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This study conceptualizes a form of luxury consumption in which luxury brands collaborate with unconventional non-luxury partners. These unconventional luxury brand collaborations are growing in popularity among Chinese luxury consumers of the post-1990s generation. Luxury brands are exploring new branding strategies due to the growing commercial importance of Chinese luxury consumers.

An in-depth qualitative study informs this paper. Interviews with young adult luxury consumers self-identifying as Chinese reveal a growing interest for luxury brands that collaborate with odd partners in social media and online culture.

Unconventional collaborations between luxury brands and non-luxury partners catalyze shifting meanings of luxury through the following juxtapositions: ephemeral instead of timeless, trendy rather than inaccessible, and playful in contrast with traditional. First, young Chinese consumers construct luxury meanings through ephemerality, like digital possessions, social media fame and fleeting experiences. Second, luxury meanings emerge in trendiness among social media influencers and online culture rather than in the seemingly inaccessible taste regimes of the upper class. Third, younger consumers appreciate fun, rebellious and over-the-top aesthetics in luxury brands.

The study contributes to the nascent field of unconventional luxury by conceptualizing how unusual, odd and unexpected collaborations constitute new forms of luxury consumption. The shifting meanings of luxury consumption that this study conceptualizes raise new opportunities and challenges for luxury brands. One of such is the release of limited collections with non-luxury partners seemingly at the opposite spectrum of design, image and values. Moreover, the study adds nuance to the understanding of luxury consumption among young Chinese consumers.

The purpose of this study is to conceptually address the understanding of certain consumers and businesses that show new dynamics, including a heightened interest in quality and the concomitant development of entities and mechanisms designed to ensure certain standards as well as an increased level of involvement of the consumer with the product. These segments are identified and labeled as sophisticated markets.

Through a literature review following a conceptual model methodology, this study poses eight research propositions to seek a more profound and comprehensive understanding of this type of market that could potentially benefit several industries. This study explores and discusses some of the essential differences of sophisticated markets with a twofold purpose: to recognize the existence of sophisticated markets as a distinct category and suggest issues that may constitute interesting further research works.

The process of sophistication might occur in different industries. This study poses implications of sophisticated markets to better understand consumers and business through research propositions that can be classified into two main domains: consumer–firm relationships and communicational implications.

Previous studies addressing luxury or specialized markets have not considered these terms to be sufficient to describe what we propose be labeled as a sophisticated market. This study addresses this gap in literature and proposes a streamline of research that pursues a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.

Este estudio aborda de forma conceptual dinámicas novedosas que se están presentando en el ámbito de ciertos segmentos de consumidores y de ciertos sectores empresariales. Estas nuevas dinámicas incluyen elementos como un mayor interés en la calidad y en el desarrollo de satisfactores encaminados al aseguramiento de ciertos estándares, así como un mayor nivel de involucramiento del consumidor con el producto. Estos segmentos son identificados y etiquetados aquí como mercados sofisticados.

A través de una revisión de la literatura, siguiendo una metodología de modelo conceptual, este estudio plantea ocho proposiciones científicas dirigidas a la búsqueda de una comprensión más profunda y completa de este tipo de mercados. Este artículo explora y discute algunas de las diferencias esenciales de los mercados sofisticados, con respecto a los mercados tradicionales, con un doble propósito: (1) reconocer la existencia de los mercados sofisticados como una categoría distinta de negocio y (2) sugerir elementos y relaciones que pueden constituir trabajos interesantes de investigación a futuro.

Este proceso de sofisticación puede ocurrir en diferentes industrias. A través de estas proposiciones de investigación, este trabajo plantea elementos que pueden ayudar a incrementar el entendimiento que tenemos de este tipo de consumidores y empresas en dos grandes vertientes: la relación consumidor-empresa, y las implicaciones de la comunicación hacia estos segmentos sofisticados.

Estudios previos enfocados en bienes de lujo o mercados especializados no logran explicar lo que proponemos aquí como el fenómeno de mercados sofisticados. Este estudio busca cubrir este vacío en la literatura proponiendo líneas de investigación encaminadas a profundizar en el entendimiento de este fenómeno.

Este estudo aborda de forma conceitual dinâmicas inovadoras que estão surgindo no âmbito de certos segmentos de consumidores e setores empresariais. Essas novas dinâmicas incluem elementos como maior interesse na qualidade e no desenvolvimento de satisfatores voltados para garantir determinados padrões, bem como maior envolvimento do consumidor com o produto. Esses segmentos são identificados e rotulados aqui como mercados sofisticados.

Através de uma revisão da literatura, seguindo uma metodologia de modelo conceitual, este estudo apresenta oito proposições científicas voltadas para a busca de uma compreensão mais profunda e completa desse tipo de mercados. Este artigo explora e discute algumas das diferenças essenciais dos mercados sofisticados em relação aos mercados tradicionais, com um duplo propósito: (1) reconhecer a existência dos mercados sofisticados como uma categoria distinta de negócios e (2) sugerir elementos e relações que podem constituir trabalhos interessantes de pesquisa no futuro.

Este processo de sofisticação pode ocorrer em diferentes indústrias. Através dessas proposições de pesquisa, este trabalho apresenta elementos que podem ajudar a aumentar a compreensão que temos desse tipo de consumidores e empresas em duas grandes vertentes: a relação consumidor-empresa e as implicações da comunicação para esses segmentos sofisticados.

Estudos prévios focados em bens de luxo ou mercados especializados não conseguem explicar o que propomos aqui como o fenômeno de mercados sofisticados. Este estudo busca preencher essa lacuna na literatura propondo linhas de pesquisa com o objetivo de aprofundar a compreensão desse fenômeno.

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the characteristics of good hospitality managers and the core causes that lead to developing such characteristics.

Using a qualitative inquiry approach, 93 line-level hospitality employees were surveyed online regarding their experiences about the characteristics of good managers.

The research findings revealed five key themes of good managerial characteristics, including interpersonal skills, communication skills, supervisory skills, leadership skills, and positive personality and professionalism. Additionally, the root causes of these managerial characteristics were also analyzed. The good managerial characteristics were perceived to have developed from having worked under either a great manager or a terrible manager.

This study advanced the literature on managerial characteristics by confirming several existing categories from the viewpoint of hospitality industry employees.

Human resource managers should be considerate of these findings in terms of recruitment, hiring, and training, development, and promotion of employees in their companies.

This is one of the first studies to analyze the perceived reasons behind the development of these characteristics.

There is growing scholarly discourse towards COVID-19 pandemic and creative entrepreneurship in the perspectives of Global South. Extant literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence on the subject matter. This paper therefore provides insights into business models and business model shifts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic among creative entrepreneurs in Ghana.

In working towards achieving the purpose of the study, a qualitative design was deployed. Four artistic communities in three regions were understudied. The study conducted working interviews, Focus Group Discussions and field observations on the creative entrepreneurs.

The results showed a unique business model that captured ministries, agencies and departments; traditional authorities, foreigners and the diaspora community as key creative partners. The creative entrepreneurs equally proposed value via quality deliveries, attractive pattern mix, pure handy crafts, mart finishing, imbibing culture into productions and symbolic meanings. Their key activities include cutting and gluing, sewing and coloring, sketching and prototyping, annual Kente festivals, film shooting and editing. The creatives stream revenue through sales, advances, profit margins, contracts, gate proceeds, loans, friends and family support. The results also point at a regime of business model shifts among the creatives, deploying digitalization and diversification in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research by design is limited to the qualitative tradition; despite knowing well about the quantitative approach that could have provided a wider scope and coverage for effective generalizability. Certainly, it would be of future research interest to design a comparative mix-method study to achieve a wider coverage feat. Indeed, the paper does achieve the goal of providing an original empirical account, hence making a valid contribution to knowledge in the area of study.

The knowledge on demystified business models relative to the Ghanaian creative entrepreneurs has practical implications for practice: first, it generates a ground-up knowledge as to what creative entrepreneurial business models are, why they exist and exactly how to create one in a Global South perspective.

These creative business models and the COVID-19 induced model shifts among the Ghanaian creative entrepreneurs imply continuous creative livelihoods, sustainable business models and assurance for innovation in creative entrepreneurship space.

The study is of high scientific value, creative entrepreneurial essence and public interest to better demystify creative entrepreneurial business models and theoretically framed them. It offers strong empirical evidence on COVID-19 induced business model shifts. These creative business models and the COVID-19 induced model shifts among the Ghanaian creative entrepreneurs imply continuous creative livelihoods, sustainable business models and assurance for innovation in creative entrepreneurship space.

This study addresses how algorithmic recommendations and their affordances shape everyday information practices among young people.

Thematic interviews were conducted with 20 Finnish young people aged 15–16 years. The material was analysed using qualitative content analysis, with a focus on everyday information practices involving online platforms.

The key finding of the study is that the current affordances of algorithmic recommendations enable users to engage in more passive practices instead of active search and evaluation practices. Two major themes emerged from the analysis: enabling not searching, inviting high trust, which highlights the how the affordances of algorithmic recommendations enable the delegation of search to a recommender system and, at the same time, invite trust in the system, and constraining finding, discouraging diversity, which focuses on the constraining degree of affordances and breakdowns associated with algorithmic recommendations.

This study contributes new knowledge regarding the ways in which algorithmic recommendations shape the information practices in young people's everyday lives specifically addressing the constraining nature of affordances.

This article intends to analyse the explanatory power of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and some of its constituent factors on national success metrics in managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The authors study the outbreak control effectiveness of 132 countries during the first semester of 2020. The authors apply generalized linear regression models and weighted least squares models using 6 COVID-19-related dependent variables, 9 TTCI-related independent variables and 12 control variables.

The results suggest that countries with superior TTCI values and selected constituent factors have the highest daily averages of coronavirus infections and fatalities per million and the highest speed rates of COVID-19 spread. The authors also find that these countries have the shortest government response time, the lowest daily average of the social restrictions index and the shortest time from the first case reported in China to the first case reported nationally.

To the best of the authors' awareness, no previous study exists analysing the statistical relationship between the TTCIB and some of its constituent factors with the selected metrics of national success at managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact represents the primary evidence of this article's unique contribution.

本文擬分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數、以及其部份構成因素，如何影響有關國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期控制病毒傳播方面的成功指標。

我們就132個國家於2020年上半年控制肺炎爆發方面的表現進行研究。我們以廣義線性回歸模型和加權最小平方法進行分析研究，當中使用了六個與新型冠狀病毒肺炎有關的因變數、九個與旅行及觀光競爭力指數有關的自變數、和12個控制變量。

研究結果暗示、在擁有優越的旅行及觀光競爭力指數值和選定的構成因素的國家，以百萬人來計算，每日冠狀病毒感染及死亡的平均數字是最高的; 而且，新型冠狀病毒肺炎的傳播速度也是最高的。研究結果亦顯示、在這些國家，政府反應所需的時間是最短的，社會限制指數的日均值是最低的，以及首宗在中國被報導的個案與首宗在有關的國家被全國性地報導的個案之間的時間距是最短的。

盡作者們所知，從前似沒有相關的研究、以國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期成功控制病毒傳播的選定指數、來分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數與其部分構成因素之間的統計關係; 這正是本文所作獨特貢獻的基本證據。