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This study aims to investigate the reverse effect of the country of origin’s reputation on the notion of place brand.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the reverse effect of the country of origin’s reputation on the notion of place brand.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a case study methodology, cases of Lagos (Nigeria) and Dubai (UAE) are examined to generate a model of place brand/branding.
Findings
Three pathways of the flow of causality between nation brand and city brand were emphasised, and problematic themes of interest to focus are recommended as a way forward for aspiring cities to create and improve their global reputation to generate increased footfalls of visitors and investors.
Practical implications
It is possible for cities to create effective brands irrespective of the reputation (strong or weak) of their countries of origin. The implication of the reverse relationship between nation and city brand has the potential to expand the theoretical framework of a place brand.
Originality/value
The study’s uniqueness is in highlighting the different relations between nation branding and city branding that could guide practitioners in actualising a successful city brand project.
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Genevieve Giuliano, Burkhard E. Horn, Hirokazu Kato, Masanobu Kii, Yoshikuni Kobayashi, Dominique Mignot, Kazuaki Miyamoto, Akira Okada and Daniel Sperling
Daniel Sperling, Shinya Hanaoka, Akira Okada, Makoto Okazaki, Wolfgang Shade and Masaharu Yagishita
Sanja Kovačić, Nemanja Milenković, Iva Slivar and Milica Rancic
The purpose of this paper is to provide a suggestion for the research framework on tourists as target groups for planning city branding strategies with reference to possible…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a suggestion for the research framework on tourists as target groups for planning city branding strategies with reference to possible differences for tourists having a different country of origin. This framework was applied to analyze and compare the perception of Banja Luka city brand (Bosnia and Herzegovina) by four main target group by country of origin.
Design/methodology/approach
The suggested research framework combines qualitative generation of tourist’s city brand associations and brand personality with quantitative measurements of city brand perception (scale developed following the framework of Anholts’ (2006) City Brand Index adjusted to tourists as target groups).
Findings
The developed research framework was demonstrated in the example of Banja Luka main target groups. Three dimensions of city brand which largely coincide Anholt’s (2006) dimensions were extracted: tourist attractiveness, life standard and safe and pleasant atmosphere. Differences between analyzed countries were found in city brand perception, brand associations, brand personality, but also in all other analyzed categories.
Research limitations/implications
Possible limitation of the study is the fact that results were interpreted including both those who have visited Banja Luka and those who are not personally familiar with it.
Practical implications
Practical implications of research findings are demonstrated in form of branding suggestions focused on particular target groups.
Originality/value
The study suggests a research framework on tourists as target groups in the city branding process. Also, it contributes to a very scarce research on differences in city brand perception by target groups by country of origin, but also to the literature related to Banja Luka city brand and tourism development.
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Stuti Saxena and Tariq Ali Said Mansour Al-Tamimi
The study aims to underscore the initiatives taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in spearheading their drive towards creating “smart” cities.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to underscore the initiatives taken by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in spearheading their drive towards creating “smart” cities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses a qualitative approach by invoking documentary analysis supplemented by responses provided by 13 interviewees from public and private sector.
Findings
All the six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) are keen on building upon their infrastructure to push their “smart city” agenda which would go a long way in furthering the economic diversification objective of their region besides improving the quality of public services.
Originality/value
Hitherto, research has been focused on appreciating the “smart city” initiatives of developed countries; this study seeks to build upon the literature on “smart cities” by contextualizing the research setting in the developing countries. Second, the study shows that with the ongoing oil prices crisis in the GCC, the “smart city” initiatives of the countries are conceived as possible avenues of economic diversification and competitiveness.
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John Paul Clifford, Justin Doran, Frank Crowley and Declan Jordan
This article examines the links between average city size, fiscal decentralisation, and national economic growth in 33 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development…
Abstract
Purpose
This article examines the links between average city size, fiscal decentralisation, and national economic growth in 33 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The data in this paper comprise an unbalanced panel dataset which contains economic growth indicators, average city size, fiscal decentralisation indicators and control variables in 33 OECD member countries from 1975 to 2015 in five-year intervals. Fixed-effects (FE) estimators are used for the analysis.
Findings
This research finds i) countries with larger weighted average city sizes have higher economic growth, ii) countries with greater fiscal decentralisation have higher economic growth, but iii) countries with larger weighted average city sizes with greater decentralisation have lower rates of economic growth.
Originality/value
The research highlights the importance of agglomerations and decentralised governance and management for economic growth. While the findings are consistent with previous evidence that larger city sizes and fiscal decentralisation are separately associated with higher rates of economic growth, the authors find countries which have larger cities and greater fiscal decentralisation experience lower rates of economic growth highlighting a need for caution on decentralisation agendas in such cases. The implications of this suggest policymakers should proceed with caution on decentralisation agendas in countries with large cities.
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Evodio Kaltenecker and Miguel A. Montoya
This paper aims to study the internationalization path of emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) in their international expansion through the global cities (GCs…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to study the internationalization path of emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs) in their international expansion through the global cities (GCs) phenomenon.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a quantitative approach to identify the most used ownership and entry modes, the preferred economic sectors and the level of interconnectedness of GCs.
Findings
The manuscript identified the predominance of the tertiary sector in the selection of GCs as foreign direct investment destinations. Second, the acquisition is the preferred entry mode regardless of the connectivity of the GC and the country of origin of the EMNE. The third is the use of wholly-owned subsidiaries as the preferred ownership mode. Finally, market-seeking is the main driver for the internationalization of Latin American EMNE. Consequentially, some GCs-specific advantages remain untapped by Latin American EMNE.
Research limitations/implications
This manuscript considered each investment into a global city as a single step, although some acquisitions occurred incrementally through several small investments.
Practical implications
The authors developed a road map for the internationalization of Latin American EMNEs through GCs, acquisitions and wholly-owned subsidiaries. Finally, service-oriented EMNEs, such as IT and financial services, target locations with high interconnectedness to maximize the benefits of GCs-specific advantages.
Originality/value
The authors pointed out that market-seeking, not resource-seeking or efficiency-seeking is the primary driver of the internationalization of EMNE into global cities.
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The purpose of this paper is to study the living conditions in ten capital cities in Latin America to propose indicators that could help to quantify the sustainability of those…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the living conditions in ten capital cities in Latin America to propose indicators that could help to quantify the sustainability of those capital cities, and its impact over the competitiveness of a country.
Design/methodology/approach
It is proposed a linear model summing the score of ten quantifiable indicators and according with the result categorize the capitals as “sustainable city,” “weak sustainability” and “threatened sustainability.”
Findings
There is a good relationship between the sustainability of the city and the competitiveness of the country. This is the case of Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Santiago, followed by Lima, La Paz and Bogotá a similar result to the rank obtained by Mckinsey Global Institute (2011a, b). It is found that the four capitals categorized as “sustainable” have the highest potable water production, but it was not define a direct correlation between a country’s competitiveness and the development of important medium-sized cities.
Research limitations/implications
Limited availability of comparable information for the capital cities.
Practical implications
The results identified the need to improve specific services and conditions of the inhabitants.
Social implications
The capital cities concentrate the majority of the population of the countries reaching one-third of the total in four out of the ten cities evaluated.
Originality/value
The study presents selected indicators not in use to classify the cities sustainability.
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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the patterns of location of key activities for break-out in corporate competitiveness. The key objective is to identify linkages that may…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the patterns of location of key activities for break-out in corporate competitiveness. The key objective is to identify linkages that may exist among the location of corporate center activities, innovation capabilities and the break-out.
Design/methodology/approach
Patterns of location of corporate center across the world have been explored first, using sample data from Global 500. For the context of innovation and India, two polar locations were selected. The patterns in the growth of focal firms from the locations were evaluated using select competitiveness criteria such as revenues, profits and assets, based on data of a larger sample from Global 2000.
Findings
Findings support the view on “role of location with innovation clusters” such as Bangalore, particularly for competitiveness of born global firms. Surprisingly, Mumbai has increased its percentage share of contributions in terms of revenues and profits, indicating sustenance of cluster, entrepreneurial and other advantages.
Practical implications
Considering the enormous scope for enhancing contributions of emerging-country multinational enterprises to the world economy, decisions related to break-out in competitiveness are critical. Depending on strategic intent and the role of innovation and internationalization, firms can take better decisions related to the location of specific corporate activities to foster multinational enterprise (MNE) competitiveness.
Social implications
The findings may inspire key stakeholders to take decisions that enhance sustainability of city clusters and communities.
Originality/value
Analyzing the role of location of key corporate activities, for the phenomenon “break-out to higher stages of competitiveness”, is a unique contribution. These concepts and findings can be of high value to firms and MNEs thinking long term about location or relocation of corporate center activities, particularly for innovation.
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