationship between international trade and the environment. Addresses the question of whether the present GATT/WTO regime conflicts with effective policies to cope with transboundary environmental problems, including the protection of global commons. Analyses the welfare effects of transboundary pollution tariffs by using a simple partial equilibrium framework. Contrasts the results with an assessment of the existing GATT/WTO regime, in which no distinction between national and transboundary environmental problems has been made. Outlines, in conclusion, some basic elements of a necessary reform of the GATT/WTO regime. These proposals would allow border tax adjustment for certain types of production‐related environmental charge without undermining an open and non‐discriminatory multilateral trading system.

Two and one half‐dimensional (2.5D) grid maps are useful for navigation in outdoor environment or on non‐flat surface. However, little attention has been given to how to find an optimal path in a 2.5D grid map. The purpose of this paper is to develop a path‐planning method in a 2.5D grid map, which aims to provide an efficient solution to robot path planning no matter whether the robot is equipped with the prior knowledge of the environment.

A 2.5D grid representation is proposed to model non‐flat surface for mobile robots. According to the graph extracted from the 2.5D grid map, an improved searching approach derived from A* algorithm is presented for the shortest path planning. With reasonable assumption, the approach is improved for the path planning in unknown environment.

It is confirmed by experiments that the proposed planning approach provide a solution to the problem of optimal path planning in 2.5 grid maps. Furthermore, the experiment results demonstrate that our 2.5D D* method leads to more efficient dynamic path planning for navigation in unknown environment.

This paper proposes a path‐planning approach in a 2.5D grid map which is used to represent a non‐flat surface. The approach is capable of efficient navigation no matter whether the global environmental information is available at the beginning of exploration.

The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of an individual's identification with an organisation (“organisational identification”) and propose a scale for its measurement, by means of a study drawing on the literature of corporate marketing, and group and corporate identification.

Factor analysis was applied to data collected by questionnaire from two independent samples of 200 and 525 respondents, in Slovenia, to test the causal‐path relationship of group and corporate identification to “organisational identification”.

Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, “organisational identification” is not a unidimensional construct, but comprises identification with the organisation both as a collective of individuals, and as a social entity. Results confirm the proposed structure of organisational identification, and the sound quality of the scale for its measurement.

The findings suggest a means for marketing strategists and managers to predict the forms of organisational identification in their organisations, undertake appropriate initiatives for its general enhancement, and thereby strengthen corporate performance.

This study offers two statistically verified scales for measuring group and corporate identification, and thus has important implications for the existing literature of corporate marketing and organisational identification.

As a great deal of strategy execution takes the form of strategic projects, how you align these projects ultimately determines the success or failure of your strategy. Here, we discuss four executive challenges executives need to tackle to successfully manage a strategy in a project-based world.

Conceptual approach entailing illustrative case-examples

We find four executive challenges to tackle in order to successfully manage a strategy in a project-based world.

As the study draws upon conceptual arguments, future studies need to assess the verisimilitude and boundary conditions of the challenges.

By thinking of a strategy through a project-based lens, and understanding the challenges thereof, executives should be better able to bridge strategy formulation and execution.

A project-based approach to strategy is not necessarily limited to a for-profit sector; NGOs and governmental organizations may similarly learn from and draw upon a project-based approach to strategy.

As little research within strategy has explicitly conveyed a project-based lens, the study emphasizes a novel approach to strategy.